Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
marketing
Marketing features real word examples that show concepts in action and reveal the drama of modern marketing.
When you think of NASCAR , do you think of tobacco_spitting rednecks and run down race-tracks? think again! these days, NASCAR (the nation association for stock car auto racing) is much, much more. in fact, it is one great great marketing organization .
marketing need new idea, new process and differently. show their concept like- product concept,production concept, selling concept,social marketing concept.
When you think of NASCAR , do you think of tobacco_spitting rednecks and run down race-tracks? think again! these days, NASCAR (the nation association for stock car auto racing) is much, much more. in fact, it is one great great marketing organization .
marketing need new idea, new process and differently. show their concept like- product concept,production concept, selling concept,social marketing concept.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
learn Idiom and Phrase
If something is excessive or annoying, it is a bit much.
A bridge too far is an act of overreaching- going too far and getting into trouble or failing.
This means that processes, organisations, etc, are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them.
(USA
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.
If someone hasn't matured by the time they reach forty, they never will.
A person who is brought in to examine something carefully is a fresh pair of eyes.
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 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.
This means that we shouldn't spend or waste money, but try to save it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wise people don't talk much.
A textbook case, it is a classic or common example of something.
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
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
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
(UK US or the UK
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.
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.
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
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
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
(UK Cheshire
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
(USA
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
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
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.
(USA
An alter ego is a very close and intimate friend. It is a Latin phrase that literally means 'other self'.
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.
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.
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 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.
(USA
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
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'.
Something that is as much use as a chocolate teapot is not useful at all.
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.
(UK
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
(UK
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 odds with someone, you cannot agree with them and argue.
If things are at sea, or all at sea, they are disorganized and chaotic.
(USA
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
(UK
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'.
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
If an issue is on the back burner, it is being given low priority.
(UK
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
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.
"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
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
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
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.)
Someone with bats in the belfry is crazy or eccentric.
If you batten down the hatches, you prepare for the worst that could happen to you.
(USA
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
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
Something someone says when they want to get out of a place or situation, meaning 'Get me out of here!'. (It comes from the TV series and movies Star Trek, though the exact words used were a little different.)
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 people beat swords into ploughshares, they spend money on humanitarian purposes rather than weapons. (The American English spelling is 'plowshares')
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.
When you want to beat the tar out of someone, you want to beat them up badly.
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
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
People say this when they have already experienced what is being discussed.
(UK
If people make an agreement or contract and then the situation changes very quickly, it changes before the ink is dry.
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.
To bell the cat is to perform a difficult or impossible task.
Bells and whistles are attractive features that things like computer programs have, though often a bit unnecessary.
(USA
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
(USA
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 UK
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
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.
If something is better than a kick in the teeth, it isn't very good, but it is better than nothing.
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.
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.
If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma; a difficult choice.
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 New York
If someone is making big bucks, they are making a lot of money.
The big cheese is the boss.
(USA 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.
'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.
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.
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 England
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 fuse, you become uncontrollably angry.
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 something, like an idea, is blown out of the water, it is destroyed or defeated comprehensively.
(USA
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
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.)
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 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
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 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.
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 someone behaves like a bull in a China
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.
Burning daylight is wasting time.
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.
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 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.
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.
(USA
If you can't so something for toffee, you are incapable of doing something properly or to any sort of standard.
If you can't get a word in edgeways, you don't have the chance to say anything because the person you are with is is talking all the time.
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.
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
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 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 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.)
(USA
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.)
Someone who lives above their means and likes things they cannot afford has champagne taste on a beer budget.
To betray impatience, as to begin some action. "I'm champing at the bit to tell you" "Chomping at the bit" is also commonly used, though some regard it as an error.
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'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
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 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 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.
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 Newcastle
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
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
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.
(USA
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
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
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.)
If you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you apply too much force to achieve a result. ('Jackhammer' is also used.)
The crack of dawn is very early in the morning.
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
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.
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
(UK
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
(UK
(UK
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
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
(USA
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.
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.
(USA
(USA
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
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.
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
(UK
(UK
Treat and respect others as you would hope to be respected and treated by them.
(India
(UK
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
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 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
When someone says this to you, they are trying to tell you not to act against those on whom you depend.
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.
This idiom means that you should not judge something or someone by appearances, but should look deeper at what is inside and more important.
If you don't know what to do, you don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon.
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 Britain
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.)
This means 'don't keep me waiting'. It's said to someone who is taking too long to get moving.
(USA
(USA
Don't call others out on actions that you, yourself do. Don't be a hypocrite.
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.
(UK
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.
If you dot all the i's and cross all the t's, you do something very carefully and thoroughly.
(UK
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.
Down and dirty means unscrupulous and very competitive.
