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It is a fairly new expression used mainly among the youth. Slovene – Ob svetem Nikoli is a wordplay that literally means "on St. Nicholas' feast day". The word nikoli, when stressed on the second syllable, means "never", when stressed on the first it is the locative case of Nikola, i.e. Nicholas
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
Boxing: A stratagem or tactic; chess: an opening system that involves a pawn sacrifice to gain the initiative right from the start. The term arrives in modern parlance through chess, but originates in wrestling from the Italian gambetto, tripping the opponent. OED cites the chess usage to 1656, the figurative usage to 1855. get the ball rolling
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer; The road to Hell is paved with good intentions; The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot; The squeaky wheel gets the grease; The streets are paved with gold; The stupid monkey knows not to eat the banana skin; The truth is effortless (Rashida Costa) The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
lit. "the just word"; the right word at the right time. French uses it often in the expression chercher le mot juste (to search for the right word). motif a recurrent thematic element. moue a type of facial expression; pursing together of the lips to indicate dissatisfaction, a pout. See snout reflex. mousse
To arrogate is to attempt to take on a right or responsibility to which one is not entitled. Standard: Edward VIII abdicated the throne of the United Kingdom. Standard: Henry VIII abrogated Welsh customary law. Non-standard: You should not abrogate to yourself the whole honour of the President's visit (should be "arrogate"). accept and except.
A player doing a keepie-uppie Association football (more commonly known as football or soccer) was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier. A large number of football-related terms have since emerged to describe various aspects of the sport and its culture. The evolution of the sport has been mirrored by changes in ...
In general usage, the word "whiff" may refer to the movement or sound of air or wind, perhaps as an object moves through it. In baseball a whiff is when a batter swings and misses a pitch. Such usage in baseball is attributed by the OED to 1913. Perhaps derived from this, the term "whiff" has also come to mean trying and failing at something.