Phrase of the hour
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Strategic counsel to stay in close contact with adversaries as well as allies, since rivals are the ones most likely to harm you and most in need of…
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
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source-backed entries
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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
In for a penny, in for a pound
Once committed to a course of action, it is worth accepting the larger commitment needed to finish it. Often spoken at the moment a small undertaking…
Meaning & originMore in sorrow than in anger
Reacting with sadness, disappointment or regret rather than fury; hurt rather than enraged. In current use it usually frames someone's response to…
Meaning & originNot give a hoot
To care very little or not at all.
Meaning & originBlow hot and cold
Behave inconsistently by alternating between enthusiasm and reluctance, approval and disapproval, or other opposite attitudes, leaving your true…
Meaning & originLove triangle
A romantic entanglement of three - two rivals in pursuit of one person, or one person entangled with two. The geometry is borrowed, but everyone…
Meaning & originOut of the loop
Excluded from the circle of people who are kept informed or who make decisions; not privy to up-to-date information or current discussion. It…
Meaning & originKnuckle down
To settle down to serious, disciplined effort on a task, often after delay, distraction or half-hearted attempts. It implies a deliberate shift into…
Meaning & originHeadliner
The performer or act billed at the very top of a show, the one the programme is built around and who closes the night; more generally, the biggest…
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.