How ‘tycoon’ acquired its current sense in 1860.

28th Jan 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

From Japanese ‘taikun’, ‘tycoon’ was originally the title by which the shogun of Japan was described to foreigners. The current sense originated in the Japanese Embassy to the United States in 1860, not from the use of ‘tycoon’ as a nickname of Abraham Lincoln.

‘bag lady’ (whose worldly wealth is in shopping bags)

27th Jan 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Of American-English origin, ‘bag lady’, or ‘shopping-bag lady’, denotes a homeless woman, often elderly, who carries her possessions in shopping bags. The earliest instance that I have found is from The Pocono Record (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) of 19th June 1971.

‘better red than dead’ – ‘better dead than red’

26th Jan 2018.Reading time 11 minutes.

During the Cold War, especially in the context of a possible nuclear war, ‘better red than dead’ was used to warn against uncompromising opposition to communism, while ‘better dead than red’ was used to express unconditional opposition to communism.

meaning and origin of ‘reds under the bed’

25th Jan 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

‘Reds under the bed’ and variants denoted an exaggerated or obsessive fear of the presence and harmful influence of communist sympathisers in a particular society, institution, etc. The earliest instance that I have found is from the Chicago Tribune of 28th September 1924.

How ‘magazine’ came to denote a periodical publication.

24th Jan 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

‘Magazine’ (= ‘storehouse’) came to denote a book providing information on a specified subject (17th c.). This gave rise to the sense ‘periodical magazine (= ‘repository’) of the most interesting pieces of information published in the newspapers’ (18th c.).

original meaning of ‘blue sky and hot air’

23rd Jan 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

U.S., 1903—originally used in the sense of ‘impractical scheme based on empty talk’, the element ‘blue sky’ meaning ‘unrealistic project’, and ‘hot air’ meaning ‘insubstantial claims’

origin and early instances of ‘gravy train’

22nd Jan 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Of American-English origin, ‘gravy train’ is first recorded in 1899 with reference to sporting achievement, not to financial gain; it originated in the use of ‘gravy’ in the figurative sense of ‘advantage’, ‘benefit’, first recorded in 1845.

origin of ‘to jump on the bandwagon’

22nd Jan 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

Often used in phrases such as ‘to jump on the bandwagon’, meaning to join the popular or apparently winning side, ‘bandwagon’ denotes a popular party, faction or cause that attracts growing support; its primary meaning is a wagon used for carrying the band in a parade.

Pidgin-English origin of ‘long time no see’

21st Jan 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

The colloquial phrase ‘long time no see’, which first appeared in the USA in the 1890s, is used as a greeting meaning ‘it is a long time since we last saw each other’. It originated in Chinese Pidgin English, after Chinese ‘hǎojiǔ bú jiàn’, or ‘hǎojĭu méi jiàn’.

How ‘blue Monday’ came to denote a gloomy Monday.

20th Jan 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

A calque of German ‘blauer Montag’, ‘blue Monday’ originally denoted a Monday on which people chose not to work as a result of excessive indulgence over the course of the weekend. Under the influence of the adjective ‘blue’ in the sense ‘dismal’, it came to denote a Monday that is depressing or trying.