Phraseology: Thousands of Bizarre Origins, Unexpected Connections, and Fascinating Facts about English's Best Expressions
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The Amazing Secrets of the Phrases We Use Everyday
Phraseology is the ultimate collection of everything you never knew about the wonderful phrases found in the English language. It contains information about phrase history and etymology; unusual, lost, or uncommon phrases; how phrases are formed; and more than 7,000 facts about common English phrases.
Practical enough to be used as a reference book but so fun that every book lover will want to read it straight through, Phraseology contains such engrossing tidbits as:
- ACROSS THE BOARD is an allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race
- ARTESIAN WELL gets its name from Artois, where such wells were first made
- BEST MAN originated in Scotland, where the groom kidnapped his bride with the aid of friends, including the toughest and bravest - the best man.
Barbara Ann Kipfer PhD
Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer is the author of more than 30 books, including the bestselling 14,000 Things to Be Happy About and several Roget’s Thesaurus’. She is the managing editor/chief lexicographer for Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com and Reference.com and has worked for such companies as Answers.com, Ask Jeeves, idealab, Mindmaker and Knowledge adventure. She lives in Ivoryton, Connecticut.
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Reviews for Phraseology
41 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very versatile, but no reliable, ...Art Nouveau, from 1960?!?!?, -Fail!!
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I love phrase books. Really I do. I read them through and learn new things about words and phrases - I'm a lexophile and amateur etymologist. But this one is just awful. I managed to slog my way as far as the Bs (in 3 months) and I quit.The problems are many and varied. Some - most, even - of the phrases and definitions given are unexceptionable - which means both that I think they're right and that they're not fascinating. And then you come upon things like:"Abel-wackets: Blows given on the palm of the hand with a twisted handkerchief, instead of a ferula; a jocular punishment among seamen, who sometimes play at cards for wackets, the loser suffering as many strokes as he has lost games." Oookay...what's a ferula? Have you ever heard this phrase/word? So I googled it - and found a dozen sources that list it exactly as above - same definition, word for word - with the addition of the citation: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Can you say plagiarism? It's not, obviously, a copyright violation, but if she didn't have anything to say about this phrase (other than copying the one time it was written down), why put it in?Another, even more annoying. "Above the fold is the content of a Web page that can be seen without scrolling down; also called above the scroll". Excuse me? This is the origin of the phrase? It _might_ be the (or a) way it's used today, but that illuminates nothing whatsoever. No mention, even, of newspapers? Come on.The end result is, even on definitions that make a great deal of sense I doubt her explanations. So it's not useful, it's not interesting, and it's highly exasperating. NOT a winner.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I'm very interested in language and in the origins and meanings of words and phrases, but I found this volume more annoying than entertaining or enlightening. Some entries feature definitions with no etymology, some etymology with no definitions, and others random trivia facts which may or may not actually be interesting (or, for that matter, reliable). The subject matter ranges from phrases whose meaning is so common and obvious that I wonder why the author bothered to terms so obscure and technical that, uh, I wonder why the author bothered. It may be diverting to spend a few minutes flipping through it, as some of the entries actually are informative, but the utterly haphazard nature of the thing makes it useless as a reference book and frustrating to spend any real amount of time with. Also, for some bizarre reason, either the author or the editor appears not to believe in capital letters or periods at the end of sentences. Which is not only faintly irritating, but also makes it kind of difficult to take the whole thing seriously. Learn to punctuate, guys, and then you can come and teach me about the English language.Instead of this book, I recommend Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions if you're looking for an interesting and detailed book on the origins of common phrases, or Bill Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words for a readable and informative discussion of word usage with dos and don'ts.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This was my first "Early Reviewer" book so I was looking forward to getting it. However like the others, I was disappointed. I started at the beginning, then I read XYZ, but the same impression. Here are some of the reasons I was disappointed, taken from F and W:Inconsistency: the length, type of information and quality of information varies tremendously with each item. Sometimes a date is given when the first use of the phrase is given, sometimes not. Inaccuracy: If you are going to bother to put the original phrase in its native language, you should at least spell it properly. Final Solution in German is not Endlsung, with a caret over the s, but Die Endlösung. If I can look it up in Wikipedia and get it right, why can't the author? And surely it was a phrase occuring before 1947.Pointless nitpicking: "fine-toothed comb" reflects the literal meaning better than fine-tooth comb. Does that really help anyone understand what the phrase means?No explanation at all: a finger buffet is a whole series of finger food. (No explanation for finger food is thought necessary).Similarly: the term four-letter word (1934) is said to have come from the use of a proliferation of such word during World War I. Does this really help to understand what the phrase means?And again: to wash one's hands