the early uses of ‘cool Britannia’ and their meanings
UK and Canada, from 1903 onwards—punningly alludes to ‘Rule Britannia’ (1740), the title of a popular patriotic song
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meaning and early instances of ‘memory lane’
an imaginary path through the nostalgically remembered past—USA, 1876, as ‘memory’s lane’ (‘memory’ in the genitive)
Read Moremeaning and origin of ‘the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker’
UK, 1848—people of various professions; people of all kinds—alludes to ‘Rub a dub dub’, a nursery rhyme of the late 18th century
Read Morethe story of ‘John Lennon spectacles’
USA, 1967—metal-framed spectacles with small, round lenses—worn and popularised by the English singer, musician and songwriter John Lennon (1940-80)
Read Morethe authentic origin of the phrase ‘Elvis has left the building’
first used on 22 September 1956 in order to stop hysterical fans from pursuing Elvis Presley at the end of a concert at Toledo
Read Morean investigation into the origin of the phrase ‘an old Spanish custom’
UK, 1932—hypotheses as to origin: successful music-hall song(s) – clichés about Spain – coined by Herman Cyril McNeile
Read More‘culture vulture’ (a person who is voracious for culture)
USA, 1931—phrase based on the phonetic similarity of the two words that compose it—implies lack of discrimination
Read More‘bull in a china shop’ – ‘éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine’
‘like a bull in a china shop’ (UK, 1802)—French equivalent with ‘elephant’ instead of ‘bull’ (1849)
Read More‘life in the fast lane’ and ‘Hotel California’, by the Eagles
Of American-English origin, the phrase life in the fast lane denotes a glamorous or highly pressured lifestyle. It refers to fast lane, meaning a traffic lane, usually that farthest from the outer edge of a motorway or dual carriageway, intended for drivers who wish to overtake slower cars. The earliest figurative use of fast lane […]
Read More‘everything in the garden is lovely’ (all is well)
appeared as a London catchphrase in 1897—not from the title and refrain of an 1898 song
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