‘Strawberry Fields’: meaning and origin
LSD (i.e., lysergic acid diethylamide); also other drugs—USA, 1968—alludes to the Beatles’ song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ (1967)
Read MoreTag: United Kingdom
‘(as) old as the hills’: meaning and early occurrences
exceedingly or immeasurably old—Britain, 1762—perhaps alludes to the fact that a hill is a permanent feature of a particular landscape
Read More‘a bad day at the office’: meaning and early occurrences
a day on which one has performed badly, especially at work; a day which has been unusually difficult or unsatisfactory—USA, 1895
Read More‘floordrobe’: meaning and origin
an untidy heap of discarded clothing left on the floor of a room, instead of stored in a wardrobe—USA, 1994—a blend of the nouns ‘floor’ and ‘wardrobe’
Read More‘like a cock at a gooseberry’: meaning and origin
very quickly and without hesitation; eagerly—Scotland and northern England, 1778
Read More‘bathroom humour’: meaning and origin
crude humour centring chiefly on bodily functions—USA, 1931
Read More‘bouncy castle’: meaning and origin
a large inflatable structure, often in the shape of a castle, on or inside which children can jump and play—UK, 1976, in reference to the International Ideal Home Exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
Read More‘musical chairs’ | ‘chaises musicales’: original meaning and early occurrences
UK, 1865—a Christmas-season party game in which players walk around a decreasing number of chairs while music is played, the loser in each round being the one who fails to find a seat when the music stops
Read More‘not the only onion in the hash’: meaning and origin
not the only person or thing to be taken into consideration—USA, 1918, in a story by Harry Charles Witwer—later popularised by P. G. Wodehouse
Read More‘French flair’ (as applied to rugby): meaning and origin
the distinctive French players’ unconventional, creative and fast-paced style—UK, 1957—perhaps coined by the British sports journalist Michael Melford
Read More
word histories 