Why do we say…?

Photo of a horse

Why do we say 'horse of a different colour'?

An engraving of Admiral Lord Nelson

Q&AWhy do we say ‘turn a blind eye’?

(Photo by naphtalina/Getty Images)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘resting on your laurels’?

Q&AWhy were people of noble birth said to be ‘blue blooded’?

Picture of a hand holding a candle

Q&AWhy do we say ‘can’t hold a candle to…’?

Photo of a salt cellar

Q&AWho do we say 'with a pinch of salt'?

Photo of a woman putting a finger to her lips

Q&AWhy do we say 'mum's the word'?

Man biting a bullet

Q&AWhy do we say ‘bite the bullet’?

Q&AWhy do we say 'saved by the bell'?

How did it become a gesture of well-wishing to say to an actor before they go on stage "break a leg"? (Photo by Andrys Lukowski via iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘Break a leg’?

The Stygian Lake in the Fifth Circle of Hell from from Dante’s epic poem 'The Inferno'. The phrase "Paint the town red" may originate from the sentence in the poem "we are they who painted the world scarlet with sins". (Photo by Getty Images)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘Paint the town red’?

Q&AWhat does it mean to 'cross the Rubicon'?

The Palace of Westminster

Q&AWhy do we call the British government ‘Whitehall’?

General History

What is the origin of the phrase ‘Dutch Courage’?

Q&AWhat is the origin of the phrase ‘going postal’, meaning ‘going berserk’?