Wiktionary offers the following etymology: “mouth, meaning ‘insolence’ or ‘an insolent person’ and trousers, meaning ‘a pushy sexual bravado’. The phrase originated in northern England.” The definition is “superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance”.
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What donkeys years mean?
a very long time
: a very long time.
Where does the saying donkey’s years come from?
Answer. Answer: It’s an old docker’s term. When people put things on a ship, they used a crank called a donkey. They were very slow and when they were asked how long it would take, they said “donkey’s years”.
What does the idiom trousers gone mean?
To be taken by surprise; to be caught in a vulnerable (often embarrassing) position or situation.
What does all mouth and mouth mean?
to talk a lot about doing something but never do it: He says he’s going to complain to the manager, but he’s all mouth. Talkative and eloquent. articulate.
What elbow grease means?
Strenuous physical effort
elbow grease. Strenuous physical effort, as in You’ll have to use some elbow grease to get the house painted in time. This term alludes to vigorous use of one’s arm in cleaning, polishing, or the like.
What does clean as a whistle mean?
really clean
For many of you, “clean as a whistle” probably means really clean, as in not dirty. For example, “The sink was clean as a whistle after he scrubbed it.” Or maybe you’d say something like, “Since she’s never even had a speeding ticket, her record is clean as a whistle.”
What is the meaning of kicked the bucket?
have died
If you say that someone has kicked the bucket, you mean that they have died. [informal] Synonyms: die, expire, perish, pass away More Synonyms of to kick the bucket. See full dictionary entry for bucket. COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary.
What does it mean in black and white?
Definition of ‘be in black and white’
You say that something is in black and white when it has been written or printed, and not just said. He’d seen the proof in black and white.
Why do people say I’m not being funny but?
phrase. Used to preface a statement that may be seen as surprising, overly direct, or impolite. ‘I’m not being funny, but if he goes on like this we’ll have real trouble keeping hold of him.
What is the meaning of Bob’s your uncle?
Definition of and Bob’s your uncle
—used to say that something is easy to do or use Just complete the form, pay the fee, and Bob’s your uncle!
What does the phrase the wee hours mean?
(also wee small hours, small hours) the early hours of the morning, between twelve o’clock at night and the time when the sun rises: He was up until the wee hours trying to finish his work.
What does all bark and no bite mean?
all bark and no bite (not comparable) (idiomatic) Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious. (idiomatic) Often making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath. (idiomatic) Aggressive but never combative.
What is the meaning of a different kettle of fish?
a bad state of affairs
1 : a bad state of affairs : mess. 2 : something to be considered or dealt with : matter a different kettle of fish.
What does all talk no walk mean?
Definition of all talk and no action
: saying that one will do something but then not doing it When it comes to looking for a job, she’s all talk and no action.
What does it mean when a girl is all mouth?
be all ˈmouth
(British English also be all mouth and (no) ˈtrousers) (informal) if you say somebody is all mouth, you mean that they talk a lot about doing something, but are, in fact, not brave enough to do it: Don’t be scared of her. She won’t hurt you — she’s all mouth.
Where did the phrase 40 winks come from?
The first use of this expression dates back to 1821, when Dr. William Kitchiner, an optician and telescope inventor used it in his self help guide, The art of invigorating and prolonging life – “A forty winks nap in a horizontal posture, is the best preparative for any extraordinary exertion of either.”
What does the phrase seeing red mean?
anger
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger. The rival team saw red when they realized they had been pranked.
What a cheek meaning?
1 : the fleshy side of the face below the eye and above and to the side of the mouth broadly : the lateral aspect of the head. 2 : buttock sense 1. cheek.
Where did the expression clear as a bell come from?
Pure as the sound of a bell; also, readily understood. For example, Did you understand the message I left you? —Yes, clear as a bell. This simile, which alludes to the bell’s clarity owing to lack of overtones, was already a proverb in John Ray’s English Proverbs (1670).
Where does slick as a whistle come from?
For example, That salesman is as slick as a whistle, or The fence post went in place slick as a whistle. The allusion in this simile, first recorded in 1830, is not totally clear, but presumably it refers either to the ease of producing a whistle or to its clear tone.