“ad fontes!”
UK, mid-19th century—a self-important, pompous or pretentious woman or man—a title of nobility is sarcastically bestowed upon a woman or man who is regarded as muck, i.e., as contemptible, worthless
Read MoreUK, 1802—to go without food, or have a meagre meal, in order to save money—perhaps from the verb ‘box’, meaning: to strike with the fist, and from the male forename ‘Harry’, designating the Devil
Read Moreto live in concubinage—slang, northwestern England, 1822—refers to the noun ‘tally’ in the sense of one of two parts which fit and complete each other
Read Morea cold, windy, unpleasant weather—UK, 1848—refers to Liverpool, a port-city in Merseyside, historically in Lancashire, a county of northwestern England, on the Irish Sea
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UK—1978 (frequently as a self-designation): a group of followers of a sports team; a youth street gang—1981 (derogatory): a political faction regarded as extremist or fanatical—‘barmy’ means ‘crazy’
Read Moreto abandon all thought of making peace—1658—originally in the proverb ‘who draws his sword against his prince, must throw away the scabbard’ and variants
Read MoreAustralia, 1914—to leave indisputable evidence of one’s involvement in an affair, endeavour, etc.—‘fingerprint’: an impression made on a surface by the tip of a person’s finger, as used in criminal investigations
Read MoreNew Zealand, 1985—adjective—a general term of approval, meaning: excellent, fantastic, great—frequently used as an interjection expressing emphatic affirmation, agreement or appreciation
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California, 1956—a pair of large imitation dice made from fluffy, fur-like material, designed to be hung inside a vehicle’s windscreen from the rear-view mirror
Read Moreto behave childishly and petulantly, to throw a tantrum—UK, 1944—the image is of a baby throwing its toys out of its pram in a tantrum
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