Glossary of Colloquialisms
(Starting with "O")
By
Natalya Belinsky,
"Fluent English Educational Project"
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OBTW
(web, chat) oh, by the way
OIC
(chat) Oh I see!
OK
- ok
- okay
- o.k.
- okey
- okeh
- hunky-dory
- Okey-doke
- okie
dokie
- okie
- dokie
- okeydoke
- okedoke
- okeydokey
- o'kay
1. (informal) a) being satisfactory
or in satisfactory condition; b) sentence-initial
expression of agreement; c) please;
you are welcome.
Examples:
1) The passengers were shaken up but
are ok.
2) Is everything ok?
3) Thank you. - OK.
Synonyms:
all right, all-right, alright, fine, ok, o.k., okay,
okey, very well, hunky-dory, okey-doke, okeydoke,
okie dokie, okedoke, okeydokey. 2. A state in South central United States
Synonyms:
Oklahoma, Sooner State , OK 3. An endorsement.
Example:
They gave us the ok to go ahead.
Synonyms:
ok, okay, okey, okeh 4. To give sanction
to.
Example:
I ok of his educational policies.
Synonyms:
approve, okay, sanction
History:
The term has only been in use for just over 160
years, and until recently the etymology was much
disputed. Choctaw-Chickasaw "okah"
- "it is indeed", Greek "olla
kalla" - "all good", Scots "och
aye", and other possibilities in Finnish,
French, and West African languages, have successively
been proposed as the source. "Online Etymology
Dictionary" (http://www.etymonline.com/)
states that the word appeared in 1839 and is the
only survivor of a slang fad in Boston and New York
c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases with
deliberate, jocular misspellings (cf. K.G.
for "no go," as if spelled "know
go"); in this case, "oll korrect."
Further popularized by use as an election slogan
by the "O.K. Club", New York boosters
of Democratic president Martin Van Buren's
1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his nickname
Old Kinderhook, from his birth in the N.Y.
village of Old Kinderhook. Van Buren
lost, the word stuck, in part because it filled
a need for a quick way to write an approval on a
document, bill, etc. The noun is first attested
1841; the verb 1888. Spelled out as "okeh",
1919, by Woodrow Wilson, on assumption that
it represented Choctaw "okeh"
- "it is so" (a theory which lacks historical
documentation); this was ousted quickly by "okay"
after the appearance of that form in 1929. "Okey-doke"
is student slang first attested 1932.
OO!
(chat, Internet) big, excited hugs
OOOXXXYYYZZZ
(chat, Internet) this is illegal before marriage
in nine states; OOOXXXyZZZZZ - still
illegal, but generally not nearly as well received
OOO~~~
(chat, Internet) big hugs and large caterpillars
for all
OOQ
(chat, Internet) hugging with tongue
OTOH
(chat) on the other hand
Occident
[AKH-suh-dun]
regions or countries lying to the west of a specified
or implied point of orientation
Example:
Not only are we in the Occident girding ourselves
for recession, but... [the] economies are showing
signs of deflation, too. (Kevin Libin, "Canadian
Business", December 10, 2001)
History, related words:
"Occident," which comes
from Latin "occidere," meaning
"to fall," once referred to the part of
the sky in which the sun goes down. Geoffrey
Chaucer used the word in that now obsolete sense
around 1386, and shortly thereafter, the word took
on the "western regions and countries"
sense that we still use. Exactly what is meant by
"western" is not always the same. Originally,
"Occident" referred to western
Europe or the Western Roman Empire. In modern times,
it usually refers to some portion of Europe and
North America as distinct from Asia. The opposite
of "Occident" is "Orient,"
which comes from Latin "oriri"
("to rise").
Odyssey
- Odysseia
- Ulysses
- Odysseus
[Odisi]
1. An ancient Greek epic by Homer that tells
the adventures of Odysseus in his attempt to travel
home after the Trojan War.
Example:
The film is based on the "Odyssey", Homer's
epic from Greek mythology.
2. A voyage with trials; a long, adventurous
journey.
Example:
Arctic odyssey: travelling Arctic Europe is one
of the most interesting advantures in your life.
Etymology:
The word "odyssey" derives
from the Greek "Odysseia",
the name of Homer's poem. It tells the story
of the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus (the
Romans called him Ulysses) after the
Trojan War. The figurative sense of the word - long,
adventurous journey - was first recorded in 1889.
Once bitten
- twice
shy
- Once
- bitten
- bite
- twice
- shy
If a dog bites you, you will probably be very careful
to stay clear of dogs after that.
This saying means that people tend to protect themselves
from being hurt, especially if they've been hurt
before.
Example:
"Why didn't Lee enter the science fair?"
asked Jim. "The volcano she made last year
was great."
"Once bitten, twice shy," said Jenna.
"She heard some kids making fun of her entry
last year, so she wouldn't enter this year."
One picture is worth a thousand words
- Seeing is believing
- One
- picture
- be worth
- worth
- thousand
- words
- word
- Seeing
- believing
When people say this, they mean that, in a particular
instance, a picture can explain things better
than words.
Example: "Here's a picture of Rikki
after he won his diving medal." Sonia showed
Mrs. Smith the photograph. "Goodness!"
Mrs. Smith said. "Wasn't he happy and proud!"
"Yes, he was," Sonia said. "Just
look at his face. This picture is worth a
thousand words!"
One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel
- One
- rotten
- apple
- spoil
- whole
- barrel
This saying means that one bad thing can spoil everything
connected with it.
Example:
Mr. Small's class was known as the best-behaved
class in the school. One day a new boy joined the
class. He was noisy and rude, but he was also funny.
Soon the other kids in Mr. Small's class started
talking and laughing and becoming rowdy. Mr. Small
just shook his head and said, "One rotten apples
spoils the whole barrel!"
o/c
(web, chat) of course
obdurate
[AHB-duh-rut]
1. Stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing.
2. Hardened in feelings.
3. Resistant to persuasion or softening
influences.
Example:
Although Helen tried hard to persuade Joe to attend
the neighbors' party, he remained obdurate in
his refusal to go.
Etymology, related words:
When you are confronted with someone obdurate,
you may end up feeling dour. During the encounter,
you may find that you need to be durable to keep
your sanity intact. Maybe you will find such situations
less stressful in the future if you can face them
knowing that the words "obdurate,"
"dour," "during,"
and "durable" are etymological
kissing cousins. All of those words trace back
to the Latin adjective "durus,"
which means "hard."
obeisance
[oh-BEE-suhn(t)s; oh-BAY-suhn(t)s]
1. An expression of deference or respect,
such as a bow or curtsy.
2. Deference, homage.
Examples:
1) They made obeisance right to
the floor, coiling like bright snakes from the
arms of their astonished handlers. (Ann Wroe,
"Pontius Pilate")
2) His presence was betrayed to
Miloš, who ordered his execution and then
sent his rival's head to the Sultan to demonstrate
his obeisance. (Misha Glenny, "The Balkans")
3) In all, it had served to create
a highly restrictive society where the arrogance
of superiors was as ingrained as their subordinates'
fawning obeisance. (Robert Whiting, "Tokyo
Underworld")
Etymology, related words:
"Obeisance" comes from
Old French "obeissance", from
"obeissant", present participle
of "obeir" ("to obey"),
from Latin "oboedire" ("to
listen to"), from "ob-"
("to") + "audire" ("to
hear"). The adjective form is "obeisant".
objurgation
[ahb-jer-GAY-shun]
a harsh rebuke
Example:
The young man . . . began to fan himself vigorously
with his hat, and broke out into a lively objurgation
upon the hot weather. (Henry James, "Roderick
Hudson")
Etymology:
"Objurgation" traces to
the Latin "objurgare" ("to
scold or blame"), which was formed from "ob-"
("against") and "jurgare"
("to quarrel" or, literally, "to
take to law" - in other words, "to bring
a lawsuit"). "Jur-" in Latin
means "law", and there are several English
words related to "objurgation"
that have legal implications, including "perjury",
"abjure", "jurisprudence",
and even "injury". But despite
its etymological connection to the law, the word
"objurgation" carries
no legal weight. It refers to nothing more than
an unusually harsh or severe scolding.
oblation
[uh-BLAY-shuhn; oh-]
1. The act of offering something, such
as worship or thanks, especially
to a deity.
2. (Usually capitalized) The act
of offering the bread and wine of the Eucharist.
3. Something offered in a religious rite
or as a charitable gift.
Examples:
1) There is another kind of spiritual
courage as well, quieter and less celebrated,
but just as remarkable: that of making each day,
in its most conventional aspects - cooking, eating,
breathing - an oblation to the absolute. (Philip
Zaleski, "A Buddhist From Dublin," New
York Times, July 24, 1994)
2) These aren't flowers randomly snatched
from the garden; these are florist's flowers,
purchased as an offering, an oblation. (Carol
Shields, "Dressing Up for the Carnival")
3) And that day we also celebrate
the memory of his goodness in sending a star to
guide the three wise men from the east to Bethlehem,
that they might there worship, and present him
with their oblation of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. (Izaak Walton, "The lives of John
Donne and George Herbert")
Etymology:
"Oblation" derives from
Latin "oblatio", from "oblatus",
past participle of "offerre",
"to carry to, to bring to, to offer,"
from "ob-" ("to") +
"ferre" ("to bring").
obliterate
[uh-BLIT-uh-rayt]
1. To remove utterly from recognition or
memory.
2. To remove from existence; destroy utterly
all trace, indication, or significance
of; to cause to disappear (as a
bodily part or a scar) or collapse
(as a duct conveying body fluid).
3. To make undecipherable or imperceptible
by obscuring or wearing away.
4. To deface (a postage or revenue
stamp), especially with a set of
ink lines so as to invalidate for
reuse; to cancel.
Example:
To obliterate all thoughts of the blizzard outside,
Terry lit a scented candle, put on some Vivaldi,
and sat in front of the fire with her spring catalogs.
History:
Far from being removed from existence, "obliterate"
is thriving in our language today with various
senses that it has acquired over the years. True
to its Latin source, "oblitteratus,"
it began in the mid-16th century as a word for
removing something from memory. Soon after, English
speakers began to use it for the specific act
of blotting out or obscuring anything written.
Eventually (by the late 18th century), its meaning
was generalized to removing anything from existence.
In the meantime, another sense had developed.
In the late 17th century, physicians began using
"obliterate" for the surgical
act of filling or closing up a vessel, cavity,
or passage with tissue. Its final stamp on the
English lexicon was delivered in the mid-19th
century: "to cancel a postage or revenue
stamp."
oblivion
[uh-BLIV-ee-un]
1. The state of forgetting or having
forgotten or of being unaware or
unconscious.
2. The condition or state of being
forgotten or unknown.
Example:
When the last of his favorite author's books went
out of print, Victor feared that she would fall
into literary oblivion.
Etymology, more examples:
"Oblivion" derived via
Middle English and Anglo-French from the Latin
"oblivisci," which means "to
forget." This form may have stemmed from
combining "ob-" ("in the
way") and "levis" ("smooth").
In the past, "oblivion"
has been used in reference to the River Lethe,
which according to Greek myth flowed through the
Underworld and induced a state of forgetfulness
in anyone who drank its water. Among those who
have used the word this way is the poet John
Milton, who wrote in "Paradise Lost",
"Farr off from these a slow and silent
stream, Lethe the River of Oblivion roules Her
watrie Labyrinth."
obloquy
- Abuse
- Vituperation
- Invective
[OB-luh-kwee]
1. Strongly condemnatory or abusive
language or utterance; abusive language.
2. The condition of disgrace suffered as
a result of public blame, abuse, or condemnation;
ill repute, bad repute.
Examples:
1) There he remained, weeping indignantly
at her stream of obloquy, bitterly ashamed of
his tears, until it was time for supper. (Jonathan
Keates, "Stendhal")
2) Once installed in office he earned
near-universal obloquy by pushing through the
biggest tax increase in the state's history. (Dan
Seligman, "The Taxophiliacs," Forbes,
February 5, 2001)
3) For Britain to have made a last
imperial stand on the shores of the South China
Sea would have risked local calamity and international
obloquy. (Christopher Patten, "East and
West")
4) The manager walked quickly back
to the dugout as insults and obloquy rained down
from the stands.
Etymology, synonyms, more examples:
"Obloquy" derives from
Latin "obloqui" ("to speak
against"), from "ob-" ("against")
+ "loqui" ("to speak").
