A-Z Database
British armed services jocular slang as in Mustapha drink or Mustapha crap (must have a) dates from the 1930s and derives from the popular Arab name.
South African informal for medicine derives from the Zulu umuthi for medicine and dates from at least the 19th century.
US slang for a stupid, ignorant blunderer, an abbreviation of muttonhead, dates from 1910. Again, originating from America, it can also mean a small d...
Rhyming slang for deaf, Mutt and Jeff/deaf, dates from the 1940s, derives from the comic strip characters Mutt and Jeff created by Bud Fisher in 1907.
A derogatory metaphor for an older woman trying to dress and act younger dates in this form from the early 19th century but is preceded by a slightly...
A dull-witted stupid person, derives from the well-known stupidity of sheep and dates from the late 18th/early 19th century.
Vulgar expression of surprise or disbelief, dates from the late 19th century. Some sources maintain that my aunt is the genteel version.
My arse' (British) or 'my ass' (American) are vulgar expressions of derision, surprise or disbelief, depending on the context. Both versions date from...
Mild expression of surprise that dates from the late 19th century. Some sources maintain it is a polite form of 'my arse' (British) or 'my ass' (Ameri...
'My dogs are barking' is a colloquial expression that is fairly prevalent throughout the English-speaking world and means, my feet are aching and tire...
My eye or all my eye are retorts to someone talking rubbish and are the equivalent of retorting, “Nonsense!” It dates from the early 19th century and...
An expression of disbelief, similar to my eye, but appears later, from the late 19th/early 20th century. The relevance and meaning of foot in this con...
This exclamation of surprise derives from the archaic meaning of giddy as mad and is first recorded from the late 19th century, although aunts have be...
This was coined by Robert Burns (1759-1796) in his poem A Red, Red Rose, stanza 1, which is probably why red roses today symbolise love or passion, as...
Affectionate British term for wife that has nothing to do with the Dutch because it is in fact a shortened form of duchess and the expression my old d...