Buriram Expats
Buriram Province - General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: rufusredtail on December 21, 2012, 02:20:05 PM
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LOCK.STOCK.AND BARREL including everything; completely. lock stock and barrel refers literally to the complete mechanism of a firearm.
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Idiot of the day!!! With recent events in America this is a pretty dumb post........
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The Dog's bollocks
Meaning
Excellent - the absolute apex. In other contexts the word bollocks (meaning testicles) has a negative connotation; for example:
- 'that's bollocks' -> 'that's rubbish'
- 'give him a bollocking' -> 'chastise him'
- 'He dropped a bollock' -> 'he made a mistake'
The reasons why the 'dog's bollocks' are considered to be the top of the tree aren't clear. It may be linked to an associated phrase - 'stand out like a dog's balls', i.e. 'outstanding', although I can find no evidence to indicate that phrase as being earlier than the 'dog's bollocks'. Dogs do enjoy licking their genitals of course but again, there's no evidence that links the coining of this phrase to that. It is most likely that this is just a nonsense phrase, coined because it sounds good. In that, it would join a long list of earlier nonsense phrases, e.g. 'the cat's pyjamas', 'the bee's knees' etc.
Origin
The word bollocks, meaning testicles has been part of the language since the 18th century, but didn't become used to mean nonsense until the early 20th century. The 'dog's bollocks' seems to have originated in Britain in the first half of the 20th century. Eric Partridge recorded it in Edition 3 of A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 1949:
"Dog's ballocks, the typographical colon-dash (:-)."
That printer's term, although graphic, didn't have any associations with excellence and probably isn't the source of term as we use it today. It is more likely that the origin lies in a late 20th century reviving of the post WWI period outbreak of exuberant coinages. At that time many nonsense terms for excellent which involved the animal world were coined - cat's pyjamas, cat's whiskers, bee's knees etc.
In the 1980s the scurrilous magazine Viz used 'dog's bollocks' frequently; for example, they used it in the title of an issue in 1989:
"Viz - The Dog's Bollocks: The Best of Issues 26 to 31."
Viz's writer's didn't coint the term though - they frequently latched on to any vaguely obscene street slang and printed it. They were preceded in print by P. Brewis et al. in Gambler (cassette tape sleeve notes), circa 1986:
"They are of the opinion that, when it comes to Italian opera, Pavarotti is the dog's bollocks."
Who coined the phrase we aren't ever likely to know - it was most probably a street slang term that became established in common usage well before it ever got into print.
'Bollocks' has long had street cred as a swearword amongst the English young. The Sex Pistols' 1977 album 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols', no doubt brought the word to greater prominence
The Phrase Finder (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dog's%20bollocks.html)
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LOGGERHEADS
This expressions possibly a use of loggerhead in the late 17 century sense of 'a long -handled iron instrument for heating liquids annd tar' ; the tool was perhaps used as a weapon
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STUMP
Beyond the black stump Australian
beyond the limits of settled,and therefore civilized.life.
This phrase comes from the custom of using a fire-blackened stump of wood as a marker when giving directions to travellers.
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A COCK UP
Meaning A blunder; a confused situation.
Origin
The British expression 'cock-up' isn't commonly used in the USA, where it is generally assumed to have a vulgar meaning. What they might make of Robert Burns' poem, which took the name of the old Scottish rhyme 'Cock up your beaver', is best left to the imagination. What Burns was actually referring to was adorning a beaver fur hat by putting a cock's feather into it.
'Cock', in the sense of this term, means 'stand up conspicuously', 'turn up at the edge', 'bend at an angle' etc. This is the sense of the early usage of the term 'cock-up', in the terms 'cock-up one's ears', 'cock-up one's nose'. In the 17th and 18th centuries people were also often advised to 'cock-up' their bonnets, eyes, even legs. The expression 'cock a snook' also derives from that same sense of 'cock'.
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CLOUD
On cloud nine
i On cloud nine refers to a ten-part classification of clouds in which nine was the second highest. A dated variant of the expression is on cloud seven.
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Bollocks, what a load of bollocks
From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, bollocks or ballocks was allegedly used as a slang term for a clergyman. For example, in 1864, the Commanding Officer of the Straits Fleet regularly referred to his chaplain as "Ballocks". It has been suggested that bollocks came to have its modern meaning of "nonsense" because clergymen were notorious for talking nonsense during their sermons.
party11
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As happy as Larry
Meaning Very happy.
Origin
Larry - certainly the best known character in the world of similes. The expression he instigated is most likely to be of Australian or New Zealand origin. The earliest printed reference currently known is from the New Zealand writer G. L. Meredith, dating from around 1875:
"We would be as happy as Larry if it were not for the rats".
Almost all the other early citations are from Australia or New Zealand; for example, this from Tom Collins (the pen name of the popular Australian writer Joseph Furphy), in Barrier Truth, 1903:
"Now that the adventure was drawing to an end, I found a peace of mind that all the old fogies on the river couldn't disturb. I was as happy as Larry."
But who was Larry? There are two commonly espoused contenders. One is the Australian boxer Larry Foley (1847 - 1917). Foley was a successful pugilist who never lost a fight. He retired at 32 and collected a purse of £1,000 for his final fight. So, we can expect that he was known to be happy with his lot in the 1870s - just when the phrase is first cited.
The alternative explanation is that it relates to the Cornish and later Australian/New Zealand slang term 'larrikin', meaning a rough type or hooligan, i.e. one predisposed to larking about. 'Larrikin' would have been a term that Meredith would have known - the earliest printed reference is also from New Zealand and around the time of the first citation, in H. W. Harper's Letters from New Zealand, 1868:
"We are beset with larrikins, who lurk about in the darkness and deliver every sort of attack on the walls and roof with stones and sticks."
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THUMBS UP (OR DOWN)
an indication of satisfaction or approval.
i The thumbs were used to signal approval or disapproval by spectators at a Roman amphitheatre,though they used `thumbs down` to sinify that a beaten gladiator had performed well and should be spared, and `thumbs up` to call for his death.
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PLUCK YOU
The 100 Years War (which actually lasted 116 years) was a bloody war fought between the British and the French. This was the first war in which long range artillery was used, and the first deadly long range weapon to be invented was the longbow, which was invented by the British. The longbow had an effective accurate range of about 300 feet.
The longbowmen were not the most battle worthy men, as they were usually trained to shoot an arrow long distances, and not to fight with close range weapons. The longbow was used in an almost machine gun like fashion. The archer would stick all of his arrows in the ground in order to get to them quickly. He would grab an arrow and quickly shoot at the approaching army, then quickly reload and fire again. He would use his index and ring finger to draw and fire the bow. This was known as “plucking”, as it resembled plucking a stringed instrument.
The French hated the longbow. Whenever a longbowman was captured, the French would cut of their index and ring fingers, so they couldn’t fire their weapons, and hence be useless to the war.
The captured English prisoners returned with nothing left but their middle fingers, and in a short period of time learned to use their middle finger to draw their longbows, and “pluck” once again.
Before one battle, the French, knowing they had their opponent greatly outnumbered (around six to one), had a grand party the night before the battle was to begin. Realizing this, the English attacked early the next morning, surprising the French, and destroying their advantage. As the English realized their victory, they began their victory celebrations while still waging a victorious battle.
One of the most notable celebrations was the dancing and cheering done by the mutilated longbowmen. They would dance and skip around the dead and wounded Frenchmen, showing them their only remaining useful finger (their middle finger), and yelling (in a British accent), “Look! I still have me middle fingah! I can still pluck you!!! I can still pluck you!!!”
This phrase was later modified to something else we say when we give someone the finger…
So the next time someone gives you the finger and says what they normally say, correct them by saying, “Actually, the correct term is pluck you!”, and see what kind of results you get!
It is also because of the pheasant or goose feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "Giving the Bird."
“Look! I still have me middle fingah! I can still pluck you!!! I can still pluck you!!!”
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SOW YOUR WILD OATSgo through a period of wild or promiscuous behaviour while young
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i Wild oats are weeds found in cornfields which resemble cultivated oats; spending time sowing them would be foolish or useless activity.The expression has been current since the late 16th century; from the mid 16th to the early 17th century,wild oat was also used as a term for a dissolute young man.
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COVENTRY
SEND SOMEONE TO COVENTRY
I This expression,which dates from the mid 18 century,is thought by some to stem from the extreme unpopularity of soldiers stationed in Coventry, who were cut off socially by the citizens. Another suggestion is that the phrase arose because Royalist prisioners were sent to Coventry during the English Civil War , the city being staunchly Parliamentarian
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COVENTRY
SEND SOMEONE TO COVENTRY
I This expression,which dates from the mid 18 century,is thought by some to stem from the extreme unpopularity of soldiers stationed in Coventry, who were cut off socially by the citizens. Another suggestion is that the phrase arose because Royalist prisioners were sent to Coventry during the English Civil War , the city being staunchly Parliamentarian
Isn't Nookie from Coventry ::)
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READ THE RIOT ACT
give someone a strong warning that they must improve their behaviour.
i The Riot Act was paseed by the British government in 1715 in the wake of Jacobite rebellion of that year and was designed to prevent civil disorder. The Act made it a felony for a group of twelve or more people to refuse to disperse after being ordered to do so and having being read a certain part of the Act by a person in authority.It was not repealed untill 1967. swordfight
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Jamaw (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+know-it-all) :laugh:
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Hook, Line and Sinker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Look up hook, line, and sinker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The Hook, Line and Sinker are the three essential pieces of fishing tackle in angling. In the English language, the phrase 'to swallow something "hook, line and sinker" ' is an idiomatic expression to describe a situation where a person or group accepts wholesale and uncritically an idea or set of beliefs
Sorry I could not resist! :D
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TURN A BLIND EYE
Pretend not to notice.
i This phrase is said to be a reference to Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) who lifted a telescope to his blind eye at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), thereby ensuring that he failed to see his superior,s signal to discontinue the action.
