| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Idiom
! scope="col" | Definition/Translation
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Refh}} |
| a bitter pill to swallow | A situation or information that is unpleasant but must be accepted | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+bitter+pill+to+swallow|title=a bitter pill to swallow|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| a dime a dozen | (US) Anything that is common, inexpensive, and easy to get or available anywhere | | [{{cite web |url=http://www.theidioms.com/a-dime-a-dozen/ |title=The Idioms |access-date=2012-12-29}}] |
| a hot potato | A controversial issue or situation that is awkward or unpleasant to deal with | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.theidioms.com/hot-potato/ |title=A hot potato |publisher=TheIdioms.com |access-date=2017-11-13}}] |
| a sandwich short of a picnic | Lacking intelligence | | |
| ace in the hole | A hidden or secret strength; an unrevealed advantage | | [{{cite web|url=http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Ace+in+the+Hole |title=Ace in the hole |publisher=The free dictionary.com |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| Achilles' heel | A small but fatal weakness in spite of overall strength | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/23400.html |title=Achilles' heel |date=11 December 2023 |publisher=phrases.org.uk free}}] |
| all ears | Listening intently; fully focused or awaiting an explanation | | [{{cite web|url=http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/all+ears |title=All ears |publisher=The free dictionary.com |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| all thumbs | Clumsy, awkward | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.goenglish.com/AllThumbs.asp |title=Idioms = "All Thumbs" = Today's English Idioms & Phrases |publisher=Goenglish.com |access-date=2012-07-17}}] |
| an arm and a leg | Very expensive or costly; a large amount of money | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/arm-and-a-leg.html|title = 'An arm and a leg' - the meaning and origin of this phrase| date=11 December 2023 }}] |
| apple of discord | Anything causing trouble, discord, or jealousy | | [{{cite web |url=http://idioms.in/apple-of-discord/ |title=Idioms.in - Idioms and Phrases. |access-date=2013-11-24}}] |
| around the clock | When something is done all day and all night without stopping | | [{{cite web|url=https://englishlikeanative.co.uk/time-idioms-and-phrases/ |title=Time Idioms & Phrases |publisher=Englishlikeanative.co.uk |access-date=2021-06-06}}] |
| as queer as a [strange object] (UK)
|Something particularly strange or unusual
|
|[{{Cite book|last1=Dalzell|first1=Tom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbcBCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1811|title=The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|last2=Victor|first2=Terry|date=2015-06-26|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-37252-3|language=en}}][{{Cite book|last=Grose|first=Francis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbJKAAAAMAAJ&pg=PT184|title=A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue|date=1796|publisher=Hooper and Wigstead|language=en}}] |
| at the drop of a hat | Without any hesitation; instantly | | |
| back to the drawing board | Revising something (such as a plan) from the beginning, typically after it has failed | {{efn|This expression refers to the fact that plans or blueprints are often drawn on a drawing board. It probably originated during World War II, most likely in the caption of a cartoon by Peter Arno published in The New Yorker. | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/back+to+the+drawing+board|title=back to the drawing board|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| back to the grindstone | To return to a hard and/or tedious task | | [{{cite web|url=https://englishlikeanative.co.uk/common-english-idioms-for-hard-work-and-business/ |title=Common English Idioms For Hard Work |publisher=Englishlikeanative.co.uk |access-date=2021-06-06}}] |
| ball is in his/her/your court | It is up to him/her/you to make the next decision or step. | | |
| balls to the wall | Full throttle; at maximum speed | | |
| barking up the wrong tree | Looking in the wrong place | {{efn|Originally a hunting term.}} | [{{cite web|url=http://phrases.org.uk/meanings/56150.html |title=Barking up the wrong tree |publisher=The Phrase Finder |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| basket case | One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic, or stress | {{efn|Originally a British slang term for a quadruple amputee during World War I.}} | |
| beating a dead horse | To uselessly dwell on a subject far beyond its point of resolution | | |
| beat around the bush | To treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally or to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant | | |
| bed of roses | A situation or activity that is comfortable or easy | | |
| the bee's knees | Something or someone outstandingly good, excellent, or wonderful | {{efn|The origin is unclear; it may simply have emerged in imitation of the numerous other animal-related nonsense phrases popular in the 1920s such as "the cat's pyjamas" or "the monkey's eyebrows", | |
| best of both worlds | A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits | | |
