A-Z Database
see Pot luck
To take something as read means to assume something as common knowledge or fact without needing further discussion and dates in this sense from the la...
see Out of the equation
see Take to the cleaners
To take the biscuit or cake means to carry off the honours or the prize, and is sometimes said or used with a touch of surprise or incredulity. It dat...
see Bit between the teeth
Deal with a daunting situation decisively by taking the matter head on. There seem to be two schools of thought about its origin. Some sources maintai...
To the gilt off the gingerbread means to spoil the illusion or to rob something of its attraction. It dates from the early 19th century and derives fr...
To take the mickey or to mickey-take is to ridicule or make fun of someone and it derives from rhyming slang, Mickey Bliss/piss, where to take the pis...
To make fun of or ridicule someone and dates from the early 20th century. Piss meaning to urinate had been a respectable everyday word since at least...
see Taken aback
Various people have been taking the world by storm since the late 19th century, when this figurative usage first appeared. 'Taking by storm' i.e. a vi...
see Like a duck to water
Cause someone to lose all his or her money. This expression has enjoyed a fresh lease of life since the 1930s with the advent of dry-cleaning establis...
Meaning to issue or take up a challenge and dates from the 1500s in its original literal sense of either accepting or issuing a single-combat challeng...