A-Z Database
Everyone knows that this means for example. Not everyone, however, is aware that it is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase exempli gratia, which actua...
A keen, enthusiastic person, always the first to volunteer or look for extra work, first cited in America from 1942 and derives from the allusion to b...
A verbal assault on the ears, or sometimes just, long, tedious chatter. It dates from the mid-20th century c. 1948, and is linked to 'bash' meaning to...
Ear candy is an American expression that refers to music that supposedly makes for good listening, attributed to Helen Reddy’s music album, released i...
Success comes to those who make sure they are well prepared and make the effort before others do. It was already an old proverb by the time it appeare...
Early on, near the start, especially of a sporting contest, dates from the late 19th century and derives from the practice of allowing people into the...
Benjamin Franklin’s recipe for success in life written in 1735, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
To earmark is to stamp or mark ownership of something. The origin is early 16th century and refers to marks on the ears of sheep or cattle to signify...
see Brownie points
When a person says their ears are burning it means someone, somewhere is talking about them. It is a very old superstition and goes back to at least R...
An interesting word, dates from the early 17th century, and derives from the Dutch ezel and the German esel meaning ass or donkey. Hence, a four-legge...
Although Easter is well known as the Christian feast of the Resurrection of Christ, the origin of the word is surprisingly pagan. The Venerable Bede (...
Easter’s pagan origins are endorsed by Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, which are pagan symbols of fertility and new life, both of which are strongly a...
This expression describes an in-your-face encounter and, depending on the context, it can be either intimate or threatening. It’s originally Ame...
Pies are easy to eat but not to make, therefore the assumption is that this American expression from the 19th century alludes to pie eating, especiall...