A-Z Database
To give someone the middle finger, pointing it upwards while keeping the other fingers closed as in a fist, is an insulting gesture in many cultures t...
see Burn the midnight oil
Since the 1600s, midshipman has been the most junior officer rank in the Royal Navy, the US Navy and many other navies around the world. As a rank, it...
Miffed, meaning to be upset or to be put into A5956an irritable mood, is a British colloquial expression that dates from 1824, according to the OED. M...
This concept is very ancient and appears in various forms in the works of Homer, Hesiod and in Plato (c.428-348 BC) The Republic, Book I, against whic...
see How are the mighty fallen
This expression is used to describe the rather innocuous pace of a medium bowler in the game of cricket. As far as is known, it was not heard or cited...
This figurative use of the verb milk, meaning to exploit a situation subtly to one’s advantage dates from the early 1500s, (1526 according to the OED)...
A metaphor for abundance or plenty and sometimes good fortune or reward depending on the context, derives from the Bible Exodus 3:8 “A land flowing wi...
Care and compassion for others is pure Shakespeare from Macbeth, Act I, Scene V, spoken by Lady Macbeth musing on her husband’s character, “Yet I do...
A milliner is a person who makes or deals in women’s hats and trimmings. The word originally meant a native or inhabitant of Milan where the best hats...
Figuratively, means to carry a heavy, burdensome problem. In ancient times, probably the heaviest object one would encounter was a millstone. The firs...
To walk with short or small steps in an affected or feminine manner dates from the late 16th century and derives from mince meaning to chop into small...
Rhyming slang for eyes, mince pies/eyes, dates from the mid-19th century, like most rhyming slang, frequently used in the abbreviated form, e.g. feast...
A minced oath is a pseudo-profanity or euphemism used in place of what might be considered profane or blasphemous language. The phrase minced oath dat...