Phrase of the hour
A wild card
An unpredictable or unquantified person, thing or factor whose behaviour cannot be forecast and that could change how a situation turns out. Also…
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curious expressions
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
Safe and sound
Completely out of danger and found or returned without physical injury, loss, or damage. Sound retains its old whole or uninjured sense in this…
Meaning & originOn a wing and a prayer
Barely scraping by with slim hope, relying on luck.
Meaning & originJump the shark
To reach a conspicuous moment when a television series or other long-running enterprise is perceived to sacrifice credibility or quality for a…
Meaning & originScapegoat
Someone made to carry the blame for the mistakes or wrongdoing of others; by extension, to 'scapegoat' a person is to punish or publicly fault them in…
Meaning & originKeep your nose clean
Stay out of trouble or vice, all clear.
Meaning & originWilly-nilly
Whether one wishes it or not; by compulsion, or in a later sense, without order or planning. The compelled sense and the disorderly sense both remain…
Meaning & originBack to the drawing board
Back to the planning stage because a plan, design or attempt has failed and must be started again from the beginning. Applied to projects, strategies…
Meaning & originUnder the table
Done secretly or illegally, hidden from view.
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.