‘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
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‘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
Read More‘for two pins’: meaning and origin
UK, 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 More‘cheats never prosper’: meaning and origin
dishonest 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 More‘to wet the other eye’: meaning and origin
British slang, 1745—to have one alcoholic drink after another—the image is that the first drink wets one eye, and the second drink wets the other eye
Read More‘bed and breakfast’ (verb): meanings and early occurrences
UK, 1883—to stay at a hotel, inn, etc., that provides a bed for the night and breakfast the following morning—to stay at an establishment known as a ‘bed and breakfast’
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