‘knee-slapper’: meaning and origin
an uproariously funny joke—USA, 1941—the image is of a person slapping their knees in laughter
Read More‘a bad day at the office’: meaning and early occurrences
a day on which one has performed badly, especially at work; a day which has been unusually difficult or unsatisfactory—USA, 1895
Read More‘love handles’: meaning and origin
excess or unwanted fat at the waist—USA, 1960 and 1964, in interviews of Debbie Reynolds—the image is of the waist being held on to during sexual intercourse
Read More‘to get caught with one’s hand in the cookie jar’: meaning and history
to get caught doing something wrong, unauthorised or illegal—USA, 1933
Read More‘floordrobe’: meaning and origin
an untidy heap of discarded clothing left on the floor of a room, instead of stored in a wardrobe—USA, 1994—a blend of the nouns ‘floor’ and ‘wardrobe’
Read More‘locker room’ (modifier): meaning and origin
typical of a men’s locker room, especially in being vulgar or coarse—USA, 1921—originated in golf
Read More‘too close for comfort’: meaning and origin
dangerously or uncomfortably close or near—USA, 1827
Read More‘white-knuckle’: meanings and origin
USA, 1961—of air travel: causing fear of such intensity that one’s knuckles whiten in an anxious grip
Read More‘like a cock at a gooseberry’: meaning and origin
very quickly and without hesitation; eagerly—Scotland and northern England, 1778
Read More‘bathroom humour’: meaning and origin
crude humour centring chiefly on bodily functions—USA, 1931
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