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  1. etymology - What caused bell peppers to be called capsicums in …

    Aug 24, 2016 · 1707 H. Sloane Voy. Islands I. 241 Bell Pepper. The fruit is large..somewhat shaped like a bell.. . . ("pepper, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2016. Web. 24 …

  2. idioms - For whom the bell tolls - origin of "ask not" instead of ...

    Jun 15, 2016 · HAGSTRUM: I was rather amused to read that after Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls came out with its quotation from John Donne's Devotions people came to the …

  3. orthography - Bell crank, bell-crank or bellcrank? - English …

    May 28, 2024 · The second form "bell-crank" tells me that we are talking about bell-shaped crank, or a specialty crank that is only useful for cranking bells, without saying anything of its shape. …

  4. single word requests - Is there a term for the sound of a bicycle …

    JINGLE BELL PUKY G22 9913-22 MM. Another word as correctly suggested in the comment below (@PLL) and in the definition above is tinkle. to give forth or make a succession of short, …

  5. What does "hell's bells" refer to? - English Language & Usage …

    Aug 24, 2020 · The Phrase Finder is a recommended reference. << What's the origin of the phrase 'Hell's bells'? The exclamation 'Hell's bells' has been used in both the UK and the USA …

  6. colloquialisms - Words are not sparrows; once they have flown …

    Oct 6, 2017 · The bell, once rung, cannot be unrung. or. You cannot unring the bell. Google books traces "cannot be unrung" to 1924:... what is learned or suspected outside of court may have …

  7. etymology - What is the origin of "rings a bell"? - English …

    Mar 14, 2012 · In a series of experiments, Pavlov then tried to figure out how these phenomena were linked. For example, he struck a bell when the dogs were fed. If the bell was sounded in …

  8. single word requests - What do you call the sound of a bell?

    Sep 11, 2011 · The sound of a hand held brass bell, to me, is "ding-a-ling." "Tinkle" would apply at best to a very small bell (and at worst is slang for urinate as I commented above), and "brrring" …

  9. What is the origin of the idiom "with all the bells and whistles"?

    Oct 19, 2015 · Not sure about the cattle, but you could be on the right lines with country fairs. The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (by Julia Cresswell), under the entry on 'Bell', states (p.44): …

  10. grammar - Why "go off", as in "alarm went off"? - English …

    It dates from medieval England when households revolved around a fire upon which a pot would be continuously simmering. This was linked to some sort of bell which would chime …