Phrase of the hour
Like a bat out of hell
Moving with wild, reckless speed, tearing off.
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.
1,465
curious expressions
1,149
source-backed entries
2,335
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
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs
Don't tell an expert what they know, it's daft.
Meaning & originNest egg
A sum of money saved and set aside, especially for retirement, an emergency, or some future purpose. The term often implies a growing reserve that is…
Meaning & originA soft answer turns away wrath
A calm, gentle reply can defuse another person's anger and prevent a quarrel from escalating. Traditional and slightly formal. It describes…
Meaning & originYou can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
Achieving something worthwhile often requires sacrifice or mess.
Meaning & originCaught between a rock and a hard place
Facing a dilemma with no good options, stuck picking between two tough choices.
Meaning & originYou can't have your cake and eat it too
Used to tell someone they must choose between two incompatible options and cannot keep the benefits of both. It typically reproaches a person who…
Meaning & originChortle
To laugh in a breathy, gleeful, chuckling-snorting way that signals delight, often at something clever, absurd, or satisfying; as a noun, a laugh of…
Meaning & originThe milk of human kindness
Innate compassion, sympathy or gentleness regarded as part of human nature. Nearly always used with a qualifier or in the negative - someone can have…
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.