In the whimsical world of English idioms, you’ll find cats and dogs raining, needles in haystacks, and no stones left unturned. Sounds chaotic, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, our comprehensive list of idioms tames this chaos and unscrambles the fascinating world of these quirky phrases.
What Are Idioms?
An idiom is a word or phrase whose meaning can’t be understood outside its cultural context. These expressions are usually figurative and would be nonsensical if read literally. For instance, break a leg isn’t a sadistic wish for someone to fracture a limb. It’s actually an idiom, meaning to wish someone good luck before a performance!
So, What’s an Idiomatic Expression?
An idiomatic expression is just another way of saying idiom. These expressions usually emerge from cultural or societal observations and experiences, embedding themselves into our everyday language over time.
The Most Common Idioms
There are countless idioms in the English language, but some have stood the test of time. Some popular idioms like the ball is in your court, kick the bucket or beat around the bush are popular phrases you might hear or use in daily conversation.
Four Types of Idioms
After taking a dip in the idiom waters, let’s dive a little deeper. Idioms come in so many shapes and sizes, but here are four common types:
- Pure Idioms: These bear no logical relation to their literal meanings. If you kick the bucket, you’re not giving a pail a good punt—you’re, well, expiring!1
- Binomial Idioms: These are idioms that have two key elements usually connected by a conjunction. An example would be odds and ends, which refers to miscellaneous items.
- Partial Idioms: With these idioms, only part of the expression is non-literal. Lend a hand doesn’t involve the actual lending of appendages; it’s just offering assistance.
- Prepositional Idioms: These use prepositions in unique ways. In the nick of time doesn’t refer to any specific nick but means just in time.
Idiom vs. Cliché: Let’s Compare
An idiom is a figurative expression, while a cliché is an overused phrase or idea. While all clichés might not be idioms, all idioms, when overused, can become clichés. So, if you’re avoiding it like the plague, you’re using a cliché, but it’s still very much in the realm of idioms!
Idiom vs. Proverb: What’s the Diff?
A proverb is meant to be a short, traditional saying that offers wisdom or advice, like two heads are better than one. But an idiom is a phrase with a non-literal meaning, like barking up the wrong tree. Not all idioms are proverbs, but some proverbs can be idioms.
Idiom vs. Euphemism: A Look at Differences
While a euphemism is a mild or indirect expression used to convey something unpleasant or embarrassing, an idiom is a figurative phrase.
Pass away is a euphemism for dying, but if you say someone has kicked the bucket, that’s an idiom for the same thing. Like proverbs and clichés, not all idioms are euphemisms, but some euphemisms can be idioms.
How to Use Idioms
Most idioms can add a dash of color to everyday speech and writing. They can inject humor, emphasize a point, and make your language more relatable and engaging. So, let’s slip right in and explore some of these idiom examples, featuring an eclectic list of idioms that I’ll break down and demonstrate in use.
All bark and no bite: Someone who sounds threatening but is harmless.
Example in a Sentence: For all his loud complaints, my boss is all bark and no bite.
All sizzle and no steak: Something that fails to live up to its hype.
Example in a Sentence: The movie had a spectacular trailer but was all sizzle and no steak.
Backseat driver: A person who criticizes from the sidelines.
Example in a Sentence: My brother is such a backseat driver, always telling me how to do my job.
Beyond the pale: Behavior that is unacceptable or beyond the bounds of decency.
Example in a Sentence: I can handle criticism, but personal insults are beyond the pale.
Bring home the bacon: To earn a living, particularly for one’s family.
Example in a Sentence: Both parents work long hours to bring home the bacon.
Can’t hold a candle to: To not compare favorably to someone or something.
Example in a Sentence: This year’s model can’t hold a candle to the last one.
Cast the first stone: When you’re the first person to criticize or accuse someone.
Example in a Sentence: Before you cast the first stone, remember that nobody is perfect.
Deer in the headlights: To be paralyzed by fear, unable to act or think.
Example in a Sentence: When I asked him about the missing money, he was like a deer in the headlights.
Dollars to doughnuts: Used when you are completely sure about something.
Example in a Sentence: I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that it’s going to rain tomorrow.
Easier said than done: Something seems like a good idea but would be difficult to carry out.
Example in a Sentence: Getting into shape is easier said than done.
Fight fire with fire: Responding to aggression with aggression.
Example in a Sentence: They’re spreading rumors about us, but I refuse to fight fire with fire.
Get a word in edgewise: The difficulty of breaking into a conversation because it is too hectic.
Example in a Sentence: During the debate, it was hard to get a single word in edgewise.
Handle with kid gloves: To handle a situation, or a person, delicately and gently.
Example in a Sentence: She’s been through a lot recently, so handle her with kid gloves.
If the shoe fits: If something applies to you, then accept it.
Example in a Sentence: I wasn’t directly naming anyone, but if the shoe fits…
Jump the gun: To start something too early.
Example in a Sentence: The eager salesman jumped the gun and presented the product before understanding the customer’s needs.
Keep a stiff upper lip: To stay resolute and unemotional in the face of adversity.
Example in a Sentence: No matter how bad the situation gets, Brits are known to keep a stiff upper lip.
Land of milk and honey: It’s a place of abundance and prosperity.
Example in a Sentence: If you’re launching a tech start-up, Silicon Valley is the land of milk and honey.
Mad as a hatter: Completely crazy.
Example in a Sentence: After working on his thesis for 12 hours straight, he was as mad as a hatter.
Nosebleed section: The cheapest, highest seats in a theater or stadium.
Example in a Sentence: We couldn’t afford better seats, so we’re in the nosebleed section.
One-horse town: A small, insignificant town.
