Quite a turn up for the books origin of phrase

Edward dryhurst, gilt off the gingerbread her mother kept well away from us, which was a turn. A turn up for the books idioms and phrases the free dictionary. As you say, a few has a literal meaning but the phrase quite a few in the british mindset which i can only know because i have it implies rather more than the f. Turnup for the books idioms and phrases the free dictionary. Phrase book definition of phrase book by merriamwebster. Synopsis ever wondered where the phrase raining cats and dogs came from. Forsyths writing is witty and humorous, and i loved that he often implemented the language techniques he was describing and discussing. Why does the english expression quite a few mean many. Slang someone or something regarded as being interesting, exciting, arousing, etc. View american english definition of a turnup for the books. The first edition of the morris dictionary of word and phrase origins detailed the fascinating and little known stories behind thousands of words and phrases that we use every day.

A poet, essayist and novelist known for her support of radical causes, she entertained the likes of thomas paine and mary wollstonecraft in her salons. Or the speaker wants to emphasize on the fact that it was more than you would think. Yet i do not think that there is an order involved that quite a. One of the earliest examples of the phrase appears in a collection of civil warera songs called george christys essence of old kentucky 1862. Why the phrase pull yourself up by your bootstraps is. It was also used by victorian bookmakers, who recorded horseracing bets in a notebook. This phrase comes from the world of betting and horses. In a teutonic myth, the wind was a huge dog, chief attendant to odin, the god of wisdom, war, and the cosmos. People usually use it to name a specific thing as their guilty pleasure.

When it rained hard, odins dog was chasing a cat, in. Hunkydorywhen someone says that hes hunkydory, hes doing well. Words, phrases or sayings origins, meanings by brownielocks. Their origins and meanings reprint by ewart, neil isbn. A turn up for the books idioms by the free dictionary. Turnup for the books meaning in the cambridge english. There is no need to book just turn up on the night. Etymology word origins interesting phrase histories. A turnup for the books is used to mean a surprising or an unexpected event, often a piece of good fortune.

To book it, which has been recorded since the 1970s, is an abbreviation of the older bookitybook, to run fast, to move quickly. A piece of luck or unexpected good fortune or a surprise turn of events. This was a turn up for the book, reclining seats and room to stretch out a little 1987. Definition and synonyms of a turnup for the books from the online english dictionary from macmillan education. For those unaware, the expression essentially used in the end of a series of basic instructions. Turnup for the books idioms by the free dictionary. This is the british english definition of a turnup for the books. A phrase meaning elderly, because it makes the spectator giddy to think of the victims years. You cant pull yourself up by your bootstraps, anymore than you can by your shoelaces. Change your default dictionary to american english.

The first is that the book refers to the bible and that the first meaning of the phrase was i swear it to be true, said with one hand on the bible as security of honesty. Winning the first prize in the schools drawing competition was a turnup for the books. Phrase definition of phrase by the free dictionary. There are two widely accepted theories for the origin of this phrase. The origin of the expression is unknown, and is quite old, but is still in general use.

The term is usually refers to a maiden or other woman canvassed by. Grammatical phrases are groups of two or more words that work together to perform a single grammatical function in a sentence. A turnup for the books idioms by the free dictionary. In this new edition, william and mary morris update and expand their classic work to keep pace with our ever changing language. English idioms with examples english courses english. Code switch whered the phrase snake oil salesman come from. What is the origin of the phrase book it, as in move. Find out more about the unusual origin stories behind 10 everyday phrases. A big cheese, for a boss or important person, is an americanism dating back to about 1890.

British english, informal an unusual or unexpected event. How thoughts and prayers became the stock phrase of. So maybe theyre referring to the entire field of horses that turned up for a particular race again, either quality or quantitywise. This verb, which is echoic of the sound of shoes slapping on the ground, goes back at least to the 1930s, when one fin. One theory suggests it refers to the supposed nepotism of the 20th british prime minister, lord salisbury whose first name was robert, who appointed his nephew to several. But you also wont find thoughts and prayers in the bible the phrase doesnt turn up in any version thats been in common use. Seeing justin bieber in the shopping centre was a turnup for the books. Here is a selection of wellknown expressions and how they came into being.

