“Read the riot act” started as a real legal warning in Britain. Today, it means giving someone a severe verbal warning.

“Bite the bullet” means face something painful bravely, but the popular surgery explanation is not well supported by evidence.

Alcohol entered English through Arabic. It first referred to a very fine powder, then widened to mean a purified substance.

“Jam tomorrow” means a reward kept in the future and never given now. The phrase comes from a memorable scene in Lewis Carroll.

The phrase began with pipe organs. Pulling out more stops made the sound fuller, which led to today’s meaning, make every effort.