not my cup of tea, thin end of the wedge, (not) the cat's pajamas, that's not cricket, to have cold feet, sticky wicket, play gooseberry, dance attendance, bath-dodger, mugwump, penguin suit, bobby dazzler.
Not my cup of tea - something is acceptable and understandable, and is quite possibly similar to things I like, but isnt for me. e.g. whilst i can acknowledge their song writing and popularity, Pink Floyd arent my cup of tea. I imagine it developed once large numbers of tea flavours started arriving in the UK
Thin end of the wedge - literal reference to a door wedge (i.e. the prop to keep it open). This incident (possibly seeming fairly big in itself) is actually only the start. The first skirmish in a war would be a good example. It is definitely current but isnt used as often as it could be
Cats pyjamas - not one for me but for some bizarre reason this seems to be a reference to something being great. I would prefer "it's the bees knees"
That's not cricket - cricket is considered a gentlemanly pursuit (by people that have never been at the crease) so anything breaking the rules isnt cricket. It is usually used tongue in cheek (oh no - another one!) that is, ironically.
Having cold feet - bottling out, pulling out of something. I'm almost certain this was from a book i.e. an author just made it up or else assimilated something they used or were aware of
Sticky wicket - another glorious cricket reference. In cricket the wicket needs to be hard and even. If it is wet (sticky) then the ball is unpredictable and more difficult. So if a person is in a situation that is alluded to as a sticky wicket then they are in trouble
Play gooseberry - never known where this came from. Basically any time a couple is together and another is there to interrupt whatever they had planned - a younger brother being babysat by his older sister and her noyfriend would be the gooseberry
Dance attendance - I have never heard this
Bath dodger - normally used to identify a layabout, unemployed oik type - it came to the fore when various "hippy" types were protesting about woodland being chopped down for roads. I never use it - the guy I work with most of the time uses it a lot!
mug wump - again, no idea
penguin suit - is this a true idiom? it is more a similie, comparing a formal suit to the markings of a penguin
bobby dazzler - now that is a good one. Normally used in humour, something amazing. often used to describe a great football goal.
I have a personal preference for those that come from something - like the cricket ones. An example is swinging the lead - meaning someone shirking their duties, normally at work, coming from the age of sail when a sailor would be sent to measure the depth with a leaded line and would take an age over it.
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