| bird brain | A person who is not too smart; a person who acts stupid | | [{{Cite web|url=http://english-the-easy-way.com/Idioms/Bird_Brain.html|title=Bird Brain - English Idioms|website=English The Easy Way}}] |
| bite off more than one can chew | To take on more responsibility than one can manage | | |
| bite the bullet | To endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable | | |
| bite the dust | A euphemism for dying or death | | |
| bought the farm | A euphemism for dying or death, especially in an aviation or military context | | |
| break a leg | A wish of good luck to theatre performers before going on stage, due to the belief amongst those in theatre that being wished "good luck" is a curse | | [{{cite book |last1=Urdang |first1=Laurence |last2=Hunsinger |first2=Walter W. |last3=LaRoche |first3=Nancy |title=Picturesque Expressions: A Thematic Dictionary |publisher=Gale Research |page=[https://archive.org/details/picturesqueexpre00urda/page/321 321] |year=1985 |isbn=0-8103-1606-4 |edition=2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/picturesqueexpre00urda/page/321}}] |
| burn the midnight oil | To work late into the night | {{efn|Alludes to burning oil to produce light in the time before electric lighting; originated with the English writer Francis Quarles who wrote: "Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle; :Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle."}} | [{{cite web|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/80200.html |title=Burning the midnight oil |publisher=The Phrase Finder |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| bust one's chops | To exert oneself | {{efn|At the turn of the century, wearing very long sideburns – called "mutton chops" – was common. A bust in the chops was to get hit in the face.}} | [{{cite web|url=http://www.pride-unlimited.com/probono/idioms1.html#b |title=Idioms & Axioms currently used in America |publisher=Pride UnLimited |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| by the seat of one's pants | To achieve through instinct or to do something without advance preparation | | [{{cite web|title=Idiom: By the seat of your pants|url=http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/by+the+seat+of+your+pants.html|publisher=www.usingenglish.com|access-date=December 5, 2011}}] |
| by the skin of one's teeth | Narrowly; barely. Usually used in regard to a narrow escape from a disaster. | {{efn|The phrase first appears in English in the Geneva Bible (1560), in Job 19:20, which provides a literal translation of the original Hebrew, "I haue escaped with the skinne of my tethe." The original Hebrew בְּעוֹר שִׁנָּי (b'3or shinai) is a phono-semantic match of the Hebrew word בְּקוֹשִׁי (b'qoshi) which means "barely, hardly, with difficulty." It may never be known if this phrase became an idiom before the biblical book of Job was written, or if the word b'qoshi was mis-heard by a scribe.}} | [{{cite web |url=https://www.theidioms.com/by-the-skin-of-your-teeth/ |title=Skin of your teeth |publisher=Theidioms.com |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| call a spade a spade | To speak the truth, even to the point of being blunt and rude | | |
| call it a day | To declare the end of a task | {{efn|Its 19th-century predecessor is seen in the line "It would have been best for Merlin... to quit and call it half a day", from the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) by American writer Mark Twain.}} | [{{cite web|url=http://www.quotations.me.uk/famous-idioms/37-call-it-a-day-idiom.htm |title=American-English idiom Call it a day |publisher=Quotations.me.uk |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| champ at the bit or chomp at the bit | To show impatience or frustration when delayed | | [{{cite web |url=http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/chomp-at-the-bit |title=Chomp at the bit |publisher=onlineslangdictionary.com |access-date=2014-05-14 |archive-date=6 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206164554/http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/chomp-at-the-bit |url-status=dead }}] |
| cheap as chips | Inexpensive; a good bargain | | |
| chew the cud | To meditate or ponder before answering; to be deep in thought; to ruminate | | |
| chew the fat | To chat idly or generally waste time talking | | |
| chink in one's armor | An area of vulnerability | {{efn|The word "chink" here is generally used in the sense of a crack or gap.}} | [{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chink%20in%20one's%20armor |title=Chink in one's armor | Define Chink in one's armor at Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=2012-07-17}}] |
| clam up | To become silent; to stop talking | | |
| clutch one's pearls
|To be disproportionately shocked or affronted by something one perceives to be vulgar, in bad taste, or morally wrong | | |
| cold feet | Not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty and doubt | | |
| cold shoulder | To display aloofness and disdain | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cold-shoulder.html|title='Cold shoulder' - the meaning and origin of this phrase|first=Gary|last=Martin|website=phrases.org.uk|date=11 December 2023 |accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| couch potato | A lazy person | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/random-idiom.php?c=469|title=What does couch potato mean?|website=www.myenglishpages.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| cool your jets
|Calm down.