Example in a Sentence: After living in New York, everything else feels like a one-horse town.
Paint the town red: When you go out and have a lively, fun time.
Example in a Sentence: It’s my birthday weekend, and I plan to paint the town red.
Raining cats and dogs: Raining very heavily.
Example in a Sentence: I forgot my umbrella, and it’s raining cats and dogs outside.
Read between the lines: To infer something beyond what is explicitly stated.
Example in a Sentence: The email seemed polite, but reading between the lines, I sensed some hostility.
Salt of the earth: A very good, honest and hardworking person.
Example in a Sentence: Mr. Smith is the salt of the earth; he’s always willing to help those in need.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel: Using the last and often worst of the resources.
Example in a Sentence: By the end of the trip, we were scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to do.
Take no prisoners: To do something thoroughly and ruthlessly.
Example in a Sentence: In business, she’s known to take no prisoners.
The blind leading the blind: Inexperienced people trying to guide or lead others equally inexperienced.
Example in a Sentence: When it comes to cooking, we’re the blind leading the blind.
Under someone’s thumb: To be under someone’s control or influence.
Example in a Sentence: He’s got the entire council under his thumb.
Waiting in the wings: Ready to take action as soon as the opportunity arises.
Example in a Sentence: The understudy was waiting in the wings, ready to take over at a moment’s notice.
Wait for the other shoe to drop: Times when you’re waiting for the inevitable next step or the outcome of a situation.
Example in a Sentence: After the initial allegations, everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Check Out More Idioms!
Idioms are a super cool part of our language, offering a glimpse into cultures, history and human nature. They add richness and depth to our conversations and help us express complex thoughts and feelings in memorable and vivid ways.
Below is a list of all our posts on idioms.
A
- Above one’s pay grade
- According to Hoyle and according to Cocker
- Ace in the hole
- Achilles’ heel
- Acid test vs litmus test
- Across the board
- Adam’s off ox
- Add fuel to the fire
- Add insult to injury
- Ahead of the curve vs ahead of the curb
- Albatross Around My Neck – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- All bark and no bite
- All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go – Origin & Meaning
- All Hands on Deck – Origin & Meaning
- All in all
- All sizzle and no steak
- All systems go
- Always a bridesmaid, never a bride
- Another string in your bow
- Another think coming
- An arm and a leg
- Apple-pie order
- Apple-polish
- April Fool’s or April Fools’
- Asking For a Friend – Origin & Meaning
- Asleep at the switch and asleep at the wheel
- As crook as Rookwood
- As pleased as Punch
- As right as rain
- As the Crow Flies – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- As Thick As Thieves – Meaning & Origin
- At all costs and at any cost
- At a loose end
- At loggerheads
- At sixes and seven
- At the Drop of a Hat – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- At the end of one’s rope or at the end of one’s tether
- At the End of the Day – Usage & Meaning
- At Wits End – Meaning, Origin and Correct Spelling
- A Big Ask – Idiom & Meaning
- A Blessing in Disguise – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- A cat may look at a king
- A chip off the old block
- A day late and a dollar short
- A Dime a Dozen – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- A Far Cry From – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- A fate worse than death
- A Feather in Your Cap – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- A fish out of water
- A leg up
- A Lick and a Promise – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- A Light at the End of the Tunnel – Meaning, Origin & Examples
- A lot on one’s plate and a full plate
- A Man of Letters – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- A means to an end
- A New Lease on Life – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- A Piece of Work – Meaning & Examples
- A Pound of Flesh – Origin & Meaning
- A shot across the bow
- A Shot in the Arm – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- A Shot in the Dark – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- A sight for sore eyes
- A Slap In The Face – Meaning & Examples
- A slap on the wrist
- A stone’s throw
- A taste of one’s own medicine and a dose of one’s own medicine
- A Visit From The Stork – Idiom & Meaning
- A watched pot never boils
B
- Babe in the woods
- Backhanded compliment and left-handed compliment
- Backseat driver
- Back in the day
- Back in the Saddle – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Back the wrong horse and bet on the wrong horse
- Back to square one
- Bad apple
- Bank on it and take it to the bank
- Baptism by Fire or Baptism of Fire – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Bare bones
- Barking Up the Wrong Tree – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Bark is worse than one’s bite
- Barn burner
- Basket case
- Bated Breath or Baited Breath – Meaning and Origin
- Batten Down the Hatches – Meaning and Origin
- Batting cleanup
- Bawl out
- Bean Counter – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Beat Around the Bush – Origin & Meaning
- Beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse
- Beat Me to the Punch – Origin & Meaning
- Beat swords into plowshares and beat swords into ploughshares
- Beck and call vs beckon call
- Bed of roses
- Been around the block
- Beg off
- Behind The Eight Ball – Meaning And Origin
- Bells and Whistles – Origin & Meaning
- Bell the Cat (or To Bell the Cat) – Idiom & Meaning
- Below the belt and hit below the belt
- Benedict Arnold
- Better Late Than Never – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Origin & Meaning
- Beyond the pale
- Be my guest
- Bigwig
- Big fish in a small pond
- Big kahuna
- Big league and bush league
- Big shot
- Bill and coo
- Bill of goods
- Bite off more than one can chew
- Bite one’s tongue
- Bite the Bullet – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Black Sheep Idiom – Meaning & Origin
- Blah blah blah
- Blaze a trail
- Blood brother
- Blowing up one’s phone
- Blow a fuse and blow a gasket
- Blow hot and cold
