‘more kicks than halfpence’: meaning and origin
1785—Britain and Ireland—meaning: ‘more harshness than kindness’
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‘Molotov cocktail’: meaning, origin and early occurrences
a makeshift incendiary device for throwing by hand, consisting of a bottle filled with flammable liquid and with a piece of cloth as a fuse—Finland, 1940, in reference to Vyacheslav M. Molotov, who led the Soviet campaign against Finland
Read More‘bed and breakfast’: primary meaning and early occurrences
Ireland, 1803—the provision of a bed for the night and breakfast the following morning, especially at a fixed rate, in a hotel, inn, or private home
Read More‘to turn in one’s grave’: meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1801—said of a dead person: to be likely to have reacted with horror to something if they were still alive to experience it
Read More‘pecking order’: meanings and origin
1927 (translation of German ‘Hackordnung’): a dominance hierarchy, seen especially in domestic poultry, that is maintained by one bird pecking another of lower status—hence (1929): any hierarchy based on rank or status
Read More‘how can you sleep at night?’: meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1806—‘to be able to sleep at night’: to be untroubled by the moral consequences of one’s actions, or by the risks and responsibilities of one’s situation
Read More‘to shoot oneself in the foot’: meaning and origin
USA, 1951—to act in a way that inadvertently damages one’s cause or reputation or spoils one’s chances—alludes to accidental shooting
Read More‘easy street’: meanings and origin
USA, 1885—a condition of carefreeness, of ease, usually one marked by financial security—also (USA, 1889) in sporting contexts, a situation where winning will be easy
Read More‘hollow legs’: meaning and origin
USA, 1866—the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
Read More‘flat-earther’: meaning and origin
a person who believes that the planet Earth is flat—USA, 1896—earlier synonym: ‘flat-earth man’ (UK, 1872) applied to John Hampden (1819-1891)
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