So, "obloquy" suggests
defamation and consequent shame and disgrace;
a typical example of its use would
be "subjected to obloquy and derision."
English speakers can choose from several synonyms
to name a tongue-lashing. "Abuse"
is a good general term that usually stresses the
anger of the speaker and the harshness of the
language, as in "scathing verbal abuse."
"Vituperation" often specifies
fluent, sustained abuse; "a torrent of
vituperation" is a typical use of this
term. "Invective" implies
vehemence comparable to "vituperation,"
but may suggest greater verbal and rhetorical
skill; it may also apply especially to a public
denunciation, as in "blistering political
invective."
obsequious
- compliant
- fawning
- obedient
- servile
- slavish
- subservient
- consequence
- sequel
- non
sequitur
- non
- sequitur
[ob-SEE-kwee-us]
Servilely attentive; compliant to excess; marked
by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness.
Synonyms:
compliant, fawning, obedient, servile, slavish,
subservient.
Examples:
1) His wealth nevertheless turns
the townspeople into groveling, obsequious sycophants.
(Stephen Holden, "'The Best Man': When
She Says 'I Do,' She Means 'Not You'," New
York Times, August 14, 1998)
2) Politicians these days have to
pretend to like football, and I am tired of their
obsequious, crowd-pleasing football jokes. (Margaret
Drabble, "Will the BBC pay up?", Times
(London), July 6, 2000)
3) This is a brazenly stylish restaurant
where the staff are razor-sharp and not remotely
obsequious. (Orna Mulcahy, "Brash, edgy
- and so good," Irish Times, August 1, 2000)
4) The movie star traveled with
an entourage of obsequious attendants who indulged
her every whim and waited on her hand and foot.
Etymology, related words:
"Obsequious" comes from
Latin "obsequiosus", from "obsequium"
("compliance"), from "obsequi"
("to comply with"), from "ob-"
("toward") + "sequi"
("to follow"). "Sequi"
is a linguistic great-grandparent here and the
source of a number of other English words, too,
including "consequence"
(a result that follows from an action), "sequel"
(a novel, film, or TV show that follows
an original version), and "non sequitur"
(a conclusion that doesn't follow from what was
said before).
An obsequious person is more likely
to be a follower than a leader. Use that fact
to help you remember the meaning of "obsequious."
All you need to do is bear in mind that the word
comes from the Latin root "sequi,"
meaning "to follow."
obstreperous
[ub-STREP-uh-russ]
1. uncontrollably noisy
2. stubbornly resistant to control
Synonym: unruly
Example:
Keith admitted that he had been an obstreperous
teenager until he got his first summer job and
learned some self-discipline.
Etymology:
The handy Latin preposition "ob,"
meaning "in the way," "against,"
or "toward," occurs as a prefix in many
Latin and English words. "Obstreperous"
comes from "ob-" plus "strepere,"
a verb meaning "to make a noise," so
someone who is obstreperous is literally making
noise to rebel against something, much like a
protesting crowd or an unruly child. The word
has been used in English since around the 17th
century. "Strepere" has not played
a role in the formation of any other notable English
words, but "ob-" words abound;
these include "obese," "obnoxious,"
"occasion," "offend,"
"omit," "oppress,"
and "oust."
obviate
[AHB-vee-ayt]
To anticipate and prevent (as a situation)
or make unnecessary (as an action).
Example:
Rob checks every ledger entry twice to obviate
any problems when it comes time for an audit.
Etymology, synonyms:
"Obviate" derives from
the Late Latin "obviare" (meaning
"to meet or withstand") and the Latin
"obviam," which means "in
the way" and is also an ancestor of our adjective
"obvious." "Obviate"
has a number of synonyms in English, including
"prevent," "preclude,"
and "avert"; all of these
words can mean to hinder or stop something. When
you prevent or preclude something, you put up
an insurmountable obstacle. In addition, "preclude"
often implies that a degree of chance was involved
in stopping an event. "Obviate"
generally suggests the use of intelligence or
forethought to ward off trouble. "Avert"
always implies that a bad situation has been anticipated
and prevented or deflected by the application
of immediate and effective means.
occlusion
[uh-KLOO-zhun]
1. The complete obstruction of the breath
passage in the articulation of a speech sound.
2. The bringing of the opposing surfaces
of the teeth of the two jaws into contact; the
relation between the surfaces when in contact.
3. The inclusion or sorption of gas trapped
during solidification of a material.
4. The front formed by a cold front overtaking
a warm front and lifting the warm air above the
earth's surface.
Example:
"Expect plenty of rain," warned the
Midland Gliding Club Web site, "[from] a
weakening occlusion ... close to northern Scotland."
History, related words:
"Occlusion" is a descendant
of the Latin verb "occludere,"
meaning "to close up." "Occludere"
in turn comes from the prefix "ob-,"
here meaning "in the way," and the verb
"claudere," meaning "to
close, shut". "Occlusion"
is one of many English terms derived from "claudere."
Some others are "recluse," "seclusion,"
and "exclude." An occlusion
occurs when something has been closed
up or blocked off. Almost all heart attacks are
the result of the occlusion of a
coronary (heart) artery by a blood clot. When
a person's upper and lower teeth form a "malocclusion,"
they close incorrectly or badly. An occlusion,
or "occluded" front, happens
when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slow-moving
warm front and slides underneath it, lifting the
warm air and blocking its movement.
oche
- double
top
- double
- top
- bag
o' nuts
- bag
of nuts
- bag
- nuts
- nut
- Shanghai
- mugs
away
- mug
away
- mugs
- mug
- away
- mad
house
- mad
- house
- hockey-dockies
- hockey-dockie
- hockey-docky
- hockey
- dockies
- hock
- dockie
- hock-dock
- dock
- docky
- Shanghai
- mugs
away
- mad
house
("Oche" is pronounced
like "hockey" without the initial "h",
as a rule: ['Oki], ['(h)akey]) - the line
behind which darts players stand when throwing.
Examples:
1) Eric settles himself on the oche.
2) She was pipped by reluctant newcomer
Jane Lester of Basildon Savacentre who was so
doubtful of her abilities that she virtually had
to be carried up to the oche.
Usage and similar terminology:
The classic pub game, darts is the ultimate non-sportsman's
sport - you don't need any special clothing and
little equipment (a set of darts is a good idea,
but pubs lend those out), and you don't need to
be fit (the aptitude of players often appears
to be in direct proportion to the size of their
beer guts). All you have to remember is to count
back from 501, end on a double, and avoid putting
your toes over the oche. "Oche"
is the classic bit of darts jargon, even more
obscure and basic than "double top"
for a double twenty, "bag o' nuts"
for a score of 45, "Shanghai"
for a score made up of a single, double and triple
of the same number (ditto), "mugs away"
as an invitation to the losing player to start
the next round, or "mad house"
for a double one (because getting it can drive
you crazy).
Etymology:
The origin of the word is uncertain. Attempts
are sometimes made to derive it from an obsolete
word meaning to chop off, from Old French "ochen"
- "to cut a deep notch in something"
or even a groove, though the link with darts
is obscure. Eric Partridge preferred an
origin in "hoggins line", for
no good reason that one may discern. However,
the earliest written examples - from the 1930s
- are all spelled "hockey" and
the "oche" form didn't
become standard until the late 1970s. But why
"hockey"? One story holds that
it's from the name of a West Country brewery,
S. Hockey and Sons, whose crates were just
the right size with which to mark out the throwing
distance. On the other hand, Peter Brooke
suggested that this word for the line behind which
one must stand in playing darts might well come
from the Victorian "hockey-dockies"
for shoes, an elaboration of "hock-dock",
itself a nonsense reduplication of "hock",
a slang term for the foot.
octothorpe
the pound sign (#)
Example:
This program reads a set of time-series data (while
ignoring all characters that follow an octothorpe
- '#').
Etymology:
1) According to dictionary.com
: the word "octothorpe"
was probably coined as a "humorous blend"
of "octal" and the name Oglethorpe
(James Edward). 2) According to
Ralph Carlsen (a retired employee at Bell
Labs), the history of the pound sign and the word
"octothorpe" is as follows:
"First, where did the symbol #
come from? In about 1961 when DTMF dials were
still in development, two Bell Labs guys in data
communications engineering (Link Rice and Jack
Soderberg) toured the USA talking to people who
were thinking about telephone access to computers.
They asked about possible applications, and what
symbols should be used on two keys that would
be used exclusively for data applications. The
primary result was that the symbols should be
something available on all standard typewriter
keyboards. The * and # were selected
as a result of this study, and people did not
expect to use those keys for voice services. The
Bell System in those days did not look internationally
to see if this was a good choice for foreign countries.
Then in the early 1960s Bell Labs developed the
101 ESS (Electronic Switching System, a pioneer
electronic exchange) which was the first stored
program controlled switching system (it was a
PBX). One of the first installations was at the
Mayo Clinic. This PBX had lots of modern features
(Call Forwarding, Speed Calling, Directed Call
Pickup, etc.), some of which were activated by
using the # sign. A Bell Labs supervisor
Don MacPherson went to the Mayo Clinic
just before cut-over to train the doctors and
staff on how to use the new features on this state
of the art switching system. During one of his
lectures he felt the need to come up with a word
to describe the # symbol. Don also
liked to add humour to his work. His thought process
- which took place while at the Mayo Clinic doing
lectures - was as follows: There are eight points
on the symbol so "octo"
should be part of the name. We need a few more
letters or another syllable to make a noun, so
what should that be? (Don MacPherson, at
this point in his life, was active in a group
that was trying to get Jim Thorpe's Olympic
medals returned from Sweden.) The term "thorpe"
would be unique, and people would not suspect
he was making the word up if he called it an octothorpe.
So Don Macpherson began using the term
"octothorpe" to describe
the # symbol in his lectures. When
he returned to Bell Labs in Holmdel NJ, he told
us what he had done, and began using the term
"octothorpe" in memos
and letters. The term was picked up by other Bell
Labs people and used mostly for the fun of it.
Some of the documents which used the term "octothorpe"
found their way to Bell Operating Companies and
other public places. Over the years, Don
and I have enjoyed seeing the term "octothorpe"
appear in documents from many different sources."
od
(SMS) oh dear
odious
[OH-dee-us]
Arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance.
Synonym: hateful
Example:
Martin was an odious person: cruel, violent, and
deceitful, willing to do anything to anyone to
gain the wealth and power he craved.
Etymology, related words, examples:
"Odious" has been with
us since the days of Middle English. It is borrowed
from Anglo-French, which in turn had taken it
from Latin "odiosus." The Latin
adjective came from the noun "odium,"
meaning "hatred." "Odium"
is also an ancestor of the English verb "annoy"
(another word that came to Middle English via
Anglo-French). And, at the beginning of the 17th
century, "odium" entered
English in its unaltered form, giving us a noun
meaning "hatred" or "disgrace"
(as in "ideas that have
incurred much odium").
odium
[OH-dee-uhm]
1. Intense hatred or dislike; loathing;
abhorrence.
2. The state or fact of being intensely
hated as the result of some despicable action.
3. Disgrace or discredit attaching
to something hated or repugnant.
Examples:
1) At the back of the Tyn Church,
we were told about the young Jesuit whose harshness
earned him the odium of his congregation. (Will
Cohu, "High spirits and gloomy spectres,"
Sunday Telegraph, May 16, 1999)
2) The point here is that, for all
its efforts at avoiding offence, new Labour has
still managed to attract the odium of the paper
that regards itself as the voice of Middle England.
("Will Mr Brown hang for a sheep or a
lamb?", New Statesman, December 2, 2002)
3) But this brought forth nothing
but odium on his head, so much so that he had
to backtrack soon afterwards. (Andrew Stephen,
"A nation left unprotected," New Statesman,
November 5, 2001)
4) Moralists warn against the spurious
sorrow that afflicts the first-person plural of
so many collective apologies: We erred, says the
penitent, though he clearly intends to shift blame
and odium to his fellows. ("The Week,"
National Review, April 19, 2004)
Etymology:
"Odium" comes from the
Latin "odium" ("hatred"),
from "odisse" ("to hate").
off hand
Without much thought or preparation.
