A-Z Database
On the house means that the house or establishment is footing the bill, dates from the late 19th century.
US expression meaning on the run, usually from the law, derives from a slightly earlier American slang word lam, meaning to run off; dates from the la...
Meaning on target, accurate, on the mark, this expression dates from at least the 16th century and derives from archery where a coin was placed in the...
see Pay on the nail/pay cash on the nail
see Never-never
To go on the piss is to embark on a hard-drinking spree, British slang since the early 20th century c. 1910.
QT is simply short for quiet and 'on the QT' dates from c. 1870. It is preceded only by a few years by the full phrase ‘on the quiet', which dates fro...
see On the QT
To be under great stress and has been used in this figurative sense since the early 1500s with the obvious allusion to the medieval instrument of tort...
see Razzle-dazzle
To be headed in the right/wrong direction, derives from sailing, the figurative use of which dates from the late 19th century.
To be headed in the right/wrong direction, the figurative sense of these expressions dates from the late 19th century.
To be 'on the ropes' is to be on the verge of defeat, in dire straits, helpless, or under pressure. It derives from prize-fighting and was used litera...
see On the same wavelength
see On the same wavelength