A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush:
Having something that is certain is much better
than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose
everything.
A Blessing In Disguise:
Something good that isn't recognized at first.
A Chip On Your Shoulder: Being upset for something that
happened in the past.
A Dime A Dozen:
Anything that is common and easy to get.
A
Doubting Thomas: A skeptic who needs physical or personal evidence in
order to believe something.
A Drop in the Bucket:
A very small part of something big or whole.
A Fool And His Money Are Easily Parted: It's easy for a
foolish person to lose his/her money.
A House Divided
Against Itself Cannot Stand: Everyone involved must unify and
function together or it will not work out.
A Leopard
Can't Change His Spots: You cannot change who you are.
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned: By not spending money,
you are saving money (little by little).
A Picture
Paints a Thousand Words: A visual presentation is far more
descriptive than words.
A Piece of Cake: A
task that can be accomplished very easily.
A Slap on
the Wrist: A very mild punishment.
A Taste
Of Your Own Medicine: When you are mistreated the same way you
mistreat others.
A Toss-Up: A result that
is still unclear and can go either way.
Actions Speak
Louder Than Words: It's better to actually do something than just
talk about it.
Add Fuel To The Fire:
Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it
is.
Against The Clock: Rushed and short on
time.
All Bark And No Bite: When someone is
threatening and/or aggressive but not willing to engage in a fight.
All Greek to me: Meaningless and incomprehensible like
someone who cannot read, speak, or understand any of the Greek language would
be.
All In The Same Boat: When everyone is
facing the same challenges.
An Arm And A Leg:
Very expensive. A large amount of money.
An
Axe To Grind: To have a dispute with someone.
Apple of My Eye: Someone who is cherished above all
others.
As High As A Kite: Anything that is
high up in the sky.
At The Drop Of A Hat:
Willing to do something immediately.
B
Back Seat Driver:
People who criticize from the sidelines, much like someone giving
unwanted advice from the back seat of a vehicle to the driver.
Back To Square One: Having to start all over
again.
Back To The Drawing Board: When an
attempt fails and it's time to start all over.
Baker's
Dozen: Thirteen.
Barking Up The Wrong Tree:
A mistake made in something you are trying to achieve.
Beat A Dead Horse: To force an issue that has already
ended.
Beating Around The Bush: Avoiding
the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.
Bend Over Backwards: Do whatever it takes to help.
Willing to do anything.
Between A Rock And A Hard
Place: Stuck between two very bad options.
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew: To take on a task that
is way to big.
Bite Your Tongue: To avoid
talking.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: The
family bond is closer than anything else.
Blue Moon:
A rare event or occurance.
Break A Leg:
A superstitious way to say 'good luck' without saying 'good luck',
but rather the opposite.
Buy A Lemon: To
purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you
drive it away.
C
Can't Cut The Mustard :
Someone who isn't adequate enough to compete or
participate.
Cast Iron Stomach: Someone who
has no problems, complications or ill effects with eating anything or drinking
anything.
Charley Horse: Stiffness in the
leg / A leg cramp.
Chew someone out:
Verbally scold someone.
Chip on his
Shoulder: Angry today about something that occured in the
past.
Chow Down: To eat.
Close but no Cigar: To be very near and almost
accomplish a goal, but fall short.
Cock and Bull
Story: An unbelievable tale.
Come Hell Or
High Water: Any difficult situation or obstacle.
Crack Someone Up: To make someone laugh.
Cross Your Fingers: To hope that something happens the
way you want it to.
Cry Over Spilt Milk:
When you complain about a loss from the past.
Cry Wolf: Intentionally raise a false
alarm.
Cup Of Joe: A cup of
coffee.
Curiosity Killed The Cat: Being
Inquisitive can lead you into a dangerous situation.
Cut to the Chase: Leave out all the unnecessary details
and just get to the point.
D
Dark Horse: One who
was previously unknown and is now prominent.
Dead
Ringer: 100% identical. A duplicate.
