A-Z Database
Raw prawn is an Australian metaphor for an innocent or novice, particular a raw recruit in the armed forces, whence this expression is thought to deri...
see Crunch
In the sense of join in, take part or become involved in something dates in this sense from the mid-20th century and is still one of the most often he...
see Brick wall
Come through in a triumphant, winning way derives from playing cards where trumps are a suit of cards designated as having a higher value than other s...
Come through difficulties unscathed dates from the late 19th/early 20th century.
see By/to/within a hair’s breadth
see By/to/within a hair’s breadth
Means almost or very nearly and dates from the early 16th century. During The Middle Ages, an ace or one was the lowest score one could throw with a d...
A ludicrous or farcical series of events dates from the early 1600s and, along with much ado about nothing, the only Shakespearian expressions that de...
see All comes out in the wash
Much as we would all like to believe that this was an actual quotation signifying a moment of historical importance, it is not. It has in fact become...
This common colloquial word describes a punishment or fate that eventually comes to those who deserve it. It has been in use since the 19th century an...
This is the often-witnessed phenomenon where a TV sports commentator talks up the prowess and skill of a sportsperson, only for that same sportsperson...
This adjectival phrase means ordinary in the sense of describing something or someone as undistingushed and hardly worth a comment. The expression is...