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
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
(USA
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
(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 you take to something like a duck to water, you find when you start that you have a natural affinity for it.
(USA
(UK
If you are dumb as a rock, you have no common sense and are stupid.
(UK Dunkirk
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.
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
The early bird catches the worm means that if you start something early, you stand a better chance of success.
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
(USA
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 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.
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.
This expression means that even if people are ineffective or misguided, sometimes they can still be correct just by being lucky.
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.
(Irish) This idiom is used frequently in Ireland
This means that people like the sound of their own voice.
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.
If people include everything but the kitchen sink, they include every possibility, regardless of whether they are useful.
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.
If someone's eyes are bigger than their stomach, they are greedy and take on more than they can consume or manage.
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 often a stepping stone towards success.
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
(USA
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
(USA
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.
When a situation has reached fever pitch, people are extremely excited or agitated.
If things are few and far between, they happen very occasionally.
If people are fiddling while Rome
(UK
(USA
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
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
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.
Someone who's very healthy, fit or physically attractive is as fit as a butcher's dog.
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
Flowery speech is full of lovely words, but may well lack substance.
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.
This means that you should learn from your mistakes and not allow people to take advantage of you repeatedly.
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.
(UK
If you buy or sell something for a song, it is very cheap.
(UK
(UK England , talks a lot- if you do something for England
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
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 Missouri
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.
If you are familiar with something from the get go, you are familiar with it from the beginning
(USA
If you hear something from the horse's mouth, you hear it directly from the person concerned or responsible.
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 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
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 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.)
When you start drinking again after being hungover from drinking the previous night.
To get cracking means to start working on something, usually a job or task with defined parameters.
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 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.
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.
(UK
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 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.
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.
(USA
(UK
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.
If you give someone a piece of your mind, you criticise them strongly and angrily.
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 the runaround, they make excuses and give you false explanations to avoid doing something.
(UK
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.
(UK
(UK
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
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
If things go hand in hand, they are associated and go together.
When something goes haywire, it is completely out of control and erratic.
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 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
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 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
(UK
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.
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.'
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)
An existing condition, usually in a contract or other agreement, that cannot be changed, even if the conditions are changed for others.
(UK
'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
If you are given the green light, you are given approval to do something.
(USA
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 UK
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 a business is going through some growing pains, it is experiencing the typical problems that arise when a company becomes stronger and bigger.
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.
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 hale and hearty is in very good health.
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.
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
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.)
Someone who plays a part or who is involved in two different groups of people, opinions, ways of thinking or living, etc, has a foot in both camps.
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.
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
(USA
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.
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
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
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
If you hot foot it out of a place, you leave very quickly, often running.
A problem or issue that is very controversial and no one wants to deal with is a hot potato.
(USA
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
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.
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 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
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.
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.
When someone is not busy, or being productive, trouble is bound to follow.
When you fail, try until you get it right!
(USA
Any attempt to improve on a system that already works is pointless and may even hurt it.
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)
This means that wishing for something or wanting it is not the same as getting or having it.
Always try and make the best out of a bad situation. With some ingenuity you can make a bad situation useful.
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 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.
This means that if you become involved with bad company, there will be negative consequences.
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
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 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.
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 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
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 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 clear, they are no longer suspected of or charged with wrongdoing.
(UK
(UK
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.
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.
It's a biblical idiom used when somebody known for something bad appears all of a sudden to be doing something very good.
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 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.
This is said when things have gone wrong; the idea being that when bad things happen, there can also be some positive results.
This idiom means that getting upset after something has gone wrong is pointless; it can't be changed so it should be accepted.
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.
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.
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
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
(USA
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.
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 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.
If you keep the wolf from the door, you have enough money for food and the basic essentials.
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
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.
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 pants on, they mean that you should be patient and not make them rush.
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
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.
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
(UK
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
This means that we shouldn't try to control events, because destiny controls them.
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.
If people let the genie out of the bottle, they let something bad happen that cannot be put right or controlled.
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.
This idiom means that life is simple and pleasant.
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 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.
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.
(UK
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.
(USA
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 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,
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 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
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.
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.
A lone wolf is a person who prefers to do things on their own or without help from other people.
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.
(UK
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.
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
(UK
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.
If you love someone, you should accept everything about them and the people they like.
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.
(USA
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
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.
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 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 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 makes waves, they cause a lot of trouble.
If something makes you spit, it irritates you or makes you angry.
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
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.
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.
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.
Big or great things start very small.
To do something very quickly. For example: He was talking a mile a minute.
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
(USA
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
(USA
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 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.
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.
(USA
(UK 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.
A person who has more than one string to their bow has different talents or skills to fall back on.
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.
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.
Things are much of a muchness when there is very little difference between them.
'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
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.
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