Why do we say…?

A red herring on a plate

Q&A Why do we say ‘red herring’?

Peter O’Toole (top) plays Henry II alongside Richard Burton

“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” The truth behind Henry II’s notorious lament

A 1782 cartoon by James Gillray that depicts Buller as ‘Judge Thumb’. (Photo by Library of Congress)

Q&A Why do we say ‘rule of thumb’?

Queen Victoria smiling

Q&A Did Queen Victoria really say “We are not amused”?

Scrooge and Marley's ghost

Q&A Why do we say ‘Bah Humbug’ and what does it mean?

The card game cribbage

General Early Modern

Q&A Why do we say ‘level pegging’?

Barristers' wigs

Q&A Why are barristers ‘called to the bar’?

A portrait of James Gordon Bennett, Jr (1841–1918), by Alexis Joseph Perignon, 1867. (Photo by The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)

Q&A Why do we say ‘Gordon Bennett’?

Photo of gauntlets

Q&A Why do we say throw down the gauntlet?

(Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&A Why do Americans call the British ‘limeys’?

Blow-Smoke-2-4e3544e

First World War

What is the origin of the phrase ‘to blow smoke up someone’s arse’?

19th-century boxer Larry Foley

Q&A Why do we say ‘happy as Larry’?

The history of maritime travel could explain why we use the word 'posh' for the British upper classes. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Q&A Where does the word ‘posh’ come from?

Children running down a street

Q&A Why do we say ‘run amok’?

A sack of red beans

Q&A Why do we say ‘spill the beans’?