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Par uspeak le 1 Octobre 2009 à 23:51
Un idiotisme est une construction ou une locution particulière à une langue.
Ce sont des expressions totalement incompréhensibles si elles sont traduites mots à mots dans une autre langue.
Ce chapitre s'adresse surtout aux experts qui connaissent déjà l'anglais courant et qui veulent aller plus loin dans leur maîtrise de la langue.
She is a peach. She's sweet and helpful.
He's full of beans. He's not telling the truth.
It's not my cup of tea. I don't care for that.
He's full of baloney. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
It's just sour grapes. They have resentment.
That's corny. It's sentimental.
I'm in a pickle. I'm in a dilemma.
He brings home the bacon. He brings home the family money.
She's in a stew. She's upset.
He's the top banana. He's the headman.
He's the salt of the earth. He's a very good person.
She's worth her salt. She's a valuable employee.
They're two peas in a pod. If you see one you see the other.
I'm nuts about you. I'm in love with you.
It's a piece of cake. It's quite simple.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't use it and save it.
He's a real ham. He's a frustrated actor.
It's a hard nut to crack. It's a difficult problem to solve.
It was a slap on the wrist. It was a very mild punishment.
He's a bad egg. He cannot be trusted.
We need to break the ice. Everyone's a little tense - let's be friendly.
We'll get a baker's dozen. We'll get items.
He's got a finger in every pie. He has many deals going.
You'll have to take potluck. Be happy with what we have on hand.
She's hard-boiled. She makes tough deals.
He's the apple of my eye. He's my favorite person.
He's a rotten egg. He is a thoroughly evil person.
It's for the birds. It's a crazy idea.
She eats like a bird. She eats little or nothing.
He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's a bad guy pretending to be good.
I smell a rat. Someone has betrayed us.
He's chicken-hearted. He has no courage.
I could eat a horse. I'm extremely hungry.
Please don't monkey around. Get serious and stop playing.
We'll kill two birds with one stone. One solution solves two problems.
It's three miles as the crow flies. It's three miles going straight.
Don't cry wolf. Don't give a false alarm.
It has dog-eared pages. It's a well-used popular book.
He's the underdog. He's not the favorite to win.
She's like a fish out of water. She is not in her area of expertise.
You'll stir up a hornet's nest. You'll cause a great deal of new problems.
Don't let him get your goat. Don't let him get you upset.
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Don't make big of something insignificant.
They are packed like sardines. There is absolutely no room for even one more.
We got a bird's eye view. We had a very good viewpoint from on high.
We're on a wild-goose chase. We were chasing something that didn't exist.
It's raining cats and dogs. It is the heaviest rain I have ever seen.
It's just monkey business. The business is either his own business or fake.
He'll weasel out. He'll back out of all agreements.
She'll go ape. She'll become very upset.
Let's talk turkey. Let's begin to talk seriously.
Don't let the cat out of the bag. Don't tell our secret.
Those are crocodile tears. Those are false tears.
He's a card shark. He is a professional card player.
We had a whale of a time. We had a great time.
He drinks like a fish. He is a heavy alcohol drinker.
I've got a frog in my throat. I need to clear my throat in order to talk right.
He rolled snake eyes. His dice had two ones.
She's pig-headed. She is very stubborn.
It sounds fishy. It doesn't sound like it's true.
Don't make a hog of yourself. Don't take more than your share.
Quit horsing around. Stop being silly and get serious.
He's a rat. He is not to be trusted.
He ratted on me. He informed others about my secrets.
She is a stool pigeon. She informs on everybody.
I can't make heads or tails of it. She is a tough old lady.
She's no spring chicken. I can't understand what you are talking about.
She lost her head. She did something crazy.
He can't keep his head above water. He's too busy with many things.
That's just off the top of my head. Here's an idea without too much thought.
She's got her head in the clouds. Her ideas are not practical.
She's levelheaded. She's always has good practical ideas.
He's head over heels in love. He's so in love he doesn't care about anything.
It just goes through my head. I can't seem to concentrate.
You've got rocks in your head. Your ideas are not realistic.
Let's put our heads together. Let's share ideas.
Use your head. Start thinking about a solution.
Let's bury the hatchet. Let's forget our old fights and hatreds.
She's up to her head in work. She has too much to do right now.
He's at it tooth and nail. He's gives the problem all his attention.
I've got a lump in my throat. I am emotionally involved and distressed.
You'd better save your neck. You must survive this situation.
You better turn the other cheek. Don't let what they say bother you!
Just swallow your pride. Forget your pride and solve the problem.
My lips are sealed. I will never reveal the secret.
It's a slap in the face. That is an insult to me.
You can talk until you're blue in the face. They aren't listening to you.
You must face the music. Admit your error - solve it and go on.
He can't keep a straight face. Try to keep from laughing at them.
He'll fall flat on his face. He will fail on this thing.
That will blow my mind. I will be totally surprised.
I want to pick your brains. I need and want some ideas from you.
He gave me a piece of his mind. He scolded me for my deficiencies.
You get on my nerves. What you do or say often irritates me.
That'll boggle your mind. This will absolutely amaze you.
You've got to get up your nerve. Don't be afraid of trying something.
Don't just shoot off your mouth. Wait and speak when you've thought about it.
She's down in the mouth. Her spirits are low.
Watch your mouth! You've said something offensive.
He put his foot in his mouth. He said something very stupid.
She's got a big mouth. She talks too much and says the wrong things.
It's just hand to mouth. It is a very low-cost project.
Keep a stiff upper lip. Keep trying and you can succeed.
It makes my mouth water. I think that is a very attractive idea.
It was by word of mouth. I was told in person.
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don't feel comfortable with that idea.
It will melt in your mouth. You will like this idea.
You can save your breath. They don't listen - they're not open to anything.
She takes my breath away. She's the most wonderful creature I've ever seen.
I did it by the skin of my teeth. I just barely got the job done.
It's on the tip of my tongue. I know it - I just can't say it now.
You'll eat your words. Any thing you say may come back to haunt you.
She's got a sharp tongue. Her words are like a sword - they can hurt.
It's my mother tongue. It is my native language.
It was a slip of the tongue. I didn't intend to say that.
He said it tongue in cheek. He was kidding when he said that.
She's tongue-tied. She's so excited she can't speak.
I only have eyes for you. You are the object of my affection.
I never want to lay eyes on you. Go! I never want to see you again.
I've got my eye on you. I'm watching you - one mistake and you're gone.
He's making eyes at her. He is flirting with her.
That'll make your eyes pop. You will be really surprised when this happens.
I can't believe my eyes. What I am seeing is hard to believe.
There's more than meets the eye. You are not telling me all the facts.
She's a sight for sore eyes. We're very happy to see her - we need her.
You need to catch his eye. You must get his attention.
His eyes are bigger than his stomach. He takes more food than he can eat.
Feast your eyes on that. Isn't that a wonderful thing we have here?
She will pull the wool over his eyes. She will fool him every time.
It's a highbrow place. It is a very high-class place.
You'll pay through the nose. It's extremely costly to do that.
Don't turn up your nose at me. Don't think you are better than I am.
She's got a nose for news. She can get a story from almost nothing.
She won by a nose. It was a very close race.
You need to lead them by the nose. You have to tell them every single detail.
Keep your nose clean. Be honest and ethical.
It's nothing to sneeze at. It is a good offer.
It's under your nose. It's right there in front of you.
A leopard cannot change its spots. You cannot change who you are.
I'm all ears. I am listening with great interest.
It was an ear-splitting sound. The noise hurt my ears.
It goes in one ear and out the other. He doesn't listen to anyone.
Keep your ear to the ground. Listen everywhere to find what is going on.
You'd better prick up your ears. Pay attention to what is happening.
She can wind him around her little finger. She can manipulate him to do what she wants.
He's got a finger in every pie. He is trying every possible way.
My hands are tied. There is nothing I can do because of regulations.
Please lend me a hand. Help him with this.
Give him a hand. Clap your hand in appreciation.
Give him a hand. Help him.
He's got a green thumb. He is good at gardening.
I'm all thumbs. I am very clumsy.
I've got it all at my fingertips. I have all the right information.
He's an old hand. He has lots of experience at that.
She's got her hands full. She has more things to do than she can handle.
I wash my hands of it all. I want no part of this thing.
He was caught red-handed. He was caught in the act of a crime.
Don't let it slip through your fingers. Don't let this good customer get away.
You must get the upper hand. Get an advantage on your competitor.
He's up in arms about it. He has gotten upset about something.
I only got hand-me-downs. What I got was all previously owned stuff.
I've got to hand it to you. I admire what you have done.
It's hands off to you. You are not to do any work on this item.
Try to thumb a ride. Beg for a ride
We are short-handed. I need your help.
You must toe the line. Everyone must follow all the rules.
He's got cold feet. He's frightened and doesn't think he can do it.
He's a heel. He does not act like a gentleman with ladies.
You better shake a leg. You need to work faster.
She's pulling my leg. She is trying to trick or fool me.
You'll foot the bill. You will have to pay the entire cost.
You'll have to put your foot down. You'll need to assert yourself - be more forceful.
You don't have a leg to stand on. You are not secure in your position.
You've got to put your best foot forward. Go with the best idea that you have.
Don't drag your feet. Don't delay - get to work.
You've got to get a foot in the door. You must get the customers attention.
The shoe is on the other foot now. Now they have the problem not us.
You'll step on her toes. You'll be moving in on her territory.
He's got a chip on his shoulder. He is looking for an excuse to fight.
She gave him the cold shoulder. She is trying to get him to leave her alone.
Get off my back! Leave me alone and let me get to work.
Get it off your chest. Tell me exactly what is bothering you.
I need some elbowroom. We are too crowded in this office.
He's a thorn in my side. Everything he does irritates me.
Don't turn your back on her. She can't be trusted.
He turns my stomach. He totally disgusts me.
I've got butterflies in my stomach. I'm very nervous about this deal.
She can't stomach it. She thinks this deal is too rotten to do.
He's lily-livered. He is too much a coward to do it.
She makes my flesh creep. She is extremely revolting in her attitude.
She's a busybody. She pays attention to everybody else's business.
We need a heart to heart talk. We need to talk confidentially.
You need to learn this by heart. You need to know this stuff well.
Please! Have a heart. Get some feelings about being nice.
My heart is in my mouth. I'm extremely nervous about this deal.
Don't take it to heart. Don't take this personally - it's just business.
She's a hard-hearted woman. She has no compassion for anyone.
She's got a heart of stone. She makes decisions without regard to people.
Eat your heart out. You are envious of my success.
You'll break my heart. I'll be disappointed about this.
He's our ace in the hole. When all else fails - he will save us.
He's a stuffed shirt. He is very pretentious.
We are ahead of the game. Right now we are profitable.
They're all shook up. They are upset that we are winning.
They're all washed up. They have been defeated.
He's asleep at the switch. He's not alert to what is going on.
He'll do after a fashion. He'll learn to do better but not well.
She's a back seat driver. She always will criticize any idea.
He's a ball of fire. He's one of our best workers.
You're barking up the wrong tree. You have totally the wrong approach.
His bark is worse than his bite. He yells but he doesn't mean anything by it.
You've got bats in your belfry. You are crazy and have ridiculous ideas.
She will bawl him out. She will verbally discipline him.
Don't beat around the bush. Stop talking in circles - speak directly.
Beat it. Go away!
I need my beauty sleep I need to sleep..
It's no bed of roses. This will not be easy.
I'm behind the eight ball. I am in trouble with the boss.
He's beside himself with misery. He is extremely miserable.
It's better late than never. Being late is bad but it's better than never.
He's the big cheese. He is the headman.
He's the big wheel. He's the big boss.
He's the big shot. He is an important man.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't try to do more than you can accomplish.
Don't bite the hand than feeds you. Be loyal to your company that pays you.
He'll soon bite the dust. He soon will be found out and lose.
Don't blow your top. Stay calm.
Don't blow your cool. Remain calm and collected.
I've got a bone to pick with you. You've something that is a problem to me.
You should brush up on it. You need to study and learn this.
You need to build a fire under them. They need to be motivated.
You'll need to burn the midnight oil. You will have to work overtime.
Don't break your word. Do what you have promised.
We need to break the news. We need to tell them the bad news.
Her hair will be standing on end. This solution will distress her greatly.
We won by a hair. We won a very close victory.
She's often in my hair. She is often in my way.
Let's call it a day. That's enough work for today.
Let's call it quits. Let's stop for now.
You call the shots. You make the decisions.
It's a can of worms. That is a big bunch of problems.
I ride in a car pool. A group of us ride to work together.
Don't chicken out on us. Don't get scared and leave.
He's a chip off the old block. He is just like his dad.
We need to cut our losses. We must withdraw from a losing situation.
You've cooked your own goose. You are in a problem of your own making.
You make me crack up. I find you extremely funny.
You need to crack a book. Open up a book and learn something.
You need to crack a joke. Don't be so serious all the time.
It cramps my style. You have put too many limits on me.
He's the cream of the crop. He is the best there is.
Don't cut corners. Follow all of the rules.
It's a cut and dried situation. There are no changes or discussions - just do it.
We're at a dead stop. We can't do anything right now.
He's dead to the world. He is so tired he can't function.
It will soon die out. That problem will be gone soon.
They're a dime a dozen. They aren't worth anything.
Watch him do a double take. He will gasp when he sees this.
She's down in the dumps. She is very depressed.
She got a dose of her own medicine. She got just the trouble that she gives others.
Well that's down the drain. We have completely lost everything on this.
That's all down the tubes. We have totally lost everything on this.
Don't drag your feet on this. Get working and stop the delaying.
I'm drawing a blank. I don't have any idea on this.
We need to draw the line here. We make no more concessions.
He drives a hard bargain. He makes it tough to make much of a profit.
It's just a drop in the bucket. That is just the beginning of the problems.
She eats like a bird. She just picks at her food.
She eats like a horse. She eats like a hungry man.
He's at the end of his rope. He is just about out of ideas and energy.
I feel like a million dollars. I feel wonderful.
Finders keepers - losers weepers. The finders are happy - the losers unhappy.
It will fit like a glove. The two situations work well together.
She's going to flip her lid. She's going to be extremely unhappy.
He will fly off the handle. He will be very upset.
Don't fool around with that. Leave that situation alone.
It's a foolproof scheme. This idea is sure to succeed.
This is for keeps. This is it - no changes - no getting out.
You'll need to fork out some dough. You will have to pay some cash.
He's out getting forty winks. He is taking a quick nap.
Can they get away with that? Will they be able to do that without trouble?
Let's get down to brass tacks. Let's do some serious talking.
I'll get even. I will return the bad you did to me.
Get off my back. Stop bothering me and let me do my work.
Let's get the ball rolling. Let's start the work on this.
We'll get to the bottom of it. We will find out exactly what is the problem.
He got out of the bed on the wrong side. The day started bad and hasn't gotten any better.
He doesn't have a ghost of a chance. There is no way he can succeed.
He's giving me a hard time. He is teasing me about that.
Give him an inch and he'll take a mile. Give him a little and he takes a lot.
Don't give yourself away. Don't let them know what is your plan.
They'll have to give up the ghost. They will have to give up trying.
He's a real globetrotter. He travels all over the world.
They just go around in circles. They go in all directions without any success.
They will go into orbit. They will be very upset.
They can just go jump in a lake. If they don't like it - too bad.
Don't go off the deep end. Don't go to extremes on this.
Grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Other things always look easier.
Just grin and bear it. Forget the problems - keep working.
They often just ham it up. They like to get very dramatic.
You must hang in there. Keep trying.
She has a lot of hang-ups. She has a lot of irrational objections.
I can see the handwriting on the wall. I can sense the mood of people.
Go and have a ball. Go and enjoy yourself.
We will have the last laugh. They are winning now but in the end we will win.
Hold on to your hat. Be patient.
Hold on to your horses. (Hold your horses.) Don't get too excited.
Don't horse around. Don't play around - be serious.
Have your own way. OK! Do what you want.
You've got two strikes against you. One more mistake and you are out!
He's got one foot in the grave. He is too old.
We had a high time. We had a good time.
You hit the nail on the head. That is exactly the situation.
They will hit the ceiling. They will be extremely upset.
That is a hit below the belt. That is not playing fair or honest.
I'm going to hit the sack. I'm going to bed.
She's going to hit the hay. She is going to bed.
That just won't hold water. That idea just won't work.
He can't hold down a job. He has lost every job he ever had.
Keep them in the dark. Don't let them know what is going on.
That's it in a nutshell. That is a short summary of the situation.
By hook or crook we'll do it. We'll do it whatever it takes.
We've got one thing in the hole. One thing is on our side.
They are in the same boat. We both have the same problem.
We are in full swing now. We are all working full time on this.
We have more irons in the fire. We have many other things to do.
He's a jack-of-all-trades. He has many talents.
Don't jump down my throat. Don't criticize me so severely.
It's just what the doctor ordered. That is an excellent solution.
You keep the ball rolling. Keep up your good efforts.
Now keep that under your hat. Don't tell this to anyone.
You keep plugging away. Keep working to solve this.
That's a kick in the pants. That is a good encouragement.
Knock it off! Stop doing that!
He's about to kick the bucket. He is about to die.
He knows the ropes. He knows what he is doing.
That is the last straw. He has made one error too many.
You need to let off some steam. Don't contain all your anger.
Don't lie down on the job. Keep working - don't slow down.
She is a long shot to win. She is not the most likely winner.
He's a long-winded talker. He talks and talks.
She looked daggers at him. She gave him a look of disapproval.
Don't look down on them. Don't think you are better than they are.
You'll lose your shirt doing that. You will lose everything.
That is a lost cause. You cannot succeed.
We'll lower the boom on them. We will soundly defeat them.
That'll make the fur fly. That will get their attention.
She can't make ends meet. She spends more than she makes.
Make yourself at home. Act as if this were your home. (Condition contrary to reality.)
He's a man of his word. He always keeps promises.
It's a matter of life and death. This is a very serious situation.
Your name is mud. You will be thought of as a loser.
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is a difficult thing to find.
She's an old flame. She's a past girlfriend.
It happens once in a blue moon. It will never happen.
It's on the house. You do not need to pay for it.
Be on the lookout for her. Watch for her.
He's on the bandwagon. He has joined our side of the argument.
She's on the ball. She is very perceptive.
He's out of date. He is living in the past.
That is out of the question. That idea is not acceptable.
Don't go out on a limb. Don't make any commitments on that.
We'll paint the town red. We will go out to party.
He'll just pass the buck. He will blame someone else.
He passed out at the party. He was so drunk he lost consciousness.
A penny for your thoughts. What were you thinking just now?
He'll just pick a fight. He will provoke you into a fight.
I'm on pins and needles waiting. I'm anxious to find out something.
We won't play second fiddle to them. We will not be in second place.
You've got to pull yourself together. Get organized and not so emotional.
He'd pinch pennies. He is too careful with money.
It's just a play on words. The meaning is not what the words say.
Everybody must pitch in. All must help.
We'll polish them off. We will defeat them all.
Will you pop the question? Will you ask her to marry you?
He's an apple polisher. He tries too hard to please the boss.
I can pull strings. I have some connections with the right people.
It's just puppy love. It is just infatuation.
Put on your thinking cap. Give this some serious thought.
Let's put your cards on the table. Let's be honest with each other.
You put the cart before the horse. Put first things first.
That will put a feather in his cap. This will be a credit to him.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't depend on just one thing.
It's raining cats and dogs. It is a heavy rain.
You've got to read between the lines. Look at what they mean not what they say.
That rings the bell. Now I remember.
Don't rob the cradle. She's too young for you.
He'll just rock the boat. He will get everyone upset.
We've got lots of red tape. All the government regulations are difficult.
It's just a rip off. They will cheat you.
He rubs me the wrong way. I do not like his attitude.
As a rule of thumb I refuse. As a general I refuse.
It's pretty run down. It is in bad condition.
He needs a security blanket. He always needs reassurance.
Seeing is believing. I only believe what I can see.
That'll separate the men from the boys. We will find out who is serious.
You've got them shaking in their boots. They are afraid now.
You'll have to sink or swim. It will be win all or lose all now.
We are sitting pretty. We are in a good position.
She slays me with that nonsense. She disgusts me with those silly ideas.
Everything is ship shape. Everything is in good order.
Why don't you sleep on it? Think about it tonight - let me know tomorrow.
We just made small talk. We didn't talk about anything serious.
Go ahead and sound off. Say what you think.
He's spaced out. He is on drugs.
It will spread like wildfire. This idea will be very popular.
They have stacked the deck. We are not playing under even conditions.
They have stacked the cards. They have cheated us to their advantage.
We will need to start from scratch. We need to start at the beginning.
I don't want to steal his thunder. I will let him break the good news.
She tried to steal the spotlight. She wants undeserved attention.
You must stick to your guns on that. Your idea is good - stay with it.
He's just a stick-in-the-mud. He is too old fashioned.
You won't strike it rich. This idea won't make you rich.
You need to strike while the iron is hot. Do it while the opportunity is right.
We won't take a back seat to them. We won't be in second place to them.
We're in the driving seat. We control the situation.
Our new project will soon take off. It will be a great success.
You have to take your medicine. If you did wrong you must pay.
You can take the floor. It is your turn - speak.
You run with it. The project is yours to make it a success.
Take your hat off to no one. You are a good as anyone else.
We won't take sides. We will be neutral on this.
That is a tall story. I don't believe your explanation.
We'll throw the book at them. If they did wrong they must pay.
We will throw in the towel. We give up.
We'll throw in the sponge. We give up.
We'll throw a party. We will have a party.
She'll throw a fit. She will be extremely upset.
We'll hold them to the letter. They will have to follow all the rules.
Remember that time marches on. You are wasting time.
I think they will tie the knot. They will get married.
We're tickled to death about it. We are very pleased.
We had the time of our life. We had a good time.
It will be touch and go for a while. We won't know if we succeed or fail.
We will need to touch up things. We need to solve some little problems.
It will be to the tune of a million. It will cost about a million dollars.
It's part of the tricks of the trade. It is one of my secret solutions.
It's time to turn in. It's time to go to sleep.
We will turn the tables on them. We will reverse the situation.
She had better turn over a new leaf. She needs to change her ways.
He's got me turned on. He has me excited about that.
Don't just twiddle your thumbs. Get to work!
I put her under your wings. She will report to you.
He is up to something. He is doing something secretly.
Don't get up in arms. There is no need to get excited or upset.
He'll upstage us. He'll do better than us.
We won't wait on them. We are going ahead and not wait for them.
They'll walk all over you. They will take advantage of you.
He's walking on air. He is really excited.
You're walking on thin ice. You may fail at any moment.
He will just warm the bench. He will sit by while we work.
Don't wash your dirty linen in public. Don't tell your bad points to others.
You'll just be wasting your breath. Don't bother, they won't listen.
The wear and tear will defeat us. The effort is not worth the rewards.
You'll wear out your welcome. Don't stay too long.
I'll pay you when my ship comes in. When I get rich I'll pay you.
We just have to weather the storm. Keep working in rough times.
I can see the writing on the wall. I can sense that thing may be bad.
Let's wind up this problem. We need to finish this.
We will agree word for word. We agree exactly.
Just a word to the wise - Shut up! Listen to me!
You just zip your lip. Stop talking so much.
Keep your shirt on. Don't get so impatient.
They are pulling your leg. They are playing a trick on you.
She is rolling in the dough. She has lots of money.
He's stinking rich. He's very wealthy.
We'll make him the fall guy. We will put the blame on him.
He will take the rap. He will be the guilty one.
It's a bum rap. He is innocent.
You need to bend over backwards. You need to try very hard.
You need to bite the bullet. You need to endure a difficult situation.
They will bite the dust. They will go down to defeat.
Has the cat got your tongue? Can't you talk?
They will have to cough up the money. They will have to willingly come up with money.
It's different strokes for different folks. Everyone has different interests and tastes.
She's dressed to kill. She's wearing her finest clothes.
He's driving me up the wall. He is annoying me greatly.
That's duck soup. That is very easy.
What is eating you? What is annoying you?
Someone is feeding you a line. Someone is deceiving you.
We can get it for a song. We can get it for very little money.
We can get away clean. We can escape punishment.
Don't get in her hair. Don't bother her.
She will get the ax. She will be fired.
We need to get the jump on them. We need to get an advantage on them.
You should give it your best shot. You should try your hardest.
We will give them the slip. We will escape.
He will go to bat for you. He will support you all the way.
She is going to the dogs. She is becoming rundown.
She's got the world by the tail. She's happy and successful.
That's a horse of a different color. That's an entirely different situation.
If the shoe fits - wear it. If you are wrong admit it.
Don't jump the gun. Don't be hasty.
Let's kick up our heels. Let's celebrate.
This will knock their socks off. This will enthuse and excite them.
We won't leave them high and dry. We won't abandon them.
It is a lemon. It is defective.
We need to make a splash. We need to be successful and get their attention.
Money talks. Money can influence people.
They don't have a leg to stand on. They have no defense for their actions.
We'll put that on ice. We'll save that one for the future.
We are not out of the woods. We are not out of danger.
He is on his last legs. He is sick and failing fast.
We will play this one by ear. We will improvise as we go along.
Put your money where your mouth is. You must follow through with what you say.
They will raise a stink. They will protest strongly.
We will have to scratch his back. We will have to do him a favor.
They will sell you down the river. They will betray you.
Don't sell them short. Don't underestimate them.
You must shape up or ship out. You must behave or leave.
Let's just shoot the breeze. Let's just chat informally.
We are sitting pretty. We are in a fortunate position.
They gave us a snow job. It was insincere talk.
Don't spill the beans. Don't reveal our secret.
Don't spread yourself too thin. Don't become involved in too many things.
Don't stick you neck out on this. Don't take too much risk.
This is straight from the horse's mouth. It is from a reliable source.
You must take the bull by the horns. You must take decisive action.
You are talking through your hat. You are making foolish statements.
I said it tongue in cheek. I didn't say it seriously.
What do she have up her sleeve? What facts has she concealed?
She is a wet blanket. She's boring and spoils everyone's fun.
She is tooting her own horn. She is boasting.
Above all to thine own self be true. First be honest to yourself.
After all's said and done, more is said than done. In the end there's more talk than action.
He has fallen afoul of the law. He is in conflict with the law.
It is all up in the air. It is not been decided.
Be on the alert for danger. Watch for danger.
That is up his alley. It is compatible with his ability.
In that she stands alone. She is unequaled.
They will be along soon. They will be here soon.
I will be able manage successfully. I will be able to mange successfully.
All along I knew they would fail. From the beginning I knew they would fail.
That will cost you an arm and a leg. It will cost an extravagant amount.
They welcomed us with open arms. They were very cordial.
I will get around to it soon. I will be able to deal with it.
It is sold as is. It's sold with no guarantees.
Don't turn your back on them. Don't reject them.
Don't go back on your word. Don't fail to keep your promise.
It is in the bag. We are assured of a successful outcome.
They arrived bag and baggage. They arrived with all their belongings.
Keep on the ball. Be alert, competent and efficient.
He is off base. He is badly mistaken.
Right off the bat they fought. Immediately they fought.
We will go to bat for them. We will assist them.
Bear in mind their finances. Remember their finances.
We will need to tighten our belt. We must become thriftier.
You bet we will go. Certainly we will go.
Between you and me they won't do it. In strictest confidence, they won't do it.
He is big on meat and potatoes. He likes meat and potatoes.
We expect to make it big. We expect to be very successful.
It will fill the bill. It will meet all our requirements.
We did it bit by bit. We did it little by little.
They will try to put the bite on us. They will try to borrow money from us.
We are now in the black. We are now profitable.
The company is on the block. The company is for sale.
They are blowing hot and cold. They are changing their minds.
He is just blowing off steam. He is just venting his anger.
It came from out of the blue. It was totally unexpected.
The new changes are across the board. It will affect all divisions and groups.
I feel it in my bones. I have a premonition about this.
That is one for the books. That is something entirely new.
He has been hitting the bottle. He has begun to drink (alcohol) to excess.
That is out of bounds. That is beyond your limits.
Don't burn the bridges behind you. Keep the possibility of retreat.
He had money to burn. He had lots of money.
We will go by and by. We will go in a little while.
By and large they are honest. For the most part they are honest.
That was a close call. It was a narrow escape.
He burns the candle at both ends. He spends too much energy in all directions.
She can't hold a candle to her friend. She is not nearly as good as her friend.
Put your cards on the table. Be frank about your motives and intentions.
He's got a card up his sleeve. He has a secret plan in reserve.
It is just not in the cards. t is not likely to occur.
Try to catch your breath. Rest so you can continue.
We will chalk up that one to experience. We will credit that to experience.
We chewed the fat for a short while. We talked casually for a while.
Next week we will clean house. Next week we will get rid of anyone undesirable.
You must come clean. You must confess your error.
She is in the clear. She is free from danger or suspicion.
We need to clear the air. Let's ignore emotional tensions and differences.
She has her head in the clouds. She is not in the real world.
He killed her in cold blood. He killed her without any feeling or remorse.
He was left out in the cold. He got nothing.
They were acting in concert. They were acting together.
They left him to cool his heels. He was left waiting.
They asked her to cool it. She was asked to calm down and relax.
He tried to cut corners. It's a dangerous, possibly illegal solution.
We are up a creek (without a paddle). We are in a difficult or unfortunate position.
She is bent out of shape. She is upset about something.
I'm fed up with him. I have no patience with him.
I'm flat broke. I have no money.
She is a blabbermouth. She talks all the time.
We are antsy about that. We are not confident about it.
It will cost you a bundle. It will be quite expensive.
Give it some elbow grease. You need to go to work.
I'm beat. I am very tired.
You need to cut that out. Stop doing that.
It's as easy as pie. It is very simple.
votre commentaire -
Par uspeak le 1 Octobre 2009 à 23:50
~ A ~
If something is excessive or annoying, it is a bit much.
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link
This means that processes, organisations, etc, are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them.
(USA) If something is a day late and a dollar short, it is too little, too late.
A fool and his money are soon parted
This idiom means that people who aren't careful with their money spend it quickly. 'A fool and his money are easily parted' is an alternative form of the idiom.
A fool at 40 is a fool forever
If someone hasn't matured by the time they reach forty, they never will.
If you have a hitch in your giddy-up, you're not feeling well. ('A hitch in your gittie-up' is also used.)
If you give something a lick and a promise, you do it hurriedly, most often incompletely, intending to return to it later.
If someone doesn't want to say where they got some information from, they can say that a little bird told them.
A little learning is a dangerous thing
A small amount of knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they really are.eg. he said he'd done a course on home electrics, but when he tried to mend my table lamp, he fused all the lights! I think a little learning is a dangerous thing
Something that is a long row to hoe is a difficult task that takes a long time.
A lost ball in the high weeds is someone who does not know what they are doing, where they are or how to do something.
A month of Sundays is a long period of time: I haven't seen her in a month of Sundays.
If things are A OK, they are absolutely fine.
This idiom is used as a way of asking someone what they are thinking about.
A penny saved is a penny earned
This means that we shouldn't spend or waste money, but try to save it.
A picture is worth a thousand words
A picture can often get a message across much better than the best verbal description.
Something or someone that can be compared to something or someone else, but is not as good is a poor man's version; a writer who uses lots of puns but isn't very funny would be a poor man's Oscar Wilde.
If something costs a pretty penny, it is very expensive.
A problem shared is a problem halved
If you talk about your problems, it will make you feel better.
This idiom, coined by John F Kennedy, describes the idea that when an economy is performing well, all people will benefit from it.
A rolling stone gathers no moss
People say this to mean that that an ambitious person is more successful than a person not trying to achieve anything. Originally it meant the opposite and was critical of people trying to get ahead.
A slice off a cut loaf is never missed
Used colloquially to describe having sexual intercourse with someone who is not a virgin, especially when they are in a relationship. The analogy refers to a loaf of bread; it is not readily apparent, once the end has been removed, exactly how many slices have been taken.('You never miss a slice from a cut loaf' is also used.)
If something is a steal, it costs much less than it is really worth.
A still tongue keeps a wise head
Wise people don't talk much.
Some things work out in their own time, so being impatient and constantly checking will just make things seem longer.
If something is A1, it is the very best or finest.
If you abide by a decision, you accept it and comply with it, even though you might disagree with it.
(India) An abject lesson serves as a warning to others. (In some varieties of English 'object lesson' is used.)
About as useful as a chocolate teapot
Someone or something that is of no practical use is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
If someone changes their mind completely, this is an about face. It can be used when companies, governments, etc, change their position on an issue.
If things are done above board, they are carried out in a legal and proper manner.
Better than average or normal
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows stronger.
If something is an accident waiting to happen, there's definitely going to be an accident or it's bound to go wrong. ('Disaster waiting to happen' is also used.)
An ace in the hole is something other people are not aware of that can be used to your advantage when the time is right.
If you have an ace up your sleeve, you have something that will give you an advantage that other people don't know about.
A person's weak spot is their Achilles' heel.
An acid test is something that proves whether something is good, effective, etc, or not.
If something applies to everybody, it applies across the board.
(NZ) This idiom means on the other side of the Tasman Sea, used to refer to Australia or New Zealand depending on the speaker's location.
(UK) This idiom means on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, used to refer to the US or the UK depending on the speaker's location.
An act of God is something like an earthquake or floods that human beings cannot prevent or control.
An act of war is a action that is either intended to start a war or that is interpreted as being sufficient cause for a war.
Actions speak louder than words
This idiom means that what people actually do is more important than what they say- people can promise things but then fail to deliver.
The Adam's apple is a bulge in the throat, mostly seen in men.
If people add fuel to the fire, they make a bad situation worse.
When people add insult to injury, they make a bad situation even worse.
A person after your own heart thinks the same way as you.
If you do something against the clock, you are rushed and have very little time to do it.
If doing something goes against the grain, you're unwilling to do it because it contradicts what you believe in, but you have no real choice.
When this idiom is used, it is a way of allowing an older person to do something first, though often in a slightly sarcastic way.
An agony aunt is a newspaper columnist who gives advice to people having problems, especially personal ones.
Similar to ahead of the pack, ahead of the curve literally refers to your position on the statistical bell curve, where the top of the curve represents the median, average result. By being ahead of the curve you represent the top percentile of results that either has the advanced skills or understanding that sets you apart.
If you are ahead of the pack, you have made more progress than your rivals.
If something happens ahead of time, it happens early or before the set time.
