160 Phrases 'Coined in the USA'
No country has a closer association with the language of Olde Englande than the USA. From the days of the first Puritan settlers to recent cross-Atlantic tweetings, the two countries have shared in the development of English. Many words and phrases used in the USA have retained Elizabethan English meanings and pronounciations that have long disappeared in the Mother Country. Of course, there are many American phrases which are used there but haven't been adopted outside the country; for example, 'blue plate special', 'lead-pipe cinch' and 'presto chango' are widely understood in the US, but would procure puzzled looks in other English-speaking countries.
Here's our list of (some of) the many English phrases are were 'coined in the USA' and now used around the world.
Acid test - The
Back-seat driver - A
Bad hair day - A
Bee's knees - The
Between a rock and a hard place
Birds and the bees - The
Blonde bombshell - A
Bunny boiler - A
Card-sharp - A
Chick flick - A
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
Customer is always right - The
Dead ringer - A
Fashion victim - A
Feeding frenzy - A
Flavor of the month - The
Foot in the door - A
Fuddy-duddy - A
Funny farm - The
Heads up - A
Heebie-jeebies - The
Hissy fit - A
Hooray Henry - A
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
Indian summer - An
Jury is still out - The
Kangaroo court - A
Kit and caboodle - The
Lame duck - A
Life of Riley - The
Loose cannon - A
Mother country - The
New kid on the block - The
Nitty-gritty - The
No-brainer - A
Piece of cake - A
Pipe dream - A
Red letter day - A
Sacred cow - A
Seven-year itch - The
Sound bite - A
Spin doctor - A
Square meal - A
Stool pigeon - A
Tail wagging the dog - The
Real McCoy - The
There's no such thing as a free lunch