- Blow off steam and let off steam
- Blow someone’s cover
- Blow the whistle and whistle-blower
- Blow your own trumpet and toot your own horn
- Blow-by-blow account
- Bob’s Your Uncle Meaning and Origin
- Bold as brass
- Bone of contention
- Bone to pick
- Booby hatch
- Boots on the Ground – Origin & Meaning
- Born with a Silver Spoon – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Bottom Line – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Bought the farm and gone for a Burton
- Bowl over
- Breadcrumbs, breadcrumb trail and trail of breadcrumbs
- Break a Leg – Origin & Meaning
- Break the bank
- Break the Ice – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Bring home the bacon
- Bring one’s A-game
- Broke the mold
- Bronx cheer and blow a raspberry
- Brown-nose and brownnose
- Buckle up vs buck up
- Buffaloed – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Building castles in the air
- Bully pulpit
- Bull in a China Shop – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Bum-rush vs bum’s rush
- Bundle of Joy – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Bunk, bunkum, buncombe
- Bun in the oven
- Burning the midnight oil
- Burn one’s bridges and burn one’s boats
- Burn the candle at both ends
- Burst one’s bubble and pop one’s bubble
- Bury one’s head in the sand
- Bury The Hatchet – Origin & Meaning
- Busman’s Holiday – Origin & Meaning
- Bust one’s chops and lick one’s chops
- Butterflies in one’s stomach
- Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth
- Butt heads and bump heads
- Butt of a joke
- Buy a lemon
- By and by vs. by the by
- By dint of
- By hook or by crook
- By the Same Token – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- By the skin of one’s teeth
C
- Cabin fever
- Caddy-Corner, Kitty-Corner or Catty-Corner
- Call a spade a spade
- Call it a day and call it a night
- Call on the carpet
- Call someone’s bluff
- Call the Shots (or Calling the Shots) – Idiom & Meaning
- Calm Before the Storm – Origin & Meaning
- Canary in the coalmine
- Can of worms vs pandora’s box
- Can’t hold a candle to
- Carry a torch for someone, torch song and torch singer
- Carved in stone, set in stone and written in stone
- Case in Point or Case and Point – Meaning & Difference
- Cash in one’s chips
- Cash on the nail and cash on the barrelhead
- Cast Aspersions – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Cast a wide net
- Cast the first stone
- Cast-iron stomach
- Catch lightning in a bottle
- Catch some rays
- Catch-22
- Cat got your tongue?
- Caught in the crosshairs or cross hairs
- Caught Red-Handed – Origin & Meaning
- Center around or center on
- Chalk up vs. chock
- Champing At The Bit Vs Chomping At The Bit & Meaning
- Change tack
- Charley horse
- Chase one’s own tail
- Chatty Cathy – Origin & Meaning
- Checkered Past or Chequered Past – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Check Kiting – Meaning & Examples
- Cheek by jowl
- Chew someone out
- Chew the Fat – Origin & Meaning
- Chickens come home to roost
- Chicken and egg situation
- Chills down the spine
- Chinwag
- Chip on Your Shoulder – Origin & Meaning
- Chock-full
- Clam up
- Clean someone’s clock
- Cloak-and-Dagger – Origin & Meaning
- Close ranks
- Close shave
- Coast is clear
- Cock and bull story
- Cog In The Wheel Or Cog In The Machine – Origin & Meaning
- Coin a phrase
- Cold Feet – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Cold Shoulder – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Cold Turkey – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Color outside the lines
- Come hell or high water
- Come What May – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Come-to-Jesus moment and come-to-Jesus meeting
- Coming Down the Pike vs. Coming Down the Pipe
- Comparing apples and oranges
- Connect the dots and join the dots
- Cook the Books – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Cooler heads prevail
- Cool as a Cucumber – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Cool one’s heels
- Could care less
- Country mile
- Cover all the bases
- Crack the Whip – Origin & Meaning
- Cream of the crop
- Crème De La Crème – Origin & Meaning
- Cross the Line – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Cross the Rubicon
- Cross to Bear – Origin & Meaning
- Cry all the way to the bank
- Cry over spilled milk and cry over spilt milk
- Curate’s egg
- Curl one’s hair
- Curry favor
- Cute as a Button – Origin & Meaning
- Cut and dried
- Cut off your nose to spite your face
- Cut one’s losses
- Cut the Mustard – Meaning and Origin
- Cut to the Chase – Meaning & Origin
- Cut to the quick
D
- Damn the torpedoes
- Damn with faint praise
- Dance on someone’s grave
- Dark horse
- Davy Jones’s locker
- Dawn on
- Dead as a Doornail – Origin & Meaning
- Dead end
- Dead Man Walking – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Dead meat
- Dead to rights
- Deer in the Headlights – Origin & Meaning
- Dent vs dint
- Derring-do
- Devil take the hindmost
- Devil’s advocate
- Diamond in the rough
- Die on the vine
- Different from, different than, different to
- Dingo’s breakfast
- Dirty Pool
- Dodged a Bullet – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Doesn’t Hold Water (or Do Not Hold Water) – Origin & Meaning
- Doggie bag and doggy bag
- Dog and pony show
- Dog days
- Dog-ear
- Dog-whistle
- Dollars to doughnuts
- Don’t borrow trouble
- Don’t give up the ship
- Don’t hold your breath
- Don’t let the door hit you
- Don’t Rain on My Parade – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Double-edged sword
- Down at the heels
- Down in the Dumps – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Down in the mouth
- Down the Hatch – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Down the Rabbit Hole – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Down the Road – Meaning & Synonyms
- Down to the wire
- Do a Houdini and pull a Houdini
- Do a 180 or do a 360
- Do right by
- Do the math
- Drag one’s feet and drag one’s heels
- Draw a bead on
- Draw a Blank – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Draw a line in the sand
- Dredge up and dig up
- Dribs and drabs
- Drink the Kool-Aid
- Drop a Dime (or Dropping Dimes) – Origin & Meaning
- Drop in the Bucket – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Drop like flies
- Drop someone a line
- Drop the Ball – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Drop-dead vs drop dead!
