‘grass widower’: meaning and origin
a married man living apart from his wife—UK, 1822—coined after ‘grass widow’
Read MoreTag: food
‘Franken-’: meanings and origin
forms nouns with the sense ‘genetically modified ——’; also, occasionally, with the sense ‘—— relating to genetic modification’—first used in 1992 by Paul Lewis to form ‘Frankenfood’—from ‘Frankenstein’, the title character of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel
Read More‘Frankenstein food’: meanings and origin
genetically modified food—but had been used earlier by members of Weight Watchers in the sense of food one is addicted to—in reference to ‘Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus’ (1818), by Mary Shelley
Read More‘to (play) hide the salami’: meaning and origin
to have sexual intercourse—USA, second half of the 20th century—here, the noun ‘salami’ denotes the penis
Read More‘to (play) hide the sausage’: meaning and origin
to have sexual intercourse—UK, Ireland and Australia, second half of the 20th century—here, the noun ‘sausage’ denotes the penis
Read More‘a bit of crackling’: meaning and origin
a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire—UK, 1895—from ‘crackling’, denoting the crisp skin or rind of roast pork
Read More‘cupboard love’: meaning and origin
love or affection insincerely professed or displayed as a means of gaining a benefit or advantage—circa 1665—the image is of love given in return for food from a cupboard
Read More‘ember months’: meaning and origin
the final four months of the calendar year, i.e., September, October, November and December—UK, 1863—from ‘-ember’ in ‘September’, ‘November’ and ‘December’
Read More‘cannon fodder’ | ‘chair à canon’
soldiers regarded simply as material to be expended in war—‘cannon fodder’ (1847), said to have been coined after German ‘Kanonenfutter’—French ‘chair à canon’ (1814), first used in reference to Napoléon Bonaparte
Read More‘to drop — like a hot potato’: meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1815—to abandon a person or undertaking hastily, especially when they become controversial or difficult to handle, as a hot potato is
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