A-Z Database

A-Z Database

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Wine, women and song

This clichéd somewhat sexist mantra for alcohol-infused revelry has existed for centuries in many different languages and cultures, therefore its orig...

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Wing (as in to wound)

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...

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Wing and a prayer

see On a wing and a prayer


Wing it

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...

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Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more

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...

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Wink/wink of sleep

Wink of sleep is usually expressed in the negative, e.g. could or did not sleep a wink, and this usage dates from the 14th century, where a wink mean...

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Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

After a great deal of research the origin of this phrase, and its first citation in print or broadcast media are unknown, yet theories, of course, abo...

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Wipe the floor with someone

To wipe the floor with someone is to inflict a humiliating defeat, and is originally an American expression that dates from the late 19th century. It...

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Wipe/wiping the slate clean

see Clean slate


Wire

see Down to the wire


Wires crossed

see Get one’s wires crossed


Wise guy

American informal for a smart-ass or smart aleck, where the word wise is used ironically or sarcastically, dates from the late 19th century. It is als...

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Wise-ass

American slang for someone who is insolent, impertinent or out of line, dates from the 1970s.


Wish is father to the thought

The wish is father to the thought means that a thought or belief is sometimes prompted a desire for it to be so, and was coined by Shakespeare in Henr...

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Wish the ground would open and swallow me up

This hyperbole is frequently heard when people wish to escape from an embarrassing situation by disappearing suddenly. It dates from at least the 1500...

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