"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
Showing posts with label well-oiled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label well-oiled. Show all posts

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Well-oiled



I used the expression well-oiled in relation to my burned hand recently – i.e. I was keeping my hand well-oiled, that is, covered in oil.  It also means operating efficiently.  But well-oiled has a more common colloquial use – it means drunk.