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MeaningA return to previously held values of decency.[@more@]OriginThis became prominent in current language in the UK with a 1993 speech by UK Prime Minister John Major, although it has been used in everyday language long before that.Major: "It is time to get back to basics: to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family, and not shuffling it off on the state."In recent times it came to be used in the U

MeaningSomeone who criticizes from the sidelines.[@more@]OriginThis comes from the annoying habit of some people of giving unwanted advice to vehicle drivers. This emerged in the USA in early 20th century, as motoring was becoming widespread. The first reference I can find is from the Daily Kennebec Journal (Augusta, USA), May 1914: "When New York pitcher Vernon Gomez retires as a smokeballer he wants to become a smoke eater. Here he gets a tryout as a back-seat driver on a hook and ladder

MeaningA lonely forsaken place. [@more@]OriginThe inland desert region of Australia that is otherwise known as the Never-never is also sometimes called the 'Back of Beyond'.The term is more generally used to refer to any real or imagined remote region. It was first put into print by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Antiquary, 1816:"You... whirled them to the back of beyont to look at the auld Roman camp."

MeaningThe father of an infant who is not married to or in an exclusive relationship with the mother.[@more@]OriginThis is a Jamaican phrase which has been adopted into wider UK usage via the Jamaican community in England. It is known in the West Indies since the early 20th century. A society's need for and adoption of such a term says something about the attitudes toward marriage, i.e. it implies a society with a significant proportion of single mothers. The first evidence I can find of it in p

MeaningA person born during the temporary peak in the birth-rate that occurred several countries following WWII, notably the USA and the UK. [@more@]OriginA 'baby boom' is any temporary increase in the birth-rate and that term was in use some time before WWII. A 'baby boom' was reported in various newspapers in England in the 1920s. For example, this piece, reprinted in The Coshocton Tribune, April 1920:There is a 'baby boom' in London. Births during the first six months of this year have broken

Baby bluesMeaningFeelings of depression or anxiety, experienced by some mothers following childbirth.OriginHad anyone mentioned 'baby blues' prior to WWII they would have been thought to have been talking about colour - specifically the colour of someone's eyes. Most babies are born with blue eyes due to a lack of the melanin pigment until sometime after birth. The use of the term 'baby blues' to mean eyes is a natural development, which came about in the USA in the early 20th century. For examp