bee's knees

English

Etymology

Unknown. One of many such informal phrases coined in the early 20th century for no apparent reason, of which only a few have endured. One possible origin is from the British expression "B's and E's" meaning "be all and end all". Another is a playful mispronunciation of business.

Noun

the bee's knees

1. (idiomatic, dated) Something excellent, outstanding.

   We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast on Saturday and the kids thought it was the bee’s knees.

Synonyms

• cat's meow
• cat's pajamas, cat's pyjamas
• cat's whiskers
• dog's bollocks
• the bomb
• the business
• (vulgar) the shit
• (vulgar) the tits

Translations

something excellent, outstanding

• Dutch: jé van hét (nl)
• French: c'est le must (fr) (colloquial), le nec plus ultra (fr) (standard)
• Spanish: la mamá de Tarzán (es) (referring to people, Hispano America), lo más (es), la hostia (es) (colloquial, Spain), la leche (es) (colloquial, Spain), la polla (es) (vulgar, Spain), la repera (es) (colloquial, Spain), la neta (es) (colloquial, Mexico), las perlas de la virgen (es) (colloquial, Mexico)

References

• Mark Israel, alt.usage.english FAQ
• Kevin Cook, Dubbel Dutch, Kemper Conseil Publishing, 2001, p. 222
• "Bee's knees" in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, 2004.
• http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-bees-knees.html