A-Z Database
see Turn a hair
British slang for superb or excellent, especially when used as an exclamation, first attested from c. 1920, but rarely heard these days. See also pran...
British slang for a bout of erratic, bad-tempered behaviour dates from the 1970s.
British slang for a foreigner of the darker skinned variety and dates from the mid-20th century. It is most probably not an acronym for ‘wily (or wort...
'Woke', the past tense of 'wake', and the slogan 'stay woke' are originally African American expressions that signify an awareness of racial prejudice...
This expression from the New Testament is commonly used to describe someone who is not all that they seem, or who has an ulterior motive usually to th...
see Easy virtue
The complete quotation is, “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” It is attributed to the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) from...
If something won’t wash, it means its veracity or validity will not stand up to close scrutiny. The expression dates from the late 19th century from t...
British slang for money that dates from the 1980s; thought to be derived from a Romany word wongar meaning money.
As is one’s wont means according to one’s habit or custom, where wont is a largely archaic word from the 1300s deriving from the Anglo-Saxon wonen or...
see Have the wood on or over someone. See also Touch/touching wood
This metaphor for ships obviously only lasted until ships ceased to be made from wood during the latter half of the 19th century. The metaphor is very...
see My word is my bond
see Have one’s work cut out