of something comes from Matthew in the Bible. (All biblical references I spotted were "from Matthew in the Bible"). Is this the work of a scholar? Does this explain anything?Mistakes/ typos: A woodman once had three meals: first lunch at 5pm (sic); second lunch at 9pm (sic) and third lunch at 1pm. My favourite piece of rubbish:The Western world refers to all of the countries of the world other than those in Asia. Does this include Africa? Cuba? Russia? Everyone knows that the Western world includes Japan, don't they? Pointless information: white coffee is coffee with milk added. Do I really need to buy a book to learn this?Missed opportunity (and probably bad history): by 1640 witch hunt existed in the literal sense; the extended (sic) sense is attested from 1932 (where? describing what?). I never expected to read this book from cover to cover, but rather to dip into it for amusement and edification. But the result so far has been to make me doubt whether any of the entries with which I am not familiar, are accurate or worth believing.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I think I am far enough into this to review this sadly disappointing book. I was really looking forward to receiving this Early Reviewer book and was considering buying it if I didn't snag it but alas it did not live up to expectations. Not only as other reviewers have said is it more a sort of abridged dictionary with not enough etymology and no references, but so far and I have read about a quarter , a fair proportion of the definitions/explanations of British phrases and food related phrases (my area of expertise) are wrong or daft. For example Cheddar cheese is described as being named after the *town* of 'Cheddar Gorge' which is, well, a gorge, the town itself is just Cheddar and a quick Google will confirm this. And curiously the basic Yorkshire pudding is defined as being like the exotic Popover (whatever that is).Very, very American and, given that I have only read part and I have found lots of errors within my specialised area, worryingly inaccurate.An interesting concept that fails in execution and accuracy.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm confused as to the purpose of this book - it is supposed to provide etymology and origins of words, or act more as a casual dictionary?There are definitions of English mustard (mustard), english breakfast (a large fry) and English Breakfast tea (surprisingly, tea). To me these words are nouns, not phrases. I suppose I should have guessed that it might not be the best when I saw the defition of the phrase "pushing the envelope" that features on the cover. "A pilot's term for flying an aircraft at or beyond its reasonable limits". That's the definition alright, but what about the origin as promised at the top of the cover?I went straight to the definition of one of my favourite phrases - "mind your p's and q'". Kipper gives the definition as being an admonishment used by teachers monitoring students' handwriting. There's no mention of two other widely-accepted theories. Firstly, a warning to typesetters in the days of printing presses when the letter 'q' did not feature its characteristic tail, and hence could be mistaken for a 'p' in reverse. The second hails back to the days of drinking pints and quarts in public houses and recording of such on the slate. For me this was the acid test, and the book failed it.Ultimately, it's a novelty book, and you probably will learn something from it. But you'll probably be better off searching on the internet.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I was expecting this book to contain in-depth descriptions about the origins of phrases. The sort of thing you could bring up at the pub as an interesting fact. However each phrase has at best a short sentence describing where the phrase might have originated from - I think for most of the entries I have read I already knew more than the book told me. Overall it appears the author has aimed for breadth over depth which leaves the book much the poorer for it.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I assume this work is meant to appeal to those who are exhilirated by language, the idiosyncracies of words and every nuance of phrases. It won't. You could take almost any example from this book ' The Gregorian calendar is the one now in general use.' That's the entry in it's entirety. The introduction promises 'really interesting things you probably do not know about thousands and thousands of phrases', and then singularly fails to deliver. Possibly the only thing in it's favour is the breadth of topics covered, although most could be described merely as definitions and without cross-referencing it is of very limited use. I wish I could have used it to find a better phrase than 'a disappointment'.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Readers hoping for either an entertaining stocking filler or anentomological curio will be disappointed in both regards. This is little more than an abridged dictionary, and even as an abridged dictionary it isn't up to much. A prime example is even listed as an exciting entry on the front cover - "Arabic Numerals: Named because these numbers were introduced to Europe by the Arabs." Flick through and every page has a similar prosaic, basic and unentertaining definition; "Fairy tales: are seldom about fairies". Good grief.