Phrase of the hour
Keep your pecker up
Remain cheerful, courageous, or determined despite difficulty. This chiefly British expression is old-fashioned and easily misunderstood…
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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
Like the clappers
Extremely fast or with great energy. Informal and lively. The verb changes with the action being intensified. Regional use: Chiefly British English.
Meaning & originWhen pigs fly
Something so absurd or impossible it'll never happen.
Meaning & originThe be-all and end-all
The most important, decisive or comprehensive part of something, treated as if nothing else matters. Often appears in negative statements that reject…
Meaning & originBy word of mouth
Through spoken rather than written communication; typically of news, instructions, or recommendations that travel informally from person to person in…
Meaning & originFamiliarity breeds contempt
Close or prolonged acquaintance can reduce respect and make faults more noticeable. It describes a possible effect, not a universal law; familiarity…
Meaning & originKeep your shirt on
A plea to stay calm or patient, holding off a hotheaded strip to fight.
Meaning & originKnow your onions
Be thoroughly knowledgeable or competent in a subject. The possessive normally changes with the subject: know my, your, his, her or their onions…
Meaning & originNot worth a brass farthing
Worth next to nothing, cheap junk.
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.