Where does gone for a Burton come from?
Gone for a Burton is a British English expression meaning to be missing or to die. The term was popularised by the RAF around the time of World War II. It migrated to the USA quickly and in June 1943 a story titled Husky Goes Down for a Burton appeared in Boys’ Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America.
Simply so What is the meaning of Cripes? cripes in American English
used to express surprise, annoyance, disgust, etc. : also cripe. Word origin. euphemism for Christ.
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.
also Is Gordon Bennett a swear word? Gordon Bennett
This man’s name is often used in place of a swear word when making an exclamation of anger, surprise or frustration. There were two famous Gordon Bennetts who might have been the source – a father and son.
Why do we say as happy as Larry?
Answer. Answer: It originates from a boxer called Larry Foley in the 1890s, before boxing was fully legalised. He won the biggest prize of about $150,000 dollars and a newspaper article in New Zealand had the headline “Happy As Larry” and the phrase stuck.
What does criminy sakes mean? for criminy’s sake definition, for criminy’s sake meaning | English dictionary. steal someone’s thunder exp. take credit for another person’s accomplishment.
What does Jeez mean in slang?
Definition of jeez
—used as a mild oath or introductory expletive (as to express surprise)
What does fair dinkum mean in Australian? Definition of fair dinkum
slang, Australia. : unquestionably good or genuine : excellent —often used as a general expression of approval these cigars are fair dinkum.
Where does the expression hunky dory come from?
This American-coined adjective has been around since the 1860s, from the now-obsolete hunkey, “all right,” which stems from the New York slang hunk, “in a safe position,” and the Dutch root honk or “home.” The origin of dory is unknown.
Why is it Heavens to Betsy? Origin of Heavens to Betsy
Heavens to Betsy is another variation of the phrase for Heaven’s sake, which began as a euphemism for what some considered the blasphemous for God’s sake and for Christ’s sake. Nowadays, most people consider heavens to Betsy to be old fashioned, and it is not common to use or hear it.
Why is Fanny your aunt?
The meaning is similar to that of the French expression “et voilà!” or the American phrase “easy as pie”. … A phrase with the same meaning is ‘Fanny’s your aunt’. When used together it means complete or the whole lot. If Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt you’ve got a full set of relatives and you are complete.
Why do we say Bloody Nora? Bloody Norah was originally called Norah and the maid for the wealthy Duke Wodingtonshire in the 17th century. She earned the name Bloody Norah after she killed a servant of the duke with a stick of celery. … After a long struggle Norah escapes and leaving the Battered Duke cussing to himself “Bloody Norah!”.
Why do Cockneys say Gordon Bennett?
Cockney rhyming slang for ‘beers‘. When you encourage someone to do something risky, you’re egging them on, a term that comes from the Old Norse word eggja, meaning ‘to incite’. Gordon Bennett Jr was the multi-millionaire son of the founder of the New York Herald.
Why do we say going for a Burton?
A In informal British English, something that has gone for a Burton is broken, ruined or destroyed. The original sense was to meet one’s death, a slang term in the RAF in World War Two for pilots who were killed in action. … The euphemism most widely used was that he’d gone for a Burton.
Who is Larry when you say happy as Larry? Larry Foley was an australian boxer who never lost a fight. His last fight was in the 1870’s, he was paid the vast sum of £1000 and won the fight – “hence as happy as Larry”.
Why do we say life of Riley? Living the life of Riley means living the easy life, an existence marked by luxury and a carefree attitude. … The term living the life of Riley spread across American training camps during World War I, soldiers wrote home using the phrase, which popularized it.
Is they jumped for joy a phrase?
If you say that someone is jumping for joy, you mean that they are very pleased or happy about something. He jumped for joy on being told the news.
Is Criminy a bad word? Criminy is a minced oath which is what you say when you can’t really say bad words. Criminy supposedly meant Christ.
Is Criminy a curse word?
criminy — interjection Curse word of the 1600’s meaning Christ … criminy — crim·i·ny … criminy — /ˈkrɪməni/ (say krimuhnee) interjection Obsolete (an expression of surprise; a mild oath.)
Where did the saying crime in Italy come from? The Oxford Dictionary says it’s “a vulgar exclamation of astonishment: now somehwat archaic” and that it might be related to Italian crimine “crime”. Whatever its origin, criminy is one of those mild, old-fashioned euphemisms for “Christ,” like crikey, cracky, cripes, Christmas, Christopher Columbus, and G.
What means YEET?
As an exclamation, yeet broadly means “yes”. But it can also be a greeting, or just an impassioned grunt, like a spoken dab.* In verb form, yeet’s meanings are more disparate. I have heard people describe themselves as “yeeting around” to mean both meandering and excelling.
What is a geyser in British slang? Geezer is a mildly negative slang term for a man, especially an older man who’s considered odd in some way. In American slang, geezer almost always refers to an older man and is especially used in the phrase old geezer. In British slang, geezer just refers to any man.
Is Geez a bad word?
The term geez can be used in both negative and positive contexts, but it’s more often used negatively to express frustration with what someone has said or done. Geez comes from a shortening of Jesus, which makes it a euphemism—a milder way of saying something that may be considered offensive, blasphemous, or harsh.