Maverick:
1867, "calf or yearling found without an owner's brand," so called for Samuel A. Maverick (1803-1870), Texas cattle owner who was negligent in branding his calves. Sense of "individualist, unconventional person" is first recorded 1886, via notion of "masterless."

Gobbledygook:
also gobbledegook, "the overinvolved, pompous talk of ( Read more... )

01. Twerking ( Read more... )

early 15th-century, "shadow, shade," from Middle French ombrage "shade, shadow," from Latin umbraticum, neuter of umbraticus "of or pertaining to shade," from umbra "shade, shadow". Many figurative uses in 17th-century; main remaining one is the meaning "suspicion that one has been slighted," first recorded 1610s; hence phrase to take umbrage at, ( Read more... )

01. Bally (well ( Read more... )

1580s, "traveling case or bag for clothes and other necessaries," from Middle French portemanteau "traveling bag," originally "court official who carried a prince's mantle" (1540s), from porte, imperative of porter "to carry" (see porter (n.1)) + manteau "cloak" (see mantle (n.)).

Portmanteau word "word blending the sound of two different words ( Read more... )

"to make fun of, to banter," 1845, American English, probably from the familiar version of the proper name Joshua, but just which Joshua, or why, is long forgotten. Perhaps it was taken as a typical name of an old farmer. The word was in use earlier than the career of U.S. humorist Josh Billings, pseudonym of Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-1885), who did ( Read more... )

Every Sunday at 10pm, Carolyn Quinn presents Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4. For the past five weeks, she has filled a fifteen minute segment before What the Papers Say, with a fascinating profile into the careers of five 20th-century British politicians who "made the weather". The phrase was invented by Winston Churchill in reference to Joseph ( Read more... )

1500s, earlier haliday (c.1200), from Old English haligdæg "holy day; Sabbath," from halig "holy" (see holy) + dæg "day" (see day); in 14th-century meaning both "religious festival" and "day of recreation," but pronunciation and sense diverged 16th-century. As a verb meaning "to pass the holidays" by 1869.

SOURCE: Online Etymology DictionaryThis ( Read more... )

early 14th-century, curchef, earlier kovrechief (early 13th-century), from Anglo-French courchief, Old French couvrechief, literally "cover head," from couvrir "to cover" (see cover) + chief "head" (see chief).

SOURCE: Online Etymology Dictionary

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