A-Z Database
Some sources attribute this to Charles Dickens when it was said by Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist (1838), “If the law supposes that … the law is a ass, a...
These days, usually signifies anarchy or lawlessness but this is not what Rudyard Kipling meant when he coined the expression in The Second Jungle Boo...
We often talk of this or that person being a law unto themselves but are mostly unaware that we are quoting St Paul in his letter to the Romans 2:14 w...
To fail embarrassingly dates from the 19th century. It is interesting that the expression is common to both Britain and America and derives from sport...
Address an issue authoritatively without discussion dates from the 18th century.
To lay it on thick is to exaggerate grossly, to overstate or flatter. The original concept was coined by Shakespeare c.1598 as lay it on with trowel b...
This was the original concept of lay it on thick and was coined by Shakespeare in As You Like It Act I, Scene II, “Well said: that was laid with a tro...
Lazy Susan is the name given to a revolving device for serving condiments or snacks, which first appeared on American dining tables at the beginning o...
Informal expression for a lazy person dates from the late 16th century.
Acronym for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Questioning, the latter for people who have not made up their minds about their sexual orientatio...
Acronym for 'leg before wicket', a term used in cricket when the ball strikes a batsman on the pads or legs, and if, in the umpire's judgm...
A simile for a flop or failure for the obvious reason that a lead balloon cannot stay aloft, first attested in America during the 1920s but only came...
This has been a popular misquotation since the late 19th century. The original and correct quotation is from Shakespeare’s Macbeth Act V, Scene VII. “...
To lead someone a merry dance or chase is to mess them about and waste their time, and dates from the 1500s.
This metaphor means to deceive or mislead someone and dates from the early 20th century. It is not known who coined it but it is thought to derive fro...