Phrase of the hour
Up your sleeve
Held secretly in reserve, ready to pull out.
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
Every odd phrase has
a story to tell.
Discover what peculiar British and American expressions mean, where they came from, and how people actually use them.
1,901
curious expressions
1,585
source-backed entries
3,378
research references
Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
What is your good name?
What is your name?, asked respectfully or formally. Respectful in its home context. Some speakers use it for a formal name as distinct from a…
Meaning & originThe winds of change
Powerful social or political forces of transformation, usually unstoppable and beyond any government's control. Typically said to be blowing through…
Meaning & originKnee-high to a grasshopper
Extremely small, and by extension extremely young. In practice it almost always describes someone as they were in early childhood, as in 'I've known…
Meaning & originA shot in the arm
Something that provides a sudden stimulus, boost, or encouragement - an event, piece of news, or infusion of money that revives energy, confidence, or…
Meaning & originAs good luck would have it
Introduces an event that came about purely by chance, usually with a hint that fortune, kindly or otherwise, arranged the outcome. The original 'good'…
Meaning & originWear my heart upon my sleeve
To display one's feelings openly rather than keep them hidden, so that everyone can read one's emotions, especially romantic ones. Informal to neutral…
Meaning & originThe sun is over the yardarm
A jocular way of declaring that it is late enough in the day for an alcoholic drink to be socially acceptable. The yardarm is the outer end of the…
Meaning & originA bad hair day
Literally, a day when one's hair will not behave or look right; far more often, a day when everything seems to go wrong and one feels generally…
Meaning & originLanguage has legends. Evidence matters.
Colourful story or documented history?
Phrase origins are full of irresistible myths. We separate what historical sources can show from what remains disputed, and link the references behind researched entries.