Tag Archives: Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

A piss-poor history of urine

Posted on October 28, 2019 by

I’m going to try not to use the P word too much in this post, as tempting as it is as that would be taking the Pee but urine has actually had a long history of practical uses especially in … Continue reading →

Posted in Funny & Humour, history, Life, WW1 | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

To be on Tenterhooks in Spitalfields

Posted on October 9, 2019 by

Have you ever heard of the phrase “on tenterhooks”?  It has come to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, and that is because tenterhooks were once very common sights indeed.  Tenterhooks aren’t the big hooks you … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life, London | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Words that are becoming extinct

Posted on November 21, 2018 by

Like many of us, I am a big fan of and user of words.  One of my most popular blog posts is 102 great words that aren’t in English but should be102 great words that aren’t in English but should … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Heritage, history, Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Farewell 2017, hello 2018!

Posted on December 29, 2017 by

Well this is my final blog post for the year.  It’s been a busy old year with over 116,000 readers at the time of writing so thank-you everyone for giving me reasons to carry on blogging and sharing my questionable … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Opinion, writing, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Predicting the weather with Old Wives Tales

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

Most of us are familiar with Old Wives Tales, traditional pearls of wisdom from sources lost through the ages but seemingly tapping into an eternal truth that is only revealed to older married women whose only qualification is a lifetime … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Two choicest Idioms – Butter Up & As Mad As A Hatter

Posted on June 26, 2017 by

A few weeks ago my new book, Straight From The Horse’s Mouth was released in Paperback and Kindle formats and I have been waiting for it to work its way through onto Apple iBooks.   As it is now live, … Continue reading →

Posted in Funny & Humour, Life, News, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My New Book – Straight from the Horse’s Mouth : 100 Idioms, their Meanings and Origins

Posted on May 29, 2017 by

Today is one of those wonderful days that can be the highlight of my creative year, the launch day of my latest book.  I’ve always enjoyed words and sayings, some of them archaic that seemingly make no sense to us … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, Life, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments