IDIOM OF THE DAY

[rufusredtail]

GIFT

the gift of the gab the ability to speak with eloquence and fluency.

i Gab, dating from the late 18th century, was an informal word for 'conversation or chatter'. In Scotland it was associated with gab, an early 18th-century dialect variant of gob meaning 'the mouth'.

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RAW

come the raw prawn   attempt to decieve someone . Australian informal

I  in Australian English, a stupid person can be referred to as a prawn.

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MONTH

 a month of sundays a very long, seemingly endless period of time.

i This expression may be a reference to the traditionally slow passage of Sundays as a result of religious restrictions on activity or entertainment. In a letter written in 1849,G. E. Jewsbury talked of the absence of mail deliveries on Sundays, remarking: 'if i don't get a better letter from you... you may pass "a month of sundays" at breakfast without any letter from me'.

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SWEAT

by the sweat of your brow by your own hard work, typically manual labour.

i This idiom is often used with the reference to God's sentence on Adam after the Fall, condemning him to work for his food: 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread' (Genesis 3:19)

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TOD

onyour tod on your own; alone.British informal

i In rhyming slang, on your Tod Sloan means 'on your own'. The Tod Sloan in question was a famous American jockey who made his name in horse racing in the 1890s.

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FIDDLE

play second fiddle to take a subordinate role to someone or something

i The expression derives from the respective roles of the fiddles or violins in an orchestra.Both play first fiddle  and play third fiddle are much less common. The implication of playing second fiddle is often that it is somewhat demeaning.

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PENNY

spend a penny  urinate.British informal

i At one time coin-operated locks were commonly found on the doors of public lavatories. The phrase is now rather dated.

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GRANDMOTHER

teach your grand mother to such eggs   presume to advise a more experienced person.

i The proverb you cant teach your grandmother to suck eggs has been used since the early 18th century as a caution against any attempt by the ignorant or inexperienced to instruct someone wiser or more knowledgeable.

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DOG

go to the dogs   deteriorate shockingly,especially in behaviour or morals.

i This idiom derives from the fact that attending greyhound races was once thought likely to expose a person to moral danger and the risk of incurring great financial loss.

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SON

son of a gun a humorous or affectionate way of addressing or referring to someone.

i The term arose with reference to the guns carried on board ships; it is said to have been originally applied to babies born at sea by women accompanying their husbands.

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MURPHY

Murphy's law  if anything can go wrong it will.

i Murphy's law is said to have been the inspiration of a californian project manager for the firm Northrop, referring to a remark made in 1949 by a colleague, Captain Edward Murphy of the Wright Field-Aircraft Laboratory. In 1955, Aviation Mechanics Bulletin explained Murphy Law as ' if an aircraft part can be installed incorrectly, someone will install it that way'.

[Speros]

Cut of your jib

Meaning

One's general appearance and demeanour.

Origin

The jib of a sailing ship is a triangular sail set between the foretopmast head and the jib boom. Some ships had more than one jib sail. Each country had its own style of sail and so the nationality of a sailing ship, and a sailor's consequent opinion of it, could be determined from the jib.

[rufusredtail]

MOULD

Break the mould put an end to a pattern of events or behaviour,especially one that has become rigid and restrictive, by doing things in a markedly different way.

i Originally this phrase referred to casting artefacts in moulds; destroying a mould ensured that no further identical examples could be produced, The expression became a catchphrase in Britain in the early 1980s with the foundation of the Social Democratic Party. Its founders promoted the party as breaking the 'out-of-date mould' of British politics, a phrase used by Roy Jenkins in a speech in 1980.

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BLANK

draw a blank elicit no response; be unsuccessful.

i A blank was originally a lottery ticket that did not win a prize.

[Nobby]

BLANK

draw a blank elicit no response; be unsuccessful.

i A blank was originally a lottery ticket that did not win a prize.

Good 'ol Elizabeth 1st. Knew how to have fun! Just like the history of England!