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| 1157475258 | Attila | MEANING: barbarian, rough leader ORIGIN: King of the Huns from 433-453 and the most successful of the barbarian invaders of the Roman Empire. |  | 0 |
| 1157475259 | berserk | MEANING: destructively or frenetically violent, mental or emotional upset ORIGIN: a warrior clothed in bear skin who worked himself into a frenzy before battle |  | 1 |
| 1157475260 | blarney | MEANING: has also come to mean to placate with soft talk or to deceive without offending ORIGIN: Blarney, Ireland is celebrated the world over for a stone on a fortified wall that is said to endow whoever kisses it with the eternal gift of eloquence, sometimes known as the 'Gift of the Gab'. |  | 2 |
| 1157475261 | Casanova | MEANING: a man who is amorously and gallantly attentive to women; a promiscuous man. ORIGIN: Giovanni Jacopo Casanova De Seingalt (1725-98), an Italian adventurer who established a legendary reputation as a lover | 3 | |
| 1157475262 | cut off one's nose to spite one's face | MEANING: to harm yourself in an effort to punish someone else or to make a point because you are angry or upset |  | 4 |
| 1157475263 | eat crow | MEANING: to admit one's mistake and apologize for the blunder or misdeed |  | 5 |
| 1157475264 | El Dorado | MEANING: a place of reputed wealth ORIGIN: from the legendary city in South America, sought by early Spanish explorers |  | 6 |
| 1157475265 | gung ho | MEANING: eager individuals ORIGIN: one of the many phrases that entered the English language as a result of World War II. It comes from a Mandarin Chinese word meaning "to work together," which was used as a motto by the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society.Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson (1896-1947) borrowed the motto as a moniker for meetings in which problems were discussed and worked out; the motto caught on among his Marines (the famous "Carlson's Raiders"), who began calling themselves the "Gung Ho Battalion." |  | 7 |
| 1157475266 | Horatio Alger | MEANING: one who believes that a person can make it on his own merits ORIGIN: from (1832-99) American writer of inspirational adventure books |  | 8 |
| 1157475267 | John Hancock | MEANING: one's signature ORIGIN: after American Statesman, John Hancock, who was the first person to sign The Declaration of Independence and whose clear and legible signature is the most prominent on the document. |  | 9 |
| 1157475268 | keep the ball rolling | MEANING: keep the momentum going ORIGIN: the phrase owes its origin and popularity to the US presidential election of July 1840. That election is widely regarded as introducing all the paraphernalia of present-day elections, i.e. campaign songs, advertising slogans and publicity stunts of all kinds. Harrison's campaign literature referred to Victory Balls. These weren't, as we might expect, dance parties that celebrated his famous victory, but ten-foot diameter globes made of tin and leather, which were pushed from one campaign rally to the next. His supporters were invited to attend rallies and push the ball on to the next town, chanting 'keep the ball rolling' |  | 10 |
| 1157475269 | Machiavellian | MEANING: of or relating to Machiavelli or Machiavellianism, characterized by expedience, deceit and cunning ORIGIN: after Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1537), a philosopher known for his treaties and political expediency; wrote "The Prince" (1513) |  | 11 |
| 1157475270 | maverick | MEANING: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party ORIGIN: after Samuel Maverick, a 19th century American pioneer who refused to brand his cattle as everyone else seemed to do |  | 12 |
| 1157475271 | McCarthyism | MEANING: modern witch hunt, the practice of publicizing accusations of political disloyalty or subversions with insufficient regard to evidence, the use of unfair investigatory or accusatory methods, in order to suppress opposition ORIGIN: afterJoseph McCarthy (1908-57), an American politician who as a US senator from WWI publicly accused many citizens of subversion |  | 13 |
| 1157475272 | Nostradamus | MEANING: a prophet or fortune teller ORIGIN: (1503-66) French physician and astrologer who wrote a book of rhymed prophecies |  | 14 |
| 1157475273 | read the riot act | MEANING: a figurative phrase to describe attempts to calm groups of people ORIGIN: The actual 'Riot Act' was passed by the British government in 1714 and came into force in 1715. The Riot Act, which was more formally called 'An act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the rioters' actually contained this warning: "Our sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King." The crowd had an hour to disperse or face imprisonment. |  | 15 |
| 1157475274 | the real McCoy | MEANING: authentic ORIGIN: After Kid McCoy (Norman Selby McCoy, 1873-1940), American welterweight boxing champion. The story goes, and there are various versions of it, that a drunk challenged Selby in a bar packed full of admirers to prove that he was actually the champion McCoy and not one of the many lesser boxers trading under the same name. After being knocked to the floor in one punch, the drunk rose to admit that 'Yes, that's the real McCoy'. |  | 16 |
| 1157475275 | spartan | MEANING: frugal and bare, simple, disciplined and stern and brave ORIGIN: The Spartans were known for simplicity of life, severity, courage, and brevity of speech. |  | 17 |
| 1157475276 | stonewall | MEANING: hinder or obstruct by evasive, delaying tactics ORIGIN: in cricket: trying to go completely defensive, blocking every ball without trying to score; relating to Stonewall Jackson (Thomas J. Jackson) Confederate General from the remark during the Battle of Bull Run: "Look as Jackson's men; they stand like a stone wall." |  | 18 |
| 1157475277 | Uncle Sam | MEANING: government of people of the United States ORIGIN: derived from the United States of America - Uncle Sam, a businessman with initials on shipping boxes in 1800's |  | 19 |
| 1157475278 | Utopia | MEANING: an imaginary and perfect society ORIGIN: British 1610, source Thomas More's novel Utopia | 20 | |
| 1157475279 | to meet one's Waterloo | MEANING: To experience a decisive or final defeat or setback ORIGIN: Waterloo in Belgium was the scene of Napoleon's last defeat, a crushing blow, in 1815. |  | 21 |