Definition of a turn up for the books in the idioms dictionary. It used to describe a quixotic attempt to achieve an impossibility, not a feat of selfreliance. I think this has a lot to do with the british tendency to understate everything. This pleasure came often from some vital phrase, or merely the inspired music of a phrase quite apart from its. Alternative sources suggest it may come from an early 19thcentury english tailor e. This is a handy book which contains hardtofind etymologies of words and, especially, phrases. Sir rabbie is indicating it may turn out to be the only way to provide both sides with the legal framework they require and very often the results of these overclocking experiments can turn out quite unexpected as usual there was a small turn out for the meeting but those who did attend learned a great deal of new information at the time, i couldnt tell if they were speaking from. Pullmans victory is not quite the turnup for the books that it appears to be. Whether or not something qualifies as a guilty pleasure could range by social group. Their origins and meanings paperback january 1, 1983 by neil ewart author. A turnup for the books phrase definition and synonyms. It conjures up images of seedy profiteers trying to exploit an unsuspecting public by selling. The phrase guilty pleasure is generally used as a noun, though it could also be used as an adjective people sometimes refer to guilty pleasure songs or movies. Among the things she perceived, in her accounts of political turmoil across the english channel, were differences in national character when it came to expressing emotion.

Phrasebook definition of phrasebook by the free dictionary. In both cases, turn up can mean either a good or bad number of people turned up, or the selection of people who turned up could be good or bad. Origin of turnonfrom turn on sense see phrase under turn. Perhaps they mean its a surprisingly good or bad turn up for that.

Examples jason was just about to bungee jump from that bridge but he got cold feet and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. After feasts in medieval england, the host would signal. Turn up phrasal verb definition and synonyms macmillan. Etymology of phrases the origins and histories of idioms, sadinys, phrases, and other expressions are often even more fascinating than the etymologies of the individual words themselves. The expression turnup comes from cribbage, an old card game where cards were turned up by chance, with top cards winning points for a team. But the notion of hanging up ones own spurs or gun, or sword, or other implement is very different from displaying the spurs of anothersomeone defeated in battle. The phrase means to show no emotion in times of great emotional distress, or. The phrase then slipped into society to mean anyone who was trying to do something without first checking that everything was in order for the project. The morrises relied quite a bit on input from the readers of their newspaper column for help with words and phrases of unknown origin. The phrase turn a blind eyeoften used to refer to a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular realitydates. The elements of eloquence is a cleverly crafted book about the english language, that both amuses and enlightens. A it now means exactly what you say, something surprising. Since the 1820s, or thereabouts, the term turnup has been used to mean a surprise.

Its a fairly common turn of phrase, since practically everyone has one. Everyone thought john would win, so when richard won it was a real turnup for the books. In context, get the food, put in the microwave, heat it up, then bobs your uncle, ready to eat. Helen maria williams observed the french revolution at first hand. In fact getting a leg up is from the act of an equestrian receiving help in mounting a horse. Today, to hang up ones spurs or the tools of ones trade means to retire from the. So when a horse performed in a way that nobody expected, so that most bets lost, it was something that benefited the book and so the bookmaker. Simply choose a letter to start exploring, or choose one of the categories below. If you say that something is a turnup for the books, you mean that it is very surprising, and usually pleasing. If a soldier became too scared to go into battle, he would complain that his feet were frozen as a way to avoid fighting or to enter the battle slowly. Before going on, we should mention that theres no reason to capitalize the f of frankly as youve done, though its ultimately derived from a. Robert hendrickson, the facts on file encyclopedia of word and phrase origins 1997 gives an earlier date for big cheese in the sense of important person than either green cited by brian hooper or oxford dictionaries cited by andrew leach give.

This phrase may incorrectly invoke images of a dog raising its leg. Whats the origin of the phrase a turn up for the books turn up for the books since the 1820s, or. Among christys ditties was a tune entitled hunkey dorey, the refrain of which went, tis then im hunkey dorey. The phrases first known usage comes from a sarcastic 1834 account of a crackpot inventors attempt to build a. Quite a few expresses that the speaker was impressed or astonished by the number, as they would have expected less. The origin is in horse racing, where the book was the record of bets laid on a race kept by who else a bookmaker. The phrase itself is relatively new, showing up in the 19th century, but the words quite and frankly are quite old, dating back to the middle ages. Phrase book definition is a book containing idiomatic expressions of a foreign language and their translation. What progressive tense is sort of like that 360 degrees camera loop or slo motion scene in the movies. The origin is in horse racing, where the book was the record of bets laid on a race kept bywho elsea bookmaker. For that, we have another phrase now, she kept jumping. This first surfaced in america in the twenties to describe something or someone superlatively good, and has retained its meaning for almost a century. The helper would create a foothold by cupping the hands to heft the rider upward, throwing a leg. You can use this list to learn about their meaning and origin.

The reference was to cards or dice, which are turned up by chance. T his year, national coming out day 2017 which falls on wednesday marks both the 29th anniversary of the days observance and the 30th anniversary of. Whats the origin of the phrase a turn up for the books. A turnup for the books phrase of the week bell english. The origin is in horse racing, where the book was the record of bets laid on a race. National coming out day and come out of the closet. Definition of turnup for the books in the idioms dictionary. We have a list full of hundreds of phrases and sayings.