The human body
A bad break
Meaning
1. A misfortune. 2. A serious bone fracture.
Examples
1. Tony has lost his job, just when he needed the cash to move house. That’s a bad break. 2. Tanya’s leg was crushed when the rock fell on it – a really bad break the doctor said.
Where did it originate?
1. USA 2. UK.
Where is it used?
1. USA. 2. Widely used.
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A bad hair day
Meaning
A day on which everything seems to go wrong.
Examples
I missed the bus and was late on the one day the boss was early and now I’ve laddered my tights! – talk about a bad hair day.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Predominantly in the USA but also more widely.
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A bunch of fives
Meaning
A fist, as used in a fight.
Examples
Punch me would you? How’d you like a bunch of fives in your eye?
Where did it originate?
The United Kingdom.
Where is it used?
Mostly in the UK, but occasionally elsewhere too.
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A chip on your shoulder
Meaning
A sense of inferiority characterized by a quickness to take offence.
Examples
He’s the only cabinet minister that didn’t go to Eton and it’s given him a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
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A foot in the door
Meaning
An initial inroad that may lead to greater influence in future.
Examples
I convinced them to start displaying my artwork. I’m making a loss on it but it’s a foot in the door.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
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A man after my own heart
Meaning
A kindred spirit. Someone who thinks as I do.
Examples
We’ve both supported Manchester United since we were kids. You could say he was a man after my own heart.
Where did it originate?
Biblical.
Where is it used?
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A safe pair of hands
Meaning
A reliable person, who can be trusted not to fail in a a task.
Examples
When Margaret Thatcher passed the Prime Ministership to John Major she thought he would be a safe pair of hands.
Where did it originate?
The United Kingdom. An allusion to a cricket fielder who had a reputation for reliably making catches.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but more in the UK than elsewhere.
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How the idiom originated
A shot in the arm
Meaning
A boost or encouragement.
Examples
I was out on my feet after ten miles’ running but seeing the kids cheering me on was a real shot in the arm.
Where did it originate?
USA, initially alluding to a shot of drugs but now used without that connotation.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, very commonly used.
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A sight for sore eyes
Meaning
A welcome sight that you weren’t expecting.
Examples
Wow. You’re a sight for sore eyes. They told me you were abroad and would miss my wedding.
Where did it originate?
The United Kingdom – 18th century.
Where is it used?
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A skeleton in the closet (or cupboard)
Meaning
A secret and possibly ruinous source of shame.
Examples
No one in the family ever talked about Grandad being convicted of child abuse. It was the skeleton in our closet.
Where did it originate?
The United Kingdom.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, although the British now use ’cupboard’ and the USA still uses ’closet’.
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A slap on the wrist
Meaning
A mild rebuke, often given when a more severe punishment might be expected.
Examples
Those muggers should get a jail term but these days they’ll probably just get a fine and a slap on the wrist.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
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Achilles’ heel
Meaning
A fatal weakness in an otherwise strong person or thing.
Examples
JFK’s Achilles heel was his inability to ignore the charms of a long-legged blonde.
Where did it originate?
The United Kingdom – 19th century.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but more commonly amongst the older generation.
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All thumbs
Meaning
Clumsy or physically inept.
Examples
I just can’t manage to tie this bow tie – I’m all thumbs.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 19th century. A variant of the 16th century expression ‘each finger was a thumb’.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, more used by the older generations.
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An arm and a leg
Meaning
Very expensive. A large amount of money.
Examples
That new lawnmower is top of the range. It cost me an arm and a leg.
Where did it originate?
USA, mid-20th century. Often mistakenly thought to be related to the high cost of painting full-length portraits.
Where is it used?
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Ankle biter
Meaning
A slang term for small child.
Examples
Janice is pregnant again. With the twins still only two there’s soon going to be three ankle biters around the place.
Where did it originate?
USA, 19th century.
Where is it used?
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Barnet Fair
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for hair.
Examples
I’m not sure about that new hairdresser – he cut my barnet much too short.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Bite your tongue
Meaning
Avoid speaking.
Examples
I knew his wife wasn’t faithful but I didn’t like to say – I thought it best to bite my tongue.
Where did it originate?
Britain. Early (pre 1000AD) English, in the form of hold or keep one’s tongue.
Where is it used?
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Boat race
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for face.
Examples
Stupid am I! Look into my boat and say that again!
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Bottle and glass
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for arse.
Examples
He slipped on those wet leaves by the gate. Legs in the air and landed on his bottle.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Break a leg
Meaning
A superstitious way to wish ‘good luck’ to an actor before a performance while avoiding saying ‘good luck’ out loud, which is considered unlucky.
