Phrase of the hour
Keep your head above water
To manage to survive or keep coping, especially when money, time, or energy is only just sufficient. It implies struggling at the very limit of your…
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
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Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
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Know your onions
Be thoroughly knowledgeable or competent in a subject. The possessive normally changes with the subject: know my, your, his, her or their onions…
Meaning & originKnight in shining armour
A person, usually a man, who heroically rescues or champions someone in trouble, especially one who turns up unexpectedly and sorts everything out…
Meaning & originKeep your eyes peeled
To stay sharply alert or watchful, scanning for signs.
Meaning & originThe third degree
Intensive, prolonged questioning of someone, originally by police and often implying rough or coercive treatment; now usually jocular for any barrage…
Meaning & originA stage whisper
A whisper deliberately loud enough to be overheard, speech meant to look private while actually intended for nearby listeners; also the theatrical…
Meaning & originActing the maggot
Behaving mischievously, foolishly or disruptively instead of taking matters seriously. Informal. The force ranges from affectionate criticism of…
Meaning & originIt takes a village
Bringing up a child properly is the work of a whole community, not just the parents; by extension, any ambitious undertaking needs broad collective…
Meaning & originGroggy
Weak, dazed, and unsteady, typically because of interrupted sleep, illness, medication, or fatigue; very common in 'feeling groggy'. The word once…
Meaning & origin
Language has legends. Evidence matters.
Colourful story or documented history?
Phrase origins are full of irresistible myths. We separate what historical sources can show from what remains disputed, and link the references behind researched entries.