A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Another bite at/of the cherry/apple

Cherry and apple are used interchangeably in this expression with cherry being more common in Britain and apple being more favoured in America. The bi...

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Another string to one’s bow

To have another string to one’s bow has become a figurative expression meaning to have a back-up plan or to display an additional skill or talent. The...

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Ante

see Raise/up the ante


Antediluvian

From the Latin ante meaning before and diluvium meaning flood, literally before the flood with reference to Noah’s flood and describes something or so...

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Ants in the pants

All the evidence points to a rhyming jingle of American origin dating from the 1930s and describes restless, jittery behaviour i.e. how one would beha...

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Antsy

see Ants in the pants


Any manner of means

see By all manner of means


Any port in a storm

This expression obviously derives from a literal, nautical expression, but it is first cited as a metaphor, meaning any place of safety will suffice w...

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Any road

Originally, a British colloquial synonym for anyway, dates from the late 19th century, where road is simply another word for way. It is more often use...

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Ape/Apeshit

To go ape is to lose control or go berserk and is American slang that dates from the 1950s with the allusion of reverting to one’s primal state and be...

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Aphesis

In the development of language, aphesis is the gradual and unintentional loss of a short unaccented vowel at the beginning of a word. It derives from...

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Apple a day keeps the doctor away

An anonymous proverb that some sources say dates from the 17th century and perhaps earlier. Other sources maintain that its origin is Welsh c. 1860, f...

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Apple never falls far from the tree

The apple never falls far from the tree is an old proverb that is used to highlight the similarities of family traits and means much the same thing as...

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Apple of my eye

Usually said of a person, especially a son or daughter, who is cherished above all others. The apple of the eye is the pupil, the most important and t...

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Apple-pie bed

This describes a practical joke where a bed is made up with a folded sheet so that the would-be occupant can only get his or her legs halfway down the...

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