Tagged Questions
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Why is one “sent to Coventry”?
I was reading in the paper today of some hapless wight who had been sent to Coventry (meaning ostracised and given the silent treatment) by his colleages. It then occurred to me to wonder why Coventry ...
0
votes
1answer
98 views
What is the origin of the idiom “like pulling teeth”?
I would like to know more about the idiom "like pulling teeth". For example, does anyone know its origin and first usage?
1
vote
2answers
61 views
Evolution of “push somebody's buttons” and “know what buttons to push”
Colloquially speaking, "to push somebody's buttons" means to irritate or annoy the person. And, "know what buttons to push" means to know what to do to get people to act the way you want.
I can't ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
What's the origin of the phrase to “do one”?
The phrase to "do one" — essentially an insult meaning to "do a disappearing act" (if the Urban Dictionary's definitions* are anything to go by) — seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon. Where ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
“Come over” and etymology of other idioms
Can someone explain the etymology of using over in expressions like come over to and go over to as in "pay a casual visit"?
Is there a source for the etymology of idiomatic expressions somewhere?
1
vote
1answer
170 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
452 views
Whispering “sweet nothings”
Where does the term sweet nothings come from? What is an example of a "sweet nothing"? Does the term connote sincerity or has it been hijacked to represent deceit and seduction? After all, the devil ...
2
votes
2answers
143 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
270 views
What is the origin of the expression “close, but no cigar”? [closed]
It's a bizarre expression that I've always taken to describe a situation in which one has very nearly achieved their objective. Where do the roots of this expression lie?
2
votes
1answer
85 views
“On Tap” in the Sense of “Coming Up”
Starting with the Fifth Edition (1936), seven generations of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary have included (under the entry for tap) three definitions of "on tap," currently worded as ...
1
vote
2answers
137 views
What is the origin of the idiom “have been had”?
I know the meaning of "have been had" is "been cheated". What is the origin of this idiom? It is really special in the sense that none of the individual words in this idiom convey the meaning of ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
Origin of “no such thing” idiomatic phrase
The risk of asking this question could be like asking the question
What is the origin of the phrase "I love you", or "I need a shower", etc
which grew out of spontaneous language use.
Anyway, I ...
10
votes
1answer
340 views
What is the source of “Long time no see,” and when did it enter U.S. English?
A question from almost two years ago asked "In which countries is that “long time no see” greeting common?" The question drew a number of answers that were squarely on point, but also a couple that ...
3
votes
2answers
279 views
What was the actual “cock and bull story”?
Wiktionary's entry for cock and bull story reads:
A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.
I can't seem to find the original story with a cock (rooster) and a bull in ...
4
votes
3answers
589 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 ...
9
votes
2answers
233 views
origin of “5 seconds flat”
Does anyone know the etymology of this expression?
"He ran down the street in five seconds flat"
I found this explanation of meaning at Wordreference but would like to know where the expression ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views
When did the term 'get lost' first come to use?
Have tacked this term to be an American idiom. Does anyone know when it came to popular use or was first used there?
1
vote
2answers
323 views
Origin of the phrase “free, white, and twenty-one”?
I understand the phrase "I'm free, white, and twenty-one" was used in several films of the 1930's, generally to mean "I can do what I want and no one can stop me" and that the phrase was common in ...
11
votes
1answer
205 views
Meaning of “match Greek with Greek”
From Christmas Storms and Sunshine by Elizabeth Gaskell (4th paragraph):
Jenkins had his wife too. Wives were wanting to finish the
completeness of the quarrel, which existed one memorable ...
3
votes
2answers
171 views
What is the origin or earliest known use of the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink”?
What is the origin or earliest known use of the idiomatic phrase "everything but the kitchen sink"?
I have searched the internet, but I cannot find an origin or etymology.
The earliest known use I ...
5
votes
3answers
162 views
What is actually being doubled when someone has to “double back”?
I have frequently heard this phrase and used it myself when I've gone in a wrong direction either physically or at work metaphorically. However, I wonder why the phrase is double back, since once you ...
13
votes
5answers
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, ...
8
votes
2answers
3k views
Origin of “More X than you can shake a stick at”
What is the origin of the phrase "more X than you can shake a stick at"?
Every website I've seen on this basically says the same thing (e.g., http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sha2.htm):
Recorded ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
What does “mouth worked” mean? [closed]
I always thought that “mouth worked” describes when someone moves their mouth as if they are speaking, but no sound is emitted. This happens when they are so surprised that that they don’t know what ...
4
votes
1answer
89 views
Is it possible to use “Go Galt” beyond political or business context?
I came across the expression “Go Galt” in Paul Krugman’s article titled “The Twinkie manifesto” appearing in November 20 New York Times. The phrase appears in the second paragraph of the following ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
What are the origins of “take you up on it”
A common English idiom "take you up on it" is apparently used to indicate a general willingness or predisposition to accept something that is offered or granted. For example,
If you make an offer ...