Examples
People often said ‘break a leg’ to Olivier, but he didn’t really need it.
Where did it originate?
USA, 20th century.
Where is it used?
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Breast is best
Meaning
Slogan of breastfeeding campaign.
Examples
I bottle-fed all my kids. I know they say breast is best but they all lived to tell the tale.
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Cast iron stomach
Meaning
Said to be possessed by someone who is able to eat anything with no ill effects.
Examples
Nine burgers in one sitting! He must have a cast iron stomach.
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Caught by the short hairs (or short and curlies)
Meaning
Trapped by an opponent in a situation you can’t escape.
Examples
I knew he had been stealing but he was the boss’s son. If I said anything he would get me sacked – he had me by the short and curlies.
Where did it originate?
Britain, late 19th century. People assume this expression has a vulgar origin but, in fact, when coined the hairs referred to were those on the back of the neck.
Where is it used?
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Charley horse
Meaning
Stiffness or cramp in the arm or leg.
Examples
He was just on the verge of scoring his first hundred and then got a charley horse and couldn’t hold the bat.
Where did it originate?
USA, late 19th century.
Where is it used?
Little-known outside the USA.
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Cheek by jowl
Meaning
Side by side; close together.
Examples
It looks as though Barry and Freda are an item. They were certainly cheek by jowl in the club all last evening.
Where did it originate?
Britain – 16th century.
Where is it used?
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Cross your fingers
Meaning
To hope that something happens.
Examples
Cross your fingers – I’ve put £500 in number 29.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 18th century.
Where is it used?
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Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning
Don’t hurt someone that helps you.
Examples
Shouting at the people who are offering you somewhere to stay isn’t a good plan. Have you never heard of the proverb Don’t bite the hand that feeds you?
Where is it used?
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Ear popping
Meaning
Sound that is loud or that catches the attention.
Examples
Led Zeppelin were good on stage and ear-poppingly loud.
Where did it originate?
USA, early 20th century.
Where is it used?
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Elbow grease
Meaning
Energetic labour, especially in the polishing of household items.
Examples
That silver will never get a shine like that – put some elbow grease into it.
Where did it originate?
Britain, late 17th century.
Where is it used?
Britain, mostly by the older generation.
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Eyebrow raising
Meaning
Something that creates shock or surprise.
Examples
Everyone expected Brokeback Mountain to get the Oscar. When the announcement said Crash had won it was truly eyebrow raising.
Where did it originate?
USA and Britain, early 20th century.
Where is it used?
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Find your feet
Meaning
To become conscious of and develop one’s expertise.
Examples
I didn’t cope well when I started my new job but after a few weeks I began to find my feet.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 16th century.
Where is it used?
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First footing
Meaning
Making a round of visits at New Year.
Examples
As soon as the clock strikes midnight on 31st December we’ll be off around town first footing all our neighbours.
Where did it originate?
Britain, especially Scotland, from 19th century onward.
Where is it used?
Mostly Scotland but has travelled with Scots throughout the world.
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Flesh and blood
Meaning
1 – One’s family. 2 – the bodily stuff we are made of.
Examples
1 – We aren’t putting Dad into a home. He is our flesh and blood after all. 2 – It’s so hot in here – almost more than flesh and blood can stand.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 10th century, from a biblical source.
Where is it used?
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Flip the bird
Meaning
To aggressively raise your middle finger at someone as a sign of displeasure.
Examples
I stopped the car a little too close when he crossed the road and he flipped the bird as a response.
Where did it originate?
USA, mid 20th century.
Where is it used?
Mostly USA.
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Foam at the mouth
Meaning
To show vehement rage.
Examples
He was mad as hell – really foaming at the mouth.
Where did it originate?
Britain, from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Where is it used?
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Get off on the wrong foot
Meaning
Make a bad start in a relationship or task.
Examples
My new boss overheard me calling her obese – that really got us off on the wrong foot.
Where did it originate?
USA, late 19th century.
Where is it used?
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Get your head around
Meaning
Understand something, especially something difficult to comprehend because it is complex or surprising.
Examples
Jill’s mother had a baby girl after Jill had baby Jimmy, so Jimmy now has an auntie who is younger than him! That’s weird. It took me a while to get my head around that.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 20th century.
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
Hear the idiom spoken
Go belly (or tits) up
Meaning
Become badly and permanently inoperative.
Examples
The company has gone belly up – they had millions in debts and their only customer went elsewhere.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 20th century. The allusion is to fish floating dead in the water.