Air your dirty laundry in public
If you air your dirty laundry in public, you reveal aspects of your private life that should really remain private, by telling a secret, arguing in public, etc.
An albatross around, or round, your neck is a problem resulting from something you did that stops you from being successful.
If people or things are as alike as two peas, they are identical.
If something is active and doing well, it is alive and kicking. (It can be used for people too.)
If you have known or suspected something all along, then you have felt this from the beginning.
This idiom is a way of emphasising 'all', like saying 'each and every one'.
When someone talks tough but really isn't, they are all bark and no bite.
(USA) If all bets are off, then agreements that have been made no longer apply.
All dressed up and nowhere to go
You're prepared for something that isn't going to happen.
If someone says they're all ears, they are very interested in hearing about something.
If all eyes are on someone, then everyone is paying attention to them.
If you're all fingers and thumbs, you are too excited or clumsy to do something properly that requires manual dexterity. 'All thumbs' is an alternative form of the idiom.
(USA) When someone talks big, but cannot back it up, they are all hat, no cattle.('Big hat, no cattle' is also used.)
Someone who is all heart is very kind and generous.
When all hell breaks loose, there is chaos, confusion and trouble.
If something is all in a day's work, it is nothing special.
If something is all in your head, you have imagined it and it is not real.
If something has all mod cons, it has all the best and most desirable features. It is an abbreviation of 'modern convenience' that was used in house adverts.
(UK) Someone who's all mouth and trousers talks or boasts a lot but doesn't deliver. 'All mouth and no trousers' is also used, though this is a corruption of the original.
(UK) An idiom that appears to have gone out of use but was prevalent in the English north Midlands of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire from at least the turn of the 20th century until the early 1950s or so. The idiom's meaning is literally something said or written that is unbelievable, rumor, over embellished, the result of malicious village gossip etc.
This idiom can be used to mean everything that has been said or written, especially all the choices or possibilities.
When something is all over bar the shouting, the outcome is absolutely certain.('All over but the shouting' is also used.)
(USA) If something like a discussion is all over the map, it doesn't stick to the main topic and goes off on tangents.
If something is completely disorganised or confused, it is all over the place.
If something is completely disorganised or confused, it is all over the shop.
If something is all over the show, it's in a complete mess.An alternative to 'All over the shop'.
This means that there can be many different ways of doing something.
If you're all set, you are ready for something.
If something is all sixes, it doesn't matter how it's done; it's the same as 'six of one and half a dozen of the other'.
If a person is very underweight, they are all skin and bone, or bones.
If something is all square, nobody has an advantage or is ahead of the others.
(UK) Someone who is all talk and no trousers, talks about doing big, important things, but doesn't take any action.
This means that appearances can be deceptive and things that look or sound valuable can be worthless. ('All that glistens is not gold' is an alternative.)
If something's all the rage, it is very popular or fashionable at the moment.
If someone won't do something for all the tea in China, they won't do it no matter how much money they are offered.
If you put all your eggs in one basket, you risk everything at once, instead of trying to spread the risk. (This is often used as a negative imperative- 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'. 'Have your eggs in one basket' is also used.)
This idiom is used to say that where there is conflict, people can be expected to behave in a more vicious way.
If the end result is good, then everything is good.
If something's all-singing, all-dancing, it is the latest version with the most up-to-date features.
An alter ego is a very close and intimate friend. It is a Latin phrase that literally means 'other self'.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride
If someone is always a bridesmaid, never a bride, they never manage to fulfill their ambition- they get close, but never manage the recognition, etc, they crave.
A lawyer who encourages people who have been in accidents or become ill to sue for compensation is an ambulance chaser.
Some use 'Amen' or 'Amen to that' as a way of agreeing with something that has just been said.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Eating healthy food keeps you healthy.
An old flame is a person that somebody has had an emotional, usually passionate, relationship with, who is still looked on fondly and with affection.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
This expression means that is is better to try to avoid problems in the first place, rather than trying to fix them once they arise.
This idiom means that everything related or similar is included.
If someone is as angry as a bear, they are very angry.('Angry as a bear with a sore foot' is also used.)
If someone is as angry as a bull, they are very angry.
This idiom can be used to suggest that the answer to something is very obvious or that the person would really like to hear what people think.
If someone has ants in their pants, they are agitated or excited about something and can't keep still.
This means that in an emergency any solution will do, even one that would normally be unacceptable.
If something could be done by any Tom, Dick or Harry, it could be done by absolutely anyone.
Something or, more often, someone that is very special to you is the 'apple of your' eye.
Everything is in perfect order and tidy if it is in apple pie order.
Tis used when people compare or describe two totally different things. ('Apples to oranges' is also used.)
An apples for apples comparison is a comparison between related or simialr things. ('Apples to apples' is also used.)
A man who is tied to a woman's apron strings is excessively dependent on her, especially when it is his mother's apron strings.
(UK) If you argue the toss, you refuse to accept a decision and argue about it.
If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.
An armchair critic is someone who offers advice but never shows that they could actually do any better.
If people are armed to the teeth, they have lots of weapons.
If something is open around the clock, it is open 24 hours a day. For example, an airport is open around the clock.
An arrow in the quiver is a strategy or option that could be used to achieve your objective.
If you do something as a rule, then you usually do it.
This idiom can be used to describe a person who does not show any emotion.
If something is as cold as stone, it is very cold. If a person is as cold as stone, they are unemotional.
If someone is as cool as a cucumber, they don't get worried by anything.
If something has been used but is still in extremely good condition, it is as good as new.
This simile means that someone is crazy or behaves very strangely. In the past many people who made hats went insane because they had a lot of contact with mercury.
(USA) If someone is as mad as a wrongly shot hog, they are very angry. (Same as, Angry as a bear or Angry as a bull).
As much use as a chocolate fire-guard
A fire-guard is used in front of a fireplace for safety. A chocolate fire-guard is of no use. An alternative to 'As much use as a chocolate teapot'.
As much use as a chocolate teapot
Something that is as much use as a chocolate teapot is not useful at all.
As much use as a handbrake on a canoe
This idiom is used to describe someone or something as worthless or pointless.
This idiom means tidy and clean.
If people do something as one man, then they do it at exactly the same time or in complete agreement.
As the actress said to the bishop
(UK) This idiom is used to highlight a sexual reference, deliberate or accidental.
This idiom is used to describe the shortest possible distance between two places.
This means that if you do bad things to people, bad things will happen to you, or good things if you do good things.
If someone is asleep at the switch, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities very carefully. 'Asleep at the wheel' is an alternative.
If someone is asleep at the wheel, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities very carefully. 'Asleep at the switch' is an alternative.
(USA) If someone will do something at the drop of a dime, they will do it instantly, without hesitation.
(UK) If you are at a loose end, you have spare time but don't know what to do with it.
If you are at a loss, you are unable to understand or comply.
If something moves at a snail's pace, it moves very slowly.
If something is at arm's length, it is a safe distance waway from you.
When people are at cross purposes, they misunderstand each other or have different or opposing objectives.
If people are at daggers drawn, they are very angry and close to violence.
If someone looks as if they are at death's door, they look seriously unwell and might actually be dying.
If people are at each other's throats, they are fighting, arguing or competing ruthlessly.
If something is at full tilt, it is going or happening as fast or as hard as possible.
If a criminal is at large, they have not been found or caught.
If people are at loggerheads, they are arguing and can't agree on anything.
(USA) If you are at a loose end, you have spare time but don't know what to do with it.
If you are at odds with someone, you cannot agree with them and argue.
If things are at sea, or all at sea, they are disorganized and chaotic.
At the bottom of the totem pole
(USA) If someone is at the bottom of the totem pole, they are unimportant. Opposite is at the top of the totem pole.
If you work at the coalface, you deal with the real problems and issues, rather than sitting in a office discussing things in a detached way.
If you would do something at the drop of a hat, you'd do it immediately.
This is used to mean 'in conclusion' or 'when all is said and done'.
(USA) If you are at the end of your rope, you are at the limit of your patience or endurance.
(UK) If you are at the end of your tether, you are at the limit of your patience or endurance.
In a leading position
If you shout at the top of your lungs, you shout as loudly as you possibly can.
If something is at the top of the list, it is of highest priority, most important, most urgent, or the next in one's line of attention.
If you shout at the top of your lungs, you shout as loudly as you possibly can.
If you talk, shout or sing at the top of your voice, you do it as loudly as you can.
If you're at your wit's end, you really don't know what you should do about something, no matter how hard you think about it.
If you are at your wits' end, you have no idea what to do next and are very frustrated.
An average Joe is an ordinary person without anything exceptional about them.
If someone makes a solemn or serious promise publicly to attempt to reach a certain goal, this is their avowed intent.
If someone is away with the fairies, they don't face reality and have unrealistic expectations of life.
Something or someone that is awe inspiring amazes people in a slightly frightening but positive way.
AWOL stands for "Absent Without Leave", or "Absent Without Official Leave". Orignially a military term, it is used when someone has gone missing without telling anyone or asking for permission.
If you have an axe to grind with someone or about something, you have a grievance, a resentment and you want to get revenge or sort it out. In American English, it is 'ax'.
~ B ~
A babe in arms is a very young child, or a person who is very young to be holding a position.
A babe in the woods is a naive, defenceless, young person.
(USA) A baby boomer is someone born in the years after the end of the Second World War, a period when the population was growing very fast.
If an issue is on the back burner, it is being given low priority.
(UK) If you are on your back foot, you are at a disadvantage and forced to be defensive of your position.
Something that's a back number is dated or out of fashion.
If you back the wrong horse, you give your support to the losing side in something.
If things happen back to back, they are directly one after another.
If you are back to square one, you have to start from the beginning again.
If you have to go back to the drawing board, you have to go back to the beginning and start something again.
If someone says they have to go back to the salt mine, they have to return to work.
If you have your back to the wall, you are in a difficult situation with very little room for manoeuvre.
A backseat driver is an annoying person who is fond of giving advice to the person performing a task or doing something, especially when the advice is either wrong or unwelcome.
A person who is bad and makes other bad is a bad apple.
If people feel hate because of things that happened in the past, there is bad blood between them.
A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. Good egg is the opposite.
If you're having a bad hair day, things are not going the way you would like or had planned.
(UK) When you are bad mouthing,you are saying negative things about someone or something.('Bad-mouth' and 'badmouth' are also used.)
If something's in bad shape, it's in bad condition. If a person's in bad shape, they are unfit or unhealthy.
If something leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, you feel there is something wrong or bad about it.
Bad workers always blame their tools
"A bad worker always blames their tools" - If somebody does a job badly or loses in a game and claims that they were let down by their equipment, you can use this to imply that this was not the case.
If someone is a bag of bones, they are very underweight.
If someone is a bag of nerves, they are very worried or nervous.
A Baker's dozen is 13 rather than 12.
A person who is completely bald is as bald as a coot.
If the ball is in your court, it is up to you to make the next decision or step.
A ballpark figure is a rough or approximate number (guesstimate) to give a general idea of something, like a rough estimate for a cost, etc.
(USA) If you do something balls to the wall, you apply full acceleration or exertion.
Banana republic is a term used for small countries that are dependent on a single crop or resource and governed badly by a corrupt elite.
(UK) A banana skin is something that is an embarrassment or causes problems.
An area or an industry, profession, etc, where rules and laws are ignored or flouted is bandit territory.
A baptism of fire was a soldier's first experience of shooting. Any unpleasant experience undergone, usually where it is also a learning experience, is a baptism of fire.
A bar fly is a person who spends a lot of time drinking in different bars and pubs.
If you bare your heart to someone, you tell them your personal and private feelings. ('Bare your soul' is an alternative form of the idiom.)
A barefaced liar is one who displays no shame about lying even if they are exposed.
Someone who's bark is worse than their bite may well get angry and shout, but doesn't take action.
If you are barking up the wrong tree, it means that you have completely misunderstood something or are totally wrong.
This idiom means that someone is willing to get married.
(UK) A barrack-room lawyer is a person who gives opinions on things they are not qualified to speak about.
If someone's a barrel of laughs, they are always joking and you find them funny.
If something is a basket case, it is so bad that it cannot be helped.
If someone doesn't bat an eyelid, they don't react or show any emotion when surprised, shocked, etc.
If someone says they're waiting with bated breath, they're very excited and find it difficult to be patient.('Baited breath' is a common mistake.)
If you batten down the hatches, you prepare for the worst that could happen to you.
A battle of nerves is a situation where neither side in a conflict or dispute is willing to back down and is waiting for the other side to weaken. ('A war of nerves' is an alternative form.)
If you are all ears, you are very eager to hear what someone has to say.
If you get things that you desire, there may be unforeseen and unpleasant consequences.('Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.' and 'Be careful what you wish for; you may receive it.' are also used.)
If you're on the pig's back, you're happy / content / in fine form.
If people are out in force, they are present somewhere in large numbers.
(USA) To be out in left field is not to know what's going on. Taken from baseball, when youngsters assign less capable players to the outfield where the ball is less likely to be hit by a young player. In business, one might say, 'Don't ask the new manager; he's out in left field and doesn't know any answers yet.'
Be that as it may is an expression which means that, while you are prepared to accept that there is some truth in what the other person has just said, it's not going to change your opinions in any significant manner.
If a person/object/situation is considered to be 'true blue', it is considered genuine.
(UK) If a woman is up the spout, she is pregnant.
A bean counter is an accountant.
If something bears fruit, it produces positive results.
A bear market is a period when investors are pessimistic and expect financial losses so are more likely to sell than to buy shares.
People who bear the brunt of something endure the worst of something bad.
If you confront a powerful or dangerous rival on their territory, you are bearding the lion in his own den.
If someone doesn't say clearly what they mean and try to make it hard to understand, they are beating about (around) the bush.
(USA) If you beat someone to the draw, you do something before they do.
If people beat swords into ploughshares, they spend money on humanitarian purposes rather than weapons. (The American English spelling is 'plowshares')
Beat the daylights out of someone
If someone beats the daylights out of another person, they hit them repeatedly. ('Knock' can also be used and it can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.)
If you beat the rap, you escape conviction and punishment for a crime or something you have done wrong.
If you beat someone to the punch, you act before them and gain an advantage.
If you beat your brains out, you think hard about something but cannot solve, understand or remember it.
(USA) If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they're beating a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore; beating a dead horse will not make it do any more work.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder means that different people will find different things beautiful and that the differences of opinion don't matter greatly.
This idiom means that appearances can be deceptive and something that seems or looks good may turn out to be bad.
Someone who does everything for you, no matter when you ask, is at your beck and call.
Someone with bedroom eyes has a sexy look in their eyes.
If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their bonnet.
If something is the bee's knees, it's outstanding or the best in its class.
If you make a beeline for a place, you head there directly.
(UK) If someone has been in the wars, they have been hurt or look as if they have been in a struggle.
People say this when they have already experienced what is being discussed.
(UK) People say that life is not all beer and skittles, meaning that it is not about self-indulgence and pleasure.
If people make an agreement or contract and then the situation changes very quickly, it changes before the ink is dry.
Before you can say Jack Robinson
The term Jack Robinson represents 'a short amount of time'. When you do something before you can say Jack Robinson, you do it very quickly.
In philosophy "to beg the question" is to assume something to be true that has not yet been proved. I have seen the idiom also to mean that a question is crying out to be asked.
This idiom means that people who are in great need must accept any help that is offered, even if it is not a complete solution to their problems.
When someone is behind bars, they are in prison.
If something happens away from the public eye, it happens behind closed doors.
If you do something behind someone's back, you do it without telling them.
A difficult position from which it is unlikely one can escape.
Someone that is behind the times is old-fashioned and has ideas that are regarded as out-dated.
A belief in the hereafter is a belief in the afterlife, or life after death. It is, therefore, associated with religions and the soul's journey to heaven or to hell, whichever way being just deserts for the person based on how they led their life.
Bells and whistles are attractive features that things like computer programs have, though often a bit unnecessary.
(USA) To be somewhere with bells on means to arrive there happy and delighted to attend.
If things go belly up, they go badly wrong.
If something isn't up to standard, or someone isn't feeling or doing very well, they are below par.
If someone says something that is cruel or unfair, it is below the belt, like the illegal punches in boxing.
(UK) Someone who wears belt and braces is very cautious and takes no risks.
(USA) Someone who wears belt and suspenders is very cautious and takes no risks.
If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help someone.
To bend someone's ear is to talk to someone about something for a long-enough period that it becomes tiresome for the listener.
The Benjamin of the family is the youngest child.
(UK) A person who is as bent as a nine bob note is dishonest. The reference comes from pre-decimalisation in UK (1971), when a ten shilling (bob) note was valid currency but no such note as nine shillings existed.
If something is beside the point, it's not relevant to the matter being discussed or considered.
If people are beside themselves, they are very worried or emotional about something.
If you are beside yourself, you are extremely angry.
The best that could be obtained from a list of options that were not exactly what was required.
If you have the best of both worlds, you benefit from different things that do not normally go together.
If something is the best thing since sliced bread, it is excellent. ('The greatest thing since sliced bread' is also used.)
(USA) If you can bet your bottom dollar on something, you can be absolutely sure about it.
Your better half is your husband or wife.
This idiom suggests that doing something late is better than not doing it at all.
This idiom is used to recommend being cautious rather than taking a risk.
Better than a kick in the teeth
If something is better than a kick in the teeth, it isn't very good, but it is better than nothing.
Better than a stick in the eye
If something is better than a stick in the eye, it isn't very good, but it is better than nothing.
This is the shortened form of the full idiom, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't', and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing.
Between a rock and a hard place
If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, you are in a position where you have to choose between unpleasant alternatives, and your choice might cause you problems; you will not be able to satisfy everyone.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma; a difficult choice.
Between you and me and the cat's whiskers
This idiom is used when telling someone something that you want them to keep secret.
If something's beyond a shadow of a doubt, then absolutely no doubts remain about it.
If people behave in such a way that you find it almost impossible to accept that they actually did it, then you can say that their behaviour was beyond belief.
If something's beyond your ken, it is beyond your understanding.
(AU) An Australian idiom idicating that even if you go as far as you can, the black stump is still a little further.
If something's beyond the pale, it is too extreme to be acceptable morally or socially.
(USA) The Big Apple is New York.
If someone is making big bucks, they are making a lot of money.
The big cheese is the boss.
(USA) The Big Easy is New Orleans, Louisiana
An important person in a company or an organisation is a big fish.
A big fish in a small pond is an important person in a small place or organisation.
A person who is very weak or fussy is a big girl's blouse.
A big hitter is someone who commands a lot of respect and is very important in their field.
If someone has a big nose, it means they are excessively interested in everyone else's business.
The big picture of something is the overall perspective or objective, not the fine detail.
This can be used to with the meaning 'very much'- if you like something big time, you like it a lot.
If you aren't interested in something because it isn't important to you and there are more important things for you to do, you have bigger fish to fry.
Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' is a proverb meaning that it is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything.
If you have a bird's eye view of something, you can see it perfectly clearly.
Someone who has a bird-brain, or is bird-brained, is stupid.
If a child is taught about the birds and the bees, they are taught about sex.
Birds of a feather flock together
This idiom means that people with similar interests will stick together.
If you are in your birthday suit, you are naked.
If you take or have the bit between your teeth, you take or have control of a situation. (Bit = piece of metal in a horse's mouth)
If someone has a small or unimportant role in something, they have a bit part.
A bit player has a small or unimportant role in something.
Bite off more than you can chew
If you bite off more than you can chew, you take on more responsibilities than you can manage. 'Don't bite off more than you can chew' is often used to advise people against agreeing to more than they can handle.
If you bite someone's head off, you criticise them angrily.
If you have to bite the bullet, you have to accept or face something unpleasant because it cannot be avoided.
This is a way of saying that somebody has died, especially if they are killed violently like a soldier in battle.
If you have to bite your lip, you have to make a conscious effort not to react or to keep quiet about something that displeases you.
If you bite your tongue, you refrain from speaking because it is socially or otherwise better not to.
Bits and bobs are small, remnant articles and things- the same as 'odds and ends'.
If you do something to the bitter end, you do it to the very end, no matter how unsuccessful you are.
A bitter pill to swallow is something that is hard to accept.
This means bruised, either physically or metaphorically.
When it is very clear who or what is right and wrong, then the situation is black and white.
(UK) If things are as black as Newgate's knocker, they are very bad. Newgate was an infamous prison in England, so its door knocker meant trouble.
If there is a black hole in financial accounts, money has disappeared.
Someone who is the black sheep doesn't fit into a group or family because their behaviour or character is not good enough.
If you vote against allowing someone to be a member of an organisation or group, you are blackballing him or her.
If you are given a blank cheque, you are allowed to use as much money as you need for a project.
Similar to 'cutting edge', this implies a technology or process that is at the forefront or beyond current practices. However, because it is unproven, it is often dangerous to use (hence the 'bleeding').
A bleeding heart is a person who is excessively sympathetic towards other people.
This expression is used as to patronise someone, especially when they don't realise that they're not very clever.('Bless your pointes little head' is also used.)
If some bad luck or misfortune ultimately results in something positive, it's a blessing in disguise.
If people accept thing blindly, they accept them without questioning them at all.
If you are in total darkness and can't see anything at all, you are as blind as a bat.
When the blind are leading the blind, the people in charge of something don't know anything more than the people they are in charge of, when they should have greater knowledge.
If you are blind-sided, an event with a negative impact takes you completely by surprise.
If something happens in the blink of an eye, it happens so fast it is almost impossible to notice it.
An emotional speech or performance is full of blood and thunder.
It is impossible to get something from someone if they don't have it, just as you cannot get blood from a turnip.
This idiom means that family relationships are stronger than others.
(AU) If an Australian says to you "Your blood is worth bottling", he/she is complimenting or praising you for doing something or being someone very special.
If something is like getting blood out of a stone, it is very difficult indeed.
If something will take blood, sweat and tears, it will be very difficult and will require a lot of effort and sacrifice.
If you blow a gasket, you get very angry.
A blow-by-blow description gives every detail in sequence.
If you blow hot and cold on an idea, your attitude and opinion keeps changing; one minute you are for it, the next you are against.
People say '(well,) blow me down' when you have just told them something surprising, shocking or unexpected. ('Blow me down with a feather' is also used.)
(USA) If you blow off steam, you express your anger or frustration.
If something, like an idea, is blown out of the water, it is destroyed or defeated comprehensively.
(USA) If people blow smoke, they exaggerate or say things that are not true, usually to make themselves look better.
If you blow the cobwebs away, you make sweeping changes to something to bring fresh views and ideas in.
If somebody blows the whistle on a plan, they report it to the authorities.
Something that will blow your mind is something extraordinary that will amaze you beyond explanation.
If you blow your own horn, you boast about your achievements and abilities. ('Blow your own trumpet' is an alternative form.)
If someone blows their own trumpet, they boast about their talents and achievements. ('Blow your own horn' is an alternative form.)
If you blow your stack, you lose your temper.
If someone blows their top, they lose their temper.
Someone with blue blood is royalty.
Someone's blue-eyed boy is their favourite person.
(UK) This idiom means that something will be successful: Just tell him that I gave you his name and Bob's your uncle- he'll help you.
A group of people organised under a single government or authority (national or regional) is a body politic.
Someone who is as bold as brass is very confident and not worried about how other people will respond or about being caught.
If something happens unexpectedly and suddenly, it is a bolt from the blue.
If there is an issue that always causes tension and arguments, it is a bone of contention.
If you have a bone to pick with someone, you are annoyed about something they have done and want to tell them how you feel.
When the boot's on the other foot, a person who was in a position of weakness is now in a position of strength.
Someone who is born to the purple is born in a royal or aristocratic family. ("Born in the purple" is also used.)
Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you are born into a rich family.
If you make both ends meet, you live off the money you earn and don't go into debt.
In accountancy, the bottom line is net income, and is used idiomatically to mean the conclusion.
If you bounce ideas off someone, you share your ideas with them to know whether they think they would work.
If someone's bouncing off the walls, they are very excited about something.
Id someone deserves a bouquet of orchids, they have done something worthy of praise.
Box and dice means everything.
(UK) If you box clever, you use your intelligence to get what you want, even if you have to cheat a bit.
If people are boxing and coxing, they are sharing responsibilities so that one of them is working while the other isn't. It can also be used when couples are sharing a house, but their relationship has broken down and when one is at home, the other stays out.
The boys in blue are the police.
If something is not brain surgery, it isn't very complicated or difficult to understand or master.
If it's brass monkey weather, or cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it is extremely cold.
(UK) Someone who has the brass neck to do something has no sense of shame about what they do.
If you get down to brass tacks, you get down to the real business.
Bread and butter issues are ones that affect people directly and in a very important way.
Used to describe the person that earns the most money. For example - She's the breadwinner in the family.
This idiom is a way of wishing someone good luck.
If you break even, you don't make any money, but you don't lose any either.
If you break ground, or break new ground, you make progress, taking things into a new area or going further than anyone has gone before. 'Ground-breaking' is used an adjective.
If you break the back of the beast, you accomplish a challenge.
When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing.
(UK) If you break your duck, you do something for the first time.
If someone upsets you greatly, they break your heart, especially if they end a relationship.
If someone follows you or examines what you're doing very closely, they are breathing down your neck.
If you breathe life into something, you give people involved more energy and enthusiasm again. ('Breathe new life' is also used.)
When you breathe your last, you die.
If you bridge the gap, you make a connection where there is a great difference.
When someone is cheerful and full of energy, they are bright and breezy.
A person who is as bright as a button is very intelligent or smart.
If someone's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, they are full of energy and enthusiasm.
If something brightens up your day, something happens that makes you feel positive and happy all day long.
If someone brings a knife to a gunfight, they are very badly prepared for something.
A person who brings home the bacon earns the money that a family live on.
To make people embrace the ideas intended by the leader or agree to join a team or project is to bring them on board.
If somebody is brought to book, they are punished or made to account for something they have done wrong.
If you bring someone to heel, you make them obey you.('Call someone to heel' is also used.)
Something that brings the house down is acclaimed and praised vigorously.
If you bring something to the table, you make a contribution or an offer in a discussion or negotiation..
If an organisation is described as broad church, it is tolerant and accepting of different opinions and ideas.
If something is described or defined with broad stokes, then only an outline is given, without fine details.
Broke as a joke and it ain't funny
This idiom in my opinion describes how it's not funny to be without a cent and just uses broke and joke as rhyming words that help explain this idiom a lot better.
When someone sounds like a broken record, they keep on repeating the same things. ('Stuck record' is also used.)
If something or someone fails to give you the support you were hoping for, they are a broken reed.
When someone tries to make themselves popular with somebody, usually in a position of authority, especially by flattering them, they are brown nosing.
To be tired of or fed up with
If you try to earn Brownie points with someone, you do things you know will please them.
If you brush something under the carpet, you are making an attempt to ignore it, or hide it from others.
(UK) If it Buggles' turn, someone gets promotion through length of service rather than ability, especially in the British civil service.
If someone behaves like a bull in a China shop, they are clumsy when they should be careful.
A bull market is a period when investors are optimistic and there are expectations that good financial results will continue.
If you have a bull session, you have an informal group discussion about something.
If you're a bull-headed, you're stubborn or inflexible.
The people who have paid to watch a performance are bums on seats.
If a woman has a bun in the oven, she is pregnant.
Someone who is a bundle of nerves is very worried or nervous.
A bur under your saddle is something that annoys you or spurs you into action.('Burr' is an alternative spelling.)
If you burn rubber, you drive very fast to get somewhere.
Someone who burns the candle at both ends lives life at a hectic pace, doing things which are likely to affect their health badly.
If you stay up very late working or studying, you burn the midnight oil.
If you burn your bridges, you do something that makes it impossible to go back from the position you have taken.
If you burn your fingers, you suffer a loss or something unpleasant as the result of something you did, making you less likely to do it again.
A burning question is something we all want to know about.
To be filled to or beyond normal capacity: This room will be bursting at the seams when all the guests arrive.
If you correct someone's ignorant or delusional belief, you burst their bubble. (Bust someone's bubble is also used.)
If you bury the hatchet, you make peace with someone and stop arguing or fighting.
If someone buries their head in the sand, they ignore something that is obviously wrong.
A busman's holiday is when you spend your free time doing the same sort of work as you do in your job.
When someone says that they're not going to bust their chops, it means they are not going to work that hard or make much effort.
Someone or something that had great potential but ended up a useless failure is a busted flush.
If you're as busy as a beaver, you're very busy indeed.
If you are as busy as a bee, you are very busy indeed.
If someone is butt naked, they have no clothes on at all, often when they can be seen.
If something or someone becomes the butt of a joke it or they are not taken seriously anymore.
Butter wouldn't melt in their mouth
If someone looks as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth, they look very innocent.
Someone who has butterfingers is clumsy and drops things.
The nervous feeling before something important or stressful is known as butterflies in your stomach.
If you button your lip, you keep quiet and don't speak. It is also used as a way of telling someone to shut up.
When somebody has bought the farm, they have died.
If a person escapes from some danger by a hair's breadth, they only just managed to avoid it. The breadth is the thickness of a hair, so they probably feel somewhat lucky because the margin between success and what could easily have been failure was so close.
(UK) If you beat somebody by a long chalk, you win easily and comfortably.
If you do something by a whisker, you only just manage to do it and come very near indeed to failing.
By and large means usually or generally.
A term used by rural folks in years past to emphasize a matter of importance or urgency. An example: 'By cracky, you need to get out there in the field with that mule and plow and finish the sod-busting before dark.'
This means 'as a result of' or 'because of': It would be good to think he'd risen to position of Chief Executive by dint of hard work.
If you learn something by heart, you learn it word for word.
If you are prepared to do something by hook or by crook, you are willing to do anything, good or bad, to reach your goal.
Something that happens by leaps and bounds happens very quickly in big steps.
If something is started or introduced by the back door, then it is not done openly or by following the proper procedures.
If you do something by the book, you do it exactly as you are supposed to.
This is used as a way of introducing an incidental topic in a conversation or to say that something is irrelevant. ('By the bye' is also used.)
If something is done by the numbers, it is done in a mechanical manner without room for creativity.
If someone applies the same rule to different situations, they judge them by the same token: If things go well, he's full of praise, but, by the same token, when things go wrong he gets furious.
If you do something by the seat of your pants, you achieve something, but only by a narrow margin or do something without advance preparation.
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just manage to do it and come very near indeed to failing.
If something becomes known by word of mouth, it gets known by being talked about rather than through publicity or advertising, etc.
~ C ~
If someone says that the cake's not worth the candle, they mean that the result will not be worth the effort put in to achieve it.
A calf lick is the weird parting in your fringe where your hair grows in a different direction, usually to one side.
A person who calls a spade a spade is one speaks frankly and makes little or no attempt to conceal their opinions or to spare the feelings of their audience.
If you call it a day, you stop doing something for a while, normally at least until the following day.
If you are called on the carpet, you are summoned for a reprimand by superiors or others in power.
If someone calls off their dogs, they stop attacking or criticising someone.
If you call the shots, you are in charge and tell people what to do.
The person who calls the tune makes the important decisions about something.
A calm time immediately before period of violent activity or argument is the calm before the storm.
If an action can create serious problems, it is opening a can of worms.
Can't dance and it's too wet to plow
(USA) When you can't dance and it's too wet to plow, you may as well do something because you can't or don't have the opportunity to do anything else.
If you can't so something for toffee, you are incapable of doing something properly or to any sort of standard.
Unable to perform an act, duty, job etc. (example: I have to quit my job as a computer technician; I just can't hack it.)
If something can't hold a candle to something else, it is much worse.
Can't see the forest for its trees
If someone can't see the forest for its trees, they are too focused on specific details to see the picture as a whole.
(UK) A canary in a coal mine is an early warning of danger.
If you have a card up your sleeve, you have a surprise plan or idea that you are keeping back until the time is right.
A carpetbagger is an opportunist without any scruples or ethics, or a politican who wants to represent a place they have no connection with.
If someone offers a carrot and stick, they offer an incentive to do something combined with the threat of punishment.
If you carry the can, you take the blame for something, even though you didn't do it or are only partly at fault.
If something carries the day, it wins a battle (the sense is that the battle has been long and could have gone either way) or competition for supremacy.
If things are done case by case, each situation or issue is handled separately on its own merits and demerits.
Meaning an instance of something has just occurred that was previously discussed. For instance, a person may have told another that something always happens. Later that day, they see it happening, and the informer might say, 'case in point'.
A product, business, etc, that generates a continuous flow of money or a high proportion of overall profits is a cash cow.
If you cash in your chips, you sell something to get what profit you can because you think its value is going to fall. It can also mean 'to die'.
Something or someone that casts a long shadow has considerable influence on other people or events.
If you cast aspersion, you try to blacken someone's name and make people think badly of them.
If you make other people not sure about a matter, then you have cast doubt on it.
A person with a cast iron stomach can eat or drink anything without any ill effects.
If you cast pearls before swine, you offer something of value to someone who doesn't appreciate it- 'swine' are 'pigs'.
If you cast sheep's eyes at at someone, you look lovingly or with longing at them.
If somebody tells you to cast your mind back on something, they want you to think about something that happened in the past, but which you might not remember very well, and to try to remember as much as possible.
If you cast your net widely, you use a wide range of sources when trying to find something.
The casting vote is a vote given to a chairman or president that is used when there is a deadlock.
Plans that are impractical and will never work out are castles in the air.
If something or someone puts, or sets or lets, the cat among the pigeons, they create a disturbance and cause trouble.
If people lead a cat and dog life, they are always arguing.
A cat burglar is a skillful thief who breaks into places without disturbing people or setting off alarms.
(USA) When I used to ask my grandma what was for dinner, she would say 'cat fur and kitty britches'. This was her Ozark way of telling me that I would get what she cooked. (Ozark is a region in the center of the United States)
If someone asks if the cat has got your tongue, they want to know why you are not speaking when they think you should.
If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping.
(Scot) A cat's lick is a very quick wash.
(USA) Something that is the cat's pajamas is excellent.
Something excellent is the cat's whiskers.
This means that people should try to get something any way they can.
If you catch hell, you get into trouble or get scolded. ('Catch heck' is also used.)
If you catch some z's, you get some sleep.
If someone is caught red-handed, they are found doing something wrong or illegal.
Catch-22 is a situation where conflicting rules make the desired outcome impossible. It comes from a novel by the American author Joseph Heller, in which pilots would not have to fly missions if they were mentally ill, but not wanting to fly dangerous missions was held to be proof of sanity, so they had to fly anyway. ('Catch 22', without the hyphen, is also used.)