Example:
Could you tell me his new address? - Not off
hand, but here's my notebook.
off one's high horse
- be off one's high horse
- get off one's high horse
- come down off one's high horse
- come down off
- come down
- come
- be on one's high horse
- get on one's high horse
- on one's high horse
- high horse
- high
- horse
1. Not acting proud and scornful; humble
and agreeable.
Example:
The girls were so kind to Nancy after her mother
died that she came down off her high horse and
made friends with them.
2. Acting friendly again; not angry and
unpleasant any more; agreeable.
Example:
Sally wouldn't speak to anyone all afternoon because
she couldn't go to the movies, but she's off her
high horse now.
3. To become less arrogant; to assume a
more modest disposition.
Synonyms:
To be off one's high horse, to get off one's high
horse; to come down off one's high horse.
Antonyms:
To be on one's high horse, to get on one's high
horse, on one's high horse.
off
one's rocker
- off
- ricker
- around the bend
- off one's dot
- off one's trolley
- out of one's head
- around the bend
- around
- bend
- dot
- trolley
- out of
- head
- off one's nut
- nut
Not thinking correctly; not rational; in a state
of extreme confusion or insanity; crazy;
silly; foolish.
Synonyms: around the bend, off one's dot,
off one's trolley, out of one's head, off one's
nut.
Examples:
1) You gave away your piano? You're
off your rocker!
2) He had been off his rocker for
two or three days.
3) You're off your rocker if you
think I believe that.
4) Tom is off his rocker if he thinks
he can run faster than Bob can.
5) If you think you can learn to
figure skate in one lesson, you're off your rocker.
6) He must be off his rocker if
he thinks that he can spend all that money and
not have a problem.
7) My boss is off his rocker. He
wants me to be at work early the morning after
the dance.
8) She went off her rocker, and
had to be put away. (Mervyn Wall)
History:
People have been using this phrase since the mid-1800s.
"Rocker" in this idiom refers
to a rocking chair, and there are at least two
theories about how being "off your
rocker" came to mean "crazy".
If you fell off your rocking chair, it
was a sign of being mentally unstable. "Rockers"
are also the two curved pieces upon which the
chair rocks. A rocking chair with a missing rocker
moves strangely, like a person whose thinking
is mixed-up.
off the beaten track
- off
- the
beaten track
- beaten
track
- beaten
- track
- off
the beaten path
- the
beaten path
- beaten
path
- path
1. Not on the main road, remote from populous
or much-traveled regions; an unfamiliar location.
2. Not well-known or used; unusual; different.
Synonyms: out of the way, off the beaten
path
Examples:
1) He found a quiet off-the-beaten-track
resort"
2) I like to explore places that
are off the beaten track - wild places.
3) This restaurant's really off
the beaten track but worth the trip.
History:
In the 1600s, when this idiom was first used,
there were many dirt roads. As people walked or
rode over them, the paths were beaten down
by feet, horses' hooves, and
wagon wheels. They looked well used. But if something
was "off the beaten track"
(or
"path"), then few people
traveled that way. We now use this expression
to describe
anything unusual, not often used, or not seen
by many people.
off the top of one's head
Without thinking hard; quickly; from memory, spontaneously;
in an impromptu manner; stating something quickly
and without thinking hard about it.
Examples:
1) He sat down and wrote the& story
off the top of his head. (Jerome Beatty, Jr.)
2) He knew all of the team's members
off the top of his head.
3) Vin answered the teacher's question
off the top of his head.
4) When Lorraine was asked to recite,
she talked off the top of her head.
5) Right off the top of his head
he listed all the state capitals in alphabetical
order.
History:
In the middle of the 20th century, Americans started
using this expression. Thoughts come from your
brain, which is in the top of your head.
So if you blurt out facts quickly without having
to think about them, then you're talking "off
the top of your head," as if right
out of your brain.
off-the-wall
- be off the wall
- off
- wall
- have a screw loose
- screw loose
- screw
- loose
- having a screw loose
- bizarre
- eccentric
- freakish
- freaky
- flaky
- outlandish
- outre
(Slang) Strange, peculiar; (very) unusual,
unrelated, off topic; conspicuously or
grossly unconventional; shocking.
Synonyms:
having a screw loose; bizarre, eccentric, freakish,
freaky, flaky, outlandish, outre.
Examples:
1) His idea of selling time is really
off the wall - quite strange.
2) These are restaurants of off-the-wall
design - one like a hat, another like a rabbit.
3) He was famed for his off-the-wall
spelling.
4) An off-the-wall combination of
styles and clothes of teenagers can surprise everyone.
5) His off-the-wall antics are unbearable.
6) That new talk-show host is definitely
off-the-wall.
History:
In handball, racquetball, and squash, a player
hits the ball against the wall. When it
comes off the wall, you don't always
know where it's headed or what it's going to do.
Some word experts think that's how this new expression,
which describes unpredictable
people or odd behavior, may have been thought
up.
officinal
[uh-FISS-uh-nul]
Tending or used to cure disease or
relieve pain.
Synonym: medicinal.
Example:
The officinal properties of the ginkgo tree, long
accepted by traditional herbalists, have been
the subject of modern scientific study.
History:
"Officinal" is a word
applied in medicine to plants and herbs that are
used in medicinal preparations. In the 19th century,
it was the standard word used by the United States
Pharmacopeia to refer to the drugs, chemicals,
and medicinal preparations that they recognized,
but in 1893 it was replaced by "official"
in this context. Despite this supersession, you
still can find a healthy dose of "officinal"
in the pharmaceutical field, where it is used
today as a word describing preparations that are
regularly kept in stock at pharmacies. "Officinal"
was derived from the Medieval Latin noun "officina,"
a word for the storeroom of a monastery in which
provisions and medicines were kept. In Latin,
"officina" means "workshop,"
as in "laboratory."
officious
[uh-FISH-uhs]
Marked by excessive eagerness in offering services
or advice where they are neither requested nor
needed.
Synonym: meddlesome.
Examples:
1) Ian Holm plays a well-meaning
but officious lawyer who tries to make the grieving
families sue for damages. (John Simon, "Minus
Four," National Review, February 9, 1998)
2) The guy was an officious twerp,
but Luke and Pete were vagrants, and a railroad
employee had the right to throw them out. (Ken
Follett, "Code to Zero")
3) "Why don't you mind your
own business, ma'am?" roared Bounderby. "How
dare you go and poke your officious nose into
my family affairs?" (Charles Dickens,
"Hard Times")
Etymology:
"Officious" comes from
Latin "officiosus" ("obliging,
dutiful"), from "officium"
("dutiful action, sense of duty, official
employment"), from "opus"
("a work, labor") + "-ficere",
combining form of "facere" ("to
do, to make"). It is related to official,
"of or pertaining to an office or
public trust."
offshorable
1. capable of being moved to another country,
especially to reduce costs;
2. capable of being performed by a person
in another country, especially at a lower wage
or salary.
Example:
All our tech support jobs are offshorable. We
can have people in India keep our customers on
hold much cheaper.
oftentimes
- oftentime
- often
- repeatedly
- ofttimes
- ofttime
- oft-
- oft
often, repeatedly
Example:
Oftentimes the villagers must travel great distances
on muleback in order to work their fields . .
. each family isolated from the rest during the
hours of labor. (John Crow, "Spain: The
Root And The Flower")
Etymology:
Despite its archaic, literary ring, "oftentimes"
is quite alive today. In fact, it seems to be
more popular even now than it was thirty years
or so ago. Nor is "oftentimes"
confined to writing - it appears frequently in
quoted speech. "Oftentimes"
was first used in the 14th century (the same century
that gave us "often"), and its
meaning hasn't changed - as meanings oftentimes
will - in all that time. It was formed as an extension
of its older synonym "ofttimes".
Today "ofttimes" is less
common, but "oft" (which
comes from Old English and also means "often"
or "frequently") is popular in combination
with past participles, as in "oft-praised".
ohnosecond
1. Like the millisecond, the microsecond
and the nanosecond, the ohnosecond is a measure
of time.
2. That minuscule fraction of time in which
you realize that you've just made a BIG, uncorrectable,
mistake.
Example:
Avoiding the Ohnosecond is the good sense of making
backups.
Etymology:
The ohnosecond is the length of
time between clicking the mouse button, realising
that you've done something disastrous, and exclaiming
"OH NO!".
old hat
Out of fashion; antique, ancient, very old; an
old idea or fashion, passé; out-of-date;
not new; too familiar; uninteresting; repeated
too often; overfamiliar through overuse.
Examples:
1) Sunday picnics are old hat. They're
not popular now.
2) Let's try a new place for our
next vacation. Dooley's Dude Ranch is so old hat.
3) His remarks were old hat.
History:
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when
this phrase became popular, men and women wore
hats much more than they do today. Most
people wanted to keep up with the latest styles,
and an old hat was no longer fashionable.
old wives' tales
- old
- old wives' tale
- tales
- wife
- wives
- tale
1. Superstitious stories, superstitious
beliefs; a superstition; a belief or practice
not based on fact; a bit of lore passed on by
word of mouth; a myth, an old story that contains
little truth.
2. A wisdom much like an urban legend,
supposedly passed down by old wives to a younger
generation. Today old wives' tales are also common
among children's peer sex education in school
playgrounds. Old wives' tales often concern pregnancy,
puberty and nutrition. Some old wives' tales are
true, and those that aren't often have roots in
truth or are used to trick people into doing something.
Examples:
1) One old wives' tale says that
goose fat will cure a cold.
2) Wearing garlic around your neck
won't scare off evil. That's just an old wives'
tale.
History:
This idiom has a long history. Plato, a
famous Greek philosopher who lived around 300
B.C., first used this phrase. In the 1300s it
appeared in English. Then Erasmus, a Dutch
Scholar, put it in his writings in the 1500s.
The "old wives" in this idiom
refer to people during the olden days who gave
advice based on superstition. Some examples of
these "tales" are "feed
a cold and starve a fever," "don't touch
a frog or you'll get warts," and "it's
bad luck to walk under a ladder".
olfactory
- olfactory
nerves
- olfactory
nerve
- nerves
- nerve
- olfaction
[ahl-FAK-tuh-ree]
Of, relating to, or connected with the
sense of smell.
Example:
The aroma of cinnamon rolls coming from the kitchen
served as an enticing olfactory clue that breakfast
was almost ready.
History, related words and expressions:
"Olfactory" derives from
the past participle of the Latin "olfacere,"
which means "to smell" and which was
formed from the verbs "olere"
(also "to smell") and "facere"
("to do"). "Olfactory"
is a word that often appears in scientific contexts
(as in "olfactory nerves,"
the nerves that pass from the nose to the brain
and contain the receptors that make smelling possible),
but it has occasionally branched out into less
specialized contexts. The pleasant smell of spring
flowers, for example, might be considered an "olfactory
delight." A related word, "olfaction,"
is a noun referring to the sense of smell
or the act or process of smelling.
olla podrida
- olla
- podrida
- olla
podridas
- podridas
- ollas
podridas
- ollas
[ol-uh-puh-DREE-duh; oy-uh-]
Plural: olla podridas
[-DREE-duhz] or ollas podridas
1. A stew of highly seasoned meat and vegetables.
2. A mixture; a hodgepodge.
Examples:
1) This complex, Byzantine, at times
long-winded work, which spent more than 60 weeks
on Spain's best sellers list, throws together
mystery, romance, and crime into one big mix like
an olla podrida. (Lawrence Olszewski, review
of "The Shadow of the Wind", by Carlos
Ruiz Zafon, Library Journal, February 1, 2004)
2) The whole piece is an olla podrida
of light music, in which the jig is the most conspicuous.
(Juanita Karpf and Tom Scott, "Populism
with Religious Restraint", review of "Esther,
the Beautiful Queen", by William B. Bradbury:
Popular Music and Society, Spring 1999)
3) Continuously testing the resilience
of the melting pot differentiates America from
other places; and the olla podrida of colors and
cultures creates a reservoir of talents unduplicated
on the planet. (Rotan E. Lee, "Black gay
men suffer double racism", Philadelphia Tribune,
August 22, 2003)
Etymology:
"Olla podrida" comes from
the Spanish, literally "rotten pot",
from "olla" = "pot"
(from Latin "olla") + "podrida",
feminine of "podrido" = "rotten",
from Latin "putridus".
ombre
- umbra
- Beast
- omber
- Umbrina
- umbrine
- umbrae
1. Also: omber
['Qmb@r, 'Qmbr@, 'QmbreI]
A once-fashionable card game, borrowed from the
Spaniards; a card game for three people using
a pack of forty cards, with one player competing
against the other two, popular in Europe especially
in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Example:
"When ombre calls, his hand and heart are
free,
And, joined to two, he fails not to make three."
