Pants are named after a clown...

Wordymology is a series in which the editors at The Free Dictionary explore the origins of the names of things.

Let’s undress all the weird ways your two-legged garments got their names.

Jeans, Dungarees, and Denim

The terms “jeans,” “dungarees,” and “denim” are all closely associated with

the ubiquitous blue-hued pants popular the world over, but their etymologies are literally all over the map.

Idiom "over the hills and far away"

Idioms that Start with Prepositions

Definition: Most idioms that start with prepositions are prepositional phrases and consist of a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase. This type of prepositional idiom can be used adverbially or adjectivally and may come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Here are some of the most common prepositions found at the beginning of prepositional idioms:

• in
• on
• out of
• at
• for
• by
• from

Idiom "be (of) no use to man or beast"

Idioms that End with Prepositions

Definition: Idioms that end with prepositions are typically phrasal verbs and consist of a verb followed by either a preposition, a particle, or a particle with a preposition. This type of prepositional idiom is used like a normal verb (describing the action of a subject) and may come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

Examples of common prepositional idioms.

Here are some of the most common prepositions found at the end of prepositional idioms:

Are Ships, Cars, and Nations Always Called 'She'?

Nobody knows why people started calling ships "she." Old English nouns had genders, but experts don't think this is the reason for ships being treated as female.

If you are lucky enough to own a boat, is it a “she”? Have you given your car a girl’s name or a boy’s name?

30 collocations with "TEST"