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A common question posed by rebellious library users is “What is so great about the Dewey Decimal System?” It may be a bit cumbersome to learn, but a simple arrangement of titles by size or alphabetically will not help the user find that with which he or she is unfamiliar. “Phraseology” suffers from this same problem. It describes itself as containing “thousands of bizarre origins, unexpected connections and fascinating facts about English’s best expressions.” They are arranged alphabetically, however, and there is just no way to anticipate some of the inclusions. Would you ever think, for example, that a book of fascinating expressions would include “ocular dominance” or magnitude of a star”?But let’s set aside the expectation that this works as a reference book; it is the age of Google, after all, and such a compendium is not so essential anymore. Rather, I put it to the following test: does it make a good book for a car trip (or, if I were more indiscrete, I’d say “a bathroom companion”)? To this end, I tried it out in a competition of similar compendia: “Dictionary of Word Origins” by Jordan Almond, and “Dictionary of Eponyms” by Martin Manser. In every case except sheer number of inclusions, “Phraseology” came out the least desirable of the three.For example, in “Phraseology” we read that “Davy Jones is a term for the evil spirit of the sea. Davy Jones’s locker is the bottom of the sea.” That’s a good start, but I still don’t know from whence the phrase comes. In “Dictionary of Word Origins” I learn the interesting information that “Jones” is merely a corruption of “Jonah,” after the Biblical prophet who was thrown into the sea. “Davy” is a corruption of the West Indian word for “ghost” or “spirit.” Now it all becomes clear.“Phraseology” explains that the origin of the term “man Friday” is from the book “Robinson Crusoe” but that’s the end of the entry! What does it mean and how did that come about? The “Dictionary of Eponyms” not only fills me in, but tells me about the derivation of “girl Friday” as well. “Phraseology” does include an entry for “girl Friday,” but it is separate, and if I had just looked up “man Friday,” I would not have learned they are related.Some entries are fatuous or unhelpful. The entry for “fairy tales” reads “’fairy tales’” are seldom about fairies.” The “Gregorian calendar” is identified as “the one now in general use.” “Eskimo pies date to 1921.” “The year 1920 had the first recorded use of ‘iron curtain.’” “Force majeure” receives a literal translation, rather than the information that it is used synonymously with “Act of God” in American contract law. “Quahog” is listed under “hard-shell clam” but not under quahog!There are some entries that seem just right: Scoville scale, choropleth map, intaglio printing, but again, I wouldn’t necessarily identify them as part of “English’s best expressions.” But let’s cut to the chase: Is it a book that would entertain on a car trip? Is it a book I’d take to the bathroom? I would have to say that it’s a book I would take along with a second book. I might take it for its sheer volume of inclusion, and its inspiration to find out more about phrases and expressions. I don’t think it stands well alone. But it gives us a taste, a soupcon if you will, that sends us off to other reference books hungering for more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is not the type of book one reads cover to cover, so I am able to review it without actually having read every page. The joy of a book like this is in the browsing; opening to a random page, I then found myself skimming the next few pages until I flipped the book open to another place. This is not really a dictionary, and it would be hard to actually look something up in it, but that's not the point. This is a book for people who love words, and would be wonderful for a rainy day.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Vast amounts of words; lacking information, November 23, 2008 By Kaeli Vandertulip (Irving, TX USA) - See all my reviews Phraseology is a dictionary of phrases, defining evrything from dermagraphism (a hickey) to wild card. Often, the definition is assumed to be known (as in Waldorff salad), and so the basic origin of the word is given. More often, though, a brief definition is given without giving any information as to its etmology. Whereas books such as Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins will give a very detailed history of a few words, this book gives a cursory explanation for thousands of words (more than 7000 according to the back of the book). There were a number of aggrivating features to this book. First, I can get more information about word origins and even meanings from the OED. Second, the order of the words seems random. Sometimes the word is listed right where it ought to be (Waldorff salad is in the Ws) and other times, you have to guess (Quahog is under Hard Shelled Clam); there is little authority control. Finally, it's just not interesting to dip into. Most etymology books are either entertaining and brief or are very detailed. This, unfortunatly, is neither. It seems the author bit off more than she could chew. Rather than finding an index card worth of information on the words, she barely found a post-it note.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I was really looking forward to reading this book,. After page three I was not so sure. I get the impression that the author got tired of compiling information and decided that the information she had already collected was "good enough." Examples include "above the fold" - Kepfer forgot to include that the saying has historic roots in print media - that originally "above the fold" meant the lead story on the front page of the newspaper, above the fold the the paper. Another example is her information about "rolling pin - dates to 1589" Ok, well that is a start, but how did the name originate - why wasn't it called a rolling tube, or a bread roller? Her description of "Root Beer" - found in English by the 1840"s" Well, perhaps the name had something to do with a key ingredient - Sassafras - which was a tuber or root. Every page has phrases that are not fully explained. This book is not, as the title suggests "a definitive compendium" - it is more a pop culture overview.
Book preview
Phraseology - Barbara Ann Kipfer PhD
Copyright © 2008 by Barbara Ann Kipfer
Cover and internal design © 2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Stewart Williams
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
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Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
DR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
{Acknowledgments}
Thank you to Sourcebooks, especially Peter Lynch, for allowing me to create a follow-up to Word Nerd. Special thanks for support and editing assistance goes to my husband, Paul Magoulas.
To all the fans of my previous word books, please enjoy, as I intend this to be my last book in the genre.
