What does the saying any port in a storm mean?

Definition of any port in a storm
used to say that a person will use anyone or anything for comfort, help, etc., when in a bad situation "I know she's lonely, but I can't believe she's going out with that guy." "Well, you know what they say: any port in a storm."
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


Where does the term Any port in a storm come from?

Origin of “Any Port in a Storm”

It is stated that this phrase been used in print in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure written by John Cleland and printed in 1749 in which it goes as “Pooh!”, says he “my dear, any port in a storm.” Since then it has been in common use in the English language without any change in wording.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on literarydevices.net


What does Port mean in Old English?

1 : the manner of bearing oneself. 2 archaic : state sense 3. 3 : the position in which a military weapon is carried at the command port arms.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What is the meaning of a storm in a tea cup?

Definition of a storm in a teacup

: a situation in which people are very angry or upset about something that is not important The whole controversy turned out to be a storm in a teacup.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does the idiom weather the storm mean?

Definition of weather the storm

: to deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged too much Newspapers have weathered the storm of online information by providing news online themselves.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does any port in a storm mean?



What does the phrase when it rains it pours mean?

Definition of when it rains, it pours

US, informal. —used to say that when something bad happens other bad things usually happen at the same time The team not only lost the game but three of its best players were injured. When it rains, it pours.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What is the meaning of got wind of?

Learn of; hear a rumor about. For example, “If my old aunt gets wind of it, she'll cut me off with a shilling” (William Makepeace Thackeray, in Paris Sketch Book, 1840). This expression alludes to an animal perceiving a scent carried by the wind. [ First half of 1800s]
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of idiom black and blue?

be black and blue to beat someone black and blue

or to beat someone black and blue. phrase. If you say that someone is black and blue, you mean that they are badly bruised. The next day I was black and blue and couldn't move my neck.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


Where does the phrase tempest in a teapot come from?

The basic sentiment of a tempest in a teapot and a storm in a teacup seems to have originated in 52 B.C.E. in the writings of Cicero, in a phrase that translates as stirring up billows in a ladle. The Duke of Ormand, in a letter written in 1678, refers to something that is but a storm in a cream bowl.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on grammarist.com


Where did the word port come from?

The word “port” comes from the Latin “portus” meaning “port/harbor”, which before that meant “entrance, passage”. This in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European “*prtu”, meaning “a passage”.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on todayifoundout.com


Why is a port called a port?

The left side is called 'port' because ships with steerboards or star boards would dock at ports on the opposite side of the steerboard or star. As the right side was the steerboard side or star board side, the left side was the port side.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on intlreg.org


What does port in and port out mean?

What is Porting and How Does It Work? “Porting” a number means taking it a number from one number provider and transferring it to another. In that case, the losing carrier would be porting the number out. The gaining carrier would be porting the number in!
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on hushed.com


What does blowing hot and cold mean?

To change one's mind constantly about the value of something: “The administration should stop issuing such contradictory statements on taxes; they are alienating the voters by blowing hot and cold on tax reform.”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is get hot under the collar?

Angry, as in She is quick to get hot under the collar, but once the problem is ironed out she forgets it entirely. This expression alludes to the heat of anger. [
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does on its last leg mean?

Extremely tired, close to collapsing, as in We've been cleaning house all day and I'm on my last legs. This hyperbolic expression originally meant “close to dying,” and in John Ray's 1678 proverb collection it was transferred to being bankrupt.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does blood pours into his face mean?

Definition of the blood drained from someone's face

—used to say that someone became very pale The blood drained from her face when he told her there had been an accident.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What does the blue ? mean?

The Blue Heart emoji ? depicts a classic representation of heart, colored blue. It can be used to express love, support, admiration, happiness, and excitement—particularly toward various things that have some relation to the color blue, from the Smurfs to Duke University to autism awareness.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does tooth and nail mean?

Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is the meaning of the idiom a man of straw?

man of straw. noun. a person of little substance. Also called: straw man mainly US a person used as a cover for some dubious plan or enterprise; front man. a man who cannot be relied upon to honour his financial commitments, esp because of his limited resources.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does turn a deaf ear means?

Refuse to listen, as in You can plead all day but he's turning a deaf ear to everyone. This expression dates from the first half of the 1400s and was in most proverb collections from 1546 on.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What does the phrase at its peak mean?

countable noun [usually singular] The peak of a process or an activity is the point at which it is at its strongest, most successful, or most fully developed.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com


What do you call a rain storm?

A downpour is a rainstorm, especially a very heavy one. If you get caught unexpectedly in a downpour, you'll wish you brought an umbrella. A downpour is exactly what it sounds like: torrential, pouring rain.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on vocabulary.com


What is another word for violent storm?

synonyms for violent rain storm
  • cyclone.
  • hurricane.
  • tempest.
  • typhoon.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thesaurus.com


What's a better word for beautiful?

admirable, adorable, alluring, angelic, appealing, beauteous, bewitching, captivating, charming, classy, comely, cute, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enthralling, enticing, excellent, exquisite, fair, fascinating, fetching, fine, foxy, good-looking, gorgeous, graceful, grand, handsome, ideal, inviting ...
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on rohrbachlibrary.wordpress.com