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Read the riot act means to scold or reprimand someone so severely, ensuring that certain behaviors or actions never repeat. It’s threatening to ground your kid for a month for something minor, so they know never to even try and do it. But it’s more than just an old British …
Shake a leg is an idiom that means to hurry up or to start moving quickly. This idiom, which has been in use for over 200 years, has its roots in the nautical language. Idioms like shake a leg are words and phrases that have taken on a figurative definition …
Knuckle down is a phrase which means to get serious about a task, to work diligently on a task or problem. Knuckle down is a term derived from the game of marbles, it first appears in the mid-1860s in American English. One puts a knuckle to the ground to assume …
Hey! Let’s talk about that elephant in the room. Wait, what does that even mean? This common idiomatic phrase is often used in casual conversation, but you might not know its actual meaning or where it originated from. So, sit tight as I explain everything about this kooky phrase and …
You can cross a line both literally and figuratively. However, let’s talk about the metaphorical sense and how the expression “crossing the line” or “crossing a line” is used as an idiom to state when someone has just gone too far with something. Understanding contexts surrounding idioms can help you …
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Dingo’s breakfast has recently been added to the Oxford English dictionary. Dingo’s breakfast is an Australian phrase that actually means no breakfast at all. A dingo’s breakfast originated with stories of the Australian swaggy, or transient worker, who crossed the land looking for work to pay for his next meal, …
The jig is up means that a deception or pretense has been uncovered and can no longer continue. It’s like saying, “I’ve figured out your lie!” This English language idiom is mostly used when a scheme or trick has been exposed, marking its conclusion. Idioms, like the jig is up, …
The lion’s share is an idiom that means the best or largest of something has been acquired. It is a descriptive term that can indicate a physical size or highlight a behavior of someone. It was first used in the 18th century as a figure of speech but may have …
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Lay of the land means the unique arrangement or characteristics of a certain situation, environment, or set of circumstances. This idiom provides a description of the current state of affairs or circumstances in a specific context. Idioms like this one are phrases where the words together have a different meaning …
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Language is such a powerful tool, don’t you agree? It lets us communicate complex ideas and emotions with one another in both silly and serious ways. Take “tit for tat,” for example. It sounds like something out of a nursery rhyme, but it actually has a pretty serious meaning. So, …