“ad fontes!”
do not to discard winter clothes too soon—Britain, 1668—‘clout’: any piece of clothing—the original reference is to the end of the month of May and not to the appearance of spring blossom
Read MoreUK, mid-19th century—a self-important, pompous or pretentious woman or man—a title of nobility is sarcastically bestowed upon a woman or man who is regarded as muck, i.e., as contemptible, worthless
Read MoreUK, 1802—to go without food, or have a meagre meal, in order to save money—perhaps from the verb ‘box’, meaning: to strike with the fist, and from the male forename ‘Harry’, designating the Devil
Read MoreBritish naval slang, 1915—used of something gratis—perhaps an adaptation of the slang phrase ‘to drink at Freeman’s Quay’, meaning: to drink at another’s expense—‘Harry’ may be an intensifier
Read Moreto live in concubinage—slang, northwestern England, 1822—refers to the noun ‘tally’ in the sense of one of two parts which fit and complete each other
Read Morea cold, windy, unpleasant weather—UK, 1848—refers to Liverpool, a port-city in Merseyside, historically in Lancashire, a county of northwestern England, on the Irish Sea
Read Morewrong in the head, crazy—British slang, 1882-83—the noun ‘crumpet’ designates the head, and the adjective ‘barmy’ means: crazy
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UK—1978 (frequently as a self-designation): a group of followers of a sports team; a youth street gang—1981 (derogatory): a political faction regarded as extremist or fanatical—‘barmy’ means ‘crazy’
Read Moreto abandon all thought of making peace—1658—originally in the proverb ‘who draws his sword against his prince, must throw away the scabbard’ and variants
Read MoreLiverpool, England, 1966—an alley-cat—‘jigger’: a narrow passageway between the backs of urban terrace-houses
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word histories 