Every article on the history of English, newest first.
Have you ever heard someone saying that they’re ‘walking on eggshells’ to avoid upsetting someone? This is an idiom, which means that it’s not meant literally. But, don’t worry, in…
Many awkward situations have been marked with the question ‘Cat got your tongue?’ But it’s not a phrase you hear everyday, so don’t feel alone if you haven’t heard it before. In hi…
Have you ever heard the phrase “my way or the highway”? If so, have you ever wondered what it means and how it may have originated? If so, this article will explain it all. We will…
Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘fever dream’? Did you assume that it means dreams you have during a fever? It turns out that isn’t what it means… Still curious? Then you’ve come…
Have you ever been on a night out for drinks and someone describes one of your crew looking ‘three sheets to the wind’? Sounds like an odd thing to say at a bar, right? Wrong. I’m…
It’s not uncommon to hear people using the phrase ‘risk it for a biscuit’. This is an idiom, and you cannot deduce the meaning simply by looking at the individual words alone. That…
‘Sorry to hear that’ is a very common phrase in everyday conversations, and you’ll often hear it on TV dramas and in films as well. If you’ve ever wondered if you fully understand…
Welcome to our comprehensive Old English Word List. This interactive resource allows you to explore a vast collection of Old English vocabulary. You can easily navigate through the…
If someone seems annoyed with you and they tell you to go and ‘kick rocks’ you might be wondering what on earth they might mean. If so, then you’ve come to just the right place. He…
The phrase ‘pull up in the Sri Lanka’ comes up lot on internet and social media memes this days, but sadly not always with an explanation and it can feel quite random and out of pl…
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘cowabunga it is’ and been clueless as to what it might mean? Or have you seen the phrase used in a meme? If so, you’re in luck… I’m going to lay out…
Have you ever been in conversation with someone, when they start to interrupts and say ‘say less’. Maybe you didn’t really understand what they might have meant at the time. But th…