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TARRED WITH THE SAME BRUSH
"Someone who shares the sins or faults of another, though possibly to a lesser degree, is tarred with the same brush. The saying may have something to do with the tarred-and-feathered criminals , but the reference is probably to the tarring of sheep. Owners of a flock of sheep, which can't be branded, used to mark their wool all in the same place with a brush dipped in tar to distinguish them from sheep of another flock. It is said that the red ochre was used to make the mark and that brushing sheep with tar served to protect them against ticks."
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A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH
a declaration or confirmation that someone is healthy or something is in good condition.
i In the mid 18th century, a bill of health was an official certificate given to the master of a ship on leaving port;if clean, it certified that there was no infection either in the port or on board the vessel.
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COVENTRY
SEND SOMEONE TO COVENTRY
I This expression,which dates from the mid 18 century,is thought by some to stem from the extreme unpopularity of soldiers stationed in Coventry, who were cut off socially by the citizens. Another suggestion is that the phrase arose because Royalist prisioners were sent to Coventry during the English Civil War , the city being staunchly Parliamentarian
i thought the meaning was from the trade Guilds of London during the 15-17th centuries, where by a member (tradesman) disgraced the guild they would no longer be able to practice his trade in London....Coventry being the closest large city was the obvious next destination for him to use/sell his trade. I could be wrong..just putting it out there.
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Thank you Speros , All quotes are from Oxford university press published second edition 2004.
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Thank you Speros , All quotes are from Oxford university press published second edition 2004.
Might have to look up Wikipedia ...... :laugh: for second opinion buttslap
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Two for today :biggrin:
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
The man always said to do as he says and not as he does because his advice was always better than his actions.
Ring any bell anybody ::)
Two Faced
marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another; "she was a deceitful scheming little thing"- Israel Zangwill; "a double-dealing double agent"; "a double-faced infernal traitor and schemer"- W.M.Thackeray
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There are two sides to every story :biggrin:
Meaning.....two people tell different stories of the same event, compare notes
With some people though .....there is their side and then there is their side :laugh:
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Gone fishing
If someone has gone fishing, they are not very aware of what is happening around them.
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Another Two :biggrin:
Ass Licker
someone who flatters for personal gain ::)
Fish Out of Water
a feeling that you don't belong in the place where you are scatter scatter
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As happy as a pig in s--t (don't know the origin)
doubting thomas (biblical)
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"I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
..... is the title of a 1919 song about a consummate dreamer who can't turn them into reality.
A bit like a West Ham fan I know :laugh:
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Gone fishing
If someone has gone fishing, they are not very aware of what is happening around them.
I would say you was wrong there Nobby :P
I would say 'Gone Fishing ' means getting away from the humdrum, routine of life and doing something interesting or even taking a little break from the normal routine.A bit like a Shopkeeper putting up a sign 'Gone Fishing'..meaning I am taking a little break and will be back soon.
Gone for a burton
Meaning
No longer functional - a reference to a person who had died or an item that was broken.
Origin
There are numerous suggestions as to the origin of this British phrase, and I suppose that is a another way of saying that no one is entirely sure how it originated. It dates from mid 20th century UK and the first reference to it in print is a definition in The New Statesman, August 1941:
"Go for a Burton, crash."
The source is almost certainly to be the winner of a close-run race between two Burtons; the Staffordshire town of Burton upon Trent, or Sir Montague Burton the tailor - more on them later. The roll call of commonly repeated suggested derivations is quite long, so I'll also list a couple of the long shots:
- A burton (also called a Spanish Burton) was a block and tackle mechanism used on Royal Navy ships. It was reputedly complex and difficult to use and any mariner who wasn't where he was expected to be was said to have 'gone for a burton'. 'Burton' is defined in William Falconer's An Universal Dictionary of the Marine, 1769:
"Burton, a ... small tackle, formed by two blocks or pulleys ... generally employed to tighten the shrouds of the top-masts."
- 'A-burton' was the term used to describe a form of stowage on a ship. Again, we have a definition - in Arthur Young's Nautical Dictionary, 1846:
"A-burton, Casks are said to be stowed a-burton, when placed athwartships [from side to side across the ship] in the hold."
There really isn't much to commend these explanations apart from the word 'burton'. They are both very early citations for a phrase that wasn't known before the 1940s. Without conclusive proof we can't completely discount them, but it does seem reasonable to put them at the back of the field. That leaves us the two more credible front runners:
1. To 'go for a burton' refers to the beer brewed in the Midlands town of Burton-upon-Trent, which was and still is famous for its breweries. RAF pilots who crashed, especially those who crashed into the sea, i.e. 'in the drink', were said to have 'gone for a burton'. Some commentators have referred to a pre-WWII advert for Burton's Ale, in which a place at table was vacant and the missing person was said to have 'gone for a Burton', i.e. gone to the pub for a drink. That would be a very strong candidate if only any record of the adverts were to be found - and surely they would be evident if they ever existed. Until any do come to light it's reasonable to call the said adverts mythical.
2. 'Go for a burton' is a reference to the suits made by Montague Burton, who supplied the majority of the demobilization suits that British servicemen were given on leaving service after WWII. (Note: Monty is also a contender as the source of the Full Monty). Any serviceman who was absent could have been said to have 'gone for a burton'. This does seem the less likely of the two explanations, as it doesn't quite match the meaning of the phrase. 'Gone for a burton' was used to mean dead, not merely absent, and Montague Burton didn't supply shrouds, as far as I know.
What is known for sure is that the term was popularised by the RAF around the time of WWII, evidenced by the fact that all the early citations of it come from that date and context. It migrated to the USA quite quickly and in June 1943 a story titled Husky Goes Down for a Burton appeared in Boys' Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America:
[Gone down for a Burton] In the R.A.F. it's the gentle way of saying that an aviator has been killed in operation.
This phrase is now rather archaic and began fading from general use during the later part of the 20th century. It hasn't quite 'gone for a burton' but it is certainly well on its way.
The Phrase Finder (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gone-for-a-burton.html)
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I think both Nobby and Sao baht are correct
"Gone fishing" is an English idiom that is used in reference to someone who is completely unaware of all that is going on in his or her immediate surroundings. The person described in this manner has checked out from reality and may be daydreaming of just simply ignorant of the people and things in the vicinity. In other cases, the term can be used to describe someone who has taken an opportunity to get away from the rigors of daily life. This expression first found footing in America in the 20th century and is taken from the signs commonly placed on local store windows indicating that the shopkeepers weren't around to do business.
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ring a bell
to seem familiar (We live in Walnut Creek.I don't know why that rings a bell.
Related vocabulary: have a familiar ring (to it)
Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003. Reproduced with permission.
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:biggrin:
If the cap fits, wear it
Meaning
If a description applies to you, then accept it. smilenod
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I think both Nobby and Sao baht are correct
"Gone fishing" is an English idiom that is used in reference to someone who is completely unaware of all that is going on in his or her immediate surroundings. The person described in this manner has checked out from reality and may be daydreaming of just simply ignorant of the people and things in the vicinity. In other cases, the term can be used to describe someone who has taken an opportunity to get away from the rigors of daily life. This expression first found footing in America in the 20th century and is taken from the signs commonly placed on local store windows indicating that the shopkeepers weren't around to do business.
Other means Nick :biggrin:
1. A common slang term used for a sports team that has just been eliminated or never made the postseason. (mostly used in the NBA) (http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTaxbb-G4li9ehSBIUBUhTG9x0YRDq0Ap2-ZggYsCzHtyouNKphnA&t=1)
2.Crazy; having gone insane screwy
3.When you are sat on the shitter and the stool is still hanging out of your anus whilst touching the water (http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/toilet/t9712.gif)
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BITE THE BULLET
face up to doing something difficult or unpleasant; stoically avoid showing fear or distress
i This phrase dates from the days before anaesthetics, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet or similar solid object to clench between their teeth when undergoing surgery.
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I think both Nobby and Sao baht are correct
"Gone fishing" is an English idiom that is used in reference to someone who is completely unaware of all that is going on in his or her immediate surroundings. The person described in this manner has checked out from reality and may be daydreaming of just simply ignorant of the people and things in the vicinity. In other cases, the term can be used to describe someone who has taken an opportunity to get away from the rigors of daily life. This expression first found footing in America in the 20th century and is taken from the signs commonly placed on local store windows indicating that the shopkeepers weren't around to do business.
Other means Nick :biggrin:
1. A common slang term used for a sports team that has just been eliminated or never made the postseason. (mostly used in the NBA) (http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTaxbb-G4li9ehSBIUBUhTG9x0YRDq0Ap2-ZggYsCzHtyouNKphnA&t=1)
2.Crazy; having gone insane screwy
3.When you are sat on the shitter and the stool is still hanging out of your anus whilst touching the water (http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/toilet/t9712.gif)
I was more than satisfied with your original and Nobby's explanations!
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BALD
as bald as a coot completely bald
I. The coot(Fulica atra) has a broad white shield extending up from the base of its bill, The history of the word Bald is somewhat obscure, but analogies with other northern European language suggest a connection with the idea of ,having a white patch or streak, .
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CHIP
A chip on your shoulder a strong and usually long-standing inclination to feel resentful or aggrieved, often about a particular thing;a sense of inferiority characterized by a quickness to take offence.
i In 1830 the Long Telegraph described the practice which gave rise to this expression; 'When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril'
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spaz around
definitionin.
to waste time; to mess around. : You kids are always spazzing around. Why don't you get a job?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Mad as a hatter (google it)
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Mad as a hatter (google it)
wasnt that from mercury poisoning from treating furs, thatswhat people who made hats went mad from?
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Brand spanking new newbie
Meaning: A new or unused object.
Origin: This idiom originates from doctors spanking a newborn baby to make it cry to start breathing.
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MATILDA
waltz(or walk) Matilda carry a bundle of your personal possessions as you travel the roads . Australian
i The name Matilda was one of a number of names given to the swag or pack carried by a bushman in Australia. The expression was famously used by A. B. ('Banjo') Paterson (1864-1941) in his song 'Waltzing Matilda'.