|
|[{{Cite web |title=cool your jets! |url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cool+your+jets! |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=TheFreeDictionary.com}}] |
| crocodile tears | Fake tears or drama tears; fake crying. | | |
| cut off your nose to spite your face | To pursue revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of one's anger | | |
| cut a rug | To dance | | |
| cut the cheese (US) | To pass gas | | |
| wikt:cut the mustard | To perform well; to meet expectations | | |
| dicking around | Messing about, not making any progress | | |
| dig one's heels in | Refuse to change one's plans or ideas, especially when counseled otherwise | | |
| dollars to donuts | Assert certainty that something is either true or likely to occur, often expressed as a wager of something expensive (dollars) against something cheap (donuts) | | |
| don't count your chickens before they hatch | Don't make plans for something that may not happen; alternatively, don't make an assumption about something that does not have a definitively predetermined outcome. | | |
| don't cry over spilled milk | Don't become upset over something that has already happened and you cannot change | | |
| don't have a cow | Don't overreact | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomsphrases.com/dont-have-a-cowe/ |title=Idiom: Don't have a cow |date=20 January 2013 |publisher=idiomsphrases.com |access-date=2014-05-14}}] |
| drop a dime (US) | To make a telephone call; to be an informant; (basketball) an assist | | |
| elephant in the room | An obvious, pressing issue left unaddressed due to its sensitive nature | | |
| eleventh hour | At the last minute; the latest possible time before it is too late | | [{{cite web |title=eleventh hour, noun |work=Merriam-Webster.com |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eleventh%20hour |access-date=29 September 2021 }}] |
| fall off the turnip truck | To be naïve, inexperienced, or unsophisticated. Sometimes used in a rural sense. | | [{{cite web |title='TO FALL OFF THE TURNIP TRUCK': MEANING AND ORIGIN |date=15 September 2020 |url=https://wordhistories.net/2020/09/15/fall-off-turnip-truck/ |access-date=27 October 2022 }}] |
| fish out of water | refers to a person who is in unfamiliar, and often uncomfortable surroundings | | |
| fit as a fiddle | In good physical health | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/fit+as+a+fiddle.html |title=Idiom: Fit as a fiddle |publisher=UsingEnglish.com |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| for a song | Almost free; very cheap | | |
| fly in the ointment | A minor drawback or imperfection, especially one that was not at first apparent, that detracts from something positive, spoils something valuable, or is a source of annoyance | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fly+in+the+ointment|title=fly in the ointment|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| fly on the wall | To join an otherwise private interaction, unnoticed to watch and/or listen to something | | [{{cite web|url=https://englishlikeanative.co.uk/30-animal-idioms/ |title=30 Animal Idioms |publisher=www.englishlikeanative.co.uk |access-date=2020-08-29}}] |
| from A to Z | Covering a complete range; comprehensively | {{efn|As of the English alphabet, which ranges from the first letter, A, to the last letter, Z.}} | |
| from scratch / make from scratch | To make from original ingredients; to start from the beginning with no prior preparation | | |
| get bent out of shape | To take offense; to get worked up, aggravated, or annoyed | | |
| get a wiggle on | To move quickly or hurry | | [{{cite web |title=Get a wiggle on! |url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Get+a+wiggle+on! |website=The Free Dictionary |access-date=2 November 2022}}] |
| get one's ducks in a row | to become well prepared for a desired outcome | | |
| get one's knickers in a twist | (UK) To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter | | |
| get one's panties in a wad | To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter | | |
| get your goat | To irritate someone | | |
| gone south | having an unforeseen or chaotic result | | |