{Introduction}
Phraseology is a collection of really interesting things you probably do not know about thousands and thousands of phrases. This book is the result of a hobby of gathering observations about words, something that has just come naturally during my nearly thirty years as a professional lexicographer. It is a delightful hobby, writing down what I find to be truly interesting definitions, fascinating origins or histories, details of usage, surprising trivia, useful synonyms, or unexpected connections between phrases. In Phraseology, I have caught
the interesting details about thousands of phrases and now present them to the wide world of word-lovers.
Phraseology contains notes from books about word history and etymology, unusual or lost or uncommon words, grammar instruction and usage, word trivia, differences between confusable words, how phrases are formed—from all the general and specialized dictionaries and language books that I have read. In Phraseology, I have distilled many, many bookshelves' worth of books in each of these areas, and now they are presented together for others to enjoy.
Readers will be inspired by Phraseology to explore further. They will find that any trip through Phraseology is a really cool way to learn things about phrases, things that may be useful, or things that they can then turn around and describe to their friends and families. In opening to any page, readers can have experiences like wow, I had forgotten that,
or that is certainly something I did not know,
or aha! that is what that means!
or oh, that is where that came from!
These phrases, including idioms and slang, greatly enhance the reader's knowledge and understanding by filling in his vocabulary with interesting information about phrases.
{ A }
A.1. steak sauce is so named for its being the very best,
and it was created in 1824
a cappella is Italian for in chapel style
the phrase à coups de dictionnaire means with blows of a dictionary, with constant reference to a dictionary
a cup too low means to not have drunk enough to be in good spirits
a fortiori means stronger reason, still more conclusively
(from Latin)
à la is a compound preposition before nouns, and the corresponding masculine preposition is au, as in au pair
à la carte is French, literally by the card,
in other words, ordered by separate items
à la Florentine means with spinach
à la mode for beef means made in a rich stew, usually with wine and vegetables
à la niçoise refers to hot or cold dishes with tomatoes, black olives, garlic, and anchovies; also called niçoise
A-list first meant first in a series of lists
(1890)
the phrase a number of is used with plural nouns (it is a determiner) and the verb should therefore be plural: "A number of people are waiting to buy tickets"
a posteriori, Latin from the latter,
refers to an argument which proves the cause from the effect
to cook something à point means just enough, not overcooked or undercooked
a priori is from Latin, literally from what comes first
ab ovo, from the beginning,
is from Latin, literally from the egg
an abat-jour is a skylight or device for deflecting light downward
an Abbott and Costello is frankfurters and beans in diner slang
abbreviated piece of nothing is slang for a worthless or insignificant person
Abderian laughter comes from Abdera, in Thrace, whose citizens were considered rustic simpletons who would laugh at anything or anyone they didn't understand
abel-wackets are blows given on the palm of the hand with a twisted handkerchief, instead of a ferula; a jocular punishment among seamen, who sometimes played at cards for wackets, the loser suffering as many strokes as he has lost games
ablation is the evaporation or melting of part of the outer surface of a spacecraft, through heating by friction with the atmosphere
abominable snowman (1921) is a literal translation of the Tibetan term Meetoh Kangmi, foul snowman,
and Tibetan yeh-the, little manlike animal,
gave us yeti in the 1930s
about-face is a shortening of right about face,
a cavalry instruction since around 1800
above snakes is a way of saying above the ground
above the fold is the content of a Web page that can be seen without scrolling down; also called above the scroll
Abraham's bosom is another word for heaven
absence of mind is the failure to remember what one is doing
there are adjectives that are absolute and cannot take more/most, less/least, or intensives like largely, quite, or very: absolute, adequate, chief, complete, devoid, entire, false, fatal, favorite, final, ideal, impossible, inevitable, infinite, irrevocable, main, manifest, only, paramount, perfect, perpetual, possible, preferable, principal, singular, stationary, sufficient, unanimous, unavoidable, unbroken, uniform, unique, universal, void, whole
absolute music (abstract music, pure music) is music for its own sake—concerned only with structure, melody, harmony, and rhythm
absolute zero is calculated to be -460 degrees F, the point at which it is impossible to get colder, the lowest temperature that is theoretically possible
absolution day is the Tuesday before Easter
the absolutive case is used to indicate the patient or experiencer of a verb's action, the subject of an intransitive verb, as well as the object of a transitive verb
absorbent ground is a ground prepared for a picture, chiefly with distemper, or watercolors, by which the oil is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors
abstract expressionism is a description generally applied to aspects of modern American painting in the late 1940s and early 1950s which were concerned both with the various forms of abstraction and with psychic self-expression