2
votes
1answer
903 views
Connotations of “off the reservation”
I just used the phrase "to go off the reservation" -- in the context of the workplace, to go in a direction that management might not approve of -- and realized how strange it is. What are the ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
What are the jimmies that are being rustled?
This rustles my jimmies
seems like a commonly used idiom recently to denote being annoyed, angered, touched. Still, every idiom has some origin, and I wonder what is the original meaning of this ...
3
votes
2answers
418 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
270 views
Etymology of the phrase “cannot see the forest for the trees”
How did this phrase originate grammatically? I’m especially interested in the fragment “for the trees”.
See http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/see_the_forest_for_the_trees for its definition.
2
votes
3answers
532 views
“Never say die?”
What's the deal with this idiom? I know what it means, but cannot wrap my head around its grammar structure. The sentence structure of
"Never say die"
looks like that of
"Never admit defeat"
...
5
votes
1answer
92 views
delutherer, deluderer
My dad (who is Irish) has been using the word "delutherer" since I was tiny. It derives from "to delude" and is used to affectionately/teasingly denote someone who is trying to trick you or cajole you ...
8
votes
2answers
135 views
Etymology of “catch a bosso”
Reading Look to the Lady, by Margery Allingham, I came across the apparent slang "catch a bosso," used by Lugg, the Cockney manservant, at the beginning of Chapter 6:
As soon as I caught a bosso ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
What exactly does “sweep me off my feet” mean? (And why?)
Although the phrase "sweep me off my feet" probably means, "make me fall in love with you in a short time", what does it exactly mean, because "sweeping" can be difficult to be associated with "love". ...
3
votes
2answers
550 views
What's the origin of the idiom “don't give it the time of day”?
Twice in the past few hours, I've seen the idiom "don't give it the time of day". Now, I immediately knew and understood what the people using the phrase meant, but then I realized that I didn't know ...
11
votes
2answers
198 views
How did “at once” get to be used to mean “immediately”?
How did "at once" become an idiom meaning "do this immediately" or "as soon as possible"?
I just thought of this question after seeing this old UK WWI Propaganda poster in the link below. I glanced ...
4
votes
1answer
245 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 ...
10
votes
2answers
196 views
What is the origin of “up and did something”?
Consider the examples from the Free Dictionary:
That summer, she up and died.
He had lived here for twenty years, and then one day, he up and left for good.
Is this a contraction of a ...
3
votes
1answer
195 views
Do things that “get one’s rocks off ” always “rock one’s socks off ”?
I see both of these two phrases used quite often and I have to question why rocks are so cool here. Is there a history behind both of these sayings, and is possible that both of them are just mere ...
3
votes
1answer
326 views
History and meaning of the expression “gave at the office”?
I recently heard somebody say that they "gave at the office" in response to a request from some charity. It also seems to have a more general usage when refusing a request for help of any kind. What ...
1
vote
1answer
126 views
To cut capers in the street [closed]
I understand that the phrase in the title means "to behave frivolously".
E.g.: A bereaved person does not cut capers in the street, and neither does a failed pupil.
Google gives around 3 links ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Origin of the phrase “under your belt”?
Today, I found myself discussing what students should have "under their belts" during a lecture, and I wondered to myself if there was some inappropriate undertone here that I might be unaware of.
...
5
votes
0answers
431 views
Etymology of “to coin a phrase” [closed]
Quite simply — who coined the phrase "to coin a phrase"?
I'm sure it wasn't one person, but it's the origin that is of interest.
-2
votes
4answers
283 views
What's the origin and reasoning behind the phrase, “a pat on the back”?
I came across a sentence where it was written that " Mr. X got a pat on the back from his boss".
I know that the boss definitely would have praised him. But why it couldn't be like
"Mr. X got ...
8
votes
2answers
624 views
What does “frost your pickle” mean and where did it come from?
I hear my mom say this all time:
Well doesn't that just frost your pickle?
I usually laugh because it sounds funny, but honestly I have no idea what it's really supposed to mean, in the sense ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Origin of “to blow your own horn”
What's the origin of the idiom "to blow your own horn"?
Is there some metaphor behind it with some animal horn or whatnot?
17
votes
5answers
2k views
The origin of the term “Baker's Dozen”?
There's a "hot question" at the moment about the use of the apostrophe in the phrase Baker's Dozen, and it got me to wondering: where did this phrase originate?
Did bakers really offer 13 in a dozen? ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the origin of the phrase “from your lips to God’s ears?”
I used this phrase in a conversation with my wife yesterday and was surprised to learn that she had never heard of it. This led me to wonder where it came from.
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Where did the term “Goofy” (referring to boarding stance) come from?
My mom tore me a new one when, while teaching my little sister some snowboarding tips, referred to her stance as "Goofy". I told her it was the common term used in snowboarding, skateboarding, ...
4
votes
5answers
868 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 ...
