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The term barnburner was derived from a folktale about a Dutch farmer who burned down his own barn in order to get rid of a rat infestation. [1] In this case it was applied to men who were thought to be willing to destroy all banks and corporations, in order to root out their abuses.
Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down; Blow the man down, bullies, pull him around. Blow the man down, you darlings, lie down, Blow the man down for fair London town. When the Black Baller is ready for sea, That is the time that you see such a spree. There's tinkers, and tailors, and soldiers, and all,
The Online Etymology Dictionary or Etymonline, sometimes abbreviated as OED (not to be confused with the Oxford English Dictionary, which the site often cites), is a free online dictionary that describes the origins of English words, written and compiled by Douglas R. Harper. [1]
The term has been around in Black American communities since the 1990s, appearing as early as 1992 on "It Was a Good Day" by Ice Cube, who raps: "No flexin', didn't even look in a n----'s direction."
If known, their origins are noted. A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial ...
Etymology (/ ˌ ɛ t ɪ ˈ m ɒ l ə dʒ i /, ET-im-OL-ə-jee [1]) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. [2] In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics , etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. [ 1 ]
Jack Robinson is a name present in two common figures of speech. When referring to Jack Robinson, it is used to represent quickness. In contrast, the phrase "(A)round Jack Robinson's barn" has the opposite connotation, implying slowness, as it is often used to refer to circumlocution, circumvention, or doing things in roundabout or unnecessarily complicated ways.
The phrase "down bad" has taken on a life of its own on social media. People seem to be using it in a myriad of ways, but the spirit of the term is to yearn. Urban Dictionary defines "down bad" as ...