A - Z Database
To brown nose is an even more vulgar form (if that is possible) of kissing someone’s arse/ass. To brown nose is to act in an obsequious manner in orde...
A brown study is a state of abstraction or deep thought and the expression dates from the early 16th century. Brown is obviously a dark, gloomy colour...
British military slang for disgruntled and fed up dates from WWI according to Eric Partridge who also maintains that the expression has earlier (late...
Brownie points are merit scores that are earned through good deeds or behaviour. It is originally an American expression that dates the 1950s and that...
To give the brush-off is to rebuff or dismiss rudely, an American colloquial expression from c. 1941.
Any fried or baked mixture of leftover cold meats and vegetables dates from the late 18th century and so-called because of the supposed noise it makes...
No one knows for sure why a US dollar is called a buck, but there are several theories. One is that it comes from the game of poker during the 19th ce...
see Pass the buck
This American expression means to go against or fail to imply with a system or trend. It dates from the early 20th century and derives from buck in th...
To buck up can mean various things depending on the context. It can mean to cheer up or it can mean to hurry up, get a move on, or improve one’s statu...
A list of things to do, places to see before one dies. The expression originated in America during the early 21st century and was popularised by the 2...
Buckshee meaning gratis, free or for nothing is the modern variant, dating from c.1916, of the original baksheesh, which dates from the early 17th cen...
Bug as a general name for an insect dates from the 1600s. Bug as an obsession, in expressions like “bitten by a bug” for something or other, dates fro...
A fear or sometimes an annoyance dates from the late 16th century when it was first used in English folklore to control fractious children at bedtime....
This is originally an American metaphor, dating from the late 19th century, which means ‘invent the next great thing or come up with a better idea’. I...