Phrase of the hour
On the rocks
In a state of ruin, failure, or serious difficulty: a marriage on the rocks, a business on the rocks. Separately, of a drink, served over ice cubes…
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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
Stick to your guns
To hold firmly to a position, opinion or course of action despite pressure, criticism or creeping doubt; to refuse to be talked out of what you…
Meaning & originDog days of summer
The hottest, most oppressive part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, often associated with lethargy or a seasonal lull. The exact dates vary by…
Meaning & originKeep your shirt on
A plea to stay calm or patient, holding off a hotheaded strip to fight.
Meaning & originThe long arm of the law
The power of the police and the courts to pursue offenders anywhere, however far or for however long they run. The phrase treats the law as a body…
Meaning & originThe penny dropped
Someone has at last understood or realized something, typically after a stretch of puzzlement during which the answer was in front of them. Almost…
Meaning & originIn stitches
Laughing so hard and so long that it becomes physically painful, as with a sharp pain in the side. Almost always predicated of a group or individual…
Meaning & originTurn on a sixpence
Chiefly British: to turn or manoeuvre with great agility within a very small space, said of vehicles, dancers, footballers and the like; also of an…
Meaning & originPut your oar in
To butt in or meddle, sticking your bit.
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.