“ad fontes!”
Australia, 1934—an inexhaustible supply of something, especially money—alludes to The Magic Pudding (1918), by Norman Lindsay, in which a pudding instantly renews itself as it is sliced or eaten into
Read MoreUSA, 1946—a feeling of regret experienced after making a purchase—also, in extended use: a feeling of regret experienced after voting for a particular person or programme
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UK, 1958—a type of moustache in which the two ends extend downwards to the chin—refers to Emiliano Zapata, who was portrayed with a moustache of this kind by Marlon Brando in Viva Zapata! (1952)
Read More1785—Britain and Ireland—meaning: ‘more harshness than kindness’
Read More1975 as ‘French chef’s kiss’—a gesture used to indicate that something is excellent or perfect—also a perfect or excellent person or thing—alludes to such a gesture stereotypically made by a chef on tasting a delectable dish
Read Morea 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 MoreUK, 1924, as ‘cameo part’, used of two small roles in Shakespeare’s Julius Cæsar
Read MoreNew Zealand, 1917—a mess, a muddle; something unattractive or unappetising—alludes to the jumbled nature of a pig’s meal
Read MoreCanada, 1857: an angelic being imagined as being the source of a fall of snow—USA, 1893 (?): an impression in the snow resembling an angel, made by lying on one’s back and moving one’s arms and legs back and forth in an arc along the ground
Read More1937—a shortened form of expressions such as ‘bed-and-breakfast place’ (first recorded in 1881)
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word histories 