‘hoop snake’: meaning and origin
USA, 1784—a mythical snake that puts its tail in its mouth and then rolls after its intended victim—also, occasionally: ‘horn snake’, with reference to a horny sting in the snake’s tail
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‘drop bear’: meaning and origin
Australia, 1967—a mythical creature, similar in appearance to a koala, that drops from trees to kill and eat prey, including humans
Read More‘like a duck takes to water’: meaning and origin
easily, readily—UK, 1825
Read More‘like water off a duck’s back’: meaning and origin
also ‘like water from a duck’s back’—UK, 1801—with no effect or reaction
Read More‘will a duck swim?’: meaning and origin
1680—also ‘would a duck swim?’ and ‘does a duck swim?’—expresses enthusiastic acceptance or confirmation
Read More‘not to be able to head a duck’: meaning and origin
Australia, 1890, & New Zealand, 1891—is used, in sports, of slowness, in particular as a disparaging comment on a racehorse
Read More‘never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear’: meaning and origin
The phrase never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear was explained as follows in Guidelines: Put nothing smaller than your elbow in your ear, published by Industrial Safety & Hygiene News (Birmingham, Michigan, USA) on 10th January 2017: Updated clinical guidelines published the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery say cotton swabs are […]
Read More‘galah session’: meanings and origin
Australia, 1948—a period allocated for private conversation, especially between women on isolated stations, over an outback radio network—by extension (1967): any long chat—‘galah’: a very common Australian cockatoo
Read More‘flat stick’: meaning and origin
New Zealand, 1970—at full speed—perhaps after ‘flat out’ (i.e., with the maximum speed or effort) and after ‘quicksticks’ (i.e., quickly, without delay)
Read Morean Australian use of the expression ‘sick canary’
has been used with reference to feebleness and ineffectualness since the late 19th century
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word histories 