‘brain rot’: meaning and origin
a perceived loss of intelligence or critical thinking skills—apparently coined after ‘potato rot’ by the U.S. author Henry David Thoreau in Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (1854)
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‘the game is not worth the candle’: meaning and origin
the returns from an activity or undertaking do not warrant the time, money or effort required—calque of French ‘le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle’—1603, in John Florio’s translation of Montaigne’s Essays
Read More‘it is the thought that counts’: meaning and origin
the value to the recipient of a gift lies in the goodwill or affection with which the gift is given—USA, 1885—originally in reference to the Christmas season
Read More‘to have come down in the last shower’: meaning and origin
New Zealand, 1877, & Australia, 1878—to be inexperienced, to be gullible
Read More‘seven years’ bad luck’: meaning and origin
UK, 1813—a period of bad luck superstitiously believed to be the consequence of breaking a mirror or, occasionally, of another action or incident
Read More‘to take Dutch leave’: meaning and origin
1851—to depart unnoticed or without permission—one of several phrases in which the adjective ‘Dutch’ is used derogatorily or derisively
Read More‘ginormous’: meaning and origin
impressively or shockingly big—a blend of ‘gigantic’ and ‘enormous’—apparently coined by Welsh novelist Berta Ruck in Wedding March (1938)
Read More‘this town ain’t big enough for the two of us’: meaning and origin
USA, 1869—originally and chiefly used in relation to the Wild West, refers to a decisive confrontation between two gunfighters
Read More‘a picture is worth a thousand words’: meaning and origin
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 More‘quel idiot!’: meaning and origin
UK, 1917—‘what an idiot!’—a borrowing from French
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word histories 