Phrase-A-Week is a free service to e-mail you an explanation of the origin of a commonly-used English phrase each week.
We research the origins of phrases continuously and publish them in our idioms and phrases section. Here's the archive of posts:
A cock and bull story
Now is the winter of our discontent
Saved by the bell
Below the salt
Local derby
A load of codswallop
Pipe dream
The darling buds of May
Take the Mickey
Hobson's choice
Back to square one
Willy-nilly
Up the duff
Turn a blind eye
In the offing
As good as gold
The exception that proves the rule
Heavy metal
With bated breath
Over the moon
Scot free
At one fell swoop
The bitter end
Draw a blank
Beat a hasty retreat
Hoist by your own petard
Minced oaths
Sleep tight
From sea to shining sea
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
Christmas card sayings and phrases
Baker's dozen
Flavor of the month
The floozie in the jacuzzi
As keen as mustard
Daylight robbery
Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
Cop an attitude
You are what you eat
Be afraid, be very afraid
Push the envelope
Just deserts
Laughing-stock
Whipping boy
High, wide and handsome
A moveable feast
Speak of the devil
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
Break a leg
Lame duck
So sue me
Nine days' wonder
Never-never land
Paint the town red
Lock, stock and barrel
Dead ringer
The whole nine yards
Ship-shape and Bristol fashion
Head over heels
Whet your appetite
Shake a leg
Taken aback
Shanks' mare
Go berserk
Heard it through the grapevine
Eat humble pie
Thumbs up
Helter-skelter
Flotsam and jetsam
Knuckle down
Chock-a-block
Trick or treat
Come up trumps
On your tod
Kick the bucket
Steal one's thunder
As mad as a hatter
Jot or tittle
Tinker's damn
Merry Christmas
Point to point
Port out, starboard home - POSH
Beck and call
Read the riot act
Run amok
Full tilt
Know your onions
Stool pigeon
Short shrift
Spitting image
True blue
Tell it to the marines
Tuckered out
A sledgehammer to crack a nut
Blue-plate special
Wild goose chase
Aid and abet
Heavens to Murgatroyd
In the doldrums
By and large
Skid row
On the wagon
Play ducks and drakes
Get underway
Curiosity killed the cat
Take umbrage
Rack and ruin
Coin a phrase
To a T
Curry favour
A flash in the pan
Run the gauntlet
Prime time
The whole shebang
Barking mad
Top dog
Toe the line
In the pink
On the warpath
Three sheets to the wind
Keep the ball rolling
Red herring
Grass up
On cloud nine
Spelling bee
Get down to brass tacks
Cooking the books
Boxing Day
Go off half-cocked
Parting shot
Ups-a-daisy
Best bib and tucker
I haven't got a clue
The devil to pay
Acronyms
Raining cats and dogs
Round Robin
Strait and narrow
Through thick and thin
Guinea pig
Chaise lounge
Point blank
Silver bullet
Blown to smithereens
Bale out/bail out
Bandy words
Donkey's years
Let the cat out of the bag
Die-hard
Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
Toodle-oo
Outside the box
With bells on
Chop-chop
Fight fire with fire
A cock and bull story
Bats in the belfry
Warts and all
As easy as pie
In a cleft stick
Come a cropper
Chip on your shoulder
As happy as...
Tide over
Crop up
Have an inkling
Hedge your bets
An Englishman's home is his castle
In limbo
Jump pn the bandwagon
Graveyard shift
Worth one's salt
A piece of the action
Make no bones about it
Harbinger of doom
Double cross
Without let or hindrance
At loggerheads
Derring-do
Wax poetic
Back to square one
Augur well
Yellow belly
In the offing
My old Dutch
Ring aring o'roses
A stitch in time saves nine
A skeleton in the closet
Copper bottomed
The proof of the pudding
Rule of thumb
La-di-da
Old codger
Cherchez la femme
Cotton-picking
Off his own bat
Someone is walking over my grave
Hair of the dog
Plain sailing
Movers and shakers
Pass the buck
A picture is worth a thousand words
Tempest in a teapot
Fuddy-duddy
The jury is still out
Swan song
By hook or by crook
Lose your marbles
Birds of a feather
Over the moon
Out of sorts
Pull out all the stops
Sir Walter Scott
Peter out
Raze to the ground
In a pickle
A red rag to a bull
You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink
Namby-pamby
Sleep tight
Bring home the bacon
A pig in a poke
Full to the gunwales
Toffee-nosed
Hobby-horse
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Without so much as a by your leave
On the ball
High on the hog
In spades
On the button
Larking about
Nosy parker
A complete shambles
Lock, stock and barrel
Bite the bullet
Hard lines
Life begins at forty
Household words
Woe betide you
Going to hell in a handbasket
The living daylights
Cotton on
Get off your high horse
In the nick of time
The bee's knees
Drag race
Panic stations
Clutch at straws
It ain't over till the fat lady sings
Left in the lurch
Once in a blue moon
Hat trick
Dog in the manger
Pigs might fly / When pigs fly
Cash on the nail
Vis-à-vis
Carpe diem
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
Mind your Ps and Qs
Vice versa
Houston, we have a problem
Montezuma's revenge
Good riddance
Knocked into a cocked hat
Five o'clock shadow
Fed up
Fell off the back of a truck
Have no truck with
My cup of tea
Doff your hat
Let there be light
Spruce-up
Beyond the pale
Take the gilt off the gingerbread
As cute as a bug's ear
It's not rocket science
To all intents and purposes
Let bygones be bygones
What's not to like?
Mum's the word
Which is which
Say cheese
Dressed to the nines
Beat around the bush
Hard-hearted
Eeny, meeny, miny, mo
As daft as a brush
Jack of all trades
A dog is a man's best friend
Rest on your laurels
Purple patch
Up the pole
Turn of phrase
Bean counter
Fair to middling
Booby prize
Between a rock and a hard place
Abracadabra
Forlorn hope
In the sticks