A-Z Database
A vodka and tomato juice cocktail dates from the mid-20th century, so called because it is blood red in colour. It is also a reference to Mary I of En...
The word bloody was considered distasteful and vulgar during the 18th and 19th centuries, so this euphemism for it came into use during the late 19th...
To blot one’s copybook is to make a mistake or spoil one’s record. The expression derives from children making blots or ink spots on their school copy...
British slang for very drunk dating from the early 20th century. The origin is obscure so there are only theories among which there is ‘blotter’, a 19...
As in to blow money or blow an opportunity, meaning to waste it, dates from the late 19th century from the allusion of being blown away or cast to the...
Both are idioms for losing one’s temper; blowing a fuse refers to the overloading of an electrical circuit, while blowing a gasket refers to too much...
see Raspberry
This expression describes an overwhelming experience as in, “it blew me away” or “I was blown away”. Although it sounds like a modern expression, it h...
An extremely detailed verbal or written description of events, dates from the 1940s and derives from radio commentaries of boxing matches.
To be inconsistent with one’s words, feelings or support and therefore not to be trusted is a very old expression that dates from one of Aesop’s Fable...
This is a mild expression of surprise or perplexity rather than an injunction to perform fellatio. It dates from the early 19th century and is probabl...
see Mind-blowing
To blow one’s own trumpet is to act in a boastful, self-promoting manner. Although the earliest citation for the exact phrasing is not much before the...
Lose one’s temper, American slang, dates from the 19th century. The stack here is the smokestack or funnel on steamships. In the early days of steam,...
To have a good time unrestrained by pressure or responsibility; dates from the 19th century when steam-train and steamship operators would have to blo...