A - Z Database
This is the name of the roofed gateway to a churchyard, especially a churchyard with a graveyard attached. The word lichgate dates from The Middle Age...
In the sense of to beat or thrash, administer a licking, is British slang that dates from the early 1500s. Lick as in a lick of paint means a spot or...
A lick and a promise is a British colloquialism for a cursory, superficial and half-hearted effort and dates from the mid-19th century. It derives fro...
see Kiss someone’s arse/ass
More often than not, this expression is misused to mean to whip or knock into shape, which is not the original meaning at all. Lick into shape derives...
To lick one’s chops is to display hunger or, when used figuratively, means to anticipate something or other with relish, both usages date from the mid...
To lick one’s lips is to anticipate something with relish. In the literal sense, it derives from anticipating a tasty morsel of food and figuratively...
Dogs, cats, rodents and primates all lick their wounds because saliva, when used sparingly, has bactericidal properties. The concept is extremely anci...
see Kiss someone’s arse/ass
see Bite the dust
An American colloquialism meaning at great speed or pace dates from the early 19th century. The origin is unknown. Attempts to link it with going at a...
Jocular advice given to women during the course of unwanted or dutiful sex. The expression is thought to have originated in the late 19th century, per...
The word lieutenant has two meanings, the first denotes a junior commissioned officer in the army or navy, which dates from the 16th century, the seco...
The centre of attraction and attention at a social gathering, the person who contributes most to the jollity of the occasion. Life of the party is fir...
This metaphor derives from the title of a song written by Ray Henderson and Lew Brown and performed by Ethel Merman in the musical Scandals in 1931. A...