Phrase of the hour
The root of all evil
The fundamental underlying cause from which serious wrongdoing, corruption, or broader trouble grows. The biblical subject is covetousness or love of…
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.
725
curious expressions
409
source-backed entries
855
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
Gone pear-shaped
Gone badly wrong or developed in an unintended and unsuccessful way. Informal. Usually applied to a situation, plan or performance rather than a…
Meaning & originLang may your lum reek
May your household remain warm, inhabited and prosperous for a long time. Warm, celebratory and strongly Scottish. Often heard around Hogmanay, but…
Meaning & originNot give a tinker's cuss
Not care at all about someone or something; have no interest in or concern for it.
Meaning & originEat out of your hand
To be easily controlled or swayed, tamed.
Meaning & originMake a virtue of necessity
Turn an unavoidable or unwelcome situation to advantage, or accept it with good grace. Can mean either gaining an advantage from constraint or…
Meaning & originFine and dandy
Entirely satisfactory, agreeable, or in good order, sometimes said sarcastically when the situation is plainly otherwise. Informal. Tone determines…
Meaning & originThe best-laid schemes of mice and men
Even carefully made plans can be defeated by events beyond anyone's control. Literary but widely recognized. 'Schemes' is Burns's wording; 'plans' is…
Meaning & originGo to Jericho
A dismissive command to go away, get out of sight and leave the speaker alone. Dated euphemistic dismissal, roughly 'go away' or a softened 'go to…
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.