meanings and origin of the phrase ‘good cop, bad cop’
USA, 1969—a method alternating kindness with harshness—from a police interrogation technique in which one officer is aggressive while the other is sympathetic
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meaning and origin of the phrase ‘Barmecide feast’
UK, 1823—pretended or illusory generosity or hospitality—from the name of a prince in The Arabian Nights, who gave a beggar a feast consisting of empty dishes
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘not in Kansas anymore’
USA, 1971—in dramatically changed circumstances—said by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) when realising she has been transported from Kansas to the land of Oz
Read Moremeaning and origin of ‘the icing’, or ‘the frosting’, ‘on the cake’
something extra that makes a good thing even better—USA 1889 with ‘frosting’, 1896 with ‘icing’—refers to a sugar preparation for coating and decorating cakes
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘a bowl of cherries’
USA 1931—a highly enjoyable situation or experience—from ‘life is just a bowl of cherries’ 1928—popularised by song ‘Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries’ 1931
Read Moremeaning and early instances of ‘full English breakfast’
UK, 1933—a substantial breakfast including hot cooked foods such as bacon, sausages, eggs and baked beans
Read Moremeaning and origin of ‘somebody is walking over my grave’
early 18th century, in Jonathan Swift’s ‘Polite Conversation’—from the folk belief that one shudders when somebody walks over the site of one’s future grave
Read Moreearly instances of the phrase ‘tin god’
1875 in The Evening News (Indianapolis, USA)—in reference to tin as a base metal, ‘tin’ is used in the senses ‘petty’, ‘worthless’, ‘counterfeit’
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘tin Jesus’
USA, 1874, as ‘a little tin Jesus on wheels’—in reference to tin as a base metal, ‘tin’ is used figuratively in the senses ‘petty’, ‘worthless’, ‘counterfeit’
Read Moremeanings and origin of the British phrase ‘to come the (old) acid’
to behave in an unpleasant, aggressive or overbearing manner; to speak in a sarcastic or caustic way—British Army slang, World War I
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