A-Z Database
see Days of the week
There is distinct cynicism in this ancient proverb, namely that friends needing our help suddenly become very friendly indeed. This cynicism, however,...
see Out of one’s wits
Back in the late 19th century, US college students were throwing empty, circular pie tins made by the Frisbie Baking Company of Connecticut. They were...
This expression dates from the late 19th/early 20th century and is a metaphor for the hoarse croaking sound one makes when one has to clear phlegm or...
A slang expression from the late 19th century, so-called because it describes the method of carrying a drunken or refractory prisoner face downwards b...
Rhyming slang for road, frog and toad/road. It is one the oldest examples of rhyming slang and dates from 1859. Like most rhyming slang, it is frequen...
British slang for a French person, dates from the late 18th century from the allusion to the French habit of eating frogs’ legs.
see Left field
To go hither and thither with great frustration and little or no success dates in the form of ‘from post to pillar’ from the 15th century. One school...
see Scratch
see Out of or from the Ark
see Out of the frying pan into the fire
see Straight from the horse’s mouth
see The year dot