Phrase of the hour
Under your thumb
Being controlled or dominated by someone, submissive to their will like a digit pressed firmly down, with no room to wriggle free.
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
Run around like a headless chicken
To rush in frantic chaos, aimless and wild.
Meaning & originRun ragged
Worn out or beat, all frayed.
Meaning & originDon't upset the apple cart
Avoid disrupting a good setup or plan, keeping it steady.
Meaning & originThe world and his wife
A large and varied crowd, or apparently everyone of consequence. Informal hyperbole. The inherited masculine personification can feel conspicuously…
Meaning & originScarce as hen's teeth
Extremely rare or effectively nonexistent, like teeth in an adult hen, which has a beak rather than visible teeth. Informal and emphatic. Because the…
Meaning & originDon't throw the baby out with the bathwater
Do not discard something valuable while trying to remove what is unwanted or defective. Improve or reform it selectively rather than rejecting the…
Meaning & originEat your hat
To admit a big shock or wrong, stunned.
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 & 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.