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SWEET
sweet Fanny Adams absolutely nothing at all. informal
i Fanny Adams was the youthful victim in a famous murder case in 1867, her body being mutilated and cut to pieces by the killer. With gruesome black humour, her name came to be used as a slang term for a type of tinned meat or stew recently introduced to the Royal Navy; the current meaning developed early in the 20th century. sweet fanny adams is often abbreviated in speech to sweet FA, which is understood by many to be a euphemism for sweet x all.
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A pig in a poke (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-pig-in-a-poke.html)
Meaning ....An offering or deal that is foolishly accepted without being examined first.
Origin
'Don't buy a pig in a poke' might seem odd and archaic language. It's true that the phrase is very old, but actually it can be taken quite literally and remains good advice.
The advice being given is 'don't buy a pig until you have seen it'. This is enshrined in British commercial law as 'caveat emptor' - Latin for 'let the buyer beware'. This remains the guiding principle of commerce in many countries and, in essence, supports the view that if you buy something you take responsibility to make sure it is what you intended to buy.
A poke is a sack or bag. It has a French origin as 'poque' and, like several other French words, its diminutive is formed by adding 'ette' or 'et' - hence 'pocket' began life with the meaning 'small bag'. Poke is still in use in several English-speaking countries, notably Scotland and the USA, and describes just the sort of bag that would be useful for carrying a piglet to market.
A pig that's in a poke might turn out to be no pig at all. If a merchant tried to cheat by substituting a lower value animal, the trick could be uncovered by letting the cat out of the bag. Many other European languages have a version of this phrase - most of them translating into English as a warning not to 'buy a cat in a bag'. The advice has stood the test of time and people have been repeating it in one form or the other for getting on for five hundred years, maybe longer.
Fraser's Magazine, 1858, reprinted a piece from Richard Hill's (or Hilles') Common-place Book, 1530, which gave this advice to market traders:
"When ye proffer the pigge open the poke."
John Heywood included something nearer to our modern-day version of the phrase in Proverbes and Epigrammes, 1555-60:
I will neuer bye the pyg in the poke :
Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke.
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Peeping Tom
Meaning
A voyeur. A man who furtively observes naked or sexually active people for his own gratification.
Origin
The name comes from the legend of Lady Godiva's naked ride through the streets of Coventry, in order to persuade her husband to alleviate the harsh taxes on the town's poor. The story goes that the townsfolk agreed not to observe Godiva as she passed by, but that Peeping Tom broke that trust and spied on her.
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Baker's dozen
Meaning
Thirteen or, more rarely, fourteen.
Origin
It's widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight.
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RITZ
put on the ritz make a show of luxury or extravagance.
i The hotels in Paris, London, and New York founded by the Swiss-born hotelier Ce'sar Ritz (1850-1918) became synonymous with great luxury. This expression dates from the heyday of these grand hotels in the early 20th century.
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Here's some that sound rude.........but aren't :biggrin:
In the pink........ If you are in very good health, you are in the pink.( I love being in the pink thumbup )
A rude awakening ...... when you have a severe shock when you discover the truth of a situation ( Happens to me most mornings love4 )
In the bag........ If something is in the bag, it is certain that you will get it or achieve it ( Nookie likes to slip into a bag thumbup )
In a tight spot......... If you're in a tight spot, you're in a difficult situation. ( don't you love it when its tight biglaugh )
In full swing....... If things are in full swing, they have been going for a sufficient period of time to be going well and very actively. ( need I say more love1 )
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The face that launched a thousand ships
Meaning
A reference to the mythological figure Helen of Troy (or some would say, to Aphrodite). Her abduction by Paris was said to be the reason for a fleet of a thousand ships to be launched into battle, initiating the Trojan Wars.
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Over the moon
Meaning ......Very happy or delighted.
Origin
This phrase has been part of the language for more than a century. It has become more widely used in the past twenty or thirty years, since it was adopted by English football (no, not soccer please - the game is called football) managers when interviewed after 'the boys' managed a victory.
The increased use of televised post-match interviews and hours of studio commentary during the 1970s brought many football managers before the cameras. These days such men are likely to be cultured and erudite Frenchmen or Spaniards. Before that they were usually British ex-footballers who had left schools in the English or Scottish back streets early to play football. It's fair to say that many of them have little interest in the finer points of English grammar.
Two of the best-known English football managers of recent years, who have maintained the English tradition with their engagingly entertaining way of mangling the language, are Ron Atkinson and Terry Venables. The list of quotations from them is long and includes:
"The Spaniards have been reduced to aiming aimless balls into the box." (Atkinson)
"If you can't stand the heat in the dressing room, get out of the kitchen." (Venables)
"If Glenn Hoddle said one word to his team at half time, it was concentration and focus." (Atkinson)
"I felt a lump in my throat as the ball went in." (Venables)
The humorous magazine Private Eye picked up on these and began publishing them in its Colemanballs column. The name was taken from the sports commentator David Coleman, who could give even the managers a run for their money:
"Nottingham have now lost six matches in a row without winning." (Coleman)
It was really Private Eye's lampooning that made this phrase popular. There is an associated phrase, 'sick as a parrot', which was used when 'the boys' lost. This has a much shorter pedigree and came to the public's consciousness following the League Cup Final of 1978. Phil Thompson, who played for the strong favourites Liverpool Football Club ended up on the losing side, being beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest. In a televised interview after the match he announced that "I'm as sick as a parrot".
The phrase, which may well have been coined by an anonymous Liverpool wag and repeated by Thompson, was probably influenced the the famous Monty Python 'Dead Parrot' sketch, which was broadcast in 1969 and could be quoted verbatim by many in the UK at the time and which remains one of the most popular sketches ever shown on British TV.
Well, that's the last thirty years. The actual origin of 'over the moon' is much earlier and, although not widely used before the 1970s, it would have been familiar to all who grew up in Britain in the 20th century. Why, because the source was included, as High Diddle Diddle, in the influential 16th century nursery rhyme collection, Mother Goose's Melody; or Sonnets from the Cradle, circa 1760:
High diddle diddle,
The Cat and the Fiddle,
The Cow jump'd over the Moon,
The little dog laugh'd to see such Craft,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.
As with most nursery rhymes, the first appearance in print may well post-date the first use by years, centuries even - children didn't write their rhymes down. The text of such rhymes was subject to a 'Chinese whispers' effect over all of that time and, whatever the origin may have been, the version passed down to us is quite probably nonsense and isn't easily interpreted. What is clear is that the 'over the moon' line is a reference to excitement and energy. That's evidenced by one of the earliest allusions to the phrase in print - Charles Molloy's The Coquet, or, The English Chevalier, 1718:
"Tis he! I know him now: I shall jump over the Moon for Joy!"
phrases.org.uk (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/over-the-moon.html)
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burn to A. CRISP
to burn something totally or very badly. The cook burned the meat to a crisp.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
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Lap dog
A lap dog is a person who is eager to please another at the expense of his or her own needs in order to maintain a position of privilege or favor
Backstabber
This idiom or expression like phrase means:
One who lies in your face.
One who hurts you when you’re not looking.
One who assures you of his or her support, but does not support you when you turn your back.
thumbup
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lap dog
1. A small dog kept as a pet.
2. Informal One eager to do another's bidding, especially in order to maintain a position of privilege or favor: "a bunch of intellectual lap dogs for anybody who holds a big job in government" (Mike Barnicle).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Loose lips sink ships
Meaning......Unguarded talk may give useful information to the enemy.
Origin
This phrase was coined as a slogan during WWII as part of the US Office of War Information's attempt to limit the possibility of people inadvertently giving useful information to enemy spies. The slogan was actually 'Loose Lips Might Sink Ships. This was one of several similar slogans which all came under the campaigns basic message - 'Careless Talk Costs Lives'.
The slogan was in use by 1942, as this example from the Maryland paper The News, May 1942 shows: (http://www.phrases.org.uk/images/loose-lips.gif)
At countians [attendees at the local county school] registered in the high school lobby before the opening of the meeting, they were surrounded on all sides by placards bearing such admonitions as "Loose Lips Might Sink Ships", "Defense On The Sea Begins On The Shore", "Defense In The Field Begins In The Factory" and patriotic creeds and slogans.
phrases.org.uk (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/237250.html)
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CUT
Cut and run make a speedy or sudden departue from an awkward or hazardous situation rather than confront or deal with . informal
i Cut and run was originally an early 18th century nautical phrase, meaning 'sever the anchor cable because of an emergency and make sail immediately'
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A dark horse
Meaning
Someone who emerges to prominence; being previously little known.
Origin
This was originally horse racing parlance. A dark horse was one that wasn't known to the punters and was difficult to place odds on. The figurative use later spread to other fields and has come to apply to anyone who comes under scrutiny but is previously little known.
Benjamin Disraeli provides the earliest known reference to the phrase in The Young Duke, 1831:
"A dark horse, which had never been thought of ... rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph."
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TINKER
not give (or care) a tinker's curse (or cuss or damn) not care at all. informal
i In former times, tinkers (itinerant menders of pots, pans, and other metal utensils) had a reputation for using bad language. The expression is often shortened to not give a tinker's.
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Shuffle off this mortal coil
Meaning
Die.
Origin
From Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech in Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1602:
"What dreames may come, When we haue shufflel'd off this mortall coile, Must giue vs pawse."
In Shakespeare's time 'coil', or coile', or coyle', meant 'fuss' or 'bustle'. That usage was recorded in Michael Drayton's Idea, the shepheards garland, 1593:
"You Will, and Will not, what a coyle is here?"
Shakespeare also used it prior to his 'mortal coil' expression, in King John, 1595:
"I am not worth this coyle that's made for me."
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No way, Jose
Meaning
Absolutely not; never.
Origin
This slang expression originated in America sometime around the 1960s. In Chapman and Kipfer's Dictionary of American Slang 'no way' is listed as a 1960s phrase and 'no way Jose' as originating in Village Voice. Unfortunately, they don't present any other details so I can't check that assertion. The first verified citation I've found is from The Washington Post, December 1979:
"I've got nothing against robots. But no way, Jose, is this guy going to win."
Why Jose? There's no reason to think that Jose was an actual person. The name was probably chosen for the rhyme with 'no way', which predates the longer phrase.