- Drown one’s sorrows
- Dry Run – Meaning & Origin
- Dyed in the wool
E
- Eager beaver
- Easier said than done
- Easy On the Eyes – Origin & Meaning
- Easy pickings
- Eating out of someone’s hand
- Eat crow
- Eat one’s words
- Egging Someone On – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Eighty-six
- Elbow grease
- Elbow room
- Elephant in the Room – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Elvis has left the building
- End of the line
- End on a high note and go out on a high note
- End run
- Enfant terrible
- Euphemism
- Even keel
- Even-Steven and Even-Stevens
- Everybody who is anybody
- Every nook and cranny
F
- Face the Music – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Faint of heart
- Fair dinkum
- Fall From Grace – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Fall into one’s lap and land in one’s lap
- Fall on one’s sword
- Fall through the cracks and slip through the cracks
- False flag
- Famous last words
- Fan the flames
- Feeding frenzy
- Feel one’s oats
- Feet of Clay – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Fell off the back of a truck
- Ferret out
- Fiddle while Rome burns
- Fifth wheel vs third wheel
- Fight Fire With Fire – Origin & Meaning
- Fight tooth and nail
- Fingers Crossed – Origin & Meaning
- Finger-pointing and point the finger
- Firing on all cylinders
- Fish or cut bait
- Fish story
- Fit the bill and fill the bill
- Fit To Be Tied – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Flap one’s gums
- Flash in the pan
- Flatten the curve
- Flavor of the month
- Flesh and blood
- Flip one’s lid vs. flip one’s wig
- Flotsam and jetsam
- Fly in the ointment
- Fly the coop
- Fly-by-night
- Foaming at the mouth
- Fold one’s tent
- Follow suit
- Food for thought
- Footloose and fancy-free
- Foot the bill
- Forbidden Fruit – Idiom, Meaning & Examples
- Foregone conclusion
- Fortune Favors The Bold And Fortune Favors The Brave
- Forty winks
- For crying out loud
- For God’s sake
- For the birds
- Four-flusher
- Four-letter word
- Fox guarding the hen house
- Free-for-all
- Friends with benefits
- Frog in one’s throat
- From Pillar to Post – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- From Soup to Nuts
- From the bottom of one’s heart
- Full of beans
- Full of oneself
- Full-Court Press – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
G
- Gaiety or mirth
- Game Changer – Origin & Meaning
- Game the system
- Garbage in, garbage out
- Getting Hitched – Origin & Meaning
- Get a foot in the door
- Get a handle on
- Get a word in edgewise and get a word in edgeways
- Get back on the horse
- Get in on the ground floor
- Get one’s act together
- Get one’s dander up or get one’s dandruff up
- Get one’s ducks in a row and have one’s ducks in a row
- Get one’s hands dirty
- Get one’s back up
- Get out of Dodge
- Get religion
- Get Someone’s Goat – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Get the ball rolling and start the ball rolling
- Get the lead out
- Get the Scoop or Inside Scoop – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Get the short end or the wrong end of the stick
- Get the skinny
- Get under one’s skin
- Get up in one’s grill
- Get up on the wrong side of the bed and wake up on the wrong side of the bed
- Get wind of
- Gild the lily
- Gin Up or Ginned Up – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Gird Your Loins – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Give a wide berth
- Give it the old college try
- Give one’s eye teeth
- Give someone the third degree
- Give up the ghost
- Give yourself away
- Gloves are off, take the gloves off
- Going Against the Grain – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Going Bananas – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Going Dutch and Dutch treat
- Goldbrick
- Gold Digger – Origin & Meaning
- Goody Two Shoes – Origin & Meaning
- Good enough for government work and close enough for government work
- Good riddance
- Good Samaritan
- Goose egg
- Goose is cooked
- Goose that lays the golden eggs
- Go Big or Go Home – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Go down a treat
- Go for a song
- Go for broke
- Go for the jugular
- Go great guns
- Go Haywire – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Go into a tailspin and send someone into a tailspin
- Go off half-cocked and go off at half-cock
- Go over with a fine-tooth comb
- Go pear-shaped
- Go the distance
- Go The Extra Mile – Idiom, Meaning & Examples
- Go to ground
- Go to pot
- Go to seed
- Go to the Dogs – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Go to the mat and take it to the mat
- Go with the Flow – Origin & Meaning
- Grand slam
- Grasping at straws or clutching at straws
- Gravy Train – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Grease someone’s palm
- Green around the gills and green about the gills
- Green light
- Green thumb and green fingers
- Green-eyed monster
- Grin like a Cheshire cat
- Ground zero
- Guinea pig
- Gussied up
H
- Hail Mary play or Hail Mary pass
- Hair of the Dog – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Ham it up
- Ham-fisted and ham-handed
- Handle with kid gloves
- Hands down
- Hand Over Fist – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Hand to mouth
- Hang on like grim death and hang on for grim death
- Hang Out To Dry – Definition & Examples
- Has seen better days
- Hats Off (to You) – Idiom & Meaning In English
- Have an ax to grind
- Have a beef
- Have a bee in one’s bonnet
- Have a cow and have kittens
- Have a ringside seat
- Have a target on one’s back
- Have one’s ears pinned back vs pin one’s ears back
- Have one’s work cut out