Where is it used?
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Great minds think alike
Meaning
Said ironically when two people have matching thoughts.
Examples
So, you backed Windsor Boy in the 2.30 too did you? Great minds think alike.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 19th century.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
Gregory Peck
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for neck.
Examples
It’s freezing out there. Better get a scarf round your Gregory if you’re going out.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Gut feeling
Meaning
A personal intuition, based on feeling rather than fact.
Examples
Even before the trial, I always had a gut feeling that O J Simpson was a wrong un.
Where is it used?
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He makes my flesh (or skin) crawl (or creep)
Meaning
Said of someone who the speaker has a deep dislike of.
Examples
Savile was a sexual predator for 50 years. Just seeing a picture of his stupid face now makes my skin crawl.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 15th century.
Where is it used?
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Head over heels
Meaning
Very excited, especially when in love.
Examples
She said yes! We are to be married and I’m head over heels.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 18th century.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
Hobson's choice
Meaning
1. A choice forced upon someone. 2. Cockney rhyming slang for voice.
Examples
1. There was only one room left in the hotel when we arrived, so we got Hobson’s choice. 2. I’ve had a sore throat for a couple of days – now I’m beginning to lose my hobsons.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 17th century. Derived from the name of the carrier Thomas Hobson.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, although mostly amongst the older generation.
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In the buff
Meaning
Naked.
Examples
Midnight swimming in the buff? Not for me – I prefer a costume.
Where did it originate?
Britain. From Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
In your face
Meaning
Aggressive confrontation.
Examples
The police kept interrogating him. They were in his face for hours.
Where did it originate?
USA, 1970s.
Where is it used?
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Jelly belly
Meaning
An overweight person.
Examples
I wish I could cut down on the cakes and get some more exercise – I’m turning into a real jelly belly.
Where did it originate?
Britain, late 19th century.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but not common everywhere. Most used in Britain and Australia.
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Keep an eye on
Meaning
Observe carefully to make sure something bad isn’t done.
Examples
He’s got convictions for theft you know. Keep an eye on him when he’s near the till.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 16th century.
Where is it used?
Hear the idiom spoken
Keep body and soul together
Meaning
Earn sufficient money in order to keep yourself alive.
Examples
The minimum wage is too low. Its hardly enough to keep body and soul together.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 17th century.
Where is it used?
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Keep your chin up
Meaning
Remain positive in a tough situation.
Examples
Sorry to hear that you were made redundant on the day your buried your mother. Keep your chin up mate.
Where did it originate?
USA, late 19th century.
Where is it used?
Although derived in the USA this idiom is more commonly heard now in Britain.
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Knee jerk reaction
Meaning
A quick and automatic response.
Examples
When Isis bombed Paris the knee-jerk reaction was to bomb them back.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 19th century. Driving from the medical test involving tapping the knee.
Where is it used?
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Knee-trembler
Meaning
Sexual intercourse between two people standing up.
Examples
They had nowhere to go to make love and had to resort to a knee-trembler in the alley.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 19th century.
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Lend me your ear
Meaning
Politely ask for someones full attention.
Examples
Hey, lend an ear to this – Suzy is getting married.
Where did it originate?
Britain. From Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
Loaf of bread
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for head.
Examples
Betting your wages on the toss of a coin isn’t the best way to get out of debt – use your loaf mate.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Over my dead body
Meaning
Said when you absolutely refuse to allow something to happen.
Examples
He bullied me at school and now you want to promote him. Over my dead body!
Where did it originate?
Britain, circa 1800. From the writings of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Where is it used?
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Plates of meat
Meaning
Cockney rhyming slang for feet.
Examples
I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to help with the Christmas post. Ten miles up and down stairs today – my plates are killing me.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain.
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Potty mouth
Meaning
A foul mouthed person.
Examples
I couldn’t believe that string of swearwords that Jill gave the teacher – she’s a real potty mouth.
Where did it originate?
USA, mid 20th century.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but not particularly common.
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Prick up your ears
Meaning
Listen very carefully – like a dog or horse with erect ears.
Examples
Prick up your ears folks – this is important and I’ll only be saying it once.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 16th century.
Where is it used?
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Pull the wool over someones eyes
Meaning
Deceive someone.
Examples
He convinced us all that he was going straight, then the police found him with ten stolen watches. He really pulled the wool over our eyes.
Where did it originate?
USA, 19th century.
Where is it used?
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Pull your horns in
Meaning
Become less ambitious; curb your enthusiasm.
Examples
The team came bottom of the league last year and now has no money. They’ll have to pull their horns in when making bids for new players.
