A - Z Database
The idiomatic meaning of 'to come of age' is to attain maturity, prominence, respectability, or recognition. According to the OED, this idiomatic, rat...
The origin of this well known saying remains obscure in that whoever coined it remains unknown. The first citation appears as a line from a poem that...
Originally, the North American version of snorter, meaning something extraordinary, striking or spectacular. But why 'rip'? 'Rip' was added to snorter...
Originally a person or an animal that snorts i.e. makes a loud, noisy exhaling of breath from the nose. (See also Snort.) This usage dates from the 14...
Depending on the context, this expression is used to explain, censure, or excuse the unruly or improper behaviour of boys. It has been an ancient trui...
This is a metaphor for being wrapped up, warm and cosy, rather like an insect feels when it finds a warm, cosy home in a small carpet. It is first cit...
The literal meaning of pigs in a blanket is the name for hot dogs, or small pork sausages, wrapped in pastry. It was and still is a popular American s...
Means to get or have information on someone or something, which the Oxford English Dictionary gives as American from 1903. It derives from 'line' mean...
The written expression of an onomatopoeic interjection that registers disapproval or irritation and imitates the sound made by clicking the tongue aga...
Uptight means to be tense, nervy, or jittery, but can also mean cross or angry. Merriam-Webster dates it from 1934, and it does appear to be American...
'Every time a coconut' or 'every one a coconut' is a British idiom that means repeated success at doing something or other. It can be used when succes...
To be down-hearted or to be in bad spirits, the opposite of to have one's tail up, derives from the observation of dogs who convey their emotions via...
This expression is often used instead of saying, 'What's that got to do with what we are talking about?' In other words, telling someone that what the...
See As sure as eggs is/are eggs
A British tautology that means that something is as sure as it is, and there is no more argument about it. It dates from the late 1700s.