Why this dictionary exists
We use idioms constantly ("sent to Coventry," "cold shoulder," "bite the bullet") without ever asking where they came from. Usually there's a real, often quite specific, story behind the phrase. Sometimes there isn't, and the "origin" everyone repeats is actually a myth that's been passed around so often it sounds like fact.
D.V.C.I. exists to separate the two: the documented history from the folklore, honestly and without pretending we know more than we do.
Who's behind this
D.V.C.I. is the work of Ian Garner, a lifelong enthusiast of the English language. Ian grew up in Newton-le-Willows, in the middle of an unusually dense patchwork of dialects: Mancunian on one side, Scouse on the other, and distinct local voices in Haydock, St Helens, Wigan, and Ashton-in-Makerfield, sometimes all within a few miles of each other. Being surrounded by so many different ways of speaking in such a small area turned into a lifelong fascination with idioms, expressions, and where on earth they actually come from.
As Ian got older and explored more of England and the wider UK, that fascination grew well beyond home turf. Brits share a common history, but so much local history shapes how people speak, look, and behave too, and every region has its own version of that story. D.V.C.I. is a celebration of all of it, whether a saying is known for miles around a single town or the length of the country.
Ian picks the idioms, sets the direction, and writes every entry, drawing on established references like the Oxford English Dictionary, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, and Partridge's Dictionary of Slang, with internet research and AI tools used to speed up drafting and keep the format consistent across a growing repository. Every fact and verdict is checked against real sources before it goes live, in keeping with the honesty this whole project is built on.
How we rate each entry
Every idiom in the repository is tagged with one of four honesty labels:
Solid primary-source evidence: a specific text, law, or event we can point to.
A leading, plausible theory with real supporting evidence, but historians don't all agree it's the whole story.
Nobody actually knows. We lay out the competing theories and let you judge.
The story everyone repeats doesn't hold up against the historical record, so we explain what's more likely true instead.
Sourcing
Entries draw on the Oxford English Dictionary, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, primary historical texts where they exist, and established etymology research. Every entry lists its sources. If you think we've got one wrong, we want to know. Tell us.
New entries every week
This is a living repository, not a finished book. New idioms get added regularly, alongside short-form videos breaking down individual entries. The best way to keep up is the newsletter or the social channels linked in the footer.