‘cliffhanger’: meanings, origin and early occurrences

23rd Jul 2023.Reading time 17 minutes.

a suspenseful ending to an episode of a serial; the serial itself—USA, early 1930s—originally referred to serials which ended episodes with their protagonists literally hanging from cliffs, or in similarly dangerous situations

‘flopbuster’: meaning and origin

21st Jul 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

a film which fails to achieve the commercial success that was expected—UK, 1986—from ‘flop’ (a failure) and ‘-buster’ in ‘blockbuster’ (a film which achieves great commercial success)

‘to walk like an Egyptian’: meaning and origin

16th Jul 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

to walk with arms extended, elbows and wrists bent at right angles, one arm up, one down—1962 in To Kill a Mockingbird—refers to the representation of the human body by the ancient Egyptians

‘talking head’: meaning and early occurrences

14th Jul 2023.Reading time 9 minutes.

USA, 1963—frequently in plural: a person on television who is shown merely speaking, as in a newscast or an interview

‘flash mob’: meaning and origin

21st Jun 2023.Reading time 14 minutes.

USA, 2003—a group of people organised by means of the internet, mobile phones or other wireless devices, who assemble in public to perform a prearranged action together and then quickly disperse

‘to hang someone out to dry’: meaning and origin

19th Jun 2023.Reading time 18 minutes.

to put someone in a difficult, vulnerable or compromising situation, especially by exposing them to blame—USA, 1945, sports—the image is of suspending wet washing in the open so that it can dry

‘every little helps’: meaning and origin

23rd Jan 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

every contribution towards a goal is valuable, regardless of how small it may be—UK, 1707—in Britain, particularly associated with Tesco, which has used this phrase as its slogan since 1993

‘Tardis’: meanings and origin

22nd Jan 2023.Reading time 16 minutes.

various meanings, in particular: something with a larger capacity than its outward appearance suggests—UK, 1968—the name, in TV series Doctor Who, of a time machine outwardly resembling a police telephone box, yet inwardly much larger

‘bonkbuster’: meaning and origin

13th Jan 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

a type of popular novel characterised by frequent explicit descriptions of sexual encounters between the characters—from ‘bonk’, referring to sexual intercourse, and ‘blockbuster’—UK, 1988—perhaps coined by Sue Limb

‘Brylcreem Boy’: meanings and origin

9th Jan 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

UK, 1941—a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force; also used by the military land forces of any member of the R.A.F.—originally referred to WWII advertisements for Brylcreem hair cream, featuring a fighter pilot

word histories

Category: media