a corker
informal (UK)

- someone or something that is astonishing or excellent
- something that closes a discussion or settles a question

Dictionary dot com

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ORIGIN

Sorry dear Reader, but I have been unable to trace the beginnings of this interesting phrase. I can only assume a connection between corking and putting a stop to something.

Notwithstanding, I have often exclaimed “What a corker!” or “That’s a corker!” to express either surprise or astonishment at something excellent.

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IDIOMS

There are, however a number of expressive idioms with the word “cork”:

- blow (one’s) cork = to react furiously and/or violently, to the point of losing control of one’s behavior (Don’t blow your cork, it’s just a tiny scratch on the car)

- cork high and bottle deep = to be very drunk (Remember last night at the bar? Jim was cork high and bottle deep!)

- put a cork in it = to stop talking and be quiet. Usually used as an imperative and rather rude. (Put a cork in it, will you? I don’t want to hear any more arguing.)

- pull a cork = to begin drinking an alcoholic beverage, especially wine. (You should come by on Friday—we can have dinner, pull a cork or two, it will be great!)

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THE DANGERS OF CORK

It’s not hard to see how a champagne bottle cork could do some serious damage. These are the physics: the average bottle of champagne holds 6.2 bar (about 90 psi) of pressure, about three times the pressure in a car tire and with enough force to fire the cork 42 feet. That’s not something you want coming at your face from a few inches away.

The safe way says:

- Chill the bottle to 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit. A warm bottle builds more pressure, making the cork more likely to fire.
- Carefully remove the wire cage from the top.
- Place a towel over the top half of the bottle and tilt it (this also eases pressure).
- Grasp the cork, twist the bottle (not the cork) slowly until you feel the cork start to loosen.
- When the cork is almost free, press down on it to counteract the pressure pushing it up.
- Serve and enjoy.
- Cheers!

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Jim’s joke about the kangaroo was quite A CORKER. I haven’t laughed so much in ages.”

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