A-Z Database
Lecherous or sexually aroused, the word has been around since the mid-17th century. Its origin remains obscure but there are two suggested origins. Th...
As an adjective denoting vigorous, excessive plant growth it is first recorded from the 13th century. By the 16th century, the meaning evolved to foul...
A rascal, rogue, vagabond or scamp dates from the late 17th century and derives from the slightly earlier, rascallion, which is now largely obsolete....
A thin slice of bacon or ham dates from the late 16th century of unknown origin and etymology.
To blow a raspberry at someone is to make a rude sound by blowing air through compressed lips thereby imitating the sound of a fart. Therein lies the...
From the early 1600s, a rat was someone who deserted and went over to the other side. Hence, a rat was a deceiver, a traitor, and not to be trusted. T...
see Rat
American metaphor for the relentless, wearisome drudge of an overly competitive lifestyle dates from the 1930s.
In the form of ‘like a rat up drainpipe’, a simile that means with great speed, originated in Australia during the 1960s but soon became popular in Br...
Rat-arsed is one of myriad slang terms for being drunk. This one is of recent origin, from the 1990s. Sometimes also appears as pissed as a rat.
This is a modern form of Tinker’s cuss and dates from the late 20th century. The expression, not to give a rat’s arse (ass) means that one could not c...
This is a modern form of Tinker’s cuss and dates probably from WWII, and it's probably American as in 'I don't give a rat's ass', which means 'I don't...
Mild insult, usually directed at someone who is cheeky but affable. The origin is Australian with the allusion to a rat catcher’s bag but was soon app...
Traditionally, since the mid-17 century, ships’ speeds were always calculated in knots, and originally a rate of knots was simply a term for the speed...
Frequently encountered in South African English, this expression means bits and pieces or insignificant detail as in “I have finished the bulk of the...