‘to put one’s cue in the rack’: meaning and origin
USA, late 19th century—to give up, to retire, also, occasionally, to die—from the image of a billiard-player putting the cue back in the rack when the game is over
Read MoreTag: sports & games
‘to kick the tyres’: meaning and origin
USA, early 1960s—to test, check or research the condition or quality of a product, service, etc., before purchase or use—alludes to the practice consisting for a prospective buyer in kicking the tyres of a motorcar when inspecting it
Read More‘to kick into the long grass’: meaning and origin
UK politics, 1962—to delay dealing with something, in the hope that it will be forgotten—from the image of sending a ball into the tall grass off the playing field during a sporting event, which interrupts this event
Read More‘when the band begins to play’: meaning (and origin?)
UK, 1879—when matters become difficult or serious—of obscure origin—perhaps originally in reference to a music-hall song of that title, interpreted from 1870 onwards by Annie Adams
Read More‘the Greeks had a word for it’: meanings and origin
USA, 1930—used either literally or of something that should not or cannot be named or mentioned—alludes to ‘The Greeks Had a Word for It’, the title of a 1930 stage play by Zoe Akins
Read More‘(as) cunning as a Māori dog’: meaning and origin
very cunning—New Zealand, 1908—‘Māori dog’: a dog of Polynesian origin; also any mongrel dog associated with Māori settlements or living in a wild state
Read More‘to blow a fuse’: meanings and origin
literally (USA, 1889): to cause a fuse to melt—figuratively (USA, 1908): to lose one’s temper—from ‘fuse’, denoting a safety device placed in an electric circuit
Read More‘game, set (and) match’: meanings and origin
literally (UK, 1876): a victory in a tennis match, secured by winning the deciding game of the last set required to win—in extended use (UK, 1906): a complete and decisive victory
Read More‘Tom Thumb’ used in reference to golf
first used by Frieda Carter, Tennessee, 1928—in expressions such as ‘Tom Thumb golf course’, ‘Tom Thumb’ refers to a form of golf played on a small-scale course, or to a novelty putting course consisting of a variety of obstacles
Read Morea figurative use of ‘tiger’
characterises a person who has an insatiable appetite for something—especially in ‘tiger for work’ (Australia, 1857) and ‘tiger for punishment’ (New Zealand, 1911)
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