abstract language describes words that represent concepts rather than physical things
abstract nouns are things like goodness, evil, beauty, fear, love; concrete nouns are physical objects like table, apple, moon
an abstract number stands alone (1,2,3) while a concrete number refers to a particular object(s), as one horse, two feet
an abstracted form is a word affix or element of a familiar expression that is borrowed to form analogous words, such as -gate for Koreagate (from Watergate) and -aholic for workaholic from alcoholic
the abyssal plain of the ocean is 6,600– 20,000 feet and covers most of the ocean floor
an academic press (or university press) is a publishing house associated with a university or other scholarly institution, specializing in the publication of scholarly books and journals, particularly works written by its faculty
an academic procrastinator is a student who, lacking poor time-management skills and feeling stress, chooses to put off work or studying that needs to be done
academic question is a query that has an interesting answer but is of no practical use or importance
Academy Award (Oscar) refers to the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
academy board is inexpensive board, made of cardboard, used as a surface for oil painting since the early nineteenth century, primarily for small paintings and sketches
an academy figure is a drawing usually half life-size, in crayon or pencil, done from a nude model
the Academy leader is the standardized film beginning showing a backward countdown from ten to three
Acapulco gold dates to 1965, for a local grade of potent marijuana grown around the resort town of Acapulco de Juarez, western Mexico
the acceleration principle is the principle that an increase in the demand for a finished product will create a greater demand for capital goods
accent acute is a synonym of acute accent
accent grave is a synonym of grave accent
accepted pairing is advertising that concedes the merit of a competitor's product while promoting a contrasting feature of its own product
an access road is a road that provides access to a specific destination, as to a main highway or to a property that lies within another property
an accessory apartment is an apartment within a single-family dwelling, as for an in-law, aging parent, or college graduate returned home
an accessory fruit is one containing much fleshy tissue besides that of the ripened ovary; as apple or strawberry
accidental or subjective color is a false or spurious color seen in some instances, owing to the persistence of the luminous impression upon the retina, and a gradual change of its character, as when a wheel perfectly white, and with a circumference regularly subdivided, is made to revolve rapidly over a dark object, the teeth of the wheel appear to the eye to be of different shades of color varying with the rapidity of rotation
accidental lights are secondary lights or the effects of light other than ordinary daylight, such as the rays of the sun darting through a cloud, or between the leaves of trees—as well as the effect of moonlight, candlelight, etc.
the ladder on the side of a boat or ship to allow access from a smaller boat is the accommodation ladder
an accomplished fact is an irreversible accomplishment
according to Hoyle refers to Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769), an authority on card games
account receivable is an amount owed to an entity or a payment for goods or services; an account payable is an amount owed by an entity to others for goods or services
accountable mail is a shorter term encompassing registered, numbered, insured, and certified mail
accounting cost in economics is the total amount of money or goods expended in an endeavor, money paid out at some time in the past and recorded in journal entries and ledgers
an Ace bandage is a trademark for an elastic bandage used to wrap joints when sprained or strained
ace in the hole first referred to in stud poker, is a place of concealment for the ace, the most valuable card
anyone caught with an ace up one's sleeve in a gambling context would be assumed to be cheating, yet this common Americanism has come to mean hold something useful or powerful in reserve
without any suggestion of dishonesty
an ace-boon-coon is a very close friend
Achilles' heel should have the apostrophe, but is often written without it; Achilles tendon has no apostrophe
achromatic colors are white, black, and gray
acid rain was first used as a term in the nineteenth century to describe polluted rain in Manchester, England
acid snow is acid precipitation in the form of snow
acid test, for a test which is conclusive of the value or success of something, derives from the original use of nitric acid as a test for gold
acidic foods include most fruits, pickled vegetables, jams, and jellies
ack-ack (1939) represents A.A., the military abbreviation for anti-aircraft
acknowledge the corn originally meant to admit to being drunk, and then by extension to admit to any mistake, fault, or impropriety
acorn nut (hardware) is a closed nut having a domelike cover over the back, protruding part of the engaged screw or bolt
acorn squash really does resemble an acorn
the acoustic meatus is the ear opening through which sounds collected by the pinna reach the tympanic cavity
acoustic shock is a complaint of damaged hearing as a result of telephone workers' wearing headphones or earphones being subjected to excessive, continuous, or high-pitched noise
among foods, caviar is the dish most often cited as an acquired taste
across the board is an allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race