- Have someone’s number and I’ve got your number
- Have the last laugh
- Have your cake and eat it too
- Having a Field Day – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Haymaker
- Heads or tails and can’t make heads or tails
- Heads will roll
- Headwind
- Head on the chopping block and on the chopping block
- Head Over Heels – Origin & Meaning
- Head someone off at the pass and cut someone off at the pass
- Hear vs. Here – Difference, Examples & Worksheet
- Heavens to Murgatroyd Idiom Definition
- Heavy-handed
- Hedge one’s bets
- Hell for leather and hell-bent
- Highbrow and lowbrow
- High on the hog
- High-handed
- Hit a brick wall vs hit the wall
- Hit it off
- Hit Pay Dirt – Origin & Meaning
- Hit the bricks
- Hit the deck
- Hit the Ground Running – Origin & Meaning
- Hit the hay and hit the sack
- Hobson’s choice
- Hogwash – Origin & Definition
- Hold at bay and keep at bay
- Hold My Beer – Origin, Meaning & Usage
- Hold someone’s feet to the fire
- Hold sway
- Hold the fort and hold down the fort
- Hold Your Horses – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Home in vs horn in
- Hop, skip, and a jump
- Horse of a different color and horse of another color
- Hot potato
- Hot to Trot – Origin & Meaning
- House of cards
- How to Use Cannot See the Forest for the Trees Correctly
- How to Use Get Down to Brass Tacks (Tax?) Correctly
- How’s it going
- Hump Day – Origin & Meaning
- Hunker down
I
- Icing on the Cake – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
- If need be or if needs be
- If the shoe fits and if the cap fits
- Indian giver
- Inside baseball
- Inside track
- In any way, shape or form
- In a bind
- In a heartbeat
- In a manner of speaking
- In a nutshell
- In a pickle
- In a vacuum
- In clover
- In Fine Fettle – Origin & Meaning
- In Hot Water Meaning and Origin
- In like Flynn
- In one ear and out the other
- In one’s element
- In over one’s head or over one’s head
- In point of fact or in fact or as a matter of fact
- In Spades – Origin & Meaning
- In tall cotton and in high cotton
- In the ballpark and hit one out of the ballpark
- In the doldrums
- In the hopper
- In the loop and out of the loop
- In the Nick of Time – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- In the Offing – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- In the pink
- In the red and in the black
- In The Weeds
- In two shakes of a lamb’s tail
- Itchy feet
- It Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings – Origin & Meaning
- It Is What It Is – Origin & Meaning
- It Takes a Village – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- It takes one to know one
- It’s curtains for you
- It’s not rocket science
- It’s a wash
- Ivory Tower – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- I can live with that
- I rest my case
- I wasn’t born yesterday
- I’ll eat my hat
J
K
- Kangaroo court
- Keeping up with the Joneses
- Keep an ear to the ground
- Keep a stiff upper lip
- Keep it under your hat
- Keep Me Posted – Origin & Meaning
- Keep one’s head above water
- Keep on a short leash
- Keep under wraps
- Keep your chin up
- Keep your eyes peeled and keep your eyes skinned
- Keep your shirt on and keep your hair on
- Keyed up
- Kibosh
- Kick over the traces
- Kick the can down the road
- Kill with kindness
- King of the hill and king of the castle
- King’s ransom
- Kiss off
- Kiss of death
- Kiss someone’s ring
- Knee-high to a grasshopper
- Knee-slapper
- Knight in Shining Armor – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Knocked for a loop and thrown for a loop
- Knock one for six
- Knock one over with a feather and knock one down with a feather
- Knock one’s socks off
- Knock on wood and touch wood
- Knock them dead or knock ’em dead
- Knock up
- Knock Yourself Out – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Know where the bodies are buried
- Know which side your bread is buttered on
- Knuckle down and buckle down
- Knuckle sandwich
- Knuckle under vs knuckle down
- Kodak moment
L
- Lame duck
- Landslide
- Land of Milk and Honey – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Land on one’s feet
- Lap of Luxury – Origin & Meaning
- Last Resort – Origin & Meaning
- Laugh up one’s sleeve
- Laundry list
- Lay an egg
- Lay it on thick
- Lay of the land or lie of the land
- Lead-pipe cinch
- Leap of Faith – Origin & Meaning
- Learn the ropes and know the ropes
- Leave no stone unturned
- Leave someone holding the bag
- Left in the Lurch – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Let one’s guard down and drop one’s guard
- Let one’s hair down
- Let the chips fall where they may
- Level playing field and level the playing field
- Lick one’s wounds
- Lightbulb moment
- Lightning rod
- Like a bump on a log
- Like clockwork and as regular as clockwork
- Like gangbusters
- Like oil and water
- Like pulling teeth
- Like taking candy from a baby
- Lion’s share
- Litmus test
- Little to No or Little to None
- Live off the fat of the land
- Living the Dream – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Living The Life Of Riley (Reilly)
- Loaded for bear
- Lock, stock and barrel
- Lone Wolf – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Long in the tooth
- Looking over one’s shoulder
- Looks good on paper
- Lose face and save face
- Lose one’s marbles
- Lose one’s shirt
- Lose the plot
- Lost in the shuffle
- Lovers’ lane
- Love me, love my dog
- Lower the boom
- Low man on the totem pole
- Low-Hanging Fruit – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Low-key and lowkey
- Lo and Behold or Low and Behold
- Luck of the draw
M
- Mad as a hatter
- Mad as a wet hen and mad as a hornet
