Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'break the bank.' Delve into its historical roots, contemporary usage, and enduring relevance.
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'break/bust one's ass,' including its historical context and contemporary relevance.
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'bring home the bacon,' tracing its historical roots and contemporary relevance.
Explore the origins, etymology, and cultural significance of the phrase 'brownie points, win,' a term rooted in the Girl Scouts' award system, now used figuratively to denote earned credits for good deeds.
Explore the meaning, origins, and cultural significance of the phrase 'bull in a china shop,' a metaphor for clumsiness and awkwardness, with historical insights and contemporary relevance.
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'bum steer,' a colloquial expression denoting poor or misleading advice.
Explore the origins, historical context, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'bum’s rush, to give/get the.' Discover its etymology, semantic nuances, and cultural significance.
Explore the origins, meaning, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'burn one’s bridges/boats, to', a metaphor for committing to an irreversible course of action.
Explore the origins, meanings, and cultural relevance of the phrase 'burn one’s fingers,' tracing its etymology and examining its usage in contemporary language.
Explore the phrase 'burn the candle at both ends,' its origins, semantic nuances, cultural significance, and its enduring relevance in modern language.
Explore the meaning, etymology, and cultural significance of the phrase 'burn the midnight oil.' Discover its historical roots and contemporary relevance.
Explore the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'bury one's head in the sand,' a metaphor for ignoring danger or unpleasantness.
Explore the meaning, historical context, and contemporary usage of the phrase 'a busman's holiday,' a term describing leisure time spent engaging in activities similar to one's work.
Explore the origins, etymology, and cultural significance of the phrase 'busy as a beaver/bee,' tracing its historical roots and contemporary relevance.
Explore the phrase 'by leaps and bounds,' its origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance. Understand its usage in literature and contemporary contexts.
Explore the phrase 'by the numbers,' its historical origins, semantic nuances, and cultural relevance. Understand how this expression evolved from military training to everyday civilian contexts.
Explore the origins, meanings, and contemporary relevance of the phrase 'by the seat of one's pants,' a term rooted in aviation history and widely used to describe intuitive or improvised actions.
Explore the origins, semantic nuances, and cultural significance of the phrase 'by the seat of one's pants,' a term rooted in World War II aviation and widely used to describe actions based on instinct or experience.
Explore the phrase 'by the sweat of one’s brow,' its definition, historical roots, semantic nuances, and cultural relevance. Understand its enduring presence in language and literature.
The largest and most comprehensive resource of its kind, The Dictionary of Clichés features thousands of unique clichés, idioms, jargon, slang, euphemisms, and metaphors, alongside common expressions.