Stories worth telling, one idiom at a time.
Every other week: one saying you’ve heard all your life, its meaning and the surprising history behind it. A fun two-minute read for every curious mind, and you’ll always have a story to tell.
15 English Idioms to Steal the Show at Any Dinner Table
An illustrated printable poster with idioms, sayings and phrases about food, stars and animals, sent straight to your inbox the moment you sign up. Includes 6 exclusive idioms and 3 stories you won’t find in the books.
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One idiom, one story, every other week. You’re already on the list.
In every email
- 1
One saying
A phrase you’ve used a hundred times, from the kitchen, the night sky or the animal kingdom.
- 2
Its meaning
What it really means, with a funny, familiar example from everyday life.
- 3
The story behind it
A short history of where the words came from: origins that are curious, surprising and sometimes disputed.
- 4
A dinner-table fact
One surprising fact worth dropping over dessert. Two-minute read, no homework.
Meaning: very rarely.
Example: “My brother only calls once in a blue moon, so when he does, I pick up.”
The story: the popular meaning of a “blue moon” is the second full moon in a month, and it’s generally traced to a 1946 magazine article that misread an almanac. Yet in the sixteenth century, a “blue moon” meant something absurd or impossible.
Plot twist: moons can really look blue, thanks to smoke and ash after big forest fires or volcanic eruptions. Rare, but real.
This one also appears in Written in the Stars →
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Words Worth Spilling