Caught with your hand in the cookie jar
(USA) If someone is caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar, he or she is caught doing something wrong.
Things, or people, that are like chalk and cheese are very different and have nothing in common.
If someone is champing at the bit, they are very eager to accomplish something. ('Chomping at the bit' is also used.)
Champagne taste on a beer budget
Someone who lives above their means and likes things they cannot afford has champagne taste on a beer budget.
If people change horses in midstream, they change plans or leaders when they are in the middle of something, even though it may be very risky to do so.
If you change the way you think or feel about something, you have a change of heart.
If you change tack, you use a different method for dealing with something.
If someone changes their ideas or the way they talk about them, they change their tune.
When something/someone really annoys you, it chaps your ass.
When you know something very well, and can quote it, you know it chapter and verse.
This idiom means that family members are more important than anyone else, and should be the focus of a person's efforts.
If someone chases rainbows, they try to do something that they will never achieve.
If you are chasing your tail, you are very busy but not being very productive.
(UK) If something is very inexpensive, it is as cheap as chips.
If something's cheap at half the price, it's very cheap indeed.
A cheap shot is an unprincipled criticism.
If someone cheats death, they narrowly avoid a major problem or accident.
If things or people are cheek by jowl, they are very close together.
If people cherry pick, they choose things that support their position, while ignoring things that contradict it.
If someone is chewing on a bone, he or she is thinking about something intently.
If you chew the cud, you think carefully about something.
If you chew the fat with someone, you talk at leisure with them.
If something is small or unimportant, especially money, it is chickenfeed.
If something is child's play, it is very easy and simple.
Chinese walls are regulatory information barriers that aim to stop the flow of information that could be misused, especially in financial corporations.
(UK) When a story is told from person to person, especially if it is gossip or scandal, it inevitably gets distorted and exaggerated. This process is called Chinese whispers.
If someone is a chip off the old block, they closely resemble one or both of the parents in character.
If someone has a chip on their shoulder, they are resentful about something and feel that they have been treated badly.
If things chop and change, they keep changing, often unexpectedly.
If you cannot get or put a cigarette paper between people, they are so closely bonded that nothing will separate them or their positions on issues.
(USA) If you circle the wagons, you stop communicating with people who don't think the same way as you to avoid their ideas. It can also mean to bring everyone together to defend a group against an attack.
If someone is circling the drain, they are very near death and have little time to live. The phrase can also describe a project or plan or campaign that that is on the brink of failure.
Someone who's a class act is exceptional in what they do.
If something is as clean as a whistle, it is extremely clean, spotless. It can also be used to mean 'completely', though this meaning is less common nowadays. If somebody is clean as a whistle, they are not involved in anything illegal.
If something or someone has a clean bill of health, then there's nothing wrong; everything's fine.
If you make a clean break, you break away completely from something.
Someone with clean hands, or who keeps their hands clean, is not involved in illegal or immoral activities.
When someone has a clean sheet, they have got no criminal record or problems affecting their reputation. In football and other sports, a goalkeeper has a clean sheet when let no goals in.
If you start something with a clean slate, then nothing bad from your past is taken into account.
If someone makes a clean sweep, they win absolutely everything in a competition or contest.
If you clean your clock, you beat someone decisively in a contest or fight.
If something is as clear as a bell, it is very clear or easy to understand.
If something is as clear as mud, then it is very confusing and unclear.
If something like a sports match or an election is a cliffhanger, then the result is so close that it cannot be predicted and will only be known at the very end.
When people climb on the bandwagon they do something because it is popular and everyone else is doing it.
Advance within an organisation - especially in politics.
If people cling to hope, they continue to hope though the chances of success are very small.
If something is close at hand, it is nearby or conveniently located.
(USA) If you are close but no cigar, you are close to success, but have not got there.
If the result of something is a close call, it is almost impossible to distinguish between the parties involved and to say who has won or whatever. It can also mean that you very nearly have a serious accident or get into trouble.
If you have a close shave, you very nearly have a serious accident or get into trouble.
Close the stable door after the horse has bolted
If people try to fix something after the problem has occurred, they are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. 'Close the barn door after the horse has bolted' is alternative, often used in American English.
If something is close to your heart, you care a lot about it. ('Dear to your heart' is an alternative.)
If a subject is a closed book to you, it is something that you don't understand or know anything about.
If you don't listen to people, they may suggest you have cloth ears.
If someone has ideas or plans that are completely unrealistic, they are living on cloud cuckoo land.
If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. ('cloud seven' is a less common alternative)
If a cloud of suspicion hangs over an individual, it means that they are not believed or are distrusted.
If you can see a problem ahead, you can call it a cloud on the horizon.
If someone is in serious trouble and tries anything to help them, even though their chances of success are probably nil, they are clutching at straws.
If an activity is referred to as a clutch play, it means that the activity was the key to the success or failure of the venture. For instance, a clutch play in a baseball game may be striking out a batter with the bases loaded.
(UK) Taking, bringing, or carrying coals to Newcastle is doing something that is completely unnecessary.
When the coast is clear, the people supposed to be watching you are not there and you are able to move or leave.
To make a rude gesture by putting one thumb to the nose with the fingers outstretched.
A cock and bull story is a lie someone tells that is completely unbelievable.
This is used to describe a male in an all-female environment.
A man who is excessively confident and thinks he's better than other people is the cock of the walk.
This is used as a prediction there is no chance some event or condition will ever happen.'There will be a cold day in hell before he manages it.'
If you get cold feet about something, you lose the courage to do it.
A cold fish is a person who doesn't show how they feel.
If you see things in the cold light of day, you see them as they really are, not as you might want them to be.
If you give or show someone the cold shoulder, you are deliberately unfriendly and unco-operative towards them.
If something brings you out in a cold sweat, it frightens you a lot.
If someone suddenly stops taking drugs, instead of slowly cutting down, they do cold turkey.
If it is colder than a witches tit, it is extremely cold outside.
Accidental or unintended damage or casualties are collateral damage.
If something is collecting dust, it isn't being used any more.
Rules that restrict access on the basis of race or ethnicity are a color bar.
(UK) Someone whose actions or lifestyle will inevitably result in trouble is going to come a cropper.
If someone comes clean about something, they admit to deceit or wrongdoing.
If someone says they'll do something come hell or high water, they mean that nothing will stop them, no matter what happens.
When something comes of age it develops completely and reaches maturity. When someone comes of age, they reach adulthood or fulfill their potential.
If you come on hard, you are aggressive in your dealing with someone.
If something comes on the heels of something, it follows very soon after it.
If something will come out in the wash, it won't have any permanent negative effect.
When things come out of the woodwork, they appear unexpectedly. ('Crawl out of the woodwork' is also used.)
If someone comes out of their shell, they stop being shy and withdrawn and become more friendly and sociable.
If I say I'll be at a place come rain or shine, I mean that I can be relied on to turn up; nothing, not even the vagaries of British weather, will deter me or stop me from being there.
If events reach a crisis point, they come to a head.
If something comes to bear on you, you start to feel the pressure or effect of it.
If someone comes to call, they respond to an order or summons directly.
If you come to grips with a problem or issue, you face up to it and deal with it.
If someone comes to heel, they stop behaving in a way that is annoying to someone in authority and start being obedient.
If things come up roses, they produce a positive result, especially when things seemed to be going badly at first.
(UK) If someone comes up smelling of roses, they emerge from a situation with their reputation undamaged.
When someone is said to have 'come up trumps', they have completed an activity successfully or produced a good result, especially when they were not expected to.
If you're prepared to do something come what may, it means that nothing will stop or distract you, no matter how hard or difficult it becomes.
If something comes with the territory, it is part of a job or responsibility and just has to be accepted, even if unpleasant.
If something comes with the territory, especially when undesirable, it is automatically included with something else, like a job, responsibility, etc.('Goes with the territory' is also used.)
It is the temperature range in which the body doesn't shiver or sweat, but has an idiomatic sense of a place where people feel comfortable, where they can avoid the worries of the world. It can be physical or mental.
When you connect the dots, you understand the connections and relationships.
If someone has the constitution of an ox, they are less affected than most people by things like tiredness, illness, alcohol, etc.
If you cook someone's goose, you ruin their plans.
If people cook the books, they keep false accounts to make money illegally or avoid paying tax.
To act fine when you a actually scared or nervous
If you leave someone to cool their heels, you make them wait until they have calmed down.
(USA) A very long time, as in 'I haven't seen her in a coon's age!'
If a business is dominant in an area and unlikely to be challenged by other companies, it has cornered the market.
A couch potato is an extremely idle or lazy person who chooses to spend most of their leisure time horizontal in front of the TV and eats a diet that is mainly junk food.
If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse.
If you couldn't give two hoots about something, you don't care at all about it.
If people cannot sleep, they are advised to count sheep mentally.
When people count their blessings, they concentrate on all the good things in their lives instead of the negative ones.
(USA) A country mile is used to describe a long distance.
If you cover all the bases, you deal with all aspects of a situation or issue, or anticipate all possibilities. ('Cover all bases' is also used.)
Crack a nut with a sledgehammer
If you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you apply too much force to achieve a result. ('Jackhammer' is also used.)
If you crash a party, or are a gatecrasher, you go somewhere you haven't been invited to.
The cream of the crop is the best there is.
A good person or idea cannot go unnoticed for long, just as cream poured in coffee or tea eventually rises to the top.
If a person said "I hate camping. I don't like giving up my creature comforts." the person would be referring, in particular, to the comfortable things he/she would have at home but not when camping. At home, for example, he/she would have complete shelter from the weather, a television, a nice comfortable warm bed, the ability to take a warm bath or shower, comfortable lounge chairs to relax in and so on. The person doesn't like giving up the material and psychological benefits of his/her normal life.
The crème de la crème is the very best of something.
(USA) One who always looks at the bad side of things and is morbid or gloomy. In olden days crepe was hung on the door of a deceased person's home.
If someone cries crocodile tears, they pretend to be upset or affected by something.
Someone who is very dishonest is as crooked as a dog's hind leg.
When people cross swords, they argue or dispute. This expression is used when some groups accuse each other for non-adherence to norms. Actually no sword is used but the tempo of the argument is high enough to cause worsening of the already bad situation. It is a tussle (vehement struggle without use of arms) between the parties to establish supremacy.
Cross that bridge when you come to it
If you will cross that bridge when you come to it, you will deal with a problem when it arises, but not until that point
If someone has a cross to bear, they have a heavy burden of responsibility or a problem that they alone must cope with.
When you are crossing the Rubicon, you are passing a point of no return. After you do this thing, there is no way of turning around. The only way left is forward.
When people, companies, etc, have to make an important decision that will have a considerable effect on their future, it is crunch time.
If someone cries wolf, they raise a false alarm about something.
If you cry your eyes out, you cry uncontrollably.
A cry-baby is a person who gets emotional and cries too easily.
Is an issue or a problem, etc, is a cuckoo in the nest, it grows quickly and crowds out everything else.
(UK) To show love to gain something from someone
(UK) If something is a bit of a curate's egg, it is only good in parts.
As cats are naturally curious animals, we use this expression to suggest to people that excessive curiosity is not necessarily a good thing, especially where it is not their business.
If people try to curry favour, they try to get people to support them. ('Curry favor' is the American spelling.)
(USA) If something is a curve ball, it is deceptive.
This idiom is used as a way of shortening a story by getting to to the end or the point.
To cut a rug is to dance.
If a person is described as a cut above other people, they are better in some way.
If something is cut and dried, then everything has already been decided and, in the case of an opinion, might be a little stale and predictable.
If people cut and run, they take what they can get and leave before they lose everything.
If people try to do something as cheaply or as quickly as possible, often sacrificing quality, they are cutting corners.
(AU) If people cut down the tall poppies, they criticise people who stand out from the crowd.
If you cut it fine, you only just manage to do something- at the very last moment. 'Cut things fine' is the same. 'Cut it a bit fine' is a common variation.
Cut off your nose to spite your face
If you cut off your nose to spite your face, you do something rash or silly that ends up making things worse for you, often because you are angry or upset.
To relax a rule or make an allowance, as in allowing someone more time to finish something.
If someone cuts the Gordian knot, they solve a very complex problem in a simple way.
(UK) If somebody or something doesn't cut the mustard, they fail or it fails to reach the required standard.
If you cut to the chase, you get to the point, or the most interesting or important part of something without delay.
If someone's cut to the quick by something, they are very hurt and upset indeed.
Cut your coat according to your cloth
If you cut your coat according to your cloth, you only buy things that you have sufficient money to pay for.
If you cut your losses, you avoid losing any more money than you already have by getting out of a situation before matters worsen.
The place where you gain your early experience is where you cut your teeth.
(USA) If something is as cute as a bug, it is sweet and endearing.
If something cuts no ice, it doesn't have any effect or influence.
Something that is cutting edge is at the forefront of progress in its area.
~ D ~
(UK) Someone who is daft as a brush is rather stupid.
(UK) If something is expected to have a great effect or impact but doesn't, it is a damp squib.
If you will dance on someone's grave, you will outlive or outlast them and will celebrate their demise.
If someone is a dark horse, they are a bit of a mystery.
Davey Jones' locker is the bottom of the sea or resting place of drowned sailors.('Davy Jones' locker' is an alternative spelling.)
If you have your day in the sun, you get attention and are appreciated.
If you are overcharged or underpaid, it is a daylight robbery; open, unfair and hard to prevent. Rip-off has a similar meaning.
When someone’s days are numbered, they are expected to die soon.
When there is a period of total silence, there is dead air.
If something is dead and buried, it has all long been settled and is not going to be reconsidered.
If something's dead as a dodo, it is lifeless and dull. The dodo was a bird that lived the island of Mauritius. It couldn't fly and was hunted to extinction.
This is used to indicate that something is lifeless.
If something is a dead duck, it is a failure.
If people competing are dead even, they are at exactly the same stage or moving at exactly the same speed.
Someone who's dead from the neck up is very stupid indeed.
If a race ends in a dead heat, two or more finish with exactly the same result.
If something is dead in the water, it isn't going anywhere or making any progress.
If you try your dead level best, you try as hard as you possibly could to do something.
A dead man walking is someone who is in great trouble and will certainly get punished, lose their job or position, etc, soon.
This is used as a way of threatening someone: You'll be dead meat if you don't go along.
If promotion or success requires replacing somebody, then it can only be reached by dead men's shoes' by getting rid of them.
This means that something or someone is absolutely correct, without doubt.
If somebody's fast asleep and completely unaware of what if happening around them, he or she's dead to the world.
If someone is dead wrong, they are absolutely in error, absolutely incorrect or of incorrect opinion.
Someone who is as deaf as a post is unable to hear at all.
A letter written by a partner explaining why they are ending the relationship is a Dear John letter.
If something is suffering the death of a thousand cuts, or death by a thousand cuts, lots of small bad things are happening, none of which are fatal in themselves, but which add up to a slow and painful demise.
(UK) If someone looks like death warmed up, they look very ill indeed. ('death warmed over' is the American form)
(USA) When someone buys a round a pub or bar, they decorate the mahogany; putting cash on the bar.
If someone has deep pockets, they are wealthy.
Someone who has money but never puts his hand in his pocket to pay for anything has deep pockets but short arms.
When one is caught offguard and needs to make a decision, but cannot react quickly.
Do what is required, come up to expectations. For example, Kate delivered the goods and got us the five votes we needed. This phrase alludes to delivering an order of groceries or other items. [Colloquial; second half of 1800s]
Tobacco is the demon weed.
If a person shows derring-do, they show great courage.
Devil finds work for idle hands
When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people don't have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality.
When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.
If you live a devil-may-care life it means you are willing to take more risks than most people.
If someone plays Devil's advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they don't believe in just for the sake of the argument
A diamond in the rough is someone or something that has great potential, but isn't not refined and polished.
If the die is cast, a decision has been made that cannot be altered and fate will decide the consequences.
If something is a different kettle of fish, it is very different from the other things referenced.
Different ropes for different folks
(USA) This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.
Different strokes for different folks
(USA) This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.
When someone digs way down deep, they look into their inner feelings to see how they feel about it.
If you dig your heels in, you start to resist something.
(USA) If something is a dime a dozen, it is extremely common, possibly too common.
I someone is dining on ashes he or she is excessively focusing attention on failures or regrets for past actions.
A dinosaur is a person who is thought to be too old for their position.
If you dip your toes in the water, you try something tentatively because you are not sure whether it will work or not.
A dirty dog is an untrustworthy person.
If a person has a discerning eye, they are particularly good at judging the quality of something.
Discretion is the better part of valour
This idiom means that it is often better to think carefully and not act than to do something that may cause problems.
If you dish the dirt on something or someone, you make unpleasant or shocking information public.
(UK) If someone does a Devon Loch, they fail when they were very close to winning. Devon Loch was a horse that collapsed just short of the winning line of the Grand National race.
(UK) If someone disappears without a trace or runs off, they do a Lord Lucan. (Lord Lucan disappeared after a murder)
(UK) If people leave a restaurant without paying, they do a runner.
Treat and respect others as you would hope to be respected and treated by them.
(India) If you do the needful, you do what is necessary.
(UK) The person who has to do the running has to make sure that things get done. ('Make the running' is also used.)
Someone who does someone's dirty work, carries out the unpleasant jobs that the first person doesn't want to do. Someone who seems to enjoy doing this is sometimes known as a 'henchman'.
The do's and don't's are what is acceptable or allowed or not within an area or issue, etc.
If someone has dodged a bullet, they have successfully avoided a very serious problem.
(USA) A dog and pony show is a presentation or some marketing that has lots of style, but no real content.
Dog days are very hot summer days.
In a dog eat dog world, there is intense competition and rivalry, where everybody thinks only of himself or herself.
(UK) If someone acts like a dog in the manger, they don't want other people to have or enjoy things that are useless to them.
If you are dog tired, you are exhausted.
Something that is a dog's dinner is a real mess.
If some has a dog's life, they have a very unfortunate and wretched life.
If a book is dog-eared, it is in bad condition, with torn pages, etc.
(AU) When political parties have policies that will appeal to racists while not being overtly racist, they are indulging in dog-whistle politics.
If you ask for a doggy bag in a restaurant, they will pack the food you haven't eaten for you to take home.
If a person is in the doldrums, they are depressed. If a project or something similar is in the doldrums, it isn't making any progress.
(USA) If something is dollars for doughnuts, it is a sure bet or certainty.
Don't bite the hand that feeds
When someone says this to you, they are trying to tell you not to act against those on whom you depend.
Don't catch your chickens before they're hatched
This means that you should wait until you know whether something has produced the results you desire, rather than acting beforehand. ('Don't count your chickens until they've hatched' is an alternative.)
When something bad happens and nothing can be done to help it people say, 'Don't cry over spilt milk'.
This idiom is used a way of telling something that they do something badly.
If you are told not to hold your breath, it means that you shouldn't have high expectations about something.
Don't judge a book by the cover
This idiom means that you should not judge something or someone by appearances, but should look deeper at what is inside and more important.
Don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon
If you don't know what to do, you don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
This means that if you are given something, a present or a chance, you should not waste it by being too critical or examining it too closely.
This means that you shouldn't speak about things that could cause an argument or tension.This idiom was used in a classic episode of the much-loved British comedy series Fawlty Towers. As a consequence if you use this phrase in Britain, listeners will understand you to be referring to Germans, or just start laughing.
This can be said to someone who is starting to annoy you.
This phrase can be used when breaking some bad news to someone and you don't want to be blamed for the news. ('Don't kill the messenger' is also used.)
Don't stand there with curlers in your hair
This means 'don't keep me waiting'. It's said to someone who is taking too long to get moving.
(USA) This is used to tell people not to worry about trivial or unimportant issues.
(USA) This idiom is used to advise people not to be cheated or ripped off.
Don't throw bricks when you live in a glass house
Don't call others out on actions that you, yourself do. Don't be a hypocrite.
Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you
Don't go looking for trouble or problems- let them come to you.
If you are advised not to upset the applecart, you are being told not to disturb the way things are done because it might ruin things.
Don't wash your dirty laundry in public
(UK) People, especially couples, who argue in front of others or involve others in their personal problems and crises, are said to be washing their dirty laundry in public; making public things that are best left private. (In American English, 'don't air your dirty laundry in public' is used.)
If a joke or story has been done to death, it has been told so often that it has stopped being funny.
Donkey work is any hard, boring work or task.
This idiom means 'a very long time'.
A person who doesn't stand up for themselves and gets treated badly is a doormat.
Dot all the i's and cross all the t's
If you dot all the i's and cross all the t's, you do something very carefully and thoroughly.
(UK) If something is double Dutch, it is completely incomprehensible.
If someone does a double take, they react very slowly to something to show how shocked or surprised they are.
A double whammy is when something causes two problems at the same time, or when two setbacks occur at the same time.
If someone uses an argument that could both help them and harm them, then they are using a double-edged sword sword; it cuts both ways.
A Doubting Thomas is someone who only believes what they see themselves, not what they are told.
If someone is down and out, they are desperately poor and need help.
Someone who is down at heel is short of money. ('Down in heel' is used in American English)
If someone is down for the count, they have lost a struggle, like a boxer who has been knocked out.
If somebody's down in the doldrums, they are depressed and lacking energy.
If someone's down in the dumps, they are depressed.
If someone is down in the mouth, they look unhappy or depressed.
If something goes down the drain, especially money or work, it is wasted or produces no results.
This idiom can be said before drinking alcohol in company.
If something has gone down the pan, it has failed or been ruined.
If something has gone down the tubes, it has failed or been ruined.
(USA) If something goes down to the wire, like a competition, then it goes to the very last moment before it is clear who has won.
Someone who's down-to-earth is practical and realistic. It can also be used for things like ideas.
If someone is dragging their feet, they are taking too long to do or finish something, usually because they don't want to do it.
If you drag your heels, you either delay doing something or do it as slowly as possible because you don't want to do it.
If you try to find something out and draw a blank, you don't get any useful information.
If you draw a line in the sand, you establish a limit beyond which things will be unacceptable.
If someone draws a long bow, they lie or exaggerate.
When you draw the line, you set out limits of what you find acceptable, beyond which you will not go.
If someone draws the shortest straw, they lose or are chosen to do something unpleasant.
If you dress someone down, you scold them.
When someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly.
If you are in your very best clothes, you're dressed to the nines.
If someone drinks like a fish, they drink far too much alcohol.
If you drive a wedge between people, you exploit an issue so that people start to disagree.
The idiomatic expression 'drive home' means 'reinforce' as in 'The company offered unlimited technical support as a way to drive home the message that customer satisfaction was its highest priority.'
If something or someone drives you up the wall, they do something that irritates you greatly.
If someone or something drives you spare, it is extremely annoying.
This is used to describe people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when they talk excessively: 'they act as if driven by a motor.'
If someone drops a bombshell, they announce something that changes a situation drastically and unexpectedly.
(USA) If you drop a dime, you inform the police about someone's illegal activities.
(USA) A drop in the bucket is something so small that it won't make any noticeable difference.
A drop in the ocean implies that something will have little effect because it is small and mostly insignificant.
If something drops into your lap, you receive it suddenly, without any warning. ('Fall into your lap' is also used.)
This means that something is disappearing very quickly. For example, if you said people were dropping like flies, it would mean that they were dying off, quitting or giving up something rapidly.
If you drop someone a line, you send a letter to them.
If someone drops the ball, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities seriously enough and let something go wrong.
If something is dropped like a hot cake, it is rejected or disposed of very quickly.
If someone gets drunk or drinks a lot to try to stop feeling unhappy, they drown their sorrows.
(UK) Someone who is very drunk is as drunk as a lord.
Drunker than a peach orchard boar
(USA) Southern US expression - Very drunk, as when a boar would eat fermented peaches that have fallen from the tree.
If your lawn is as dry as a bone, the soil is completely dry.
If something is as dry as snuff, it is very dry indeed.
A dry run is a full rehearsal or trial exercise of something to see how it will work before it is launched.
If something or someone is having a dry spell, they aren't being as successful as they normally are.
(USA) If something is duck soup, it is very easy.
If you take to something like a duck to water, you find when you start that you have a natural affinity for it.
(USA) If you have your ducks in a row, you are well-organized.
(UK) If something is as dull as ditchwater, it is incredibly boring. A ditch is a long narrow hole or trench dug to contain water, which is normally a dark, dirty colour and stagnant (when water turns a funny colour and starts to smell bad). (In American English,'things are 'dull as dishwater'.)
If you are dumb as a rock, you have no common sense and are stupid.
(UK) Dunkirk spirit is when people pull together to get through a very difficult time.
If something is sold by setting a price, then reducing it until someone buys it, it is sold in a Dutch auction. It can also mean that something is changed until it is accepted by everyone.
Dutch courage is the reckless bravery caused by drinking too much.
If something like a meal is a Dutch treat, then each person pays their own share of the bill.
A Dutch uncle is a person who gives unwelcome advice.
A Dutch wife is a long pillow or a hot water bottle.
Thinking too much about the past, so that it becomes a problem is to dwell on the past.
If someone is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of a political party, etc, they support them totally, without any questions.
~ E ~
Different people have different preferences. In American English, 'Each to his own' is more common.
A person who is extremely keen is an eager beaver.
Someone who has eagle eyes sees everything; no detail is too small.
(UK) If someone has or goes for an early bath, they quit or lose their job or position earlier than expected because things have gone wrong.
The early bird catches the worm means that if you start something early, you stand a better chance of success.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise
It means that sleeping well and not staying up late will help you out physically and financially.
To make money Ex: We need to get a good job to earn a decent living.
If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it sounds. It is often used when someone advises you to do something difficult and tries to make it sound easy.
Something that is as easy as ABC is very easy or simple.
Something that is so easy that anyone can do it is easy as beans.
If something is easy as pie, it is very easy indeed.
This idiom means that money or other material gains that come without much effort tend to get spent or consumed as easily.
(UK) If something is easy peasy, it is very easy indeed. ('Easy peasy, lemon squeezy' is also used.)
(USA) If you eat crow, you have to admit that you were wrong about something.
If someone apologises and shows a lot of contrition for something they have done, they eat humble pie.
If someone eats like a bird, they eat very little.
Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot.
If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table manners.
People say this when they don't believe that something is going to happen e.g. 'If he passes that exam, I'll eat my hat!'
If you eat someone alive, you defeat or beat them comprehensively.
If someone tells you to eat your heart out, they are saying they are better than you at something.
If you eat your words, you accept publicly that you were wrong about something you said.
(UK) If someone, especially a politician, is economical with the truth, they leave out information in order to create a false picture of a situation, without actually lying.
If someone has egg on their face, they are made to look foolish or embarrassed.
If something requires elbow grease, it involves a lot of hard physical work.
If you haven't got enough elbow room, you haven't got enough space.
An elephant in the room is a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.
If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens right at the last minute.
Empty vessels make the most noise
The thoughtless often speak the most.
If something ends in smoke, it produces no concrete or positive result. This expression refers to the boasting by a person, of having put in a lot of efforts by him, for a particular cause or to attain a result which is very difficult to be done by any person. (This mainly refers to an investigation of a crime or solving a serious offence or a mystery). But at the end, when the desired result is not obtained, his claims are found to be false and not worth mentioning. So, he looses his credibility.
Something, especially rules and customs, that cannot be changed at all is said to be etched in stone.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while
This expression means that even if people are ineffective or misguided, sometimes they can still be correct just by being lucky.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day
This is used when people get lucky and are undeservedly successful.('Even a stopped clock is right twice a day' is also used.)
If something is on an even keel, it is balanced.
If everything is equal between people, they are even Stevens.
Even the dogs in the street know
(Irish) This idiom is used frequently in Ireland, and means something is so obvious that even the dogs in the street know it.
Every ass likes to hear himself bray
This means that people like the sound of their own voice.
Every cloud has a silver lining
People sometimes say that every cloud has a silver lining to comfort somebody who's having problems. They mean that it is always possible to get something positive out of a situation, no matter how unpleasant, difficult or even painful it might seem.
This idiom means that everyone gets their moment to shine.
A lot of people - as in sending out invitations to a large number of people
If it's every man for himself, then people are trying to save themselves from a difficult situation without trying to help anyone else.
Anyone's opinion or support can be bought, everyone's principles have a limit.
If every man jack was involved in something, it is an emphatic way of saying that absolutely everybody was involved.
If you search every nook and cranny, you look everywhere for something.
If every Tom, Dick and Harry knows about something, then it is common knowledge.
If you try every trick in the book, you try every possible way, including dishonesty and deceit, to get what you want.
This basically means a lot of people or too many people; everybody and their uncle was there.
Everything but the kitchen sink
If people include everything but the kitchen sink, they include every possibility, regardless of whether they are useful.
Exception that proves the rule
This expression is used by many to indicate that an exception in some way confirms a rule. Others say that the exception tests the rule. In its original legal sense, it meant that a rule could sometimes be inferred from an exemption or exception. In general use, the first meaning predominates nowadays, much to the annoyance of some pedants.
If all avenues are being explored, then every conceivable approach is being tried that could possibly get the desired result.
When a person is very attractive, they can be described as eye candy - sweet to look at!
This is an expression for retributive justice, where the punishment equals the crime.
This expression 'eye-wash' is generally used to cover up the anxiety of a person who is seeking a concrete reply or justification for an act or an event that had affected his personal image or caused him a loss. The affected person usually represents his case to the higher-ups and puts forth his demands for redressal. But the authority, in order to avoid embarassment to his organisation or to himself, is not in a position to expose the entire material or evidence which in turn tell upon the credibility of the organisation. In such circumstances, he will usually call for an investigation to satisfy the complainant, but will not be keen in disposing the case. The authority will drag on the issue, (at the same time pretending to be serious) until the seriousness of the issue dies down and no finality is reached. So, ' The investigation on the issue by the authority is an eye-wash'.
Something surprising, unexpected which reveals the truth about something or someone.
Eyes are bigger than one's stomach
If someone's eyes are bigger than their stomach, they are greedy and take on more than they can consume or manage.
~ F ~
If someone has a face like thunder, they are clearly very angry or upset about something.
When someone has a face only a mother could love, they are ugly.
If you have to face the music, you have to accept the negative consequences of something you have done wrong.
If you take something at face value, you accept the appearance rather than looking deeper into the matter.
If you face your demons, you confront your fears or something that you have been trying hard to avoid.
When someone is taught the facts of life, they learn about sex and reproduction.
Failure is the mother of success
Failure is often a stepping stone towards success.
Faint heart never won fair lady
This means that you will not get the partner of your dreams if you lack the confidence to let them know how you feel.
If someone wins something fair and square, they follow the rules and win conclusively.
(UK) If everybody has a fair crack of the whip, they all have equal opportunities to do something.
(USA) If everybody has a fair shake of the whip, they all have equal opportunities to do something.
Meaning completely and fully: I am tied up today to a fair-thee-well.
A fairweather friend is the type who is always there when times are good but forgets about you when things get difficult or problems crop up.
To fall by the wayside is to give up or fail before completion.
If a person falls from grace, they lose favor with someone.
(UK) If someone tries to sell you something that has fallen of the back of a lorry, they are trying to sell you stolen goods.
(USA) If someone has just fallen off the turnip truck, they are uninformed, naive and gullible. (Often used in the negative)
If someone falls off the wagon, they start drinking after having given up completely for a time.
If you fall on your feet, you succeed in doing something where there was a risk of failure.
If someone falls on their sword, they resign or accept the consequences of some wrongdoing.
This means that the more you know something or someone, the more you start to find faults and dislike things about it or them.
This expression is used as a way of showing disbelief, rejection or self-deprecation.'They said we had no chance of winning- famous last words!'
Things that happen fast and furious happen very quickly without stopping or pausing.
A fat cat is a person who makes a lot of money and enjoys a privileged position in society.
This idiom is a way of telling someone they have no chance.
A fat head is a dull, stupid person.
When the fat hits the fire, trouble breaks out.
Living off the fat of the land means having the best of everything in life.
Describing something as a fate worse than death is a fairly common way of implying that it is unpleasant.
If you indulge yourself with all that you have today, you may have to go without tomorrow.
A success or achievement that may help you in the future is a feather in your cap.
If someone feathers their own nest, they use their position or job for personal gain.
When people are fighting or arguing angrily, we can say that feathers are flying.
When you are extremely irritated and fed up with something or someone, you are fed up to the back teeth.
If you feel relaxed and comfortable somewhere or with someone, you feel at home.
If you ask for permission to do something and are told to feel free, the other person means that there is absolutely no problem
If you feel like a million, you are feeling very well (healthy) and happy.
If someone is short of money or feeling restricted in some other way, they are feeling the pinch.
If you feel blue, you are feeling unwell, mainly associated with depression or unhappiness.
If someone has feet of clay, they have flaws that make them seem more human and like normal people.
A practical and realistic person has their feet on the ground.
Someone that try to support both side of an argument without committing to either is a fence sitter.
If things are few and far between, they happen very occasionally.
If people are fiddling while Rome burns, they are wasting their time on futile things while problems threaten to destroy them.
(UK) A fifth columnist is a member of a subversive organisation who tries to help an enemy invade.
(USA) A fifth wheel is something unnecessary or useless.
When you fight an uphill battle, you have to struggle against very unfavourable circumstances.
If someone will fight tooth and nail for something, they will not stop at anything to get what they want. ('Fight tooth and claw' is an alternative.)
If you have a fighting chance, you have a reasonable possibility of success.
When you are finding your feet, you are in the process of gaining confidence and experience in something.
(UK) If thing's are fine and dandy, then everything is going well.
Small adjustments to improve something or to get it working are called fine tuning.
This idiom means that it's easy to talk, but talk is not action.
If you have a finger in the pie, you have an interest in something.
If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are being clumsy and not very skilled with your hands.
If you want to ask someone a question and they tell you to fire away, they mean that you are free to ask what you want.
This is used as a warning when a planned explosion is about to happen.
If something is firing on all cylinders, it is going as well as it could.
This means there will be no preferential treatment and a service will be provided to those that arrive first.
When someone is first out of the gate, they are the first to do something that others are trying to do.
The first place you stop to do something is your first port of call.
Someone who fishes in troubled waters tries to takes advantage of a shaky or unstable situation. The extremists were fishing in troubled waters during the political uncertainty in the country.
(USA) This idiom is used when you want to tell someone that it is time to take action.
If you are placed in a situation that is completely new to you and confuses you, you are like a fish out of water.
