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Results tagged with phrases
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user 9001
This tag is for questions about phrases in the linguistic sense. In linguistics a “phrase” is a group of words that make a unit of syntax with a single grammatical function. Use [phrase-requests] if you are searching for a phrase.
6
votes
What does “breathe down one’s neck” mean?
From the first Google result:
Idioms: breathe down (someone's) neck 1. To threaten by proximity, especially by pursuing closely. 2. To watch or monitor closely, often annoyingly: The boss was brea …
- 68.1k
3
votes
What does the line, “If there was a mistake made, it was probably ever doing one,” mean, and...
I searched for the quote "So, you know, if there was a mistake made, it was probably ever doing one," and found a fuller quote from the Wall Street Journal:
“It’s pretty hard to be able to sit and …
- 68.1k
2
votes
"More twisted than a neurotic pretzel"
I agree with Jeremy, the CNET journalist came up with this phrase. The simpler "more twisted than a pretzel" can be found in 1977's The Death Merchant: The Kronos Plot:
The Death Merchant, running …
- 68.1k
2
votes
What are non-ironic English expressions used with a meaning opposite to their literal meaning?
My desktop is on the floor and my laptop is on the desk.
1
vote
Origin of 'hit the sack'?
The OED has it from 1943 in James J. Fahey's Pacific War Diary, 1942-1945:
I hit the sack at 8 P.M. I slept under the stars on a steel ammunition box two feet wide.
It's in the same entry as the …
- 68.1k
3
votes
Whimsical: "Lost the rag". Origins and just what is "the rag" anyway?
The Oxford English Dictionary says to lose one's rag is a colloquial British phrase with a first quotation from Harry Lauder's Roamin' in the Gloamin' (1928):
Finally, losing his rag completely, h …
- 68.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Is it correct to say "correct A to B"?
Yes, it's fine to use the form "Correct A to B" for simple sentences.
Some examples:
Thus you can have it correct ‘thier’ to ‘their’ but you can also have it “correct” ‘sth’ to ‘something’, for exa …
- 68.1k
1
vote
Is "burst oneself laughing" a valid expression?
To burst out laughing is a fairly common idiom: it's when you suddenly start laughing, and the laugh "bursts" or jumps and splutters out of your mouth.
I can't recall ever having heard of someone hav …
- 68.1k
4
votes
What is the origin of the term "Urban Legend"?
From urbanlegends.about.com:
Question: Why are they called 'urban' legends?
Answer: Fair question, given that urban legends don't always take place in urban settings, nor are they exclusive …
- 68.1k
2
votes
What does the phrase "money ahead" mean?
It means you have saved money, that you've made a good deal.
A British equivalent is "quids in":
'Quid' and 'knicker' are slang terms
for a pound. Or you could call it a
bar. If you are 'quid …
- 68.1k
13
votes
Accepted
What does "fly by the seat of one's pants" mean?
The meaning and origin is covered in this article on The Phrase Finder. An extract:
Meaning
Decide a course of action as you go
along, using your own initiative and
perceptions rather tha …
- 68.1k
3
votes
What is the origin of the phrase "cut the mustard"?
The first two quotations in the OED are both from the The Galveston Daily News (Texas, USA). First from 1891:
They applied several coats of carmine hue and cut the mustard over all their predeces …
- 68.1k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the "bin" in "loony bin"?
A bin is an enclosed place for storage, such as a coal bin.
From Merriam-Webster:
Etymology:Middle English binne, from Old English binn, binne manger, basket,
probably of Celtic origin; akin to …
- 68.1k
1
vote
Etymology of "come up with"
The OED says the current meaning is from the US with a first quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934.
"To come up" meaning "to present in one's mind" is 1844. Meaning "to rise in rank or position" is …
- 68.1k
2
votes
Accepted
What does “fresh-off-the-vine technologies” mean?
Yes, "fresh off the vine" means brand new, the very latest thing.
It suggests picking a very fresh grape directly from the vine where it grows: you can't get fresher or newer.
America's drones are a …
- 68.1k