A-Z Database
Shakespeare’s famous description of ill-fated Romeo and Juliet (c.1594), “A pair of star-crossed lovers” line six of the opening prologue of the play.
The right hand side of a ship or a nautical direction or heading, dates back to the early days of shipping, pre-12th century, when it was originally k...
Anyone staring down the barrel (of a gun) is in a perilous situation. These days it is frequently used in sporting contexts where a team or a player i...
Stark naked means to be stripped down with absolutely no clothing and dates from the 16th century. According to the OED, this expression does not deri...
Stark meaning absolute or unmitigated dates from the 14th century as does the phrase stark mad. By the 17th century, the phrase was further intensifie...
British slang for stark naked from the late 19th/early 20th century and is a good example of what lexicographers call the Oxford –er, which is the sho...
see Scratch
To start or get the ball rolling means to get something started, to initiate a discussion, a project, etc. To keep the ball rolling is to prolong what...
The latest, newest, most advanced state of anything is first attested from 1910 and was first used in the context of engineering. The OED maintains th...
see In/out of the hunt
Stealing a march has come to mean the gaining of an advantage, especially secretly or slyly and dates in this sense from latter half of the 1700s. The...
To steal someone’s thunder means to detract from the kudos or attention due to someone by forestalling or pre-empting them. The source is John Dennis...
A horse race over hurdles or fences, as opposed to a race on the ‘flat’ without such obstacles. A steeplechase race in this sense dates from the late...
A typical example of a very old nautical phrase coming into everyday usage. To steer clear of something or somebody is to avoid them completely and da...
To travel steerage is to travel by ship at the cheapest possible rate and dates from the late 18th/early 19th century. It derives from being accommoda...