“ad fontes!”
a picture conveys far more than words—USA, 1877, as ‘a picture tells more than printed words’—from 1866 to 1876 the notion had been used with specific reference to pictures by the cartoonist Thomas Nast
Read Moreto urinate—slang—2nd half of the 20th century—based on the sound /eɪn/, common to the verb, adjective and noun that compose it—‘main vein’ probably refers to the penis
Read MoreUK, 1917—‘what an idiot!’—a borrowing from French
Read MoreUK, 1884—‘what a surprise!’—a borrowing from French—chiefly used ironically, to imply that a situation or event is unsurprising, typical or predictable
Read MoreUK, 1794—expresses one’s strong and often petulant inclination to do a particular thing—here, ‘pin’ (i.e., a small, thin, pointed piece of metal) is used of the most trivial or least significant thing
Read MoreUSA, 1871—a traditional method of teaching consisting of lectures (talk) illustrated chiefly on the blackboard (chalk)
Read Moredishonest or deceitful actions, while they may offer a short-term advantage, do not lead to long-term success or well-being—1710, as ‘cheating never thrives’
Read More1843—a representation of a human skull or skeleton, originally crafted from sugar and intended to be eaten and often given to children as a gift around Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead)
Read MoreUSA, 1835—to assume a pretence of courage—originally (from 1801 onwards): with explicit reference to a child putting on a brave front by whistling in the dark
Read MoreU.S. criminals’ slang, 1915—to reveal the truth about something secret or private
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word histories 