‘the long arm of coincidence’: meaning and origin

20th May 2026.Reading time 13 minutes.

the far-reaching power or effect of coincidence—coined in 1888 by the Australian playwright Charles Haddon Chambers in Captain Swift

‘milk moustache’: meaning and early occurrences

16th Jan 2026.Reading time 9 minutes.

also ‘moustache of milk’—UK, 1872—a white residue, resembling a growth of hair above the upper lip, left after drinking milk

13th Sep 2023.Reading time 19 minutes.

USA, 1834—a member of a group, organisation, etc., who is so familiar as to be regarded as a permanent feature, and therefore often taken for granted