Category: English Phrase
Meet Your Waterloo Meaning Arrive at a final decisive contest. Origin This phrase refers to the 1815 battle outside the Belgian town of Waterloo in which Napoleon Bonaparte was …
Mea Culpa Meaning I’m to blame. The literal translation from the Latin is ‘through my own fault’. Even those who don’t speak Latin could probably make a guess that …
Many Happy Returns Meaning Have many more happy days, especially birthdays. Origin Since the 18th century this has been used as a salutation to offer the hope that a …
Man’s Inhumanity to Man Meaning Literal meaning. Origin This phrase, which is always used with a sense of regret, was coined by Robert Burns and used in his poem …
Man Up Meaning To accept responsibility; to take ownership; to gather your courage. Example If something hard needs to be done, then you ought to man up and take …
Mal de mer Meaning Seasickness. Origin Only the very luckiest amongst us will be unfamiliar with seasickness. The three dimensional freedom of a boat’s movement, as compared with the …
Making Hay Meaning To be highly productive for a limited period of time when the opportunity is present. Example While in graduate school you may be living as a …
Make My Day Meaning Carry on with what you are doing – it will give me an excuse to behave badly. Origin This line was made famous by the …
Make Haste Meaning Act quickly. Origin This is an old phrase and is first found in the works of Martin Luther. Miles Coverdale’s translation of A very excellent and …
Make Both Ends Meet Meaning To live within one’s means. Origin In accountancy, meet used to be an adjective meaning equal or balanced. The end was the end of …
