origin and meanings of ‘shotgun wedding’, or ‘shotgun marriage’
USA, 1878—an enforced wedding—from the fact that, on occasions, men were actually coerced at gunpoint into marriage
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the birth of some 19th-century advertising catchphrases
the origin of some famous catchphrases used in 19th-century advertising campaigns
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘Benjamin’s portion’
UK, 1753—the largest share—alludes to Genesis, 43:34, where Benjamin receives the largest portion of food from his brother Joseph
Read Moreorigin of the phrase ‘the bitch goddess’ (material success)
11 September 1906 in a letter addressed to the English novelist H. G. Wells by the American philosopher and psychologist William James
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘like turkeys voting for Christmas’
(of an action or decision) hopelessly self-defeating—UK, 1979, with reference to the Scottish National Party’s decision to vote with the Tories
Read Moremeaning, origin and early instances of ‘blonde moment’
USA, 1991—refers to the stereotypical perception of blonde-haired women as unintelligent
Read Moreorigin of ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get(s) going’
USA, 1953—originally a motto adopted by football coaches—has often been used humorously with variation of the main clause
Read Moreearly meanings of the portmanteau ‘screenager’
USA—blend of ‘screen’ and ‘teenager’—(1957) teenagers reacting to a movie—(1985) teenagers as represented by TV and cinema
Read More‘to know —— like the back of one’s hand’ – ‘connaître —— comme sa poche’
first attested in David Balfour (1893), by Robert Louis Stevenson—French equivalent ‘connaître comme sa/ses poche(s)’ (‘to know like one’s pocket(s)’ – 1791)
Read Moreorigin and sense development of Anglo-Irish ‘bejesus’
1825, Anglo-Irish alteration of ‘by Jesus’—1867 as one word—‘the bejesus out of’ (1931) intensifies the action conveyed by the preceding verb
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word histories 