A - Z Database
see It’s not over till the fat lady sings
see All comes out in the wash
see Two to tango
Derives from the superstition that when the palm of one’s hand itches, money is on the way, often illicitly. Shakespeare is sometimes credited with th...
see Ill wind that blows nobody any good
A modern American proverb that is used to describe close-run contests and was first cited during the 1970s in a sporting context although the referenc...
Some maintain that the origin of this expression meaning divorced from reality is the Bible, Song of Solomon, 7:4 “Thy neck is as a tower of ivory” bu...
see Tickle the ivories
Rhyming slang for wank, J Arthur Rank/wank, dates from the 1950s, from the British cinema company of the same name. See also Sherman tank.
see Yarpie
A Jabberwocky is a fantasy monster created by Lewis Carroll in a poem of nonsense verse called Jabberwocky which appears in Through the Looking Glass...
Jack denoting any common fellow whose real name was not known has been in use since the 14th century, as has jack meaning a hoist. Jack as in Union Ja...
Someone who is handy in many different tasks or disciplines, dates from the 1600s, sometimes followed by the phrase ‘and master of none’, which rather...
American slang for masturbate and dates from the early 20th century, the expression that is, rather than the action it describes.
see Before you can say Jack Robinson