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BUCKLEYBuckley's chance a forlorn hope; no chance at all Australian & New Zealand informal
i The phrase is often shortened simply to Buckley's. Who or what Buckley was remains uncertain:the name is sometimes said to refer to William Buckley, a convict transported to Australia in 1802 who escaped and lived with the Aborigines for many years, despite dire predications as to his chances of survival
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Against the grain
Meaning
Against one's inclination or natural tendency.
Origin
The phrase brings to mind the image of the grain in wood, which, if planed in the wrong direction, will tear rather than lie smoothly. That may not have been in the mind of whoever coined the phrase, as none of the early citations of the phrase refer to wood.
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SUSS
on suss on suspicion of having committed a crime . British informal
i Suss is an abbreviation of suspicion, earlier and more correctly spelled sus. Until its abolition in 1981, a law nicknamed the sus law allowed the police to arrest a person on the suspicion that they were likely to commit a crime.
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Mouth-watering
Meaning
Delicious; tasty enough to make you salivate.
Origin
The term mouth-watering has been used since the late 18th century to describe people whose mouth was salivating at the thought of food. The earliest citation that I can find of it describing appetizing food itself is from the mid 19th century, in the US fine arts journal The Southern Literary Messenger, 1847:
"He talks in an unctious mouth-watering way of British oysters and Falernian wine."
Mars, the manufacturers of the fruit sweets Opal Fruits alluded to the phrase in their advertising jingle for the product 'Opal Fruits: made to make your mouth water'. The sweets are sold in the USA as Starburst and, since 1998, they were renamed as that in their original market of the UK and Ireland
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The devil to pay
Meaning
Impending trouble or other bad consequences following from one's actions.
Origin
People seem to love ascribing nautical origins to phrases. Here's a good case in point. The 'devil' is a seam between the planking of a wooden ship. Admiral William Henry Smyth defined the term in The Sailor's Word-book: An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, 1865:
Devil - The seam which margins the waterways on a ship's hull.
'Paying' is the sailor's name for caulking or plugging the seam between planking with rope and tar etc. 'Paying the devil' must have been a commonplace activity for shipbuilders and sailors at sea. This meaning of 'paying' is recorded as early as 1610, in S. Jourdain's Discovery of Barmudas:
Some wax we found cast up by the Sea... served the turne to pay the seames of the pinnis Sir George Sommers built, for which hee had neither pitch nor tarre.
Many sources give the full expression used by seafarers as "there’s the devil to pay and only half a bucket of pitch", or "there’s the devil to pay and no pitch hot".
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Life's not all beer and skittles
Meaning
'Beer and skittles' is shorthand for a life of indulgence spent in the pub.
Origin
Skittles, also known as Ninepins, which was the pre-cursor to ten-pin bowling, has been a popular English pub game since the 17th century. The pins are set up in a square pattern and players attempt to knock them down with a ball. It is still played but not so much as previously.
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ROPE
GIVE SOMEONE ENOUGH ROPE (OR PLENTY OF ROPE)give a person enough freedom of action to bring about their own downfall.
i The fuller form of this expression is the proverb give a man enough rope asnd he will hang himself, which has been in use in various forms since the mid 17th century.
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MOMENT
moment of truth a crisis; a turning point when a decision has to be made or a crisis faced.
i This expression is a translation of the Spanish el momento de la verdad, which refers to the final sword thrust in a bullfight.
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Red tape
Meaning
Rigid or mechanical adherence to bureaucratic rules and regulations especially those involving unnecessary paperwork.
Origin
Legal and official documents have been bound with red tape since the 17th century and continue to be so. The first reference I can find to this practice is the 1696-1715 Maryland Laws:
"The Map upon the Backside thereof sealed with his Excellency's Seal at Arms on a Red Cross with Red Tape."
We now usually mean fussy or unnecessary bureaucracy when we refer to 'red tape'. The first record I have of it being used in that sense is from The pleader's guide, 1796. This spoof verse, purporting to be the work of John Surrebutter (a deceased barrister) was a satire on the fussiness of English law. It includes the lines:
Nor would the Fates... Cut the red-tape of thy years.
This is part-way towards a metaphorical usage of the term, albeit still clearly referring to actual lawyer's red-tape. The first entirely figurative usage of 'red-tape' that I can find is in Edward Bulwer-Lytton in Alice, or the Mysteries, 1838:
"The men of more dazzling genius began to sneer at the red-tape minister as a mere official manager of details."
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DIE
die hard disappear or change very slowly.
i This expression seems to have been used first of criminals who died resisting to the last on the Tyburn gallows in London. At the battle of Albuera in 1811, during the Peninsular War, William Inglis, commander of the British 57th Regiment of Foot, exhorted his men to 'die hard'; they acted with such heroism that the regiment earned the nickname Die-hards. The name was attached later in the century to various groupings in British politics who were determinedly opposed to change. The word diehard is often used of someone who is stubbornly conservative or reactionary.
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WHITE
a white elephant a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.
i In former times, the rare albino elephant was regarded as holy. It was highly prized by the kings of siam (now Thailand) and its upkeep was extremely expensive. It was apparently the practice for a king of siam to give one of the elephants to a courtier they disliked; the unfortunate recipient would usually be financially ruined by the attempt to maintain the animal.
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Do unto others as they would do to you, but do it first
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Just go with the flow To do what people do and accept things as they are.
I was just pulling your leg. To tease or fool someone when trying to convince them to believe something which is not true as a joke.
all hat and no cattle Describing someone who is full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
a bit of fluff A sexually attractive woman.
a dime's worth, An insignificant amount
a fool and his money are soon parted, This means that stupid people spend money without thinking about it enough.
all hat and no cattle, Describing someone who is full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
eat humble pie said when you admit that you were wrong.
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FALL
take the fall recieve blame or punishment, typically in the place of another person.
i In the late 19th-century criminals' slang fall could mean an 'an arrest', and this was later extended to mean ' a term of imprisonment'. From this the us term fall guy meaning 'a scapegoat' developed in the early 20th century.
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TENTERHOOK
on tenterhooks in a state of suspense or agiation because of uncertainty about a future event.
i A tenter is a framework on which fabric can be held taut for drying or other treatment during the manufacturing process; in the past tenterhooks were hooks or bent nails fixed in the tenter to hold the fabric in position. The metaphorical use of the phrase for an agitated state of mind dates from the mid 18th century.
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Catch 22
Meaning
A paradox in which the attempt to escape makes escape impossible.
Origin
The title of Joseph Heller's novel, written in 1953 and published in 1961, (properly titled 'Catch-22' - with a hyphen). The first chapter was also published in a magazine in 1955, under the title 'Catch-18'.
The paradox is presented as the trap that confined members of the US Air Force. In logical terms the 'catch' was that, by applying for exemption from highly dangerous bombing missions on the grounds of insanity, the applicant proved himself to be sane (after all, that's what any sane person would do). If anyone applied to fly they would be considered insane. Either way; sane or insane, they were sent on the missions. This might be described logically as, 'damned if you do and damned if you don't', 'the vicious circle', 'a chicken and egg situation', or 'heads I win, tails you lose'.
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Keep your powder dry
Meaning
Be prepared and save your resources until they are needed.
Origin
The allusion is to gunpowder which soldiers had to keep dry in order to be ready to fight when required. This advice reputedly originated with Oliver Cromwell during his campaign in Ireland. In Ballads of Ireland, 1856, Edward Hayes wrote:
"There is a well-authenticated anecdote of Cromwell. On a certain occasion, when his troops were about crossing a river to attack the enemy, he concluded an address, couched in the usual fanatic terms in use among them, with these words - 'put your trust in God; but mind to keep your powder dry'."
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Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
Meaning
Born into a wealthy family.
Origin
This is commonly thought to be an English phrase and to refer to the British aristocracy. That may well be the case, but the earliest citation in print is from the USA.
Deb. U.S. Congress, 1801:
"It was a common proverb that few lawyers were born with silver spoons in their mouths."
Medieval spoons were usually made of wood. Spoon was also the name of a chip or splinter of wood and it is likely that is how the table utensils derived their name. It has been a tradition in many countries for wealthy godparents to give a silver spoon to their godchildren at christening ceremonies. That may be the source of the phrase, or it may simply be derived from the fact that wealthy people ate from silver while others didn't.
In the keynote speech to the US Democratic National Convention in 1988, the Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards modified the proverb at the expense of the well-born and wealthy George Bush:
"Poor George, he can't help it - he was born with a silver foot in his mouth." tonguebar2
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SICK Sick as a parrot extremely disappointed.
i This expression is a late 20th century British catchphrase, often associated with disappointed footballers or football managers.
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Ear-mark
Meaning
To set aside for a particular purpose.
Origin
There ought to be no room on a site dedicated to the meaning and origins of phrase for a single word like ear-mark. It justifies inclusion here because of its origin as two separate words - ear mark. When seeing it as two words, it isn't difficult to guess that the source of the phrase was the marking of ears, and that guess would be correct.
In these days, in western countries at least, most farm animal's ears are fitted with metal tags, which include details of the animal's ownership, date of birth etc. Before the 1950s, when ear tags became commonplace, the ownership of stock like pigs and sheep was denoted by the clipping of the ears. This formed a permanent record and was an alternative to branding.
The practice is old and dates back in the UK to at least the 16th century.
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Throw your hat into the ring
Meaning
Make or take up a challenge, or demonstrate one's willingness to join an enterprise.
Origin
The ring in question here is a boxing ring. These, of course used to be circular spaces in a crowd of onlookers, rather than the square, roped 'rings' of contemporary pugilism. Any Jack the lad who fancied his chances in a bout would throw in his hat - presumably this was a more reliable way of putting oneself forward than just shouting over the hubbub of the crowd.
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TELEGRAPH
bush telegraph a rapid informal spreading of information or rumour, the network through which tis takes place.
i This expression originated in the late 19th century, referring to the network of informers who kept bushrangers informed about the movments of the police in the Australian bush or outback.
