A-Z Database
Means very much the same thing as separate the sheep from the goats and, moreover, is from the same source - the Bible. It is implicit in Jeremiah 23:...
see Months of the year
Australian rhyming slang for a yank, septic tank/yank. It was first used to describe American armed services personnel who were stationed in Australia...
Means the occurrence or development of events by fate or chance in a satisfactory or beneficial way. The word was coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole (17...
see Toast
An ancient metaphor for something that is permanent and cannot be changed. It is centuries old and exists in many different languages and cultures. It...
Like a street trader with a stall, it means to be organised, display one’s credentials and get ready for business, frequently used in British sporting...
see Square/square deal/square meal etc
see Put the best foot forward
see Cart before the horse
see All sewn up
This catchphrase has passed into the language and has come to epitomise the world of popular music. Most of the lyrics and subject matter of popular m...
Shack meaning a cabin or shanty dwelling dates from the late 19th century, probably a derivation of ramshackle. To shack up with someone, meaning to c...
Shade as in lamp shade dates from the late 18th century. As in to win by a narrow margin dates from the mid-19th century. Shade is also American slang...
American informal for sunglasses dates from the 1950s.