| grasp the nettle | To tackle a problem in a bold manner, despite the difficulty or complexity of doing so; to solve a problem despite short-term adverse consequences. | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/grasp-the-nettle|title=GRASP THE NETTLE definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary|accessdate=18 February 2024}}][{{Cite web|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/grasp-the-nettle.html|title='Grasp the nettle' - the meaning and origin of this phrase|first=Gary|last=Martin|website=phrases.org.uk|date=11 December 2023 |accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| have a blast | To have a good time; to enjoy oneself. | | [{{cite web |url=http://istudyenglishonline.com/expressions-idioms/have/have-a-blast/ |title=Have a blast |publisher=iStudyEnglishOnline.com |access-date=2013-03-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619002236/http://istudyenglishonline.com/expressions-idioms/have/have-a-blast/ |archive-date=2013-06-19}}] |
| have all your Christmases come at once
|To have extreme good fortune.
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| |
| have eyes bigger than one's stomach | To have asked for or taken more of something (especially food) than one is actually capable of handling (or eating) | | |
| have eyes in the back of one's head | To be able to perceive things and events that are outside of one's field of vision | | |
| head over heels | Be smitten, infatuated | | |
| heard it through the grapevine | To have learned something through gossip, hearsay, or a rumor | | |
| hit the ceiling/roof | To become enraged, possibly in an overreaction | | |
| hit the nail on the head | 1. To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem; 2. To do or say exactly the right thing or to find the exact answer; 3. To do something in the most effective and efficient way; 4. To be accurate or correct about something. | | |
| hit the road | To leave; start a journey | | [{{Cite web |title=hit the road |url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/hit+the+road |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=TheFreeDictionary.com}}] |
| hit the sack/sheets/hay | To go to bed; to go to sleep. | | [{{cite web |url=http://www.funkyenglish.com/forum/topics/hit-the-sack |title=Hit the sack |publisher=funkyenglish.com |access-date=2014-05-14 |archive-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514094027/http://www.funkyenglish.com/forum/topics/hit-the-sack |url-status=dead }}] |
| hit the spot | To be particularly pleasing or appropriate; to be just right. | | |
| hold all the cards | To control a situation; to be the one making the decisions. | | |
| hold your horses | Wait. Slow down. | | |
| {{anchor|hook, line and sinker}}hook, line and sinker | To be completely fooled by a deception | | [{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hook,%20line%20and%20sinker |title=Hook, Line and Sinker |website=Merriam-Webster.com |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=6 December 2018}}] |
| in over one's head | Overwhelmed or exasperated, usually by excessive responsibilities | | |
| it is what it is | This challenging circumstance is simply a fact, to be accepted or dealt with. | {{efn|Earliest usage unknown. In 1945, Bertrand Russell wrote of a logician's irritation that "the world is what it is";[{{cite book|title=A History of Western Philosophy|page=586|isbn=9-780041-000450|year=1945|last1=Russell |first1=Bertrand |publisher=Unwin Paperbacks }}] by 1949 the full phrase appeared in the Nebraska State Journal.[{{Cite web|url=https://examples.yourdictionary.com/articles/who-coined-the-phrase-it-is-what-it-is.html|title=Who Coined the Phrase "It Is What It Is"? | YourDictionary|accessdate=18 February 2024}}]}} | [{{cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/it-is-what-it-is/|title=It is what it is|date=July 29, 2019}}][{{cite news|journal=The New York Times|date=March 5, 2006|title=It Is What It Is|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/magazine/it-is-what-it-is.html}}] |
| jump ship | To leave a job, organization, or activity suddenly | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/jump+ship|title=jump ship|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| jump the gun
|To start something before it is prudent or permitted; to act too hastily.