across the pond means on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean
acrylic paint is an emulsion paint employing a synthetic medium (acrylic resin); first used in the 1940s, it has proved a serious rival to oil paint with many modern artists
action painting as a term was introduced in 1952 by art critic Harold Rosenberg in preference to the term abstract expressionism
action potential is a brief electrical signal transmitted along a nerve or muscle fiber following stimulation
action verb is a word belonging to the part of speech that is the center of the predicate and which describes an act or activity
an active front is the boundary between two different air masses, or a portion thereof, which produces appreciable cloudiness and precipitation and is usually accompanied by significant shifts in wind direction
active ingredient is the chemically active part of a chemical compound
acupuncture point is any of various places on the human body on a line of energy (called a meridian) into which an acupuncture needle can be inserted to exact a benefit; also called acupoint
an acute angle is less than 90 degrees, a right angle is 90 degrees, an obtuse angle is more than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees, a straight angle is 180 degrees, and a reflex angle is more than 180 degrees but less than 360 degrees
ad creep is the gradual addition of advertising to non-traditional places and objects
ad hoc is Latin for this (specific purpose)
an ad hominem attack or criticism is aimed not at what someone has produced but at the producer
ad infinitum can mean lasting a long time
or endless, interminable
ad interim means temporary
ad lib can mean as much and as often as desired,
as ad libitum is literally according to pleasure
know people who are easily influenced by advertising? call them admass
ad nauseam is rarely if ever used about anything that would provoke genuine sickness
ad valorem is a type of customs duties, from Latin in proportion to the value
in U.S. diner slang, Adam and Eve is shorthand for two fried or poached eggs; Adam and Eve on a raft is two poached eggs on toast
Adam's ale is a humorous term for water
the Adam's apple is so named for a piece of the forbidden fruit that became stuck in Adam's throat
a version of add insult to injury originated in the fables of the Roman author Phaedrus (15 BC–AD 50), who quoted a fable by Aesop
transport is an added value that many people ignore; they want products available in a store/shop, so that is a value added to its intrinsic value
a calculator usually has an add-in memory key (M+), a subtract from memory key (M-), memory recall (MR), and memory cancel (MC)
adessive case is a noun case used to indicate adjacent location, and in English, this is usually expressed by the prepositions near, at, or by, as in by the house
Adirondack chairs are so called because they were first designed and used there
the knobs on an easel are called the adjustment keys
an adjutant general is a senior military administrative officer, especially an army general responsible for administration and personnel
adjuvant therapy is any secondary treatment for cancer (such as chemotherapy) given after the primary treatment (such as surgery) in order to remove residual microscopic disease
an admiral's watch is a good night's sleep
adolescent they is Roy Copperud's term for the use of the plural pronouns they
and their
with a singular verb, an ungrammatical but common practice, e.g., Whoever does that will find their job in jeopardy.
an advance directive is a written legal document in which the signer asks not to be kept alive by extraordinary medical effort when suffering from terminal illness or severe disability; a prior statement of refusal to permit certain types of medical treatment; also called living will, health-care directive, directive to physicians
advance man was first recorded in 1879
advancing colors describe the perceived tendency of warm colors to appear at the forefront of a painting while cool colors recede
advent candles are marked into twenty-four sections and burned daily during Advent, including the four Sundays before Christmas
adverbial dressing gown is Ernest Gowers's term for modifying a verb or adjective phrase with an adverb, e.g., frightfully boring
an aebleskiver pan is for making Danish pancake balls, which are really apple dumplings
Aeolian rocks are rocks that have been deposited or eroded largely by the wind
the huge ladders on fire trucks are called
aerial ladders
an aerial runway is equipment for recreation or climbing where a rider traverses from a high point to a lower point on a pulley suspended on a cable
aesthetic emotion is any emotional response to works of art produced when thought and emotion come together to create meaning, also known as working emotion
any psychological disorder arising from the emotions is an affective disorder; affective disorder is another term for mood disorder
an affinity card is a credit card sponsored by an organization, such as a university or business, that receives part of the card user's fees
affirmative action was seen in print by 1935 but did not come into widespread use until the 1960s
affix-clipping is a word formed by moving a letter to or from a frequent companion word, e.g. a napple—an apple; this is also called folk etymology
A-frame, a type of framework shaped like the letter A,
dates to 1909
afternoon men is slang for drunkards having had a liquid lunch
wisdom or cleverness that comes too late is after-wit, also called staircase wit
an agent noun is the person or thing that performs the action of the verb and typically ends in -er or -or