If there is something fishy about someone or something, there is something suspicious; a feeling that there is something wrong, though it isn't clear what it is.
If you are fit as a fiddle, you are in perfect health.
If something is fit for a king, it is of the very highest quality or standard.
If something fits like a glove, it is suitable or the right size.
If someone reacts badly because their pride is hurt, this is a fit of pique.
If something fits the bill, it is what is required for the task.
If someone is fit to be tied, they are extremely angry.
A five o'clock shadow is the facial hair that a man gets if he doesn't shave for a day or two.
If something is a flash in the pan, it is very noticeable but doesn't last long, like most singers, who are very successful for a while, then forgotten.
It is so flat that it is like a pancake- there is no head on that beer it is as flat as a pancake.
If you work flat out, you work as hard and fast as you possibly can.
If someone is fleet of foot, they are very quick.
Your flesh and blood are your blood relatives, especially your immediate family.
(UK) If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they're flogging a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore; beating a dead horse will not make it do any more work.
Flowery speech is full of lovely words, but may well lack substance.
Fly by the seat of one's pants
If you fly by the seat of one's pants, you do something difficult even though you don't have the experience or training required.
A fly in the ointment is something that spoils or prevents complete enjoyment of something.
If someone flies off the handle, they get very angry.
If you are able to see and hear events as they happen, you are a fly on the wall.
When children leave home to live away from their parents, they fly the coop.
If someone flies the flag, they represent or support their country. ('Wave the flag' and 'show the flag' are alternative forms of this idiom)
If you foam at the mouth, you are very, very angry.
When giving directions, telling someone to follow their nose means that they should go straight ahead.
If something is food for thought, it is worth thinking about or considering seriously.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
This means that you should learn from your mistakes and not allow people to take advantage of you repeatedly.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
This idiom is used where people who are inexperienced or lack knowledge do something that more informed people would avoid.
This is used to describe someone who has just said something embarrassing, inappropriate, wrong or stupid.
If you have or get your foot in the door, you start working in a company or organisation at a low level, hoping that you will be able to progress from there.
The person who foots the bill pays the bill for everybody.
Football's a game of two halves
(UK) If something's a game of two halves, it means that it's possible for someone's fortunes or luck to change and the person who's winning could end up a loser.
If you buy or sell something for a song, it is very cheap.
(UK) If people have done something, usually without much if any change, for an awfully long time, they can be said to have done it for donkey's years.
(UK) A person who talks for England, talks a lot- if you do something for England, you do it a lot or to the limit.
If you do something for kicks, or just for kicks, you do it purely for fun or thrills.
This idiom means 'in my opinion'.
This is used as an exclamation to show exasperation or irritation.
If something is worthless or ridiculous, it is for the birds.
Usually used in exasperation, as in 'Oh, for the love of Pete!'
For the time being indicates that an action or state will continue into the future, but is temporary. I'm sharing an office for the time being.
Something enjoyable that is illegal or immoral is forbidden fruit.
If the result of, say, a football match is a foregone conclusion, then the result is obvious before the game has even begun.
(USA) If someone can't see the forest for the trees, they get so caught up in small details that they fail to understand the bigger picture.
Fortune knocks once at every man's door
Everyone gets one good chance in a lifetime.
If the police suspect foul play, they think a crime was committed.
If something goes to, or comes from, the four corners of the earth, it goes or comes absolutely everywhere.
A person who wears glasses
If someone stands four-square behind someone, they give that person their full support.
This is an idiomatic way of describing the media, especially the newspapers.
If someone has a free rein, they have the authority to make the decisions they want without any restrictions. ('Free reign' is a common mistake.)
A free-for-all is a fight or contest in which everyone gets involved and rules are not respected.
To take French leave is to leave a gathering without saying goodbye or without permission.
If something is fresh from the oven, it is very new.
If someone makes a Freudian slip, they accidentally use the wrong word, but in doing so reveal what they are really thinking rather than what they think the other person wants to hear.
When relationships are on a friendly footing, they are going well.
If you have a frog in your throat, you can't speak or you are losing your voice because you have a problem with your throat.
If you look at something from a different angle, you look at it from a different point of view.
(USA) If someone is from Missouri, then they require clear proof before they will believe something.
If something is going from pillar to post, it is moving around in a meaningless way, from one disaster to another.
Someone who starts life very poor and makes a fortune goes from rags to riches.
This idiom means 'from the beginning'.
If you do something from soup to nuts, you do it from the beginning right to the very end.
If someone does something from the bottom of their heart, then they do it with genuine emotion and feeling.
(USA) If something happens from the get-go, it happens from the very beginning.
If you hear something from the horse's mouth, you hear it directly from the person concerned or responsible.
From the sublime to the ridiculous
If something declines considerably in quality or importance, it is said to have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous.
From the word go means from the very beginning of something.
If you are as full as a tick, you have eaten too much.
If something is full bore, it involves the maximum effort or is complete and thorough.
When something has come full circle, it has ended up where it started.
(UK) If something is the Full Monty, it is the real thing, not reduced in any way.
If someone's full of beans, they are very energetic.
Someone who is full of hot air talks a lot of rubbish.
Someone who acts in a arrogant or egotistical manner is full of himself/herself.
Someone who's full of piss and vinegar is full of youthful energy.
If you are full of the joys of spring, you are very happy and full of energy.
If a something is in full swing, it is going or doing well.
If you do something full throttle, you do it with as much speed and energy as you can.
If something happens in the fullness of time, it will happen when the time is right and appropriate.
Someone with airs and graces, but no real class is fur coat and no knickers.
Thinking or ideas that do not agree with the facts or information available
~ G ~
When someone says 'Game on!', it means that they are accepting a challenge or ready to get something done.
A game plan is a strategy.
A garbage fee is a charge that has no value and doesn't provide any real service.
If a computer system or database is built badly, then the results will be bad.
(UK) If someone is paid for a period when they are not working, either after they have given in their notice or when they are being investigated, they are on gardening leave.
If events gather pace, they move faster.
If something gathers speed, it moves or progresses at an increasing speed.
If you get a grip, you control your emotions so that they don't overwhelm you.
When you get a handle on something, you come to understand it.
Getting a sheepskin (or your sheepskin) means getting a degree or diploma. (Sheepskin refers to the parchment that a degree is printed on- parchment comes from sheepskin.)
If people get along famously, they have an exceedingly good relationship.
If someone gets away scot-free, they are not punished when they have done something wrong. ('Get off scot-free' is an alternative.)
If you get away with murder, you do something bad and don't get caught or punished.('Get away with blue murder' is also used.)
Get back on the horse that bucked you
When you start drinking again after being hungover from drinking the previous night.
If people want to get in on the act, they want to participate in something that is currently profitable or popular.
If you get in on the ground floor, you enter a project or venture at the start before people know how successful it might be.
(UK) If you get it in the neck, you are punished or criticised for something.
If you get something off your chest, you confess to something that has been troubling you.
If you get someone's drift, you understand what they are trying to say. ('Catch their drift' is an alternative form.)
If a project or plan gets off the ground, it starts to be put into operation.
If people get on like a house on fire, they have a very close and good relationship.
If something gets on your nerves, it annoys or irritates you.
If someone on their soapbox, they hold forth (talk a lot) about a subject they feel strongly about.
Get out of bed on the wrong side
If you get out of bed on the wrong side, you wake up and start the day in a bad mood for no real reason.
If you get the axe, you lose your job. ('Get the ax' is the American spelling.)
If you get the ball rolling, you start something so that it can start making progress.
If you get the green light to do something, you are given the necessary permission, authorisation.
If you get the monkey off your back, you pass on a problem to someone else.
(UK) If you get the nod to something, you get approval or permission to do it.
If you get the picture, you understand a situation fully.
If you get the show on the road, you put a plan into operation or begin something.
If you get to grips with something, you take control and do it properly.
If someone has lots of get up and go, they have lots of enthusiasm and energy.
If you get wind of something, you hear or learn about it, especially if it was meant to be secret.
If you get your ducks in a row, you organise yourself and your life.
If you get your feathers in a bunch, you get upset or angry about something.
If you get your feet wet, you gain your first experience of something.
If something gets your goat, it annoys you.
If you get your hands dirty, you become involved in something where the realities might compromise your principles. It can also mean that a person is not just stuck in an ivory tower dictating strategy, but is prepared to put in the effort and hard work to make the details actually happen.
Get your head around something
If you get your head around something, you come to understand it even though it is difficult to comprehend.
If you get your teeth into something, you become involved in or do something that is intellectually challenging or satisfying. ('Dig you teeth into' and 'sink your teeth into' are also used.)
If people get their wires cross, they misunderstand each other, especially when making arrangements. ('Get your lines crossed' is also used.)
If something or someone hasn't got a ghost of a chance, they have no hope whatsoever of succeeding.
You can feel or otherwise sense a ghostly presence, but you cannot do it clearly only vaguely.
If someone has the gift of the gab, they speak in a persuasive and interesting way.
If you gild the lily, you decorate something that is already ornate.
If someone is in a gilded cage, they are trapped and have restricted or no freedom, but have very comfortable surroundings- many famous people live in luxury but cannot walk out of their house alone.
A girl Friday is a female employee who assists someone without any specific duties.
Applaud by clapping hands. 'Let's give all the contestents a big hand.'
A person who is generally known to have been guilty of some offence will always be suspected to be the author of all similar types of offence. Once someone has gained a bad reputation, it is very difficult to lose it.
Where there is give and take, people make concessions in order to get things they want in negotiations.
If you give as good as you get, you are prepared to treat people as badly as they treat you and to fight for what you believe.
(UK) If you give something some stick, you put a lot of effort into it.
If someone gives you a hand, they help you.
If someone says this, they want to hit your open hand against theirs as a way of congratulation or greeting.
If you give someone a leg up, you help them to achieve something that they couldn't have done alone.
Give someone a piece of your mind
If you give someone a piece of your mind, you criticise them strongly and angrily.
Give someone a run for their money
If you can give someone a run for the money, you are as good, or nearly as good, as they are at something.
If you give someone enough rope, you give them the chance to get themselves into trouble or expose themselves. (The full form is 'give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves)
(UK) If someone gives you stick, they criticise you or punish you.
If someone gives you the runaround, they make excuses and give you false explanations to avoid doing something.
(UK) If you give the nod to something, you approve it or give permission to do it.
People give up the ghost when they die. Machines stop working when they give up the ghost.
If you really want something and would be prepared to sacrifice a lot to get it, you would give your eye teeth for it.
(Irish) This idiom is used when something is obvious because of the day that it occurs: traffic, for example would be busy around a football stadium on game day, given the day that's in it. On any other day the traffic would be unexplainable, but because its game day its obvious why there is traffic.
The glass ceiling is the discrimination that prevents women and minorities from getting promoted to the highest levels of companies and organisations.
A glory hound is a person seeking popularity, fame and glory.
When the gloves are off, people start to argue or fight in a more serious way. ('The gloves come off' and 'take the gloves off' are also used. It comes from boxing, where fighters normally wear gloves so that they don't do too much damage to each other.)
If a person is described as a glutton for punishment, the happily accept jobs and tasks that most people would try to get out of. A glutton is a person who eats a lot.
If something gnaws your vitals, it troubles you greatly and affects you at a very deep level. ('Gnaw at your vitals' is also used.)
A person who does things in an unconventional manner, especially if their methods are not generally approved of, is said to go against the grain. Such an individual can be called a maverick.
If things go awry, they go wrong.
If you go bananas, you are wild with excitement, anxiety, or worry.
If you go blue, you are very cold indeed. ('Turn blue' is an alternative form.)
If a company goes bust, it goes bankrupt.
When something has gone by the board, it no longer exists or an opportunity has been lost.
If something goes by the boards, it fails to get approved or accepted.
Go down like a cup of cold sick
(UK) An idea or excuse that will not be well accepted will go down like a cup of cold sick.
(UK) If something goes down like a lead balloon, it fails or is extremely badly received.
If you want to go down swinging, you know you will probably fail, but you refuse to give up.
If someone goes down without a fight, they surrender without putting up any resistance.
If you go Dutch in a restaurant, you pay equal shares for the meal.
(USA) This is used to tell someone to go away and leave you alone.
If someone goes for broke, they risk everything they have for a potentially greater gain.
If you go for the jugular, you attack someone where they are most vulnerable.
(USA) This is used to tell someone to go away and leave you alone.
If things go hand in hand, they are associated and go together.
If someone goes nuts, they get excited over something.
If someone goes off on a tangent, they change the subject completely in the middle of a conversation or talk.
(USA) If something goes over like a lead balloon, it will not work well, or go over well.
If you go overboard, you do something excessively.
If things have gone wrong, they have gone pear-shaped.
This is used as a way of telling someone to go away.
If people are going round in circles, they keep discussing the same thing without reaching any agreement or coming to a conclusion.
If things go south, they get worse or go wrong.
(UK) If you go spare, you lose your temper completely.
This is used when someone says something that is not credible or is a lie.
If you go the distance, you continue until something ends, no matter how difficult.
If someone is prepared to go the extra mile, they will do everything they can to help or to make something succeed, going beyond their duty what could be expected of them .
If you go the whole hog, you do something completely or to its limits.
When you go through the motions, you do something like an everyday routine and without any feelings whatsoever.
If someone has gone to seed, they have declined in quality or appearance.
If someone goes to the wire, they risk their life, job, reputation, etc, to help someone.
If something goes to your head, it makes you feel vain. If alcohol goes to your head, it makes you feel drunk quickly.
If something goes under the hammer, it is sold in an auction.
If something goes west, it goes wrong. If someone goes west, they die.
If you go with the flow, you accept things as they happen and do what everyone else wants to do.
A go-to guy is a person whose knowledge of something is considerable so everyone wants to go to him or her for information or results.
A successful and active business is a going concern.
(USA) If something is a going Jesse, it's a viable, successful project or enterprise.
If you go overboard with something, then you take something too far, or do too much.
A golden handshake is a payment made to someone to get them to leave their job.
The golden rule is the most essential or fundamental rule associated with something. Originally, it was not a general reference to an all purpose first rule applicable to many groups or protocols, but referred to a verse in the Bible about treating people they way you would want them to treat you, which was considered the First Rule of behavior towards all by all.
Someone with a golden touch can make money from or be successful at anything they do.
If someone has gone fishing, they are not very aware of what is happening around them.
(UK) If something's gone for a burton, it has been spoiled or ruined. If a person has gone for a burton, they are either in serious trouble or have died.
(UK) If things have gone pear-shaped they have either gone wrong or produced an unexpected and unwanted result.
If something has gone to pot, it has gone wrong and doesn't work any more.
If something has gone to the dogs, it has gone badly wrong and lost all the good things it had.
Someone with good antennae is good at detecting things.
If children are as good as gold, they behave very well.
A person who can be relied on is a good egg. Bad egg is the opposite.
Good fences make good neighbours
This means that it is better for people to mind their own business and to respect the privacy of others. ('Good fences make good neighbors' is the American English spelling.)
If you are a good hand at something, you do it well.
A good Samaritan is a persoon wh helps others in need.
If something's in good shape, it's in good condition. If a person's in good shape, they are fit and healthy.
A spell can mean a fairly or relatively short period of time; you'll hear weather forecasts predict a dry spell. Sports commentators will say that a sportsperson is going through a good spell when they're performing consistently better than they normally do.
If you make good time on a journey, you manage to travel faster than you expected.
Someone or something that meets one's approval. 'He is good to go.' 'The idea you had is good to go.'
Good walls make good neighbours
Your relationship with your neighbours depends, among other things, on respecting one another's privacy.
A goody two-shoes is a self-righteous person who makes a great deal of their virtue.
If you grab (take) the bull by its horns, you deal head-on and directly with a problem.
If you should take something with a grain of salt, you shouldn't necessarily believe it all. ('pinch of salt' is an alternative)
(UK) If you grasp the nettle, you deal bravely with a problem.
Grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow
'The grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow' is an expression used to mean a person's desire to have that which another person has in the belief it will make their life easieris false as all situations come with their own set of problems.
This idioms is often used in politics, where it refers to the ordinary people or voters. It can be used to mean people at the bottom of a hierarchy.
A grass widow is a woman whose husband is often away on work, leaving her on her own.
If you have to work very late at night, it is the graveyard shift.
If someone is on the gravy train, they have found and easy way to make lots of money.
A grease monkey is an idiomatic term for a mechanic.
If you grease someone's palm, you bribe them to do something.
If you grease the skids, you facilitate something.
If something or someone moves like greased lightning, they move very fast indeed.
If something or someone is going great guns, they are doing very well.
An exclamation of surprise.
This is a term used for the working class masses.
Someone who is expected to be a great success is a great white hope.
If you don't understand something, it's all Greek to you.
If someone looks green around the gills, they look ill.
(UK) Someone with green fingers has a talent for gardening.
If you are given the green light, you are given approval to do something.
(USA) Someone with a talent for gardening has a green thumb.
If you are green with envy, you are very jealous.
The green-eyed monster is an allegorical phrase for somebody's strong jealousy
A greenhorn or someone who is described simply as green lacks the relevant experience and knowledge for their job or task
A grey/gray area is one where there is no clear right or wrong.
Someone who is a Grey Cardinal exerts power behind the scenes, without drawing attention to himself or herself.
'Grey cells' means 'brain' Eg: Use your grey cells to understand it
Grey/gray matter is the human brain.
(UK) In the UK, the grey pound is an idiom for the economic power of elderly people.
The men in grey suits are people who have a lot of power in business or politics, but aren't well-known or charismatic.
If you have to grin and bear it, you have to accept something that you don't like.
If someone has a very wide smile, they have a grin like a Cheshire cat.
Something that is very annoying grinds your gear.
Something that you can use to your advantage is grist for the mill. ('Grist to the mill' is also used.)
If you are a guinea-pig, you take part in an experiment of some sort and are used in the testing.
If a nation conducts its diplomatic relations by threatening military action to get what it wants, it is using gunboat diplomacy.
If someone is gung ho about something, they support it blindly and don't think about the consequences.
~ H ~
Someone whose behavior is hearty, friendly and congenial.
If someone has a hair of the dog, they have an alcoholic drink as a way of getting rid of a hangover, the unpleasant effects of having drunk too much alcohol the night before. It is commonly used as a way of excusing having a drink early on in the day.
(UK) Someone who is hairy at the heel is dangerous or untrustworthy.
Someone who is hale and hearty is in very good health.
Half a loaf is better than no bread
It means that getting part of what you want is better than getting nothing at all.
If you have half a mind to do something, you haven't decided to do it, but are thinking seriously about doing it.
A half-baked idea or scheme hasn't not been thought through or planned very well.
If people are going at it hammer and tongs, they are arguing fiercely. The idiom can also be used hen people are doing something energetically.
If people are hand in glove, they have an extremely close relationship.
Hand in hand= work together closely When people in a group, say in an office or in a project, work together with mutual understanding to achieve the target, we say they work hand in hand. There is no lack of co-operation and each synchoranises the activity with that of the other.
Women have a great power and influence because they have the greatest influence over the development of children- the hand that rocks the cradle. ('The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world' is the full form.)
Someone who's living from hand to mouth, is very poor and needs the little money they have coming in to cover their expenses.
If someone is better hands down than everyone else, they are much better.
Handwriting like chicken scratch
If your handwriting is very hard to read, it is like chicken scratch.
If something hangs by a thread, there is a very small chance indeed of it being successful or surviving.
If an outcome is hanging in the balance, there are at least two possibilities and it is impossible to predict which will win out.
If you hang someone out to dry, you abandon them when they are in trouble.
A hangdog expression is one where the person's showing their emotions very clearly, maybe a little too clearly for your liking. It's that mixture of misery and self-pity that is similar to a dog when it's trying to get something it wants but daren't take without permission.
This is an expression meaning that if you are going to get into trouble for doing something, then you ought to stop worrying and should try to get everything you can before you get caught.
If you reach a happy medium, you are making a compromise; reaching a conclusion or decision.
If someone is happy-go-lucky, they don't worry or plan and accept things as they happen.
A person who is as hard as nails is either physically tough or has little or no respect for other people's feelings.
"Hard by" means mean "close to" or "near".
(UK) Hard cheese means hard luck.
Someone who's hard of hearing is a bit deaf.
If you are hard on someone's heels, you are close to them and trying to catch or overtake them. ('Hot on someone's heels' is also used.)
If someone puts a lot of pressure on you to do or buy something, they are hard selling it.
If something is hard to come by, it is difficult to find.
If you are hard up, you have very little money.
This idiom means that if you try to do something quickly, without planning it, you're likely to end up spending more time, money, etc, doing it.
Three successes one after the other is a hat trick.
A piece of criticism that destroys someone's reputation is a hatchet job.
If you have a ball, you have a great time, a lot of fun.
If you have a bash at something, you try to do it, especially when there isn't much chance of success.
It means "to have a lot of fun".
If you have a crack at something, you try to do it. If someone is attempting to do something and they are unsuccessful, you might say, "Let me have a crack at it" suggesting that you might be successful at performing the task. ('Take a crack' is also used.)
If you have a go, you try to do something, often when you don't think you have much chance of succeeding.
If someone has a heart, they arekind and sympathetic. If you say, 'Have a heart' to someone, you are asking them to be understanding and sympathetic.
If you have a ripper of a time, you enjoy yourself.
If you have a trick up your sleeve, you have a secret strategy to use when the time is right.
If you have no truck with something or someone, you refuse to get involved with it or them.
If someone has the floor, it is their turn to speak at a meeting.
Someone who has enough courage to do something has the guts to do it.
If someone wants to have their cake and eat it too, they want everything their way, especially when their wishes are contradictory.
If someone has their collar felt, they are arrested.
If you have had your fill, you are fed up of somebody or something.
If you have you lunch handed to you, you are outperformed and shown up by someone better.
Someone who has his or her moments exhibits a positive behavior pattern on an occasional basis but not generally.
If someone has their tail up, they are optimistic and expect to be successful.
If you have your work cut out, you are very busy indeed.
If you're having a gas, you are having a laugh and enjoying yourself in company.
This idiom is used as a way of telling children not to say the word 'hey' as in hey you or hey there.
He that travels far knows much
People who travel widely have a wide knowledge.
If one waits too long, the opportunity vanishes.
If people head for the hills, they run away from trouble.
If a person has their head in the clouds, they have unrealistic, impractical ideas.
(Scot) When someone's thoughts are in a state of abject confusion, especially when facing a severe dilemma, their head is mince.
If you can't make head nor tail of something, you cannot understand it at all or make any sense of it.
If someone wants a head on a spike, they want to be able to destroy or really punish a person.
If someone's head is on the block, they are going to be held responsible and suffer the consequences for something that has gone wrong.
When someone falls passionately in love and is intoxicated by the feeling has fallen head over heels in love.
If something head south, it begins to fail or start going bad.'The project proceeded well for the first two months, but then it headed south.'
If heads will roll, people will be punished or sacked for something that has gone wrong.
A headstrong person is obstinate and does not take other people's advice readily.
If you're as healthy as a horse, you're very healthy.
To do something nice or kind to someone who has been nasty to you. If someone felt bad because they forgot to get you a Christmas gift, for you to buy them a specially nice gift is heaping coals on their head. ('Heap coals of fire' is also used.)
If there is complete silence in a room, you can hear a pin drop.
To receive information indirectly through a series of third parties, similar to a rumour.
If someone's heart is in the right place, they are good and kind, though they might not always appear to be so.
If you're heart is in your boots, you are very unhappy.
If your heart is in your mouth, then you feel nervous or scared.
If your heart is not in something, then you don't really believe in it or support it.
If your heart misses a beat, you are suddenly shocked or surprised. ('Heart skips a beat' is an alternative)
When someone has a heart of glass, they are easily affected emotionally.
Someone with a heart of gold is a genuinely kind and caring person.
When someone has a heart of steel, they do not show emotion or are not affected emotionally.
A heart-to-heart is a frank and honest conversation with someone, where you talk honestly and plainly about issues, no matter how painful.
If you ask someone a question and they say this, they have no idea.
The heavenly bodies are the stars.
If someone is heavy-handed, they are insensitive and use excessive force or authority when dealing with a problem.
If you hedge your bets, you don't risk everything on one opportunity, but try more than one thing.
If you do something hell for leather, especially running, you do it as fast as you can.
If something is going to hell in a handcart, it is getting worse and worse, with no hope of stopping the decline.
If you have to try to co-ordinate a very difficult situation, where people want to do very different things, you are herding cats.
Money, happiness and other desirable things are often here today, gone tomorrow, which means that they don't last for very long.
When there's no trace of something or a person, you haven't seen hide nor hair of it or them.('Neither hide nor hair' is also used.)
If people are on a hiding to nothing, their schemes and plans have no chance of succeeding. 'Hiding to nowhere' is an alternative.
If you are left high and dry, you are left alone and given no help at all when you need it.
If you search high and low, you look everywhere for something or someone.
The high and mighty are the people with authority and power. If a person is high and mighty, they behave in a superior and condescending way.
If someone's as high as a kite, it means they have had too much to drink or are under the influence of drugs.
To live in great comfort with lots of money.
If someone is high-handed, they behave arrogantly and pompously.
A high-wire act is a dangerous or risky strategy, plan, task, etc.
Something that is ridiculously expensive, especially when you have no choice but to pay, is a highway robbery.
A Himalayan blunder is a very serious mistake or error.
After something has gone wrong, it is easy to look back and make criticisms.
If something hits a nerve, it upsets someone or causes them pain, often when it is something they are trying to hide.
Something that is hit and miss is unpredictable and may produce results or may fail.
If someone tells you to hit them with your best shot, they are telling you that no matter what you do it won't hurt them or make a difference to them.
When someone hits rock bottom, they reach a point in life where things could not get any worse.
If you hit rough weather, you experience difficulties or problems.
If someone hits the airwaves, they go on radio and TV to promote something or to tell their side of a story.
If you hit the books, you study or read hard.
If someone hits the bull's-eye, they are exactly right about something or achieve the best result possible. "Bulls-eye" and "bullseye" are alternative spellings.
If someone hits the ceiling, they lose their temper and become very angry.
To duck out of the way or fall to the ground to avoid something dangerous.
When it hits the fan, or, more rudely, the shit hits the fan, serious trouble starts.
If someone hits the ground running, they start a new job or position in a very dynamic manner.
When you hit the hay, you go to bed.
If someone hits the mark, they are right about something.
If someone hits the nail on the head, they are exactly right about something.
When people hit the road, they leave a place to go somewhere else.
If you lose your temper and get very angry, you hit the roof.
When you hit the sack, you go to bed.
A hive of worker bees is a group of people working actively and cooperatively. Example: The classroom was a hive of worker bees.
A Hobson's choice is something that appears to be a free choice, but is really no choice as there is no genuine alternative.
If you are hoist with your own petard, you get into trouble or caught in a trap that you had set for someone else.
If you hold all the aces, you have all the advantages and your opponents or rivals are in a weak position.
(UK) If someone is responsible for something, they are holding the baby.
(USA) If someone is responsible for something, they are holding the bag.
If you hold the fort, you look after something or assume someone's responsibilities while they are away.
If you hold the torch for someone, you have an unrequited or unspoken love.
When you say that something does or does not 'hold water', it means that the point of view or argument put forward is or is not sound, strong or logical. For e.g., 'Saying we should increase our interest rates because everyone else is doing so will not hold water'.
If someone tells you to hold your horses, you are doing something too fast and they would like you to slow down.
If you can hold your own, you can compete or perform equally with other people.
If you hold your tongue, you keep silent even though you want to speak.
Someone who is holier-than-thou believes that they are morally superior to other people.
Someone who has a hollow leg eats what seems to be more than his stomach can hold.
A hollow victory is where someone wins something in name, but are seen not to have gained anything by winning.
This is a way of expressing surprise: "Holy smoke! Look at all of those geese!"
'Home and hearth' is an idiom evoking warmth and security.
Home is where you lay your hat
Wherever you are comfortable and at ease with yourself is your home, regardless where you were born or brought up.('Home is where you lay your head' and 'Home is where you hang your hat' are also used.)
The home stretch is the last part of something, like a journey, race or project.
This is said when one is pleased to be back at one's own home.
(UK) This is a cliched way of telling the driver of a vehicle to start driving. It is supposed to be an order to a chauffeur (a privately employed driver). The full phrase is 'Home, James, and don't spare the horses'.
If someone claims that something is the honest truth, they wish to sound extra-sincere about something.
If someone says there is honor among thieves, this means that even corrupt or bad people sometimes have a sense of honor or integrity, or justice, even if it is skewed. ('Honour among thieves' is the British English version.)
If honours are even, then a competition has ended with neither side emerging as a winner.
If somebody accepts or believes something hook, line, and sinker, they accept it completely.
If a place is a hop, skip, and a jump from somewhere, it's only a short distance away.
If you hope against hope, you hope for something even though there is little or no chance of your wish being fulfilled.
If something hasn't got a hope in hell, it stands absolutely no chance of succeeding.
A hornets' nest is a violent situation or one with a lot of dispute. (If you create the problem, you 'stir up a hornets' nest'.)
If you are on the horns of a dilemma, you are faced with two equally unpleasant options and have to choose one.
(USA) If something is a horse of a different color, it's a different matter or separate issue altogether.
Horse trading is an idiom used to describe negotiations, especially where these are difficult and involve a lot of compromise.
Horses for courses means that what is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another.
If a company is bought out when it does not want to be, it is known as a hostile takeover.
Language that is full of words but means little or nothing is hot air.
If something's as hot as blue blazes, it's extremely hot.
If something's as hot as Hades, it's extremely hot.
(USA) A hot button is a topic or issue that people feel very strongly about.
If you hot foot it out of a place, you leave very quickly, often running.
(USA) A hot ticket is something that is very much in demand at the moment.
If someone is hot to trot, they are sexually aroused or eager to do something.
If you're hot under the collar, you're feeling angry or bothered.
If you get into hot water, you get into trouble.
Someone who is hot-blooded is easily excitable or passionate.
A hot-headed person gets angry very easily. (The noun 'hothead' can also be used.)
A time when someone really needs something, almost a last chance, is their hour of need.
Something that is poorly thought out and can easily collapse or fail is a house of cards.
If you want to show disbelief or surprise about an action, you can ask a question using 'how come'. How come he got the job? (You can't believe that they gave the job to somebody like him)
(USA) This idiomatic expression is used to express surprise or shock at something that has happened. It can also be used to boast about something you have done.
If someone has no idea of the answer to a question, they can ask 'How long is a piece of string?' as a way of indicating their ignorance.
This is used as a way of asking people how they are and how things have been going in their life.
Hue and cry is an expression that used to mean all the people who joined in chasing a criminal or villain. Nowadays, if you do something without hue and cry, you do it discreetly and without drawing attention.
If you refer to someone as having hung the moon, you think they are extremely wonderful, or amazing, or good.
If you are hungry as a bear, it means that you are really hungry.
If something is hunky dory, it is perfectly satisfactory, fine.
~ I ~
I hereby give notice of my intention
Hereby is used sometimes in formal, official declarations and statements to give greater force to the speaker' or the writer's affirmation. People will say it sometimes to emphasise their sincerity and correctness.
I may be daft, but I'm not stupid
I might do or say silly things occasionally, but in this instance I know what I am doing (Usually used when someone questions your application of common-sense).
(UK) This idiom comes from 'I should think so', but is normally used sarcastically to mean the opposite.
I'll cross that road when I come to it
I'll think about something just when it happens, not in advance.
You can say this when you are absolutely sure that you are right to let the other person know that there is no chance of your being wrong.
I've got a bone to pick with you
If somebody says this, they mean that they have some complaint to make against the person they are addressing.
You have made a mistake and I am going to call you on it. You are in trouble (a threat). I have a disagreement with you. I understand your true nature.
This expression is used to refer to something good that happens on top of an already good thing or situation.
Idle hands are the devil's handiwork
When someone is not busy, or being productive, trouble is bound to follow.
If at first you don't succeed try try again
When you fail, try until you get it right!
If I had a nickel for every time
(USA) When someone uses this expression, they mean that the specific thing happens a lot. It is an abbreviation of the statement 'If I had a nickel for every time that happened, I would be rich'
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Any attempt to improve on a system that already works is pointless and may even hurt it.
If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed
If something cannot or will not happen the easy way, then sometimes it must be done the hard way.
This idiom means that if the description is correct, then it is describing the truth, often when someone is being criticised. ('If the shoe fits, wear it' is an alternative)
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
This means that wishing for something or wanting it is not the same as getting or having it.
If you are given lemons make lemonade
Always try and make the best out of a bad situation. With some ingenuity you can make a bad situation useful.
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
Originally a Harry S. Truman quote, this means that if you can't take the pressure, then you should remove yourself from the situation.
If you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows
If you wish to be associated with a particular high risk and/or high profile situation and benefit from the rewards of that association, you have to accept the consequences if things go wrong - you cannot dissociate yourself.
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
This means that if you become involved with bad company, there will be negative consequences.
If you lie down with the Devil, you will wake up in hell
This means that if you become involved with bad company, there will be negative consequences.
'If you will' is used as a way of making a concession in a sentence: He wasn't a very honest person, a liar if you will. Here, it is used a way of accepting that the reader or listener might think of the person as a liar, but without commit the writer or speaker to that position fully.
(UK) This idiom is used as a way of apologising for swearing.
If someone is ill at ease, they are worried or uncomfortable.
Ill-gotten gains are profits or benefits that are made either illegally or unfairly.
If you are in a cleft stick, you are in a difficult situation, caught between choices.
If you are in a fix, you are in trouble.
If something happens in a flash, it happens very quickly indeed.
If you're in a fog, you are confused, dazed or unaware.
If something happens very quickly or immediately, it happens in a heartbeat.
If you are in a jam, you are in some trouble. If you get out of a jam, you avoid trouble.
If something happens in a jiffy, it happens very quickly.
This idiom is used to introduce a concise summary.
If you are in a pickle, you are in some trouble or a mess.
In a settled or established pattern, habit or course of action, especially a boring one.
(UK) If someone will do something in a tick, they'll do it very soon or very quickly.
If you're in a tight spot, you're in a difficult situation.
If you say something in all honesty, you are telling the complete truth. It can be used as a way of introducing a negative opinion whilst trying to be polite; in all honesty, I have to say that I wasn't very impressed.
If something happens in an instant, it happens very rapidly.
It is difficult to know what another person's life is really like, so we don't know what it is like to be in someone's shoes.
