Expressions are words or phrases used to convey an idea, or else a particular term used conventionally to express something.
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Is word “crap” considered a vulgarism?
Most common damn-words in English are of course the f-word and the s-word, which are - for my best knowledge - considered vulgarisms. The word "crap" may be used as a damn-word, however I'd bet, that ...
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The implication of “turn the mattress”
The following sentences are from Agatha Christie:
She had at one time been their housemaid. Such a nice girl, Mrs. Hargraves always said–thoroughly to be relied upon to turn the mattresses every ...
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Is there a phrase to say that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?
Is there an English expression to say "Le jupon dépasse" to express the fact that someone's hidden intentions are revealed in his/her talk or movements?
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English equivalent of the Italian “Mannaggia!”, “Che peccato!”
What is the English expression or exclamation to refer to something that has gone wrong or a missed opportunity, or something that we could have done better than we actually did?
I'm specifically ...
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What’s the meaning of “if that” at the end of a sentence?
I find it often after a number. What does it mean and what is that? It’d be nice if you could help me.
(from Google search)
Some books that are more than 100 years old still won't sell for more ...
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Difference between phrase, idiom and expression [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the difference between an expression and a phrase?
Difference between “phrase” and “idiom”
What is the difference between a phrase, an ...
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How to use the expression “lo and behold”
How should this expression be used, and what is its origin?
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Does English use “Red thread” as expression for theme?
In Swedish the expression Röd tråd (Red thread) is used to describe that something follows a theme. For instance, if a piece of text has a "red thread", it's written with a consistent though through ...
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Origin/reason for the “hit by a bus” phrase
Often at my job when someone is becoming a single source of knowledge or otherwise has a skill that no one else on the team or the department has, a common expression is:
If John was hit by a bus, ...
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What is the meaning of the expression “We can table this”?
This came up in an email discussion - we are arguing about the merits and demerits of a certain approach, and I mentioned what I thought was a drawback to a scheme. To that, my colleague replied : ...
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Cold turkey as expression
I've discovered a expression : to go cold turkey, meaning something like feeling bad because you have taken drugs and you need to take more. I wonder if another verb rather than go can be used ...
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What is the origin of the phrase “when push comes to shove”?
"When push comes to shove" means "as a last resort" or "if absolutely necessary". Does anyone know why the phrase came to be used in this way?
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Neither do I / Nor do I / Me neither / Me either
In this circumstance, which would be the most correct / natural answer?
Person 1: I don't eat meat
Person 2: Neither do I / Nor do I / Me neither / Me either
This says both neither do I and Me ...
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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 ...
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What does “if only” mean?
Like in this sentence:
The influence of the Titnaeus among early philosophical thinkers was pervasive, if only because it was the sole dialogue available in Europe for almost 1,000 years.
...
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why do we say scorching hot while scorching already means very hot?
Scorching means extremely hot. So why do we say scorching hot? Isn't it redundant to bring hot after scorching?
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Where does the phrase “get crackin'” come from?
"There's a lot of work to be done, so we'd better get crackin'"
I've often used this expression, but I have no idea what we might have been cracking, originally? Any insight?
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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," ...
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“I was fresh out of pies to throw at you”
The sentence was in Lost (TV Series).
I got the overall meaning of the sentence. But what does it exactly mean?
[SAWYER pointing a gun at JACK]
JACK: Trying to be funny?
SAWYER: Yeah, I ...
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Equivalent of sarcastic song “non ti preoccupare, l'importante è partecipare” among Italian football supporters
Is there an equivalent in English or American sports culture of the sarcastic song that originated among Italian football supporters, that they sing to the losing opposition team? It's like this:
...
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What does “To-may-to, to-mah-to” mean?
What does "to-may-to, to-mah-to" mean?
I've seen this expression a few times and it seems to indicate some sort of equality. But what does it really mean?
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What do British and American post boxes say when they don't want any advertising?
Advertising leaflets shoved en masse into mail boxes are one of the banes of modern society.
In Germany, putting a note saying "Bitte keine Werbung" ("No advertising please") on your box protects ...
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“In God We Trust” vs. “We Trust in God”
A colleague of mine asked me what is the importance of word order in phrase "In God We Trust"
And I could not answer. Is it a shame?
Update:
Would it be correct English to write:
In God - we ...
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“Yeah Right” expression
Where does "Yeah right" come from? Can it be used in a formal writing? If not, what is a good alternative?
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A saying indicating how some professionals don't apply their skills for themselves
Some made-up examples:
Architect's house is always crooked.
