Phrase of the hour
The black sheep
The member of a family or group who is regarded as a disgrace, a failure, or the odd one out, and whose reputation the others quietly distance…
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Plain-English meanings.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Folklore labelled honestly.
Start with a letter
Browse the cabinet
Pulled from the drawers
A few curious finds
Guru
Originally a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism, and by extension Sikhism and Buddhism; in general English now any influential…
Meaning & originOff the peg
British expression for clothing bought ready-made in standard sizes rather than made to measure; also used attributively ('an off-the-peg suit') and…
Meaning & originA rolling stone gathers no moss
Someone always on the move stays free of ties, unrooted.
Meaning & originMeet your maker
To die - with the assumption built in that someone is waiting on the other side. The euphemism treats death as an appointment with the manufacturer…
Meaning & originScuttlebutt
Rumour, gossip, or unofficial chatter, especially the kind that circulates informally within an organization. Informal and now chiefly American in…
Meaning & originToo big to fail
Describes a bank or other institution so large and interconnected that its collapse would devastate the wider economy, so governments are expected to…
Meaning & originUp a gum tree
In a tricky or stuck spot, no way out.
Meaning & originGlass cliff
A situation in which a member of an underrepresented group, especially a woman, is promoted to a leadership position only when the organisation is…
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.