origin of proverbs

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.

A bigger bang for your buck

A shot in the arm

A sledgehammer to crack a nut

Acid test - The

All singing, all dancing