meanings and origin of ‘to spend a penny’
UK, 1945—with allusion to the former price of admission to public lavatories: to use a public convenience—by extension: to urinate
Read MoreCategory: literature
meaning and origin of ‘street angel (and) house devil’
USA, 1878—someone who behaves exemplarily in public, but who is abusive in private life—calque of German ‘Strass-Engel Haus-Teufel’
Read Morethe humorous phrase ‘late for one’s own funeral’
UK and USA, 1881—addressed or applied to one guilty of chronic and irritating unpunctuality—occasionally used literally
Read Moremeaning and early occurrences of ‘kiss my arse’
very rude way of expressing profound contempt—first recorded in The Killing of Abel, one of the 15th-century mystery plays known as the Wakefield, or Towneley, plays
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘are you there with your bears?’
16th century—exclamation of annoyance at the reappearance of someone or something—from bear-leaders’ regular visits or from story of Elisha and the bears
Read Moremeaning and origin of ‘to box clever’
UK, 1935—to conduct oneself adroitly (‘clever’: adverb meaning ‘skilfully’)—originated in boxing
Read More‘damaged goods’ and venereal disease
1911—‘Damaged Goods’, translation of ‘Les Avariés’, by French dramatist Eugène Brieux, about the dangers of ignorance concerning sexually transmitted diseases
Read Moreorigin of ‘old soldiers never die (they simply fade away)’
UK, 1913—from a British Army song (1908) parodying a hymn titled ‘Kind Words Can Never Die’ (USA, 1859)
Read Morenotes on the phrase ‘don’t hurry, Hopkins!’
addressed to slow persons—1858—said to be from a promissory note in which a Kentuckian named Hopkins wrote it was agreed he was not to be hurried into paying
Read Morenotes on the phrase ‘a penny bun costs twopence’
1911—expenses rise as soon as one marries or begins cohabiting, or even carries on a romantic relationship—antonym of ‘two can live as cheaply as one’
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