IDIOMS

From A to Z = very thoroughly and completely

ABC = the most basic knowledge

By all accounts = in the opinion of most people

Get one’s act together = to get oneself organized

The aftermath = the situation resulting from an important, especially

unpleasant event ; the term means literally “second morning”

Airs and graces = behavior in which a person acts as if he is better or more

important than others

Up in the air = uncertain

All in all = considering everything

Be all over someone = to treat with great friendliness and affection

When all is said and done = considering all the facts

An angel of mercy = a person who appears when they are particularly

needed

Tied to someone’s apron-strings = ruled by and dependent on, especially a

woman

Have been around = to have a great deal of experience of life

Have an axe to grind = to have a personal, often selfish reason for being
involved in something

The back of beyond = a very remote place

Have one’s back to the wall = to be in a very difficult or desperate situation

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Take a back seat = to take an unimportant position

Go from bad to worse = to get into an even worse condition than before

A bag of bones = a very thin person

Have the ball in one’s court = to be responsible for the next development in
a situation

Be , go bananas = to be or to go crazy

His bark is worse than his bite = he sounds angry but he does not actually
do anything harmful

Bark up the wrong tree = to attempt to do the wrong thing

If you can’t beat them, join them = meaning that if you can’t persuade
your opponents to change their ideas, the most sensible thing to do is to
change yours.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder = meaning that everyone decides

individually whether something is beautiful or not, and implying that things
or people which are considered beautiful by one person are not necessarily
beautiful to others.

Get out of bed on the wrong side = to start the day in a bad mood

Have made one’s bed and have to lie in it = to be obliged to suffer the
disadvantages of a situation one has caused oneself

Not to be able to believe one’s ears/eyes = to find it difficult to believe that

one has actually heard /seen correctly something which is surprising,
shocking

Have seen better days = to be in a worse condition or situation than in the

past

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush = meaning that it is not worth
giving up something one already has for only the possibility of getting
something better.

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Kill two birds with one stone = to achieve two of one’s aims at once by
means of the same action

A little bird told me = I found out in a way that I do not intend to reveal

Bite off more than one can chew = to try to do more than one can manage

Once bitten, twice shy = meaning that if something one has done has turned
out badly, one is likely to be very reluctant to do the same thing again.

Be as black as one is painted = to be as bad as other say

Two blacks don’t make a white = meaning that even if someone else has
behaved badly in doing you an injury, you’ll only make things worse if you
also behave badly

In cold blood = deliberately and unemotionally

Like getting blood out of a stone = very difficult, usually of obtaining

something

Blue blood = aristocratic ancestry

Once in a blue moon = very seldom- the moon very occasionally appears to
be tinged with blue

In the same boat = in the same , usually difficult ,position or circumstances

A bone of contention = a cause of argument or quarrelling

A bookworm = a person who reads a lot

Waste one’s breath = to say something which is not needed

Cross a bridge when one comes to it = not to bother about a problem that
is going to arise in the future until it actually affects one.

Look on the bright side = to be hopeful

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Like a bull in a china shop = a person who acts very clumsy or in a tactless
way

Take the bull by the horns = to tackle a difficulty boldly

Mean business = to intend to do something serious and businesslike, not to

be joking

Butterfingers = a person who often drops or is likely to drop things that

he /she is carrying

I’ll buy that = I’ll accept that explanation

Let bygones be bygones = to forgive and forget past injuries, quarrels, etc

Eat one’s cake and have it = to enjoy the advantages of two alternative
courses of action when it is or ought to be, impossible to do both at once .

Burn the candle at both sides = to waste or use up something in two ways
at once ,especially to work hard during the day from early morning and also
stay up late at night studying or enjoying oneself.

If the cap fits, wear it = which means that if you think what has been said
applies to you, then you should certainly take notice of it.

Play one’s card right=to take the fullest possible advantage of one’s
chances of success.

Put the cart before the horse = to do, plan or say things in the wrong order.

Build castles in the air = to have dreams and plans which are very unlikely
to come true.

Like a cat on hot bricks = very nervous and unable to keep still.

Put the chestnuts out of the fire = to take control and rescue someone from
a difficult situation.

Like clockwork = very smoothly and without faults or problems.

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Pay someone back in his own coin = to punish someone for treating one
badly by treating them in the same way.

Get cold feet = to lose courage and abandon a plan.

Culture vulture = someone who is more than normally interested in

painting, music, drama etc.

Curiosity killed the cat = showing too much interest in other people’s
affairs can be dangerous or harmful to one.

Call it a day = to bring something to an end; to stop.

Day in, day out=every day, without exception.

That will be the day = that is very unlikely.

Give someone the third degree = to question very intensely, using very
severe methods.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea = faced with a choice between
two risky or undesirable courses of action.

As dull as a ditchwater = very boring or uninteresting.

