N - No great shakes, Nothing to sneeze at, No dice

Welcome back to week 3 of the A-Z Challenge!  Today's idioms are brought to you by the letter 'N'.

1.  That restaurant was no great shakes.  

Meaning:  nothing extraordinary, mediocre. 

Origin:  This expression is used as early as the 17^th century.  Lord Broughton, recalling an 1816 art show in his 'Recollections of a Long Life' , wrote: 'W. said that a piece of sculpture there was 'nullae magnae quassationes,' and the others laughed heartily.' The others, proficient linguists, got the joke immediately when they translated the Latin for 'no great shakes.'  Shakes, itself, is thought to refer to the shaking of dice.  Someone with “no great shakes” is someone who throws a low point, receiving no sevens or elevens.

2.  Getting second place is nothing to sneeze at!

Meaning:  something may appear modest or trivial, but it’s at least somewhat impressive in its own right.

The root of “sneeze” was the Old English verb “fneosan,” which meant “to sneeze or snort,” and came from Germanic root (as far back as 1400s).  “To sneeze at,” as is used today, first appeared in the early 19th century.  This form of contempt is a deliberate act, while sneezing usually isn’t.  That’s because sneezing, in this respect, refers back to the Old English reference of “snorting.”

3.  I wanted to borrow ten dollars, but Mom said, “no dice.”

Meaning:  No.

Origin:  This is a US phrase and originated there in the early 20th century. Gambling with dice was illegal in many states and so gamblers went to some pains to hide the dice when challenged by the police. Courts would sometimes throw out cases if the dice weren't offered in evidence. There are several court records where gamblers were alleged to have swallowed dice to avoid arrest.