About 50 results
Open links in new tab
  1. What is the etymology of "dope" meaning excellent, great ... - slang

    Jan 5, 2016 · Dope is a rather new slang word that is used to define someone or something excellent, great, impressive. OED says that it is originally in African-American usage and …

  2. etymology - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Jul 11, 2018 · Fire as a slang adjective appears to be the bleeding-edge version of "cool." To some extent, the word appears to be interchangeable with dope. One thing that seems odd to …

  3. What do you call slapping someone at the back of their head

    Jan 22, 2014 · Dope slap is the most common expression I know for striking someone in the back of the head with an open palm. The b -expression, which I will not repeat, usually refers to a …

  4. How did 'phat' come to be used in music as slang?

    Jun 26, 2019 · most prominently things like ''phat bass line'', meaning a bassline rich in texture ie has a full sound. Appears to have originated in African American use?

  5. Who is Jesus H. Christ? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    There is a straight dope item from 1974 on this question. In addition to the IHC theory there is a suggestion Finally, a reader makes the claim that the H derives from the taunting Latin …

  6. etymology - Origin of phrase "put one over on"? - English …

    Mar 22, 2022 · The exact phrase "put one over on" in the sense of "get the better of"—through superior skill, superior strategy (or trickery), or the element of surprise—appears to have …

  7. idiom requests - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    Jun 1, 2016 · Rope-a-dope is a strategy Mohammed Ali (boxer) used to outfox his opponent, George Foreman, in a match called the Rumble in The Jungle. He pretended to be beaten, …

  8. What does the phrase "Does the Pope sh** in the woods?" mean?

    Jun 8, 2011 · I heard this phrase in the GTA San Andreas game. Sounds pretty offensive, nonetheless I don't really get what he meant to say. The context was something like: "Hey do …

  9. idioms - Origin of shooting the breeze? - English Language

    Jul 25, 2024 · Instances of "shoot the bull [con]" appear as early as 1906. From " Dope of the Day," in the Minneapolis [Minnesota] Journal (August 25, 1906): Is it loyalty to the club that …

  10. When and from where did "guns" become slang for biceps?

    Both the Straight Dope commenter and ghoppe note the 1973 instance from Andrews & Owens as the first cited occurrence of guns in the sense of "the biceps and triceps." Google Books …