Phrase of the hour
Tailor-made
Made by a tailor to fit one individual buyer, as opposed to ready-made; by extension, anything shaped or adapted exactly to a particular person…
Uncover the storyA curious dictionary of everyday English
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1,963
curious expressions
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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
Caught napping
Caught off-guard or unprepared, dozing at the wrong moment.
Meaning & originOne swallow doesn't make a summer
A single favourable sign does not prove that the wider situation has turned; one good result, one good day, or one data point cannot stand for the…
Meaning & originThat dog won't hunt
That idea, excuse, or plan is not convincing and will not work. Current, folksy, and dismissive Regional use: United States, strongly associated with…
Meaning & originStir up a hornets' nest
To provoke an outburst of anger, criticism or trouble, usually by raising a controversial subject or disturbing a settled state of affairs. A hornet's…
Meaning & originToo much of a good thing
Even something pleasant or beneficial turns unpleasant or harmful when taken to excess. Usually said with wry resignation about indulgence - food…
Meaning & originTalk the hind leg off a donkey
Talk at exhausting length, especially with little pause for anyone else. Informal and humorous. Singular and plural leg forms both occur. Regional…
Meaning & originHypnotic
Fascinating to the point of trance - holding attention so completely that everything else falls away. Strictly it means of hypnosis, the induced…
Meaning & originTake to something like a duck to water
Said of someone who tries a new activity for the first time and adapts to it instantly and naturally, as if born to it, with no awkward learning…
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.