Devil's Advocate: Someone who takes a position for the
sake of argument without believing in that particular side of the arguement. It
can also mean one who presents a counter argument for a position they do believe
in, to another debater.
Dog Days of Summer:
The hottest days of the summer season.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch: Don't rely
on it until your sure of it.
Don't Look A Gift Horse
In The Mouth: When someone gives you a gift, don't be
ungrateful.
Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket:
Do not put all your resources in one possibility.
Doozy: Something outstanding.
Down To The Wire: Something that ends at the last minute
or last few seconds.
Drastic Times Call For Drastic
Measures: When you are extremely desperate you need to take extremely
desperate actions.
Drink like a fish: To
drink very heavily.
Drive someone up the wall:
To irritate and/or annoy very much.
Dropping Like Flies: A large number of people either
falling ill or dying.
Dry Run:
Rehearsal.
E
Eighty Six: A certain
item is no longer available. Or this idiom can also mean, to throw
away.
Elvis has left the building: The show
has come to an end. It's all over.
Ethnic Cleansing:
Killing of a certain ethnic or religious group on a massive
scale.
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining: Be
optomistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.
Everything But The Kitchen Sink: Almost everything and
anything has been included.
Excuse my French:
Please forgive me for cussing.
Cock and
Bull Story: An unbelievable tale.
Cock and
Bull Story: An unbelievable tale.
F
Feeding
Frenzy: An aggressive attack on someone by a group.
Field Day: An enjoyable day or circumstance.
Finding Your Feet: To become more
comfortable in whatever you are doing.
Finger lickin'
good: A very tasty food or meal.
Fixed In
Your Ways: Not willing or wanting to change from your normal way of
doing something.
Flash In The Pan:
Something that shows potential or looks promising in the beginning
but fails to deliver anything in the end.
Flea
Market: A swap meet. A place where people gather to buy and sell
inexpensive goods.
Flesh and Blood: This
idiom can mean living material of which people are made of, or it can refer to
someone's family.
Flip The Bird: To raise
your middle finger at someone.
Foam at the Mouth:
To be enraged and show it.
Fools' Gold:
Iron pyrites, a worthless rock that resembles real gold.
French Kiss: An open mouth kiss where
tongues touch.
From Rags To Riches: To go
from being very poor to being very wealthy.
Fuddy-duddy: An old-fashioned and foolish type of
person.
Full Monty: This idiom can mean
either, "the whole thing" or "completely nude".
Funny
Farm: A mental institutional facility.
G
Get Down to
Brass Tacks: To become serious about something.
Get Over It: To move beyond something that is bothering
you.
Get Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed:
Someone who is having a horrible day.
Get
Your Walking Papers: Get fired from a job.
Give Him The Slip: To get away from. To escape.
Go Down Like A Lead Balloon: To be
received badly by an audience.
Go For Broke:
To gamble everything you have.
Go Out On A
Limb: Put yourself in a tough position in order to support
someone/something.
Go The Extra Mile: Going
above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand.
Good Samaritan: Someone who helps others when they are
in need, with no discussion for compensation, and no thought of a
reward.
Graveyard Shift: Working hours from
about 12:00 am to 8:00 am. The time of the day when most other people are
sleeping.
Great Minds Think Alike:
Intelligent people think like each other.
Green Room: The waiting room, especially for those who
are about to go on a tv or radio show.
Gut Feeling:
A personal intuition you get, especially when feel something may not
be right.
H
Haste Makes Waste:
Quickly doing things results in a poor ending.
Hat Trick: When one player scores three goals in the
same hockey game. This idiom can also mean three scores in any other sport, such
as 3 homeruns, 3 touchdowns, 3 soccer goals, etc.
Have an Axe to Grind: To have a dispute with someone.
He Lost His Head: Angry and overcome by
emotions.
Head Over Heels: Very excited
and/or joyful, especially when in love.
Hell in a
Handbasket: Deteriorating and headed for complete disaster.
High Five: Slapping palms above each
others heads as celebration gesture.
