What does the phrase Heavens to Betsy mean?

The phrase Heavens to Betsy is an exclamation expressing surprise or dismay. It is an extended form of the plural noun heavens, which has long been used in exclamations—frequently with an intensifying adjective, as in good heavens and great heavens.

What does the phrase 24/7 mean?

: for twenty-four hours seven days a week can now shop 24-7.

What part of speech is 24-7?

adjective. continual; constant: The manufacturer offers 24/7 customer support.

What is the origin of phrase?

phrase (n.) The musical sense of “a short and somewhat independent passage from a piece” is from 1789. Phrase-book “collection of expressions peculiar to a language” is by 1590s. “to put into a phrase, express by a particular phrase,” 1560s; see phrase (n.). Related: Phrased; phrasing.

Why do we say for Pete’s sake?

“For Pete’s sake” originated as a substitute for “for Christ’s sake,” and other similar expressions. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “for Pete’s sake” came into use more than a century ago and prompted similar sayings such as “for the love of Pete” in 1906 and “in the name of Pete” in 1942.

What is a Betsy?

Wiktionary. Betsy(ProperNoun) A diminutive form of the female given name Elizabeth.

Where did the saying for crying out loud come from?

for crying out loud. An exclamation of anger or frustration. This euphemism for “for Christ’s sake” is of American origin and dates back to about 1900. One writer suggests it was coined by the cartoonist Thomas Aloysius Dorgan (1877–1929), who signed his work as TAD and is credited with inventing the name “hot dog.”.

Why do we say fit as a fiddle?

The violin was picked out as the exemplar because of the alliteration of fit and fiddle, and because the violin is a beautifully shaped instrument producing a very particular sound. But then fit came to mean ‘in good physical shape’ and so fit as a fiddle came to mean ‘in good condition physically’.

Where did the saying cat got your tongue?

Cat got your tongue? Origin: The English Navy used to use a whip called “Cat-o’-nine-tails” for flogging. The pain was so severe that it caused the victim to stay quiet for a long time. Another possible source could be from ancient Egypt, where liars’ and blasphemers’ tongues were cut out and fed to the cats.

What does 6s and 7s mean?

The idiom at sixes and sevens means in a state of complete disarray and confusion, in a complete mess. At sixes and sevens may also mean a state of disagreement between two or more people.

Why do we say cut the mustard?

WHEN MUSTARD was one of the main crops in East Anglia, it was cut by hand with scythes, in the same way as corn. The crop could grow up to six feet high and this was very arduous work, requiring extremely sharp tools. When blunt they “would not cut the mustard”.

Why do we say Bob’s your uncle?

“Bob’s your uncle” is a way of saying “you’re all set” or “you’ve got it made.” It’s a catch phrase dating back to 1887, when British Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a. Lord Salisbury) decided to appoint a certain Arthur Balfour to the prestigious and sensitive post of Chief Secretary for Ireland.

What does if you can’t cut the mustard lick the jar mean?

“Too old to cut the mustard, but can still lick the jar.” This refers to aging and the loss of virility. Cut the mustard = sexual penetration. Lick the jar = oral sex.

Can’t cut the mustard meaning?

To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.

What does cut the cheese mean?

Idiom of the day: Cut the cheese. Meaning: To pass gas, fart. Example: If you are going to cut the cheese, please go outside and do it.

What does a dime in a dozen mean?

to be common and/or of very little value: Books like this are a dime a dozen. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Plain and ordinary. as it comes idiom.

Why is dough slang for money?

Although it’s impossible to trace the exact date of the first slang usage of “dough” as a term for money, it seems to have originated in the 19th century. Since bread was the traditional everyday necessity of life, to earn one’s living was to earn one’s bread, therefore bread became synonymous with money.

Why do they call 500 a monkey?

A “monkey on the house” or simply a “monkey” was a mortgage. At that time 500 pounds was a huge sum of money to the poor people who predominantly used such slang and the only way to raise that amount of money would have been to mortgage the house.

Why is 25 Pound called a pony?

Originally Answered: In British slang, why is twenty five pounds known as a “pony”? £25 is known as a pony in slang & it’s believed to have originated during the Raj in India where some old Indian Rupee banknotes carried pictures of animals like pony £25 & monkey £500 on them. £50 is a bullseye.

Why do Cockneys call a house a drum?

Originally Answered: Why is a person’s home a ‘drum’ in cockney rhyming slang? That’s a modern repurposing of the earlier slang that either meant “to burgle” (To get into somewhere that was tight as a drum) or prison cell (Same root). From there it came to mean home and was reattached to Drum and Bass.

What does Kermit mean in cockney rhyming slang?

Road