| Origin | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|
| A boxing term meaning to deflect from direct hits | |
| A duck resting on the ground is easier to shoot than one that happens to be flying away | |
| This expression comes from short selling of stocks in the belief that their value is going down | |
| Originates from the British Military practice of playing the drums when someone was court marshaled | |
| Came from the practice of biting one's tongue to suppress either a smile or outright laughter | |
| Some Native American tribes declared peace by burying a tomahawk in the ground | |
| People once believed that you could actually summon the Devil by saying his name | |
| During war, the surgeon would shove a bullet in the patients mouth and ask him to bite down to ease the pain | |
| In the Middle Ages, people caught birds by dropping a net over a bush and clubbing the ground around it to scare the birds into flying into the net | |
| In old England ale is/was drunk in pints and quarts. So when customers got unruly, the innkeeper would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down | |
| Many years ago, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic mugs. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service | |
| In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on | |
Most Spoken Languages 
Begins and Ends with 'D' 
Giant Word Ladder I
