A - Z Database
This is a very old English metaphor for a long, indefinite period of time, deriving from the long, slow time that it takes cows to return from the fie...
Eric Partridge maintains that this phrase is now Standard English and means that something or other is not all plain sailing or easy. It dates from th...
A frolic, a carousel, a spree, originally US slang first cited from 1872, but the origin is unknown. Since 1920, it is the annual rally of the Boy Sco...
Australian informal for an inexperienced newcomer to any trade or mode of farming. It dates from 1880 and was originally applied to inexperienced immi...
Stony, note that this is never spelt 'stoney' when referring to stony ground. Both 'stony' and 'stony broke' is British slang for penniless or ruined...
In its literal sense, 'on the hoof' was a phrase first used by cattlemen and butchers to refer to livestock, mainly cattle, before they arrived at aba...
Informal, possibly slang, word for language or dialect. It dates from the mid-17th century and derives from alterations of many words that stem from t...
Means at full speed and derives from the ancient sport of jousting. From the early 16th century, 'tilting' was an alternative term for jousting. Oppos...
If someone is not at the races, they are not performing at their best. It derives from not being in the race, which means much the same thing i.e. los...
Darby and Joan is a British proverbial phrase for a happily married couple who share a quiet life of mutual devotion and attachment. It is first cited...
After a great deal of research the origin of this phrase, and its first citation in print or broadcast media are unknown, yet theories, of course, abo...
A great time, a greatly enjoyable time, where the word whale is used as an intensifier describing something on a very large , great scale, with the o...
A cutup, usually spelt as one word, is American English for a clown or someone who clowns around and plays the fool. It dates from the early 19th cent...
In its current figurative sense, rocket science has come to signify something that is difficult or hard to understand. It is often used in the negativ...
An expression that is frequently used in the context of the break up of a romantic relationship, sometimes followed by the statement, 'I hope we can s...