‘to eat the calf in the cow’s belly’
early 18th century—‘to anticipate unduly’, in particular, ‘to spend one’s revenue before it comes in’
Read MoreTag: United Kingdom
‘to sleep in Mother Greenfield’s (lodgings)’
‘to sleep in Mother Greenfield’s’ (tramp slang): to sleep out in the open fields—‘to worship under Dr. Greenfield’: to go for a walk in the countryside rather than to attend a religious service
Read More‘Noddy suit’: meanings and origin
British-Army slang, 1972: a suit of protective clothing for use in nuclear, biological or chemical attacks—by extension: a suit of protective clothing for use by agricultural employees working with chemical sprays—perhaps refers to ‘Noddy’, a character in the writings of Enid Blyton
Read Moresense evolution of ‘rhubarb’: from theatre to nonsense
UK—‘rhubarb’ is colloquially used to denote ‘nonsense’—originated in the theatrical practice consisting for a group of actors in repeating the word ‘rhubarb’ to represent an indistinct background conversation or the noise of a crowd
Read More‘chillax’: meaning and origin(s)
to calm down and relax—a blend of ‘chill’ (to calm down and relax) and ‘relax’—however, explained in 1992 as a blend of ‘chill’ (to calm down and relax) and ‘max’ (to lounge, i.e., to lie, sit or stand in a relaxed or lazy way)
Read Moreorigin of ‘kunlangeta’ (as applied to Boris Johnson)
Yupik—meaning: “his mind knows what to do but he does not do it”—applied to someone who consistently violates the norms of society in multiple ways—used in January 2022 by Dominic Cummings to describe Boris Johnson
Read More‘witches’ knickers’: meaning and origin
Ireland, 2000—discarded plastic bags or shreds of plastic bags that have become snagged in trees, hedges, etc.—the image is of a witch’s undergarment that got caught in a tree or a hedge when she was flying
Read More‘chocolate teapot’: meaning and origin
UK, 1967—something or someone that is utterly ineffectual—especially in phrases such as ‘as much use as a chocolate teapot’—variants: ‘chocolate kettle’, ‘chocolate fireplace’ and ‘chocolate fireguard’
Read More‘to lose the dressing room’: meaning and origin
1993—Used of the coach or manager of a soccer team, the British- and Irish-English phrase ‘to lose the dressing room’ means to lose the players’ respect.
Read More‘duvet day’: meaning and origin
UK, 1996—an unscheduled extra day’s leave from work, taken to alleviate stress or pressure and sanctioned by one’s employer
Read More
word histories 