- Make a clean breast of it and come clean
- Make Ends Meet or Make Both Ends Meet – Idiom & Meaning
- Make hay
- Make no bones about it
- Make or break and make or mar
- Man of the cloth
- Mark my words
- Mealy-mouthed
- Meaning of Binomials in English – With Examples
- Melting pot
- Men in white coats
- Mickey Finn and mickey
- Might as Well – Usage & Meaning
- Mince words
- Mixed bag
- Monday morning quarterback and armchair quarterback
- Money is no object
- Monkey business
- Monkey on one’s back
- Mop the floor with someone and wipe the floor with someone
- More bang for one’s buck and bigger bang for one’s buck
- Motherhood and apple pie and mom and apple pie
- Mother lode
- Mother of all and granddaddy of all
- Movable feast
- Movers and shakers
- Move heaven and earth
- Move the needle
- Muddy the waters
- Mudslinging
- Mum’s the Word – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Murderers’ row
- My cup runneth over
- My dogs are barking
- My way or the highway
N
- Nail-biter
- Naked as a jaybird
- Name-Calling – Definition & Examples
- Neat as a pin
- Necktie party
- Neck and Neck Meaning and Examples
- Neck of the woods
- New York Minute – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Nickel-and-Dime – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Nip in the Bud – Origin & Meaning
- Nosebleed section
- Nosy Parker
- Nothing to sneeze at and not to be sneezed at
- Not all it’s cracked up to be
- Not by a long shot and not by a long chalk
- Not one’s cup of tea
- Not playing with a full deck
- Not worth a plugged nickel and not worth a plug nickel
- No guts, no glory
- No holds barred
- No horse in the race and no dog in the fight
- No news is good news
- No two ways about it
O
- Off one’s rocker and off one’s trolley
- Off the cuff
- Off the Hook – Origin & Meaning
- Off the rack and off the peg
- Off The Wagon and On The Wagon – Meaning & Examples
- Off the wall
- Old as Methuselah
- Old chestnut
- Old Glory
- Olive branch
- Once in a Blue Moon – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- One Fell Swoop – Origin & Meaning
- One For the Books – Origin & Meaning
- One’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach
- One’s name is mud
- One-Horse Town – Meaning & Origin
- One-size-fits-all
- One-trick pony
- On a shoestring and shoestring budget
- On a tear
- On a Wing and Prayer – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- On cloud nine
- On one’s high horse
- On pins and needles
- On tenterhooks
- On the back burner
- On the back foot
- On the Ball – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- On the bubble
- On the Clock – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- On the Fence – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- On the fly
- On the fritz
- On the House – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- On the lam
- On the radar, off the radar, under the radar, below the radar, and above the radar
- On the rocks
- On the ropes
- On the Same Page – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- On the spur of the moment
- On the straight and narrow
- On the stump and stump speech
- On the up and up
- On the wrong foot and on the right foot
- Open and shut case
- Open secret
- Other fish to fry and bigger fish to fry
- Out and out
- Out of left field
- Out of Pocket – Meaning, Origin, & Definition
- Out of the blocks and off the blocks
- Out of the blue vs out of the woodwork
- Out of the Blue – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Out of the woods
- Out of whole cloth
- Over a Barrel – Origin & Meaning
- Over the hump
- Own up
P
- Paint the town red and paint the town
- Pale in comparison
- Pan Out – Origin & Meaning
- Paper Tiger – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Paper-thin
- Pardon my French and excuse my French
- Parting shot
- Part and parcel
- Par for the course
- Passing strange
- Pass muster
- Pass muster vs pass mustard
- Pass the torch and hand on the torch
- Pass with flying colors
- Pay Lip Service – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Pay one’s dues
- Pay the Piper – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Pay through the nose
- Pecking Order – Origin & Meaning
- Penny wise and pound foolish
- Perfect Storm – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Phoning It In or Phone It In – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Piece of cake
- Pie hole
- Pie in the Sky – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Pigeon Hole – Origin & Meaning
- Pig in a poke
- Pipe down and pipe up
- Pitch-perfect and picture-perfect
- Pit stop
- Plain sailing, smooth sailing, and clear sailing
- Plan B – Idiom & Meaning
- Playing Russian roulette
- Playing with fire
- Play By Ear – Meaning and Usage
- Play cat and mouse and play a game of cat and mouse
- Play fast and loose
- Play for keeps
- Play hardball
- Play one’s cards right
- Play possum
- Play second fiddle
- Point of no return
- Poker Face Meaning & Definition
- Pony up
- Pooh-poohed
- Poor-mouth vs bad-mouth
- Pop one’s clogs
- Pop the question
- Pork barrel
- Potter’s field
- Pour cold water on and throw cold water on
- Practice What You Preach – Origin & Meaning
- Prank call or crank call
- Preaching to the choir
- Press the flesh
- Price gouging
- Prime the pump
- Primrose path
- Proof is in the pudding
- Pulling one’s leg
- Pull one’s punches
- Pull one’s weight
- Pull out all the stops
- Pull rank
- Pull strings
- Pull the plug
- Pull the rug out from under
- Pull Up Stakes or Up Sticks – Origin & Meaning
- Pure as the driven snow
- Purple prose
- Pushing Up Daisies – Meaning & Origin
- Push someone’s buttons
- Push the envelope
