Down in the Dumps

Down in the dumps idiom

Meaning: out of spirits; in a gloomy state of mind; despondent. 

Synonyms:

Be Sent to Coventry

To be sent to Coventry 

Meaning: to be banned, greeted with a chilly silence. 

Origin

The popular story is that the people of Coventry were at one time so hostile to soldiers that any woman seen talking to one was ostracized. Thus, any soldier unfortunate enough to be sent to Coventry was cut off from all friendly or social intercourse. 

Kick the Bucket

Kick the bucket 

Idiom meaning: to die (very informal, humorous, euphemistic). 

Origin

We do not like the explanation usually given that the phrase evolved from the action of a suicide, who had stood on a bucket to fit the noose of a rope round his neck, and then kicked the bucket away, so that he hanged.

Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat

Not enough room to swing a cat in | You cannot swing a cat (here, there, etc.). 

Idiom meaning: have very little physical room to move about / very little space available / the place is very small.

By Hook or by Crook: Meaning and Derivation

By hook or by crook means do something using any method possible.

Do You Know the Story of the Word Grog?

Grog

The spirit, usually rum, served on board Naval ships. The name comes in a roundabout way from Admiral Edward Vernon (1864-1757). He was nicknamed Old Grog by his men from his habit of walking the quarter-deck in all weathers in a grogram cloak (a coat from a  coarse fabric made of silk or wool, often stiffened with gum).

How the Word Husband Came About

A husband has somewhat declined in social standing from the original. In Anglo-Saxon days hus was a house, and bondi was Norse for a freeholder or yeoman. 

Etymology for Eureka

Eureka [juə'riːkə]

From the Greek heureka "I have found it". It was, it is well known, the exclamation of Archimedes* [ˌɑːkɪˈmiːdiːz], the Syracusan* philosopher.

Era meaning and etymology

Era ['ɪərə] 

A series of years beginning from some starting point, which is usually an epoch. 

The origin of the word is in some doubt. It has been suggested that it is derived from A ER A, the initial abbreviations of Annus erat Augusti, words employed by the Spaniards to signify the year in which they became subjects of Augustus and adopted the Roman calendar. 

Garret: Meaning and Etymology

Garret: though the top room of a house is now little more than a lumber room, garret in Mediaeval English meant a look-out, or a watch-tower.

Gate in Place Names

Gate: in place-names it meant just what it says – a gate to the town or city, from the period when most cities were walled round for defense.

Field: Word Origin

Word "field" meaning: piece of land with a fence or hedge round it, where crops grow or animals feed.

Fiasco: Word Derivation

Fiasco (meaning): something that does not do well; a complete failure.
Examples:

Etymology for Fee

Fee. This is another of those words which, like so many purely British names, spring from the soil which, in olden times, all commerce in Britain was bound up.

Etymology for Fare

Fare. From the Anglo-Saxon word faran 'to go'. It meant originally a trip for which passage money was paid; it has come to mean the money paid for the passage, and the passenger paying the money is also called the fare.

Etymology for Fake

Fake: to defraud.
Despite the evidence of several dictionaries, the word has nothing to do with the Indian fakir. The Indian word means 'poor'.

Etymology for Encore

Encore - "Do it once more" in the sense in which we use it; again.
For some curious reason is regarded as a French word for "again". It is nothing of the sort.

History and Etymology for Chess

Chess: a game for two players with 16 pieces each on a board of 64 squares. The board is called chessboard (or checkerboard).

Real Story of St. Valentine’s Day

The old custom of sending "Valentines" on 14th February has nothing whatever to do with St. Valentine.

How Scotland Yard Got Its Name

On the site of the present London police headquarters stood an ancient palace, appropriated to the use of the Scottish Kings who came to London once a year to pay homage to the English sovereign at Westminster Abbey.