If something is in apple-pie order, it is very neat and organised.
If a crime or problem happens in broad daylight, it happens during the day and should have been seen and stopped.
If people are in cahoots, they are conspiring together.
If something is done in cold blood, it is done ruthlessly, without any emotion.
If you're in dire straits, you're in serious trouble or difficulties.
'I haven't seen her in donkey's years.' - This means for a very long time.
If people arrive in dribs and drabs, they come in small groups at irregular intervals, instead of all arriving at the same time.
When things happen in droves, a lot happen at the same time or very quickly.
In for a penny, in for a pound
If something is worth doing then it is a case of in for a penny, in for a pound, which means that when gambling or taking a chance, you might as well go the whole way and take all the risks, not just some.
If things are in full swing, they have been going for a sufficient period of time to be going well and very actively.
(USA) If something is in high gear, it is in a quick-paced mode. If someone is in high gear, they are feverishly on the fast track.
If someone is in high spirits, they are in a very good mood or feeling confident about something.
If someone is in their cups, they are drunk.
If you are in hot water, you are in serious trouble.
'In light of' is similar to 'due to'.
Refers to Errol Flynn's popularity with women in the 40's. His ability to attract women was well known throughout the world. ('In like flint' is also used.)
If you are in someone's bad books, they are angry with you. Likewise, if you are in their good books, they are pleased with you.
This idiom means 'in my opinion'.
If someone is in your good books, you are pleased with or think highly of them at the moment.
If something goes in one ear and out the other, you forget it as soon as you've heard it because it was too complicated, boring etc.
If someone is in over their head, they are out of the depth in something they are involved in, and may end up in a mess.
When something is as it ought to be. Or, when used cynically, it may refer to someone whose excesses are on display; a caricature.
(UK) If someone's in rude health, they are very healthy and look it.
This phrase may be used to mean 'approximately' or 'more or less'. I think it may have a sarcastic connotation in that the individual listening needed 'so many words' to get the point. It also may suggest the effort on the part of the speaker to explain an unpleasant truth or difficult concept.
If a person is in someone's pocket, they are dependent, especially financially, on them.
(UK) If you have something in spades, you have a lot of it.
If someone is in stitches, they are laughing uncontrollably.
If people do things in tandem, they do them at the same time.
If you do something in that (or this) vein, you do it in the same distinctive manner or style.
If something is in the bag, it is certain that you will get it or achieve it
This means that something is close to the adequate or required value.
If your bank account is in credit, it is in the black.
If something is in the cards, it is bound to occur, it is going to happen, or it is inevitable.
(USA) If someone is in the catbird seat, they are in an advantageous or superior position.
If someone is in the clear, they are no longer suspected of or charged with wrongdoing.
(UK) If someone is in the clink, they are in prison.
(UK) If a woman's in the club, she's pregnant. 'In the pudding club' is an alternative form.
If someone is in the dock, they are on trial in court.
If someone is in the doghouse, they are in disgrace and very unpopular at the moment.
If you are in the driver's seat, you are in charge of something or in control of a situation.
If people act in the face of something, they do it despite it or when threatened by it.
If a woman is in the family way, she is pregnant.
If you meet or see someone in the flesh you actually meet or see them, rather than seeing them on TV or in other media.
If you're in the gravy, you're rich and make money easily.
If someone is in the hole, they have a lot of problems, especially financial ones.
If someone's in the hot seat, they are the target for a lot of unwelcome criticism and examination.
If you are in the know, you have access to all the information about something, which other people don't have.
People in the lap of luxury are very wealthy and have have everything that money can buy.
This means 'over a long period of time', 'in the end' or 'in the final result'.
If you're in the loop, you are fully informed about what is happening in a certain area or activity.
If you are left in the lurch, you are suddenly left in an embarrassing or tricky situation.
When something is in the making, it means it is in the process of being made.
If something is in the offing, it is very likely to happen soon.
If you are in very good health, you are in the pink.
If something's in the pipeline, it hasn't arrived yet but its arrival is expected.
If your bank account is overdrawn, it is in the red.
If you're in the saddle, you are in control of a situation.
If people are in the same boat, they are in the same predicament or trouble.
This refers to the immediate future.
If you're in the soup, you're in trouble.
If you are in the swim, you are up-to-date with and fully informed about something.
If things are in the swing, they are progressing well.
A phrase that expresses good times or times of plenty and wealth as tall cotton means a good crop.
If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very quickly.
If you are in the zone, you are very focused on what you have to do.
This means one after the other. Example: She spoke to each of the guests in turn.
If you are in two minds about something, you can't decide what to do.
A trait or liking that is deeply ingrained in someone's personality and unlikely to change is in their blood. A similar idiom is 'in his DNA.'
If you are in your element, you feel happy and relaxed because you are doing something that you like doing and are good at. "You should have seen her when they asked her to sing; she was in her element."
If someone is in your face, they are direct and confrontational. (It is sometime written 'in yer face'colloquially)
If you have someone or something in your sights, they are your target to beat.
If people walk in Indian file, they walk in a line one behind the other.
An Indian giver gives something, then tries to take it back.
If there is a period of warmer weather in late autumn, it is an Indian summer.
If you know the ins and outs of something, you know all the details.
Into each life some rain must fall
This means that bad or unfortunate things will happen to everyone at some time.
If something vanishes or disappears without trace, it vanishes into thin air; no-one knows where it has gone.
Someone who rules or controls something with an iron fist is in absolute control and tolerates no dissent. An iron fist in a velvet glove is used to describe someone who appears soft on the outside, but underneath is very hard. 'Mailed fist' is an alternative form.
A person who has a few irons in the fire has a number of things working to their advantage at the same time.
Is Saul also among the prophets?
It's a biblical idiom used when somebody known for something bad appears all of a sudden to be doing something very good.
It ain't over till the fat lady sings
This idiom means that until something has officially finished, the result is uncertain.
If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive indeed.
If something costs the earth, it is very expensive indeed.
'It never rains but it pours' means that when things go wrong, they go very wrong.
It takes a village to raise a child
It takes many people to teach a child all that he or she should know.
This idiom is used to suggest that when things go wrong, both sides are involved and neither side is completely innocent.
It's an ill wind that blows no good
This is said when things have gone wrong; the idea being that when bad things happen, there can also be some positive results.
It's no use crying over spilt milk
This idiom means that getting upset after something has gone wrong is pointless; it can't be changed so it should be accepted.
It's not the size of the dog in fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog
Usually refering to a small dog attacking a larger animal, this means that fierceness is not necessarily a matter of physical size, but rather mental/psychological attitude.
It's not the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man
This idiom means that determination is often more important than size, strength, or ability. ('It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.' is also used.)
The other person has made a decision that you think is bad. However, it is their choice; it is their funeral.
If you are itching to do something, you are very eager to do it.
One gets itchy feet when one has been in one place for a time and wants to travel.
People who live in ivory towers are detached from the world around them.
~ J ~
If everything has frozen in winter, then Jack Frost has visited.
A confident and not very serious young man who behaves as he wants to without thinking about other people is a Jack the Lad.
A jack-of-all-trades is someone that can do many different jobs.
If you say that someone has jam on their face, they appear to be caught, embarrassed or found guilty.
(UK) This idiom is used when people promise good things for the future that will never come.
Jane Doe is a name given to an unidentified female who may be party to legal proceedings, or to an unidentified person in hospital, or dead. John Doe is the male equivalent.
Someone who has a Jekyll and Hyde personality has a pleasant and a very unpleasant side to the character.
(UK) Jersey justice is very severe justice.
Very wealthy people who travel around the world to attend parties or functions are the jet set.
To emphasise just how black something is, such as someone's hair, we can call it jet-black.
Someone who says they want to comfort, but actually discomforts people is a Job's comforter. (Job's is pronounced 'jobes', not 'jobs')
Where people give jobs, contracts, etc, to their friends and associates, these are jobs for the boys.
If a number of people want the same opportunity and are struggling to emerge as the most likely candidate, they are jockeying for position.
If you jog someone's memory, you say words that will help someone trying to remember a thought, event, word, phrase, experience, etc.
John Doe is a name given to an unidentified male who may be party to legal proceedings, or to an unidentified person in hospital, or dead. Jane Doe is the female equivalent.
(USA) John Q Public is the typical, average person.
A person who is always available; ready, willing, and able to do what needs to be done.('Johnny-on-the-spot' is also used.)
A Johnny-come-lately is someone who has recently joined something or arrived somewhere, especially when they want to make changes that are not welcome.
If people are joined at the hip, they are very closely connected and think the same way.
If someone is said to be the judge, jury, and executioner, it means they are in charge of every decision made, and they have the power to be rid of whomever they choose.
If you are juggling frogs, you are trying to do something very difficult.
If you jump down someone's throat, you criticise or chastise them severely.
If people jump on the bandwagon, they get involved in something that has recently become very popular.
If you jump the gun, you start doing something before the appropriate time.
Said of a salient point in a television show or other activity at which the popularity thereof begins to wane: The Flintstones jumped the shark when a man from outer space came to visit them. The expression derives from an episode of the television sitcom 'Happy Days' in which Fonzie, clad in leather jacket and on water skis, jumps over a shark. That episode was widely seen as the beginning of the end for the formerly popular series.
If you are prepared to jump through hoops for someone, you are prepared to make great efforts and sacrifices for them.
If someone jumps to a conclusion, they evaluate or judge something without a sufficient examination of the facts.
An expression of surprise or shock.
If someone says that it is a jungle out there, they mean that the situation is dangerous and there are no rules.
If the jury's out on an issue, then there is no general agreement or consensus on it.
If something is just around the corner, then it is expected to happen very soon.
Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined
Things, especially education, that affect and influence us in our childhood shape the kind of adult we turn out to be. (There are various versions of this, like 'As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined' and 'As the twig is bent, so the tree inclines', 'As the twig is bent so is the tree inclined')
If the time is just coming up to nine o'clock, it means that it will be nine o'clock in a very few seconds. You'll hear them say it on the radio in the morning.
If a bad or evil person gets their just deserts, they get the punishment or suffer the misfortune that it is felt they deserve.
When someone does something just for the heck of it, they do it without a good reason.
If something is said to be just for the record, the person is saying it so that people know but does not necessarily agree with or support it.
If you do something in the nick of time, you just manage to do it just in time, with seconds to spare.
If someone is just off the boat, they are naive and inexperienced.
If something's just what the doctor ordered, it is precisely what is needed.
~ K ~
When people take the law into their own hands and form courts that are not legal, these are known as kangaroo court.
(UK) If someone is very enthusiastic, they are as keen as mustard.
If you keep abreast of things, you stay informed about developments.
If you keep someone or something at bay, you maintain a safe distance from them.
If you earn enough to cover your basic expenses, but nothing more than that, you earn enough to keep body and soul together.
If you keep in touch with someone, you keep communicating with them even though you may live far apart.
If you keep something on the Q T, you keep it quiet or secret.('Q-T' is also used.)
If you keep something under your hat, you keep it secret.
If you keep mum about something, you keep quiet and don't tell anyone.
If you keep posted about something, you keep up-to-date with information and developments.
If you keep someone or something at arm's length, you keep a safe distance away from them.
If you keep someone on their toes, you make sure that they concentrate on what they are supposed to do.
If you keep the wolf at bay, you make enough money to avoid going hungry or falling heavily into debt.
People who try to keep up with the Joneses are competitive about material possessions and always try to have the latest and best things.
(UK) This expression is used to tell someone to have confidence.
If you keep your cool, you don't get excessively excited or disturbed in a bad situation.
If you keep your ear to the ground, you try to keep informed about something, especially if there are rumours or uncertainties.
If you keep your eye on the ball, you stay alert and pay close attention to what is happening.
This means that you should keep your focus on achieving a positive end result.
If you keep your eyes peeled, you stay alert or watchful.
If you are keeping your fingers crossed, you are hoping for a positive outcome.
Keep your hair on is advice telling someone to keep calm and not to over-react or get angry.
If you keep your head, you stay calm in times of difficulty.
If you are just managing to survive financially, you are keeping your head above water.
If someone is trying to keep their Nose Clean, they are trying to stay out of trouble by not getting involved in any sort of wrong-doing.
Keep your nose to the grindstone
If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you work hard and seriously.
If someone's keeping their options open, they aren't going to restrict themselves or rule out any possible course of action.
If someone tells you to keep your pecker up, they are telling you not to let your problems get on top of you and to try to be optimistic.
If you keep your powder dry, you act cautiously so as not to damage your chances.
This idiom is used to tell someone to calm down.
(UK) This idiom is used to tell someone to calm down.
A pretty or fine kettle of fish is a difficult problem or situation.
If you kick a habit, you stop doing it.
If someone kicks away the ladder, they remove something that was supporting or helping someone.
Bad news or a sudden disappointment are a kick in the teeth.
Kick something into the long grass
If an issue or problem is kicked into the long grass, it is pushed aside and hidden in the hope that it will be forgotten or ignored.
It means you realise the intensity of a situation. For example, there is too much unemployment now, so the prime minister must kick the ballistics and change his policy.
When someone kicks the bucket, they die.
(USA) If you kick up your heels, you go to parties or celebrate something.
(UK) If you have to kick your heels, you are forced to wait for the result or outcome of something.
Touch is a zone of the playing field in Rugby. Kicked to touch means the ball was put safely out of play. Idiomatic usage usually means a person has deftly avoided an issue in argument.
If someone is handled with kid gloves, they are given special treatment and handled with great care.
Kill the goose that lays the golden egg
If you kill the goose that lays the golden egg, you ruin something that is very profitable.
When you kill two birds with one stone, you resolve two difficulties or matters with a single action.
A kindred spirit is someone who feels and thinks the way you do.
The king of the castle is the person who is in charge of something or in a very comfortable position compared to their companions.
If something costs or is worth a king's ransom, it costs or is worth a lot of money.
If people kiss and tell, they disclose private or confidential information.
The kiss of death is an action that means failure or ruin for someone, a scheme, a plan, etc.
If someone tells you that you can kiss something goodbye, you have no chance of getting or having it.
A kissing cousin is someone you are related to, but not closely.
(UK) Kitchen-sink drama deals with ordinary people's lives.
Your kith and kin are your family; your next of kin are close relations you nominate to deal with your affairs in the event of your death on a document, like a passport.
A knee slapper is something that is considered funny, though it is often used sarcastically.
A knee-jerk reaction is an instant, instinctive response to a situation.
When your knickers are in a twist, you are angry and snappish over something trivial. 'Whenever he loses his car keys, he gets his knickers in a twist.'
A knight in shining armour is someone who saves you when you are in great trouble or danger.
If you knit your brows, you frown or look worried.
'Knock 'em dead' is used as a way of wishing someone luck before they give a performance or have to appear before people, as in an interview, etc. ('em = them)
This idiom is used to wish for good luck. ('Touch wood' is also used.)
If you knock something on the head, you stop it or stop doing it.
Knock the pins from under someone
If someone knocks the pins from under you, they let you down.
To punch someone in the face Eg : The next time you do something like that I'm going to "knock your block off".
If something knocks your socks off, it amazes and surprises you, usually in a positive way.
If someone knows a hawk from a handsaw, they are able to distinguish things and assess them.
When you know full well, you are absolutely sure that you know.
Someone who is experienced and knows how the system works know the ropes.
Know where all the bodies are buried
Someone who by virtue of holding a position of trust with an organization for a long period of time has come to know many of the secrets that others in more powerful positions would rather be kept secret knows where the bodies are buried. An implication is that the person knowing these secrets will use that knowledge to secure something of value for him- or herself.
Know which side one's bread is buttered on
If you know which side one's bread is buttered on, you know where your interests lie and will act accordingly to protect or further them.
This means that you should know how things are developing and be prepared for the future.
If someone is very well-informed about something, they know their onions.
A person who knows their place doesn't try to impose themselves on others.
A labor of love is a project or task undertaking for the interest or pleasure in doing it rather than the reward, financial or otherwise.
A labour of love is a project or task undertaking for the interest or pleasure in doing it rather than the reward, financial or otherwise.
If something or someone is a lame duck, they are in trouble.
If someone has gone to the land of nod, they have fallen asleep or gone to bed.
A landslide victory is a victory in an election by a very large margin.
A lap dog is a person who is eager to please another at the expense of his or her own needs in order to maintain a position of privilege or favor.
If something is in the lap of the gods, it is beyond our control and fate will decide the outcome.
If something is excessive or exaggerated, it is larger than life.
If an elderly person does something special before they die, it is a last hurrah.
The person who has the last laugh ends up with the the advantage in a situation after some setbacks.
The last straw is the final problem that makes someone lose their temper or the problem that finally brought about the collapse of something. It comes from an Arabic story, where a camel was loaded with straw until a single straw placed on the rest of the load broke its back.
A last-ditch attempt is a desperate attempt that will probably fail anyway.
Someone who is a laugh a minute is very funny.
(UK) Someone who would laugh to see a pudding crawl is easily amused and will laugh at anything.
If you laugh up your sleeve, you laugh at someone secretly.
If someone becomes a laughing stock they do something so stupid or wrong that no one can take them seriously and people scorn and laugh at them.
Laughing is often helpful for healing, especially emotional healing.
If somebody's a law unto themselves, they do what they believe is right regardless of what is generally accepted as correct.
If someone lays down the law, they tell people what to do and are authoritarian.
Lead someone up the garden path
If someone leads you up the garden path, they deceive you, or give you false information that causes you to waste your time. 'Lead someone down the garden path' is also used.
If someone leads with their chin, they speak or behave without fear of the consequences.
An organisation that is lean and mean has no excess or unnecessary elements and is very competitive.
If you are learning the ropes, you are learning how to do something.
If you look everywhere to find something, or try everything to achieve something, you leave no stone unturned.
If you leave something well alone, you keep a safe distance from it, either physically or metaphorically.
Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
If the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, then communication within a company, organisation, group, etc, is so bad that people don't know what the others are doing.
If you are left in the dark about something, you aren't given the information that you should have.
If someone is left to their own devices, they are not controlled and can do what they want.
A left-handed compliment is one that sounds like praise but has an insulting meaning. ('Backhanded compliment' is an alternative form.)
Somebody who becomes a legend in their own lifetime acquires fame, but often only to a select or specialist audience, while they are still alive.
If you lend an ear, you listen to what someone has to say. ('Lend your ear' is an alternative form.)
Leopard can't change its spots
This idiom means that people cannot change basic aspects of their character, especially negative ones. ("A leopard doesn't change its spots" is also used.)
Something that is the lesser of two evils, is an unpleasant option, but not as bad as the other.
This is used to emphasise how extreme something could be: 'We hadn't got the money to phone home, let alone stay in a hotel.' This emphasises the utter impossibility of staying in a hotel.
If people decide to let bygones be bygones, they decide to forget old problems or grievances they have with each other.
If someone is told to let sleeping dogs lie, it means that they shouldn't disturb a situation as it would result in trouble or complications.
Let the best be the enemy of the good
If the desire for an unattainable perfection stops someone from choosing good possibilities, they let the best be the enemy of the good.
If you accidentally reveal a secret, you let the cat out of the bag.
Let the chips fall where they may
This means that we shouldn't try to control events, because destiny controls them.
Let the devil take the hindmost
This idiom means that you should think of yourself and not be concerned about other people; look after yourself and let the devil take the hindmost.
Let the genie out of the bottle
If people let the genie out of the bottle, they let something bad happen that cannot be put right or controlled.
Let the grass grow round your feet
If you let the grass grow round your feet, you delay doing things instead of taking action.
If you let your guard down, you relax and stop looking out for danger.
If someone lets their hair down, they relax and stop feeling inhibited or shy.
This is used as a way of suggesting that it is time to stop working on something.
If people interpret laws and regulations strictly, ignoring the ideas behind them, they follow the letter of the law.
If there's a level playing field everybody is treated equally.
If someone lies like a rug, they lie to the point where it becomes obvious that they're lying.
If someone lies low, they try not to be found or caught.
Someone who is always lying, regardless of what people know, lies through their teeth.
When people risk life and limb, they could be killed or suffer serious injuries.
Life is just a bowl of cherries
This idiom means that life is simple and pleasant.
Light at the end of the tunnel
If you can see light at the end of the tunnel, then you can see some signs of hope in the future, though things are difficult at the moment.
A light bulb moment is when you have a sudden realisation about something, like the light bulbs used to indicate an idea in cartoons.
If someone is light on their feet, they can move quickly and are agile.
If you are light years ahead of others, you are a long way in front of them in terms of development, success, etc.
Someone or something that attracts a lot of negative comment, often diverting attention from other problems, is a lightning rod.
This expression means extremely quickly.
Once a whale is on a beach, it cannot get back into the easily, so if you are completely stuck somewhere and can't get away, you are stranded like a beached whale.
(UK) If someone's like a bear with a sore head, they complain a lot and are unhappy about something.
If you tackle a job very quickly, without any real thought about what you are doing, you are going at it like a bull at a gate.
If someone is like a cat on hot bricks, they are very nervous or excited.
If someone looks very pleased with themselves and happy, they look like a cat that got the cream.
If someone has a natural talent for something and enjoys it, they take to it like a duck to water.
If someone needs something like a Fish Needs a Bicycle, they do not need it at all, originally a feminist slogan: A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
If someone feels like a fish out of water, they are very uncomfortable in the situation they are in.
If you watch something or someone like a hawk, you observe very closely and carefully.
If someone rushes about like a headless chicken, they move very fast all over the place, usually without thinking.
If someone is like a kid in a candy store, they are very excited about something.
Something that is like a moth to a flame is attracted to something that is deadly or dangerous.
Like a rat deserting a sinking ship
If people leave a company because they know that it's about to have serious problems, or turn their back on a person about to be in a similar situation, they are said to be like rats deserting a sinking ship.
If something is complicated and hard to understand, it's like Chinese arithmetic.
If something happens like clockwork, it happens at very regular times or intervals.
This idiom is used when different generations of a family behave in the same way or have the same talents of defects.
Like giving a donkey strawberries
(UK) If something is like giving a donkey strawberries, people fail to appreciate its value.
When people say this, they mean that the person will have to accept the situation because it isn't going to change.
If somebody does something unpleasant without any resistance, they go like lambs to the slaughter.
Like nailing jello to the wall
(USA) Describes a task that is very difficult because the parameters keep changing or because someone is being evasive.
If I say my children are growing like no one's business, it means they're growing very quickly. See also 'Like the clappers' and 'Like there's no tomorrow'.
If people or things are like peas in a pod, they look identical.
If something if like pulling teeth, it is very difficult, especially if trying to extract information or to get a straight answer from someone.
(USA) If something is like taking candy from a baby, it is very easy to do.
If you know something like the back of your hand, you know it very well indeed.
If something is going like the clappers, it is going very fast.
If you do something like there's no tomorrow, you do it fast or energetically.
Things that are like two peas in a pod are very similar or identical,
Like watching sausage getting made
If something is like watching sausages getting made, unpleasant truths about it emerge that make it much less appealing. The idea is that if people watched sausages getting made, they would probably be less fond of them.
(USA) If you do something like white on rice, you do it very closely: When Bob found out I had front row tickets for the concert, he stuck to me like white on rice.
If something happens or spreads like wildfire, it happens very quickly and intensely.
Someone who is lily-livered is a coward.
Lines of communication are the routes used to communicate by people or groups who are in conflict; a government might open lines of communication with terrorists if it wished to negotiate with them.
The lion's share of something is the biggest or best part.
When people pay lip service to something, they express their respect, but they don't act on their words, so the respect is hollow and empty.
(USA) This means that children hear more and understand the world around them better than many adults realize.
Little strokes fell great oaks
Meaning: even though something may seem impossible, if you break it up into small parts and take one step at a time, you will succeed.
If you are living high off the hog, you are living lavishly.
A person who is very active, both mentally and physically, is a live wire.
This phrase is used to express surprise.
A loan shark lends money at very high rates of interest.
This is a military term meaning "be ready and prepared".
When people lock horns, they argue or fight about something.
Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted
If someone takes action too late, they do this; there is no reason to lock an empty stable.
This is an expressions that means 'everything'; if someone buys a company lock, stock and barrel, they buy absolutely everything to do with the company.
Someone with a long face is sad or depressed about something.
If someone is long in the tooth, they are a bit too old to do something.
If something is a long shot, there is only a very small chance of success.
The speaker could say this when they have not heard from a person, either through phone calls or emails for a long time.
'Long time no see' means that the speaker has not seen that person for a long time.
You are number one, so this idiom means that you should think about yourself first, rather than worrying about other people.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
(UK) If you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves, meaning that if someone takes care not to waste small amounts of money, they will accumulate capital. ('Look after the pence and the pounds will look after themselves' is an alternative form of this idiom.)
This idiom means that you should think carefully about the possible results or consequences before doing something.
If you look on the bright side, you try to see things in an optimistic way, especially when something has gone wrong.
If you look out for number one, you take care of yourself and your interests, rather than those of other people.
This idiom is used when someone arrives somewhere looking a mess or flustered and bothered.
A person who is very difficult to control and unpredictable is a loose cannon.
To have loose lips means to have a big mouth, susceptible to talking about everything and everyone. Sinking ships refers to anything from small acquaintances to long and hearty relationships (with friends or a significant other). So when one says loose lips sink ships, one is basically saying if you can't shut up you are going to end hurting people, usually psychologically or emotionally.Loose lips sink ships comes from World War I and/or WWII, when sailors on leave from their ships might talk about what ship they sailed on or where it had come from, or where it was going. If they talked too much (had 'loose lips') they might accidentally provide the enemy with anecdotal information that might later cause their ship to be tracked, and bombed and sunk, hence 'Loose lips sink ships.' Later, it came to mean any excessive talk might sabotage a project.
An exclamation used when nothing else will fit. Often fitting when one is stunned or dismayed.
Lord willing and the creek don't rise
Pertains to the ability to accomplish a task or meet an obligation, barring unforseen complications. Example: "I will be at work tomorrow, Lord willing and the creek don't rise."
To lose one's reputation or standing is to lose face
If someone loses the plot, they have stopped being rational about something.
(UK) If someone loses their bottle, they lose the courage to do something.
(UK) If you lose your lunch, you vomit.
If someone has lost their marbles, they've gone mad.
If someone loses their shirt, they lose all their money through a bad investment, gambling, etc.
If you love someone, it doesn't matter what they look like. You will also overlook faults.
Low-hanging fruit are things that are easily achieved.
Someone or something that is lower than a snake's belly is of a very low moral standing.
Lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut
(USA) If someone or something is lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut, they are of low moral standing because a snake's belly is low and if the snake is in a wagon rut, it is really low.
If people change the standards required to make things easier, they lower the bar.
If you lower your sights, you accept something that is less than you were hoping for.
To have the 'Luck of the draw' is to win something in a competition where the winner is chosen purely by chance.
~ M ~
If someone is as mad as a badger, they are crazy.
Someone who is as mad as a bag of hammers is crazy or stupid. ('Daft as a bag of hammers' is also used.)
(AU) One who is mad as a cut snake has lost all sense of reason, is crazy, out of control.
(USA) If someone is as mad as a hornet, they are very angry indeed.
Someone who is excitable and unpredictable is as mad as a March hare.
If someone is as mad as a wet hen, they are extremely angry.
One has an easy time in life or in a given situation. Finding things working to one's benefit.
If you are made of money, you have a lot of money.
Someone who rules or controls something with a mailed fist is in absolute control and tolerates no dissent. A mailed fist in a velvet glove is used to describe someone who appears soft on the outside, but underneath is very hard. 'Iron fist' is an alternative form.
Something major league is very important.
If someone makes a better fist of doing something, they do a better job.
If someone makes a clean breast, they confess in full to something they have done.
If you make a killing, you do something that makes you a lot of money.
If someone makes a meal of something, they spend too long doing it or make it look more difficult than it really is.
If someone is making a mint, they are making a lot of money.
If you make a monkey of someone, you make them look foolish.
Make a mountain out of a molehill
If somebody makes a mountain out of a molehill, they exaggerate the importance or seriousness of a problem.
If you make a pig's ear of something, you make a mess of it.
If you make a pitch for something, you make a bid, offer or other attempt to get it.
If you request something, or make a request, you are asking for something you want or need.
(UK) If someone makes a song and dance, they make an unecessary fuss about something unimportant.
Make a virtue out of necessity
If you make a virtue out of necessity, you make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
If you make an enquiry, you ask for general information about something.
(USA) If people are making bets in a burning house, they are engaged in futile activity while serious problems around them are getting worse.
If somebody finds it hard to make ends meet, they have problems living on the money they earn.
If you make hay, or may hay while the sun shines, you take advantage of an opportunity as soon as it arises and do not waste time.
If you make headway, you make progress.
If you make money hand over fist, you make a lot of money without any difficulty.
If something makes your day, it satisfies you or makes you happy.
If somebody make no bones about a scandal in their past, they are open and honest about it and show no shame or embarrassment.
A make or break decision, stage, etc, is a crucial one that will determine the success or failure of the whole venture.
(USA) If someone is extremely successful in a venture, they make out like a bandit.
If someone makes waves, they cause a lot of trouble.
If something makes your blood boil, it makes you very angry.
If something makes your flesh crawl, it really scares or revolts you. ('Make your flesh creep' is an alternative. 'Make your skin crawl' is also used.)
If something makes your hair stand on end, it terrifies you.
If something makes your toes curl, it makes you feel very uncomfortable, shocked or embarrassed.
If someone makes themselves scarce, they go away from a place, especially to avoid trouble or so that they can't be found.
From 'Robinson Crusoe', a 'Man Friday' refers to an assistant or companion, usually a capable one. The common feminine equivalent is 'Girl Friday'. (Also, 'right-hand man'. )
The man in the street is an idiom to describe ordinary people, especially when talking about their opinions and ideas.
A man of his word is a person who does what he says and keeps his promises.
A man of letters is someone who is an expert in the arts and literature, and often a writer too.
A man, or woman, of means is wealthy.
A man of parts is a person who is talented in a number of different areas or ways.
A weak person that can easily be beaten of changed is a man of straw.
A man of the cloth is a priest.
(UK) The man on the Clapham omnibus is the ordinary person in the street.
Your fate lies in the hands of God.
When people refer to the man upstairs, they are referring to God.
This is an idiomatic term for dogs.
A man's man is a man who does things enjoyed by men and is respected by other men.
There's many a slip twixt cup and lip means that many things can go wrong before something is achieved.
This idiom means that when everyone gets involved in something, the work gets done quickly.
This expression is used to wish someone a happy birthday.
A very long time ago.
March to the beat of your own drum
If people march to the beat of their own drum, they do things the way they want without taking other people into consideration.
Mark my words is an expression used to lend an air of seriousness to what the speaker is about to say when talking about the future. You often hear drunks say it before they deliver some particularly spurious nonsense.
If you mark someone's card, you correct them in a forceful and prompt manner when they say something wrong.
A marked man is a person who is being targeted by people who want to do them harm or cause them trouble.
If something is a matter of life and death, it is extremely important.
A mealy-mouthed person doesn't say what they mean clearly.
If something is meat and drink to you, you enjoy it and are naturally good at it, though many find it difficult.
The meat and potatoes is the most important part of something. A meat and potatoes person is someone who prefers plain things to fancy ones.
If you meet someone halfway, you accept some of their ideas and make concessions.
If something doesn't meet your expectations, it means that it wasn't as good as you had thought it was going to be; a disappointment.
If someone has gone to meet their Maker, they have died.
If you meet your match, you meet a person who is at least as good if not better than you are at something.
If negotiations between countries or parties are held through press releases and announcements, this is megaphone diplomacy, aiming to force the other party into adopting a desired position.
If something melts your heart, it affects you emotionally and you cannot control the feeling.
A melting pot is a place where people from many ethnicities and nationalities live together.
If somebody can't retain things for long in his or her memory and quickly forgets, he or she has a memory like a sieve. A sieve has lots of tiny holes in it to let liquids out while keeping the solids inside.
'An elephant never forgets' is a saying, so if a person has a memory like an elephant, he or she has a very good memory indeed.
When people mend fences, they try to improve or restore relations that have been damaged by disputes or arguments.
Mess with a bull, you get the horns
If you do something stupid or dangerous, you can get hurt.
If there's method in someone's madness, they do things in a strange and unorthodox way, but manage to get results.
When there is a deadlock in strategy and neither side can do anything that will ensure victory, it's a Mexican standoff.
If something is Mickey Mouse, it is intellectually trivial or not of a very high standard.
If someone has the Midas touch, they make a lot of money out of any scheme they try.
If someone says that he/she is in the middle of nowhere, he/she means that he/she is not sure where he/she is.
This means with all your effort and strength. As he failed in the previous exam,the student tried might and main to pass the next one.
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Big or great things start very small.
A millstone around your neck is a problem that prevents you from doing what you want to do.
If people mince words, or mince their words, they don't say what they really mean clearly.
This idiom is used when someone uses their willpower to rise above adversity.
Mind the gap is an instruction used on the Underground in the UK to warn passengers to be careful when leaving the tube or train as there is quite a distance between the train and the platform.
(USA) This idiom means that people should mind their own business and not interfere in other people's affairs.
If you are careful about the way you behave and are polite, you mind Your P's and Q's.
This is used as a way of telling someone to be polite and behave well.
If something is in mint condition, it is in perfect condition.
A misery guts is a person who's always unhappy and tries to make others feel negative.
A miss is as good as a mile means that if you fail, even by the smallest margin, it is still a failure.
If you miss the boat, you are too late to take advantage of an opportunity.
(USA) A mom and pop business is a small business, especially if it is run by members of a family. It can used in a wider sense to mean that something is small scale.
(USA) A Monday morning quarterback is someone who, with the benefit of hindsight, knows what should have been done in a situation.
Money burns a hole in your pocket
If someone has money burning a hole in their pocket, they are eager to spend it, normally in a wasteful manner.
This means that you have to work to earn money; it doesn't come easily or without effort.
If something's money for jam, it's a very easy way of making money.
(UK) If something's money for old rope, it's a very easy way of making money.
If people launder money, they get money made illegally into the mainstream so that it is believed to be legitimate and clean.
This means that money is important.
This means that people can convey many messages with money, and many things can be discovered about people by observing the way they use their money.
If someone is very rich, they have money to burn.
If children get up to monkey business, they are behaving naughtily or mischievously. This is the same as 'monkeying around'.
This idiom means that children will learn their behaviour by copying what they see happening around them.
