The word budget derives from French bougette, “leather bag.” An old phrase in English to open one’s budget, meant “to speak one’s mind.” The word purse is related to French bourse, a word for the stock market. This is part of a complete episode...
Martita in San Antonio, Texas, is curious about the expression cool beans! meaning “that’s great!,” or “excellent.” This phrase was commonly used in the 1980s, and although the TV show Full House may have helped...
The 1909 volume Passing English of the Victorian Era by J. Redding Ware has a wealth of slang terms from that era. One entry even includes musical notation for please mother open the door, a slang phrase that was sung, rather than spoken, to express...
spinky adj. (generally) good; neat, nifty, cool, spiffy. In the phrase spinky new, brand new. Also spinkee. Editorial Note: Rarely, spinky is used in a negative sense. The spinky in the 1986 citation could be a typographical or transcription error...