Phrase of the hour
The big cheese
The most important or powerful person in an organization or scene; a boss, leader or grandee. Usually with 'the' ('the big cheese of the sales…
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
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Leitmotif
A recurring musical, visual, or thematic element attached to a particular character, idea, or mood; by extension, any dominant recurring theme in art…
Meaning & originHit the hay
To go to bed, especially to go to sleep for the night. It is an informal, chiefly American expression, though it is widely understood elsewhere…
Meaning & originCat got your tongue?
A teasing or mildly challenging question asked when someone is unexpectedly silent or unwilling to answer.
Meaning & originThe icing on the cake
An extra benefit or pleasing feature on top of something already good, making a good thing better; also used ironically of a final aggravation heaped…
Meaning & originChortle
To laugh in a breathy, gleeful, chuckling-snorting way that signals delight, often at something clever, absurd, or satisfying; as a noun, a laugh of…
Meaning & originThe long arm of the law
The power of the police and the courts to pursue offenders anywhere, however far or for however long they run. The phrase treats the law as a body…
Meaning & originNot worth a red cent
Used to say that something is completely worthless, or that someone has or will pay not even the smallest amount of money. The red cent is the…
Meaning & originKeep the wolf from the door
To fend off poverty or harm, just scraping by.
Meaning & origin
Language 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.