(Young)
History:
Every period has had its fashionable card games.
From the middle of the 17th century, everyone
in English society wanted to play "ombre".
Its heyday began immediately after the restoration
of the monarchy in 1660, since Charles II and
his courtiers brought it back with them from France.
The game was popular for generations in Europe
and is still played in some countries, so it has
had many other names as well. However, ombre
was originally Spanish, and the name is a corruption
of "hombre" - "man"
(from Latin "hom, homin-"
- man"), because the person leading the game
was "the man" who had to be beaten.
The Spanish game was firstly called "the
royal game of ombre". Prior has
an epigram on the subject. He says he was playing
ombre with two ladies, and though
he wished to lose, won everything, for Fortune
gave him success in every suit but hearts.
Alexander Pope has immortalised
the game in his "Rape of the Lock"
of 1714, in which a game of ombre
is described in detail. The rules were not too
far from those of whist, though more complicated
and with some oddities. The person who lost a
hand was said to be beasted and so an early
English alternative name was Beast.
One of its advantages was that it was a game that
women could with propriety play.
2. Shade, shadow.
3. (ombré) Shadowy;
shaded; dusky
4. (ombrés) Said
of fabric, etc: with colours gradually shading
into each other.
5. A fabric, etc. that has such shading.
Etymology: 19th c., French, from "ombrer"
- "to shade".
6. (Zool.) Any one of several species
of sci[ae]noid food fishes of the genus Umbrina,
especially the Mediterranean species (Umbrina
cirrhosa), which is highly esteemed as a market
fish; also: umbra, umbrine.
Etymology:
French, of uncertain origin.
Umbra [Um"bra] (pl.
Umbrae) 7. (Astron.)
a) The conical shadow projected
from a planet or satellite, on the side opposite
to the sun, within which a spectator could see
no portion of the sun's disk; used in contradistinction
from "penumbra";
b) The central dark portion, or
nucleus, of a sun spot;
c) The fainter part of a sun spot;
- now more commonly called penumbra. 8.
(Bot.) Umbra (tree)
- a tree (Phytolacca diocia) of the same genus
as pokeweed. It is native of South America, but
is now grown in southern Europe. It has large
dark leaves, and a somber aspect. The juice of
its berries is used for coloring wine. (J.
Smith, "Dict. Econ. Plants")
Etymology:
From Latin, "a shadow".
ombudsman
[AHM-boodz-mun] ([oo] as in "wood")
1. A government official (as in Sweden
or New Zealand) who investigates complaints
made against public officials.
2. One that investigates reported complaints
(as from students or consumers), reports
findings, and helps to achieve equitable settlements.
Example:
The newspaper's ombudsman responded to the many
angry letters the article had generated.
Etymology, history:
"Ombudsman" was borrowed
from Swedish, where it means "representative,"
and ultimately derives from the Old Norse words
"umboth" ("commission")
and "mathr" ("man").
In the early 1800s, Sweden became the first country
to appoint an independent official known as an
ombudsman to investigate complaints against government
officials and agencies. Since then, other countries
(such as Finland, Denmark, and New Zealand), as
well as some U.S. states, have appointed similar
officials. The word "ombudsman"
was first used in English in the late 1950s; by
the 1960s, it was also being used to refer to
a person who reviews complaints against an organization
(such as a school or hospital) or to someone who
enforces standards of journalistic ethics at a
newspaper.
omnipotent
[ahm-NIP-uh-tunt]
Having virtually unlimited authority or
influence.
Example:
Small children often believe their parents to
be omnipotent, capable of commanding any situation
or resolving any problem they find before them.
History, related words, more meanings &
examples:
The word "omnipotent"
made its way into English through Anglo-French,
but it ultimately derives from the Latin prefix
"omni-," meaning "all,"
and the word "potens," meaning
"potent." The "omni"
prefix has also given us similar words such as
"omniscient" (meaning
"all-knowing") and "omnivorous"
(describing an animal that eats both plants and
other animals). Although "omnipotent"
is used in general contexts to mean "all-powerful"
(as in "an omnipotent warlord"),
its original applications in English referred
specifically to the power held by an almighty
God. The word has been used as an English adjective
since the 14th century; since 1600 it has also
been used as a noun referring to one who
is omnipotent.
omnipresent
[om-nuh-PREZ-uhnt]
Present in all places at the same time.
Synonym: ubiquitous
Examples:
1) It was rather that myth was omnipresent;
the whole people thought in this way and were
long confirmed in their belief. (Jacob Burckhardt,
"The Greeks and Greek Civilization")
2) But the music of Bortnyansky was
exultant, and the canticles were borne aloft to
God the omnipotent, the omniscient, the omnipresent.
(Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, "How it All
Began", translated by George Shriver)
3) The novella moves at a pace as sluggish
as that of the omnipresent moon making its way
across the limpid summer sky. (Tobin Harshaw,
"Pay the Piper," New York Times, November
14, 1999)
4) Civilization is the preserve of
the rich, with their polished cars, their locked
houses and their omnipresent police force. (Peter
Conrad, "Modern Times, Modern Places")
Etymology:
"Omnipresent" is from
Medieval Latin "omnipresens",
from Latin "omni-" ("all")
+ "praesens", present participle
of "praeesse" ("to be before,
to be present"), from "prae-"
("before") + "esse"
("to be").
on a shoestring
With meager resources, with very little means;
on a very low, strict budget; with or using
very little money.
Examples:
1) They tried to start a school
band on a shoestring.
2) We went to China and Japan on
a shoestring and enjoyed it very much.
History:
No one today is quite sure about the origin of
this idiom, although we know it started in America
in the late 1800s. A "shoestring"
is what we call a shoelace today. Perhaps
the writer who first used this expression was
comparing a tiny amount of money with a piece
of string like a shoelace.
on a wing and a prayer
- be
on a wing and a prayer
- on
a whim and a prayer
- be
on a whim and a prayer
- whim
- wing
- prayer
Being in a desperate situation and relying on
hope to see you through.
Example:
It does nothing to change the impression of a
club stumbling along on a whim and a prayer. (The
"Daily Mail" of 25 May 2004)
Synonym: on a whim and a prayer.
Etymology:
It comes from a famous American World War Two
patriotic song, with words by Harold Adamson
and music by Jimmy McHugh. It tells the
tale of a plane struggling home after a bombing
raid:
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer
What a show, what a fight
Boys, we really hit our target for tonight
How we sing as we limp through the air
Look below, there's our field over there
Though there's one motor gone
We can still carry on
Comin' in on a wing and a prayer.
The song came out at the end of 1942 and instantly
became a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic,
so much so that the phrase almost immediately
entered the language.
on cloud nine
- cloud
nine
- cloud
- nine
- in
seventh heaven
- seventh
heaven
- seventh
- heaven
- on
cloud seven
- seven
- in
the seventh heaven
- on
top of the world
- top
of the world
- top
- world
- walking
on air
- walk
on air
- walking
- walk
- air
To be extremely happy, elated; totally happy,
on top of the world, riding high; joyous.
Synonym: in the seventh heaven
Examples:
1) I was on cloud nine after I got
the promotion.
2) When Bev received her diploma,
she was on cloud nine.
3) Frances is on cloud nine since
being named Junior Scientist of the Year.
History, more synonyms:
Derived from the idea that clouds are part of
heavenly paradise, and that the higher you go,
the closer you are to ultimate bliss.
Though this saying comes from the late 19th century,
nine has been a mystical
number for thousands of years, back to the time
of the ancient Greeks. The saying
originally was "on cloud seven",
probably coming from "seventh heaven",
the highest of the heavens in Jewish religious
literature. Nine was then substituted,
perhaps because it is a sacred Christian number.
This is because three is a trinity and
represents perfect unity, and nine
is a trinity of trinities (3 x 3). Other idioms
that express great joy and also
suggest being up high: "on top of the
world", "walking on air",
and so on.
on its last legs
- on
one's last legs
- last
legs
- last
- legs
- leg
People use this phrase to say that something is
about to die or is too worn out to be repaired.
Example:
"This has been a good old truck," Mr.
Johnson said to his grandson, Vincent. They drove
down the bumpy dirt road, and the truck sputtered
and groaned. "I've had it for nearly twenty
years." Vincent was amazed to hear that the
truck was older than he was. "But you hear
those noises it's making, Vincent?" The old
man shook his head. "I'm afraid this truck
is on its last legs."
on one's case
To nag, find fault with, badger or scold
someone constantly about his or her business,
situation, circumstances.
Example:
His girlfriend was on his case because he started
smoking again.
History:
In this popular African-American idiom, "case"
means your business or current situation in life.
You often hear or read this expression either
as a complaint that someone is on your case
about something, or as a demand that someone
get off your case about something.
on
one's ear
In a state of amazement, excitement, or uproar
Example:
It's a controversial movie that set the film industry
on its ear.
on
one's high horse
- be on one's high horse
- get on one's high horse
- off one's high horse
- come down off one's high horse
- come down
- be off one's high horse
- on a high horse
- high horse
- high
- horse
1. Acting as if you are better than others;
being very proud and scornful.
Example:
Martha was chairman of the picnic committee, and
at the picnic she was on her high horse, telling
everyone what to do. Mrs. Jones asked to see a
less expensive hat. the salesgirl got up on her
high horse and said the shop did not sell cheap
merchandise.
2. Refusing to be friendly because you
are angry; in a bad temper.
Example:
Joe was on his high horse because he felt Mary
wasn't giving him enough attention.
3. To show off.
Example:
He's on his high horse again bossing people around.
Synonyms:
To be on one's high horse, to get on one's high
horse.
Antonyms: to be off one's high horse, to
get off one's high horse; off one's high horse;
to come down off one's high horse.
on
one's plate
- have too much on one's plate
- have enough on one's plate
- have enough
- enough
- too much
- much
- plate
Work one must do.
Example:
I can't take on a new project. I already have
too much on my plate.
Etymology:
This phrase compares work that must be done to
food that must be eaten.
on
one's tod
- be on one's tod
- on tod
- tod
- on one's Pat Malone
- be on one's Pat Malone
- Pat Malone
- Pat
- Malone
- on one's Tod Malone
- be on one's Tod Malone
- Tod Malone
- Tod
To be on one's own, alone.
Example:
She's been left all on her tod.
Etymology:
Rhyming slang from Tod Sloan, the name
of an American jockey.
The "Tod" here is an American.
He was born in 1874; his real name was James
Forman Sloan, but later let it be known that
his middle name was Todhunter and so is
remembered as Tod Sloan. He was an inventive
and highly successful jockey who pioneered what
was called the "monkey ride" or "perching
on the animal's ears": riding with short
stirrups, lying low with his head almost on the
horse's neck. He was a colourful and difficult
man, who made and squandered vast sums of money.
In 1896 he crossed the Atlantic to Britain to
become a rider for the then Prince of Wales, later
Edward VII. He fell disastrously from fame in
1901 when the Jockey Club, which controls British
racing, denied him a licence because of some unspecified
"conduct prejudicial to the best interests
of the sport" (a newspaper report in 1903
said it was because its upper-class members found
his arrogance and impertinence too offensive to
put up with) and he then lost his American and
French licences. A writer in the "Washington
Post" in 1903 described his state:
"All of the flashy togs of his marvelous
days as a race rider are gone. He doesn't wear
any jewelry any more. I can remember when he had
almost a whole floor of one of the finest hotels
in New York. Not now. He hasn't got any 'man'
any more to lay his clothes out, because he is
minus the clothes. ... His Panhard and Mercedes
touring autos are all gone - everything of Tod's
is gone." He died alone in poverty in
Los Angeles of cirrhosis of the liver in 1933
- though he was well enough remembered for his
death to be widely reported - and it was about
this time that the rhyming slang "to be
on your Tod Sloan" first appeared. Like
many such phrases it became shortened and so,
though the short form "on your tod"
is still common British English, hardly anybody
remembers the American jockey who inspired it.
Synonyms: (Austr.) on one's Pat
Malone; on one's Tod Malone.
