A-Z Database
To win one’s spurs is to pass the test, to be elevated in position or rank and dates in this sense from the 1600s. It derives from the literal award o...
This is originally an American expression that has come to mean ‘whatever the outcome’, for the simple reason that in any pursuit or course of action,...
see All wind and piss
see Taken aback
To wind someone up is British informal to tease or provoke someone. It dates from the 1970s and the allusion is to a clockwork toy over which one has...
see Get/put the wind up
This expression can mean slightly different things depending on the context – from not to rubberneck or stare, to not to take a risk (the opposite of...
A term of contempt for a voluble, over-talkative person, dates from the early 19th century. See also Gasbag.
An opening to accomplish something or achieve an objective, dates from the 1970s and is of American origin. During the 1960s, NASA established the phr...
Windy meaning flatulent, long-winded or verbose dates from the 14th century. Windy meaning to be in a funk, dates from the early 20th century. See als...
This clichéd somewhat sexist mantra for alcohol-infused revelry has existed for centuries in many different languages and cultures, therefore its orig...
This expression derives from bird shooting where to shoot a bird through its wing will generally bring it down but not kill it. The same notion was tr...
see On a wing and a prayer
To wing it means to play something by ear (in its figurative sense) or make it up as one goes along. The expression derives from the world of theatre...
A British catchphrase that has become a hallmark for sexual innuendo. It was first aired in a 1969 comedy sketch during the BBC (British Broadcasting...