- Putty in one’s hands
- Put a damper on
- Put a flea in someone’s ear vs put a bug in someone’s ear
- Put one’s best foot forward
- Put one’s cards on the table and lay one’s cards on the table
- Put one’s finger on something
- Put on heirs or airs
- Put on hold
- Put on ice
- Put something on the map
- Put the cart before the horse
- Put though the wringer vs put through the ringer
- Put two and two together
- Put up or shut up
- Put up with
- Put up your dukes
- Put words in someone’s mouth
R
- Rack one’s brain
- Raining cats and dogs
- Rain Check – Idiom, Slang & Meaning
- Raise Cain
- Raise One’s Hackles or Get One’s Hackles Up
- Raise the bar
- Rake over the coals and haul over the coals
- Ramrod straight and ramrod through
- Rap on the knuckles
- Rat Race – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Read between the lines
- Read the fine print and read the small print
- Read the riot act
- Read the Room – Origin & Meaning
- Red carpet
- Red flag
- Red herring
- Red tape
- Reinvent the Wheel – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Rest on one’s laurels
- Rhetorical question
- Ride on someone’s coattails and coattail effect
- Ride roughshod and run roughshod
- Ride shotgun and call shotgun
- Right off the bat
- Rings a bell
- Rip-off or rip off
- Road hog
- Road rash and gravel rash
- Rob Peter to pay Paul
- Rock the Boat – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Roll up one’s sleeves
- Rose-colored glasses
- Rub someone the wrong way and rub someone up the wrong way
- Rub someone’s nose in it
- Ruffle someone’s feathers
- Rule of thumb
- Running on empty and running on fumes
- Run it up the flagpole
- Run of the mill and run-of-the-mill
- Run Out the Clock – Origin & Meaning
- Run rings around someone and run circles around someone
- Run the gamut vs run the gauntlet
S
- Sackcloth and ashes
- Sacred cow
- Said the actress to the bishop
- Salt of the earth
- Same Difference – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Same old same old
- Saved by the bell
- Save one’s bacon
- Save something for a rainy day
- Sawing logs and sawing wood
- Say one’s peace vs piece
- Scorched earth policy
- Scraping the bottom of the barrel
- Scratch the surface
- Sea change
- Second string
- Second that emotion or notion or motion
- See a man about a dog and see a man about a horse
- See Eye to Eye – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Selling like hotcakes
- Shaggy-dog story
- Shake a leg
- Shape up or ship out
- Share and share alike vs per stirpes
- Sharp as a tack
- Shell game
- Shell-shocked
- Ships passing in the night
- Shooting fish in a barrel
- Shooting the messenger and don’t shoot the messenger
- Shoot oneself in the foot
- Shoot the Breeze – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Shop till you drop
- Shore up
- Short Fuse – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Short shrift
- Shotgun approach and scattershot approach
- Shotgun Wedding – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Show one’s cards and tip one’s hand
- Show one’s true colors
- Shrinking violet
- Shuffle off this mortal coil
- Shut or close the barn door after the horse has bolted
- Silver lining
- Silver-tongued
- Sing for one’s supper
- Sitting duck
- Sitting in the catbird seat
- Sitting on a powder keg
- Sit at the feet of someone
- Six of one, half a dozen of the other
- Six ways from Sunday
- Skating on thin ice and on thin ice
- Skeleton in the closet and skeleton in the cupboard
- Skid row vs skid road
- Slam dunk
- Slave driver
- Sleep like a top
- Sleep with the fishes
- Sleight of hand
- Slip of the Tongue – Origin & Meaning
- Small potatoes
- Smarty-pants and smarty-boots
- Smell a rat
- Smoke and mirrors
- Snake in the Grass – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Snake oil, snake-oil salesman
- Snipe hunt
- Something has legs
- Something smells fishy
- Some odd
- Sounding board
- Sound like a broken record
- Soup up
- Sour Grapes – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Sow wild oats
- Speak for yourself
- Speak of the devil
- Speak with a forked tongue
- Spend a penny
- Spill the beans
- Spin a Yarn – Origin & Meaning
- Spitballing
- Spit and Image, Spitting Image, or Splitting Image
- Spruce Up – Origin & Meaning
- Square meal
- Stab in the back
- Stalking horse
- Stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground
- Stand the test of time
- Starry-eyed and stars in one’s eyes
- Start from scratch
- Start with a clean slate and wipe the slate clean
- Stave off
- Stay on top of
- Steal someone’s thunder
- Stem-winder or stemwinder
- Step into the breach
- Step on someone’s toes
- Step up to the plate
- Sticker shock
- Sticks and stones
- Sticky fingers
- Stick a fork in it
- Stick one’s neck out
- Stick out like a sore thumb
- Stick to one’s guns and stand to one’s guns
- Stick-in-the-Mud – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Stir the Pot or Stirring the Pot – Origin & Meaning
- Stir up a hornets’ nest and stir up a hornet’s nest
- Stock-still
- Stomping ground and stamping ground
- Stonewall
- Stop and smell the roses
- Straight A’s
- Straight from the horse’s mouth
- Straight from the shoulder
- Straight shooter
- Straw man and man of straw
- Straw that broke the camel’s back and the last straw
- Strike while the iron is hot
- Sugar daddy
- Swanning around and swanning about
- Swan song
- Sweep something under the rug and sweep something under the carpet
- Sweeten the pot
- Sweet Tooth – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Swing for the fences
- Sword of Damocles
T
- Tail wagging the dog
- Taken Back or Taken Aback – Which One to Use?