Where did it originate?
Britain – 19th century.
Where is it used?
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Pulling your leg
Meaning
Tricking someone as a joke.
Examples
You believed her when she said she was the Queen’s cousin? I think she was pulling your leg mate.
Where did it originate?
USA, 19th century.
Where is it used?
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Rule of thumb
Meaning
A rough estimate.
Examples
I’ve no tape measure with me but I’d say, as a rule of thumb, that building is twelve metres high.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 1600s. Not, as is often thought, derived from the size of stick a man was permitted to beat his wife with.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
See eye to eye
Meaning
When two or more people agree.
Examples
Our taste in music is the only thing we don’t agree on. Apart from that we see eye to eye on everything.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 17th century. Ultimately deriving from the Bible.
Where is it used?
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Side boob
Meaning
The side of a female breast revealed by skimpy clothing.
Examples
That T-shirt is way too loose on Jane. She’s showing acres of side boob.
Where did it originate?
Britain, late 20th century.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, amongst the younger generations.
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Silver threads amongst the gold
Meaning
Blonde hair that is turning grey.
Examples
Thirty years ago Janine had strawberry blonde hair. These days she’s going grey, or as she prefers to say silver threads among the gold.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but rather old-fashioned.
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Silver tongued
Meaning
Eloquent or persuasive manner of speech.
Examples
Reagan didn’t always have much in the way of policies but he certainly could hold a crowd with his silver tongued speeches.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 16th century.
Where is it used?
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Stab someone in the back
Meaning
Hurt someone who was close to us by betraying them secretly and breaking their trust.
Examples
All my friends promised to vote for me but when the election came and I got no votes I knew I’d been stabbed in the back.
Where did it originate?
First seen in James Joyce’s Ulysees, 1922.
Where is it used?
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The apple of my eye
Meaning
Someone who is cherished above all others.
Examples
She’s my only child – the apple of my eye.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 9th century – making it one of the oldest phrases in the language that is still in regular use in its original form.
Where is it used?
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Turn a blind eye
Meaning
Refuse to acknowledge something that you know is genuine.
Examples
I knew where my grandson was hiding nut I decided to turn a blind eye and let him have his fun.
Where did it originate?
Britain, early 19th century. Most probably directly related to Nelson’s refusal to view an unwelcome signal.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
Twist someones arm
Meaning
Persuade someone to do something they don’t really want to do.
Examples
I was tired after work and I didn’t really fancy the abstract expressionist exhibition but my wife twisted my arm and in the end I enjoyed it.
Where did it originate?
Britain, mid-20th century.
Where is it used?
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Use your loaf
Meaning
Think smart.
Examples
Sending money to that Nigerian email scam. Use your loaf, mate – wasn’t it obvious it was a con?
Where did it originate?
Britain, mid-20th century.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but most commonly in Britain.
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Van Gogh's ear for music
Meaning
Tone deaf.
Examples
I’d love to join the choir but my audition was a disaster. The conductor said I had Van Gogh’s ear for music.
Where did it originate?
An ironic joke alluding to Van Gogh’s celebrated loss of his ear, coined in Britain in the late 20th century. The source idiom ‘ear for music’ has been used in Britain since the 18th century.
Where is it used?
Mostly Britain and not a common idiom.
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Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning
Openly express your emotions.
Examples
He went on his knees in the town square and sang her a love song. You can’t say that he doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, although somewhat old-fashioned.
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Well hung
Meaning
Said of a man with large genitals.
Examples
The legend is that Errol Flynn was well hung, but it’s probably a myth.
Where did it originate?
The idiom might be thought to be fairly modern but, in fact, its first use was in Britain in the 17th century. Before being applied to humans the expression was used to refer to dogs that had large ears.
Where is it used?
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Wet behind the ears
Meaning
Young and naive, like a new-born baby.
Examples
That Justin Bieber; he thinks he’s all grown up but he’s really pretty wet behind the ears.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 1910s
Where is it used?
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Yellow belly
Meaning
A coward.
Examples
He wouldn’t fight in WWI. Some said he was a yellow belly, but I’d call him a pacifist.
Where did it originate?
Britain, late 18th century.
Where is it used?
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How the idiom originated
Zip your lip
Meaning
Say nothing; keep your mouth shut. Often shortened to ‘zip it’.
Examples
I saw Kevin put sneezing powder in the staff room but he told me to zip my lip about it or it would spoil the joke.
Where did it originate?
USA, 1940s. Deriving from the allusion to closing a garment with a zipper.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but most common in the USA.
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