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A SPUD was a digging tool, useful for unearthing potatoes and the name eventually meant the potato itself

The expression SECOND STRING, meaning a reserve force, dates back to archers needing a spare in case one broke

The word MOTHER most probably evolved from 'ma', often the first sound that babies make

The early sponsors of SOAP OPERAS were detergent companies, hence their nickname

ABACUS comes to our language by way of the Hebrew word for 'dust' (abaq), originally being a dust-covered board that could be written on for calculations, etc

Being very successful, or passing with FLYING COLOURS refers to a victorious army leaving the battlefield with its flag (colours) still flying

You might enjoy a cup of tea in a CAFE, but the word owes its origins to coffee

DENIM, the jeans fabric, was originally made in the French town of Nimes. So Serge di Nimes became shortened to denim

The ridges on the sides of coins are called REEDING or MILLING

RESTAURANT comes from the French 'restaurer' (restore). It originally referred to a soup served in Paris which broke the taverns' monopoly on selling cook meat