A-Z Database
see Beggars belief
Since horses have largely died out as a form of transport, this expression is not as common as it once was. ‘A beggar in a BMW’ would perhaps be more...
If something beggars belief, comparison or description it means that it is too extraordinary to be believed, compared or to be described. Belief, comp...
is an Old English proverb that dates from at least the 16th century and probably before, it is mentioned in John Heywood Proverbs (1546). “Beggars sho...
see Ahead of the curve
To get behind the eight ball is to be in a difficult position from which it is well nigh impossible to escape. The expression is American and dates fr...
Out of public view, secret or confidential, dates in this figurative sense from the mid-19th century and derives from the world of theatre.
Rarely heard these days, “Who will bell the cat?” meaning, who will undertake a perilous assignment used to be a popular expression down the centuries...
This phrase, which made its first appearance in English c. 1300, has existed in other forms, notably Latin, from at least the 8th century. It describe...
Bells and whistles is a phrase that describes the attractive, additional extras and features of any item, usually used in an effort to sell or promote...
see With bells/knobs on
Derives from 'bell + wether', where a 'wether' was originally a castrated ram that wore a bell around its neck to make the flock follow it, in and out...
Belly-up has meant dead or dying since the 18th century, probably from the way dead or dying fish float belly-up in water. Belly-up in the sense of ba...
If the context is golf, below par means very good or excellent. Out of the context of golf, it means the complete opposite. For example, if someone’s...
Meaning unfair is from the late 19th century and derives from boxing. Following the rules laid down by the Marquis of Queensbury in 1867, pugilists we...