If something's a moot point, there's some disagreement about it: a debatable point. In the U.S., this expression usually means that there is no point in debating something, because it just doesn't matter. An example: If you are arguing over whether to go the beach or to the park, but you find out the car won't start and you can't go anywhere, then the destination is said to be a moot point.
Moral fibre is the inner strength to do what you believe to be right in difficult situations Example: He lacked the moral fibre to be leader (In American English the correct spelling is 'fiber'.)
If people have/take/claim/seize, etc, the moral high ground, they claim that their arguments, beliefs, etc, are morally superior to those being put forward by other people.
(UK) If you have more front than Brighton, you are very self-confident, possibly excessively so.
The faster you try to do something, the more likely you are to make mistakes that make you take longer than it would had you planned it.
If a discussion generates more heat than light, it doesn't provide answers, but does make people angry.
If something has more holes than a Swiss cheese, it is incomplete,and lacks many parts.
If there is more than meets the eye to something, it is more complex or difficult than it appears.
More than one string to their bow
A person who has more than one string to their bow has different talents or skills to fall back on.
More than one way to skin a cat
When people say that there is more than one way to skin a cat, they mean that there are different ways of achieving the same thing.
More than you can shake a stick at
If you have more of something than you can shake a stick at, then you have a lot.
If you have a mountain to climb, you have to work hard or make a lot of progress to achieve something.
This expression indicates a person's determined intention of getting a work done in spite of all odds he may face. He will use all and every means to accomplish the target. Example: He moved heaven and earth to get his literary work recognised by the committee of experts.
If you would move mountains to do something, you would make any effort to achieve your aim. When people say that faith can move mountains, they mean that it can achieve a lot.
When people move the goalposts, they change the standards required for something to their advantage.
A person who is a mover and shaker is a highly respected, key figure in their particular area with a lot of influence and importance.
If there's a lot of fuss about something trivial, there's much ado about nothing.
'Muck or nettles' means 'all or nothing'.
The things that cannot be changed in the past that we usually forget about are mud in the fire.
This is a way of saying 'cheers' when you are about to drink something, normally alcohol.
If someone is mud-slinging, they are insulting someone and trying to damage that person's reputation.
If somebody muddies the waters, he or she makes the situation more complex or less clear.
When people use this idiom, they mean that you should keep quiet about something and not tell other people.
A man who is still very dependent on his mother is a mummy's boy.
This idiom means that bad deeds can't be kept secret forever.
Where people are behaving in morally and ethically questionable ways, they are in murky waters.
If something someone says is music to your ears, it is exactly what you had wanted to hear.
Mutton dressed as lamb is term for middle-aged or elderly people trying to look younger.
(USA) When someone says this, they mean that their feet are hurting.
This idiom is added to an adjective to show that you disagree with it: 'He's shy.' 'Shy my eye- he's just planning something secret.'
This idiom is used to show that you do not believe what someone has just said.
If your hands are full, you have so much to do that you cannot take on any more work, responsibilities and so on.
If your hands are tied, you are unable to act for some reason.
If your heart bleeds for someone, you feel genuine sympathy and sadness for them.
If your heart goes out to someone, you feel genuine sympathy for them.
This idiom is used to say that if people don't do what you say, they will have to leave or quit the project, etc.
~ N ~
A nail in someone or something's coffin is a problem or event that is a clear step towards an inevitable failure.
If a game, election, contest, etc, is a nail-biter, it is exciting because the competitors are so close that it is impossible to predict the result.
This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics.
The basic characteristics of something is the nature of the beast; often used when there's an aspect of something that cannot be changed or that is unpleasant or difficult.
If two competitors or candidates, etc, are neck and neck, then they are very close and neither is clearly winning.
If someone talks about their neck of the woods, they mean the area where they live.
Someone who is very famous and known to everyone needs no introduction.
If trying to find something is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it means that it is very difficult, if not impossible to find among everything around it.
Something or someone that is neither fish nor fowl doesn't really fit into any one group.
If something is neither here nor there, it is of very little importance.
Something that serves no purpose and is not aesthetically pleasing is neither use nor ornament.
If someone has nerves of steel, they don't get frightened when other people do.
Someone excessively worried or apprehensive is a nervous Nellie (or Nelly).
If you have some money saved for the future, it is a nest egg.
Never a rose without the prick
This means that good things always have something bad as well; like the thorns on the stem of a rose.
This is a way of telling someone never to visit you again.
If something needs new blood, it has become stale and needs new ideas or people to invigorate it.
'A new brush sweeps clean' means that someone with a new perspective can make great changes. However, the full version is 'a new brush sweeps clean, but an old brush knows the corners', which warns that experience is also a valuable thing. Sometimes 'broom' is used instead of 'brush'.
A new kid on the block is a person who has recently joined a company, organisation, team, etc, and does not know how things work yet.
If someone finds new enthusiasm and energy for something, they have a new lease of life.
(UK) A New man is a man who believes in complete equality of the sexes and shares domestic work equally.
This is used when a new authority figure takes charge.
(USA) If something happens in a New York minute, it happens very fast.
People who don't like new methods, technologies, etc, describe them as newfangled, which means new but not as good or nice as the old ones.
If a person is nice as pie, they are surprisingly very kind and friendly. "After our argument, she was nice as pie!"
If you do something in the nick of time, you do it at the very last minute or second.
(USA) If someone gives you a nickel tour, they show you around a place. ('Fifty-cent tour' is also used.)
A night owl is someone who goes to bed very late.
In Dante's Inferno, the ninth circle of hell is the centre where the worst punishments are found, so it is used idiomatically for something that couldn't get worse.
A close contest where neither opponent seems to be gaining the advantage.
If someone is nipping at the bit, they are anxious to get something done and don't want to wait.
If you nip something in the bud, you deal with a problem when it is still small, before it can grow into something serious.
If people get down to the nitty gritty, they concentrate on the most important and serious issues.
If something isn't a bed of roses, it is difficult.
No can do means that the speaker can't do whatever it is that has been asked of him or her.
Something that will not work. 'A square peg in a round hole is a no go.'
This means that life is unfair and people can do or try to do good things and still end up in a lot of trouble.
If someone is no great shakes at something, they are not very good at it.
There's no problem when no harm or damage is done, such as the time my sister-in-law stole the name we'd chosen for a boy and we both ended up having girls.
If there are no holds barred, there are no rules of conduct; you can do anything.
Ifs and Buts is a term used to describe the reasons people give for not wanting to do something. To show that you don't wish to accept any excuses, you can tell somebody that you wish to hear no ifs or buts Here IF & BUT have become nouns
Something that is no laughing matter is very serious.
If there is no love lost between two people they have a strong enmity towards or hate for the other and make no effort to conceal it.
Achievements require some sort of sacrifice.
This means without mercy. We can say no quarter given or asked.
This idiom means that something is certain or definite.
If something is to be done and no questions asked, then it doesn't matter what methods are used or what rules are broken to ensure that it gets done.
If something's no skin off your nose, it doesn't affect or bother you at all.
This idiom means that when people suspect something, there is normally a good reason for the suspicion, even if there is no concrete evidence. ('Where's there's smoke, there's fire' is also used.)
If someone has no spine, they lack courage or are cowardly.
If someone is no spring chicken, they are not young.
If something has no strings attached, there are no obligations or requirements involved.
If you have no time for an activity, you have absolutely no desire to spend or waste any time doing it. You can have no time for people, too.
If people say that there's no time like the present , they believe that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later, in which case it might never get done.
If there's no time to lose, then it's time to get started otherwise it won't be finished on time.
If there are no two ways about something, there is no other possible interpretation.
If something or someone is no use to man or beast, they it or they are utterly useless.
(UK) 'A nod's as good as a wink' is a way of saying you have understood something that someone has said, even though it was not said directly. The full phrase (sometimes used in the UK ) is 'a nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse'.
(UK) Unimportant or very simple tasks are noddy work.
None so blind as those who will not see
This idiom is used when people refuse to accept facts presented to them. ('None so deaf as those who will not hear' is an alternative.)
If someone has their nose in the air, they behave in a way that is meant to show that they are superior to others.
(UK) A nosy parker is someone who is excessively interested in other people's lives. ('Nosey parker' is an alternative spelling.)
Not a snowball's chance in hell
There is absolutely no possibility of something hapening if there's not a snowball's chance in hell.
If someone isn't all there, they are a little bit stupid or crazy.
If someone doesn't bat an eye, they do not react when other people normally would.
When someone says that they weren't born yesterday, they mean that they are not naive or easily fooled.
(UK) If something is not cricket, it is unfair.
Not enough room to swing a cat
If a room is very small, you can say that there isn't enough room to swing a cat in it.
If you don't give a fig about something, you don't care about it at all, especially used to express how little one cares about another's opinions or actions.
(UK) If you couldn't give a monkey's about something, you don't care at all about it.
If you don't have the heart to do something, you don't have the strength or courage to do something. (Usually used in the negative)
Not have two pennies to rub together
If someone hasn't got two pennies to rub together, they are very poor indeed.
Somebody who would not hurt a fly is not aggressive.
(USA) If someone doesn't know beans about something, they know nothing about it.
This indicates that the person described is unaware of his or her good fortune or is unaware of how difficult day to day life was before he/she was born. Typical usage: 'Kids today don't know they are born'.
Describing a film or something as not much cop is a way of saying that you didn't think much of it.
If something is not your cup of tea, you don't like it very much.
Someone distancing themselves from a situation could say that it is not on their watch.
If something is not your bag, it is not really suitable for your needs or you don't like it much.
Not the only pebble on the beach
If something is not the only pebble on the beach, there are other possibilities or alternatives.
If something is not to be sneezed at, it should be taken seriously.
If a story or explanation will not wash, it is not credible.
(USA) If something is not worth a red cent, it has no value.
This means that something is worthless and dates back to when someone would travel around the countryside repairing things such as a kitchen pot with a hole in it. He was called a 'tinker'. His dam was used to stop the flow of soldering material being used to close the hole. Of course his 'trade' is passé, thus his dam is worth nothing.
A success or achievement that might help you in the future is a notch on your belt.
If something's nothing to crow about, it's not particularly good or special.
Something that is not special or good is nothing to write home about.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
You can't win if you don't join in the game; if you don't participate in something, you will not achieve anything.
This idiom means 'occasionally'.
If something's null and void, it is invalid or is no longer applicable.
A number cruncher is an accountant or someone who is very good at dealing with numbers and calculations.
The nuts and bolts are the most essential components of something.
Someone who's nutty as a fruitcake is irrational or crazy. (This can be shortened to 'a fruitcake'.)
An object lesson serves as a warning to others. (In some varieties of English 'abject lesson' is used.)
Odds and ends are small, remnant articles and things- the same as 'bits and bobs'.
If someone looks off colour/color, they look ill.
Somewhere that's off the beaten track is in a remote location.
If something goes off the chart, it far exceeds the normal standards, good or bad, for something.
If you do something off the cuff, you do it without any preparation.
Someone who is off the grid lives outside society and chooses not to follow its rules and conventions.
If someone is off the hook, they have avoided punishment or criticism for something they have done.
If something is off the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect.
If someone has gone off the rails, they have lost track of reality.
Something off the record is said in confidence because the speaker doesn't want it attributed to them, especially when talking to the media.
If something goes off the scale, it far exceeds the normal standards, good or bad, for something.
If a product is off the shelf, it can be used straightaway without any setting-up.
If you say something off the top of your head, you don't think about it beforehand.
If something puts or throws you off your track, it distracts you or keeps you from achieving what you want.
Something that is off the wall is unconventional.
(UK) If someone is off their chump, they are crazy or irrational.
(UK) Someone who is off their rocker is crazy.
Off-hand means without preparation. People say that they don't know the answer off-hand, meaning that they don't know it at that time.
An expression of surprise.
An old chestnut is something that has been repeated so many times that it has lost its impact.
It's very difficult to forget old things, especially the first love.
Old friends and old wine are best
This idiom means that the things and people that we know well are better than the unfamiliar.
If something's old hat, it seems rather old fashioned and dated.
A proverb or piece of advice that is commonly accepted as truth and is handed down the generations, but is normally false.
The oldest trick in the book is a well-known way of deceiving someone, though still effective.
If you hold out or offer an olive branch, you make a gesture to indicate that you want peace.
If someone is on a fishing expedition, they are trying to get information, often using incorrect or improper ways to find things out.
If you're on a roll, you're moving from success to success.
If you hand or give something on a silver platter to someone, you let them have it too easily.
If someone is on all fours, they crawl.
(UK) If someone is on Carey Street, they are heavily in debt or have gone bankrupt.
If people are on good terms, they have a good relationship.
If something is on hold, no action is being taken.
If plans are put on ice, they are delayed and no action will be taken for the foreseeable future.
If you are on pins and needles, you are very worried about something.
This means that she is waiting impatiently and excitedly for something.
If someone's on the ball, they are well-informed and know what's going on in their area of responsibility or interest.
(UK) Is a machine is on the blink, it isn't working properly or is out of order.
(UK) If someone is on the blower, they are on the phone.
When you are called to the bosses office (since supposedly, they are the only ones who have carpet) and its definitely not for a good reason, i.e., you are in trouble, something has not gone according to plan and either maybe you are responsible and/or have some explaining to do.
If someone is on the case, they are dealing with a problem.
If you do something on the cheap, you spend as little as possible to do it.
(UK) Someone receiving financial assistance when unemployed is on the dole.
If someone says that they're leaving at seven on the dot, don't be late; they mean at exactly seven o'clock.
On the factory floor means the place where things are actually produced.
(UK) Someone who is stealing money from work is on the fiddle, especially if they are doing it by fraud.
On the reverse or the other side
If you do things on the fly, you do things without preparation, responding to events as they happen.
(UK) A person who is on the game works as a prostitute.
Events on the ground are where things are actually happening, not at a distance.
If you decide something on the hoof, you do it without planning, responding to events as they happen.
If you get something for free that would normally have to be bought, especially in a bar or restaurant, it is on the house.
If someone is on the lam, they are hiding from the police or authorities, especially to avoid arrest or prison.
If someone is honest and trustworthy, they are on the level.
If somebody's job is on the line, they stand a very good chance of losing it.
If someone is on the make, they are trying to make a lot of money, usually illegally.
If a place becomes widely known, it is put on the map. A place that remains unknown is off the map.
If you are on the money, you are right about something.
(UK) If you buy something on the never-never, you buy it on long-term credit.
(UK) If something is accepted by parliament or a committee majority, it is on the nod.
(UK) Someone who's on the nod is either asleep or falling asleep, especially when the shouldn't or are are in a position unusual for sleep, like sitting or standing.
(UK) When a horse runs, its head moves backwards and forwards alternately - in horse racing, if 2 horses cross the line together the one whose head happens to be going forward often wins and is said to win 'on the nod'.
This means right on time.
If someone is on the rebound, their relationship has recently ended and they are emotionally unstable.
If you start something or set off on the right foot, you get off to a good start.
When something or someone is on the ropes, it or they are doing badly and likely to fail.
If someone is on the run, they are avoiding arrest and hiding from the police.
If people are on the same page, they have the same information and are thinking the same way.
If people are on the same wavelength, they have the same ideas and opinions about something.
If something like a project is on the shelf, nothing is being done about it at the moment.
When things or people are on the skids, they are in serious decline and trouble.
If someone does something on the sly, they do it furtively or secretly.
When politicians are campaigning for support and votes, they are on the stump.
(UK) Someone who is stealing from work is on the take.
If a word is on the tip of your tongue, you know you know the word, but you just can't quite remember it at the moment.
(UK) This idiom means 'consecutively'; I'd saw them three days on the trot, which means that I saw them on three consecutive days.
If you are on the up and up, you are making very good progress in life and doing well.
If someone is on the wagon, they have stopped drinking alcohol.
(AU) In Australian English, if you're on the wallaby track, you are unemployed.
If you are on top of the world, everything is going well for you.
When someone is on their high horse, they are being inflexible, arrogant and will not make any compromises.
If someone's on their last legs, they're close to dying.
If someone is up on their soapbox about something, they are very overtly and verbally passionate about the topic.
If you are on your tod, you are alone.
Someone on his or her toes is alert and ready to go.
If somebody is said to be once bitten twice shy, it means that someone who has been hurt or who has had something go wrong will be far more careful the next time.
If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely indeed.
The full form of this proverb is 'one bad apple spoils the barrel', meaning that a bad person, policy, etc, can ruin everything around it.
If something is done at one fell swoop, it is done in a single period of activity, usually swiftly and ruthlessly.
A last drink before leaving a pub or bar is one for the road.
One good turn deserves another
This means that when people do something good, something good will happen to them.
This idiom means that we need other people to get on as cooperation benefits us all.
One man's loss is another man's gain
This means thato ne person's setback benefits someone else.
One man's meat is another man's poison
This idiom means that one person can like something very much, but another can hate it.
One man's trash is another man's treasure
What is useless to one person might be valuable to another.
(UK) Someone who is one over the eight is drunk.
One swallow does not make a summer
This means that one good or positive event does not mean that everything is all right.
If one person does all the work or has all the responsibility somewhere, then they are a one-man band.
A one-off event only happens once and will not be repeated.
A one-trick pony is someone who does one thing well, but has limited skills in other areas.
An expression used to indicate surprise.
If a shop or suchlike is open all hours, it only closes, if at all, terribly late.
If a person is an open book, it is easy to know what they think or how they feel about things.
When a sore is almost healed, and if a person rips or tears it open, it is way of preventing the healing process and further aggravating the pain. This phrase, metaphorically suggests, to revive or reopen a quarrel or enmity which was almost forgotten.
If you open old wounds, you revive a quarrel or problem that caused a lot of trouble in the past.
If you open a can of worms, you do something that will cause a lot of problems and is, on balance, probably going to cause more trouble than it's worth.
This idiom means that you only get one chance to achieve what you really want to do.
If you have other fish to fry, it doesn't matter if one opportunity fails to materialise as you have plenty of others.
The other side of the coin is a different, usually opposing, view of a situation. ('Flip side of the coin' is an alternative.)
If someone is out and about, they have left their home and are getting things done that they need to do.
(UK) If someone lives out in the sticks, they live out in the country, a long way from any metropolitan area.
If you are out like a light, you fall fast asleep.
If something gets out of hand, it gets out of control.
If someone or something is out of your league, you aren't good enough or rich enough, etc, for it or them.
If you are out of pocket on a deal, you have lost money.
Out of sight, out of mind is used to suggest that someone will not think or worry about something if it isn't directly visible or available to them.
If you are feeling a bit upset and depressed, you are out of sorts.
If something happens out of the blue, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly.
Thinking out of the box is thinking in a creative way. However, it can also be used for a ready-made product that requires no specialist knowledge to set it up.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire
If you get out of one problem, but find yourself in a worse situation, you are out of the frying pan, into the fire.
If someone comes out of the gate running, they start something at a fast pace, without any build-up.
(USA) If something comes out of the left field, it is beside the point and has nothing to do with the matter being discussed.
People say this when children unexpectedly say something very intelligent or wise.
If you are out of the woods, you have emerged safely from a dangerous situation, though the idiom is often used in the negative.
If something is out of this world, it is fantastic.
If something is out of whack, it is not working correctly or not in the correct order.
If you get someone out of your hair, you get them to stop bothering or annoying you. ('Stay/keep/get out of my hair!' can be used as imperatives)
If someone is out of the mind, they are so emotional about something that they are no longer rational.
If someone does something out of their own pocket, they pay all the expenses involved.
If somebody's out on a limb, they are in a very exposed position and could get into difficulties.
If someone's out to lunch, they are crazy or out of touch.
This means complete or total; an out-and-out lie is completey false.
If someone has you over a barrel, they have you in a position where you have no choice but to accept what they want.
If something happens over and over, it happens repeatedly.
If you say that something will happen over your dead body, you will not let it happen.
Medicines and drugs that can be sold without a doctor's prescription are sold over the counter.
If someone is over the hill they have reached an age at which they can longer perform as well as they used to.
If you are over the moon about something, you are overjoyed.
If something is over the top, it is excessive or unnecessary. It refers to the moment a soldier leaves the trenches.
If something is over your head, or goes over your head, it is too complex or difficult for you to understand.
(UK) If you over-egg the pudding, you spoil something by trying to improve it excessively. It is also used nowadays with the meaning of making something look bigger or more important than it really is. ('Over-egg' alone is often used in this sense.)
~ P ~
If a place is extremely crowded, people are packed like sardines, or packed in like sardines.
(USA) If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself without outside help.
If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a pain in the neck. Pain in the butt, or pain in the ass (USA), and Pain in the arse (UK) are less polite alternative forms.
If you go out for a night out with lots of fun and drinking, you paint the town red.
(USA) If someone paints themselves into a corner, they get themselves into a mess.
A painted Jezebel is a scheming woman.
If you open a Pandora's box, something you do causes all sorts of trouble that you hadn't anticipated.
If you paper over the cracks, you try to make something look or work better but only deal with superficial issues, not the real underlying problems.
A paper tiger is a person, country, institution, etc, that looks powerful, but is actually weak.
If something is par for the course, it is what you expected it would be. If it is above par, it is better, and if it is below par, it is worse.
If you learn something parrot fashion, you learn it word for word. A parrot is a bird from South America that can talk.
If something is part and parcel of your job, say, it is an essential and unavoidable part that has to be accepted.
If something passes muster, it meets the required standard.
If you pass the buck, you avoid taking responsibility by saying that someone else is responsible.
If you pass the hat, you ask a people in a group to give money.
If you pass the time of day with somebody, you stop and say hello, enquire how they are and other such acts of social politeness.
This is used in education to describe the aspect of care offered to pupils that cover things besides learning.
If something requires the patience of Job, it requires great patience.
If you pay on the nail, you pay promptly in cash.
When you pay the piper, you have to accept the consequences of something that you have done wrong or badly.
If you pay through the nose for something, you pay a very high price for it.
If you have paid your dues, you have had your own struggles and earned your place or position.
The pecking order is the order of importance or rank.
A peeping Tom is someone who tries to look through other people's windows without being seen in order to spy on people in their homes.
Pen is mightier than the sword
The idiom 'the pen is mightier than the sword' means that words and communication are more powerful than wars and fighting.
(USA) Something that is very unimportant is penny ante.
A penny pincher is a mean person or who is very frugal.
Someone who is penny wise, pound foolish can be very careful or mean with small amounts of money, yet wasteful and extravagant with large sums.
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones
People should not criticize other people for faults that they have themselves.
When someone gives you a pep talk it is to build you up to help you accomplish something. In sports a coach might give a player a pep talk before the game to bolster his confidence. At work the boss might give you a pep talk to get you to do a better job.
England is known to some as perfidious Albion, implying that it is not trustworthy in its dealings with foreigners.
Perish the thought is an expression meaning that you really hope something will not happen.
A pet peeve is something that irritates an individual greatly.
A photo finish is when two contestants (usually in a race) finish at almost exactly the same time, making it difficult to determine the winner. (The saying stems from the practice of taking a photograph when the winners cross the finish line to determine who was ahead at the time.)
A person who pays for everyone picks up the tab.
(USA) A pick-up game is something unplanned where people respond to events as they happen.
When something is exactly as it should be it is said to be picture perfect.
If an idea or scheme is pie in the sky, it is utterly impractical.
If something is a piece of cake, it is really easy.
Pieces of the same cake are things that have the same characteristics or qualities.
If someone buys a pig in a poke, they buy something without checking the condition it was in, usually finding out later that it was defective.
If you think something will never happen or succeed, you can say that 'pigs might fly' (or 'pigs can fly' and 'pigs will fly'- the idiom is used in many forms)
If you pin someone down with a label, you characterise them, often meant negatively as the label is restrictive.
(UK) If you work for pin money, you work not because you need to but because it gives you money for extra little luxuries and treats.
If what someone says should be taken with a pinch of salt, then they exaggerate and distort things, so what they say shouldn't be believed unquestioningly. ('with a grain of salt' is an alternative.)
(UK) In the UK, the pink pound is an idiom for the economic power of gay people.
If someone receives a pink slip, they receive a letter telling them they have lost their job.
A pipe dream is an unrealistic, impractical idea or scheme.
If food is piping hot, it is very hot indeed.
If you have your place in the sun, you find wealth, happiness or whatever you are looking for in life.
(UK) If something is as plain as a pikestaff, it is very clear.
Plain as the nose on your face
If something is as plain as the nose on your face, it is very clear and obvious.
A plain Jane is a woman who isn't particularly attractive.
If something is relatively easy and there are no problems doing it, it is plain sailing.
Plan is an alternate or fall-back position or method when the initial attempt or plan goes wrong.
When someone is wearing a plastic smile, they are appear to be happier with a situation or events than they actually are. This is actually a description of the forced smile you might see in many photographs.
If you play by ear, you deal with something in an impromptu manner, without guidelines or rules. It refers to playing music without using written notation.
If people play fast and loose, they behave in an irresponsible way and don't respect rules, etc.
If you are playing for keeps, you take things very seriously and the outcome is very important to you; it is not a mere game.
If you play for time, you delay something because because you are not ready or need more time to thing about it. Eg. I knew I had to play for time until the police arrived.
If someone plays hard to get, they pretend not to be interewsted or attracted by someone, usually to make the other person increase their efforts.
If someone plays hardball, they are very aggressive in trying to achieve their aim.
Playing havoc with something is creating disorder and confusion; computer viruses can play havoc with your programs.
If people play hooky, they don't attend school when they should and don't have a valid reason for their absence.
If you play into someone's hands, you do what they were expecting you to do and take advantage of this.
If you play it by ear, you don't have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape.
If someone plays out of their skin, they give an outstanding performance.
To pretend to be dead or sleeping. His younger sister jumped on him because she knew he was just playing possum.
If you play second fiddle, you take a subordinate role behind someone more important.
Someone who plays the field has sexual relationships with many people.
If someone plays the fool, they behave in a silly way to make people laugh. ('Act the fool' is and alternative form.)
If people take foolish risks, they are playing with fire.
If someone plays to the gallery, they say or do things that will make them popular at the expense of more important issues.
(India) Please respond to me if the solution provided is incorrect or insufficient.
When someone is pleased as punch, they are very satisfied about something
Someone who gets a legitimate job which is the opposite of their previous one. E.G a computer hacker who then helps to catch other hackers or an ex-bank robber who then advises banks on security.
Something that is poetry in motion is beautiful to watch.
When you point the finger at someone, you are accusing and blaming them for something.
Pointy-heads are supposed intellectuals or experts, but who don't really know that much.
A poison pill is a strategy designed to prevent a company from being take over.
Someone with a poker face doesn't show any emotion or reaction so that people don't know what they are feeling.
(USA) Someone who polishes the apples with someone, tries to get into that person's favor.
To work very hard at something for little or no return. In other words, wasting time on work which will not yield reasonable value.
Things or people that are politically correct use language that will not cause offence.
If soemone is as poor as a church mouse, they are very poor indeed.
When someone pops the question, they ask someone to marry them.
When someone pops their clogs, they die.
Pork barrel politics involves investing money in an area to get political support rather than using the money for the common good.
If someone hypocritically criticises a person for something that they themselves do, then it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
If you take pot-luck, you take whatever happens to be available at the time.
If someone wants their pound of flesh, the force someone to pay or give back something owed, even though they don't need it and it will cause the other person a lot of difficulty.
If someone pours oil on troubled waters, they try to calm things down.
If somebody goes to powder your nose, it is a euphemism for going to the lavatory (toilet).
The powers that be are the people who are in charge of something.
A practical joke is a trick played on someone that is meant to be funny for people watching, though normally embarrassing for the person being tricked.
If you practise what you preach, you do what you say other people should do.(In American English, the verb is 'practice')
If someone preaches to the choir, they talking about a subject or issue with which their audience already agrees. ('Preaching to the converted' is an alternative form.)
If someone behaves calmly and rationally in difficult circumstances, they show presence of mind.
When people, especially politicians, press the flesh, they meet members of the public and shake their hands, usually when trying to get support.
If you are pressed for time, you are in a hurry or working against a very tight schedule.
If you prick up your ears, you listen very carefully. ('Pick up your ears' is also used.)
Someone who is prim and proper always behaves in the correct way and never breaks the rules of etiquette.
The primrose path is an easy and pleasurable lifestyle, but one that ends in unpleasantness and problems.
A prince charming is the perfect man in a woman's life.
If a problem is 30, the problem is the person who sits 30 cm from the computer screen. It is used to describe people that lack technical knowledge and can be used when you insult someone who's having computer problems.
If something is proclaimed from the rooftops, it is made as widely known and as public as possible.
A prodigal son is a young man who wastes a lot on money on a lavish lifestyle. If the prodigal son returns, they return to a better way of living.
Proof of the pudding is in the eating
This means that something can only be judged when it is tested or by its results. (It is often shortened to 'Proof of the pudding'.)
Pros and cons are arguments for or against a particular issue. Pros are arguments which aim to promote the issue, while cons suggest points against it. The term has been in use since the 16th century and is a shortening of a Latin phrase, pro et contra, which means “for and against.” Considering the pros and cons of an issue is a very useful way to weigh the issue thoughtfully and reach an informed decision.
Someone who is as proud as a peacock is excessively proud.
If you pull a rabbit out of a hat, you do something that no one was expecting.
When you pull in the reins, you slow down or stop something that has been a bit out of control.
If you pull no punches, you hold nothing back.
(USA) If sopmeone pulls numbers out of their ass, they give unreliable or unsubstantiated figures to back their argument.
If you pull out all the stops, you do everything you possibly can to achieve the result you want.
(USA) If you pull something out of the fire, you save or rescue it.
A person of higher position or in authority pulls rank, he or she exercises his/her authority, generally ending any discussion and ignoring other people's views.
If you pull someone's leg, you tease them, but not maliciously.
If you pull strings, you use contacts you have got to help you get what you want.
If you pull the fat from the fire, you help someone in a difficult situation.
Pull the other one, it's got brass bells on
This idiom is way of telling somebody that you don't believe them. The word 'brass' is optional.
The person who pulls the trigger is the one who does the action that closes or finishes something.
Pull the wool over someone's eyes
If you pull the wool over someone's eyes, you deceive or cheat them.
If you aren't satisfied with someone and want them to do better, you can tell them to pull up their socks.
(USA) If someone pulls your chain, they take advantage of you in an unfair way or do something to annoy you.
(UK) If someone tells you to do this, they want you to hurry up. ('Get your finger out' is also used.)
If you pull your punches, you do not use all the power or authority at your disposal.
If someone is not pulling their weight, they aren't making enough effort, especially in group work.
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
If you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you make the effort to improve things for yourself.
A punching bag (or punch bag) is a person who gets a lot of unfair criticism.
A pup's chance is no chance.
Puppy love is love between two very young people.
A purple patch is a period of time when someone or something is successful and doing well.
If or when push comes to shove, the situation has become some bad that you are forced to do something: If push comes to shove, we'll just have to use our savings.
This means to go to the limits, to do something to the maximum possible.
If someone is said to be pushing up the daisies, they are dead.
If you put a bug in someone's ear, you give him or her a reminder or suggestion relating to a future event.
This is a way of telling someone to be quiet.
If someone tells you to put a sock in it, they are telling you to shut up.
Put all your eggs in one basket
If you put all your eggs in one basket, you risk everything on a single opportunity which, like eggs breaking, could go wrong.
If you put something on the cuff, you will take it now and pay for it later.
If people put lipstick on a pig, they make superficial or cosmetic changes, hoping that it will make the product more attractive.
(USA) To put more green into something is to spend more or to increase investment in it.
If someone puts on airs, they pretend to be grander and more important than they really are.
If you put or get someone's back up, you annoy them.
This means that when you get hurt, you should rub it off or shake it off and you'll be ok.
(USA) I think its used to encourage someone to throw a ball like a baseball hard or fast.
Put somebody's nose out of joint
If you put someone's nose out of joint, you irritate them or make them angry with you.
If you put someone on a pedestal, you admire them greatly, idolise them.
If someone is put out to pasture, they are forced to resign or give up some responsibilities.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it
This is used as an unsympathetic way of telling someone to accept what you have just said.
Put the carriage before the horse
If you put the carriage before the horse, you try to do things in the wrong order.
To put an end to something.
If you put the pedal to the metal, you go faster.
If someone is put to the sword, he or she is killed or executed.
If someone puts two and two together, they reach a correct conclusion from the evidence.
'Put up or shut up' means you do something you are talking about or not to talk about it any more.
If something suggests something to you, it puts you in mind of that thing.
If you put someone in the picture, you tell them the information they need to know about something.
If you ut your best foot forward, you try your best to do something.
If you put your cards on the table, you make your thoughts or ideas perfectly clear.
When someone puts their foot down, they make a firm stand and establish their authority on an issue.
If you put your foot in it, you do or say something embarrassing and tactless or get yourself into trouble.
If you put your foot in your mouth, you say something stupid or embarrassing.
If you can out your hand on your heart, then you can say something knowing it to be true.
If people put their head together, they exchange ideas about something.
Put your money where your mouth is
If someone puts their money where their mouth is, they back up their words with action.
Put your shoulder to the wheel
When you put your shoulder to the wheel, you contribute to an effort.
If you put your thumb on the scales, you try to influence the result of something in your favour.
Put yourself in someone's shoes
If you put yourself in someone's shoes, you imagine what it is like to be in their position.
Putting the cart before the horse
When you put the cart before the horse, you are doing something the wrong way round.
A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn't worth winning.
~ Q ~
Bread and butter, here, indicate the means of one’s living. (That is why we say ‘he is the bread winner of the family’). If a sub-ordinate in an organisation is quarrelsome or if he is not patient enough to bear the reprimand he deserves, gets angry and retorts or provokes the higher-up, the top man dismisses him from the job. So, he loses the job that gave him bread and butter. Hence we say, he quarrelled with bread and butter (manager or the top man) and lost his job.
(UK) If you try to put or get a quart into a pint pot, you try to put too much in a small space. (1 quart = 2 pints)
The queen bee is a woman who holds the most important position in a place.
A woman who is pre-eminent in her area is a Queen of Hearts.
(UK) A strange person is a queer fish.
If someone is in a lot of trouble, especially financial, they are in Queer Street.
If someone queers your pitch, they interfere in your affairs and spoil things.
If something's a question of time, it's certain to happen, though we don't know exactly when.
Someone who goes to the front of a queue instead of waiting is jumping the queue.
If something happens quick as a flash, it happens very fast indeed.
If you make some money easily, you make a quick buck.
A quick fix is an easy solution, especially one that will not last.
