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Expression
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Example / Origin
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Holy smokes
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Example: Holy smokes, that's a big dog.
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Origin: (Educated Guess) Reference to Ritual Catholic Incense burning.
(Gordon P)
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Close,
but no Cigar
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Example: That guess was close, but no cigar.
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Origin: (Educated Guess) Reference to carnival games when they gave
cigars out to winners. (Rose)
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Still wet behind
the ears
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Example: That new lawyer is still wet behind the ears.
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Origin: Reference to amniotic fluid still in the last (2nd to last) place
to dry. (Rose, Tracy J)
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Origin 2:Reference to the baptism.
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Bloody Hell (UK)
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Example: Oh bloody hell, not again!
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Origin: (Guess) A reference to either the blood of the Virgin Mary, or
that of the Queen. (I'm
sure you can figure out which blood) A pretty strong oath. (Rob
D)
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Out like a light
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Example: After that bottle, the baby's out like a light.
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Origin: ?
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Honeymoon
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You know what it means!
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It was an accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with
all the mead (a honey beer) he could drink. Because their calendar
was lunar based, this period was called the "honey moon." (Jim Y)
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Wet your whistle
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Example: Here's something good to wet your whistle.
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Origin: Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle
baked into their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used
the whistle to get some service. (Jim Y)
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Once in a
blue moon
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Example: Wow, you see something like that only once in a blue
moon.
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Origin: A blue moon refers to those few times when there are two full moons
in a month. It happens about once every 1.5 years.
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Wishy-washy
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Example: I wish she'd make up her mind. She's so wishy-washy.
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Origin: (Guess) Perhaps a reference to the back and forth motion
of a washing machine as it relates to the back and forth opinions of an
individual. (Inessa D)
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Burning the candle
at both ends
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Example: I've really been burning the candle at both ends to get
this intense project done.
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Origin: ?
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Crap
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Example: I always need to take a crap after breakfast.
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Origin: Thomas Crapper was the British inventor of the toilet in the late
1800's. The toilet was therefore also referred to as the "crapper."
This eventually led to the slang verb "to crap", which led to the slang
noun "crap."
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Note: There is some debate as to whether Crapper invented or simply enhanced
the toilet, but the basic origin of the word holds. If you give a "crap,"
click
Here.
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Two cents worth
(US)
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Example: You always have to put your two cents worth in.
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Origin: ?
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Penny for your
thoughts
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Said to one who's deep in thought
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Origin: ?
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Rule of thumb
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Example: Preheating the oven is a basic rule of thumb of baking.
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Derived from an old British law which stated
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that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. (Jim
Y)
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| Sight for sore eyes |
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Example: Now that lady's a sight for sore eyes!
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Origin: ?
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Turn over a
new leaf
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Example: This New Year's, I'm going to turn over a new leaf.
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Origin: (Guess) Perhaps a reference to a page (leaf) in a book or
pad - as in "loose leaf." (Gordon P)
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Kick the bucket
or
Croak
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Example: That old man looks like he's ready to kick the bucket/croak.
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Origin (Kick the Bucket): A reference to the place one's head wound up
after a close encounter with the guillotine (Stephen M)
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Origin (Croak): (Guess) Perhaps the sound one makes when dying (after
being stabbed or shot) sounds like a frog's croak. (I know, that's reaching!)
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The hair of the dog
that bit you (UK)
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A Reference to having another beer to rid yourself of the hangover caused
by last night's beer's. (Stephen M)
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Origin: ?
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| Goodnight, sleep tight |
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A good night greeting.
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer
to sleep on (Jim Y)
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The whole
nine yards
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Example: This TV comes with Stereo, Picture in Picture, Digital processing,
... , the whole nine yards. (Absolutely everything.)
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Origin: When W.W.II fighter pilots in the Pacific were arming their airplanes
on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly
27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all
their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."
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Mind your
P's and Q's
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You Gentlemen need to leave if you don't mind your P's and Q's. (calm
down)
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England,
when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their
own pints and quarts and settle down.
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