‘Mr Fixit’: meaning and origin

28th Mar 2021.Reading time 11 minutes.

USA, 1906—a man who fixes something, especially a man who, often illicitly, arranges matters or sets up deals—cf. ‘fixer’: one who, often illicitly, arranges or adjusts matters

‘Mr Nice Guy’ | ‘no more Mr Nice Guy’

27th Mar 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

USA—‘Mr Nice Guy’ (1952, first used of Perry Como): a pleasant, selfless, thoughtful person—‘no more Mr Nice Guy’ (1960): used to express that one has decided to stop being considerate of others and instead act exclusively in one’s own self-interest

‘useful idiot’: meaning and origin

26th Mar 2021.Reading time 18 minutes.

UK, 1864: a naive person who can be manipulated to advance a political agenda—USA, 1948 (1946 as ‘useful innocent’): with reference to a communist strategy designed to gain political power

‘funny bone’: meaning and origin

24th Mar 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

UK, 1826—a place behind the bony point of the elbow at which a knock results in a sensation of tingling pain—in early use was perhaps partly punning on the homophones ‘humerus’ and ‘humorous’

‘globaloney’: meaning and origin

23rd Mar 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

USA, 1943—nonsensical or absurd talk or ideas concerning global issues—blend of ‘global’ and ‘baloney’—coined by Clare Boothe Luce in her maiden speech to the House of Representatives

‘butterflies in one’s stomach’: meaning and origin

22nd Mar 2021.Reading time 10 minutes.

USA, 1937—an uneasy sensation felt, especially in the stomach, as a result of nervousness or apprehension—based on the notion that the fluttering of butterflies may produce a similar sensation

‘the whole caboodle’: meaning and origin

21st Mar 2021.Reading time 11 minutes.

USA, 1839—the whole group or set of people, animals or things—origin unknown—perhaps from the Dutch expression ‘de hele kit en boedel’, meaning ‘the entire house and everything in it’

‘the whole boodle’: meaning and origin

20th Mar 2021.Reading time 10 minutes.

USA, 1814—the whole group or set of people, animals or things—corresponds to modern Dutch ‘de hele boel’ (earlier ‘de hele boedel’)—‘boodle’: from Dutch ‘boedel’, estate, property, a large quantity

‘cahoot’: meaning and early occurrences

19th Mar 2021.Reading time 12 minutes.

southern United States of America, 1827—used almost exclusively in the phrase ‘in cahoots’ (in early use ‘in cahoot’, ‘in cohoot’), meaning colluding or conspiring together secretly—origin unknown

‘to have a foot in both camps’: meaning and origin

18th Mar 2021.Reading time 11 minutes.

UK, 1854—to belong to, or to sympathise with, two opposite groups, factions, etc.—probably a loan translation from French ‘avoir un pied dans les deux camps’ (1843)