‘Liverpool weather’: meaning and origin
a cold, windy, unpleasant weather—UK, 1848—refers to Liverpool, a port-city in Merseyside, historically in Lancashire, a county of northwestern England, on the Irish Sea
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‘barmy army’: meanings and origin
UK—1978 (frequently as a self-designation): a group of followers of a sports team; a youth street gang—1981 (derogatory): a political faction regarded as extremist or fanatical—‘barmy’ means ‘crazy’
Read More‘to throw away the scabbard’: meaning and origin
to abandon all thought of making peace—1658—originally in the proverb ‘who draws his sword against his prince, must throw away the scabbard’ and variants
Read More‘to leave one’s fingerprints all over something’: meaning and origin
Australia, 1914—to leave indisputable evidence of one’s involvement in an affair, endeavour, etc.—‘fingerprint’: an impression made on a surface by the tip of a person’s finger, as used in criminal investigations
Read More‘fluffy dice’: meaning and origin
California, 1956—a pair of large imitation dice made from fluffy, fur-like material, designed to be hung inside a vehicle’s windscreen from the rear-view mirror
Read More‘to throw one’s toys out of the pram’: meaning and origin
to behave childishly and petulantly, to throw a tantrum—UK, 1944—the image is of a baby throwing its toys out of its pram in a tantrum
Read More‘Titanic’: figurative uses in reference to the RMS Titanic
something likened to the RMS Titanic in being vast and supposedly indestructible yet heading inevitably towards disaster—USA & Australia, May 1912, in the phrase ‘political Titanic’
Read More‘to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic’: meaning and origin
to engage in pointless or futile activity in the face of disaster—USA, 1969—apparently first used, and perhaps coined, by Elizabeth Carpenter, press secretary for the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson
Read More‘short-term pain for long-term gain’: meaning and origin
USA, 1977—immediate discomfort (such as financial hardship, effort or sacrifice) must be accepted to achieve superior, sustainable future benefits
Read More‘dinosaur juice’: meaning and origin
USA, 1977—petroleum, and any liquid derived from petroleum used in a vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine—perhaps from popular association of ‘dinosaur’ with ‘fossil fuel’
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