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Results tagged with origin-unknown
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user 44619
Words and phrases whose origin is unknown or in serious dispute, according to reputable reference works.
5
votes
Origin of the name 'Knickerbocker Glory'?
Why the ‘glory’?
There is another possible source and inspiration for the tall magnificent-looking ice cream sundae that is the ‘knickerbocker glory’.
The Knickerbocker Hotel in Manhattan, first ope …
- 92.9k
2
votes
Accepted
Why does "tar" mean “thank you”?
You're thinking of “ta”, tar is how a British English speaker would pronounce it, and it's a shortening of “thanks”. Quite often the speaker will tag “very much” to the end.
Ta
British; informal …
- 92.9k
10
votes
Origin, meaning, and derivation of 'boof' as a verb in U.S. slang
I could have summarised the article below but it's late and I would have made a poor job out of it.
The Vox article, written by Alex Abad-Santos, briefly outlines the history of boof :
The hist …
- 92.9k
4
votes
Why does a draw mean a game/match/contest that ends with no winner?
From the various sources I consulted, one of the most likely origins for the term "draw"–meaning a match or game that finishes with an equal score–originated in warfare terminology.
The excerpt below …
- 92.9k
12
votes
Origin of "kettle of fish"
The British idiom a different kettle of fish and a whole new kettle of fish is related to the North American idiom a whole new ball game. The latter means “a situation that is completely different fro …
- 92.9k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of "woof!"?
The first line of an old question of mine reads: Scottish dogs used to waff
Further on, I quote:
The onomatopoeic waff (17th C) which means to bark or to yelp like a dog is, sad to say, virtually …
- 92.9k