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TELEGRAPH
bush telegraph a rapid informal spreading of information or rumour, the network through which tis takes place.
i This expression originated in the late 19th century, referring to the network of informers who kept bushrangers informed about the movments of the police in the Australian bush or outback.
very Aussie...nice one punk
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WOLF
throw someone to the wolves leave someone to be roughly treated or criticized without trying to help or defend them.
i This phrase probably arose in reference to tales about packs of wolves pursuing travellers in horse-drawn sleighs, in which one person was pushed off the sleigh to allow it to go faster, so enabling the others to make their escape.
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Technicolor yawn
Meaning
Vomiting.
Origin
This is one of the many colorful Australian phrases for vomiting. It was coined by, or at least popularized by, Barry Humphries and appeared in his 1965 review A Nice Night’s Entertainment:
When I swallowed the last prawn,
I had a technicolor yawn and I chundered in the old Pacific Sea.
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GAMUT
run the gamut experience, display, or perform the complete range of something.
i Gamut is a contraction of medieval Latin gamma ut, gamma beng the lowest note in the medieval musical scale and ut the first of the six notes forming a hexachord. Together, therefore, they represent the full range of notes of which a voice or an instrument is capable.
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Baptism of fire
Meaning
An ordeal or martyrdom. More recently, a soldier's first experience of battle.
Origin
The term refers back to actual martyrdoms by fire, or to the grace of the Holy Spirit imparted through Christian baptism. The second of these is alluded to in the Bible; for example, this version in the King James Version, Matthew 3:11:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
That meaning has largely gone out of use and the meaning most often used now is of a soldier's first experience of battle. 'Baptism' because battle is new to him and 'fire' from the firing of guns, i.e. he is 'under fire'. The connection between the earlier religious meaning and the later military meaning isn't clear. It is quite possible that the two are independent of each other.
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BIB
your best bib and tucker your best clothes.
i Bib and tucker originally referred to certain items of womens,s clothing. A bib is a garment worn over the upper front part of the body (e.g. the bib of an apron), and a tucker was a decorative piece of lace formerly worn on a woman,s bodice.
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BLOW
blow hot and cold alternate incosistently between two moods, attitudes,or courses of action;be sometimes enthusiastic,sometimes unenthusiastic about something.
iThis phrase refers to a fable involving a traveller who was offered hospitality by a satyr and offened his host by blowing on his cold fingers to warm them and on his hot soup to cool it.
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Davy Jones' locker
Meaning
The bottom of the sea; the resting place of drowned mariners.
Origin
Davy Jones is the evil spirit of the sea. There are various possible attempts to explain the name by associating it with someone of a similar name:
Jones may be a corruption of name of the biblical seaman Jonah. Jonah denoted bad luck on to seamen.
Davy Jones was a 16th century publican who imprisoned drunken sailors in a locker and press-ganged them to serve on ships.
The name comes from the patron saint of sailors - St. David.
None of these is supported by any evidence - they are little more than guesses.
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GIFT
the gift of the gab the ability to speak with eloquence and fluency.
i Gab, dating from the late 18th century, was an informal word for 'conversation or chatter'. In Scotland it was associated with gab, an early 18th-century dialect variant of gob meaning 'the mouth'.
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RAW
come the raw prawn attempt to decieve someone . Australian informal
I in Australian English, a stupid person can be referred to as a prawn.
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MONTH
a month of sundays a very long, seemingly endless period of time.
i This expression may be a reference to the traditionally slow passage of Sundays as a result of religious restrictions on activity or entertainment. In a letter written in 1849,G. E. Jewsbury talked of the absence of mail deliveries on Sundays, remarking: 'if i don't get a better letter from you... you may pass "a month of sundays" at breakfast without any letter from me'.
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SWEAT
by the sweat of your brow by your own hard work, typically manual labour.
i This idiom is often used with the reference to God's sentence on Adam after the Fall, condemning him to work for his food: 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread' (Genesis 3:19)
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TOD
onyour tod on your own; alone.British informal
i In rhyming slang, on your Tod Sloan means 'on your own'. The Tod Sloan in question was a famous American jockey who made his name in horse racing in the 1890s.
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FIDDLE
play second fiddle to take a subordinate role to someone or something
i The expression derives from the respective roles of the fiddles or violins in an orchestra.Both play first fiddle and play third fiddle are much less common. The implication of playing second fiddle is often that it is somewhat demeaning.
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PENNY
spend a penny urinate.British informal
i At one time coin-operated locks were commonly found on the doors of public lavatories. The phrase is now rather dated.
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GRANDMOTHER
teach your grand mother to such eggs presume to advise a more experienced person.
i The proverb you cant teach your grandmother to suck eggs has been used since the early 18th century as a caution against any attempt by the ignorant or inexperienced to instruct someone wiser or more knowledgeable.
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DOG
go to the dogs deteriorate shockingly,especially in behaviour or morals.
i This idiom derives from the fact that attending greyhound races was once thought likely to expose a person to moral danger and the risk of incurring great financial loss.
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SON
son of a gun a humorous or affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone.
i The term arose with reference to the guns carried on board ships; it is said to have been originally applied to babies born at sea by women accompanying their husbands.
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MURPHY
Murphy's law if anything can go wrong it will.
i Murphy's law is said to have been the inspiration of a californian project manager for the firm Northrop, referring to a remark made in 1949 by a colleague, Captain Edward Murphy of the Wright Field-Aircraft Laboratory. In 1955, Aviation Mechanics Bulletin explained Murphy Law as ' if an aircraft part can be installed incorrectly, someone will install it that way'.
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Cut of your jib
Meaning
One's general appearance and demeanour.
Origin
The jib of a sailing ship is a triangular sail set between the foretopmast head and the jib boom. Some ships had more than one jib sail. Each country had its own style of sail and so the nationality of a sailing ship, and a sailor's consequent opinion of it, could be determined from the jib.
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MOULD
Break the mould put an end to a pattern of events or behaviour,especially one that has become rigid and restrictive, by doing things in a markedly different way.
i Originally this phrase referred to casting artefacts in moulds; destroying a mould ensured that no further identical examples could be produced, The expression became a catchphrase in Britain in the early 1980s with the foundation of the Social Democratic Party. Its founders promoted the party as breaking the 'out-of-date mould' of British politics, a phrase used by Roy Jenkins in a speech in 1980.
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BLANK
draw a blank elicit no response; be unsuccessful.
i A blank was originally a lottery ticket that did not win a prize.
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BLANK
draw a blank elicit no response; be unsuccessful.
i A blank was originally a lottery ticket that did not win a prize.
Good 'ol Elizabeth 1st. Knew how to have fun! Just like the history of England! thumbup
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CHOP
not much chop no good ; not up to much. Australian & New Zealand informal
i The sense of chop in this expression originated in the Hindi word chap meaning 'official stamp'. Europeans in the far east extended the use of the word to cover documents such as passports to which an official stamp or impression was attached and in China it came to mean 'branded goods'. From this , in the late 19th century, chop was used to refer to something that had 'class' or had been validated as genuine or good.
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Nail your colours to the mast
Meaning
To defiantly display one's opinions and beliefs. Also, to show one's intention to hold on to those beliefs until the end.
Origin
In 17th century nautical battles colours (flags) were struck (lowered) as a mark of submission. It was also the custom in naval warfare to direct one's cannon fire at the opponent's ship's mast, thus disabling it. If all of a ship's masts were broken the captain usually had no alternative but to surrender. If the captain decided to fight on this was marked by hoisting the colours on the remnants of the ship's rigging, i.e. by 'nailing his colours to the mast'.
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Get the upper hand
Meaning
Take a dominant position.
Origin
Various suggestions have been made as to the origin of 'get the upper hand' (or 'take the upper hand'). Prominent amongst those is that the phrase originated in American playgrounds, in the way that children select sides for impromptu baseball games. The method is for one team captain to grab the bat at the bottom, then the other captain takes hold above the first's hand and they progress hand over hand along the bat until the top is reached - the one left holding the bat having the 'upper hand' and getting first choice of player for their team.
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MITT
get your mitts on obtain possession of. informal
i Mitt, an abbreviation of mitten, is an informal term for a person's hand that dates back to the late 19th century.
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Up the duff
Meaning
Euphemism for pregnant. Used most commonly, although not exclusively, to describe unplanned pregnancy.
Origin
The phrase doesn't appear in print until 1941, in Sydney John Baker's Dictionary of Australian Slang:
"Duff, up the (of a woman), pregnant."
Duff isn't a common word and seems an odd choice for a colloquial phrase. It took a rather roundabout route...
As the phrase means pregnant it shouldn't come as a major surprise that for the origin we need look no further than the penis. As with many English phrases that refer to sexual activity we dive straight into a world of euphemism and there are several obscuring layers here between penis and pregnancy.
One of the numerous slang terms for the sexual organs, or more commonly specifically the penis, is pudding. This has a long history, going back to at least the 18th century, as here from Thomas D'Urfey's, Wit and mirth: or pills to purge melancholy, being a collection of ballads and songs, 1719:
"I made a request to prepare again, That I might continue in Love with the strain Of his Pudding".
A slang term for male masturbation, which leaves little to the imagination - 'pull one's pudding', has been known since at least the 19th century.
There is a related phrase for pregnancy - 'in the pudding club', and it turns out that this and 'up the duff' are essentially the same phrase. By 1890, Barrère & Leland, in their Dictionary of Slang, defined the term pudding club:
"A woman in the family way is said to be in the pudding club."
Note that in those Victorian times the definition of a euphemistic term for pregnancy relied on another euphemism.
Dough is another word for pudding and duff is an alternative form and pronunciation of dough. That was in use by 1840, as here from R. H. Dana in Before the Mast:
"To enhance the value of the Sabbath to the crew, they are allowed on that day a pudding, or, as it is called, a ‘duff’."
So, we travel this route - (up the) duff -> dough -> pudding -> penis -> pregnant.
The more recent 'bun in the oven', another slang phrase for pregnant, may originate this way too
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As dead as a dodo
Meaning
Unambiguously and unequivocally dead.
Origin
The dodo was a flightless bird somewhat like a turkey. It was native to Mauritius; the last live specimen was seen in 1662 and they are thought to have died out completely by 1690. The extinction of the species is attributed to the introduction of domestic animals to Mauritius following the first visits to the island by the Portuguese in 1507 and the later settlement by the Dutch - although the species was thought to be then already in decline.