Agent Orange, the powerful defoliant used by U.S. military in the Vietnam War, was so called from the color strip on the side of the container, which distinguished it from Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent White, etc., other herbicides used by the U.S. military
originating in the nineteenth century, an agent provocateur was a policeman who infiltrated suspect groups and encouraged them to commit crimes
an agglutinizing language is one in which words are typically made up of sequences of elements (the opposite is fusional language)
agree to disagree dates to 1770
ahead of the game dates to the 1970s
aide memoire usually refers to something concrete carried to jog the memory, often written material
the term air conditioning has existed since 1909
the air fern, which is billed in stores and some garden centers as a plant that needs no water or fertilizer, is actually the skeletal remains of a tiny sea animal called Sertularia, a distant relative of coral; the skeletons look like ferns and have extremely fine foliage; in stores they are also sold as air plants and air moss
the term air force was originally applied to the newly formed Royal Air Force of Britain (1917) and then became a general term for this type of organization
air fresheners are of U.S. origin
air guitar is an imaginary guitar that one pretends to play; the action of pretending to play an imaginary guitar
an air gun propels a projectile via compressed air
the loud annoying horn often blown at sporting events is an air horn or signal horn, a horn activated by compressed air
an air pocket is a region of low or uneven pressure destabilizing an aircraft
air quote is the use of one's index and middle fingers on each hand to gesture quotation marks for a word or saying
air raid (1914) was one of the key terms of twentieth-century warfare
air support is another term for bombing
air time is the time a basketball player stays in the air while attempting a slam dunk
the small trucks that push and pull aircraft around a terminal are the aircraft tugs
the Airedale dog was originally called a waterside terrier
an airport novel is a light piece of fiction sold in airports and railway stations
al dente is Italian, literally to the tooth,
and can be applied to other kinds of food besides pasta
al fresco implies the presence of some nearby structure (one does not hike al fresco)
alang-alang is a type of Philippine grass
the Alcan (Alaska and Canada) Highway is now the Alaska Highway
sturgeon was once so plentiful in New York's Hudson River that it was humorously called Albany beef
an Albert chain is a chain used to anchor a pocket watch or other fob to a waistcoat
album nigrum is a term for the excrement of mice and rats
alcohol flush reaction is a condition where the human body cannot break down ingested alcohol completely, due to a missing enzyme, causing a flushing or blushing of the face, neck, etc. when alcohol is consumed
algal bloom is a proliferation of algae in water
Alice in Wonderland is a term for someone who is perpetually confused or amazed by the world around them
the alimentary canal, based on the Latin alimentum food
(also digestive tube), is the entire tube extending from the mouth to the anus; the esophagus is between the pharynx (at back of throat) and the stomach, while the trachea (windpipe) is alongside it
A-line, a dress or skirt shaped like an A, was created by Christian Dior
alive and kicking goes back to the eighteenth century, when London fishmongers referred to fresh fish flapping about in their carts
the call all aboard was used on riverboats before it was used on trains
is your life in a state of disorder? then you are all aflunters
in the phrase all balled up, the balls are ones of ice on horses' feet in the winter
all cats are gray in the dark means that in the dark, physical appearance is unimportant
All Fools' Day is another term for April Fool's Day
all Greek to me comes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
from a gusseted dress being thought to improve a woman's appearance, we get the phrase all gussied up
all hat and no cattle is someone who acts rich or important but has no substance
all mouth and trousers means boastful and blustering; all talk and no action
all of a sudden is correct (not all of the sudden)
all of a twitter means to be very excited
all-purpose flour is the finely ground and sifted meal of a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, which can be used in most food recipes calling for flour
all ready means prepared;
already means previously
use "all right, not
alright"
that's all she wrote started as college jargon in 1948
in all systems go, go means correctly functioning
all the way in diner slang is a sandwich with everything, often lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc.
all together means collectively,
in one place,
all at once
; altogether means in sum, entirely
all told basically means all (being) counted
or in summation
alla prima is a technique of painting in which the picture is completed in one session
the allative case is used to indicate movement onto, or to the adjacency of something, and in English, this is usually expressed by the prepositions to
or onto,
as in to the house,
onto the house
All-Bran Cereal arose as a convenient way of using up the bran left over from other products
the Allegheny River got its name from Delaware welhik-heny, most beautiful stream
the Allen key, screw, and wrench got their names from Allen Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut
an alley apple is a brick, rock, or stone when used as a missile
alley-oop may come from French alles! go on!
