What is the origin of the phrase "knock-down, drag-out"?
Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, 1848, s.v. Drag out says ‘A “knock down and drag out” is a fight carried to extremities [my emphasis]. The term drag out seems also to be used, at the South, to denote a bully, a tearer’, and gives an instance: Set to your partner, Dolly,—Cut him out, Jim, —Sald does put her foot down good.
What are the origins for the phrases "Knock it off" and "Cut it out"?
Jan 4, 2013 · Knock off has numerous meanings, so it’s unlikely that there is one explanation for them all. The OED’s earliest citation in the sense ‘to dispatch, dispose of, put out of hand, accomplish; to complete or do hastily’ is dated 1817, but it has been used to mean ‘To cause to desist or leave off from work’ since 1651.
How to use "Knock [him/them] out of the water" — is this a …
Jan 6, 2011 · Usually the cliché used with knock is "knock them down." Where water is concerned, the usual cliché is "blow them out of the water." The reference is to naval combat, which seems perfectly appropriate.
Are there any expressions equivalent to or synonymous with …
"Knock it out of the park" is the only idiomatic phrase. Court and ring are not associated with baseball and thus cannot be used. a baseball diamond refers only to the parallelogram formed by the baseline (from home plate, to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and back to home) which essentially only covers the infield area of the whole baseball field so knocking ...
"Knock yourself out": what meanings does it have? [closed]
Oct 28, 2015 · 7. "Knock yourself out" can be used in a variety of situations (not just the one you specified). It can mean the following: Go crazy. Do something with such fervor and excitement that you are in danger (not likely) of passing out from so much activity. Don't feel inhibited in …
idioms - Meaning of “knock it out of the park” - English Language ...
Nov 5, 2020 · 1. To "knock it out of the park" is a reference to a homerun in baseball - where the batter hits the ball clear out of the ball-park. It means to do extremely well. See this wikipedia page for this and other baseball related idioms. Share. Improve this answer. Follow.
word usage - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
May 9, 2017 at 12:50. 1. Knock off means to kill or pirate. Knock off of a shelf means displace and cause to fall. Knock down means to displace and cause to fall, or reduce.
etymology - Why do we "beat seven bells out of" someone?
Originally slang (originally U.S. Nautical). to knock (also beat, kick, etc.) seven bells out of a person: to beat (kick, etc.) a person severely. 1844 N.Y. Herald 13 Jan. I heard Linden, as he came out of the forecastle, say that he would knock ‘seven bells’ out of the mate. Share.
Origin of and why "knock" the socks off? - English Language
Oct 7, 2015 · Knock-down, drag-out is from 1827. ( Eynonline) The phrase looks to have gotten popular around the mid-19th century, and while today the phrase is typically expressed to describe someone who is taken by surprise, back then it looks to have been mostly used in the sense of 'to defeat someone or something thoroughly, or completely.'
british english - "Knocked up" to mean "woken up" - English …
Mar 31, 2011 · 5. There is an additional specialised meaning in UK political circles. "Knocking up" is the process of getting the supporters you have identified in the previous weeks of campaigning to actually go to the polling station and vote. It derives from the "knocking on doors" meaning but has extended beyond that.