the phrase ‘what else did you get for Christmas?’
USA, 1944—sarcastic remark used in exasperation at an impatient motorist who persistently toots their horn—likens the motorist to a child in a toy car
Read Morehow words and phrases came into existence
USA, 1944—sarcastic remark used in exasperation at an impatient motorist who persistently toots their horn—likens the motorist to a child in a toy car
Read MoreUK, 1872—used of a very funny joke or real-life event—refers to ‘Punch or the London Charivari’, a British weekly magazine of humour and satire
Read Morewith allusion to food served up on a slice of toast—1877 ‘to have someone on toast’: to have someone at one’s mercy—1886 ‘to be had on toast’: to be cheated
Read MoreUSA, 1957—a fateful day that brings disaster—alludes to ‘Bad Day at Black Rock’, the title of a 1955 U.S. thriller film by John Sturges, starring Spencer Tracy
Read MoreUK, 1882—to remain motionless and quiet; to keep a low profile—probably from ‘dog’ and suffix ‘-o’, with allusion to the characteristically light sleep of a dog
Read Moresexual intercourse conducted quickly and without tenderness—originally used (USA, 1950) in the generic, neutral sense of ‘quickness’
Read More‘robe’ originally denoted something that has been robbed—French ‘voler’ (‘to fly’) has come to mean ‘to steal’ via falconry
Read More1893—to allow someone to get on with their task—originated in Wales with reference to fair-mindedness in sports
Read MoreUK, 1920—to commit a blunder; to make a tactless or indiscreet remark—meaning obscure in some early uses
Read MoreThe image of one’s bread getting or being buttered has long been used to denote getting or having benefits, advantages.
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