Category: Phrases

Are you assembling a musical group that is planning to sing without any musical accompaniments? This is capped "a capella" — an age-old form of musical performance that makes artful use of harmony to deliver a great diversity of sounds with a lot of emotion. Read what a capella means, and where it comes from, […]

Did someone just ask you if you’re joining them at the restaurant for dinner tonight? You could reply with ‘you bet’ to show your enthusiasm. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression ‘you bet’ is a confirmation statement. It means that you agree with someone, or they can rely […]

Are you looking for a way to express the frustration and anxiety of making hard decisions? You could use the phrase 'uneasy is the head that wears a crown' to describe their emotional state. This phrase unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression 'uneasy lies the head that wears a crown' […]

Are you looking for a way to describe acting against someone like they did to you? You could use ‘tit for tat’ to characterize your reaction. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression ‘tit for tat’ means responding to someone’s action against you using the same force. Typically, it […]

Did someone just tell you, ‘there but for the grace of God Go I?’ What does this proverb mean? This post unpacks everything you need to know about the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The proverbial expression ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ means that you place your life and […]

Are you looking for a way to exclaim surprise or disgust at someone’s actions? You could use ‘stone the flamin’ crows’ to voice your amazement at the situation. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression ‘stone the flamin’ crows’ is a colloquial term describing an exclamation of disgust, disbelief, […]

Do you want to express that someone has done enough in a particular situation? Maybe you want to express that you are satisfied with your pet’s performance. If so, That’ll do pig may work for you. There are multiple “slang” phrases used to this day that have a background in popular children’s movies. The phrase […]

Are you watching a manga movie? You might notice that some of the characters say 'Watashi Wa' when speaking to others. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this Japanese expression. Meaning The Japanese expression 'Watashi Wa' (私は、わたしは) translates to 'me' or 'I' in English. The proper translation is 'as for me.' So, if […]

There are instances in pop culture where terms commonly referred to as “Internet slang” actually have an origin that goes much deeper. There are multiple “slang” phrases used to this day that have a background in popular children’s movies. They are phrases that many of us that now use grew up with, and have a […]

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Every year, countless more people attempt to learn the language for a variety of reasons, whether they want to travel to a Spanish-speaking country, use it as a skill to put on their work resumes, or because they have to as a school […]