High on the Hog:
Living in Luxury.
Hit The Books:
To study, especially for a test or exam.
Hit The Hay: Go to bed or go to sleep.
Hit The Nail on the Head: Do something exactly right or
say something exactly right.
Hit The Sack:
Go to bed or go to sleep.
Hocus Pocus:
In general, a term used in magic or trickery.
Hold Your Horses: Be patient.
I
Icing On
The Cake: When you already have it good and get something on top of
what you already have.
Idle Hands Are The Devil's
Tools: You are more likely to get in trouble if you have nothing to
do.
If It's Not One Thing, It's Another:
When one thing goes wrong, then another, and another...
In Like Flynn: To be easily successful, especially when
sexual or romantic.
In The Bag: To have
something secured.
In The Buff:
Nude.
In The Heat Of The Moment:
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
In Your Face: An aggressive and bold
confrontation.
It Takes Two To Tango: A two
person conflict where both people are at fault.
It's A
Small World: You frequently see the same people in different
places.
Its Anyone's Call: A competition
where the outcome is difficult to judge or predict.
Ivy League: Since 1954 the Ivy League has been the
following universities: Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Yale, Pennsylvania,
Princeton, and Harvard.
J
Jaywalk: Crossing the
street (from the middle) without using the crosswalk.
Joshing Me: Tricking me.
K
Keep An Eye
On Him: You should carefully watch him.
Keep body and soul together: To earn a sufficient amount
of money in order to keep yourself alive .
Keep your
chin up: To remain joyful in a tough situation.
Kick The Bucket: Die.
Kitty-corner: Diagonally across. Sometimes called
Catty-Corner as well.
Knee Jerk Reaction: A
quick and automatic response.
Knock On Wood:
Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck.
Know the Ropes: To understand the details.
L
Last
but not least: An introduction phrase to let the audience know that
the last person mentioned is no less important than those introduced before
him/her.
Lend Me Your Ear: To politely ask
for someone's full attention.
Let Bygones Be Bygones:
To forget about a disagreement or arguement.
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: To avoid restarting a
conflict.
Let The Cat Out Of The Bag: To
share a secret that wasn't suppose to be shared.
Level
playing field: A fair competition where no side has an
advantage.
Like a chicken with its head cut off:
To act in a frenzied manner.
liquor someone
up: To get someone drunk.
Long in the
Tooth: Old people (or horses).
Loose
Cannon: Someone who is unpredictable and can cause damage if not kept
in check.
M
Make No Bones About:
To state a fact so there are no doubts or objections.
Method To My Madness: Strange or crazy actions that
appear meaningless but in the end are done for a good reason.
Mumbo Jumbo: Nonsense or meaningless
speech.
Mum's the word: To keep quiet. To
say nothing.
N
Nest Egg: Savings set
aside for future use.
Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
You: Don't hurt anyone that helps you.
New
kid on the block: Someone new to the group or area.
New York Minute: A minute that seems to go by quickly,
especially in a fast paced environment.
No Dice:
To not agree. To not accept a proposition.
No Room to Swing a Cat: An unsually small or confined
space.
Not Playing With a Full Deck:
Someone who lacks intelligence.
O
Off On The
Wrong Foot: Getting a bad start on a relationship or
task.
Off The Hook: No longer have to deal
with a tough situation.
Off the Record:
Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn't want
attributed to him/her.
On Pins And Needles:
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of
something.
On The Fence:
Undecided.
On The Same Page:
When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
Out Of The Blue: Something that suddenly and
unexpectedly occurs.
Out On A Limb: When
someone puts themself in a risky situation.
Out On The
Town: To enjoy yourself by going out.
Over
My Dead Body: When you absolutely will not allow something to
happen.
Over the Top: Very
excessive.
P
Pass The Buck: Avoid
responsibility by giving it to someone else.
Pedal to
the metal: To go full speed, especially while driving a
vehicle.
Peeping Tom: Someone who observes
people in the nude or sexually active people, mainly for his own
gratification.
