Tagged Questions
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Origin of the term “eating your own dog food”
I'm trying to find the first usage of the term "eating your own dogfood", as a reference to companies, especially software companies, using their own products in house in order to more effectively ...
23
votes
4answers
935 views
Why do we say that an obscene joke is “off-color”?
Why do we say that an obscene joke is "off-color"? Is a G-rated joke "on-color"? What color? When and how did this idiomatic expression come from?
5
votes
2answers
82 views
Origin of “how we/I roll”?
The phrase "that's how we roll" (along with variants) seems to have become increasingly popular in recent years. It appears to draw attention to one's behavior or policies, asserting -- sometimes ...
-2
votes
0answers
34 views
Where did the idiom “cold turkey” originate from? [duplicate]
I was listening to a radio program about addiction and it occurred to me the strangeness of the idiom "cold turkey", what is the etymology of the phrase and where did it originate from?
3
votes
2answers
79 views
Suit Yourself origins?
The young daughter of a friend of mine said, "I think 'suit yourself' comes from a lazy tailor," which cracked us up. It also got me wondering.
I did the obligatory google search and came up with ...
0
votes
1answer
183 views
What does “Nine Below Zero” mean?
There is a Blues Standard "Nine Below Zero" and I wonder what the phrase means. The chorus is
Nine Below Zero, she put me down for another
And it would also be super interesting where this ...
5
votes
4answers
458 views
What is the origin of the phrase “hate your guts”?
Where does the phrase "hate your guts" (for example "I hate your guts") come from?
I've heard the phrase used as a way to convey extreme and deep dislike of another individual. However, it seems ...
-1
votes
1answer
475 views
“See you in the funny papers”: etymology and meaning
I've heard people saying that "See you in the funny papers" means "I'll see you later," as in "Good Bye," but I always thought that it means "Good bye," as in "I'll never see you again."
I thought ...
8
votes
4answers
374 views
Original Meaning and Derivation of “Ever and Anon”
A question posted today asks about the Use of “ever” in non-negated sentence, and one answer happens to mention the phrase "ever and anon." That phrase, with the meaning "occasionally or repeatedly," ...
1
vote
1answer
217 views
What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?
I know the idiom motherhood and apple pie is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between motherhood and apple pie? I am not very familiar with American ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
What is the meaning of “greasing the pan”?
In a tutorial, the instructor says:
We've greased the pan, now it's time to pour in the batter.
The tutorial is technical (IT), and has nothing to do with cooking, so what is the meaning of the ...
5
votes
1answer
435 views
Where does the phrase of “boredom punctuated by moments of terror” come from?
I have often seen war described as "interminable boredom punctuated by moments of terror," or some variant thereof. More recently, it seems that I have been hearing this phrase used to describe other ...
4
votes
3answers
327 views
To Break Bread — the origin of the phrase
I am looking for the origin of the phrase "break bread" meaning to eat (or, I expect, to share food). I know that it can be sourced to the book of Acts but I have also seen many websites which say ...
4
votes
5answers
799 views
What is the origin of idiom “Keep your hair on”?
I had a conversation with a coworker and he told me to keep my hair on. My first understanding of the idiom was that he will do something so fast that, if I was wearing a wig or something it will fly ...
5
votes
1answer
481 views
What's the origin of the expression “Them's the breaks”?
What's the origin of the expression "Them's the breaks", meaning "that's how the cookie crumbles"?
9
votes
2answers
488 views
Origin of “for the birds” (Trivial; worthless; only of interest to gullible people.)
I really have looked, but the best I can come up with is this
To say that something is "for the birds" is to call it horse manure. Dating from the days of horse-drawn traffic, the expression is ...
8
votes
2answers
125 views
Origin of the expression 'hard by'?
There's an expression "hard by", which I understand to mean "nearby", "close by". I don't know if it could be called an idiom, but it baffled me when I first encountered it in the translation of ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
What is the origin of the expression “ya think”?
Maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, but the expression "ya think" seems to have recently become nearly universal, at least as viewed from the US and the UK, where I encounter it all the time, spoken by ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Origin of “Put up your dukes”
This link claims that one cannot be sure of origin of this phrase. Three explanations are given here, but they are not very convincing (I am not a native speaker).
In one of our newspapers, ...
2
votes
1answer
234 views
Why does 'dead on' mean 'very accurate'? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where does the phrase “dead simple” originate?
According to Wiktionary, the phrase 'dead on' means 'very accurate' or 'exactly at'. This is also how I have used the ...
1
vote
1answer
774 views
Is the term “go-to-hell hat” in common usage?
I am a fan of hats and own a number of them. One of my collection is what is commonly called a "flat cap," though it has many names. Seeing me wearing it one day, my father told me that his father ...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
What's the etymology of the expression “let it slide?”
Today, my three year old son was doing something he wasn't normally supposed to do but we were letting him get away with it (wearing a backpack to the dinner table). He pointed out that he wasn't ...
3
votes
2answers
464 views
Origin of “one man's noise is another man's signal”
This variant of the saying probably comes from signal processing. It is in Wikipedia somewhat attributed to Edward W. Ng (his "famous quotes", 1990 interview in NYT) however that cannot be correct, as ...
6
votes
1answer
709 views
I have questions coming out the yin-yang about yin-yang phrases!
Yin Yang is the Chinese philosophy of Light and Shadow, often signifying the need for balance or that everything exists in balance.
But the (reasonably enjoyable to use) phrase
Up the Ying Yang
...
1
vote
1answer
579 views
Origin of the phrase “Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane”?