It's first recorded in 1907; where it comes from
is not altogether clear, but a popular ballad,
"Paddy Malone in Australia",
was noted in the 1870s and appeared in a collection
by Banjo Patterson in 1906. It tells the
story of an illiterate Irishman, Pat Malone
from Tipperary, who was tempted out to Australia,
suffered various calamities as a sheep and cattle
herder in the outback, and returned home sadder
but wiser. The song was widely enough known that
it seems likely his name was seized on to make
the rhyming slang expression. Sometimes it goes
as "Tod Malone", so it looks
very much as though the British and Australian
versions have blended.
on pins and needles
(Extremely) nervous, pressured, tense, in a hurry;
excited; waiting anxiously for something; in great
surprise.
Synonyms:
on tenterhooks; butterflies in the stomach.
Examples:
1) Her daughter has been on pins
and needles all day waiting for the contest to
begin.
2) I was on pins and needles until
I got the phone call that the plane had landed
safely.
History:
This saying was first used in the late 1800s.
When you're waiting nervously for something to
happen, you sometimes feel as if you can't sit
still - like needles and pins are
sticking you. A writer once said it was like being
"on pins and needles",
and the phrase stuck.
on red
When the light is red.
Example:
No turn on red!
on tenterhooks
- butterflies
in the stomach
- on
pins and needles
- tenterhooks
- tenterhook
- butterfly
in the stomach
- butterflies
- stomach
- butterfly
- pins
- needles
- pins
and needles
- pin
- needle
Uncertain, anxious, very tense; in painful suspense
about how something will
turn out; nervously waiting for something to happen.
Examples:
1) Elizabeth waited for the cast
list to be posted. As the minutes passed, she
grew more and more anxious. At last Mrs. Marks
came out of the office and taped it to the door.
"Thank goodness, I got a part!" cried
Elizabeth. "I was on tenterhooks all morning."
2) Steven waited on tenterhooks
to see if he would win the award.
Etymology:
In the mid-1700s, a tenter was a frame for stretching
newly woven cloth. The "tenterhook"
was a hook or bent nail that held the cloth to
the tenter. At that time a person who was worried
sick not knowing the outcome of a situation was
said to be "on tenters", meaning
that their emotions were stretched out tensely.
Later the phrase became "on tenterhooks",
which expressed even sharper and intense feeling.
Synonyms:
1) butterflies in the stomach;
2) on pins and needles
on the ball
- ball
- on
top of things
- on
top of
- thing
- things
- top
- on
top
Alert; effective; skillful; knowledgeable, smart,
intelligent, bright, sharp.
Examples:
1) Max has a lot on the ball. He
can solve our problem.
2) Mr. Hsu hired me because he thinks
I'm really on the ball.
History:
This saying originated with British football -
what we call soccer. It could also be said that
a person is "on top of things".
Also, in the all-American sport of baseball, a
pitcher who was able to get something "on
the ball" (like great speed) would
be more likely to win the game. As ball games,
including basketball, became more popular, so
did this expression.
on the cuff
1. Agreeing to pay later; to be paid for
later; on credit.
2. Without (legal) grounds.
Examples:
1) Peter lost the money that Mother
gave him to buy meat, and the store would not
let him have meat on the cuff.
2) Many people buy cars and television
sets on the cuff.
3) He gave him the use of a beautiful
suit and arranged for him to eat on the cuff in
the cafe.
4) He always can get some drinks
on the cuff.
5) Strictly on the cuff I'd say
he's not up to much.
6) I confess I started speaking
on the cuff.
7) Cosmo couldn't pay his bill,
so he asked the owner to put it on the cuff.
History, related expression:
This expression probably came from the days when
bartenders in old saloons wore
stiff cuffs that detached from the end
of their shirt sleeves. When customers wanted
to
pay for their drinks at a later date, the bartender
often wrote the charges down on his
cuffs. There is another, similar idiom, "off
the cuff," that has a totally different
meaning: to speak about or do something
freely without thinking about it first.
on the double
Immediately; (right) now, at once; move it; (very)
quickly; at a fast pace.
Examples:
1) The coach told the players to
get onto the field on the double.
2) Coach Keyser said, "Sutton,
get over here - on the double!"
Etymology:
This is an old army command. When the person in
charge wanted the soldiers to march twice as fast
as normal, he'd holler, "On the double!"
("Double time, march!") which meant
to double the speed. Today, anyone can use this
expression when he or she wants someone to hurry
up.
on the fence
Neutral; undecided; not choosing one way or the
other; not choose either side, try to be in the
middle.
Synonym: sit the fence
Examples:
1) Are you for or against the new
honor code, or are you still on the fence?
2) People don't like politicians
who try to sit the fence.
History:
This popular expression from the early 1800s makes
you think or a person actually sitting on
a fence, body right in the middle, not
completely on one side or the other, with one
leg dangling over each side. In the same way,
if a person straddles an issue without committing
himself or herself, that's a person "on
the fence".
on the fritz
Broken; out of order; not working.
Example:
We can't watch the game at my house because my
TV is on the fritz.
History:
Though this expression is a recent one (the early
1900s), nobody today is quite sure how it got
started. One word expert gave the following possible
explanation. During World War I, a degrading term
for a German soldier was "Fritz",
a common German name (short for Friedrich). Something
not working or ruined could be compared to the
defeated Germans.
on the horns of a dilemma
- on
the horns
- dilemma
- on
the horn
- horns
- horn
Having to choose between two undesirable courses
of action or unpleasant things.
Example:
Jose liked both girls who asked him to the dance,
and he didn't want to hurt either. He was on the
horns of a dilemma.
History:
A bull can be a fierce animal, and nobody wants
to be stuck on the sharp points of a bull's horns.
But you feel that you're in that position if you
are forced to decide between two possibly dangerous
choices. A similar saying was used by people in
the Middle Ages and by the Dutch scholar Erasmus
around the year 1500. In medieval times a "dilemma"
was a way or arguing in which one of two statements
must be proved to be true.
on the hot seat
In a difficult or uncomfortable situation
and subject to a lot of unpleasant questions
and personal attacks.
Example:
Mike was caught eating a candy bar at the weight
loser's class - now he's really on the hot seat.
History:
The "hot seat" in this
expression refers to the electric chair. But you
can be on - or in - the hot seat in a freezing
cold room if you've been accused of doing something
bad, or you've been caught in an embarrassing
situation and people are questioning and criticizing
you.
on the right side
- the
right side
- right
side
- right
- side
1. On the right hand side.
Example:
He worked his way down the right side of the road.
(Seymour, Gerald. "Condition black".
- London: Fontana Press, 1991)
2. On the correct side.
Example:
My father took one side, perhaps it was the right
side and perhaps it was the wrong side. (Seymour,
Gerald. "Condition black". - London:
Fontana Press, 1991)
on the rocks
1. Financially ruined or wrecked;
near disaster; finished.
2. With ice cubes.
Examples:
1) I need a loan because my dog-walking
business is on the rocks.
2) Waiter, would you bring me a
cocktail on the rocks? I ordered the drink an
hour ago!
History:
An unfortunate ship that has run aground and is
on the rocks will eventually sink.
In the 1800s the phrase "on the rocks"
(meaning headed for disaster) was expanded to
describe many areas of life, not just ships at
sea.
on the ropes
Almost failing; on the verge of collapse; nearly
ruined.
Example:
Last summer, my ice cream store did a lot of business,
but now, in the middle of winter, it's on the ropes.
History:
This phrase was first used in the 1800s and referred
to boxers who were almost knocked out. They hung
onto the ropes around the boxing ring
so they wouldn't totally collapse. Later the saying
was expanded to include any person, business, or
situation that was in great difficulty or nearly
ruined.
on the same wavelength
- on
the same wave length
- wavelength
- wave
length
- see
eye to eye
- eye
to eye
- eye
Sharing a common understanding; thinking the same
thing as another person.
Example:
Peter and Sabah have really
been on the same wavelength lately - they agree
about almost everything.
Synonym:
see eye to eye
Etymology:
"Wavelength" refers to an
electronic signal, like an audio or television signal.
If two people are sharing a single wavelength, they
are sending and receiving the same messages.
on the spur of the moment
- on
the spur of
- moment
- the
spur of the moment
- spur
of the moment
- on
the spur
- moment
- spur
Suddenly; acting without thinking about it first;
impulsively.
Example:
On the spur of the moment, I rode my bike fifteen
miles for a slice of my favorite pecan pie.
History:
In the early 1800s, when this idiom was first being
used, many people rode horses to get where they
were going. Riders often wore short, spiked wheels,
called spurs, on the heels of their boots.
When they wanted to urge a horse to go faster, they
pressed the spurs against its body. If an
opportunity is like a spur that gets a person
to do something impulsively, without waiting, you
can easily see how "on the spur of the
moment" originated. Now, of course,
it relates to any sudden decision to act and has
nothing to do with horses.
on the warpath
- on
the war-path
- warpath
- war-path
- war
- path
Being eager to get into a fight; in a very angry
or bad mood; infuriated.
Example:
1) "Just because Paul lost his
camera doesn't mean he can go around yelling
at everybody," Roger said. "I know,"
Ceil replied, "but he thinks someone stole
it, and he's going to be on the warpath until
that camera shows up!"
2) Mr. Ozawa is on the warpath because
his car broke down again.
Etymology:
This phrase is from the mid-1800s and originally
referred to Native Americans who were often
at war with settlers or other tribes about land
rights. The expression meant "going to
war." By the end of the 19th century the
meaning had grown to mean being in a rage about
anything.
on top of the world
- on
top of
- sitting on top of the world
- sit on top of the world
- down
in the dumps
- down
in the dump
- walking
on air
- on
cloud nine
- walk
on air
- cloud
nine
- walking
on
- walk
on
- walking
- walk
- cloud
- nine
- down
- dumps
- dump
- world
- on
top
- top
- sit
- sitting
Feeling extremely happy.
Example:
When Grandpa's girlfriend said that she'd marry
him, he was on top of the world.
History, synonyms, antonyms:
Many writers have used this famous expression since
the early 1900s with the verb "sitting".
"Down" has always suggested downhearted
feelings, such as sadness and depression (the antonym
of "on top of the world"
is "down in the dumps").
But being "up" or "on top"
has meant emotions such as delight and joy (the
synonyms are "walking on air",
"on cloud nine"). "The
world" represents everything, such as your
life, your job, and your family. So, if you're sitting
on top of the world, you're overjoyed because
of good health, success, and so on.
once in a blue moon
- once
- in
a blue moon
- blue
moon
- blue
- moon
Almost never; very seldom; hardly ever; once in
a while.
Examples:
1) Rebecca loved to sit on the beach
and look out at the ocean. As she listened
to the waves slap against the sand, she thought
that there was nothing more wonderful than
the sea. Early one morning she saw a group of
dolphins come close to the shore. They leaped
out of the water like slippery dancers, making
quick silver arcs against the horizon. "I'm
so lucky!" she realized. "Something
like this only happens once in a blue moon!"
2) The teacher is tough, but once
in a blue moon she doesn't give us homework.
Etymology:
A blue moon isn't really blue. It's
the second full moon in a calendar month.
They're pretty rare.
On the other hand, on some nights when the bright
part of the moon is a crescent, some people say
the other part has a bluish color to it. This "blue
moon" is rare, too. A similar expression
was first used in the early 1500s and has been popular
ever since.
one can't fight city
hall
- you can't fight city hall
- you cannot fight city hall
- one cannot fight city hall
- can't fight city hall
- cannot fight city hall
- can fight city hall
- can't
- cannot
- can
- fight city hall
- fight
- city hall
- city
- hall
an ordinary person cannot win a struggle against
an administrative system
Example:
The school board is determined to make the school
year longer. You can't fight city hall.
Etymology:
In the United States, "city hall"
represents the local government: the mayor, the
legislative body, as well as the various agencies
and departments. Today when we say "city
hall" we mean any large organization
such a government, school system, or corporation.
