‘in Dicky’s meadow’: meaning and origin

22nd Jun 2016.Reading time 20 minutes.

In the phrase ‘in Dicky’s meadow’, which means ‘in trouble’, the first element is an alteration of ‘dicky’, meaning ‘hazardous’, ‘critical’.

the multiple meanings and origins of ‘P’s and Q’s’

21st Jun 2016.Reading time 19 minutes.

Sexual puns in 17th-century English theatre explain several meanings of ‘P’s and Q’s’.