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. 

Reported Speech: Grammar Exercises

This page contains exercises about reported speech with answer keys.