the phrase ‘(still) going strong, like Johnnie Walker’
UK, 1910—extended form of ‘going strong’ (continuing to be healthy, vigorous or successful)—from the advertising slogan for Scotch whisky Johnnie Walker
Read MoreTag: phrases
meaning and origin of the phrase ‘where’s your violin?’
USA, 1929—said to a man to mean ‘you need a haircut’—from the conventional image of male musicians wearing their hair long
Read Morethe 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 Morehistory of the phrase ‘c’est la guerre’ (‘it can’t be helped’)
UK and USA, World War One—borrowing from French, literally ‘it is war’—expresses acceptance of, or resignation at, the situation engendered by war
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘(Lord) Kitchener wants you’
UK, 1914—from a poster showing Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, used in the recruitment campaign at the beginning of World War One
Read Morenotes on the phrase ‘a licence to print money’
North America, 1943: used of owners of professional baseball teams—Britain, 1958: used of the franchises granted for running commercial television stations
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘down the Swanee’
UK, 1926—completely lost or wasted—seems to allude to ‘Old Folks at Home’ (1851), also known as ‘Swanee River’, by the U.S. songwriter Stephen Foster
Read More‘great minds think alike’ | ‘les grands esprits se rencontrent’
English phrase (1728) preceded by ‘good wits jump’, i.e. ‘agree’ (1618)—French phrase (1775) preceded by ‘les beaux esprits se rencontrent’ (1686)
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘close your eyes and think of England’
France, 1954: purported advice given to English brides-to-be on how to cope with unwanted but inevitable sexual intercourse—but this occurs in a humoristic book
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘nudge, nudge’
draws attention to a sexual innuendo—generally refers to an October 1969 sketch from the British comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus—but in use earlier
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