and the French pronunciation of up
the ends of automobile jumper cables are called alligator clips
an alligator pear is another name for avocado
feeling all-overish means you are physically or mentally uneasy
all's right with the world comes from a Robert Browning poem
alluvial deposits are sediment (mud, sand, gravel, pebbles) transported and deposited by a watercourse
an alluvial fan is a deposit of sand, silt, gravel, or rocks that fans out at a mountain or slope's base
all-wheel drive means the vehicle always (full-time) operates in four-wheel drive
alma mater bounteous mother
originally referred to the Roman goddesses of abundance and later was applied to universities with the notion that they are the mother
of intellectual and spiritual nourishment of students
marzipan is also called almond paste
aloe vera is literally Latin for true aloe
in contrast to the agave, which is very much like it
a Yale graduate, Ellery Chun, coined the term aloha shirt
alpha and omega signifies the first and last or God's eternity, as well as the most important part
alpha male is a domineering man; the dominant member in a group of males, especially animals
alpha taxonomy is the science of finding, describing, classifying, and naming living things; this retronym is used in those cases where the word taxonomy may be ambiguous: where the word taxonomy is (also) used in the sense of a classification in a hierarchical system
alpha version describes a development status that usually means the first complete version of a program or application, that is most likely unstable, but is useful to show what the product will do to, usually, a selected group—and is also called preview version
alpha waves are the slow electrical waves produced in the human brain of someone who is awake but inactive
alphabet soup describes an extravagant use of initialisms or acronyms
alter ego is Latin for other self
an altered state is any state of mind that differs from the normal state of consciousness or awareness of a person, especially one induced by drugs, hypnosis, or mental disorder
alternative energy is that which does not deplete natural resources
alternative medicine is also called complementary medicine
altocumulus undulatis are the clouds in a herringbone sky
a great synonym for excrement is alvine dejections
Alzheimer's disease was named in 1912 but remained in the vocabulary of medical specialists until the 1970s when it became a higher-profile disease (abbreviated form Alzheimer's was recorded in 1954)
the Amazonian epoch is the most recent of the Martian geologic epochs, from 1,800 years ago to the present
an Amber Alert is an emergency broadcast or notification system used when there has been an abduction, especially of a child
amber heart refers to amber's warm hue and poor heat conductivity transposed to emotional traits, meaning a particularly warm, loving, or kind heart
an ambient device is any simple wireless object that unobtrusively presents information
ambient food is food that can be stored at room temperature
ambient light is the light surrounding an environment or subject, especially in regard to photography and other artwork; also called available light, existing light
ambient music is that which has no persistent beat and is styled to create or enhance an atmosphere
ambient temperature is the temperature of the surrounding environment; technically, the temperature of the air surrounding a power supply or cooling medium
the amen corner constitutes the seats near the pulpit in church
American beauty is the name of a red, white, and blue playing marble (also called American fried, fried marble)
American dream was first written in 1931 by U.S. historian J.T. Adams
American Indian is just as acceptable as Native American
American plan is room, services, meals; European plan is room and services
American run is the unit of thickness of yarn
amicus curiae is Latin, literally friend of the courts,
and the plural is amici curiae
an amour de voyage is a temporary infatuation as is experienced during a cruise, airplane flight, etc.
one's amour-propre is one's awareness of what is right and proper for oneself
amplitude modulation is the written-out form of AM (radio)
amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule both mean literally something to please the mouth
and are used for an appetizer or pre-meal tidbit
anabatic wind is an upslope wind, usually applied only when the wind is blowing up a hill or mountain as a result of local surface heating and apart from the effects of the larger scale circulation; the opposite is katabatic wind
anadama bread is a loaf bread made from corn meal, flour, and molasses
an anagram dictionary is a list of words, or groups of words, ordered according to the number of each letter in the word; used for solving crosswords and similar puzzles
the term anal retentive appears in text by the late 1950s
analysis paralysis is the condition of being unable to make a decision due to the availability of too much information which must be processed in order for the decision to be made
the area of the hand connecting the thumb and first finger is the anatomical snuffbox
ancien régime is French old rule,
referring to the government and social order of France before the French Revolution
and one denotes getting fouled while shooting a basketball, qualifying for a free throw
Andes Mountains is from Quecha andi, high crest
anecdotal evidence is nonscientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts
an angel food cake has no fat and is a cake an angel could not resist
angels on horseback are oysters wrapped in bacon, grilled, and served on buttered toast, while devils on horseback are prunes doing the same
Anglo-Saxon is the language from which English developed; from the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from northern Germany and Denmark in the fifth century AD
angora wool is a mixture of sheep's wool with angora rabbit hair
angostura bitters' source is Angostura, Venezuela
an angry white male is a political conservative
angry young man was used by a reporter in 1957 to refer to John Osborne, who wrote the play Look Back in Anger
anima mundi is Latin for soul of the world
animal companion is a euphemistic term for a pet
before the sixteenth century, animal functions were those of the brain and nervous system; vital functions were the heart, lungs, and other essential organs; while natural functions involved assimilation and nutrition
in surfing, ankle slappers are very small waves
anything filled with neat (punched out) holes can be called an Annie Oakley (the Wild West sharpshooter)
in anno Domini, only capitalize the D (lord)
annus horribilis is Latin for dreadful year
annus mirabilis is a wonderful year
anointing of the sick is the Catholic sacrament when a priest anoints a dying person with oil and prays for salvation
anon and presently originally meant immediately
and changed to in a while
anorexia nervosa is an attempt to lose weight by chronically not eating
answer on a postcard refers to giving a brief answer or opinion
an answer-jobber is one who makes a living by writing answers
ant killers is jocular slang for the feet, especially very large feet
an ant lion is not an ant or a lion; it is the larval form of the lacewing fly
ante meridiem is before the middle of the day
antipasto and hors d'oeuvre are different terms—first Italian, second French—for the same thing, appetizers or starters
antique brass is a brownish yellow color, like that of brass