handbags at dawn
n.— «Miss H. continued to be verbally abusive and to prevent any flared tempers from spilling over in the restaurant I asked her to step outside to discuss the matter further. On my part this was a risky maneuver, as If it were to deteriorate into “handbags at dawn,” I would be unprepared.» —“Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha gonna do?” The Special Constable’s Blog (U.K.) Feb. 17, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a word-pecker is “a person who trifles or plays with, or quibbles over, words.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Word-Peckers” I always love it when I’m looking through the dictionary and...
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new book. Plus, the story behind the expression more...