Reader Opinions
English Guru – (the ball is in your court) July 21, 2018
Syed Athaulla, we wouldn’t say ‘the ball is in its court’ or ‘the ball is in court.’ There must be a person (or people) who can take responsibility for the ball (which of course is not a ball at all except in tennis :-)). It’s common to say, “the ball is in your court.”
Someone – (New York minute) July 20, 2018
Why not use “a minute” or “in a minute” instead?
J Sahadi – (third time’s a charm) July 19, 2018
A “charm” was a chant recited in the Anglo-Saxon culture in order to make something come about, similar to a spell. For example, to make butter rise to the top of the churn, a chant was often recited three times in a row. In a poem called “Come, Butter Come” by Halliwell, the person recites the poem three times in order to make it rise to the top. I was thinking this might be the origin of the saying.
Jeevaraj Thangarasa – (rat race) July 18, 2018
Hi there,
Good morning. This idiomatic phrase just came out of my head. But I wasn’t quite sure about the meaning and usage of it. Luckily, I came across this site which explains the meaning by using it in different sentences. Thank you for this. Much appreciated.
Jeevan
Pehlaj Kumar – (crocodile tears) July 15, 2018
Don’t be deceived by that beggar’s crying, they are only crocodile tears.
Jeff Barrans – (dot the i’s and cross the t’s) July 11, 2018
It is probably from the early 1800’s. In addition to the 1849 article me tioned above, it was also used in I.K. Marvel’s “Revieries of a Bachelor”, published in 1950. If it referenced by two publications at the same time, it was probably in wide use already.
“That scrawling PostScript at the bottom, with it’s i’s so carefully dotted, and it’s gigantic t’s so carefully crossed”.
Mary Jean Adams – (icing on the cake) July 3, 2018
I am an American and have never heard anyone use the phrase “frosting on the cake.” Although we often call icing “frosting,” where I come from, the idiom remains the same as the British original.
Joshua R Jones – (no man is an island) July 3, 2018
No man is an island. No one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others. This saying comes from a sermon by the seventeenth-century English author John Donne.
Tim Chan – (raining cats and dogs) June 28, 2018
I think Raining Cats and Dogs originated long time ago when strong winds (hurricanes or typhoons) grabbed up some cats and dogs and deposited them elsewhere. That ‘elsewhere’ received the animals together with the heavy rain and thus the saying started. 🙂
Paul Williams – (run a tight ship) June 22, 2018
You are correct Sir , if judging this saying historically (Which my DAD Would have done)
But the modernists as they always do, have a alternative meaning
Read the above as they say 😉
