Where does the term one-off come from? Among British foundry workers in the 1950s, the number of units produced from a given mold was designated with the word off. So if twenty widgets came off the line, you’d call that batch a twenty-off. A one...
For 341 years, the poets laureate of Britain have all been male. That just changed with the appointment of Britain’s new poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Her work has been described as “dealing with the darkest turmoil and the lightest minutiae of...
have-a-go hero n.— «Mr. Smeaton’s celebrity reflects the general relief across Britain that no one was injured in the Glasgow attack, or in the previous day’s attempt to detonate two cars in London. His description of the attack in early news...
Nigerian luggage n.— «For example some cab drivers in Britain tend to want to make a distinction between regular luggage and what they refer to as “Nigerian luggage”—a cheeky reference to our penchant for buying up entire shops when we travel...
choir n.— «Britain’s first convicted war criminal was sentenced to a year in prison and dismissed from the army Monday in connection with the death of an Iraqi hotel worker. The victim died of asphyxia after being held in stress positions for two...
sardine special n.— «A train journey in Greater Manchester has been labelled a “sardine special’ and one of the most overcrowded in Britain.» —“The train trip from hell” by Brian Lashley Manchester Evening News (United Kingdom) Mar. 26, 2007...