American Idioms B
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70 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 ace in the hole | a hidden advantage or resource kept hidden until it is needed (from stud poker) |
| Achilles' heel | point of weakness or vulnerability |
| albatross around one's neck | an annoying burden; phrase refers to a poem "The Ancient Mariner" in which a sailor who shoots a friendly bird is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment |
| apple of one's eye | favorite object of love or affection |
| as the crow flies | most direct route between two things |
| behind the eight ball | to be in an unfavorable or uncomfortable position (from the game of pool) |
| between a rock and a hard place | faced with two equally difficult or dangerous choices or circumstances |
| birthday suit | completely naked |
| bite the dust | to fall face down in the dirt; to suffer a defeat |
| black sheep | A person who is considered a disgrace to a particular group, usually a family. |
| blind leading the blind | expression that applies to leaders who know as little as their followers and are therefore likely to lead them astray |
| blow one's own horn | to brag about oneself |
| break the ice | remove tension at a first meeting, opening of a party, etc. |
| burn the candle at both ends | do more than one ought to; overextend oneself |
| burn the midnight oil | stay awake at night to work or study |
| burn your bridges behind you | to eliminate a possibility of a retreat to a former position |
| busman's holiday | a vacation during which a person engages in an activity that is the same as or similar to his or her usual employment |
| butter someone up | praise or flatter someone excessively |
| buy a pig in a poke | buy something sight unseen (a "poke" is a bag) |
| by the book | according to established rules |
| can't hold a candle to | an expression that refers to a person or thing that is distinctly inferior to something else |
| can't see the forest for the trees | expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole |
| carry a torch for | to be infatuated with |
| chill out | to not get so excited; to take it easy; also, to relax or have a good time |
| chip off the old block | expression used of people who closely resemble their parents in some way |
| chip on one's shoulder | a belligerent attitude or grievance (In the past, a young boy would place a wood chip on his shoulder and dare anyone to knock it off as a way of showing how tough he was.) |
| chutzpah | Yiddish term for courage bordering on arrogance, roughly equivalent to "nerve" (in the slang sense) |
| clean bill of health | to be told, usually by a doctor, that one is perfectly healthy. By extension, a person or organization free of any irregularity. |
| (have) cold feet | to be too fearful to undertake or complete an action |
| (give) the cold shoulder | ignore someone deliberately |
| come out of the closet | publicly announce a belief or preference one has kept hidden (especially one's sexual preference) |
| cool one's heels | to wait for a long time |
| creme de la creme | best of the best |
| crocodile tears | insincere show of sympathy or sadness (crocodiles were once believed to "weep" large tears before eating their victims) |
| cross the Rubicon | to make an irreversible decision (the name of the river Julius Caesar crossed with his army, thereby starting civil war in Rome) |
| (cry) uncle | admit defeat |
| diamond in the rough | someone or something with potential talent, but lacking in training or polish |
| (go) Dutch | outing or date on which each person pays his or her own way |
| draw the line | to set a limit, as of acceptable behavior |
| elbow grease | strenuous physical effort |
| end of one's rope | out of options |
| fly off the handle | to become suddenly enraged |
| get a dose of one's own medicine | to receive the same unpleasant treatment one has given others |
| get in somebody's hair | to annoy or hinder someone |
| get up on the wrong side of bed | To act unpleasant for no apparent reason (or because the day got off to a bad start) |
| grain of salt | To "take something with a grain of salt" is to view a statement with a skeptical attitude. |
| (ride the) gravy train | a job or project that requires little effort but yields considerable profits. |
| in the hot seat | to be in an uncomfortable or embarrassing situation (The phrase is an extension of "hot seat," slang for the electric chair.) |
| know the ropes | to be familiar with the details of an operation |
| make a mountain out of a molehill | to blow a small issue or event out of proportion |
| on pins and needles | in a state of anxiety, or tense expectation |
| pass the buck | to shift the blame from oneself to another person |
| play it by ear | improvise (Music played by ear does not follow written notes.) |
| Pooh-Bah | a self-important person of high position and great influence (a character in Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta The Mikado) |
| pot calling the kettle black | criticizing others for the very fault one possesses |
| pull somebody's leg | to tease or fool someone |
| red tape | bureaucratic procedures that delay progress |
| sacred cow | anything that is beyond criticism (In India, followers of Hinduism consider cows sacred and do not eat them because they believe the animals contain the souls of dead persons) |
| sit on the fence | to remain neutral and not take sides; often used as an insult about someone who lacks the courage to decide |
| six of one, half dozen of another | the alternatives are the same; makes no difference which |
| skeleton in the closet | potentially embarrassing secret |
| (do something by the) skin of one's teeth | to just barely manage to get something accomplished |
| strange bedfellows | unlikely companions or allies; often used in the phrase "politics makes strange bedfellows" |
| talk turkey | discuss in a straightforward manner |
| till the cows come home | for a long time |
| tip of the iceberg | only a hint or suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem |
| (fight) tooth and nail | fight like an animal, with everything one has |
| turn the tables | reverse a situation and gain the upper hand |
| vicious circle | a series of reactions that compound or make worse an initial unfortunate event or situation: "He dealt with being overweight by eating more; it's a vicious circle." |
| wet behind the ears | immature, inexperienced, naive |
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