If someone is quick off the mark, they are very quick to use, start or do something new.
Someone who is quick on the trigger acts or responds quickly.
(UK) If somebody is quids in, they stand to make a lot of money from something.
If somebody is as quiet as a cat they make as little noise as possible and try to be unnoticeable.
If someone's as quiet as a mouse, they make absolutely no noise.
When you know that something is about to go horribly wrong, but hasn't just yet, then you are in the quiet before the storm.
Quitters never win; winners never quit
If you quit you will never get what you want, but if you keep trying you will find a way to get what you want. ('Quitters never win, winners never quit, but those who never win and never quit are idiots' is a variation accredited to Larry Kersten)
~ R ~
If something or someone goes to rack and ruin, they are utterly destroyed or wrecked.
If you rack your brain, you think very hard when trying to remember something. ('Rack your brains' is an alternative.)
(USA) This term was used to signify the Union forces (who wore blue uniforms) in the American Civil war .
Someone who starts life very poor and becomes rich goes from rags to riches.
If someone rains on your parade, they ruin your pleasure or your plans.
When it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.
If you save something, especially money, for a rainy day, you save it for some possible problem or trouble in the future.
(USA) If someone raises Cain, they make a big fuss publicly, causing a disturbance.
If something raises eyebrows, it shocks or surprises people.
(UK) If you go back to old problems and try to bring them back, making trouble for someone, you are raking over old coals.
(USA) If you rake someone over the coals, you criticize or scold them severely.
The rank and file are the ordinary members of a company, organisation, etc, excluding the managers and directors.
The rat race is the ruthless, competitive struggle for success in work, etc.
Rather you than me is an expression used when someone has something unpleasant or arduous to do. It is meant in a good natured way of expressing both sympathy and having a bit of a laugh at their expense.
If you get a raw deal, you are treated unfairly.
If you read between the lines, you find the real message in what you're reading or hearing, a meaning that is not available from a literal interpretation of the words.
When people are reading from the same page, they say the same things in public about an issue.
If you read someone the riot act, you give them a clear warning that if they don't stop doing something, they will be in serious trouble.
If something is the real deal, it is genuine and good.
Something that's the real McCoy is the genuine article, not a fake.
A real plum is a good opportunity.
A real trouper is someone who will fight for what they believe in and doesn't give up easily. (People often use 'Real trooper' as the two words sound the same.)
Rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic
(UK) If people are rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, they are making small changes that will have no effect as the project, company, etc, is in very serious trouble.
If you recharge your batteries, you do something to regain your energy after working hard for a long time.
A recipe for disaster is a mixture of people and events that could only possibly result in trouble.
If you give someone the red-carpet treatment, you give them a special welcome to show that you think they are important. You can roll out the red carpet, too.
If something is a distraction from the real issues, it is a red herring.
A red letter day is a one of good luck, when something special happens to you.
The red light district is the area of a town or city where there is prostitution, sex shops, etc.
If someone sees red or the red mist, they lose their temper and self-control completely.
If something is a red rag to a bull, it is something that will inevitably make somebody angry or cross.
This is a negative term for the official paperwork and bureaucracy that we have to deal with.
An ironic allusion to the obsession some people have that there are reds (communists) everywhere plotting violent revolution.
If something is reduced to ashes, it is destroyed or made useless. His infidelities reduced their relationship to ashes.
If someone reinvents the wheel, they waste their time doing something that has already been done by other people, when they could be doing something more worthwhile.
A Renaissance man is a person who is talented in a number of different areas, especially when their talents include both the sciences and the arts.
(USA) If the rest is gravy, it is easy and straightforward once you have reached that stage.
If someone rests on their laurels, they rely on their past achievements, rather than trying to achieve things now.
When you are happy to be proved right, then you know that revenge is sweet.
If you rewrite history, you change your version of past events so as to make yourself look better than you would if the truth was told.
If something is without rhyme or reason, it is unreasonable. ('Beyond rhyme or reason' is an alternative.)
A rice missionary gives food to hungry people as a way of converting them to Christianity.
Someone who is as rich as Croesus is very wealthy indeed.
A rich man's family consists of one son and one daughter.
If sxomeone is riding for a fall, they are taking great risks that are likely to end in a disaster.
If someone is riding high, they are very successful at the moment.
If someone rides roughshod over other people, they impose their will without caring at all for other people's feelings.
If you ride shotgun, you protect or guard something when it is being transported.
If you ride with the tide, you accept the majority decision.
If things are right as rain, then everything is going well in your life.
This means immediately; at the very beginning. It describes a sprinter blasting out of the starting blocks at the beginning of a short distance race (e.g., 100-yard dash, 50-yard dash).
(UK) A right royal night out would be an extremely exciting, memorable and fun one.
If something is right up your alley, it suits you perfectly.
If something is ideal for you, it is right up your street.
If something rings a bell, it reminds you of something you have heard before, though you may not be able to remember it very well. A name may ring a bell, so you know you have heard the name before, but cannot place it properly.
If you have a ringside seat, you can observe something from a very close and clear position.
Rip van Winkle is a character in a story who slept for twenty years, so if someone is a Rip van Winkle, they are behind the times and out of touch with what's happening now.
If you wake up full of energy, you rise and shine.
If something rises from the ashes, it recovers after a serious failure.
If someone has a great and sudden change in their ideas or beliefs, then this is a road to Damascus change, after the conversion of Saint Paul to Christianity while heading to Damascus to persecute Christians.
If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you try to solve one problem, but create another in doing so, often through short-term planning.
If you rock the boat, you destabilise a situation by making trouble. It is often used as advice; 'Don't rock the boat'.
If something is not rocket science, it is not very complicated or difficult to understand. This idiom is normally used in the negative.
If you roll out the red carpet, you treat someone in a special way, especially when welcoming them.
If you roll with the punches, you are flexible and able to adapt to difficult circumstances.
If you roll your eyes, you show with your eyes that you don't believe someone or aren't interested in what they're saying.
If someone has a lot of money, more than they could possibly need, they are rolling in money.
If the audience watching something are laughing loudly, the show has them rolling in the aisles.
This idiom means that many things cannot be done instantly, and require time and patience.
(USA) It's a expression used in the Southern USA that means that you must look out for yourself as no one's going to do it for you. (It can be shortened to 'root hog'. A hog is a pig.)
If someone is rooted to the spot, they canot move, either physically or they cannot think their way out of a problem.
If people see things through rose-colored (coloured) glasses, they see them in a more positive light than they really are.
If people see things through rose-tinted glasses, they see them in a more positive light than they really are.
If something is rough and ready, it has not been carefully prepared, but is fit for its purpose. If a person is rough and ready, they are not very refined or mannered.
If someone is rough around the edges, they haven't mastered something, though they show promise.
A rough diamond is a person who might be a bit rude but who is good underneath it all.
If something has rough edges, it is still not a finished product and not all of a uniform standard.
To get the rough end of the stick is to be treated unfairly or to come off worse than the other party in a transaction, situation or relationship.
If something, especially something made from wood or stone, is rough-hewn, it is unfinished or unpolished.
If someone has gone round the bend, they have stopped being rational about something. If something drives you round the bend, it irritates you or makes you angry.
If you go round the houses, you do something in an inefficient way when there is a quicker, more convenient way.
If you rub shoulders with people, you meet and spend time with them, especially when they are powerful or famous.
If you annoy or irritate someone when you didn't mean to, you rub them up the wrong way.
If an organisation, company, government, etc, is like a rudderless ship, it has no clear direction and drifts about without reaching its goals.
This means that the person will one day bitterly regret what they have done.
If you ruffle a few feathers, you annoy some people when making changes or improvements.
Rule of thumb means approximately.
If someone rules the roost they are the boss. Example:There's no doubt who rules the roost in this house.
If someone "Runs a mile", they do everything they can to avoid a situation. Example: "I was worried that he'd take one look at me and run a mile."
When things or people are running amok, they are wild and out of control.('Run amuck' is also used.)
(USA) If you run around the bush, it means that you're taking a long time to get to the point.
If someone tries to run before they can walk, they try to do something requiring a high level of knowledge before they have learned the basics.
If you can run circles around someone, you are smarter and intellectually quicker than they are.
If something runs into the sand, it fails to achieve a result.
Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes
This idiom is used to suggest trying out an idea to see if people accept it.
If you are run off your feet, you are extremely busy and don't have enough time to do everything.
If a campaign, project, etc, runs out of gas, it loses energy and momentum, and progress slows or halts.
If you run rings around someone, you are so much better than them that they have no chance of keeping up with you.
If people run something into the ground, they treat or manage it so badly that they ruin it.
If somebody is being criticised harshly by a lot of people, they are said to run the gauntlet.
If someone runs the show, they like to be in control and make all the decisions.
If you run someone or something to ground, you pursue until you capture or find them or it.
If someone runs their mouth off, they talk too much.
If something is run-of-the-mill, there is nothing exceptional about it- it is ordinary or average.
If you are exhausted but keep going, you are running on empty.
If someone has used all their energy on something, but must continue, they are running on fumes. It is an expression used when driving a car when the needle is on empty but still running. We say it is 'running on fumes'.
If a characteristic runs in the family, it can clearly be seen members of different generations. A hereditary illness that is passed from one generation to the next also runs in the family.
If people take a dangerous and unnecessary risk, they are playing Russian roulette.
When something is described as a rusty needle, it is badly damaged but still works, or if someone very is sick or tired but still manages to do things at a fairly good level. An alternative form is "a tarnished needle".
~ S ~
Something that is a sacred cow is held in such respect that it cannot be criticised or attacked.
If you arrive safe and sound, then nothing has harmed you on your way.
Something that is as safe as houses is very secure or certain.
A proposition that is a safe bet doesn't have any risks attached.
A person who can be trusted to do something without causing any trouble is a safe pair of hands.
If a lot of people do something risky at the same time, the risk is reduced because there is safety in numbers.
(USA) A Saigon moment is when people realise that something has gone wrong and that they will lose or fail.
If you sail close to the wind, you take risks to do something, going close to the limit of what is allowed or acceptable.
Someone who sails under false colours (colors) is hypocritical or pretends to be something they aren't in order to deceive people.
Your salad days are an especially happy period of your life.
If you rub salt in a wound, you make someone feel bad about something that is already a painful experience. 'Pour salt on a wound' is an alternative form of the idiom.
People who are salt of the earth are decent, dependable and unpretentious.
A salty dog is an experienced sailor.
When nothing changes, it's the same old, same old.
If someone saves face, they manage to protect their reputation.
If something saves your bacon, it saves your life or rescues you from a desperate situation. People can also save your bacon.
If someone saves their skin, they manage to avoid getting into serious trouble.
If you are saved by the bell, you are rescued from a danger or a tricky situation just in time.
If someone has some character defects, but has a characteristic that compensate for their failings and shortcomings, this is their saving grace.
(USA) If you say uncle, you admit defeat. ('Cry uncle' is an alternative form.)
People say this when pouring a drink as a way of telling you to tell them when there's enough in your glass.
If you do something on someone else's say-so, you do it on the authority, advice or recommendation.
Saying is one thing; doing is another
It's harder to do something than it is to say that you will do it.
When the scales fall from your eyes, you suddenly realise the truth about something.
Scare the daylights out of someone
If you scare the daylights out of someone, you terrify them. (This can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.)
This idiom is used as a pejorative term for a sexually promiscuous woman, especially an adulteress.
If something's scattered to the four winds, it goes out in all directions.
If you can scent blood, you feel that a rival is having difficulties and you are going to beat them.
When people take it in turns to choose a member of a team, it is a schoolyard pick.
If someone escapes scot free, they avoid payment or punishment. 'Scot' is an old word for a tax, so it originally referred to avoiding taxes, though now has a wider sense of not being punished for someone that you have done.
The phrase 'Scotch mist' is used humorously to refer to something that is hard to find or doesn't exist - something imagined.
When all the best people, things or ideas and so on are used up and people try to make do with what they have left, they are scraping the barrel.
If someone shouts very loudly in anger, or fear, they scream blue murder.
If someone has a screw loose, they are crazy.
Screwed if you do, screwed if you don't
This means that no matter what you decide or do in a situation, there will be negative consequences.
If you are getting your sea legs, it takes you a while to get used to something new.
The seamy side of something is the unpleasant or sordid aspect it has.
A searching question goes straight to the heart of the subject matter, possibly requiring an answer with a degree of honesty that the other person finds uncomfortable.
If some has second thoughts, they start to think that an idea, etc, is not as good as it sounded at first and are starting to have doubts.
If you overcome tiredness and find new energy and enthusiasm, you have second wind.
If people see eye to eye, they agree about everything.
If someone sees red, they become very angry about something.
If you see the elephant, you experience much more than you wish to; it is often used when a soldier goes into a warzone for the first time.
When someone sees the light, they realise the truth.
(AU) If you see which way the cat jumps, you postpone making a decision or acting until you have seen how things are developing.
(UK) If somebody says this when leaving, they expect to see you again soon.
A casual way of saying to friends I'll see you again, sometime, (without a definite date or time having been set) - this is often abbreviated to 'Later' or 'Laters' as an alternative way of saying goodbye.
A good night phrase to children.
Seed money is money that is used to start a small business.
This idiom means that people can only really believe what they experience personally.
If something's seen better days, it has aged badly and visibly compared to when it was new. The phrase can also be used to describe people.
If you sell someone down the river, you betray their trust.
If a product is selling very well, it is selling like hot cakes.
If something is selling like hotcakes, it is very popular and selling very well.
Sell your birthright for a mess of pottage
If a person sells their birthright for a mess of pottage, they accept some trivial financial or other gain, but lose something much more important. 'Sell your soul for a mess of pottage' is an alternative form.
If someone sells their soul, their betray the most precious beliefs.
If you send someone packing, you send them away, normally when they want something from you.
(UK) If you send someone to Coventry, you refuse to talk to them or co-operate with them.
Separate the sheep from the goats
If you separate the sheep from the goats, you sort out the good from the bad.
Separate the wheat from the chaff
When you separate the wheat from the chaff, you select what is useful or valuable and reject what is useless or worthless.
When someone is serving time, they are in prison.
When someone is serving their country, they have enrolled in the military.
If something is set in stone, it cannot be changed or altered.
If you do something remarkable, you set the Thames on fire, though this expression is used in the negative; someone who is dull or undistiguished will never set the Thames on fire.
When you set the wheels in motion, you get something started.
If you set your sights on someone or something, it is your ambition to beat them or to achieve that goal.
If someone is seven sheets to the wind, they are very drunk.
If you are in seventh heaven, you are extremely happy.
Shades of meaning is a phrase used to describe the small, subtle differences in meaning between similar words or phrases; 'kid' and 'youth' both refer to young people, but carry differing views and ideas about young people.
A shaggy dog story is a joke which is a long story with a silly end.
If you shake a leg, you are out of bed and active. It can be used to tell someone to hurry up.
(UK) If you go somewhere by Shanks's pony, you walk there.
If someone has to shape up or ship out, they have to improve or leave their job, organisation, etc.
(USA) If someone is as sharp as a tack, they are very clever indeed.
Someone who isn't easily deceived or fooled is a sharp cookie.
(USA) If someone says this when negotiating, they want the other person to make a better offer, a lower price.
(AU) A very popular old Australian saying meaning everything will be all right, often used when there is some doubt.
If you shed light on something, you make it clearer and easier to understand.
If the sands are shifting, circumstances are changing.
If people shilly-shally, they can't make up their minds about something and put off the decision.
If your ship has come in, something very good has happened to you.
If things are shipshape and Bristol fashion, they are in perfect working order.
If the shoe is on the other foot, someone is experiencing what they used to make others experience, normally negative things.
If you do something on a shoestring, you try to spend the absolute minimum amount of money possible on it.
If someone demolishes your argument, it (and you) have been shot down in flames.
Someone who shoots from the hip talks very directly or insensitively without thinking beforehand.
When you shoot the breeze, you chat in a relaxed way.
When you have shot your wad, you have expended everything and have no more to say or do about a matter.
If you shoot yourself in the foot, you do something that damages your ambition, career, etc.
If something is like shooting fish in a barrel, it is so easy that success is guaranteed.
'Shop floor' refers to the part of an organisation where the work is actually performed rather than just managed.
If someone gets the short end of the stick, they are unfairly treated or don't get what they deserve.
A convenient and superficial explanation that is normally unconvincing is a short horse soon curried.
If somebody gives you short shrift, they treat you rudely and brusquely, showing no interest or sympathy.
If you are short-changed, someone cheats you of money or doesn't give you full value for something.
A shot across the bow is a warning to tell someone to stop doing something or face very serious consequences.
If you have a shot in the dark at something, you try something where you have little hope of success.
A shotgun marriage, or shotgun wedding, is one that is forced because of pregnancy. It is also used idiomatically for a compromise, agreement or arrangement that is forced upon groups or people by necessity.
When people say this, they either want to know how much they will be paid for something or want to see evidence that something is valuable or worth paying for.
Show someone a clean pair of heels
If you show someone a clean pair of heels, you run faster than them when they are chasing you.
If you show someone the ropes, you explain to someone new how things work and how to do a job.
To show your true colors is to reveal yourself as you really are.
A shrinking violet is a shy person who doesn't express their views and opinions.
If you are sick and tired of something, it has been going on for a long time and you can no longer tolerate it.
If somebody's as sick as a dog, they throw up (=vomit) violently.
If someone's sick as a parrot about something, they are unhappy, disappointed or depressed about it.
If you are sick to death of something, you have been exposed to so much of it that you cannot take any more.
Someone or something that is a sight for sore eyes is a pleasure to see.
If something is a sight to behold, it means that seeing it is in some way special, either spectacularly beautiful or, equally, incredibly ugly or revolting, etc.
If something's signed, sealed and delivered, it has been done correctly, following all the necessary procedures.
It is often better to say nothing than to talk, so silence is golden.
The silly season is midsummer when Parliament is closed and nothing much is happening that is newsworthy, which reduces the press to reporting trivial and stupid stories.
A silver bullet is a complete solution to a large problem, a solution that seems magical.
The silver screen is the cinema.
A silver surfer is an elderly person who uses the internet.
If something has happened since time immemorial, it's been going on for such a long time that nobody can remember a time without it.
If you have to sing for your supper, you have to work to get the pay or reward you need or want.
If people are singing from the same hymn sheet, they are expressing the same opinions in public.
If someone sings like a canary, they tell everything they know about a crime or wrongdoing to the police or authorities.
Of you are left to sink or swim, no one gives you any help and it's up to you whether you fail or succeed.
If someone sits on the fence, they try not to support either side in a dispute.
Someone who's sitting pretty is in a very advantageous situation.
If something doesn't sit well with you, it doesn't please you or is not acceptable to you.
A sitting duck is something or someone that is easy to criticise or target.
If someone is six feet under, they are dead.
Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other
This is an idiom used when there is little or no difference between two options.
If something is all at sixes and sevens, then there is a lot of disagreement and confusion about what should be done.
Sixty-four-thousand-dollar-question
The sixty-four-thousand-dollar-question is the most important question that can be asked about something.
If someone is skating on thin ice, they are taking a big risk.
If someone has a skeleton in the closet, they have a dark, shameful secret in their past that they want to remain secret.
If someone is skin and bones, they are very underweight and look bad.
A person who has skin in the game has invested in the company they are running.
If someone skins you alive, they admonish and punish you hard.
An unauthorised, or hidden program or activity, often research-oriented, and out of the bureaucratic chain of command is known as a 'skunkworks'.
When people say that the sky is the limit, they think that there are no limits to the possibilities something could have.
(USA) This is used as an instruction to tell people when to draw their guns.
If someone gets a slap on the wrist, they get a very minor punishment when they could have been punished more severely.
If you sleep very well, you sleep like a baby.
If you sleep like a log, you sleep very soundly.
Sleep well- don't let the bedbugs bite
This is a way of wishing someone a good night's sleep.
Sleight of hand is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you can't see.
A slim chance is a very small chance.
This is used as a way of telling someone to leave or go away.
If you say something accidentally, it is a slip of the tongue.
If something slips through one’s fingers it escapes or is lost through carelessness.
A person from whom it is difficult to get anything definite or fixed is a slippery customer.
A slippery slope is where a measure would lead to further worse measures.
If someone is very depressed or in despair, they're in a slough of despond.
This expression means that consistency, although progress may be slow, will eventually be more beneficial than being hasty or careless just to get something done.
This idiom is used to describe something that is very slow and takes a long time.
If something or someone is slow but sure, they may take their time to do something, but they are reliable.
Slower than molasses going uphill in January
(USA) To move extremely slowly. Molasses drips slowly anyway but add January cold and gravity, dripping uphill would be an impossibility, thereby making the molasses move very slowly indeed!
This means that eventually you will achieve your goal.
Someone who is as sly as a fox is cunning and experienced and can get what they want, often in an underhand way.
If something is a smack in the face, it is a shock, usually one that impedes progress.
If something is small beer, it's unimportant.
This idiom is used to describe someone the speaker does not believe has the ability or resources to handle a task or job.
If someone is small fry, they are unimportant. The term is often used when the police arrest the less important criminals, but are unable to catch the leaders and masterminds.
If a person or a thing is called 'small-time' it means they're inconsequential, not worth much, don't play in the 'big leagues', as in 'a small-time operator'.
A smart Alec is a conceited person who likes to show off how clever and knowledgeable they are.
A person who is smart as a whip is very clever.
A smarty pants is someone who displays the intelligence in an annoying way.
If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you.
An attempt to conceal something is smoke and mirrors.
Someone who smokes very heavily smokes like a chimney.
If people smoke the peace pipe, they stop arguing and fighting.
Heavy industries like iron and steel production, especially if they produce a lot of pollution, are smokestack industries.
A smoking gun is definitive proof of someone's guilt.
If something is smooth as a baby's bottom, it has a regular, flat surface.
If something is smooth sailing, then you can progress without difficulty. ('Plain sailing' is an also used.)
Someone who is a snake in the grass betrays you even though you have trusted them.
Advice or medicine which is of no use.
A person who promotes something that doesn't work, is selling snake oil.
If you're as snug as a bug in a rug, you are feeling very comfortable indeed.
This idiom is used to be fatalistic and accepting when something goes wrong.
And so on and so forth mean the same as etcetera (etc.).
Sod's law states that if something can go wrong then it will.
If you soft soap someone, you flatter them.
If somebody says they'll do something some other time, they mean at some indefinite time in the future, possibly never, but they certainly don't want to feel obliged to fix a specific time or date.
Something nasty in the woodshed
Something nasty in the woodshed means that someone as a dark secret or an unpleasant experience in their past.
If something or someone is as sound as a bell, they are very healthy or in very good condition.
(UK) if something is as sound as a pound, it is very good or reliable.
When someone says something critical or negative because they are jealous, it is a case of sour grapes.
When people sow the seeds, they start something that will have a much greater impact in the future.
If a young man sows his wild oats, he has a period of his life when he does a lot of exciting things and has a lot of sexual relationships. for e.g. He'd spent his twenties sowing his wild oats but felt that it was time to settle down.
Unauthorized working methods that benefit those who follow them are Spanish practices.
(UK) If someone puts or throws a spanner in the works, they ruin a plan. In American English, 'wrench' is used instead of 'spanner'.
Spare the rod and spoil the child
This means that if you don't discipline children, they will become spoilt.
If you are talking about someone and they happen to walk in, you can use this idiom as a way of letting them know you were talking about them.
Speak to the organ grinder not the monkey
Talk to the boss not the subordinate
If something speaks volumes, it tells us a lot about the real nature of something or someone,even though it may only be a small detail.
To say one thing and mean another, to lie, to be two-faced
(UK) This is a euphemistic idiom meaning to go to the toilet.
Someone who spends their money wildly spends like a sailor.
The spice of life is something that makes it feel worth living.
If a room is spick and span, it is very clean and tidy.
If you spill the beans, you reveal a secret or confess to something.
If someone spins a yarn, they tell a story, usually a long or fanciful one.
When someone spins you a line, they are trying to deceive you by lying.
When someone spins you a yarn, they are trying to deceive you by lying.
Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
If the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, someone lacks the willpower to change things they do because they derive too much pleasure from them.
The spirit of the law is the idea or ideas that the people who made the law wanted to have effect.
If someone is spitting blood, they are absolutely furious.
People say this when someone has something to say but is too embarrassed, shy, etc, to say it.
Reference to an infant spitting out their dummy (or pacifier) in order to cry. 'To spit the dummy' is to give up.
If a person is the spitting image of somebody, they look exactly alike.('Spit and image' is also used and some suggest it is a hasty pronunciation of "spirit & image", to suggest that someone completely resembles someone else. Example: He's the spirit & image of his grandfather.)
If people split hairs, they concentrate on tiny and unimportant details to find fault with something.
If people split the blanket, it means they get a divorce or end their relationship.
Spoil the ship for a ha'pworth of tar
(UK) If someone spoils the ship for a ha'pworth (halfpenny's worth) of tar, they spoil something completely by trying to make a small economy.
If something is spot on, it is exactly right.
If you use a sprat to catch a mackerel, you make a small expenditure or take a small risk in the hope of a much greater gain.
If something springs to mind, it appears suddenly and unexpectedly in your thoughts.
If you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it because you felt like it at that time, without any planning or preparation.
A Sputnik moment is a point where people realise that they are threatened of challenged and have to redouble their efforts to catch up. It comes from the time when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, the Sputnik 1, and beat the USA into space.
A square meal is a substantial or filling meal.
(UK) The Square Mile is the City, the financial area of London.
If somebody's in a situation, organisation, etc, where they don't fit in and feel out of place, they are a square peg in a round hole.
When someone is squaring the circle, they are trying to do something impossible.
Being prepared or ready for business or tasks at hand. Having the proper knowledge, skill and equipment to handle your assignment or station. 'He is a great addition to the squad; he is squared away.'
If something is squeaky clean, it is very clean indeed- spotless. If a person is squeaky clean, they have no criminal record and are not suspected of illegal or immoral activities.
(USA) When people say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, they mean that the person who complains or protests the loudest attracts attention and service.
(USA) When people say that you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip, it means that you cannot get something from a person, especially money, that they don't have.
A stalking horse is a strategy or something used to conceal your intentions. It is often used where someone put themselves forwards as a candidate to divide opponents or to hide the real candidate.
If something will stand you in good stead, it will probably be advantageous in the future.
The stars and stripes is the American flag.
Someone who dreams of being famous has stars in their eyes.
When you start something from scratch, you start at the very beginning.
If something is state of the art, it is the most up-to-date model incorporating the latest and best technology.
Someone who wants to preserve the status quo wants a particular situation to remain unchanged.
This expression indicates the stealthiness of a person over another to gain advantage of the situation. For instance, if two persons are offered some jobs which are vacant, they resolve to go together next day at an agreed time, but one of them, without telling the other, goes earlier than the other and secures the better of the two jobs, he is said to steal a march on the other person.
If someone steals your thunder, they take the credit and praise for something you did.
If you steer clear of something, you avoid it.
If people try to stem the tide, they are trying to stop something unpleasant from getting worse, usually when they don't succeed.
This idiom is a way of telling someone to hurry up or to go faster.
If you step on someone's toes, you upset them, especially if you do something that they should be in charge of.
If someone steps up to the plate, they take on or accept a challenge or a responsibility.
If you leave someone to stew in their own juices, you leave them to worry about the consequences of what they have done wrong or badly.
If someone or something really annoys you, it is said to stick in your craw.
If something sticks or stands out like a sore thumb, it is clearly and obviously different from the things that are around it.
If you stick to your guns, you keep your position even though people attack or criticise you.
If you stick you neck out, you take a risk because you believe in something.
A stick-in-the-mud is someone who doesn't like change and wants things to stay the same.
A sticking point is a controversial issue that blocks progress in negotiations, etc, where compromise is unlikely or impossible.
(UK) If someone comes to a sticky end, they die in an unpleasant way. ('Meet a sticky end' is also used.)
The tendency to keep (or steal) an object you touch. Also, to steal something quickly without anyone noticing. (ex: 'You stole that guy's wallet? You have some sticky fingers, my friend.')
(UK) If you are on a sticky wicket, you are in a difficult situation.
Something or someone that is stiff as a poker is inflexible. ('Stiff as a board' is also used.)
(UK) If you keep your emotions to yourself and don't let others know how you feel when something bad happens, you keep a stiff upper lip.
A stiff-necked person is rather formal and finds it hard to relax in company.
If someone is still in the game, they may be having troubles competing, but they are not yet finished and may come back.
People use this idiom to imply that people who are quiet and don't try to attract attention are often more interesting than people who do try to get attention.
If something stirs your blood, it arouses feelings or passions,.
A stitch in time saves nine means that if a job needs doing it is better to do it now, because it will only get worse, like a hole in clothes that requires stitching.
This idiom is a way of emphasizing that there were absolutely no signs of life or movement.
Someone who is stone deaf is completely deaf.
If a place is a stone's throw from where you are, it is a very short distance away.
(USA) A stool pigeon is a police informer.
To stop suddenly out of surprise.
If someone exaggerates a problem or makes a small problem seem far greater than it really is, then they are making a storm in a teacup.
If someone keeps a straight face, they remain serious and do not show emotion or amusement.
If someone talks straight from the shoulder, they talk honestly and plainly.
If you strain every nerve, you make a great effort to achieve something.
To describe someone or something as really weird or unpleasant in a mild way.
A straw man is a weak argument that is easily defeated. It can also be a person who is used as to give an illegal or inappropriate activity an appearance of respectability.
A straw poll is a small unofficial survey or ballot to find out what people think about an issue.
Straw that broke the camel's back
The straw that broke the camel's back is the problem that made you lose your temper or the problem that finally brought about the collapse of something.
If people are streets ahead of their rivals, they are a long way in front.
If strikes a chord, it is familiar to you, reminds you of something or is connected to you somehow.
If you strike while the iron is hot you do something when things are going well for you and you have a good chance to succeed.
If you take a stroll down memory lane, you talk about the past or revisit places that were important to you in the past. (You can also 'take a trip down memory lane'.)
Someone who's exceedingly strong physically is said to be as strong as an ox.
Someone who will not listen to other people's advice and won't change their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule.
If someone is stuffed to the gills, they have eaten a lot and are very full.
If you succeed in the clutch, you perform at a crucial time; it is particularly used in sports for the decisive moments of the game. The opposite is 'fail in the clutch.'
A person who sucks hind teat is at a disadvantage or considered worse or less important that others.
A Sunday driver drives very slowly and makes unexpected manoeuvres.
These means absolutely certain, and we do say 'is' even though it is grammatically wrong.
If something is sure-fire, it is certain to succeed. ('Surefire' is also used.)
A person's swansong is their final achievement or public appearance.
Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a sailor.
Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a trooper.
If you sweat blood, you make an extraordinary effort to achieve something.
If someone is sweating like a pig, they are perspiring (sweating) a lot.
If you are swept off your feet, you lose control emotionally when you fall in love or are really impressed.
If people try to ignore unpleasant things and forget about them, they sweep them under the carpet.
This means that something or someone is very nice or pretty.
If you have a sweet tooth, you like eating food with sugar in it.
If you swim against the tide, you try to do something that is very difficult because there is a lot of opposition to you. ('Go against the tide' is an alternative form.)
If someone is swimming with the fishes, they are dead, especially if they have been murdered. 'Sleep with the fishes' is an alternative form.
If you swim with the tide, you do the same as people around you and accept the general consensus. ('Go with the tide' is an alternative form.)
If things are going swimmingly, they are going very well.
If you swing the lead, you pretend to be ill or do not do your share of the work.
This idiom refers to something or someone that can go in two conflicting or opposite directions.
If something's swings and roundabouts, it has about as many disadvantages as it has advantages.
~ T ~
When the tables are turned, the situation has changed giving the advantage to the party who had previously been at a disadvantage.
If you tackle an issue or problem, you resolve or deal with it.
This is a way of telling someone to get out.
Take a leaf out of someone's book
If you take a leaf out of someone's book, you copy something they do because it will help you.
When things take a nosedive, they decline very quickly and head towards disaster.
If somebody takes a blow, something bad happens to them.
If you take a rain check, you decline an offer now, suggesting you will accept it later. ('Raincheck' is also used.)
If you take a straw poll, you sound a number of people out to see their opinions on an issue or topic.
Take by the scruff of the neck
If you take something by the scruff on the neck, you take complete control of it.
If you take something for a test driver, you try something to see if you like it.
If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it because you assume you will always have it. If you take someone for granted, you don't show your appreciation to them.
If you take 40 winks, you have a short sleep.
If something takes guts, it requires courage in the face of danger or great risk. It takes guts for firemen to enter a burning building to save someone.
If you take something in your stride, you deal with it even though it is difficult or unpleasant without letting it bother or upset you.
If you take something on the chin, something bad happens to you and you take it directly without fuss.
If people take no prisoners, they do things in a very aggressive way, without considering any harm they might do to achieve their objectives.
Doing something that is completely pointless or unnecessary is like taking sand to the beach.
If someone is taken down a peg (or taken down a peg or two), they lose status in the eyes of others because of something they have done wrong or badly.
If you are taken for a ride, you are deceived by someone.
If you take someone to task, you scold them for something they have done wrong.
If someone is taken to the woodshed, they are punished for something they have done.
If you take someone under your wing, you look after them while they are learning something.
To assess a situation, to conduct a personal inventory of ones beliefs and values, etc.
(UK) If something takes the biscuit, it is the absolute limit.
Taking a bull by its horns would be the most direct but also the most dangerous way to try to compete with such an animal. When we use the phrase in everyday talk, we mean that the person we are talking about tackles their problems directly and is not worried about any risks involved.
If you take the chair, your become the chairman or chairwoman of a committee, etc.
If you tall the fall, you accept the blame and possibly the punishment for another's wrongdoing, with the implication that the true culprit, for political or other reasons, cannot be exposed as guilty (accompanied by a public suspicion that a reward of some sort may follow).
(USA) If you do not want to answer a question you can take the fifth, meaning you are choosing not to answer. ('Plead the fifth' is also used.)
If you take the flak, you are strongly criticised for something.('Take flak' is also used.)
Start talking or giving a speech to a group
If you take the heat, you take the criticism or blame for something you didn't do, normally to protect the guilty person.
(UK) If you take the Mickey, you tease someone. ('Take the Mick' is also used.)
If you take the plunge, you decide to do something or commit yourself even though you know there is an element of risk involved.
Take the rough with the smooth
People say that you have to take the rough with the smooth, meaning that you have to be prepared to accept the disadvantages as well of the advantages of something.
