About 50 results
Open links in new tab
  1. What does "coll" mean? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Apr 19, 2022 · What does "coll" mean? [closed] Ask Question Asked 3 years, 9 months ago Modified 3 years, 9 months ago

  2. Where does the phrase "cool your jets" come from?

    Jul 2, 2013 · The OED says the phrase "cool your jets", meaning to calm down or become less agitated, is originally US and the first quoted in a newspaper: 1973 Daily Tribune (Wisconsin Rapids) 29 Jan. …

  3. Mrs and Mmes: plurals of Mrs (missus /ˈmɪsəz/) [duplicate]

    Oct 14, 2025 · Mrs /ˈmɪsəz/ (pl Mrs, Mesdames) A title used before the name(s) of a married woman Collins Concise English Dictionary Mrs. was originally, like Miss, an abbreviation of Mistress (the …

  4. What might a pub named "the bull and last" likely be a reference to?

    Jun 11, 2023 · In the Kentish town/Highgate area are two pubs, The Bull and Last and The Bull and Gate. What might such pub names be references to?

  5. single word requests - Is there a common phrase for 'too casual' in ...

    Jul 20, 2023 · However, repeat occurences may well be abbreviated "coll." then. In your question, you mention character/narrator which would be relevant for fiction rather than an essay. Trying to nail …

  6. etymology - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Jul 13, 2016 · 1707 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 17 May (O.H.S.) II. 14 Amused by Charlett's trick re Tacitus. (" re, prep.". OED Online. June 2016. Oxford University Press.) 2 Thus re has been a word …

  7. expressions - Why does one scream blue murder? - English Language ...

    Jan 15, 2011 · To scream blue murder is to shout loudly and make a huge fuss, sometimes with the implication that the fuss is excessive. But does anyone know why murder should be blue?

  8. Speaking of insults: "sod off!" meaning and origin

    Nov 3, 2011 · Here's Eric Partridge from the Dict. of Slang and Unconv. English: sod. A sodomist: low coll.: Mid-C. 19-20; ob.-2. Hence, a pejorative, orig. and gen. violent: late C. 19-20. Often used in …

  9. Why do we "get cold feet"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Apr 3, 2011 · A sudden loss of nerve when embarked on a venture is called cold feet. Does anyone know why that should be? An etymology is suggested at englishdaily626. If your 'feet' are 'cold', you …

  10. "bibs and bobs" - what does it mean and where does it come from?

    Nov 11, 2010 · Just exactly what is a bibs and a bobs? And where the heck did that expression come from, anyway?