To kick the bucket is one of the many euphemisms meaning to die. Its origins are fairly gruesome!
A likely source of this phrase comes from pig farming. One method of slaughtering a pig used to involve hanging it upside down from a beam in the barn designed for the purpose and called a “bucket.” [more…]
The Mega Mix is proving more popular each issue as you get used to Christines mix of general knowledge, straight and cryptic clues. She enjoys compiling it, so is very pleased you all enjoy solving it. A small number of errors were noted by our judges in entries in MEGA! issue No. 56.
The choo [more…]
Where would we be without electricity? If you ever have a blackout it is a reminder of how reliant we are on plugging things in!
Early scholars like Thales of Miletus (600 BC) and Pliny (AD 70) made the observation that amber, when rubbed, had the power to attract light objects like bits of straw [more…]
This describes a heavy cloudburst and there are different theories as to how the expression came to be, the first of which is from Norse mythology.
The cat was supposed to have great influence on the weather and witches that rode on storms were said to assume the form of cats. The dog and wolf, [more…]
Is it the Real McCoy? – Is it the genuine article?
This phrase stems from a story about the world class welterweight boxing champion Charles ‘Kid’ McCoy. Supposedly he was at some time challenged to prove that he was who he said he was and so he knocked out the inquirer! When the man came [more…]
This phrase sounds like it has its origins in crosswords but it originated from the early days of radio broadcasting of football matches.
So that listeners could follow the match more easily, a diagram of the pitch was published in the radio programme.
The diagram was divided into numbered squares and of course, the numbers started [more…]
Thanks to all who have participated in the Give Us A Clue contest in Crossed Wires over the past few months. We’ve been offered hundreds of excellent suggestions. Remember to look out for your definitions as clues in upcoming crosswords. We’re giving you a well-deserved break but we may bring back Give Us A [more…]
Codswallop!
If something is a load of old codswallop it is nonsense or of no value. Where does this odd word come from?
One theory speaks of Hiram C Codd, who in the 1870s, went into business selling lemonade in green glass bottles with marble stoppers.
‘Wallop’ was a nineteenth century slang term for beer and [more…]
The word ALPHABET is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, ALPHA and BETA.
When it was first introduced into English, some purists, or nit-pickers, thought that the word should be used purely to describe the Greek version. The English version should be referred to as the ABC, or the abece. An [more…]
