what is the origin of the idiom until the cows come home?
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This phrase alludes to the time a herd of cows take to make their way home. Cows are very languid animals and take their own sweet time at an unhurried pace to return home. The phrase was first seen in print in 1829, but was probably in use before that.
1099751
Origin of “All Things Come to Those Who Wait” The proverb “all things come to those who wait” originated from a poem by Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie, who used to write under her pseudonym, Violet Fane. The phrase first appeared in her poem Tout vient a qui sait attendre in the same words.
650491
1. However you wish, whatever you choose, as in We can have meat or fish tonight, as you please, or Go or don't go—do as you please. This idiom was introduced about 1500 and inverted what was then the usual order, which was “as it pleases you.”
1142919
Cows are usually dried off, or milking is stopped, about two months before their next expected calving to allow the udder time to rest and reset itself for the following lactation. A cow's pregnancy length (gestation) is a little over nine months and generally a cow will calve every 12 months.
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cowshed. noun. a farm building where cows are kept.
407923
1. However you wish, whatever you choose, as in We can have meat or fish tonight, as you please, or Go or don't go—do as you please. This idiom was introduced about 1500 and inverted what was then the usual order, which was “as it pleases you.” 2.
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Quick Reference. Proverbial phrase for hunting and (now, most usually) horse-racing, although the earliest uses of the expression related to war, as in Dryden's King Arthur (1691).
1244839
The ultimate etymology of the name is uncertain, in spite of numerous suggestions. According to the most widely accepted explanation, Latin Italia may derive from Oscan víteliú, meaning "[land] of young cattle" (c.f. Lat vitulus "calf", Umbrian vitlu), via Greek transmission (evidenced in the loss of initial digamma).
588652
One is wide awake; there is nothing slow or dull about one. For example, She may be new to this field, but there are no flies on her. This slangy expression, which alludes to flies settling on a sluggish animal, was being used in Australia in the 1840s but did not appear in America until the last decades of the 1800s.
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Idioms and Phrases with when the cat's away, the mice will play. Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over—when the cat's away, you know.
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intransitive to suddenly leave a place or person. Their dad ran off when they were little. Synonyms and related words. - To leave a place or person quickly or suddenly.
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Said when an event or performance has come to an end, or when someone or something has left a place, especially in a dramatic fashion. The phrase refers to an announcement famously made at the end of Elvis Presley concerts alerting people that he vacated the premises and no further encores would be played.
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keep the wolf from the door. have enough money to avert hunger or starvation. The phrase has been used in this sense since the mid 16th century, but the image of the wolf as a symbol of a devouring and destructive force is found much earlier than this.
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English translation: cow/calf lungs 03:23 Oct 6, 2008. Spanish to English translations [PRO] Cooking / Culinary. Spanish term or phrase: bofe.
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Like pork, beef seems to have its root in Old French. The Old French boef was in turn is derived from the Latin word bov-em, which is distinctly similar to the word bovine of Modern English.
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Also, at wits' end. Completely puzzled and perplexed, not knowing what to do. For example, I've tried every possible source without success, and now I'm at my wit's end. This idiom, which uses wit in the sense of “mental faculties,” appeared in Piers Ploughman (c. 1377).
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Origin. Middle English (as a noun): from Old French escluse 'sluice gate', based on Latin excludere 'exclude'. The verb dates from the late 16th century.