A - Z Database
A lovely old word, meaning to drink, party, and make merry. It dates in this sense from Middle English (from the period 1150 to1350).The OED says its...
To do something with vim and vigour means to do it with strength and force. Vim is a word of American coinage from 1850, and supposedly derives from t...
To make one's mark is to attain distinction, dates from the mid-19th century.
A blessing in disguise is a good or fortunate outcome from an ostensibly bad or adverse situation, and according to the OED is first cited from 1896.
Any number of prepositions can precede 'the mark' as in 'near' or 'up to' the mark. A mark meaning a fixed or recognised target, goal, or standard, an...
If something is 'up to maggots', it means that it is figuratively rotten, bad or sub-standard, and derives from the obvious allusion that anything, wh...
A British expression that means to try something or other and see what happens, and derives from the allusion to sucking a sweet, candy, or lollipop t...
Old British slang from the 19th century for a rag-and-bone collector. See Rag and bone.
Humdinger is an American English informal word that dates from the late 19th century and describes an excellent, exceptional person, thing, or event....
A long face is an expression of sadness or disappointment, and dates from the mid-18th century.
Nobby is slang for smart or elegant and dates, according to the OED, from 1810. Nobby is the slang adjective that derives from the slang noun nob that...
Originally US military term for kilometer, not cited before the mid-1960s. Now also used by NATO forces. The etymology is obscure. Most likely a pseu...
The fog of war means the uncertainty of war, and Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian war strategist, defined the concept, if not the actual phrase, in h...
Hot meaning lustful, as 'in heat', dates, according to the OED, from 1500. Hot is also slang for attractive in a sexy way, which lexicographer Jonatho...
There are many forms and versions of this idiomatic phrasing that describes a simple form of reasoning that has come to be known as 'The Duck Test'. O...