A - Z Database
To get back on the horse, or get back in the saddle are idioms that mean to renew any endeavour after a setback. Its origin is obviously equestrian bu...
Gun-barrel straight means perfectly straight, as straight as anything could be with maximum precision. The allusion is obviously to a gun barrel, whic...
Ivy League is the name given to eight universities in the north-eastern United States that are renowned for their high academic standing and reputatio...
Originally, this was the name given to the extremely thin, almost transparent, film of fermentation crust that sometimes appears at the top of very ol...
To effect a showy, striking presence that is much admired, similar to cut a dash. The first citation is 1740 in a book by British author Samuel Boyse...
Vulgar American expression of surprise or incredulity, dates from the late 19th/early 20th century.
Weak, feeble, lacking substance, conviction etc. Originally used from the late 1600s to describe weak food and drink, but was soon thereafter, from th...
Ham has a number meanings. Starting in chronological order, 'ham' in Old English, which means Anglo-Saxon English before 1150, meant a village or clus...
Sometimes spelt as one word, or when used as an adjective is often hyphenated, ham fisted or ham handed means clumsy and awkward. It is thought to be...
see Ham
My arse' (British) or 'my ass' (American) are vulgar expressions of derision, surprise or disbelief, depending on the context. Both versions date from...
US informal expression meaning very wild, or out of control, but it can also mean very dishevelled, dates from the late 19th century.
The grim reaper, sometimes capitalised as 'The Grim Reaper' is a metaphorical phrase for death. The visual representation of death, usually a skeletal...