Phrase of the hour
Schadenfreude
Pleasure or amusement derived from someone else's misfortune, embarrassment, or failure. It fills a real gap in English, which has no single native…
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
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Upstage someone
To draw attention away from someone by performing or presenting yourself more strikingly; to overshadow a person who expected to be the centre of…
Meaning & originCast the first stone
Be the first to accuse, condemn, or punish someone, especially when no accuser is blameless. Usually invokes hypocrisy or shared fallibility, not…
Meaning & originNot a leg to stand on
No basis or support, flimsy as air.
Meaning & originA little bird told me
A playful way of saying that you learned something from an informant you prefer not to name. It typically teases or gently signals that you know a…
Meaning & originBone idle
Completely lazy; unwilling to make even the smallest effort. It is chiefly British and informal, and it condemns a settled habit of avoiding work…
Meaning & originHave the blues
Feel depressed, melancholy or low in spirits; 'I've had the blues all week'. Informal and mild. The same noun gave its name to the blues, the…
Meaning & originPeople who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
People who have glaring faults or vulnerabilities of their own should not attack others, since any retaliation would expose or ruin them; in practice…
Meaning & originLow-hanging fruit
Something (or, more rarely, someone) that can be won, obtained, or accomplished with little effort, such as the easiest customers to sign or the most…
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.