A - Z Database
This old proverb means that if one cannot get one’s own way, one must seek an alternative. It is a good example of ellipsis in that the main clause is...
see If the cap fits, wear it
Since the 1990s, this quotation has become a business mantra meaning that if you make an investment and build something, people will come, use it, and...
Meaning that if you cannot withstand the pressure or the pace, you should not be in the race, was coined by US President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) c...
This quotation is from Thomas Gray (1716-1771) in On a Distant Prospect of Eton College (1742) “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.” Gray...
These letters are often seen in the churches, rituals and vestments of various Christian religions, especially Catholicism, Orthodoxy and High Anglica...
IKEA, the world famous international retailer founded in Sweden in 1943 is an acronym for Ingvar Kamprad Eimtaryd Aggunaryd. Ingvar Kamprad is the nam...
Of the same ilk means of the same type or sort and this usage dates from the 1500s although the word ilk itself comes from Old English, pre-12th centu...
This expression meaning uncomfortable or uneasy is from the early 14th century. Shakespeare also used it in Othello Act III, scene III, “Madam, not no...
The complete expression is it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good, which is another way of saying that if a wind does not benefit anyone, then it...
This British catchphrase gave rise to the ‘I’m all right, Jack’ attitude, which meant to be ruthlessly selfish and look after oneself with total disre...
An American expression from late 19th century that means one is the right person for the job or one is up to the challenge, whatever it may be. Simila...
Impromptu means without preparation, off-hand and is a direct borrowing from the French impromptu, which means the same thing; ultimately from the Lat...
To be in a bind means to be in a tight or awkward situation, from the allusion to being bound or tied up, dates from the mid-19th century.
see Blue funk