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Save one's bacon
Meaning
Escape from injury; avoid harm, especially to one's body.
Origin
By bacon, we now normally mean the cured and dried meat taken from the back or sides of a pig. To the mediaeval mind, 'bacon' was meat from anywhere on the body of the animal - more akin to what we now call pork. This was the origin of the slang term 'bacon' meaning the human body. 'Saving your bacon' was simply saving your body from harm. The expression was used that way as early as the 17th century
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Shiver my timbers
Meaning
An oath, expressing annoyance or surprise.
Origin
Those of a certain age will remember Robert Newton, rolling his eyes and yarring it up in his archetypal Hollywood pirate role - Long John Silver in the 1950 film Treasure Island.
Robert Louis Stevenson used shiver my timbers several times in the original 1883 book, for example:
"Well, he [Old Pew] is dead now and under hatches; but for two year before that, shiver my timbers, the man was starving!"
Of course, Newton made the most of such 'parrot on the shoulder' phrases and it also appears several times in the film's screenplay. Newton's version, like that of all self-respecting stage pirates, was shiver me timbers, with the occasional 'aaarh, Jim lad' thrown in.
The first appearance of the phrase in print is in Frederick Marryat's Jacob Faithful, 1834:
"I won't thrash you Tom. Shiver my timbers if I do."
One meaning of shiver, which is now largely forgotten, is 'to break into pieces'. That meaning originated at least as early as the 14th century and is recorded in several Old English texts. A more recent citation, which makes that meaning clear, is James Froude's Caesar; a sketch, 1879:
"As he crossed the hall, his statue fell, and shivered on the stones."
So, the sailor's oath shiver my timbers, is synonymous with let my boat breaks into pieces. The question is whether any real sailor used the term or whether it was just a literary invention. Well, we can't be sure, but no one has yet provided any clear evidence that it is more than Newton-style hokum.
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MONEY
money for jam, 1 money earned for little or no effort. 2 an easy task. British Informal
i These expressions,which date back to the early 20th century, may have originated as military slang. In 1919, the Athenaeum stated that money for jam arose as the result of the 'great use of jam in the army'.
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DIE
the die is cast, an event has happened or a decision has been taken that cannot be changed.
i This expression has its origins in Julius Caesar's remark as he was about to cross the Rubicion,as reported by the Roman historian Suetonius; jacta alea esto 'let the die be cast'.
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SPOON
Win the wooden spoon
i A wooden spoon was originally presented to the candidate coming last in the Cambridge University mathematical tripos (the final honours examination for a BA degree).
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BLIND
a blind spot 1 an area into which you cannot see. 2 an aspect of something that someone knows or cares little about.
I These general senses appear to have developed from a mid 19th-century cricketing term for the spot of ground in front of a batsman where a ball pitched by a bowler leaves the batman undecided whether to play forward to it or back.
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WET SPOT
A perfectly natural but disgusting slippery area usually associated with bed linen.
Generally frowned upon as a sleeping zone.
This expression is thought to have originated in early Biblical times when Eve supposedly said "eeeeeewwww"
Made popular by millions of couples who have said "move over .... I'm not sleeping on that ... !"
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PALE
beyond the pale
I A pale (from Latin palus meaning 'a stake') is a pointed wooden post used with others to form a fence; from this it came to refer to any fenced enclosure. So, in literal use, beyond the pale meant the area beyond a fence.The term Pale was applied to various territories under English control and especially to the area of Ireland under English jurisdiction before the 16th century.
The earliest reference(1574) to the pale in Ireland as such draws the contrast between the English Pale and the ' Wyld Irysh'; the area beyond the pale would have been regarded as dangerous and uncivilized by the English.
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Sorry chaps, no idiom,s for a month going to Thailand to get married .
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MARCH
march to (the beat of) a different tune (or drum or drummer) consciously adopt a different approach or attitude to the majority of people; be unconventional. informal
I The version with drummer comes ultimately from Henry David Thoreau's Walden (1854) : ' if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer' .
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KNOCK
knock spots off
I This expression may refer to shooting out the pips (spots) on a playing card in a pistol shooting competition. Although it is a new found chiefly in British English, the phrase originated in America.
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Go Blow smoke up your ****
Tobacco Smoke Enemas
(1750s – 1810s)
The tobacco enema was used to infuse tobacco smoke into a patient’s rectum for various medical purposes, primarily the resuscitation of drowning victims.
A rectal tube inserted into the anus was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke towards the rectum.
The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration.
Doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas led to the popular phrase “blowing smoke up your ass.”
TBWG buriram_united sawadi
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PIP
Give someone the pip make some irritated or depressed. informal, dated
I Pip is a disease of poultry or other birds, In the late 15th century the word came to be used, often humorously, of various ill-defined or minor ailments suffered by people and so the informal sense of 'ill humour' developed.
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NELLY
not on your nelly certainly not.
I This expression, modelled on the phrase not on your life, originated as not on your nelly duff, which is British rhyming slang for 'puff ', meaning 'breath of life '.
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BIKE
on your bike! 1 go away 2 take action! British informal
I Sense 2 became a catchphrase in the 1980s Britain, when it was used as an exhortation to the unemployed to show initiative in their attempt to find work.
It was taken from a speech by the Conservative politician Norman Tebbit in which he said of his unemployed father; 'He did not riot, he got on his bike and looked for work.'
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BIKE
on your bike! 1 go away 2 take action! British informal
I Sense 2 became a catchphrase in the 1980s Britain, when it was used as an exhortation to the unemployed to show initiative in their attempt to find work.
It was taken from a speech by the Conservative politician Norman Tebbit in which he said of his unemployed father; 'He did not riot, he got on his bike and looked for work.'
Having initiative, not lazy (I think)
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HIDE
hide your light under a bushel keep quiet about your talents or accomplishments.
i A bushel is a unit of measurement equal to eight gallons; in former times the word also referred to a container able to hold this amount.
The expression has its source in Matthew 5:15 ' neither do men light a candle ,and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick'.
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PEAR-SHAPED
go pear-shaped go wrong informal
I This phrase originated as RAF slang, as a humorously exaggerated allusion to the shape of an aircraft that has crashed nose first. Today, however, people probably assume it derives from the idea of a woman gaining weight on her hips.
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HAND
make (or lose or spend ) money hand over fist make (or lose or spend) money very rapidly. informal
I This phrase first appeared in the mid 18th century as hand over hand. Found in nautical contexts, it referred to the movement of a person's hands when rapidly climbing a rope or hauling it in. By the mid 19th century hand over hand was being used to mean 'advancing continuously and rapidly', especially of one ship pursuing another. Hand over fist is first recorded in the early 19th century, also in a nautical context, but it was soon used more generally to indicate speed, especially in the handling of money.
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GUN
stick to your guns refuse to compromise or CHANGE, despite criticism informal
I The image here is of a soldier maintaining his position under enemy fire .
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REASON
theirs (or ours) not to reason why it is not someone's place to question a situation, order, or system
I This phrase comes from Tennyson's poem ' The Charge of the Light Brigade' (1854), which describes how, in a notorious incident in the Crimean War, the British cavalry unquestioningly obeyed a suicidal order to ride straight at the Russian guns.
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Laughing-stock
Meaning
A figure or object of ridicule and laughter.
Origin
Laughing-stock is now usually written as a single hyphenated word, but it was previously the two-word phrase, 'laughing stock'.
It's moderately old and there are at least two citations of it dating back to the 16th century. John Frith's, An other boke against Rastel, 1533:
"Albeit ... I be reputed a laughing stock in this world."
and Sir Philip Sidney's, An apologie for poetrie, 1533:
"Poetry ... is fallen to be the laughing stocke of children."
The age of the phrase may be the reason that it is often linked with the practice of putting people into stocks as a punishment. The stocks were a means of punishment in use at the time the phrase was coined, by which people were tortured or ridiculed. Victims were held by having their ankles, and occasionally the wrists too, trapped in holes between two sliding boards. The punishment, although not as harsh as the pillory, in which people were confined by the neck, was severe and certainly not intended to be humorous.
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NEVER
never-never land an imaginary utopian place or situation.
I This expression is often used with allusion to the imaginary country in J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1904). The term was used earlier to denote the remote and unpopulated northern part of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia (from which, it is implied , a person might never return).
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SUN
the sun is over the yardarm it is the time of day when it is permissible to drink alcohol. informal
I This was originally a nautical expression: a yardarm is the outer extremity of a yard, a cylindrical spar slang across a ship's mast for a sail to hang from. The time of day referred to is noon, rather than 6 o'clock in the evening, as is often supposed.
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PECKER
keep your pecker up remain cheerful. British informal
I Pecker is probably been used here in the sense of 'a bird's beak or bill'. and by extension ;a person's face or expression'. The phrase has been current in British English since the mid 19th century, but it has rather different connotations in the US, where pecker is an informal term for penis.
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NUTMEG
a wooden nutmeg a false or fraudulent thing. US
I A wooden nutmeg was a piece of wood shaped to resemble a nutmeg and fraudulently sold as the real thing. This deception was particularly associated with the inhabitants of Connecticut, giving rise to the nickname 'the nutmeg state'.
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HOOK
by hook or by crook by one means or another; by fair means or foul.
I The hook referred to here is probably a billhook or heavy curved pruning knife; one of the earliest recorded instances of this phrase is in Gower's Confessio Amantis (1390), which uses the rare word hepe (meaning 'a pruning knife') in place of a hook.
Various folk etymologies for the expression have been put forward, none of them entirely convincing. In 1822 William Corbbett wrote of people who lived near woodland being allowed, under the ancient forest law of England, to gather dead branches for fuel, which they may have brought down from the trees literally by hook or by crook
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HUMBLE
eat humble pie make a humble apology and accept humiliation.
I Humble pie is from a mid 19th-century pun based on umbles, meaning ' offal ', which was considered to be an inferior food.
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PAINT
paint the Forth Bridge used to indicate that a task can never be completed.
