history of the phrase ‘How many divisions has the Pope?’
used to pose the dilemma between material power and moral strength, and seemingly to dismiss the latter—from a question allegedly posed by Joseph Stalin (USA 1943)
Read MoreTag: Winston Churchill
history of the phrase ‘a sheep in sheep’s clothing’
USA, 1884—a person whose lack of courage is as real as it appears to be—jocular variant of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’—often misattributed to Winston Churchill
Read Morenotes on ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under Stalin, as characterised by Winston Churchill in a speech broadcast on the radio on 1st October 1939
Read MoreHow the British phrase ‘one’s finest hour’ arose in 1940.
the time of one’s greatest success—from the speech made on 18 June 1940 by P.M. Winston Churchill after the fall of France and before the Battle of Britain
Read Morethe long history of the phrase ‘blood, sweat, and tears’
current use seems to allude to a speech by Winston Churchill in May 1940—but the metaphor goes back to the early 17th century
Read Morethe phrase ‘age before beauty’ and tales around it
USA, 1850—indicates that precedence should be given, or deference shown, to an older person—in extended use: an invitation to somebody (not necessarily older) to go first when passing through a door, etc.—pays a compliment to the person giving precedence
Read Moreorigin of ‘pub crawl’: political propaganda
British English: a drinking tour of a number of pubs or bars—but first appeared in 1909 with specific reference to an organised form of propaganda consisting in sending a person from pub to pub in order to promote the Conservative cause
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘warts and all’
said to have originated in Oliver Cromwell’s instructions to the painter Peter Lely to represent him as he truly was, without concealing his blemishes
Read Moremeaning and origin of the phrase ‘carrot and stick’
early 20th century—refers to the method of tempting a donkey to move forward by dangling a carrot before it, and beating it with a stick if it refuses
Read Morethe authentic origin of ‘out of the blue’
from ‘a bolt out of the blue’, denoting a sudden and unexpected event, with reference to the unlikelihood of a thunderbolt coming from a clear blue sky
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