Show the door = to make someone leave the house

Go like a dream = to progress very well.

Throw dust in someone’s eyes = to attempt to deceive someone.

Go in one ear and out the other = not to make any lasting impression.

Easy come, easy go = a saying referring to something which someone gets

without much effort and which they are therefore quite happy to lose in a
casual manner.

Put all one’s eggs in one basket = to depend entirely on the success of one
scheme, plan etc.

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Empty vessels make most noise = it is usually the most foolish people and
those whose views are least valuable who are the most concerned to make
their opinions known.

The end justifies the means = meaning that if the result of an action is
good, it doesn’t matter whether the action itself was morally right or not.

There’s more to something than meets the eye = is more complicated or

better than it appears.

Fair and square = straight or directly.

Fine feathers make fine birds = meaning that people often appear
attractive because they are expensively dressed.

There’s plenty more fish in the sea = when an opportunity of some sort has
been lost; meaning that more opportunities of some kind can be expected to
arise.

Take the floor = to rise to speak to a group of people.

I would like to be a fly on wall = I would like to be present without being

seen so that I could see and hear what happens without taking part.

Get off on the wrong foot = to make a bad beginning.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones = a saying used to
warn people that it is unwise to criticize others if one is in a position where
one could be criticized.

Fit like a glove = to fit perfectly.

The golden rule = the rule which is the most important.

Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs = to destroy something which is a
source of profit to oneself, usually in the false hope of making more profit
by doing so.

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The grass is always greener in the other side of the fence = meaning that
one always tends to feel that others are in a better or more favorable position
than oneself.

It’s all Greek to me = I don’t understand.

Get a grip of oneself = to stop being foolish, afraid.

Your guess is as good as mine= I have no idea.

Do things by halves = to do things in an incomplete, careless way.

Many hands make light work = meaning that a job becomes much easier if
there are a number of people to help doing it.

The hard facts = facts that cannot be denied.

Run with the hare and hunt with the hounds = to try to be on both sides
of an argument at once.

The more haste /hurry, the less speed = meaning that by hurrying too
much one makes more mistakes.

Hatches, matches and dispatches = the announcement of births, marriages

and deaths in the newspapers.

Know a hawk from a handsaw = to be able to judge between things fairly

well.

Bang one’s head against a brick wall = to try in vain to make someone
understand something.

Have a head for something = to be good at …

Head over heels = completely.

In the heat of the moment = while influenced by the excitement or emotion

caused by something.

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An Achilles’ heel = a person’s one weakness, a way in which they can be
injured.

Hold your horses = wait for a moment, don’t go so fast.

Straight from the horse’s mouth = from a well-informed and reliable

source.

Be over the hump= to have passed a crisis or difficulty.

Walking on thin ice = in a risky or dangerous position.

Ins and outs = the complex details.

Strike while the iron is hot = to act while the situation is favorable.

An ivory tower = a way of living in which one is protected from all the
difficult and unpleasant features of life.

Hit the jackpot = to win or obtain a lot of money or success.

Stew in one’s own juice = to suffer as a result of one’s own stupidity.

There’s no knowing = it is impossible to know.

Speak the same language as someone = to have a good mutual

understanding, having similar tastes and thoughts.

In the lap of luxury = in very luxurious conditions.

At length = in detail, taking a long time.

To the letter = exactly, following every detail.

Lightning never strikes in the same place twice = meaning that an unusual
accident, mishappening etc is very unlikely to be repeated exactly.

Draw the line = to fix a limit, especially for what one is prepared to do.

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Wash one’s dirty linen in public = to have a discussion or argument in
public, in a manner which attracts attention about private problems,
scandals.

Local color = details in a story which are characteristic of the time or place
in which it is set.

The long and the short of it = the story etc, told in a few words.

Hit a man when he is down = to attack someone who is already suffering

under a misfortune, setback, etc.

The man in the street = the ordinary, typical, average man.

Midsummer madness = silly behavior occurring during the hot weather of

midsummer.

A milestone = a very important event.

Great minds think alike = meaning that clever men tend to have the same
ideas and opinions.

Make a mountain out of a molehill = to exaggerate the importance of a

problem.

As hard as nails (of a person) = very unfeeling and lacking in pity,

kindness, but able to bear a great deal of hardship or trouble.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained = meaning that one cannot achieve

anything without taking risks.

Every now and then = sometimes, occasionally.

Have a one-track mind = to think of only one thing all the time.

Enough to try the patience of a saint = extremely irritating or annoying.

A penny for your thoughts = what are you thinking about?

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You could hear a pin drop = it is absolutely quiet; no-one is making a
sound.

Be beside the point = to have no direct connection with, or to be

unimportant to the subject being discussed.

Any port in a storm = meaning that one has to accept any possible solution,
way out etc when one has difficulties.

Run of the mill = regular, ordinary in a rather dull way.

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