From northern working-class humour and sexual bravado to Last of the Summer Wine and punk rock, the curious history of a familiar British expression.
Popular Idioms and Phrases: “All Mouth and Trousers.” The History of a Very British Insult
Tag: popular idiom
Popular Idioms and Phrases: “As Fit as a Butcher’s Dog”
“As fit as a butcher’s dog” is one of those unmistakably British expressions whose meaning is obvious even if its origins are not. From nineteenth-century slang to sport, politics and modern double meanings, it is a phrase that has proved remarkably durable.
Popular Idioms and Phrases: “Mad as a Box of Frogs” – A Peculiarly British Madness
A phrase that has survived our supermarket dash to knock the beauty, life and expressions from our wonderful language, to sacrifice at the altar of political expediency.
Popular Idioms and Phrases: Splitting Hairs
by Chris Harris Splitting Hairs: Why We Still Love This Centuries-Old Idiom We all know a hair-splitter. You say the meeting started at ten o’clock and they point out that it actually started at 10:02. You say a politician broke a promise and someone replies that technically it wasn’t a promise, it was a commitment. … Continue reading Popular Idioms and Phrases: Splitting Hairs