meaning and origin of the phrase ‘the tail wags the dog’
USA, 1870—an unimportant or subsidiary factor, person or thing dominates the situation—based on the image of the inversion of the natural order
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meaning and origin of the term ‘bunny boiler’
1989—a person acting vengefully after having been spurned by their lover—from 1987 film Fatal Attraction, in which a rejected woman boils her lover’s pet rabbit
Read Morehistory of the phrase ‘alive and well (and living in ——)’
‘alive and well’ (ca 1590): still existing or active—‘alive and well and living in ——’ (1834): originally referring to persons thought to have been murdered
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘all-singing, all-dancing’
UK, 1959—having every desirable feature possible—from ‘all-singing, all-dancing’ as used in the billing given to film or stage musical productions
Read More‘to stick out like a sore thumb’ – ‘to be on hand like a sore thumb’
‘to stick out like a sore thumb’ USA, 1868, to be glaringly obvious— ‘to be on hand like a sore thumb’ USA, 1849, to be fully available
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘six feet under’
USA, 1924—dead and buried—short for ‘buried six feet under ground’—alludes to the normal depth of a grave
Read Morerefutation of received ideas on the origin of ‘bikini’
not originally coined because of the connotation of explosiveness, but because of the connotations of pleasure, beauty and tininess
Read Moremeaning and evolution of ‘had one but the wheel(s) came off’
UK, 1924—used to indicate that the speaker has been inattentive or has not understood what has just been said
Read Moremeanings and origin of the phrases ‘dry/wet behind the ears’
USA, 1802 and 1851—translations from German—apparently from the idea that the area behind the ears is the last part to become dry after birth
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘weasel word’
USA, 1900—a word which takes away the meaning of the concept expressed—weasels are said to suck eggs out without breaking the shells
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