|
|[{{Citation |title=jump the gun |date=2022-01-25 |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=jump_the_gun&oldid=65435581 |work=Wiktionary |language=en |access-date=2022-04-07}}] |
| jumping the shark | A creative work, an idea or entity reaching a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with its original purpose | | [{{cite news |title=He's a maniac | first=Alan | last=Glenn |newspaper= Michigan Today |date= February 19, 2016|url= https://michigantoday.umich.edu/2016/02/19/hes-a-maniac/ |access-date=May 3, 2022}}] |
| kick the bucket | A euphemism for dying or death | | [{{cite web |url=http://www.idiomreference.com/define/kick-the-bucket |title=Kick the bucket |publisher=idiomreference.com |access-date=2014-05-14 |archive-date=22 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122163746/http://www.idiomreference.com/define/kick-the-bucket |url-status=dead }}] |
| kick the habit | To stop engaging in a habitual practice | | |
| kill two birds with one stone | To accomplish two different tasks at the same time and/or with a single action | | |
| king's ransom | A large sum of money | | [{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/king%27s%20ransom |title=King's ransom |publisher=merriam-webster.com|access-date=2023-04-26}}] |
| let the cat out of the bag | To reveal a secret | | |
| like pulling teeth | Having difficulty in getting a person or item to act in a desired fashion; reference to a difficult task. | | |
| like turkeys voting for Christmas
|used as a metaphor for a parody in which a choice made is clearly against one's self-interest, facing adverse consequences of their those policies and still adhere to them.
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| |
| lit up like a Christmas tree
|Clothes that are too bright or colourful for the occasion.
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| |
| look a gift horse in the mouth | To find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor | | |
| loose cannon | A person who is uncontrollable and unpredictable but likely to cause damage to the group of which they are a member | | [{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/When+a+Loose+Cannon+Flogs+a+Dead+Horse+There%27s+the+Devil+to+Pay.-a018404245 |title=loose cannon |access-date=2022-06-13}}] |
| method to (one's) madness | Despite one's seemingly random approach, there is actually orderly structure or logic to it. | | |
| my two cents | (Canada and US) One's opinion on the subject | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.talkenglish.com/lessondetails.aspx?ALID=1039|title = My Two Cents}}] |
| never put an apple in your rabbit
|Don't do something you know you shouldn't be doing
|
|[{{Cite book |last=Kellett |first=Arnold |title=The Little Book of Yorkshire Dialect |publisher=Dalesman Publishing Co Ltd |year=2008 |isbn=978-1855682573 |pages=107}}] |
| nip (something) in the bud | To stop something at an early stage, before it can develop into something of more significance (especially an obstacle or frustration) | | |
| no horse in this race or no dog in this fight | No vested interest in the outcome of a particular conflict, contest or debate | | |
off one's trolley or
off one's rocker | Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile | {{efn|Since both "off one's trolley" and "off one's rocker" became popular in the late 1890s about the same time streetcars were installed in major American cities, and since "rocker", like "trolley", means the wheel or runner that makes contact with an overhead electric cable, it is likely that the "rocker" of the expression carries the same meaning as "trolley". "Off your trolley" may refer to the fact that when the wires are "off the trolley", the vehicle no longer receives an electric current and is, therefore, rendered inoperative.}} | [{{cite web|url=http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=18057#p39459 |first=Ken |last=Greenwald |title=off your rocker |publisher=wordwizard.com |date=24 June 2005 |access-date=2012-09-30}}] |
| off the hook | To escape a situation of responsibility or obligation, or, less frequently, danger | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off%20the%20hook |title=Off the hook |publisher=Merriam-Webster.com |access-date=2013-04-05}}] |
| the oldest trick in the book | An effective way of tricking someone even though it is a very popular method | | [{{cite web |title=the oldest trick in the book Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/oldest-trick-in-the-book |website=Cambridge Dictionary |access-date=14 February 2025}}] |
| once in a blue moon | Occurring very rarely | | |
| own goal | To do something accidentally negative against yourself or your own team | | |
| part and parcel | The attribute of being an integral or essential component of another object | | |
| pop one's clogs | (UK) A euphemism for dying or death | | |
| the pot calling the kettle black | Used when someone making an accusation is equally as guilty as those being accused | | [{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/pot-calling-the-kettle-black|title=THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK definition | Cambridge English Dictionary|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| piece of cake | A job, task or other activity that is pleasant – or, by extension, easy or simple | | |
| not one’s cup of tea
|Not the type of thing the person likes.
