notes on the phrase ‘Is the Pope (a) Catholic?’
USA, 1951—rhetorical question used ironically as a response to a question or statement felt to be blatantly obvious
Read MoreUSA, 1951—rhetorical question used ironically as a response to a question or statement felt to be blatantly obvious
Read Morenourish your husband—1882 in ‘Vanity Fair’ (London)—popularised in 1885 by a cartoon by George du Maurier, published in ‘Punch, or the London Charivari’
Read MoreUSA, 1936—serves as a mnemonic for remembering to set the clocks when daylight-saving time comes into effect and when it ends
Read Morefrom The Prisoner of Zenda (1894), set in the fictional kingdom of Ruritania—UK, 1896: romantic adventure and intrigue; any imaginary or hypothetical country
Read MoreWashington’s strategy was similar to that of Fabius Cunctator, who defeated Hannibal by avoiding decisive contests—the Fabian Society advocates gradual reforms
Read MoreUSA, 1927—a slip of the tongue by which the speaker reveals an unconscious thought—named after Austrian neurologist and psychotherapist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Read MoreThe letter ‘s’ in both the nouns currently spelt ‘island’ and ‘aisle’ is due to folk-etymological association of those words with the unrelated noun ‘isle’.
Read MoreUK, 1877—a person who wields unofficial power and influence—originally applied to Père Joseph (François Leclerc du Tremblay), French friar, confidential agent of Cardinal Richelieu
Read MoreUK, 1869—used to denounce arbitrariness—alludes to a demand by the Queen of Hearts during the trial of the Knave of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Read MoreDecided by the Académie française, the erroneous spelling ‘oignon’ (= ‘onion’) has become a symbol of prejudiced people, ignorant of the history of their own language.
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