Funny phrases explained

Did you know that the term "dark horse" - which usually refers to someone who unexpectedly accomplishes something - comes from the fact that horses that regularly won races were darkened to conceal their identity to increase the betting odds?

Or that to "blow a raspberry" originated from rhyming (Cockney) slang where raspberry tart rhymes with fart? Or that "out of the jaws of death" is from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

For anyone who wants to settle any arguments on where certain phrases come from, go to www.phrases.org.uk

It's an online resource that investigates the origins of a tonne of phrases, proverbs and sayings. It also has a phrase thesaurus, quizzes and a "phrase of the week" news feed. Great for word-lovers who want to pull out some quirky party tricks.