I The steel structure of the Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland has required continuous repainting; it is so long that once the painters reach one end, they have to begin again at the other.
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RED
a red letter day a pleasantly memorable, fortunate , or happy day.
I In church calendars, a saint's day or church festival was traditionally distinguished by being written in red letters.
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Brand spanking new newbie
Meaning: A new or unused object.
Origin: This idiom originates from doctors spanking a newborn baby to make it cry to start breathing.
Why do doctors smack the bum of new born babies ??? to knock the dicks off the stupid ones..... so I've been told.
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Hoist with your own petard
to fall into your own trap
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FLYNN
be in like flyn seize an opportunity; be successful. Australian
I The Flynn referred to in this expression is Errol Flynn, the Australian-born actor, who had a reputation as a notable playboy.
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EXPECT
what can (or do ) you expect ?
I A more elaborate statement of the same sentiment is the proverb what can you expect from a pig but a grunt ?
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STOP
pull out all stops make a very great effort; go to elaborate lengths.
I The stops referred to here are those of an organ. Although this is an early 20th-century expression, Matthew Arnold, in the Preface to Essays in Criticism (1865) refers to an attempt on his behalf 'to pull out a few more stops in that ..... somewhat narrow-toned organ, the modern Englishman'.
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LAND
land of nod a state of sleep.
I In the Bible, the Land of Nod was the place to which Cain was exiled after the murder of his brother Abel (Genesis 4:16). It has been used punningly to refer to sleep since the 18th century, notably by Jonathan Swift in Polite Conversation (1731-8): I'm going to the Land of Nod'.
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TABLE
Turn the tables reverse your position relative to someone else, especially by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage.
I Until the mid 18th century, tables was the usual name for the board game backgammon. Early instances of the use of this phrase, dating from the mid 17th century, make it clear that it comes from the practice of turning the board so that a player had to play what had previously been their opponent's position.
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T
to a T (or tee) exactly; to perfection. informal
I This origin of this idiom, which dates back from the late 17th century, is uncertain.
Attempts to link T with either a golfer's tee or a builder's T-square are unconvincing. It is possible that the underlying idea is that of completing the letter T by putting in the cross stroke, but the early 17th -century expression to a tittle was identical in meaning, and it is possible that T may be an abbreviation of tittle.
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TAR
tar and feather smear with tar and then cover with feathers as a punishment.
I This practice was introduced in Britain in 1189, when Richard 1 decreed that it should be the punishment for members of the navy found guilty of theft. It seems to have been intermittently imposed on other wrongdoers in Britain and has sometimes been inflicted on an unpopular or scandalous individual by a mob.
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TALL
a tall poppy a privileged or distinguished person.
I The Roman tyrant Tarquin was reputed to have struck off the heads of poppies as a gruesomely graphic demonstration of the way in which the important men of a captured city should be treated .
In recent years , the term tall poppy syndrome has also developed, referring to a tendency to discredit or disparage people who have become rich, famous, or socially prominent.
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WIND
between wind and water at a vulnerable point.
I This is a nautical metaphor referring to the part of a ship's side near the waterline that is sometimes submerged; damage to the ship at this level is particularly dangerous.
The phrase is first recorded in its literal sense at the time of the Spanish Armada (1588): 'one of the shot was betweene the winde and the water, whereof they thought she would haue sonke' .
By the mid 17th century, it was also being used by people.
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CHASE
chase the drag take heroin (sometimes mixed with another smokable drug) by heating it in tinfoil and inhaling the fumes through a tube or roll of paper.
I Chase the dragon is reputedly a translation from Chinese. The expression apparently refers to the undulating movements of the fumes up and down the tinfoil, resembling those of the tail of a dragon, a creature found in many Chinese myths
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FAMILY
sell the family silver part with a valuable resource in order to gain an immediate advantage.
I In 1985, the former British prime minister Harold Macmillan made a speech to the Tory Reform Group on the subject of privatization (the selling off of nationalized industries to private companies). He likened it to the selling of heirlooms by impoverished aristocratic families: 'First of all the Georgian silver goes.........'.
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KICK
kick the bucket die informal
I The bucket in this phrase may be a pail on which a person committing suicide might stand, kicking it away before they hanged themselves.
Another suggestion is that it refers to a beam on which something can be hung up ; in Norfolk dialect the beam from which a slaughtered pig was suspended by its heels could be referred to as a bucket.
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AUSPICE
under the auspices of with the help. support, or protection of.
I Auspice (since the late 18th century almost always used in the plural), comes from the Latin word auspicium, which means the act of divination carried out by an auspex in Rome.
The auspex observed the flight of birds in order to foretell future events. If the omens were favourable he was seen as the protector of the particular enterprise foretold.
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SHEET
two (or three) sheets to (or in) the wind drunk. informal
i The origins of this expression are nautical. sheets here are the ropes attached to the corners of a ship's sail, used for controlling the extent and direction of the sail; if they are hanging loose in the wind , the vessel is likely to be out of control or taking an erratic course.
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SKID
hit the skids begin a rapid decline or deterioration. informal
I The origin of skid is uncertain, but it may be connected with he Old Norse word from which English ski is derived. It is used here in the sense of a plank or roller on which a heavy object may be placed in order to move it easily.
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BARREL
get someone over a barrel get someone in a helpless position; have someone at your mercy
I This phrase perhaps refers to the condition of a person who has been rescued from drowning and is placed over a barrel to clear their lungs of water.
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Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
Prov. It is difficult to be friends with someone who owes you money or with someone to whom you owe something, so it is better not to borrow or lend in the first place. smilenod
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Pay someone back
1. . Lit. to return money that was borrowed from a person. You owe me money. When are you going to pay me back? You must pay John back. You have owed him money for a long time. You have to pay back everyone you owe money to.
2. Fig. to get even with someone [for doing something]. I will pay her back for what she said about me. Fred eventually will pay Mike back. He bears grudges for a long time. He intends to pay back everyone who has wronged him!
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SON
son of a gun a humorous or affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone. informal
i The term arose with reference to the guns carried on board ships; it is said to have been originally applied to babies born at sea by women accompanying their husbands.
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REAP
you reap what you so you eventually have to face up to the CONSEQUENCES of your actions.
i This proverbial saying exists in various forms, Its biblical source is Galatians 6:7: 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap'.
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There's no smoke without fire.....also .......Where there's smoke, there's fire.
Something that you say which means that if people are saying that someone has done something bad but no one knows whether it is true, it probably is true
eg...He claims that they were just good friends and that they never slept together but there's no smoke without fire, that's what I say.
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Start with a clean slate
fig....... To start out again afresh; to ignore the past and start over again. I plowed under all last year's flowers so I could start with a clean slate next spring. If I start off with a clean slate, then I'll know exactly what each plant is. When Bob got out of jail, he started over with a clean slate.
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dim as a toc h lamp not very bright
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Dead men tell no tales.
Prov. Dead people will not betray any secrets.
The club members liked to hold their secret meetings in a graveyard, since dead men tell no tales.
Gangster: Mugsy is going to tell the police that we robbed the bank. How can we stop him?
Henchman: Dead men tell no tales.
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In spades
Meaning
In abundance; very much.
Origin
In spadesIt's easy to believe that this expression derives from the imagery of digging with spades and that 'in spades' is just short for 'in spadefuls'. However, the spades concerned here aren't the garden tools but the suit of cards. Spades is the highest ranking suits in the game of Contract Bridge, a very popular pastime in the USA in the early 20th century, which is when and where the phrase originated.
Despite the agricultural-sounding name and the shovel-like shape, the suit in cards has nothing directly to do with garden spades. Playing Cards originated in Asia and spread across Europe around the 14th century, arriving in England a little later than in Spain, Italy and Germany.
In spadesThe Italian versions of early cards used the suits Cups, Swords, Coins and Batons, which, on migration to England, became Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs. The image for Spades on English and French cards looks somewhat like that of the German Acorn or Leaf suits, but its origin is revealed by its name rather than its shape. The Spanish and Italian for sword is 'espada' and 'spada' respectively, hence the suit 'Swords' became anglicized as 'Spades'.
We have been 'calling a spade a spade' for many centuries, but the expression 'in spades' is a 20th century US coinage. The term was often used before that in relation to card games, where Bridge contracts might be entered into in the minor suits of Clubs or Diamonds or, for the higher scores, 'in Hearts' or, best of all, 'in Spades'.
The figurative meaning, that is, the non-cards-related 'very greatly' meaning, isn't found before the 1920s. The American journalist and writer Damon Runyon used the expression that way in a piece for Hearst's International magazine, in October 1929:
"I always hear the same thing about every bum on Broadway, male and female, including some I know are bums, in spades, right from taw."
It isn't possible to be sure that the figurative 'in spades' derives from Bridge, but the coincidence of the time and place of the origin of the expression and the popularity of the card game certainly does suggest a connection.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/in-spades.html
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BOARD
above board honest; not secret
I Above board was originally a gambling term, indicating fair play by players who kept their hands above the board (I.e. the table )
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Truth will out
Prov. The truth will always be discovered. (Can be used to remark that someone who had been concealing the truth is now revealing it, as in the second example.) The secret poster may think that someone else will be blamed for his crime, but the truth will out.
Ellen: Remember last week, when I told you I bought some shoes? Fred: Yes.... Ellen: Well, before you look at the bill from the shoe store, l ought to tell you that I bought ten pairs. Fred: Aha. The truth will out.
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Two today :)
"You don't look at the mantlepiece when you're stoking the fire"
Meaning: don't base your entire judgement of a person on part of that person
and
"Many a fine tune has been played on an old fiddle"
Meaning: There's still potential enjoyment to be had from something older
:biggrin:
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You can't polish a turd
English
Proverb
Meaning ....... Something inherently bad cannot be improved.
But apparently you can :laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI
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STRAW
straws in your hair a state of insanity
I In former times, the floors of mental institutions were covered with straw, and so having straw in your hair came to be regarded as a characteristic of a deranged person.
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SWATHE
cut a swathe through pass through something causing great damage , destruction, or change.
