How did the slang meaning of "flog" come about?
May 7, 2011 · I've searched multiple dictionaries and Etymonline but the only origin for "flog" that I can find is: 1670s, slang, perhaps a schoolboy shortening of L. flagellare "flagellate." This …
meaning in context - What does 'beating the bishop' mean?
Jun 7, 2025 · Eric Partridge, Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, fifth edition (1961) has this entry: bishop, flog the. (Of men) to masturbate: low: late C. 19–20. Also bash the …
Origin of the slang "L7" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Nov 5, 2020 · According to a Reddit post A square.. hence shape of L7 {} the origin is that the two adjacent characters L7 looks kind of like a square. It doesn't look very square when the riser of …
Origin of "tan someone's hide" as in "I'm gonna tan your hide"
Dec 19, 2017 · Doubling back to Brockett's 1825 glossary, and an 1830 publication by Robert Forby (Vocabulary of East Anglia, a vocabulary which the title page advertises as having been …
idioms - Flog meaning to sell in "Flogging a dead horse" - English ...
Oct 19, 2013 · I saw an article recently where the author used the term "flogging a dead horse" where the term flogging was meant in the UK slang sense of "to sell".It was accompanied by a …
Origin of "the beatings will continue until morale improves"
Jul 1, 2024 · What is the origin of the phrase the beatings will continue until morale improves? There is a Metafilter and a Quora out on it, but they are inconclusive, and the phrase does not …
idioms - What is an alternative (more positive) analogy to "beating …
Jul 17, 2012 · I'm looking for an analogy for my repeated attempts to revive interest in a project. The phrase beating a dead horse almost fits the bill, but a dead horse refers to a subject that …
What is the origin of "don't punch a gift horse in the mouth"?
Aug 27, 2021 · By far the earliest match for "punch a gift horse" in Google Books search results is from a 1972 issue of National Lampoon, a U.S. satirical magazine that grew out of The …
phrase requests - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
May 5, 2016 · I'm looking for an idiom or expression that would mean "all one's efforts wasted". I have found "to have one's cake dough". Can I use it for "all my efforts wasted" too? ( A non …
Origin of the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
Jun 30, 2011 · There are many versions of this proverb, which suggests there are always several ways to do something. The earliest printed citation of this proverbial saying that I can find is in …