The term appears in Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews (1742) and works by Dickens, Hardy, Shaw, and many others, but it may now be dying out, at least in America.
What is the meaning of the phrase a pretty kettle of fish?
1 : a bad state of affairs : mess. 2 : something to be considered or dealt with : matter a different kettle of fish.
Do not give two hoots meaning?
informal. : to care at all about someone or something —used in negative statements I don't give a hoot about what they say. I don't give two hoots about his problems.
What does the idiom bring to book mean?
Call to account, investigate . For example, He was acquitted, but one day soon he'll be brought to book, or As for your records, the IRS is sure to bring you to book concerning your tax deductions.
What do you understand by slain?
Definition of slain
past participle of slay. 1 transitive : to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers slay the enemy This was the appearance of a dreadful epidemic which in that age, and long before and afterward, was wont to slay its hundreds and thousands on both sides of the Atlantic.—
What does give me your 2 cents mean?
1 or two cents' worth : an opinion offered on a topic under discussion send your two cents' worth to your senator. 2 : a sum or object of very small value : practically nothing said angrily that for two cents he'd punch your nose.
What does give me your two cents?
Meaning/Usage: To give or share your opinion . Explanation: This came from the original expression, “my two pennies worth.” It has been shortened recently to just “my two cents.” This is a way of offering your opinion and saying that is only worth two pennies.
What does besides the point mean?
Irrelevant, off the subject . For example, Whether you had insurance is beside the point; the accident is your fault. These terms came into common use in the mid-1800s. Also see neither here nor there.
What is the meaning of idiom bed of roses?
Definition of bed of roses
: a place or situation of agreeable ease .
What does bolt from the blue mean?
Definition of bolt from the blue
: a complete surprise : something totally unexpected.
Is no child's play?
Originating in the early 1300s as child's game, the idiom was already used in its present form by Chaucer in The Merchant's Tale: “ It is no child's play to take a wife.”
Was slain or was slayed?
Formally, slayed (or sometimes slew, though that sounds archaic to me) is the simple past tense and slain is the past participle . The past participle is used to make perfect tenses and passive voice, and can be used as a pre-positive adjective. Examples (in the order as listed above): The hero slayed the dragon.
What does slain mean in a murder case?
Slain is defined as killed or murdered in a violent way . Someone who has been murdered in a neighborhood fight is an example of someone who was slain. verb. Past participle of slay.
What is the antonym of slain?
| alive live | kicking running | awake existent | moving extant | going working |
|---|
What is the idiom of out of the blue?
phrase. If something happens out of the blue, it happens unexpectedly .
Where did the saying penny for your thoughts come from?
A brief history of the idiom “A penny for your thoughts”
First used by English statesman Sir Thomas More in his 1522 book Four Last Things , the idiom “A penny for your thoughts” has retained the same meaning for nearly 500 years.
What means a penny for your thoughts?
Definition of (a) penny for your thoughts
— used to ask what someone is thinking about “A penny for your thoughts?” “Oh, I'm just thinking about what I want to do over the weekend.”
What does having two left feet mean?
Definition of two left feet
— used to describe a person who dances badly My wife is a good dancer, but I've got two left feet.
What does small world mean?
Definition of (it's a) small world
—used to show surprise when one meets someone one knows at an unexpected place or finds out that one shares a friend, acquaintance, etc., with another person You know him, too? Wow, it's a small world.
What does 2 shakes mean?
Definition of in two shakes
informal. : very quickly or soon I'll be ready to go in two shakes.
What is the meaning of idiom beyond the pale?
“Beyond the pale” then became a colloquial phrase meaning “ outside the limits of acceptable behavior or judgment .”
What is the meaning of the idiom wild goose chase?
Definition of wild-goose chase
: a complicated or lengthy and usually fruitless pursuit or search These errors had two fatal consequences. The most obvious was that a number of engines and dozens of firefighters were sent on a wild-goose chase and did not get to the fire for many minutes.—
What does have a heart set mean?
Definition of have one's heart set on (something)
: to want something very much She has her heart set on a new bicycle.
