The expression “to a T” comes from a shortening of tittle, a word meaning a little of something. The word tittle even shows up in the bible. There’s also an idiom “to the teeth,” as in dressed to the teeth, or fully armored-up. This is part of a...
Joanne from Wilmot, Ohio, was stumped by a crossword clue for the expression suit to a tee, because she expected the answer to be T-E-A, as in the drink. The idiom is spelled to a tee or to a T, and it dates back to the 17th century. One likely...
Jeff from Columbus, Indiana, asks about his father’s use of the expression “not one iota” to mean “not one bit.” An iota is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, and ancient Greek speakers used the word for something exceedingly tiny. The...