‘boustrophedon’: meaning and origin

18th May 2021.Reading time 9 minutes.

1762—(especially of an ancient style of writing): having alternate lines written from left to right and from right to left—from the Greek adverb ‘βουστροφηδόν’, meaning literally ‘as an ox turns (in ploughing)’, with allusion to the course of the plough in successive furrows

‘meat and two veg’: meanings and early occurrences

25th Apr 2021.Reading time 10 minutes.

UK—literally, 1919: a dish consisting of meat served with two varieties of vegetable, seen as typical of traditional or unimaginative British cooking—figuratively, 1951: something simple and unsophisticated, or something indicative of simple and unsophisticated tastes

‘how long is a piece of string?’: meaning and early occurrences

3rd Mar 2021.Reading time 8 minutes.

USA, 1885—a response to a question that cannot be answered precisely, although a precise answer seems to be expected—various jocular replies have been made up, such as ‘twice the length from the middle to the end

‘to have both oars in the water’: meaning and origin

30th Jan 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

USA, 1977—to be mentally stable—usually depreciatively in negative contexts, as ‘not to have both oars in the water’—refers to the necessity of dipping both the oars into the water to keep a rowing boat steady and steer it in a straight line

‘zero tolerance’: meanings and early occurrences

29th Jan 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

USA—1940: a policy of non-acceptance with regard to a specified situation, activity, result, substance, etc.—1971: a policy of non-acceptance with regard to abusive, anti-social or criminal behaviour, especially the use of illegal drugs

‘(as) cold as a stepmother’s breath’: meanings and origin

26th Sep 2020.Reading time 10 minutes.

Irish English, 1834—extremely cold, literally (i.e., with reference to low temperatures) and figuratively (i.e., with reference to lack of feeling, of emotion)

‘too thick to drink and too thin to plow’

9th Sep 2020.Reading time 11 minutes.

U.S.—used in reference to several muddy rivers, and, occasionally, to other waterbodies—originally (1890 to 1902) used in reference to the Missouri River

‘Onion Johnny’: meaning and cultural background

31st Aug 2020.Reading time 18 minutes.

UK, 1877—an onion-seller from Brittany who sold onions door-to-door around the coasts of Britain—used with modifying word, ‘Johnny’ designates a person of the type, profession, etc., specified

‘silent like the ‘p’ in swimming’: meaning and early occurrences

24th Aug 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

USA, 1925—With, of course, a pun on ‘pee’, meaning ‘to urinate’, the jocular phrase ‘silent like (the) ‘p’ in swimming’ is used when exposing a difficulty in pronunciation.