Pick up your ears: To listen
very carefully.
Pig In A Poke: A deal that
is made without first examining it.
Pig Out :
To eat alot and eat it quickly.
Pipe Down:
To shut-up or be quiet.
Practice Makes
Perfect: By constantly practicing, you will become
better.
Pull the plug: To stop something.
To bring something to an end.
Pulling Your Leg:
Tricking someone as a joke.
Put a sock in
it: To tell noisy person or a group to be quiet.
Q
Queer the
pitch: Destroy or ruin a plan.
R
Raincheck:
An offer or deal that is declined right now but willing to accept
later.
Raining Cats and Dogs: A very loud
and noisy rain storm.
Ring Fencing:
Seperated usual judgement to guarantee protection, especially project
funds.
Rise and Shine: Time to get out of
bed and get ready for work/school.
Rome Was Not Built
In One Day: If you want something to be completely properly, then its
going to take time.
Rule Of Thumb: A rough
estimate.
Run out of steam: To be
completely out of energy.
S
Saved By The Bell:
Saved at the last possible moment.
Scapegoat: Someone else who takes the
blame.
Scot-free: To escape and not have to
pay.
Sick As A Dog: To be very sick (with
the flu or a cold).
Sitting Shotgun: Riding
in the front passenger seat of a car.
Sixth Sense:
A paranormal sense that allows you to communicate with the
dead.
Skid Row: The rundown area of a city
where the homeless and drug users live.
Smell A Rat:
To detect somone in the group is betraying the others.
Smell Something Fishy: Detecting that something isn't
right and there might be a reason for it.
Son of a
Gun: A scamp.
Southpaw: Someone
who is left-handed.
Spitting Image: The
exact likeness or kind.
Start From Scratch:
To do it all over again from the beginning.
T
The Ball Is
In Your Court: It is your decision this time.
The Best Of Both Worlds: There are two choices and you
have them both.
The Bigger They Are The Harder They
Fall: While the bigger and stronger opponent might be alot more
difficult to beat, when you do they suffer a much bigger loss.
The Last Straw: When one small burden after another
creates an unbearable situation, the last straw is the last small burden that
one can take.
The Whole Nine Yards:
Everything. All of it.
Third times a charm:
After no success the first two times, the third try is a lucky
one.
Tie the knot: To get
married.
Til the cows come home: A long
time.
To Make A Long Story Short: Something
someone would say during a long and boring story in order to keep his/her
audience from losing attention. Usually the story isn't shortened.
To Steal Someone's Thunder: To take the credit for
something someone else did.
Tongue-in-cheek:
humor, not to be taken serious.
Turn A
Blind Eye: Refuse to acknowledge something you know is real or
legit.
Twenty three skidoo: To be turned
away.
U
Under the weather: Feeling ill or sick.
Up a blind alley: Going down a course of action that
leads to a bad outcome.
Use Your Loaf: Use
your head. Think smart.
V
Van Gogh's ear for music:
Tone deaf.
Variety Is The Spice Of Life:
The more experiences you try the more exciting life can
be.
W
Wag the Dog: A diversion away from something of greater
importance.
Water Under The Bridge:
Anything from the past that isn't significant or important
anymore.
Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve: To
openly and freely express your emotions.
When It
Rains, It Pours: Since it rarely rains, when it does it will be a
huge storm.
When Pigs Fly : Something that
will never ever happen.
Wild and Woolly:
Uncultured and without laws.
Wine and Dine:
When somebody is treated to an expensive meal.
Without A Doubt: For certain.
X
X marks the
spot: A phrase that is said when someone finds something he/she has
been looking for.
Y
You Are What You Eat:
In order to stay healthy you must eat healthy foods.
You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover: Decisions shouldn't
be made primarily on appearance.
You Can't Take it
With You: Enjoy what you have and not what you don't have, since when
you die you cannot take things (such as money) with you.
Your Guess Is As Good As Mine: I have no
idea.
Z
Zero Tolerance: No crime or law breaking big or small
will be overlooked.
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