Mechanic's car is leaking
Chef's breakfast is as plain as boiled eggs
Is there an established saying for these situations?
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More common expression for “move your bowels”
Move your bowels may be too polite and sounds strained, and merely saying shit sounds offensive. What do native English speakers say then when you need to move your bowels, especially when a parent ...
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Why does one scream blue murder?
To scream blue murder is to shout loudly and make a huge fuss, sometimes with the implication that the fuss is excessive. But does anyone know why murder should be blue?
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English equivalent of Catalan expression “fer la senyora” for moving heavy furniture
There is an expression in Catalan:
Fer la senyora
Which would be translated as moving it "like a lady" defined as the action of moving a heavy piece of furniture (e.g. a wardrobe) that involves ...
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“Toe the Party Line” or “Tow the Party Line”? [closed]
When I have seen this expression written, it is usually as "tow the line" as if the subject were a tugboat.
I have always thought that "toe the line" made more sense as a fighting expression, where ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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What does “Safety net in the coffin” mean?
There was the phrase “the safety net in the coffin” in reference to Mr. Paul Ryan, running mate of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Maureen Dowd’s article, titled “Cruel conservatives ...
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“Has the say on it”
I know the idiom have the final say, but I wonder if we could use the same idiom without the word final in it? For example:
He is the boss, he is the one who has the say on it.
Could the above ...
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Meaning and origin of “if you catch my drift”
What does the expression if you catch my drift mean? Where does it originate? I've heard it in the context to signify something like if you know what I mean.
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Where does “beat around the bush” come from?
Where does the expression "beat around the bush" come from?
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Is 'Blood libel' an established expression?
I came across the word, 'Blood libel,' apparently associated with Ms. Sarah
Palin's agressive statement which was zeroed in at Democratic lowmakers in today's Washington Post.
Neither Concise Oxford ...
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Rationale for expression “Fixer-upper”
I have encountered the expression fixer-upper:
A fixer-upper is a real-estate property that will require maintenance work (redecoration, reconstruction or redesign) though it usually can be ...
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How old is the expression “as if”?
It's a pretty simple question, but just to clarify, I am talking about the expression used by itself, not just in a sentence.
So not:
— Have you seen Ted?
— Yes! He flew through here as if his ...
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Is “Better never than late” the saying as popular as “Better late than never”?
There was the following sentence in Maureen Dowd’s column in New York Times (September 1):
We all know Republicans prefer riches-to-riches sagas, and rounding up immigrants, if the parasitic ...
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Meaning of “for all their colour”
What does "for all their colour" mean in the following sentence?
Standing immobile throughout the day, these vivid objects, with their
fantastic shadows on the wall behind them shifting and ...
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When did we start talking about “going viral”?
I am trying to determine when the phrase "going viral" was first used. Similarly, when did the phrases "viral video" and "viral marketing" get their start? I have looked online at various sites, but ...
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Is “nice to meet you” an appropriate online salutation?
When one makes a new acquaintance with somebody in person, you may say "it was nice to meet you", e.g. when you leave. What if you make a new acquaintance over the internet, what do you say when you ...
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Is the expression “topping it the ______” really used anywhere?
I've often read books where English men made statements about others "topping it the knob" or "topping it the gentleman," which I took to mean over playing a role or attitude.
Is this a legitimately ...
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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 ...
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Origin of “stop-gap”
What is the origin of the expression stop-gap?
stop-gap: A temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a
need
Where and how did this expression originate?
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What does ‘Red meat rhetoric’ exactly mean?
I see quite often the expression 'Red meat rhetoric’ these days in journals, for example
Obama’s red meat rhetoric –CNN Conservative Media July 7.
Mitt Romney delivers red meat rhetoric to ...
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Where does “emphasis mine” go in a quotation?
I have often seen the term emphasis mine used whenever an author wishes to denote that emphasis in a given quotation originates from said author rather than from the original source.
What is the ...
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“for good” expression in an unfortunate event?
I just heard an expression while watching a TV series yesterday.
Someone just died and they said:
He is gone for good
I googled it and found that "for good" means "forever" in this context. But ...
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The meaning and origin of “hedge your bets”
What exactly does it mean? And what is the origin of the phrase "hedge your bets"?
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Why “horseback riding” and not simply “horse riding”?
As a German horse riding seems to be to the point. Why is it horseback riding in English? Isn't it obvious that you ride on the back of the horse? Is there a difference between British and American ...