This expression claims that you can't fight
city hall, but... you can protest, picket,
circulate petitions, make speeches, write letters,
support candidates who express your views, or even
run for mayor yourself!
one can't hit the side
of a barn
- one cannot hit the side of
a barn
- you can't hit the side of a
barn
- you cannot hit the side of
a barn
- can't hit the side of a barn
- cannot hit the side of a barn
- can hit the side of a barn
- hit the side of a barn
- hit
- side of a barn
- side
- barn
- one can't hit the broad side
of a barn
- one cannot hit the broad side
of a barn
- you can't hit the broad side
of a barn
- you cannot hit the broad side
of a barn
- can't hit the broad side of
a barn
- cannot hit the broad side of
a barn
- can hit the broad side of a
barn
- hit the broad side of a barn
- broad side of a barn
- broad side
- broad
- one can't hit a barn door
- one cannot hit a barn door
- you can't hit a barn door
- you cannot hit a barn door
- can't hit a barn door
- cannot hit a barn door
- can hit a barn door
- hit a barn door
- barn door
- door
To have terrible aim; to not be able to throw well
enough to hit even a large target.
Also: can't hit the broad side of
a barn; can't hit a barn door.
Example:
Don't worry about being the target in the booth
at the school carnival. These kids can't
hit the side of a barn.
Etymology:
"The side of a barn" is
a large area, and if you can't hit
something as big as that, your pitching arm must
be terrible. This idiom became popular in the United
States in the early 1900s. It described baseball
pitchers who couldn't even throw the ball into the
striking zone.
one can't hold a candle
to
- one cannot hold a candle to
- you can't hold a candle to
- you cannot hold a candle to
- one can't hold a candle
- one cannot hold a candle
- you can't hold a candle
- you cannot hold a candle
- can't hold a candle to
- cannot hold a candle to
- can't hold a candle
- cannot hold a candle
- can hold a candle to
- can hold a candle
- hold a candle to
- hold a candle
- hold
- candle
- be not worthy to hold a candle to
- be not worthy to hold a candle
- not worthy to hold a candle to
- not worthy to hold a candle
- be worthy to hold a candle to
- be worthy to hold a candle
- worthy to hold a candle to
- worthy to hold a candle
- be worthy to
- worthy to
- be worthy
- worthy
to be second-rate in a certain skill; to be greatly
inferior.
Example:
Anita can't hold a candle to Jon when it comes to
tap dancing.
Etymology:
In the 1500s, long before the days of good lighting,
a servant called a "link-boy" held
candles for people. This was considered
a lowly job done by those who were thought to be
inferior. If a link-boy did not know the roads or
the layout of a theater, then he said to be "not
worthy to hold a candle to someone".
Thus, the expression "can't hold a candle
to" came to mean lower in order, rank,
quality, or value.
one
can't see the forest for the trees
- one cannot see the forest for the trees
- you can't see the forest for the trees
- you cannot see the forest for the trees
- can't see the forest for the trees
- cannot see the forest for the trees
- see the forest for the trees
- see for
- see
- forest
- trees
- tree
To overlook the overall situation because of a focus
on small details; to be so
involved in details that you miss the whole picture.
Example:
My teacher catches all my grammar mistakes, but
he misses my brilliant writing. He can't
see the forest for the trees.
Etymology:
This idiom, which has been popular for many years,
created this picture in mind
of the writer who invented it: a person in the country
focuses so intently on each
individual tree, leaf, branch, and twig, that she
misses the splendor of the huge forest
she's in. Afterwards, if someone asks her, "How
did you like the forest?" she might
answer, "What forest? All I saw were some trees."
This saying means to be unable to
understand the whole situation because you pay too
much attention to the small parts.
one foot in the grave
Close to death; a person who is or appears to be
nearly dead.
Examples:
1) Ma says Pa has one foot in the
grave, so we probably should start planning his
funeral. 2) Benron Corp has had one
foot in the grave ever since the accounting scandal
came to light.
Etymology:
This phrase dates back to the 1600s, and its meaning
is fairly straightforward. Your 'grave' is
where you are buried when you die, and if you have
'one foot' already in the grave, then
you must be very close to the end of your life.
one good turn deserves
another
- turn
- good
- good turn
- deserves
- deserve
- another
- eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
- eye for an eye
- tooth for a tooth
- eye
- tooth
One good deed should be paid back with another.
Examples:
1) One good turn deserves another
so we made a great effort to help those people who
had helped us in the past.
2) I helped Jill fix her flat tire,
and she gave me a ride. One good turn deserves another.
History, related expression:
This is an adage, a general truth that people have
come to accept over many years. It dates as far
back as the early 1400s and means that if you receive
help from someone, it's only fair and proper that
you help that person in return. The meaning of "turn"
here is a deed or action. The same idea, but in
a negative sense, appears in the idiom "eye
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
one's eyes bigger than one's stomach
- eyes bigger than one's stomach
- eyes
- bigger than
- stomach
- eye
- bigger
To believe that you can eat more than you really
can; overestimating your appetite or hunger.
Example: Every Thanksgiving it's the same
thing - my eyes are bigger than my stomach, and
I can't finish all the food piled on my plate.
Etymology: Sometimes when you are hungry,
you think you can eat more than you really can -
your 'eyes' can see (or imagine) yourself eating
plate after plate of food, but your stomach isn't
big enough for all of it.
one-horse
town
A place with few comforts and activities; a dull
rural town.
Example:
They got fed up with the noisy, crowded city, so
they moved to a one-horse town out West.
History:
This expression was first used in the 1850s when
there were more horses when people in some
American towns. If a town had only one
horse, it must have been really small, with
very little happening. This exaggerated saying became
popular even though it is insulting. Now it can
describe any business or project that's considered
rather minor or dull.
one-to-one
marketing
A way that a Web site personalizes its service based
on information it gathers from you electronically.
Example:
Amazon knows what services to offer you based on
its one-to-one marketing.
one-track
mind
Narrow-mindedness; keeping to only one subject,
thinking about only one thing.
Examples:
He has a one-track mind. All he thinks about is
money.
History:
Most railroads have at least two tracks so trains
can go in different directions without crashing
into one another. However, on a single-track railroad
line, train traffic can move in only one direction
at a time.
oneiric
[oh-NY-rik]
Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams.
Synonym: dreamy
Examples:
1) On this score, the novel might
easily drift off into an oneiric never-never land,
but Mr. Welch doesn't let this happen. (Peter
Wild, "Visions of Blackfoot," New York
Times, November 2, 1986)
2) Her large images, which are cloaked
in an elegant oneiric mist, transport the viewer
to an ideal world where bodies seem to have become
weightless ghosts of themselves. (Simona Vendrame,
"Nature and the solitary self," translated
by Jacqueline Smith, Temaceleste)
3) Some - not all - of Caravaggio's
painting uniquely compels you to grope for words
in order to describe the optical novelty and disturbing
immediacy of the images. They're at once coldly
precise, voluptuously real and strangely oneiric.
(Peter Robb, "Candid camera," The Guardian,
October 20, 2001)
Etymology:
"Oneiric" comes from Greek
"oneiros" ("dream").
onomatopoeia
[ah-nuh-mah-tuh-PEE-uh]
1. The naming of a thing or action
by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with
it (as "buzz", "hiss").
2. The use of words whose sound suggests
the sense.
Example:
When Blaine said that the bacon was sizzling and
the refrigerator was humming, he was using examples
of onomatopoeia.
Etymology:
"Onomatopoeia" came into
English via Late Latin, but the word "onomatopoeia"
traces back to the Greek "onoma,"
meaning "name," and "poiein,"
meaning "to make." ("Onoma"
can be found in such terms as "onomastics,"
which refers to the study of proper names and their
origins, while "poiein" gave us
such words as "poem" and "poet.")
English speakers have only used the word "onomatopoeia"
since the late 1500s, but people have been creating
words from the sounds heard around them for much
longer. In fact, the presence of so many imitative
words in language spawned the linguistic bowwow
theory, which postulates that language originated
in imitation of natural sounds.
onus
[OH-nuhs]
1. A burden; an obligation; a disagreeable
necessity.
2. a) A stigma; b)
Blame.
3. The burden of proof.
Examples:
1) And who knew what financial pressures
he was under or how desperate was his need to shed
the onus of his past? (Richard Lingeman, "The
Last Party," New York Times, April 27, 1997)
2) The onus of leadership fell on him.
(Scott Ritter, "Endgame")
3) The critical point, however, was
that the Times story freed other publications from
the onus of being the first to print the gossip,
and everyone felt freer to leap in. (Gail Collins,
"Scorpion Tongues")
4) Nor has the onus of official displeasure
fallen heavily enough upon the offenders. (Edmund
Candler, "Mahatma Ghandi," The Atlantic,
July 1922)
5) Mr. King is one of those writers
who tries to fend off the onus of a cliche by admitting
or underlining it. (Richard R. Lingeman, "Something
Nasty in the Tub," New York Times, March 1,
1977)
6) Where a claimant contracted asbestosis
having been exposed to asbestos dust over a period
of years, approximately half of which he had spent
working for the defendants, and half of which he
had spent working for other employers, the onus
was upon him to prove causation. ("Claimant
to prove contribution to his disability," Times
(London), April 12, 2000)
Etymology, related words:
"Onus" is adopted from Latin
"onus" ("load, burden").
The derivative Latin adjective "onerosus"
yields English "onerous"
("burdensome, oppressive"). The related
Latin verb "onerare" has the compound
form "exonerare" ("to free"),
which yields English "exonerate"
("to relieve", in a moral sense, as
of a charge, obligation, or blame).
oo
(chat, Internet) hugs for everybody but you
oojah
- what-d'ye-call-it
- thingumabob
- doohickey
- whatchamacallit
- oojah
capivvy
- capivvy
- oojah-cum-pivvy
- ooja-ka-pivi
- oojipoo
- oojah-cum-spiff
A thingumabob, doohickey, or whatchamacallit.
History, examples, synonyms:
"Pass me that oojah," you might say. You
might mean some useful little device which doesn't
have a name, or something which does have a proper
name but which you've temporarily forgotten. The
word is rather old-fashioned British English
slang. Its heyday was the First World War, when
British soldiers created it as part of a private
vocabulary. An eyebrows-raised article about the
slang of an Army hospital in the "Washington
Post" of 22 July 1917 provides one of its
earliest recorded appearances: " 'Pass the
oojah,' says the one-armed man who is playing billiards.
What is the oojah? The oojah is any
object in Heaven or earth; it is the thing which
has no name or the name of which you have temporarily
forgotten. The one-armed man, about to make his
stroke, requires the little twisted wire bridge,
mounted on a lead pedestal, that forms the cue rest
which - poor chap! - he ought to have formed with
his lost hand. So he demands the oojah, which is
army for 'what-d'ye-call-it' ".
It became greatly elaborated, especially after the
war ended and the word was transferred with its
speakers to civilian life. It's known in many forms,
including "oojah capivvy",
"oojah-cum-pivvy", "ooja-ka-pivi",
and "oojipoo". Another form
is "oojah-cum-spiff", which
came to mean that something was all right, in order,
or OK. This turns up several times in the novels
of P.G. Wodehouse, as here in "Right
Ho, Jeeves": "Yes, I agree with you,
Aunt Dahlia, that things are not looking too oojah-cum-spiff
at the moment, but be of good cheer. A Wooster is
seldom baffled for more than the nonce." Woosters
may not be, but etymologists often are. Though many
of these British Army slang terms of the period
were imported from India, "oojah"
has no known origin. If it did come from that country,
nobody can tell from what word in which language.
ooo
(chat, Internet) hugs; OOO
- big hugs
oosoom
(SMS) out of sight, out of mind
open a can of worms
- open
- a
can of worms
- can
of worms
- let
sleeping dogs lie
- let
- sleeping
dogs
- sleeping
dog
- sleeping
- dog
- dogs
- lie
- can
- worms
- worm
To cause trouble; to set unpleasant events in motion;
to get to any situation that creates more problems
than existed beforehand.
Examples:
1) It opened up a large can of worms
when the company decided to talk about the union
contract.
2) If you mention my report cards
to my mother, you'll open a can of worms.
History, synonym:
A can of worms might be fine to
open if you are by the banks of a river
on a summer's day getting ready to fish. But you
wouldn't want to open it anywhere
else; the situation might cause a lot of trouble!
In this expression, "worms"
are difficult or delicate issues. A related idiom
is "let sleeping dogs lie".
oppugn
[uh-PYOON]
1. To fight against.
2. To call in question.
Example:
As a young research assistant, Erin had the audacity
to oppugn the conclusions of her department head.
