“ad fontes!”
USA, 1913—a small structure placed at the centre of a road junction which allows vehicles travelling in different directions to cross the junction safely at the same time by driving around the device in the same direction
Read Morethe value to the recipient of a gift lies in the goodwill or affection with which the gift is given—USA, 1885—originally in reference to the Christmas season
Read Morea navigable river or canal—UK, 1841—originally and chiefly used of the River Thames
Read MoreUSA, 1959—in reference to the Cuban Revolution (1953-59): a revolutionary soldier under the leadership of Fidel Castro—a borrowing from Spanish ‘barbudo’ (literally: a bearded one)
Read MoreUSA, 1898—a type of sandwich consisting of a long crusty roll filled with ham, pork, cheese, pickles and mustard, often toasted—originally: any of various types of sandwich associated with Cuban cuisine
Read MoreUK, 1832—consolation taken from the fact that a bad situation is not worse than it is—one of several expressions in which the adjective ‘Dutch’ is used derogatorily or derisively
Read MoreNew Zealand, 1877, & Australia, 1878—to be inexperienced, to be gullible
Read MoreU.S. slang, 1908—the noun ‘beeswax’ is humorously substituted for the noun ‘business’ (i.e., things that are one’s concern), these two nouns sharing a similar-sounding initial syllable
Read MoreUK, 1844—the edible frog (‘Rana esculenta’)—in reference to Cambridgeshire, a county of eastern England, and to the frog’s nocturnal croaking
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UK, 1963—with reference to the Beatles, a pop and rock group from Liverpool: the fact, or state, of being, or of resembling, a member of the Beatles; the world of the Beatles
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word histories 