across the board - An allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race. More...

rubble - Comes from Anglo-Norman robel, "bits of broken stone," from earlier French robe, "loot, odds and ends stolen." More...

ironic - Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected. More...

odds and ends - The first official odds and ends were found in lumberyards—odds were pieces of board split irregularly by the sawmill, ends were pieces trimmed from boards that were cut to specific lengths. More...