A-Z Database
see It’s not over till the fat lady sings
see All comes out in the wash
see Two to tango
An expression that is frequently used in the context of the break up of a romantic relationship, sometimes followed by the statement, 'I hope we can s...
see Ill wind that blows nobody any good
A modern American proverb that is used to describe close-run contests and was first cited during the 1970s in a sporting context although the referenc...
Derives from the superstition that when the palm of one’s hand itches, money is on the way, often illicitly. Shakespeare is sometimes credited with th...
see Tickle the ivories
Some maintain that the origin of this expression meaning divorced from reality is the Bible, Song of Solomon, 7:4 “Thy neck is as a tower of ivory” bu...
Ivy League is the name given to eight universities in the north-eastern United States that are renowned for their high academic standing and reputatio...
Rhyming slang for wank, J Arthur Rank/wank, dates from the 1950s, from the British cinema company of the same name. See also Sherman tank.
see Yarpie
A Jabberwocky is a fantasy monster created by Lewis Carroll in a poem of nonsense verse called Jabberwocky which appears in Through the Looking Glass...
Jack o’Lantern is another name for will o’ the wisp from about the mid-17th century but, from the mid-19th century, it also became the name for the ca...
American slang for masturbate and dates from the early 20th century, the expression that is, rather than the action it describes.