Phrase of the hour
On the rocks
In a state of ruin, failure, or serious difficulty: a marriage on the rocks, a business on the rocks. Separately, of a drink, served over ice cubes…
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curious expressions
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
Put a damper on
To dampen or spoil the mood, cooling the fun.
Meaning & originConcern trolling
Offering unsolicited 'friendly advice' or professed worry that is actually meant to undermine a cause, typically by a person pretending to be a…
Meaning & originFaux pas
An embarrassing blunder in manners, etiquette or conduct; especially a socially awkward or improper act. The register is neutral to mildly formal, and…
Meaning & originThe Midas touch
The seeming ability to turn anything one deals with into success or money - the lucky or skillful knack that makes every venture flourish. The phrase…
Meaning & originTitanic
Enormous in size, force, or ambition - the adjective for anything on the scale of the old gods it names. A titanic effort is one worthy of the beings…
Meaning & originPart and parcel
An essential, expected, or inseparable component of a larger activity, system, or experience. Most often appears after be: something is part and…
Meaning & originBlue blood
Descent from an aristocratic or noble family, or membership of the hereditary upper class generally. In modern use the phrase is often faintly ironic…
Meaning & originSpin a yarn
To tell a long story, usually an entertaining, exaggerated or far-fetched one - often one the teller has embellished along the way. Typically takes an…
Meaning & originLanguage 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.