History, more examples, related words:
"Oppugn" was first recorded
in English in the 15th century. It came to Middle
English from the Latin verb "oppugnare,"
which in turn derived from the combination of "ob-,"
meaning "against," and "pugnare,"
meaning "to fight." "Pugnare"
itself is descended from the same ancient word that
gave Latin the word "pugnus," meaning
"fist." It's no surprise, then, that "oppugn"
was adopted into English to refer to fighting against
something or someone, either physically (as in
"the dictatorship will oppugn all who oppose
it") or verbally (as in "oppugn
an argument"). Other descendants of "pugnare"
in English include the equally aggressive "pugnacious,"
"pungent," "repugnant,"
and the rare "inexpugnable"
("incapable of being subdued or overthrown").
oracular
[or-RAK-yuh-ler]
1. Resembling an oracle (as
in solemnity of delivery).
2. Of, relating to, or being an oracle.
Example:
A knowledgeable wine drinker herself, Roberta refuses
to assign an oracular status to professional wine
critics; she drinks what she likes, not what has
been well-reviewed.
History, related words, more examples:
When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems
that were worrying them, they would often turn to
one of their gods for answers by consulting an oracle.
The word "oracle" has several
meanings. It can refer to the god's answer, to the
shrine the worshippers went to when seeking advice,
or to a person through whom the god communicated,
usually in the form of cryptic verse. (The words
"oracular" and "oracle"
trace back to the Latin verb "orare,"
which means "to speak.") Today, "oracle"
can simply mean an authoritative pronouncement or
a person who makes such pronouncements ("a
designer who is an oracle of fashion").
The related adjective "oracular"
is used in similar contexts ("a designer
who is the oracular voice of fashion").
orchidaceous
[or-kuh-DAY-shus]
1. Of, relating to, or resembling
the orchids.
2. Showy, ostentatious.
Example:
There's no clutter; no outlandish designer flatware
or china; no orchidaceous, wordy wine lists...
(James Villas, "Town and Country Monthly",
March 1998)
History, related expressions:
In its sense first used by botanists in the 1830s,
"orchidaceous" means "belonging
to the family Orchidaceae" - that is, to the
orchid family, a very large family of flowering
plants. While the basic shape of an orchid is simple
- three petals with, on many orchids, an enlarged
middle petal - there is no such thing as a typical
orchid. Orchids range in size from very tiny flowers
on inch-high plants to flowers a foot across, and
they grow in habitats from tropical rain forests
to semideserts. But when people use "orchidaceous"
as a flashy term in phrases like "orchidaceous
writing," "orchidaceous colors,"
and "orchidaceous ladies," it's
the colorful, showy tropical species they have in
mind - species which, as Jacob Breynius, a 17th-century
German botanist, put it, "surely excite our
greatest admiration."
orgulous
[OR-gyuh-luss]
proud
Example:
Antoine usually worked with the boutique's most
elite clientele and tended to adopt an orgulous
air toward more "ordinary" customers.
Etymology:
"From Isles of Greece / The princes orgulous,
their high blood chafed, / Have . . . sent their
ships . . . / To ransack Troy. . . ." Thus
Shakespeare began the story of the haughty
princes and their revenge for the abduction of Helen
in "Troilus and Cressida", employing
a colorful word first adopted in the 13th century
from Anglo-French "orguillus".
After the Bard's day, "orgulous"
dropped from sight for 200 years; there is no record
of its use until it was rejuvenated by the pens
of Robert Southey and Sir Walter Scott in the early
1800s. Twentieth-century novelists and journalists
(including James Joyce and Virginia Woolf) continued
its renaissance, and today "orgulous"
is an elegant choice for proud writers everywhere.
oriflamme
[OR-uh-flam]
A banner, symbol, or ideal inspiring devotion
or courage.
Example:
My [word-a-day] calendar had become an oriflamme,
inspiring me to try out my new grasp of the language,
non-stop. (May Brown, "Times Colonist"
[Victoria, BC], January 5, 2003)
History:
The original "oriflamme"
was the banner of Saint Denis, a patron saint
of France who is said to have been the first bishop
of Paris. Middle English speakers referred to this
red or reddish orange banner using the Middle French
term "oriflamble," from Old French
"ori flambe," meaning "small
flag." From the 12th to the 15th centuries,
French kings carried the banner into battle as a
way of inspiring their troops. This tactic met with
such success that, by 1600, English speakers were
using "oriflamme" to refer
to any group's rallying symbol.
orotund
[OR-uh-tuhnd]
1. Characterized by fullness, clarity, strength,
and smoothness of sound.
2. Pompous; bombastic.
Examples:
1) "I have been cursed to stalk
the night through all eternity," he went on,
his voice orotund, carrying all across the playground.
(Michael Chabon, "Werewolves in Their Youth")
2) Just once he should resist citing
Melville's orotund pronouncement that "genius,
all over the world, stands hand in hand, and one
shock of recognition runs the whole circle round."
(James Atlas, "The Great Reminiscer,"
New York Times, September 3, 1995)
3) . . . a down-at-heel philosopher who
no longer thinks but gabs, the bore at the dinner
table, growing more self-absorbed and orotund and
cynical with each glass of wine. ("Melting
in Sri Lanka," New York Times, March 29, 1987)
Etymology, related words:
"Orotund" derives from Latin
"ore rotundo" ("with a round
mouth"), hence "clear, loud,"
from "os, oris" ("the mouth")
+ "rotundus" ("round").
It is related to "oral".
orphic
[OR-fik]
1. (Capitalized) Of or relating
to Orpheus or the rites or doctrines
ascribed to him.
2. Mystic, oracular.
3. Fascinating, entrancing.
Example:
He liked to speak in orphic epigrams that one listened
to respectfully but was not expected to dispute.
(Donal Henahan, "The New York Times",
June 14, 1987)
History:
Orpheus was a hero of Greek mythology who
was supposed to possess superhuman musical skills.
With his legendary lyre, he was said to be able
to make even the rocks and trees dance around. In
fact, when his wife Eurydice died, he used his lyre
to convince Hades to allow her to return from the
underworld (though he ultimately failed in this
attempt because he broke his promise to not look
back as they were leaving). Later on, according
to legend, he was killed at the bidding of Dionysus,
and an oracle of Orpheus was established
that came to rival the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
Because of the oracle of Orpheus, "orphic"
can mean "oracular." Because of Orpheus'
musical powers, "orphic"
can mean "entrancing."
orthodoxy
1. Soundness of faith; a belief in the doctrines
taught in the scriptures, or in some established
standard of faith; devout religiousness; the quality
of being orthodox (especially in religion).
Antonyms: unorthodoxy; heterodoxy; heresy
Example:
Basil himself bears full and clear testimony to
gregory's orthodoxy. 2. Consonance to genuine
scriptural doctrines; a belief or orientation
agreeing with conventional standards; state of being
orthodox; said of moral doctrines and beliefs;
as, the orthodoxy of a creed.
Antonyms: unorthodoxy; heterodoxy; heresy
3. By extension, said of any correct
doctrine or belief.
Etymology:
"Orthodoxy" derives from
the Greek "orthos" ("correct"
or "straight"), and "doxa"
("opinion"); it denotes "correct
belief."
orthography
[or-THAH-gruh-fee]
1. The art of writing words with the proper
letters according to standard usage.
2. The representation of the sounds of a
language by written or printed symbols.
3. A part of language study that deals with
letters and spelling.
Example:
English orthography was not yet regularized in medieval
times, so words often had many different spellings.
History:
"It's a damn poor mind that can only think
of one way to spell a word!". That quote,
ascribed to Andrew Jackson, might have been
the motto of early English spelling. The concept
of orthography (a term that derives
from the Greek words "orthos,"
meaning "right or true," and "graphein,"
meaning "to write") was not something
that really concerned people until the introduction
of the printing press in England in the second half
of the 15th century. From then on, English spelling
became progressively more uniform and has remained
fairly stable since the 1755 publication of Samuel
Johnson's "Dictionary of the English Language"
(with the notable exception of certain spelling
reforms, such as changing "musick"
to "music," that were championed
by Noah Webster).
orthopraxy
1. Proper behavior; proper action.
2. The treatment of deformities in the human
body by mechanical appliances.
Examples:
1) Scholars of comparative religion
stress what they call Islam's orthopraxy or emphasis
on "correct ritual practice."
2) Orthopaedic surgery began with
orthopaedic medicine. The word has been firmly attached
to the speciality despite the use of similar words
such as orthomorphic by Jacques Delpech in 1828
and orthopraxy by Heather-Bigg in 1865, to make
it straight as a designation for the mechanical
therapeutics of deformity (Kirkup 1993). (Leslie
Klenerman, "Setting the scene the start of
orthopaedic surgery")
Etymology:
"Orthopraxy" derives from
the Greek "orthos" ("correct"
or "straight") + "praxis"
("action"); it denotes "correct behaviour
or actions."
ossify
[AH-suh-fye]
1. To change into bone; to become bony; to
convert from a soft tissue to a hard bony tissue.
2. To become hardened or set in a
rigidly conventional pattern; to harden; to mold
into a rigidly conventional pattern.
Examples:
1) One is left with the image . .
. of a lonely, aging dictator "still searching
for something that is impossibly elusive,"
still haranguing his audiences, yet incapable of
recognizing the flaws of the system he has created,
and presiding over an increasingly ossified regime
and society. (Stanley Hoffmann, "Power Unshared
and Total", New York Times, November 30, 1986)
2) Liberation from ossified community
bonds is a recurrent and honored theme in our culture,
from the Pilgrims' storied escape from religious
convention in the seventeenth century to the lyric
nineteenth-century paeans to individualism by Emerson
("Self-Reliance"), Thoreau ("Civil
Disobedience"), and Whitman ("Song of
Myself") to Sherwood Anderson's twentieth-century
celebration of the struggle against conformism by
ordinary citizens in Winesburg, Ohio to the latest
Clint Eastwood film. (Robert D. Putnam, "Bowling
Alone")
3) It was a case of fresh, consistent
dogmatism against ossified, utilitarian dogma. (Milovan
Djilas, "Fall of the New Class")
4) Harold was open to new ideas in
his youth, but his mind has ossified as the years
have passed and he's now an inflexible curmudgeon.
Etymology, related words:
Initially, the skeletons of mammals consist mainly
of soft cartilage that gradually transforms into
hard bone as an individual matures. Since the late
17th century, English speakers have referred to
this bone-building process as "ossification."
Linguistic research suggests that usage of the verb
"ossify" solidified soon
after the noun appeared. English speakers began
to use "ossification" and
"ossify" for more figurative
types of hardening (such as that of the heart, mind,
or soul) in the 19th century. "Ossify"
and "ossification" both descend from the
Latin root "os, oss-" ("bone")
+ "-fy", from Latin "-ficare",
akin to "facere" ("to make").
"Os" is also an English
word that appears in scientific contexts as a synonym
of "bone," and the Latin term is an ancestor
of the word "osseous," which
means "consisting of or resembling bone."
ostentation
[os-ten-TAY-shuhn]
Excessive or pretentious display; boastful
showiness.
Examples:
1) In a city where the wealthy are
known for ostentation, many are now buying low-profile
economy cars to fool kidnappers and thieves.
(Anthony Faiola, "Brazil's Elites Fly Above
Their Fears," Washington Post, June 1, 2002)
2) After his marriage, when Francis
finally had enough money to indulge his tastes,
his extravagance and ostentation in matters of dress
frequently occasioned comment. (Lisa Jardine
and Alan Stewart, "Hostage to Fortune")
3) It is too early to probe the cause
or say how far the staggering ostentation of the
wealthy fomented the sullen disaffection of the
poor. (Stephen McKenna, "Sonia")
4) The Puritan leadership was especially
distressed by the sartorial ostentation of the lower
classes, who were supposed to content themselves
with "raiment suitable to the order in which
God's providence has placed them." (Patricia
O'Toole, "Money & Morals in America: A
History")
Etymology:
"Ostentation" comes from
Latin "ostentatio, ostentation-",
from "ostentare" ("to display"),
frequentative of "ostendere" ("to
hold out, to show"), from "ob-, obs-"
("in front of, before") + "tendere"
("to stretch, to stretch out, to present").
otacust
a spy or eavesdropper
other side of the coin
An opposite side or point of view.
Example:
The new building is wonderful, but on the other
side of the coin, it cost $10 million.
