Phrase of the moment
Mad as a hatter
Extremely irrational or eccentric. The expression is old-fashioned, and describing a real person's mental health this way may be insensitive.
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
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Get your goat
To annoy or provoke someone intensely, hitting a nerve that throws them off balance.
Meaning & originFit to be tied
Extremely angry, irritated, or agitated. Informal and hyperbolic. It normally means very angry, not literally violent or in…
Meaning & originStraight from the horse's mouth
Directly from the original, authoritative, or best-informed source.
Meaning & originActing the maggot
Behaving mischievously, foolishly or disruptively instead of taking matters seriously. Informal. The force ranges from…
Meaning & originGo bung
To fail, collapse, become bankrupt or stop functioning; in older use, also to die. Informal and broad: context must show…
Meaning & originA stumbling block
An obstacle that prevents progress or makes success difficult. Neutral and common in formal as well as everyday writing.…
Meaning & originMore haste, less speed
Rushing a task often delays success by causing mistakes or wasted effort. Usually offered as practical advice. The apparent…
Meaning & originTake the cake
To be the most outstanding or extreme example, for better or worse; now often used ironically of something especially…
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.