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| |
| preaching to the choir | To present a side of a discussion or argument to someone who already agrees with it; essentially, wasting your time. | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.skypeenglishclasses.com/english-idiomatic-expressions-preaching-to-the-choir/ |title=Preaching to the Choir|date=13 April 2011}}] |
| pull oneself together
|to recover control of one's emotions.
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| |
| pull somebody's leg | To tease or joke by telling a lie | | |
| push the envelope | To approach, extend, or go beyond the limits of what is possible; to pioneer. | {{efn|This expression originated as aviation slang and referred to graphs of aerodynamic performance on which "the envelope" is the boundary line representing the limit of an aircraft's capabilities (especially its altitude and speed). It was popularized by Tom Wolfe's 1979 book The Right Stuff. | |
| pushing up daisies | A euphemism for dying or death | | |
| put a spoke in one's wheel
|To disrupt, foil, or cause problems to one's plan, activity, or project.
|
|
[{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/put+a+spoke+in+wheel|title=put a spoke in wheel|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}]
|
| put on airs
|An English language idiom and a colloquial phrase meant to describe a person who acts superior, or one who behaves as if they are more important than others.
|
|[{{cite book |last1=Ammer |first1=Christine |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms |date=2013 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Paw Prints |location=Boston & New York |isbn=978-0-547-67658-6 |id=1439527245]
|orig-date=2008 |type=Paperback|page=174 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_LxuR1jMVgC&dq=give+airs+1500s&pg=PA174 |access-date=4 October 2021}} |
| put the cat among the pigeons | To create a disturbance and cause trouble | | [{{cite web|url=http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/random-idiom.php?c=495 |title=Random Idiom Definition - put the cat among the pigeons |publisher=myenglishpages.com |access-date=2013-05-03}}] |
| raining cats and dogs | Raining very hard or strongly | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Raining+cats+and+dogs|title=Raining cats and dogs|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| right as rain | Needed, appropriate, essential, or hoped-for; also has come to mean perfect, well, or absolutely right. | {{efn|The life of an agrarian community depends on the success of the local crops, which in turn depends on rain. In pre-industrial times, rain was widely appreciated as essential for survival.}} | [{{Cite web|url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/whys/rightrain.htm |title=Right as rain |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=December 4, 2011}}] |
| rock the boat | To do or say something that will upset people or cause problems | | |
| shoot the breeze | To chat idly or casually, without any serious topic of conversation | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shoot+the+breeze|title=shoot the breeze|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| shooting fish in a barrel | Frivolously performing a simple task | | |
| screw the pooch | To screw up; to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion. | | |
| sleep with the fishes | To be murdered and thrown into a body of water | {{efn|The original text in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather reads: "'The fish means that Luca Brasi is sleeping on the bottom of the ocean,' he said. 'It's an old Sicilian message.'"}} | |
| speak of the devil (and he shall appear)
|Used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation
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| spill the beans | To reveal someone's secret | | |
| spin one's wheels | To expel much effort for little or no gain | | |
| stay in one's lane
|To avoid interfering with, passing judgement on, or giving unsolicited advice about issues beyond one's purview or expertise; to mind one's own business.