Scouts, coaches, and fans use the phrase “Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane” to describe a player that appears physically imposing, but plays at a level not consistent with their apparent physical ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Who coined the phrase “trickle-down government” and what does it mean?
“Trickle-down government” or “trickledown government” seems to be one of Mitt Romney’s more memorable lines from the October 3, 2012 political debate between the Republican presidential candidate and ...
5
votes
1answer
256 views
OED Appeals: Antedatings of “blue-arsed fly”
The OED has made a public appeal for help in tracing the history of some English words, including:
blue-arsed fly
noun earlier than 1970
The first evidence for the metaphorical ...
3
votes
1answer
230 views
Origin of the expression “his/her face is a map of the world”
What is the origin of the expression "his/her face is a map of the world"? Bonus points to a literary origin (as in, the first written usage of the phrase in the English language).
The phrase is ...
6
votes
2answers
504 views
“Bust a cap” meaning and derivation
I've always believed that the phrase "bust a cap in yo ass" was AAVE for:
To shoot an individual with a gun.
Whilst trying to figure out what the cap actually meant, I ran into this alternate ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Origin of “pull your socks up”?
I was pulling my socks up this morning, in the literal sense of the term, when I started to wonder about why pull your socks up came to mean what it does:-
to make an effort to improve your work ...
7
votes
2answers
741 views
Origin of “they don't know they're born”?
Practising today for my forthcoming role as radgie gadgie, I was having a little rant about modern youth: "they don't know they're born!"
This seems to me rather a strange phrase to describe someone ...
4
votes
1answer
268 views
Origin of “on the up-and-up”
The phrase "on the up-and-up" means "legitimate" or "legal" or "reputable" or, to use another idiom, "above-board". For instance:
Although Pete didn't look like a city official, Joe assumed his ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
phrase origin: “sent packing”
What is the origin of the phrase "sent packing," which is used when someone gets the boot? I have seen it used a lot but would like to know where it originally came from.
34
votes
4answers
5k views
Why does Polly want a cracker?
Where does the expression "Polly wants a cracker" come from? Why is the parrot named Polly, and why doesn't she want seeds?
-1
votes
3answers
7k views
Origin of “up and at ’em”
The phrase up and at ’em (commonly construed as ?up and Adam) is used a lot. Where did it originate?
1
vote
1answer
374 views
Does the term “garbledy gook” have racist origins?
For me, the term garbledy gook simply means garbage; unintelligible text or speech. An example usage would be:
If you open that binary file in notepad, you'll just see a load of
garbledy gook
...
3
votes
2answers
860 views
“Deuce and a half” for body weight
This expression is from the movie There's Something About Mary:
She put a lot of weight, about a deuce and a half.
Is this used to refer to overweight people? The only reference I could find is ...
3
votes
3answers
563 views
Where does the expression “a wide berth” come from
Where does the phrase "a wide berth" as in "give it a wide berth", meaning lots of room, come from? I know it as a nautical term.
(Some of my female friends seem to think it's a chauvinistic ...
4
votes
2answers
27k views
Origin of “do not argue with idiots” [closed]
What is the origin of the phrase “do not argue with idiots”? Please cite some credible references.
From googling around, I found these three variations. One came from the Bible but I couldn’t find ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
What's the origin of “Copycat”?
I called one of my friends "copycat" the other day, and suddenly thought about it.
Why is it a "cat"? Where did this expression come from?
Does anyone have any information regarding how this phrase ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
origin of the expression “there is more than one way to skin a cat” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Origin of the phrase, “There's more than one way to skin a cat.”
what is the origin of the expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat"? I can't ...
0
votes
2answers
107 views
“[Noun] as she is [past participle]”
As an example, I recently came across a blog titled "Software As She Is Developed". I know I've seen that construct before — "noun as she is past participle" — in other contexts. It's fairly ...
5
votes
5answers
985 views
Why do we say “to be a laughing stock”?
I've come through the expression "to be a laughing stock" to talk about a person who has done something stupid and who people laugh at because of that, and I've started to wonder about it.
First of ...
4
votes
1answer
347 views
Origin of “I wouldn't … for all the tea in China”
What is the origin of the expression "I wouldn't ... for all the tea in China"? I've heard it from a British speaker, and I am guessing it may be of British origin, but I couldn't find a reference for ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Origin and meaning of “from out of left field”
What is the origin of the phrase from out of left field? My understanding is that the meaning is unexpected, or odd. Is that correct?
Real world examples of the phrase being used badly would be great ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Origin of the expression “being cagey about something”
What is the origin of the expression "being cagey about something"? Does it have anything to do with "being in a cage", not letting someone out of a cage? I googled for it but didn't get much:
...
2
votes
4answers
986 views
What is meant by the “benefit of the doubt”? [closed]
I think doubt is a negative emotion, so I find it difficult to know what is meant by "benefit of the doubt". How does this phrase work, and how did it arise?
2
votes
2answers
503 views
call vs invoke - informatics context
Particularly in computer science and informatics,
when should one use them? Is call the preferred form?
For instance,
call function
invoke method
Googling for "call operation" returns +300 000 ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
origin of the expression “proudly placed on our mantelpiece” [closed]
What is the origin of the expression "proudly placed on our mantelpiece"? In what context started to be used?
5
votes
4answers
2k views
Origin of the expression “Get stoned”
My daughter asked me a question in the car the other day, and I didn't have an answer. She asked me about the origin of the expression "get stoned" (i.e. with regards to drug use), and how it might be ...
