A-Z Database
see Short arms, deep/long pockets.
British military slang from the 19th century for look, as in have or take a dekko at this. Although used as a noun, it derives from the Hindi dekho me...
British military slang for an upset stomach or diarrhoea dates from WWII with British troops experiencing the phenomenon while stationed in India.
The origin is the New Testament, Matthew, 21:13. “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.”
Denim, in its modern context of coarse cotton cloth from which jeans are made, is of American origin from the mid-19th century. Today, denims and jean...
See Local derby
Derring-do means heroic action or chivalry and dates in this form from the late 16th century. It is a corruption of ‘daring to do’ and in the form of...
see Disc Jockey
Rhyming slang for a lower second university degree, Desmond Tutu/2.2 or two-two, dates from the late 1980s.
A desperado is an outlaw or reckless criminal and derives from the Spanish adjective desperado meaning despairing or without hope. Its first use in En...
Deuced bad luck is often used as an exclamation, usually to describe misfortune or mishap and is perhaps more acceptable to some ears than damnable ba...
Derives from the earlier expression ‘God is in the detail/details’ meaning that finding God, goodness or perfection in some task or project requires t...
Old English proverb from the 16th century meaning that idleness leads to sinfulness.
This saying means 'to hell with anyone who lags behind or comes last' and, of course, no one likes to lag behind or come last in any endeavour. It is...
The allusion here is to some pact with the devil, in the sense of having to pay the devil for services rendered. It is usually used in the form, “Ther...