‘last-chance saloon’: meanings and origin
a final opportunity or hope for success; the last refuge of the unsuccessful or desperate—originally (USA, 1858): a saloon at the edge of a town or at the border between two U.S. states
Read MoreTag: phrases
‘easy street’: meanings and origin
USA, 1885—a condition of carefreeness, of ease, usually one marked by financial security—also (USA, 1889) in sporting contexts, a situation where winning will be easy
Read More‘pas ce soir, Josephine’ : meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1935—jocular—is used by a man to defer his sexual duties to a wife or lover; is also applied to any postponement—translation of the earlier phrase ‘not tonight, Josephine’
Read More‘not tonight, Josephine’: meanings and early occurrences
USA, 1904—a jocular phrase apparently originally applied to any postponement—of unknown origin
Read More‘where the sun don’t shine’: meaning and origin
U.S. slang, 20th century—in reference to a person’s anus, ‘to stick (something) where the sun don’t shine’ expresses contemptuous rejection
Read More‘platinum blonde’: meanings and origin
USA, 1927: a woman with a silvery-blonde hair colour—USA, 1930: specifically applied to Jean Harlow—also (USA, 1927) ‘platinum’: a silvery-blonde hair colour
Read More‘hollow legs’: meaning and origin
USA, 1866—the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
Read More‘to pee on a stick’: meanings and origin
USA & UK, 1995—to take a pregnancy test of a type involving urinating on a disposable plastic stick which immediately indicates the result—also, more generally: to take any of various other diagnostic tests of this type
Read More‘more than one can shake a stick at’: meaning and origin
more than one can count, a considerable amount or number—USA, 1808—probably refers to a stick that is used as a pointer in the process of counting
Read More‘rabbit punch’: meaning and origin
UK, 1911—a sharp blow to the back of the neck—refers to the practice of killing rabbits in this way, and originated in boxing—Australia, 1913: ‘rabbit killer’, also ‘rabbit-killer punch’
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