meaning and origin of ‘sentence first (and) verdict afterwards’

14th Jul 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

UK, 1869—used to denounce arbitrariness—alludes to a demand by the Queen of Hearts during the trial of the Knave of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

meanings and history of the term ‘glass jaw’

11th Jul 2019.Reading time 20 minutes.

USA—1904 (boxing) a weak jaw that is easily broken—1914 (allegorical) preceded by the adjective ‘moral’—1931 (figurative) a vulnerable point—synonym: ‘china chin’

meaning and history of the term ‘man flu’

8th Jul 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

1999—a cold as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms—popularised by British magazine Nuts in 2006

meanings and origin of the phrase ‘good cop, bad cop’

5th Jul 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

USA, 1969—a method alternating kindness with harshness—from a police interrogation technique in which one officer is aggressive while the other is sympathetic

meaning and origin of the adjective ‘Capraesque’

3rd Jul 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

UK, 1939—characteristic of, or similar in spirit to, the films of the Italian-born American film director Frank Capra (1897-1991)

meaning and origin of the British term ‘(Colonel) Blimp’

30th Jun 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

1934—pompous, reactionary type of person—from the cartoon character (a pompous retired British army officer voicing a hatred of new ideas) created by David Low

meaning and origin of the phrase ‘Barmecide feast’

28th Jun 2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

UK, 1823—pretended or illusory generosity or hospitality—from the name of a prince in The Arabian Nights, who gave a beggar a feast consisting of empty dishes

meaning and origin of the phrase ‘not in Kansas anymore’

25th Jun 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

USA, 1971—in dramatically changed circumstances—said by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) when realising she has been transported from Kansas to the land of Oz

meaning and origin of ‘the icing’, or ‘the frosting’, ‘on the cake’

24th Jun 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

something extra that makes a good thing even better—USA 1889 with ‘frosting’, 1896 with ‘icing’—refers to a sugar preparation for coating and decorating cakes

history of the phrase ‘a bowl of cherries’

22nd Jun 2019.Reading time 23 minutes.

USA 1931—a highly enjoyable situation or experience—from ‘life is just a bowl of cherries’ 1928—popularised by song ‘Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries’ 1931