A-Z Database
When push comes to shove means it is time for more force or commitment to resolve a situation, and is first recorded in America from the late 19th cen...
When the chips are down signifies the critical moment of truth in any situation or endeavour. It is originally an American expression dating from the...
see Penny drops
This proverb means there is always a way of achieving something if the desire and determination are strong enough. This proverb is first encountered i...
This proverb is strongly associated with Yorkshire, but only because it is usually delivered in a stagey Yorkshire accent. It means of course that the...
see No smoke without fire
To whet one’s appetite means to stimulate one’s sense of anticipation, especially for food, and dates from the late 1600s. Whet, of course, means to s...
see Wimp
see Lick into shape
Contrary to popular belief this is originally a British expression from the late 1600s that gained popularity in America. A whippersnapper, now mainly...
Someone who always gets the blame and dates in this sense from the 1600s. The original whipping boys were the companions of princes and nobles during...
see Sweet nothings
Rhyming slang for suit, as in clothing, whistle and flute/suit, dates from the 1930s. Since then whistle has become a popular synonym for suit, as in...
If someone owes you money and he or she says, “You can whistle for it” it means the money is probably not forthcoming. This use of the word whistle me...
This expression usually refers to a journey or tour that is quick and punctuated by frequent short stops, most commonly in election campaigns or celeb...