The AnswerBank Articles

Why do we use the expression 'over the moon'

Asks Tony Rushton: A. It refers to the 18th century nursery rhyme about the cow jumping over the moon and signifies jumping for joy so high as to break the bounds of gravity. It would be an01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

What is the meaning of 'salt of the earth'

asks Curt Herzog: A. It means thoroughly good types. The origin is the Bible, from Jesus' sermon of the Mount, quoted in St Matthew's gospel: 'Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost01:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Why is the word 'gate' used when referring to scandals

... asks Archie MacA. It stems from Watergate, the US political scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon. Watergate is the name of the apartment block in Washington DC where a01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

What do the initials ITMA stand for

Tony B asks: A. It's That Man Again a hugely successful British radio comedy series. Q. Why haven't we heard of it A. You would have if you'd spent long evenings sitting behind your blackout01:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

What does it mean if you 'stymie' someone

A. This is another of those seemingly bizarre golfing terms, except this one hasn't been in general golfing use since about 1952. Q. What does it mean A. This is a bit like explaining the offside01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

Why do we say it's a dog's life

A. As Johnjo explained, it means a totally miserable existence, where life treats you unfairly. Dogs often come off badly in well-known sayings. Q. Such as A. Dogsbody - a drudge who has to do all01:00 Mon 05th Mar 2001

What does bowdlerizing mean

...asks M Scott. Bowdlerize means to remove the parts from a work of literature that might be considered offensive or indecent, and is used to describe any ridiculously priggish form of censorship. It01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

Where does the expression 'OK' come from

...asks J Arnold. OK, here we go... The origin of this expression is one of the most hotly debated in the sort of circles that debate such things. What's the hot favourite One of the most widely01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

Why would you go the whole hog

By Hermione Gray Why would you go the whole hog ...asks J Arnold. The phrase, 'To go the whole hog' means to do something thoroughly and completely, so it would certainly get the job done. What's01:00 Mon 26th Feb 2001

What is love

By Hermione Gray WHAT is love asks Orla Hughes this week. Good question, Orla. Albionboy answers by describing the physical effects: 'makes you lose your appetite', 'butterflies in your stomach',01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Don't quote me...

By Hermione Gray SOME of the most commonly used quotes today are misquotes, or attributed to the wrong person. Here are a few of the most famous... Nobody in Star Trek said, 'Beam me up, Scotty.'01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

TonyB asked about reverse words, here's some detail

By Hermione Gray HERE are some words whose meanings have been reversed, from Reader's Digest Facts & Fallacies. Backlog - This used to indicate a desirable stockpile - the back log was the one01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001

Pop the question - and other pops

By Hermione Gray VALENTINE'S DAY, with its associations with romance, has become a traditional day to propose marriage - or 'pop' the question. 'Pop' in this case, means unexpected, because the01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Of the first water

By Hermione Gray THE PHRASE 'of the first water' comes from a technical term that is used to describe a diamond. The degree of brilliance in a diamond is called its 'water', so a 'diamond of the01:00 Mon 12th Feb 2001

Star questions

By Hermione Gray A FEW Northern sayings have turned up this week. Steve wants to know the origin of, 'Do you think I came up the Irwell on my Mam's Piano ', which is used when someone tries to01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

Roses are red, violets are blue

By Hermione Gray SENDING a message of love on Valentine's Day is big business in the UK. In 1999, we brought more than 23 million Valentine cards, worth nearly 39 million, according to greeting01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

The flowerpot men of Europe

By Hermione Gray PhotoDisc.co.ukIF YOU thought a flower pot was just something to keep a plant in, you would be wrong. According to the European Union flower pots must be considered as 'packaging'.01:00 Mon 05th Feb 2001

The apple of my eye - and other apples

By Hermione Gray THE APPLE is a feature of many phrases and sayings, and has long been mentioned in legends and fables. It is probably most famous for its connection with the Garden of Eden,01:00 Mon 29th Jan 2001

He couldn't run a whelk stall!

By Hermione Gray THERE are many colourful ways of describing incompetence, where a person is placed in a position far beyond his ability. One memorable saying is, 'He couldn't run a whelk stall'.01:00 Mon 29th Jan 2001

The best and worst...

By Hermione Gray HERE, at The Answer Bank, we see a wide range of questions, from the puzzling and fascinating to the frankly unbelievable. Here's a selection of the best and worst posted in Phrases01:00 Tue 20th Jun 2017