Pin Money Meaning Originally a small allowance given to a woman in order to purchase clothes etc. for herself. More recently it is used to describe any small amount …
Peter Out Meaning Dwindle away to nothing. Origin The earliest use of peter as a verb meaning dwindle relate to the mining industry in the USA in the mid-19th …
Peg Out Meaning Die. Origin This phrase is widely thought to have been taken from the scoring in card games like cribbage, in which the score is kept on …
Pass The Buck Meaning Blame someone else; avoid accepting responsibility by passing it off to someone else. Example In times of trouble, my old boss was quick to pass …
Paper Tiger Meaning A person who appears to have power but is in reality ineffectual. Origin This expression became known in the West as a slogan that Mao’s Chinese …
Paint The Town Red Meaning At the end of final exams college students have traditionally gone out to paint the town red. College students traditionally also do this at …
Out of Sorts Meaning Mildly unwell; not in one’s usual health or state of mind. Origin Since at least the 17th century ‘sorts’ has been the name of the …
One Red Cent Meaning A single symbolic penny. Example I refuse to pay even one red cent for the work until you complete the whole job. Origin The Red …
On The Wagon Meaning Abstaining from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Example Dean Martin never fell off the wagon. You have to be on the wagon before you can fall …
On The Dole Meaning Unemployed and in receipt of state benefit. Origin In the UK, Unemployment Benefit has been known by the slang term ‘the dole’ since WWI. This …