Affectionate term for a friend.
Read the full origin →Established 1997 · researched & written by Gary Martin
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My old china
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148 published notes correcting and extending our entries.
Saint Peter famously walked on water when he was full of faith. But when his faith left him, he sank. It makes sense that "petered out" could be a reference to this.
Jane Eyre, chapter 17, has "beauty is in the eye of the gazer" in quotes. It's 1847, so well before Hungerford.
I live on an island of buildings going to rack and ruin and appreciate the sentiment. I find it interesting that the term's usage spiked following WWI, when Europe was in a state…
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From the Phrase Finder Digest
- The Bank Holiday Moved Dates, But These Rest Phrases Never Changed Meaning
The August bank holiday shifted from the first Monday of the month to the last for most of the UK in the late 1960s. The phrases we use about rest and idleness have their own, stranger histories.
26 August 2026
- The Ashes Urn Takes Its Name From A Funeral Service, Not A Cricket Pitch
Cricket's oldest rivalry has given English two phrases that behave very differently under scrutiny. One is a genuine pitch condition with a real Victorian source; the other borrows its name from a burial service, not the game itself.
19 August 2026
Based on Google Books usage over the last ~25 years. Refreshes each build.
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- MeaningCherry ripeIn Cockney rhyming slang, "cherry ripe" means a tobacco pipe.
- MeaningFood fightA food fight is a chaotic scuffle in which people throw food at each other, usually in fun rather than in anger.
- MeaningBlow a raspberryTo blow a raspberry is to make a rude, spluttering noise with the tongue and lips, imitating a fart, as a gesture of mockery or contempt.
- MeaningWine and dineTo entertain someone with good food and drink, often lavishly and with the aim of impressing or persuading them.
- MeaningSpoiler alertA warning given before revealing details of a film, book, TV show or other story that would ruin the surprise for someone who hasn't yet experienced it.
- MeaningStitch upTo deceive or frame someone by unfairly arranging matters against them, typically so they take the blame for something they did not do.
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Phrases.org.uk has been documenting the meaning and origin of phrases, sayings and idioms since 1997. Every entry is researched and written by Gary Martin, with citations to the earliest printed use we can find.
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