Where Does The Saying A Horse A Piece Come From?

According to DARE, the logic of “a horse apiece” may come from an old dice game called “horse” in which two players who have each lost a turn are said to be “a horse apiece.” Or it may just be a variant of “horse and horse,” describing two horses racing neck-and-neck down a racetrack.

Where does a phrase come from?

1520s, “manner or style of expression,” also “brief expression with some unity; two or more words expressing what is practically a single notion,” from Late Latin phrasis “diction,” from Greek phrasis “speech, way of speaking, enunciation, phraseology,” from phrazein “to tell, declare, indicate, point out, show, inform

Where does the expression a piece of work come from?

The term is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties…” In this case, the term is used literally.

Where did the saying come from see a man about a horse?

Origin of see-a-man-about-a-horse
The saying comes from the 1866 Dion Boucicault play, Flying Scud, in which a character knowingly breezes past a difficult situation saying, “Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can’t stop; I’ve got to see a man about a dog.”

Where did the saying what it is come from?

According to the New York Times, the phrase it is what it is appeared as early as an 1949 article by J.E. Lawrence in The Nebraska State Journal. Lawrence used the phrase when describing the difficulty faced during frontier-era life in Nebraska: “New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy.

Where does the saying Bob’s your uncle come from?

In 1887, British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur James Balfour as Minister for Ireland. The phrase ‘Bob’s your uncle’ was coined when Arthur referred to the Prime Minister as ‘Uncle Bob’. Apparently, it’s very simple to become a minister when Bob’s your uncle!

Why do they say cat got your tongue?

On English sailing ships, anyone entrusted with a secret by a higher officer would be threatened with “the cat” for telling; thus, the saying ‘has the cat got your tongue?’ became slang for ‘are you afraid to tell?’

What does the expression of a piece mean?

Of the same kind, as in This legislation is of a piece with the previous bill, or Her rude behavior was all of a piece. The piece in this idiom alludes to a single mass of material. [ Early 1600s]

What does getting a piece of the pie mean?

a share of something
idiom. informal. a share of something: When the business started making money, everyone in his family wanted a piece of the pie.

What does it mean to say of a piece?

of a piece in American English
of the same kind; harmonious; consistent. Also: of one piece.

What does it mean when a woman calls a man a dog?

If someone calls a man a dog, they strongly disapprove of him. People use dog to refer to something that they consider unsatisfactory or of poor quality. It’s a real dog. If someone calls a woman or girl a dog, they mean that she is unattractive.

What is the male equivalent of a horse girl?

Yes, that’s right. Horse Boys. We all knew a Horse Girl.

What does the phrase see a man about a dog?

Excuse oneself without giving the real reason for leaving, especially to go to the toilet or have an alcoholic drink. For example, Excuse me, I have to see a man about a dog.

Where did calling a spade a spade come from?

The idiom originates in the classical Greek of Plutarch’s Apophthegmata Laconica, and was introduced into the English language in 1542 in Nicolas Udall’s translation of the Apophthegmes, where Erasmus had seemingly replaced Plutarch’s images of “trough” and “fig” with the more familiar “spade”.

Where did the saying for Pete’s sake come from?

From where did the phrase “for Pete’s sake” come? “For Pete’s sake” originated as a substitute for “for Christ’s (or God’s) sake,” and other similar expressions—as using a shortened form of the disciple St. Peter’s name instead was considered less offensive.

Where does the saying happy as Larry come from?

Answer: It originates from a boxer called Larry Foley in the 1890s, before boxing was fully legalised. He won the biggest prize of about $150,000 dollars and a newspaper article in New Zealand had the headline “Happy As Larry” and the phrase stuck.

Why do we say Fanny’s your aunt?

Used as a humorous response to the phrase “Bob’s your uncle,” which is used to emphasize how easily or quickly something can be done. Primarily heard in UK, Australia.

What does Fanny’s your aunt mean?

The long version Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt meaning “and there you are” or “it’s that easy!” or “(after that) it’s done!” or “(after that,) you have achieved what you wanted to achieve”. One variant is Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your granny.

What does Bob your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt mean?

When used together it means complete or the whole lot. If Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt you’ve got a full set of relatives and you are complete. Today we can use it like this: Where is the post office ? Go straight on until you reach the park, take the first right, and Bob’s your uncle – you’re there!

Where does Long time no see come from?

Chinese Pidgin English
Long time no see is a casual way of saying, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.” While it originally comes from Chinese Pidgin English (just like the phrase no can do), beginning in the late 1800s long time no see was used to ridicule the English of Native Americans.

Where does the expression going to the dogs come from?

Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have gone to the dogs, both literally in that that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.