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|[{{Cite web |title=stay in (one's) lane |url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stay+in+(one%27s)+lane |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=TheFreeDictionary.com}}] |
| step up to the plate | To deliver beyond expectations | | |
| stick out like a sore thumb | Something that is clearly out of place | | [{{Cite web |title=What are the Origins of the Phrase "Sticks out Like a Sore Thumb"? |url=http://www.languagehumanities.org/what-are-the-origins-of-the-phrase-sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb.htm |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=Language Humanities |language=en-US}}] |
| straw that broke the camel's back | The last in a line of unacceptable occurrences; the final tipping point in a sensitive situation. | | |
| take a shine | To develop a liking or fondness for someone or something | | [{{cite web|url=https://englishlikeanative.co.uk/10-weather-idioms-in-british-english/ |title=10 Weather Idioms |date=17 September 2020 |publisher=www.englishlikeanative.co.uk |access-date=2020-09-29}}] |
| take the biscuit | (UK) To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious | | |
| take (or grab) the bull by the horns | To deal bravely and decisively with a difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant situation; to deal with a matter in a direct manner, especially to confront a difficulty rather than avoid it. | | |
| take the cake | (US) To be especially good or outstanding. Alternatively (US) To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious. | | |
| take the piss | (UK) To tease, ridicule, or mock someone | | |
| take with a grain of salt | To not take what someone says too seriously; to treat someone's words with a degree of skepticism. | | |
| through thick and thin | through all obstacles in a path; in good times and bad times | | |
| throw stones in glass houses | One who is vulnerable to criticism regarding a certain issue should not criticize others about the same issue. | | |
| throw the baby out with the bathwater | To discard, especially inadvertently, something valuable while in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted | | |
| throw under the bus | To betray or sacrifice someone for selfish reasons | | |
| snake in the grass | An unrecognizable danger or hidden enemy | | |
| thumb one's nose | To express scorn or disregard | | |
| tie one on | To get drunk | | |
| to and fro or toing and froing | To move from one place to another; going back and forth; here and there. | | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/to+and+fro|title=to and fro|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}][{{Cite web|url=https://www.wordreference.com/definition/to%20and%20fro|title=to and fro - WordReference.com Dictionary of English|website=www.wordreference.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| to steal someone's thunder | To preempt someone and rob them of gravitas or attention. To take credit for something someone else did. | | |
| trip the light fantastic | To dance | {{efn|The expression is generally attributed to John Milton's 1645 poem L'Allegro, which includes the lines: "Com, and trip it as ye go,
On the light fantastick toe." | [{{Cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/trip+the+light+fantastic|title=trip the light fantastic|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| two a penny | Cheap or common | | |
| under my thumb | Under my control | | |
| under the weather | Feeling sick or poorly | | [{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/under+the+weather|title=under the weather|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|accessdate=18 February 2024}}] |
| the whole nine yards | Everything; all the way | | |
| watching paint dry
|To describe something tedious or boring
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| water under the bridge
|Something that already happened in the past and should not be the primary focus of attention because it cannot be changed
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| [Paul Heacock, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ytJNRDL0zDgC&pg=PA457&dq=idiom+%22water+under+the+bridge%22 Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms] (2003), p. 457.] |
| wild goose chase | A frustrating or lengthy undertaking that accomplishes little | | |
| willy-nilly | An activity, situation, decision or event that happens in a disorganized manner; or it is done haphazardly, chaotically and randomly, without any sort of planning or direction. | {{efn|The idiom has another meaning; "with or against one's will", which was popularized from the expression "will he, nill he", found in Shakespeare's Hamlet.[{{cite web|url=https://idiomorigins.org/origin/willy-nilly|title=WILLY-NILLY|work=The Idioms |accessdate=9 September 2023}}]}} | [{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/willy-nilly|title=willy-nilly|work=Cambridge Dictionary|accessdate=9 September 2023}}][{{cite web|url=https://grammarist.com/words/willy-nilly/|title=Willy-Nilly – Origin & Meaning|author= Candace Osmond|work=Grammarist|date=28 August 2014 |accessdate=9 September 2023}}] |
| wolf something down
|devour (food) greedily.
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| you can say that again | That is very true; an expression of wholehearted agreement. | | |