‘to get caught with one’s hand in the cookie jar’: meaning and history
to get caught doing something wrong, unauthorised or illegal—USA, 1933
Read More‘floordrobe’: meaning and origin
an untidy heap of discarded clothing left on the floor of a room, instead of stored in a wardrobe—USA, 1994—a blend of the nouns ‘floor’ and ‘wardrobe’
Read More‘locker room’ (modifier): meaning and origin
typical of a men’s locker room, especially in being vulgar or coarse—USA, 1921—originated in golf
Read More‘too close for comfort’: meaning and origin
dangerously or uncomfortably close or near—USA, 1827
Read More‘white-knuckle’: meanings and origin
USA, 1961—of air travel: causing fear of such intensity that one’s knuckles whiten in an anxious grip
Read More‘like a cock at a gooseberry’: meaning and origin
very quickly and without hesitation; eagerly—Scotland and northern England, 1778
Read More‘bathroom humour’: meaning and origin
crude humour centring chiefly on bodily functions—USA, 1931
Read More‘bouncy castle’: meaning and origin
a large inflatable structure, often in the shape of a castle, on or inside which children can jump and play—UK, 1976, in reference to the International Ideal Home Exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
Read More‘musical chairs’ | ‘chaises musicales’: original meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1865—a Christmas-season party game in which players walk around a decreasing number of chairs while music is played, the loser in each round being the one who fails to find a seat when the music stops
Read More‘Kafoops’: meanings and origin
(chiefly humorous): a non-specific or hypothetical person, or a person whose name is unknown, forgotten or withheld—Australia, 1902—apparently an arbitrary formation
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