Phrase of the hour
Keep the wolf from the door
To fend off poverty or harm, just scraping by.
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
Every odd phrase has
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Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.
2,006
curious expressions
1,690
source-backed entries
3,678
research references
Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
X-ray vision
Seeing through obstacles or facades with uncanny clarity.
Meaning & originIn the lap of luxury
Living in grand comfort or wealth, pampered.
Meaning & originSlacktivism
Support for a political or social cause expressed through minimal-effort actions such as liking posts, changing a profile picture, or signing online…
Meaning & originA shot in the dark
A guess or attempt made with little or no information and only a slim hope of success; a wild guess rather than a calculated risk. Usually in the…
Meaning & originBarnstorming
Making a whirlwind tour of rallies, speeches, matches or performances, playing town after town with high energy and showmanship; the political sense…
Meaning & originA siren call
An appeal hard to resist that leads, if obeyed, to a bad end - the tempting offer, cause, or ideology whose believers end up wrecked. The siren song…
Meaning & originGreen around the gills
Looking pale, sickly and on the verge of vomiting; visibly nauseated. The gills are jokingly applied to the lower part of a person's face, by analogy…
Meaning & originMeat and drink
Something that gives a person deep satisfaction, support or encouragement - what they positively thrive on, as in 'criticism is meat and drink to…
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.