A collection of 1,500, fully researched phrase and saying origins, which you can view via the alphabetical list or search box above, or the categorized lists below.
135 phrases coined by William Shakespeare
32 phrases coined at sea
70 phrases that come from the Bible
Shakespeare added more phrases and sayings to the English language than anyone else. See this list of phrases from Shakespeare.
The world of sail has given us more phrases and sayings than any other occupation. Check these nautical phrases.
If it isn't Shakespearian and it isn't nautical there's a good chance it's Biblical. Check our list of phrases from the Bible.
Popular Fallacies
We get thousands of e-mails about phrases and sayings and postings on our bulletin board. Many of them are useful additions, but some are, well, nonsense. We've made a collection of the most popular of these - the Nonsense Nine.