I A swathe was an area cut by a single sweep of a mower's scythe, and so the width of a strip of grass or corn in this way.
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EIGHT
one over the eight slightly drunk. British informal
I The idea behind this idiom is that a drinker can reasonably be expected to consume eight glasses of beer without becoming drunk.
The expression was originally armed forces' slang from the early 20th century.
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CHUMP
off your chump crazy. British informal
I The literal sense of chump meaning 'a broad, thick block of wood' led in the mid 19th century to its humorous use to mean 'head', with the implication of ' blockhead'.
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PIT
be the pits be extremely bad or the worst of its kind. informal
I Pits is a mid 20th-century informal term for 'armpits' and has connotations of body odour; from this it came to refer generally to something regarded as bad or unpleasant.
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PHUT
go phut fail to work properly or at all. informal
I Phut is usually considered to be imitative of a dull, abrupt sound, like that made by a rifle or a machine breaking down. In fact , its earliest recorded use is by Rudyard Kipling in the late 19th century, and the context makes it likely that it was an Anglo-Indian word from Hindi and Urdu phatna meaning 'to burst'.
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TRIVET
right as a trivet perfectly all right ; in good health. British informal
I A trivet is an iron tripod placed over a fire for a cooking pot or kettle to stand on. It is used in this expression to represent firmness and steadiness.
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cut the Gordian knot solve or remove a problem in a direct or forceful way, rejecting gentler or more indirect methods.
I The knot referred to is that with which Gordius, king of ancient Phrygia (in Asia Minor), fastened the yoke of his wagon to the pole.
Its complexity was such that it gave rise to the legend that whoever could undo it would become the ruler of Asia.
When Alexander the Great passed that way en route to conquer the East he is said simply to have severed the knot with his sword.
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MAKE YOUR NUMBER
report your arrival, pay a courtesy call, or report for duty.
I This expression has nautical origins; when ships made their number, they signalled to others the number by which they were registered. The literal sense was first recorded in the mid 19th-century, with the figurative extension developing soon afterwards.
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PEACH
a peach of a ----- a particularly excellent or desirable thing of the kind specified. informal
I Peach has been used since the mid 18th century as a colloquial term for an attractive young woman and more generally since the mid 19th century for anything of exceptional quality.
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LEGIT
go legit begin to behave honestly after a period of illegal activity. informal
I Legit was originally a late 19th-century theatrical abbreviation meaning ' a legitimate actor' , that is , one who acts in 'legitimate theatre' (conventional or serious drama).
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ICEBERG
the tip of an (or the)iceberg the small perceptible part of a much larger situation or problem which remains hidden
This phrase refers to the fact that only about one fifth of the mass of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the sea.
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WARTS AND ALL
When Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658 had his portrait painted he ordered the artist not to flatter him. He insisted on being painted 'warts and all'.
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RINDERPEST
before (or since) the rinderpest along time ago (or a very long time ), South Africa
I Rinderpest is a contagious viral disease of cattle that periodically caused heavy losses in much of Africa.
The 1896 epidemic was so devastating as a historical landmark, so giving rise to this expression.
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BY
By and large on the whole everything considered.
I Originally this phrase was used in a nautical context, describing the handling of a ship both to the wind and off it.
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SHIT Vulgar slang
not know shit from Shinola be very ignorant or innocent. US
I Shinola is the proprietary name of a US brand of boot polish.
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HOCK
in hock 1 having been pawned. 2 in debt
I hock here comes from the Dutch word hok meaning 'hutch' or 'prison'. Originally mid 19th-century US slang, this sense of hock is now found only in this phrase or , occasionally, in out of hock.
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LYRICAL
wax lyrical about (or over) talk in an effusive or enthusiatic way about something.
Wax (from Old English weaxan) was used to mean 'increase in size' right through until early modern English, but since then it has been superseded in all
general contexts by grow.
It now survives only in certain expressions, especially with reference to the moon's monthly increase and decrease (waxing and waning).
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It's Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel
Quick. Think of the least challenging event you can. Is one of them shooting fish in a barrel? Perhaps not, but somehow this has become the standard metaphor for something that is so easy anyone could do it with no problem. (It is similar to the adage "It's Like Stealing Candy from a Baby.)
Humans are inherently lazy. If we could have everything provided to us with no effort we would love it. Fortunately, we are taught a work ethic as we are growing up and realize that we have to work for most things in life. When something does occasionally come along that gives us something without trying very hard, we usually take it. That is why something that is "like shooting fish in a barrel" is usually looked upon as a good thing.
There is another side of human nature though. We are entertained and become more mature when we have to work through problems to attain our goal. If I were just handed my degree from MIT without having to struggle through the classes to learn important skills, what would be the point? Everyone would know that an MIT degree was worthless-anybody could get one without effort. It is the very fact that I have to work so hard to get the degree that it means something. In this way, if getting an MIT degree were "like shooting fish in a barrel" it would become worthless.
So, saying that something is "like shooting fish in a barrel" does not necessarily convey any meaning about whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. The context must be analyzed. Even then, different people may have different views of whether it is good or bad. Fortunately, adages are not always unambiguous in their meaning! It makes life more interesting and gives me something to talk about...
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Pillock
as in
(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/47880138.jpg)
In modern British English usage, a pillock is an stupid person (generally) or a stupid and annoying person (specifically).
Applicable to male and female, though male is more usual. It's mildly or very mildly rude, but not necessarily suitable for polite company.
In usage (especially in the south of England and around London), a pillock isn't necessarily stupid but rather one who has done something stupid or whose stupidity backfires on him or her. This is the main sense that James May uses in reference to Jeremy Clarkson.
Pillock articulates in meaning to a pratt (dim witted, useless or clueless person) or a wazzock (north of England: an idiot or daft person).
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Moron
Moron is a term once used in psychology to denote mild intellectual disability. The term was closely tied with the American eugenics movement. Once the term became popularized, it fell out of use by the psychological community, as it was used more commonly as an insult than as a psychological term.
Origin and uses
"Moron" was coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from the Ancient Greek word moros, which meant "dull" (as opposed to oxy, which meant "sharp" ( where we get oxymoron from )), and used to describe a person with a mental age in adulthood of between 8 and 12 on the Binet scale. It was once applied to people with an IQ of 51–70, being superior in one degree to "imbecile" (IQ of 26–50) and superior in two degrees to "idiot" (IQ of 0–25). The word moron, along with others including, "idiotic", "imbecilic", "stupid", and "feeble-minded", was formerly considered a valid descriptor in the psychological community, but it is now deprecated in use by psychologists.
Following opposition to Goddard's attempts to popularize his ideas, Goddard recanted his earlier assertions about the moron: "It may still be objected that moron parents are likely to have imbecile or idiot children. There is not much evidence that this is the case. The danger is probably negligible. !
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Idiom of the Day
Get a Grip
(http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/newsletter/12april/get-a-grip-idiom.jpg)
This cartoon is based on the idiom get a grip.
Get a grip means to understand how to deal with something or to control your emotions.
Examples:
"This book really helped me get a grip on politics."
"You should get a grip on yourself - you are behaving like a child!"
:biggrin:
http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/idiom-day-get-a-grip
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Get over it
Meaning
Don't concern yourself with something that's already in the past; accept it and move on to more productive pursuits.
Origin
We have been told to 'get over' our problems for centuries; for example, in Thirty-six Years of Seafaring Life, 1839, we have:
"Such was his state, that no one supposed he ever could get over it." [an amputation]
Something changed in the USA in early 1990s though and 'Get over it.' began to be used as a single sentence.
A pre-cursor to 'get over it' as a standalone phrase were a spate of articles relating to the USA's ongoing pre-occupation with the Vietnam War. In an article in the Kingston newspaper The Gleaner, October 1990 there was a report of a meeting between US Secretary of State James Baker and Vietnam's Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach. Following the meeting a diplomat said:
"The Americans have a serious emotional problem when it comes to Vietnam and the war. They have to get over it."
The single-sentence form came soon after. The earliest citation I can find is from a syndicated article by Anna Quindlen titled 'Give Hilary a role that suits her ability', which appeared in various US newspapers in November 1992 (co-incidentally, also involving James Baker):
"Breaking new ground is never easy, and Hilary Clintom surely knows about the people who said they wanted to 'get the pants off Eleanor and onto Franklin.' (Gee how times have not changed.) There will be people who complain that they didn't elect her. Get over it. You didn't elect James Baker either."
"get over it " The phrase was unofficially adopted by the gay community as a part of the slogan "We're here and we're queer - get over it".
(http://www.phrases.org.uk/images/queer.gif)
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fortnight ......... means 2 weeks.
Perhaps not an idiom, but close enough. Derived from Old English language which literally means 14 nights.
Last week I was talking with an American friend here in Buriram who was puzzled when I said "fortnight"
When I explained "fortnight", he said "oh .... you mean biweekly."
This intrigued me, as being an Aussie, I've never before heard anyone refer to 2 weeks as "biweekly".
Just another example of cultural and national difference when using English language.
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PART
be part and parcel of be an essential feature or element of.
0 Both part and parcel ultimately come
from Latin pars meaning 'part' and in this
phrase they have virtually identical senses. The phrase is first recorded in mid 16th? century legal parlance; it is now used in general contexts to emphasize that the item mentioned is absolutely integral to the whole.
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PULL THE PLUG
prevent something from happening or continuing ; put a stop to something.
This phrase alludes to an older type of lavatory flush which operated by the pulling out of a plug to empty the contents of the pan into the soil pipe.
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LOSE FACE
Suffer a loss of respect; be humiliated.
This expression was originally associated with China and was a translation of the Chinese idiom tiu lien.
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English Idioms :biggrin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV5XUKVMPYA&t=208s
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PLACE IN THE SUN
a position of favour or advantage
In 1897 the German Chancellor, Prince Bernhard Von BUiow, made a speech in the Reichstag in
which he declared: 'we desire to throw no one into the shade [in East Asia), but we also demand
our place in the sun'. Asa result, the expression has become associated with German nationalism;
it is in fact recorded much earlier and is traceable to the writings of the French mathematician
and philosopher 8Iaise Pascal (1623-62).