‘to whistle in the dark’: meaning and origin
USA, 1835—to assume a pretence of courage—originally (from 1801 onwards): with explicit reference to a child putting on a brave front by whistling in the dark
Read More‘to spill one’s guts (out)’: meaning and origin
U.S. criminals’ slang, 1915—to reveal the truth about something secret or private
Read More‘war cake’: meaning and origin
a cake made with the ingredients available during wartime—first used during the First World War (1914-1918)—came back into usage during the Second World War (1939-1945)
Read More‘hen do’: meaning and origin
a celebration for a woman who is about to get married, attended by her female friends and relations—UK, 1987—first used in relation to Stags and Hens (1978), a stage play by William Russell
Read More‘to wet the other eye’: meaning and origin
British slang, 1745—to have one alcoholic drink after another—the image is that the first drink wets one eye, and the second drink wets the other eye
Read More‘Nessie’: meaning and origin
January 1934, in the Daily Record and Mail (Glasgow, Scotland)—composed of ‘Ness’ in ‘Loch Ness’ and the suffix ‘-ie’, used to form pet names
Read Morenineteenth-century deriding of the Loch Ness monster
Scotland—1852: illustrates how people will react when spotting unidentified creatures in Loch Ness—1892: mocks the many alleged sightings of the sea-serpent at that time
Read More‘to wet the baby’s head’: meaning and origin
UK, 1845—to celebrate the birth of a child by drinking alcohol
Read More‘holy laugh’: meaning and origin
USA, 1826—a laugh by a person in a state of religious fervour—especially used in reference to Methodist camp-meetings
Read More‘bed and breakfast’ (verb): meanings and early occurrences
UK, 1883—to stay at a hotel, inn, etc., that provides a bed for the night and breakfast the following morning—to stay at an establishment known as a ‘bed and breakfast’
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word histories 