A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Wrong end of the stick

From the 16th century onwards, this expression, the wrong or short end of the stick meant getting the worst end of a deal or bargain and it was not un...

Read More


Wrong side of the bed

To get up on the wrong side of the bed is wake up in a bad mood and the expression in this form dates from the late 18th/early 19th century. The conce...

Read More


Wrong side of the tracks

This is an American expression from the 1920s for the poorer or lower class part of town. The allusion is to the railroads that eventually ran into ev...

Read More


Wuss

An American slang expression for a weak, ineffectual person dates from the 1960s. Probably derives from earlier slang ‘pussy wussy’ or ‘wussy’ meaning...

Read More


back to top