‘white-knuckle’: meanings and origin
USA, 1961—of air travel: causing fear of such intensity that one’s knuckles whiten in an anxious grip
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‘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‘French flair’ (as applied to rugby): meaning and origin
the distinctive French players’ unconventional, creative and fast-paced style—UK, 1957—perhaps coined by the British sports journalist Michael Melford
Read More‘free shave tomorrow’: meanings and origin
USA, 1871—is used of any incentive or reward that is perpetually promised but never actually delivered—refers to a sign displayed as an advertisement for a barber’s shop
Read More‘the white man’s grave’: meaning and origin
Sierra Leone, a former British colony in West Africa, and, by extension, equatorial West Africa in general—UK, 1833—refers to the high mortality rate among white colonisers of the region
Read More‘the wrong arm of the law’: meaning and origin
any mistaken or illegitimate legal action—Australia, 1881—a punning variant of the phrase ‘the long arm of the law’ (also ‘the strong arm of the law’)
Read More‘the long arm of coincidence’: meaning and origin
the far-reaching power or effect of coincidence—coined in 1888 by the Australian playwright Charles Haddon Chambers in Captain Swift
Read More‘the strong arm of the law’: meaning and origin
the far-reaching, inescapable or punitive power and influence of the law—UK, 1788—from ‘strong arm’, designating far-reaching power and influence
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