- Take at face value
- Take a back seat
- Take a bath
- Take a Gander – Meaning & Examples
- Take a hike
- Take a knee
- Take a powder
- Take a shine to
- Take a shot
- Take a toll and take its toll
- Take for granted or take for granite
- Take it or leave it
- Take No Prisoners – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Take someone for a ride
- Take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns
- Take the cake
- Take the mickey out of someone
- Take the reins
- Take to the cleaners
- Take with a grain of salt and take with a pinch of salt
- Talk a blue streak and curse a blue streak
- Talk is cheap
- Talk of the Town – Origin & Meaning
- Talk to the Hand – Origin & Meaning
- Talk turkey
- Tar and feather
- Teacher’s pet
- Tease out
- Technicolor yawn
- Tell it to the marines
- Tempest in a teapot and storm in a teacup
- Tempus Fugit – Origin & Meaning in English
- Testing the Waters – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Them’s the breaks or brakes
- The apple of one’s eye
- The ball is in your court
- The Best of Both Worlds – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- The be-all and end-all
- The big picture
- The blind leading the blind
- The Clock Is Ticking or Time Is Ticking – Origin & Meaning
- The Devil Is in the Details – Origin & Meaning
- The fair sex and the fairer sex
- The genie is out of the bottle
- The handwriting on the wall or the writing on the wall
- The Hill you Want to Die on Idiom Definition
- The jig is up and the game is up
- The jury is out
- The nature of the beast
- The penny dropped
- The pick of the litter
- The pot calling the kettle black
- The quick and the dead
- The road less traveled
- The rub
- The whole megillah
- The world is one’s oyster
- The worm has turned
- The worse for wear
- The $64,000 question
- Think on one’s feet
- Think outside the box
- Third rail
- Third time’s the charm
- This ain’t my first rodeo
- Thorn in one’s side and thorn in one’s flesh
- Three sheets to the wind
- Three-Ring Circus – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Throwing Shade – Origin, Meaning & Examples
- Throw a curveball and throw a curve
- Throw good money after bad
- Throw in the towel
- Throw or toss someone a bone
- Throw the baby out with the bathwater
- Thumb one’s nose and cock a snook
- Tickled Pink – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Tide Someone Over vs. Tied Someone Over – Origin & Definition
- Tiger by the Tail – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Till the cows come home
- Tilting at windmills
- Time waits for no man
- Tinker’s damn and tinker’s dam
- Tip of the iceberg
- Tip one’s hat and tip one’s cap
- Tit for Tat – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Toe the line
- Toffee-Nosed – Origin & Meaning
- Tomayto, tomahto and potayto, potahto
- Tongue-in-Cheek – Meaning & Examples
- Tongue-lashing
- Tongue-tied
- Too big for one’s britches or breeches and too big for one’s boots
- Too many irons in the fire
- Too much of a good thing
- Top dog
- Touch and go
- Touch base
- Tough row to hoe
- Tourist trap
- To a T
- To boot
- To cry wolf
- To harp on
- To hear crickets
- To make a long story short
- To say the least and to say the least of it
- To the bitter end
- To the hilt
- To the nines
- Trial By Fire – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- Trick or treat vs trick-or-treat
- Tried and true
- Trip the light fantastic
- Trouper vs. Trooper – Meaning, Difference & Examples
- Truck with
- Trump card
- Turncoat
- Turn a blind eye
- Turn heads and turn one’s head
- Turn the other cheek
- Turn the tables
- Twiddle one’s thumbs
- Twist one’s arm
- Two can play at that game
- Two-bit
U
- Ugly duckling
- Underdog
- Under false pretenses and under false pretences
- Under one’s belt
- Under one’s nose
- Under one’s breath
- Under someone’s thumb
- Under the auspices of
- Under the table
- Under the weather
- Unknown quantity
- Until one is blue in the face
- Until the last dog is hung
- Uphill battle
- Upper Hand (or Have the Upper Hand) – Meaning & Origin
- Upset the applecart
- Up and at ‘em vs up and Adam or atom
- Up in arms
- Up one’s sleeve and an ace up one’s sleeve
- Up the creek and up a creek
- Up to Scratch – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Up to snuff
- Up to speed
W
- Waiting in the wings
- Wait for the other shoe to drop
- Wake up and smell the coffee
- Wake-up call
- Walking on eggshells
- Wallflower – Idiom, Meaning & Definition
- Wallop and pack a wallop
- Warm the cockles of one’s heart
- Warts and all
- Washed up or all washed up
- Wash one’s hands of
- Waterloo or meet one’s waterloo
- Watershed moment
- Water under the bridge
- Wave the White Flag – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve
- Wear the trousers and wear the pants
- Weigh in
- Wet behind the ears
- Wet Blanket – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- Wet one’s whistle
- We’re not in Kansas anymore
- What are Brownie Points? – Origin & Meaning
- What Are Irish Twins? – Idiom, Meaning & Origin
- What Does Half-Baked Mean?
- What Does No Quarter Mean? – Origin & Definition
- What in tarnation
- What Is a Bumper Crop? – Meaning & Origin
- What Is a Bum Steer? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Dear John Letter? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Lab Rat? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Mulligan? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Peanut Gallery? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Prodigal Son? – Meaning, Definition & Origin
- What is a Skinflint? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is a Smoking Gun? – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- What Is Certifiable? – Meaning & Examples
- What Is Chump Change? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is Graveyard Shift? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is Navel Gazing? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is Over the Hill? – Idiom, Origin & Meaning
- What Is the Domino Effect? – Meaning & Definition
- What Is The Witching Hour? – Origin & Meaning
- What Is Window Shopping? – Meaning & Examples
- What’s the catch?
- When pigs fly and pigs might fly
- When push comes to shove
- When the chips are down
- Whet one’s appetite vs wet one’s appetite
- Whipping boy
- Whirling dervish
- Whistle stop and whistle-stop tour
- Whistling past the graveyard
- Whitewash
- White Christmas
- White Collar vs. Blue Collar – Meaning & Difference
- Whole ball of wax
- Whole kit and caboodle
- Whole nine yards
- Who’s Who
- Wild goose chase
- Wing it
- Wise guy and wiseguy
- Witch hunt
- With egg on one’s face
- With one’s tail between one’s legs
- Wolf in sheep’s clothing
- Word to the wise
- Word-of-Mouth – Usage, Origin & Meaning
- Work like a charm
- Work wonders and wonder-worker
- Worse comes to worst
- Worth one’s salt
- Wrap one’s head around
- Wreak Havoc or Wreaking Havoc – Usage, Meaning & Origin
- Writ large
- Wrong side of the tracks
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