History:
This metaphor has been around since the beginning
of the 20th century and is widely used. Every coin
has two sides, but you can see only one
side at a time. Like a coin, every issue
has more than one side to it. You
have to know the "other side of the coin"
to get the full story.
otiose
[OH-shee-ohs; OH-tee-] 1. Ineffective;
futile. 2. Being at leisure; lazy; indolent;
idle. 3. Of no use.
Examples:
1) Mr. Federspiel's surreal flourishes
and commentaries straddle the line between interesting
and otiose. Most of the surrealism is pretty but
pointless. (D. F. Wallace, "The Million-Dollar
Tattoo", New York Times, May 5, 1991)
2) Although the wild outer movements
and the angular Minuet can take such clockwork precision,
the Andante, with its obsessive, claustrophobic
dialogues between strings and bassoons, seemed sluggish
and otiose. (Tim Ashley, "VPO/Maazel",
The Guardian, April 16, 2002)
3) The umlaut he affected, which made
no difference to the pronunciation of his name,
was as otiose as a pair of strategically positioned
beauty spots. (Peter Conrad, "Hidden shallows",
New Statesman, October 14, 2002)
4) One hazard for religions in which
all professional intermediaries are dispensed with,
and in which the individual is enjoined to 'work
out your own salvation' and is regarded as fully
capable of doing so, is that belief and practice
become independent of formal organized structures
which may in such a context come to be perceived
as otiose. (Lorne L. Dawson, "The Cultural
Significance of New Religious Movements: The Case
of Soka Gakkai", Sociology of Religion, Fall
2001)
Etymology:
"Otiose" is from Latin "otiosus"
("idle, at leisure"), from "otium"
("leisure").
out in left field
- out
in
- left
field
- left
- field
1. Far from the right answer; totally wrong;
astray.
2. Speaking or acting very queerly;
unusual; crazy.
Examples:
1) Johnny tried to answer the teacher's
question but he was way out in left field.
2) Susan tried to guess what the surprise
was but she was way out in left field.
3) The girl next door was always queer,
but after her father died, she was really out in
left field and had to go to a hospital.
4) What he said was totally out in
left field. He has no idea what we were talking
about.
5) The question came out of left field,
but Mary Ann wasnt really surprised...
6) He is, like most theorists, out
there in left field, ignoring the experimental evidence.
7) Mary's suggestion, a "dress
as your favorite vegetable" party, was way
out in left field.
History:
Baseball became a popular sport in the United States
in the 20th century, and this expression is based
on one of the field positions. Left
field is a long way from home plate and
is one of the farthest outfield positions to which
fewer balls are hit. If home plate is called "home"
because it's a safe place where a player starts
out from and hopes to come back to, then "left
field" means something far from what's
considered normal. It's really weird!
out in the boondocks
- out
in the boondock
- out
in
- boondocks
- out
- in
the boondocks
- in
the boondock
- boondock
- Tagalogs
- Tagalog
- in
the boonies
- boonies
In remote places; in rural regions; in sparsely
populated areas.
Examples:
1) She was not exactly pleased with
the idea of living in the boondocks.
2) I don't want to be stuck out in
the boondocks.
3) He lives way out in the boondocks.
History, related form:
Tagalogs are native Filipinos who
live in or near Manila, the capital city
of Philippines. In the Tagalog language,
"bundok" means "mountain".
The Untied States military forces stationed in the
area of the Philippines in the first half
of the 20th century extended the meaning of the
word from mountain to any place that is far from
heavily populated centers. Today, the saying is
sometimes shortened to "in the boonies".
out like a light
- out
- like
a light
- like
- light
- out
cold
- pass
out
- cold
- pass
1. Fast asleep; to sleep very quickly.
2. In a faint; unconscious.
Synonyms: out cold, pass out.
Examples:
1) I was out like a light when I went
to bed last night.
2) Tom got so much fresh air and exercise
that he went out like a light as soon as he lay
down.
3) As soon as the lights were turned
off, Johnny was out like a light.
4) Johnny was hit by a ball and went
out like a light.
5) After she read that Tom had married
another girl Jean was out like a light for several
minutes.
6) Given a strong anesthetic, the
patient was out like a light.
History:
In America in the 20th century, when the wonders
of electricity spread across the land, people could
turn on and shut off lights with just a flick
of a switch. By the middle of the century, "out
like a light" was a way of saying that
a person had fallen asleep very quickly or had been
knocked out or drugged into unconsciousness in a
matter of seconds.
out of gas
Tired, exhausted, worn out.
Example: I tried to finish the project, but
I was out of gas.
Etymology: When a car runs out of gas, it
can no longer move forward. So when a person is
'out of gas', he is like a car that can no longer
drive.
Synonyms: beat, pooped
out of here
Good-bye; going, leaving.
Examples:
1) When I get paid, I'm outa here.
2) Just one more slice of cake and
I'm out of here.
History:
This catchy, modern African-American saying means
just what it says.
out of sight, out of mind
- out of sight
- out of mind
- out of
- sight
- out
- mind
- absence makes the heart grow fonder
- absence
- make
- heart
- grow fonder
- grow
- fonder
If you don't see something for a long time, you'll
eventually stop thinking about it; physical distance
causes emotional distance (there is a tendency to
forget those that you are not in touch with on a
daily basis).
Examples:
1) When I moved away, I forgot her
- out of sight, out of mind.
2) She thought she'd miss her boyfriend
when he went away, but it was out of sight, out
of mind.
History, antonym:
Homer, an ancient Greek poet, used this proverb
in his famous epic the Odyssey in about 850 B.C.
A similar saying was popular in English as early
as the 1200s. The image is clear: what is missing
from your view will soon be missing from your thoughts.
The expression "absence makes the heart
grow fonder" states the opposite
idea.
out of the clear blue sky
- out
of
- clear
blue sky
- a
bolt from the blue
- bolt
from the blue
- bolt
- blue
- the
blue
- out
- clear
- blue
sky
- blue
- sky
Suddenly and without any warning; totally unexpectedly.
Example:
Out of the clear blue sky, he asked her to marry
him.
History, synonym:
This late 19th-century expression is related to
another saying, "a bolt from the blue".
A bolt of lightning or sudden shower from
a clear, blue sky would be unexpected. Sometimes
this idiom is shortened to "out of the
blue."
out of the frying pan
and into the fire
- out of
- out
- frying pan
- frying
- pan
- into the fire
- fire
Out of one trouble and into more trouble; from something
bad to something worse.
Examples:
1) The explorer escaped the wild boar
by leaping across a narrow canyon. When he reached
the other side, though, he landed on the tail of
a giant python and realized that he had jumped out
of the frying pan and into the fire.
2) When he changed jobs he went out
of the frying pan and into the fire. His new job
is much worse.
3) First you were late. Now, you spilled
glue all over the teacher's desk. You're jumped
out of the frying pan and into the fire.
4) She quit the job because of some
small problems but she has jumped out of the frying
pan and into the fire because now her problems are
much worse.
History:
This proverb, popular in many languages, was used
in English in the early 1500s.
A piece of food being fried in a pan is hot enough,
but falling out of the frying pan and
into the fire is even worse!
out of the mouths of babes
- truth comes out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
- out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
- out of
- mouths of babes
- sucklings
- suckling
- out
- mouths
- babes
- mouth
- babe
Children can unexpectedly say very intelligent things.
Examples:
1) The four-year-old said, 'Aunt Roslyn,
your dress is as pretty as a garden.' Out of the
mouths of babes, you know.
2) And Jesus saith unto them, Yea;
have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matthew
21:16)
3) Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
(Psalms 8:2)
Etymology:
The full version of this saying is something like
"out of the mouths of babes come smart ideas,"
but you don't have to say the whole thing for people
to get the idea. Similar expressions originated
in the Bible.
out of the woods
Not in a place, or state, of obscurity or doubt;
free from difficulty or perils; not in danger (any
more); safe (from trouble or danger).
Examples:
1) The doctor says Bob's condition
has improved slightly, but he's not out of the woods
yet.
2) Pedro survived the heart surgery,
but he's not out of the woods yet.
History:
For centuries, at least back to ancient Roman times,
people thought of the woods as a dark, mysterious,
possibly dangerous place. If you were stuck in the
woods, you could be in trouble. But if you got
"out of the woods," you
were safe. This expression can be used to mean being
past any kind of critical phase in a risky situation
or getting free of danger or trouble.
out on a limb
- out
on
- out
- on
a limb
- take
a chance
- take
- chance
- limb
In a dangerous place; taking a chance; in a dangerous
position from which it is hard to withdraw or
change
Synonym: take a chance
Examples:
1) I went out on a limb and said that
you would donate $1000.
2) The mayor went out on a limb when
he opposed the new sports center.
History:
This American saying dates from the late 1800s,
when hunting animals in the woods was a more common
activity than it is today. It probably referred
to a hunted animal that climbed a tree and got itself
stranded out on a limb where it could easily
be shot. Later the idiom grew to describe any person
who takes a risk that might lead to trouble.
outta here
- outta
- here
- out
of here
- out
of
- out
A colloquial phrase indicating that someone is leaving.
Examples:
1) I'm outta here! See you next week!
2) It looks like Stephan is finally
outta here - we will miss him as the chicken misses
flight.
Etymology:
This slang comes from the phrase 'out of here',
which is also used to indicate that you are leaving
(or going out of) this place (or here).
over a barrel
In a helpless or trapped position; in someone's
power; at a disadvantage.
Examples:
1) I think that we have them over
a barrel and should be able to win the contract
easily.
2) Jack is really over a barrel since
he lost the only copy of the book he needed for
his report.
History:
There are a couple of possible explanations
for this old idiom. One is that a person
rescued from drowning was often laid over
a barrel to help empty his or her lungs
of water. The other is that a person about
to be flogged, or whipped for a crime, was often
tied over a barrel to hold him down.
over one's head
- over your head
- keep one's head above water
- keep your head above water
- over
- head
- keep
- above water
- above
- water
1. Too difficult or complicated for
someone to understand; not understandable, beyond
one's ability to understand; too deep for smb.
2. A risky situation that will lead to certain
failure.
Examples:
1) The mathematics lectures went over
my head during the first few weeks.
2) I warned Charles that he was in
over his head, but he wouldn't stop.
History, related expressions:
This widely used expression has two meanings. One
is that if you invest more money than you can afford
in a risky business venture, then you're in "over
your head" and probably on the road
to financial disaster. In this case, you should
try to "keep your head above water".
The other meaning is that if a person tells a joke
or makes a remark that you don't understand, it
goes "over your head" rather
than into your brain.
over the hill
- over
- hill
- hill,
over the
- plethoric
- rife
Overabundant; excessively abundant; past one`s prime,
unable to function as one used to; too old; senile.
Synonym: plethoric, rife
Examples:
1) He thought that his friend was
over the hill and should't be working so hard.
2) Poor Mr. Jones is sure not like
he used to be; well, he's over the hill.
3) Some people seem over the hill
at thirty.
4) He's over the hill as a professional
athlete.
5) She is over the hill as far as
marriage is concerned.
6) He was seriously ill for three
weeks but he's over the hill now.
7) A ninety-two-year-old man finished
the marathon and proved he wasn't over the hill
yet.
History, more examples:
Since at least the middle of the 20th century, writers
have made comparisons between living your life and
climbing a hill or mountain. When you're
younger and full of energy, you climb up the
hill and head for the top. After that, as you
come upon middle and old age, your body slows and
you go down the hill, no longer able to do
all the things you could do before. You're "over
(the top of) the hill."
But some old-timers would say, "I'd rather
be over the hill than under it".
overweening
1. Overbearing; arrogant; presumptuous.
2. Excessive; immoderate; exaggerated.
Examples:
1) In a story as old as the Greeks,
overweening pride brought condign disaster. (David
Frum, "How We Got Here")
2) She was warring with her children,
having pushed them away with her overweening possessiveness.
(James Fox, "Five Sisters")
3) Overweening personal ambition is
no virtue; but while I had it, I could have danced
on a bed of nails. (Joyce Maynard, "At Home
in the World")
Etymology:
"Overweening" is from Middle
English "overwening", present participle
of "overwenen" - "to be arrogant,"
from "over" + "wenen"
("to ween"), from Old English "wenan".
ow
(SMS) oh well!
owe smb. one
Thank you for your service, now I owe you a favor.
Examples:
1) Bob: I put the extra copy of the
book on your desk.
Sue: Thanks, I owe you one.
2) Bill: Let me pay for it.
Bob:
Thanks a lot, I owe you one.
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