If you take to your heels, you run away.
If you take up the torch, you take on a challenge or responsibility, usually when someone else retires, or leaves an organisation, etc.
If something takes your breath away, it astonishes or surprises you.
If someone takes their eye off the ball, they don't concentrate on something important that they should be looking at.
If you say that you take your hat off to someone, you are showing your respect or admiration.
If you take your hat off to someone, you acknowledge that they have done something exceptional or otherwise deserve your respect.
If something can be taken as read, it is so definite that it's not necessary to talk about it.
This idiom is used when comparing things, especially in sports; it comes from boxing where the fighters would be measured with a tape measure before a fight.
(USA) If someone talks a blue streak, they speak quickly and at length. ('Talk up a blue streak' is also used.)
Someone who could talk a glass eye to sleep is very boring and repetitive.
It's easy to talk about something but harder to actually do it.
If someone talks very quickly, they talk nineteen to the dozen.
When everybody is talking about particular people and events, they are he talk of the town.
Talk out of the back of your head
If someone is talking out of the back of their head, they are talking rubbish.
If someone is talking out of their hat, they're talking utter rubbish, especially if compounded with total ignorance of the subject on which they are pontificating. ('Talk through your hat' is also used.)
If you talk shop, you talk about work matters, especially if you do this outside work.
Talk the hind legs off a donkey
A person who is excessively or extremely talkative can talk the hind legs off a donkey.
When people talk turkey, they discuss something frankly.
Someone who talks so much that it is a strain to listen can talk your arm off.
If you talk to someone and they do not listen to you, it is like talking to a brick wall.
Someone who is very tall and slender is a tall drink of water. ('A tall glass of water' is also used.)
Something that is likely to be hard to achieve or fulfil is a tall order.
A tall story is one that is untrue and unbelievable.
(UK) This is an exclamation used for encouragement before doing something difficult or dangerous.
A tar baby is a problem that gets worse when people try to sort it out.
If people are tarred with the same brush, they are said to have the same set of attributes or faults as someone they are associated with.
If someone has tasted blood, they have achieved something and are encouraged to think that victory is within their grasp.
If you give someone a taste of their own medicine, you do something bad to someone that they have done to you to teach them a lesson.
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs
When people say 'don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs', they mean that people shouldn't try to teach someone who has experience or is an expert in that area.
The teacher's favorite pupil is the teacher's pet, especially if disliked by the other pupils.
If someone is tearing their hair out, they are extremely worried or agitated about something.
(UK) This idiom is used when something seems certain to go wrong or cause trouble.
If something is teensy-weensy, it is very small indeed.('Teeny-weeny' and 'teensie-weensie' are also used.)
(UK) The problems that a project has when it is starting are the teething problems.
(USA) If you tell them where the dog died, you strongly and sharply correct someone.
If people exaggerate the seriousness of a situation or problem, they are making a tempest in a teapot.
If you tempt providence, you take a risk that may well have unpleasant consequences. ('Tempt fate' is also used.)
(UK) If something is ten a penny, it is very common. ("Two a penny" is also used.)
If you test the waters, or test the water, you experiment to see how successful or acceptable something is before implementing it.
That and 50 cents will buy you a cup of coffee
(USA) This is used to describe something that is deemed worthless. "He's got a Ph.D. in Philosophy." "So? That and 50 cents will buy you a cup of coffee."
(USA) Very common Southern US expression meaning: What you say makes no sense.
That is the way the cookie crumbles
"That's the way the cookie crumbles" means that things don't always turn out the way we want.
A speaker says "that makes two of us" to indicate agreement with what another speaker just said. For example, I can say, "I wish I would win the lottery." A listener who says "That makes two of us" is indicating the he or she wants to win the lottery, too.
A particular opportunity has passed you by when that ship has sailed.
(USA) This idiom is used to show that something has ended and there is nothing more to say about something.
The apple does not fall far from the tree
Offspring grow up to be like their parents.
If somebody says this to you, they mean that it's up to you to decide or take the next step.
The phrase 'The be all and end all' means that a something is the final, or ultimate outcome or result of a situation or event.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
This idiom means that the more powerful have more to lose, so when they suffer something bad, it is worse for them.
If something is done for the common weal, it is done in the interests and for the benefit of the majority or the general public.
This idiom means that what other people have or do looks preferable to our life. The complete phrase is 'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence'.
Something's meaning is becoming clear when the line forms on the right.
The more the merrier means that the greater the quantity or the bigger the number of something, the happier the speaker will be.
The Mountie always gets his man
(Canada) The Mounties are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and they have a reputation for catching criminals they are after.
When the penny drops, someone belatedly understands something that everyone else has long since understood.
When the plot thickens, a situation become more complicated and difficult.
The rough and tumble refers to areas of life like business, sports, politics, etc, where competition is hard and people will take any advantage that they can.
The sands of time is an idiom meaning that time runs out either through something reaching an end or through a person's death. It comes from the sand used in hourglasses, an ancient way of measuring time.
If you take the short straw, you lose a selection process, which means that you have to do something unpleasant.
The sun might rise in the west
When people say this, they mean that they don't expect something to happen.
Everything, the entire object, or all the related parts.
If the world and his wife were somewhere, then huge numbers of people were present.
Their bark is worse than their bite
If someone's bark is worse than their bite, they get angry and shout and make threats, but don't actually do anything.
There are many ways to skin a cat
This is an expression meaning there are many different ways of doing the same thing.
There's never a road without a turning
No situation in life stays the same forever.
There's no such thing as a free lunch
This idiom means that you don't get things for free, so if something appears to be free, there's a catch and you'll have to pay in some way.
The meaning of this idiom is 'that's the problem'.
If things are happening thick and fast, they are happening so fast they seemed to be joined together.
(UK) If someone is as thick as mince, they are very stupid indeed.
If people are thick as thieves, they are very close friends who have no secrets from each other.
If a person is thick-skinned, they are not affected by criticism.
A rake is a garden tool with a long, thin, wooden handle, so someone very thin is thin as a rake.
(UK) The thin blue line is a term for the police, suggesting that they stand between an ordered society and potential chaos. (Police uniforms are blue.)
The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly unimportant that will lead to something much bigger and more serious.
If there's a thin line between things, it's hard to distinguish them- there's a thin line between love and hate.
If somebody is thin-skinned, they are very sensitive to any sort of criticism.
If you think outside the box, you think in an imaginative and creative way.
To hold something or someone in very high esteem. To love or admire immensely.
If someone is given the third degree, they are put under a great deal of pressure and intimidation to force them to tell the truth about something.
The third rail of something is dangerous to alter or change. Originally, the third rail is the one carrying the electricity for a train.
This is used when the third time one tries something, one achieves a successful outcome.
A thorn in your side is someone or something that causes trouble or makes life difficult for you.
Those who live by the sword die by the sword
This means that violent people will be treated violently themselves.
(UK) Someone who is three sheets in the wind is very drunk. ('Three sheets to the wind' is also used. 'Seven sheets' is an alternative number used.)
If someone is three sheets to the wind, they are drunk.
If you are thrilled to bits, you are extremely pleased or excited about something.
If you do something through gritted teeth, you accept or agree with it against your will and it is obvious to others how you really feel.
If prices go through the ceiling, they rise very quickly.
If prices go, or fall, through the floor, they fall very quickly.
If someone supports you through thick and thin, they support you during good times and bad.
(USA) If you throw someone a curve, you surprise them with something they find difficult to deal with. ('Throw' a curveball' is also used.)
Throw a monkey wrench into the works
(USA) If you throw a monkey wrench into the works, you ensure that something fails.
If you pretend to be ill to take a day off work or school, you throw a sickie.
When people throw caution to the wind, they take a great risk.
Throw down the gauntlet is to issue a challenge to somebody.
If you throw in the towel, you admit that you are defeated or cannot do something.
Someone that throws pearls to pigs is giving someone else something they don't deserve or appreciate. ('Throw pearls before pigs' and 'Cast pearls before swine' are also used.)
If you throw someone a bone, you give them a small reward or some kind words to make them feel good even if they've not really contributed much.
If someone throws you a line, they give you help when you are in serious difficulties.
Throw someone in at the deep end
If you are thrown in at the deep end, you have to deal with serious issues the moment you start something like a job, instead of having time to acquire experience.
If someone is thrown to the wolves, they are abandoned and have to face trouble without any support.
To throw someone under the bus is to get the person in trouble either by placing blame on that person or not standing up for him.
Throw the baby out with the bath water
If you get rid of useful things when discarding inessential things, you throw the baby out with the bath water.
If you throw the book at someone, you punish them as severely as possible.
If someone throws their hat in the ring, they announce that they want to take part in a competition or contest. 'Toss your hat in the ring' is an alternative.
Throw your toys out of the pram
To make an angry protest against a relatively minor problem, in the process embarrassing the protester. The analogy is with a baby who throws toys out of the pram in order to get their parent to pay attention to them. The implication in the idiom is that the protester is acting like a baby.
If someone throws their weight around, they use their authority or force of personality to get what they want in the face of opposition.
If you thumb your nose at something, you reject it or scorn it.
If something gets the thumbs up, it gets approval, while the thumbs down means disapproval.
If something tickles your fancy, it appeals to you and you want to try it or have it.
If you are very pleased about something, you are tickled pink.
A cluttered or disorganised environment will affect your clarity of thought. Organised surroundings and affairs will allow for clearer thought organisation.
When people tie the knot, they get married.
Tied to your mother's apron strings
Describes a child (often a boy) who is so used to his mother's care that he (or she) cannot do anything on his (or her) own.
If things or people are kept on a tight rein, they are given very little freedom or controlled carefully.
If you run a tight ship, you control something strictly and don't allow people much freedom of action.
If you have to tighten your belt, you have to economise.
This idioms means 'for a very long time'. ('Until the cows come home' is also used.)
If someone will do something till the pips squeak, they will do it to the limit, even though it will make other people suffer.
If you do something till you're blue in the face, you do it repeatedly without achieving the desired result until you're incredibly frustrated.
A person who tilts at windmills, tries to do things that will never work in practice.
If something happens time and again, it happens repeatedly. ('Time and time again' is also used.)
This is used as a way of suggestion that people should act without delay.
This idioms means that time passes by unnoticed.
This idiom means that time moves quickly and often unnoticed.
If time is on your side, you have the luxury of not having to worry about how long something will take.
If you're having the time of your life, you are enjoying yourself very much indeed.
A time-honoured practice is a traditional way of doing something that has become almost universally accepted as the most appropriate or suitable way.
The tip of the iceberg is the part of a problem that can be seen, with far more serious problems lying underneath.
Small changes may have little effect until they build up to critical mass, then the next small change may suddenly change everything. this is the tipping point.
(UK) This idiom is a euphemism used to mean 'drunk', especially when talking about politicians.
If someone responds to an insult by being rude back, it's tit for tat- repaying something negative the same way.
If something does something to a fault, they do it excessively. So someone who is generous to a fault is too generous.
If a group of people does, believes, thinks, etc, something to a man, then they all do it.
If something is done to a T, it is done perfectly.
This means in all the most important ways.
Someone who is as thick as two bricks is really stupid.
If something's dog cheap, it is very cheap indeed.
To err is human, to forgive divine
This idiom is used when someone has done something wrong, suggesting that they should be forgiven.
To have the courage of your convictions
If you have the courage of your convictions, you are brave enough to do what you feel is right, despite any pressure for you to do something different.
If something is to little avail, it means that, despite great efforts, something ended in failure, but taking comfort from the knowledge that nothing else could have been done to avert or avoid the result.
To the end of time is an extravagant way of saying 'forever'.
If someone toes the line, they follow and respect the rules and regulations.
This means that things might turn out better or that there might be another opportunity in the future.
If something is tongue in cheek, it isn't serious or meant to be taken seriously.
If someone is too big for their boots, they are conceited and have an exaggerated sense of their own importance.
If someone is too big for their britches, they are conceited and have an exaggerated sense of their own importance.
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians
When there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians, there are two many managers and not enough workers to work efficiently.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
This means that where there are too many people trying to do something, they make a mess of it.
This means juggling too many projects at once and something's bound to fail; when a smith had too many irons in his fire, he couldn't effectively keep track of all of them.
If someone toot their own horn, they like to boast about their achievements.
The most important or influential person is the top dog.
If something is top notch, it's excellent, of the highest quality or standard.
If something is touch and go, the result is uncertain and could be good or bad.
If you touch base with someone, you contact them.
This idiom is used to wish for good luck. ('Knock on wood' is also used.)
If something is touch-and-go, it is very uncertain; if someone is ill and may well die, then it is touch-and-go.
Something or someone that is as tough as old boots is strong and resilient.
A tough cookie is a person who will do everything necessary to achieve what they want.
Tough luck is bad luck.
If something is a tough nut to crack, it is difficult to find the answer or solution. When used about a person, it means that it is difficult to get them to do or allow what you want. 'Hard nut to crack' is an alternative.
(USA) A tough row to hoe is a situation that is difficult to handle. ('A hard row to hoe' is an alternative form.)
If people trade barbs, they insult or attack each other.
If you are traffucked, you are stuck in heavy traffic and get where you need to be.
If you trail your coat, you act in a provocative way.
A train of thought is a sequence of thoughts, especially when you are talking to someone and you forget what you were going to say.
If you tread on someone's toes, you upset them, especially if you do something that they should be in charge of.
When someone treads the boards, they perform on stage in a theatre.
If someone is treading water, they are making no progress.
If a method has been tried and tested, it is known to work or be effective because it has been successfully used long enough to be trusted.
A person who is true blue is loyal and dependable, someone who can be relied on in all circumstances.
If someone shows their true colours, they show themselves as they really are. ('True colors' is the American spelling.)
A trump card is a resource or strategy that is held back for use at a crucial time when it will beat rivals or opponents.
Truth will out means that, given time, the facts of a case will emerge no matter how people might try to conceal them.
f something tugs at the heartstrings, it makes you feel sad or sympathetic towards it.
If people or organisations are fighting for control of something, it is a turf war.
When people turn a blind eye, they deliberately ignore something, especially if people are doing something wrong.
If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don't listen to you.
If someone turns a new leaf, they change their behaviour and stop doing wrong or bad things.
If you turn something on its head, you turn it upside down or reverse it.
To get over a bad run. When a loss making venture ceases to make losses, it has "turned the corner".
(Scot) If you turn the crack, you change the subject of a conversation.
If you turn the other cheek, you are humble and do not retaliate or get outwardly angry when someone offends or hurts you, in fact, you give them the opportunity to re-offend instead and compound their unpleasantness.
If circumstances change completely, giving an advantage to those who seemed to be losing, the tables are turned.
If something turns turtle, it turns upside down.
If someone turns up like a bad penny, they go somewhere where they are not wanted.
Turn up one's toes to the daisies
If someone has turned up their toes to the daisies, it means that the person died.
If someone turns water into wine, they transform something bad into something excellent.
If someone turns their nose up at something, they reject it or look odwn on it because they don't think it is good enough for them.
A turn-up for the books is an unexpected or surprising event.
Twenty-four seven or 24/7 means all the time, coming from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very quickly.
If you twist someone's arm, you put pressure on them to try to make them do what you want them to do.
If you are twisting in the wind, you are without help or support - you are on your own.
If you add or throw in your two cents, you give your opinion on an issue.
When two people work together more things get accomplished.
A person with two left feet can't dance.
If things or people are like two peas in a pod, they look very similar or are always together.
If two things are two sides of the same coin, there is much difference between them.
If someone uses an argument that could both help them and harm them, then they are using a two-edged sword sword; it cuts both ways.
Someone who is two-faced will say one thing to your face and another when you're not there.
~ U ~
If a government changes its position radically on an issue, especially when they have promised not to do so, this is a U-turn.
(USA) If someone is as ugly as a stick, they are very ugly indeed.
An ugly duckling is a child who shows little promise, but who develops later into a real talent or beauty.
If someone does something bad and unnecessary without consideration for anothers feelings, what they do is uncalled for.
If you're in uncharted waters, you are in a situation that is unfamiliar to you, that you have no experience of and don't know what might happen. ('Unchartered waters' is an incorrect form that is a common mistake.)
(USA) Uncle Sam is the government of the USA.
If someone is suspected of having done something wrong, they are under a cloud.
If a ship sails under a flag of convenience, it is registered in a country where taxes, etc, are lower than in the country it comes from, so if someone does something under a flag of convenience, they attempt to avoid regulations and taxes by a similar means.
If someone does something under false colours/colors, they pretend to be something they are not in order to deceive people so that they can succeed.
If someone is being attacked and cricitised heavily, they are under fire.
If something is under lock and key, it is stored very securely.
If you are under someone's heel, they have complete control over you.
If something slips under the radar, it isn't detected or noticed.
Bribes or illegal payments are often described as money under the table.
If you are feeling a bit ill, sad or lack energy, you are under the weather.
(USA) If a person does something under the wire, they do it at the last possible moment.
If you have something under your belt, you have already achieved or experienced it and it will probably be of benefit to you in the future.
If you say something under your breath, you whisper or say it very quietly.
If something happens right in front of you, especially if it is surprising or audacious, it happens under your nose.
If someone gets under your skin, they really annoy you.
Someone who is manipulated or controlled by another person is under his or her thumb.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown
This means that people with serious responsibilities have a heavy burden.
Unwavering loyalty does not question or doubt the person or issue and supports them completely.
(AU) If you're up a gum tree, you're in trouble or a big mess.
If you up a river without a paddle, you are in an unfortunate situation, unprepared and with none of the resources to remedy the matter.
If something is up for grabs, it is available and whoever is first or is successful will get it.
If a matter is up in the air, no decision has been made and there is uncertainty about it.
(UK) If you up sticks, you leave somewhere, usually permanently and without warning- he upped sticks and went to work abroad.
If you up the ante, you increase the importance or value of something, especially where there's an element of risk as the term comes from gambling, where it means to increase the stake (the amount of money bet).
If someone or something is up the creek, they are in real trouble. 'Up the creek without a paddle' is an alternative, and 'up shit creek (without a paddle)' is a ruder form.
(UK) If a woman is up the duff, she's pregnant.
(UK) If something has gone up the spout, it has gone wrong or been ruined.
(UK) If a woman is up the stick, she's pregnant.
If someone goes up the wall, they get very angry.
When you go up the wooden hill, you go up the stairs to bed.
If something doesn't come up to scratch, it doesn't meet the standard required or expected.
If something isn't up to snuff, it doesn't meet the standard expected.
If you bring someone up to speed, you update them on something.
You you are up to your eyes in something, you are deeply involved or to have too much of something like work. ('Up the neck', 'up to the eyeballs' and 'up to the ears' are also used.)
If someone's in something up to the neck, they are very involved in it, especially when it's something wrong.
When you've got too much work to do, you're up to your eyes in it.
If someone is very involved in something, they are up to their neck in it, especially if it is something bad or immoral.
If you get up very early, you're up with the lark.
The upper crust are the upper classes and the establishment.
If you have the upper hand, you have the advantage.
If you upset the apple cart, you cause trouble and upset people.
~ V ~
This vale of tears is the world and the suffering that life brings.
This idiom is used to describe a person who appears gentle, but is determined and inflexible underneath. ('Iron fist in a velvet glove' is the full form.)
If someone vents their spleen, they release all their anger about something.
(UK) A person who changes their beliefs and principles to stay popular with people above them is a Vicar of Bray
A vicious circle is a sequence of events that make each other worse- someone drinks because they are unhappy at work, then loses their job... 'Vicious cycle' is also used.
If something is virgin territory, it hasn't been explored before.
If you do a volte-face on something, you make a sudden and complete change in your stance or position over an issue.
~ W ~
To 'wag the dog' means to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance. By doing so, the lesser-significant event is catapulted into the limelight, drowning proper attention to what was originally the more important issue.The expression comes from the saying that 'a dog is smarter than its tail', but if the tail were smarter, then the tail would 'wag the dog'. The expression 'wag the dog' was elaborately used as theme of the movie. 'Wag the Dog', a 1997 film starring Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman, produced and directed by Barry Levinson.
Wait for a raindrop in the drought
When someone is waiting for a raindrop in the drought, they are waiting or hoping for something that is extremely unlikely to happen.
If someone is waiting in the wings, or in the wings, they are in the background, but nearby, ready to act on short notice.
When someone doesn't realise what is really happening or is not paying enough attention to events around them, you can tell them to wake up and smell the coffee.
A wake-up call is a warning of a threat or a challenge, especially when it means that people will have to change their behaviour to meet it.
If you have to walk a fine line, you have to be very careful not to annoy or anger people or groups that are competing. ('Walk a thin line' is an alternative.)
This idiom means that you should try to understand someone before criticising them.
If you walk a tightrope, you have to be very careful not to annoy or anger people who could become enemies.
An undertaking that is easy is a walk in the park. The opposite is also true - "no walk in the park".
If you have to walk on eggshells when with someone, you have to be very careful because they get angry or offended very easily.('Walk on eggs' is also used.)
Someone or something that is walking the green mile is heading towards the inevitable.
If someone walks the plank, they are going toward their own destruction or downfall
A very knowledgeable person is a walking encyclopedia.
If you are walking on air, you are so happy that you feel as if you could float.
When a person is punished for something. e.g. 'She had me walking on broken glass.'
A person whose behaviour is erratic and totally unpredictable is a walking time-bomb.
(UK) A woman politician given an unimportant government position so that the government can pretend it takes women seriously is a wallflower.
A war chest is a fund that can be used to finance a campaign like and election or for use in emergencies or unexpected times of difficulty.
A war of words is a bitter argument between people or organisations, etc.
Meaning the feeling evoked as though you were enclosed in a warm and fuzzy blanket.
Warm the cockles of your heart
If something warms the cockles of your heart, it makes you feel happy.
If someone is on the warpath, they are very angry about something and will do anything to get things sorted the way they want.
If you like someone warts and all, you like them with all their faults.
If you wash your hands of something, you disassociate yourself and accept no responsibility for what will happen.
If you don't waste things, you are less likely to end up lacking.
If a person is referred to as a 'waste of skin', it means he is not worth very much.
If something is like watching grass grow, it is really boring.
(USA) This idiom means that you should look behind you for dangers coming that you can't see.
If something is like watching paint dry, it is really boring.
If criticism or something similar is like water off a duck's back to somebody, they aren't affected by it in the slightest.
(USA) If something has happened and cannot be changed, it is water over the dam.
If something belongs to the past and isn't important or troubling any more, it is water under the bridge.
(UK) A watering hole is a pub.
If someone has gone to a watery grave, they have drowned.
If people go weak at the knees, they have a powerful emotional reaction to something and feel that they might fall over.
If someone displays their grief or contrition publicly, they wear sackcloth and ashes.
Wear your heart on your sleeve
Someone who wears their heart on their sleeve shows their emotions and feelings publicly.
If you weather a storm, you get through a crisis or hard times.
(USA) In wedge politics, one party uses an issue that they hope will divide members of a different party to create conflict and weaken it.
If something is a weight off your shoulders, you have relieved yourself of a burden, normally a something that has been troubling you or worrying you.
Someone who is well-heeled is rich.
If someone is well-oiled, they have drunk a lot.
Something that functions very well is a well-oiled machine.
If someone asks you this, it means that you forgot to close the door when you came in.
Someone who is wet behind the ears is either very young or inexperienced.
A wet blanket is someone who tries to spoil other people's fun.
If you are thirsty and have an alcoholic drink, you wet your whistle. "Whet your whistle" is also used.
If you have a whale of a time, you really enjoy yourself.
This means that it is not enough to apologise.
What can you expect from a hog but a grunt?
(USA) This means that you can't expect people to behave in a way that is not in their character- a 'hog' is a 'pig', so an unrefined person can't be expected to behave in a refined way.
What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
This idiom is often used when someone says something irrelevant to the topic being discussed.
This saying means that of people do bad things to other people, bad things will happen to them.
What goes around, comes around
The good or bad you do to others is requited.
The expression what will be will be is used to describe the notion that fate will decide the outcome of a course of events, even if action is taken to try to alter it.
When you ask what's cooking it means you want to know what's happening.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander
This idiom means that the sexes should be treated the same way and not be subjected to different standards.
This can be used to ask 'What's wrong?' or 'How are you?'.
This is a way of asking someone what they would like to drink, especially alcohol.
This idiom is way of asking someone for their opinion and ideas.
When people say this, they mean that you should do whatever makes you happy.
When the wheels fall off something, it goes wrong or fails. ('Wheels come off' is an alternative.)
An impossible or very unlikely situation or event
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
This idiom means that when you are visiting a different place or culture, you should try to follow their customs and practices.
This idiom means that when things go wrong, a lot of things go wrong at the same time.
Meaning you will not get something when you want it or someone doesn't want something for you. say you are selling an item and some one doesn't want it. they might say 'I'll buy it when pigs fly'. it just means you will never get someone to say yes to you when you ask for something.
When the chickens come home to roost
When a person pays dearly for something bad he or she did in the past, the chickens come home to roost.
Where the rubber meets the road
(USA) Where the rubber meets the road is the most important point for something, the moment of truth. An athlete can train all day, but the race is where the rubber meets the road and they'll know how good they really are.
Where there's a will, there's a way
This idiom means that if people really want to do something, they will manage to find a way of doing it.
Where there's smoke, there's fire
When there is an indication or sign of something bad, usually the indication is correct.
If something whets your appetite, it interests you and makes you want more of it.
Which came first the chicken or the egg?
This idiomatic expression is used when it is not clear who or what caused something.
While the cat's away, the mouse will play
People whose behaviour is strictly controlled go over the top when the authority is not around, which is why most teenagers have parties when their parents have gone on holiday. The parents are the scary authority figures, but the cat's away and the kids are the mice partying and enjoying their freedom.
If someone says that you can whistle for something, they are determined to ensure that you don't get it.
A whistle-stop tour is when someone visits a number of places quickly, not stopping for long.
(USA) If someone is whistling Dixie, they talk about things in a more positive way than the reality.
If someone is whistling in the dark, they believe in a positive result, even though everybody else is sure it will not happen.
(USA) If someone is whistling past the graveyard, they are trying to remain cheerful in difficult circumstances. ('Whistling past the cemetery' is also used.)
A bad shock can make somebody go as white as a sheet.
If something or someone is as white as snow, they are perfect or completely uncorrupted and honest.
A white elephant is an expensive burden; something that costs far too much money to run, like the Millennium Dome in the UK.
If someone shows a white feather, they are cowards.
If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone's feelings.
If something is white-bread, it is very ordinary, safe and boring.
(USA) The person who wears the pants in a relationship is the dominant person who controls things.
(UK) The person who wears the trousers in a relationship is the dominant person who controls things.
'Who will ring the bell?' asks who will assume the responsibility to help us out of a difficult situation.
(USA) The whole ball of wax is everything.
The whole kit and caboodle means 'everything' required or involved in something. ('Kaboodle' is an alternative spelling.)
If something's a whole new ball game, it is completely new or different.
The whole nine yards means means everything that is necessary or required for something.
The whole shebang includes every aspect of something.
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free
This idiom is usually used to refer to men who don't want to get married, when they can get all the benefits of marriage without getting married.
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
There's no need to do something yourself when you have somebody to do it for you, usually trivial matters.
If you give someone a wide berth, you keep yourself well away from them because they are dangerous.
If something is wide of the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect.
A wild goose chase is a waste of time- time spent trying to do something unsuccessfully.
If an idea or project, etc, will never fly, it has no chance of succeeding.
Something that deceives by its appearance is a will-o’-the-wisp; it looks good, but turns out to be a disappointment.
If somebody wins by a nose, they only just beat the others.
If something is done to pretend to be dealing with an issue or problem, rather than actually dealing with it, it is window dressing.
Eyes are sometimes referred to as the window to the soul.
If you do something on a wing and a prayer, you try to do something and hope you'll succeed even though you have very little chance of success.
If everything goes to the winner, as in an election, the winner takes all.
(UK) If you wipe the floor with someone, you destroy the arguments or defeat them easily.
Wipe the smile of someone's face
If you wipe the smile of someone's face, you do something to make someone feel less pleased with themselves.
If someone does something with a heavy hand, they do it in a strict way, exerting a lot of control.
(UK) If a woman's with child, she's pregnant.
If you pass something with flying colours (colors), you pass easily, with a very high mark or grade.
With friends like that, who needs enemies?
This expression is used when people behave badly or treat someone badly that they are supposed to be friends with.
If something withers on the vine, it fails to get the intended result, doesn't come to fruition.
If you come within a whisker of doing something, you very nearly manage to do it but don't succeed.
If something happens without a hitch, nothing at all goes wrong.
This is used to wish that bad things will happen to someone, usually because of their bad behaviour.
This means that you are sad or in a difficult situation. It's archaic, but still used.
A wolf in sheep's clothing is something dangerous that looks quite safe and innocent.
(UK) If someone can't see the wood for the trees, they get so caught up in small details that they fail to understand the bigger picture.
If something becomes known by word of mouth, it is because people are talking about it, not through publicity, etc.
The word of the law means that the law is interpreted in an absolutely literal way which goes against the ideas that the lawmakers had wished to implement.
If words fail you, you can't find the words to express what you are trying to say.
If something works like a charm, it works perfectly.
If you work like a dog, you work very hard.
If people work the system, they exploit the state or simialr setup to their advantage.
If you work your fingers to the bone, you work extremely hard on something.
If you work your socks off, you work very hard.
If you work your tail off, you work extremely hard.
If everything is going well and the future looks full of opportunity, you have the world at your feet.
When the world is your oyster, you are getting everything you want from life.
If you worm information out of somebody, you persuade them to tell you something they wanted to keep from you.
A worm's eye view of something is the view from below, either physically or socially.
If something's worse for wear, it has been used for a long time and, consequently, isn't in very good condition. A person who's worse for wear is drunk or high on drugs and looking rough.
This idiomatic expression is used as a way of telling someone not to worry so much about their problems.
If something is worth a shot, it is worth trying as there is some chance of success.
Someone who is worth their salt deserves respect.
Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole
(UK) If you wouldn't touch something with a bargepole, you would not consider being involved under any circumstances. (In American English, people say they wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole)
Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole
(USA) If you wouldn't touch something with a ten-foot pole, you would not consider being involved under any circumstances. (In British English, people say they wouldn't touch it with a bargepole)
If someone wraps themselves in the flag, they pretend to be doing something for patriotic reasons or out of loyalty, but their real motives are selfish. ('Drape yourself in the flag' is an alternative form of this idiom)
(USA) If someone puts or throws a wrench, or monkey wrench, in the works, they ruin a plan. In British English, 'spanner' is used instead of 'wrench'.
If something is writ large, it is emphasised or highlighted.
If the writing's on the wall for something, it is doomed to fail.
If someone has done something wrong or secret, but cannot hide it in their expression, it is written all over their face.
If something is written in stone, it is permanent and cannot be changed.
If someone has got the wrong end of the stick, they have misunderstood what someone has said to them.
If you start something on the wrong foot, you start badly.
~ X ~
The dangers for people in the military that civilians do not face, for which they receive payment, are known as the X factor.
This is used to say where something is located or hidden.
If something is x-rated, it is not suitable for children.
~ Y ~
Yah boo & yah boo sucks can be used to show that you have no sympathy with someone.
If some one says this to another person (i.e. stop yanking my chain) it means for the other person to leave the person who said it alone and to stop bothering them.
The yellow press is a term for the popular and sensationalist newspapers.
If someone has a yellow streak, they are cowardly about something.
A yellow-bellied person is a coward.
If you have a yen to do something, you have a desire to do it.
(UK) To do yeoman's service is to serve in an exemplary manner.
Someone who always agrees with people in authority is a yes-man.
Yesterday's man or Yesterday's woman
Someone, especially a politician or celebrity, whose career is over or on the decline is yesterday's man or woman.
This is used to emphasise the importance of a good diet as a key to good health.
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
This means that it is easier to persuade people if you use polite arguments and flattery than if you are confrontational.
You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family
Some things you can choose, but others you cannot, so you have to try to make the best of what you have where you have no choice.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
This idiom means you can offer something to someone, like good advice, but you cannot make them take it.
If you want to agree strongly with what someone has said, you can say 'You can say that again' as a way of doing so.
This phrase is used when one is so cynical that one doesn't think one can change their Representatives. The phrase must have started with frustration towards a local body of government.
You can't have cake and the topping, too
(USA) This idiom means that you can't have everything the way you want it, especially if your desires are contradictory.
You can't have your cake and eat it
This idiom means that you can't have things both ways. For example, you can't have very low taxes and a high standard of state care.
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
If something isn't very good to start with, you can't do much to improve it.
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
This idiom means that in order to achieve something or make progress, there are often losers in the process.
Enjoy life, enjoy what you have and don't worry about not having a lot, especially money...because once you're dead, 'you can't take it with you.' For some, it means to use up all you have before you die because it's no use to you afterwards.
This means that once something has been done, you have to live with the consequences as it can't be undone.
You could have knocked me down with a feather
This idiom is used to mean that the person was very shocked or surprised.
You do not get a dog and bark yourself
(UK) If there is someone in a lower position who can or should do a task, then you shouldn't do it.
Something that is very low in price is not usually of very good quality.
This means that if you do bad things to people, bad things will happen to you, or good things if you do good things. It is normally used when someone has done something bad.
Used to say you agree completely with something just said.
You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
This idiom means that if you do something for me, I'll return the favour.
This is a very colloquial way of expressing surprise or disbelief at something you have heard. It can also be used to ask someone to say something again.
If someone tells you that you are toast, you are in a lot of trouble.
(USA) Someone who has acted with a lack of intelligence has rocks in their head.
You've made your bed- you'll have to lie in it
This means that someone will have to live with the consequences of their own actions.
Young people with new ideas and fresh approaches are young blood.
A Young Turk is a young person who is rebellious and difficult to control in a company, team or organisation.
Your belly button is bigger than your stomach
If your belly button is bigger than your stomach, you take on more responsibilities than you can handle.
If something is your call, it is up to you to make a decision on the matter.
If someone's name is mud, then they have a bad reputation.
This idiom means that things you do wrong will become known.
The time when something important is to begin is zero hour.
If the police have a zero tolerance policy, they will not overlook any crime, no matter how small or trivial.
If you did things in the wrong order, you zigged before you zagged.
This is used to tell someone to be quiet.
If someone tells you to zip your lip, they want to to shut up or keep quiet about something. ('Zip it' is also used.)
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