A curious dictionary of everyday English

Every odd phrase has
a story to tell.

Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.

1,585 curious expressions
1,269 source-backed entries
2,575 research references
Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.

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Over the moon

Extremely happy and delighted. British in flavour though now widely understood elsewhere, it typically appears in the construction 'to be over the…

Meaning & origin

Mansplaining

Explaining something in a condescending or overconfident way, especially a man explaining to a woman who in fact knows more about the topic than he…

Meaning & origin

Fall flat

To fail completely to produce the intended or expected effect, especially of a joke, speech, stunt or performance that is met with silence instead of…

Meaning & origin

Manspreading

A man sitting with his knees spread wide apart, especially on public transport, so that he occupies more than one seat. Informal and usually a…

Meaning & origin

Hate-watching

The practice of following a television show, film, or video that you dislike on purpose, taking entertainment from mocking its flaws rather than from…

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.

How we research phrases