See the bee's knees on Wiktionary
Download JSON data for the bee's knees meaning in All languages combined (7.0kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "cat's pyjamas"
},
"expansion": "cat's pyjamas",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "cat's whiskers"
},
"expansion": "cat's whiskers",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "folk etymology"
},
"expansion": "folk etymology",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "business"
},
"expansion": "business",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "back-formation"
},
"expansion": "back-formation",
"name": "glossary"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Attested since 1922, of unclear origin. There are several suggested origins, but it most likely arose in imitation of the numerous animal-related nonsense phrases popular in the 1920s such as the cat's pyjamas, cat's whiskers, cat's meow, gnat's elbow, monkey's eyebrows etc.\nA popular folk etymology has the phrase referring to the world champion dancer Bee Jackson. Another suggestion is that the phrase is a corruption of business but this may be a back-formation. The singular bee's knee is attested from the late 18th century meaning something small or insignificant in the phrase big as a bee's knee. Also as weak as a bee's knee is attested in Ireland (1870). It is possible that the bee's knees is a deliberate inversion of this meaning but is not attested. Another possibility is that this is a reference to the (visible) blobs of pollen in bees' corbiculae.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"def": "1",
"head": "bee's knees"
},
"expansion": "the bee's knees pl (plural only)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast on Saturday and the kids thought it was the bee’s knees.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "I used to play in a band when I was younger. We had a few fans and we thought we were the bee’s knees.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, or cool."
],
"id": "en-the_bee's_knees-en-noun-~gRaR0DV",
"links": [
[
"excellent",
"excellent"
],
[
"wonderful",
"wonderful"
],
[
"cool",
"cool"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, colloquial) Something or someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, or cool."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "cat's meow"
},
{
"word": "cat's pajamas"
},
{
"word": "dog's bollocks"
},
{
"word": "the bomb"
},
{
"word": "best"
}
],
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"idiomatic",
"plural",
"plural-only"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "好極了"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "hǎo jíle",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "好极了"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "hěn bàng",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "很棒"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "jé van hét"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "het neusje van de zalm"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "maailman paras juttu"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"colloquial"
],
"word": "c’est le must"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"standard"
],
"word": "le nec plus ultra"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "das Gelbe vom Ei"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "csúcs"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legjobb"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legklasszabb"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legmenőbb"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "il meglio del meglio"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "otpad",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"masculine"
],
"word": "отпад"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"english": "referring to people, Hispano America",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "la mamá de Tarzán"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "lo más"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la hostia"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la leche"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"vulgar"
],
"word": "la polla"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la repera"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Mexico",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la neta"
},
{
"_dis1": "93 7",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Mexico",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "las perlas de la virgen"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "42 58",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "35 65",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "37 63",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English pluralia tantum",
"parents": [
"Pluralia tantum",
"Nouns",
"Lemmas"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 69",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English reduplications",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "36 64",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bee, -'s, knee. Corbiculae."
],
"id": "en-the_bee's_knees-en-noun-STDb0rOg",
"links": [
[
"bee",
"bee#English"
],
[
"-'s",
"-'s#English"
],
[
"knee",
"knee#English"
],
[
"Corbiculae",
"corbicula"
]
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-the bee's knees.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fa/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Michael Quinion"
],
"word": "the bee's knees"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English pluralia tantum",
"English reduplications",
"English rhyming phrases",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "cat's pyjamas"
},
"expansion": "cat's pyjamas",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "cat's whiskers"
},
"expansion": "cat's whiskers",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "folk etymology"
},
"expansion": "folk etymology",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "business"
},
"expansion": "business",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "back-formation"
},
"expansion": "back-formation",
"name": "glossary"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Attested since 1922, of unclear origin. There are several suggested origins, but it most likely arose in imitation of the numerous animal-related nonsense phrases popular in the 1920s such as the cat's pyjamas, cat's whiskers, cat's meow, gnat's elbow, monkey's eyebrows etc.\nA popular folk etymology has the phrase referring to the world champion dancer Bee Jackson. Another suggestion is that the phrase is a corruption of business but this may be a back-formation. The singular bee's knee is attested from the late 18th century meaning something small or insignificant in the phrase big as a bee's knee. Also as weak as a bee's knee is attested in Ireland (1870). It is possible that the bee's knees is a deliberate inversion of this meaning but is not attested. Another possibility is that this is a reference to the (visible) blobs of pollen in bees' corbiculae.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"def": "1",
"head": "bee's knees"
},
"expansion": "the bee's knees pl (plural only)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English colloquialisms",
"English idioms",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast on Saturday and the kids thought it was the bee’s knees.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "I used to play in a band when I was younger. We had a few fans and we thought we were the bee’s knees.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, or cool."
],
"links": [
[
"excellent",
"excellent"
],
[
"wonderful",
"wonderful"
],
[
"cool",
"cool"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, colloquial) Something or someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, or cool."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "cat's meow"
},
{
"word": "cat's pajamas"
},
{
"word": "dog's bollocks"
},
{
"word": "the bomb"
},
{
"word": "best"
}
],
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"idiomatic",
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bee, -'s, knee. Corbiculae."
],
"links": [
[
"bee",
"bee#English"
],
[
"-'s",
"-'s#English"
],
[
"knee",
"knee#English"
],
[
"Corbiculae",
"corbicula"
]
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-the bee's knees.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fa/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/En-au-the_bee%27s_knees.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "好極了"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "hǎo jíle",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "好极了"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "hěn bàng",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "很棒"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "jé van hét"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "het neusje van de zalm"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "maailman paras juttu"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"colloquial"
],
"word": "c’est le must"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"standard"
],
"word": "le nec plus ultra"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "das Gelbe vom Ei"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "csúcs"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legjobb"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legklasszabb"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "legmenőbb"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "il meglio del meglio"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "otpad",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"masculine"
],
"word": "отпад"
},
{
"code": "es",
"english": "referring to people, Hispano America",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "la mamá de Tarzán"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"word": "lo más"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la hostia"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la leche"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"vulgar"
],
"word": "la polla"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la repera"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Mexico",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "la neta"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "something excellent, outstanding",
"tags": [
"Mexico",
"colloquial"
],
"word": "las perlas de la virgen"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Michael Quinion"
],
"word": "the bee's knees"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.