Phrase of the hour
Know which side your bread is buttered (on)
To understand where your own advantage lies and to act accordingly, especially by staying on good terms with whoever controls that benefit; usually…
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.
1,465
curious expressions
1,149
source-backed entries
2,335
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
Dine with Duke Humphrey
Go without dinner, especially while pretending or hoping to dine. Archaic. It refers to missing a meal, not to eating grandly with a nobleman…
Meaning & originThe devil finds work for idle hands
Unoccupied people, especially the young, are likely to drift into mischief or trouble, so staying busy keeps a person out of temptation. Typically…
Meaning & originCut off your nose to spite your face
To act out of anger, revenge or principle in a way that harms you more than the person it is aimed at. Typically describes self-destructive…
Meaning & originEasy as pie
Super simple or effortless, a breeze.
Meaning & originSeparate the wheat from the chaff
To tell the valuable part from the worthless part; to sort good people, ideas, or material from inferior ones when the two are mixed together and not…
Meaning & originPigs might fly
A sarcastic retort meaning that whatever has just been predicted or promised is so unlikely that it will never happen; used to mock over-optimistic…
Meaning & originRags to riches
A rise from deep poverty to great wealth, whether as a real biography or as a stock narrative arc. Usually admiring of effort and luck, but often…
Meaning & originFull of beans
Bursting with energy or enthusiasm, lively as if fueled by a jolt.
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.