Big Fish in a Small Pond Meaning: one who is important only within a small circle of people. Although the idea of someone of seniority or importance being termed a "big fish" has long been in existence, the small pond element is probably a nineteenth century American addition. The reverse Small Fish in a Big Pond is sometimes also used for someone of little status in a large setting. A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush Meaning: having one thing for certain beats having something much better but uncertain. This is one of the oldest known idioms, deriving from a similar Bible idiom within Ecclesiastes IX: A live dog is better off than a dead lion. Its bird form first appeared in print in the seventeenth century, but was probably in use much before that as a falconry-related saying; the bird in the hand most likely being on the falconer's fist, with the prey species being the ones in the bush. Kangaroo Court Meaning: an unofficial or unauthorised court, often convened hastily, that dispenses improper justice, sometimes by a mob. It is thought that the term originated in the "Wild West" of the early nineteenth century United States, when judges were paid by the number of trials conducted rather than their inherent integrity.

Consequently they "hopped" from one town to another to dispense their rapid justice; the term Kangaroo Court was born! Put One's Head in the Lion's Mouth Meaning: to put oneself in an awkward, difficult or dangerous situation. This phrase originated in the 19th century after the Dutch-American animal trainer Isaac A. Van Amburgh became the first person to actually put his head inside a lion's mouth. Said to have been inspired from an early age by the biblical story of Daniel in the lion's den, Van Amburgh became a world-wide celebrity. Queen Victoria was a fan after he performed in London in 1838, and he was also immortalised in a painting by Landseer with his caged big cats.