what's the origin / meaning of the phrase "he's shooting [playing?] lights out"? [more inside]
posted on Mar 23, 2008 - 19 answers

Can you suggest common phrases in Spanish that would be useful for teacher of Spanish speaking kids? [more inside]
posted on Feb 26, 2008 - 9 answers

So I'd like to compile a list--better or at least easier to peruse than the ones I've found on the interwebs--of all of those crazy catch phrases Frank Zappa used on all his records and at shows. So far I have "It's a way of life" and "Add water; makes it own sauce!", both from Joe's Garage. Maybe there's a great site I'm missing 'cause it's got no GoogleJuice?
posted on Dec 13, 2007 - 7 answers

I'm looking for phrases, sayings, anything that incorporates a fruit. For example: "Apple of my eye" or "Cherry on top." Thanks!
posted on Oct 23, 2007 - 45 answers

Where does the practice of saying "come in Tokyo" while pretending to adjust a woman's breasts like an old radio set come from? I don't do this- but I know someone who claims it's a reference from some TV show or movie.
posted on Sep 20, 2007 - 13 answers

What is the origin of the phrase "Local Boy Makes Good"? I Googled it and see that it was a Mervyn LeRoy movie from 1931, so it's at least that old.
posted on Sep 11, 2007 - 4 answers

"If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot." I recently heard this expression somewhere and it's driving me nuts. Any idea where I might have heard it? I feel like it was in a movie, tv show, commercial, or maybe a video on YouTube. I have a vague recollection of an image of someone demonstrating the principle expressed in the quote. [more inside]
posted on Jun 5, 2007 - 5 answers

Fill in the blank: "He/she has the IQ of a _________." I've heard various phrases to refer to stupid people. Googling brings up interesting simple or inanimate objects such as a sugar beet, tapeworm and dirty sock. (I've always used doorknob for some reason...) I'm looking for the ultimate funny comparison!
posted on May 23, 2007 - 117 answers

Help me speak and write two phrases in Farsi. [more inside]
posted on Apr 29, 2007 - 2 answers

What is the origin of the phrase, "last, best hope" as used in pretty much every self-consciously significant but ultimately cliched film, book or TV episode I've indulged myself with over the last ten years?
posted on Apr 8, 2007 - 18 answers

Is there a name for common phrases such as "at last" or "just in case" or "ever after"? [more inside]
posted on Apr 7, 2007 - 12 answers

Is the phrase 'proof, if proof be need be' a Chris Morris coinage? [more inside]
posted on Nov 3, 2006 - 16 answers

What is your favorite and most colorful expression or phrase? Speaking about two idiots that we work with, my coworker said that they looked like 'Two monkey's f*cking a football', which led me to say 'They couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery', and as a final touch, which made me laugh, my coworker states 'They're about as handy as a bear cub with a toothpick'. I would love to write a book or create a website with colorful phrases from around the world. What are some of your favorite idioms that you use or have overhead in the boardroom, bar, or barnyard?
posted on Oct 31, 2006 - 192 answers

Help me think of phrases that come exclusively from game play. Some examples would be: "Ollie ollie oxen free" and "ready or not here I come" and "ring a round a rosy".
posted on Aug 9, 2006 - 60 answers

What are your favorite literary passages that you've memorized? [more inside]
posted on Aug 1, 2006 - 113 answers

What is the origin of the phrase, "(something) should be nuked from orbit," or "nuke it from orbit?" [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2006 - 24 answers

whats the origin of the phrase 'you dont have to be a rocket scientist..? [more inside]
posted on Jul 5, 2006 - 15 answers

Does anyone know where I can find a list online of 500-1000 most common spanish words or phrases, along with their meanings? I searched a bit and found quite a few that had 50 or a 100 approximately, but I want more. I have a Spanish to English dictionary, but I want to print out a quick reference sheet. The list can be words or phrases, it doesnt matter too much.
posted on Apr 24, 2006 - 3 answers

Where does the phrase "clean up on isle five" come from and what exactly does it mean? [more inside]
posted on Apr 20, 2006 - 28 answers

How do you communicate with non-english speakers when playing sports or gaming? [more inside]
posted on Dec 12, 2005 - 8 answers

It seems that when we Westerners call an event a "kabuki dance," we mean that the event is elaborate but ultimately without substance. Examples: 1, 2. When did this usage arise, and is this unfair to the kabuki art form?
posted on Sep 15, 2005 - 8 answers

Do you know of a page or project that will show a list of Amazon's statistcally improbable phrases, live-linked to the Amazon content the are found in? Options for sorting by source date, title, author, subject, or other classes are what my inner librarian really wants. [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2005 - 5 answers

What does the phrase "get bent" mean and what is its origin?
posted on Feb 22, 2005 - 20 answers

At least since I was a kid, there's been the joke/expression "underwater basketweaving." Namely as a joke college major: "What's your major?" "Underwater basketweaving." What is the origin of this expression? Anyone know?
posted on Jan 28, 2005 - 26 answers

Who coined the phrase "Cultural Cathedral?" MI.
posted on Dec 30, 2004 - 8 answers

Text search tool: I'm looking for a word processor or text tool, that will allow me to search documents for phrases centred about particular words. I want to be able to specify a 'window,' say of 15 words; and the tool will then return *all* the text that occurs 15 words either side of the search target. Example: if I searched this AskMe page for "fanboy" as a target, and set my window as '6,' I would expect to get - "aren't trying to show off their fanboy Pitchfork-esque indie creds. The less politics" - from alidarbac's question below, as one of the returns. Free/share/commercial-ware all acceptable. Many thanks!
posted on Nov 18, 2004 - 7 answers

Some people call them Hoagies, others call them grinders... Where I live what most people call pop is called soda, and water fountains are called Bubblers. What regional phrases does your area have?
posted on Apr 10, 2004 - 42 answers