a bad egg mainly American, informal

someone who behaves in a bad or dishonest way

He's a bad egg - don't believe anything he says.
a bolt from/out of the blue
something completely unexpected that surprises you very much:
The news of his marriage was a bolt from the blue.
fight like cat and dog British & Australian, British & American fight like cats and dogs
to argue violently all the time
We get on very well as adults but as kids we fought like cat and dog.
a chip off the old block
if someone is a chip off the old block, they are very similar in character to one of their parents or to another older member of their family
Look at her bossing everyone around - she's a real chip off the old block! [not used with the]
a close shave
a situation where something unpleasant or dangerous nearly happened
I had a close shave when a tree fell just where I had been standing.
a cock-and-bull story informal
a story or explanation which is obviously not true
She told me some cock-and-bull story about her car breaking down.
daredevil
adjective [before noun]
racing-car drivers doing daredevil stunts
a feather in your cap
an achievement to be proud of:
It's a real feather in our cap to be representing Britain in this contest.
good-for-nothing
noun [C] INFORMAL
a worthless person:
She told him he was a lazy good-for-nothing and should get a job.
be like a red rag to a bull MAINLY UK
to be certain to produce an angry or violent reaction:
Don't tell him you're a vegetarian - it's like a red rag to a bull.
a square peg (in a round hole)
someone whose character makes them completely wrong for the type of work they are doing or for the situation they are in
I never did understand what Paddy was doing in accounts - he was a square peg in a round hole.
a storm in a teacup British & Australian
a situation where people get very angry or worried about something that is not important
I think it's all a storm in a teacup - there's probably no danger to public health at all. [not used with the]
be a tall order
if a piece of work or request is a tall order, it is very difficult to do
'They've given us three weeks to get the project finished.' 'That's a tall order.'
a tall story/tale
a story or a statement that is difficult to believe because it is too exciting or interesting
He told me a tall story about having met some top models in a nightclub.
be a thorn in sb's flesh/side
someone or something that keeps annoying you or causing you trouble
A relentless campaigner, he was a thorn in the government's side for years.
a wet blanket informal
someone who does or says something that stops other people from enjoying themselves
I don't want to be a wet blanket, but you really must play your music more quietly or you'll disturb the people next door.

a white elephant
something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful purpose
The town's new leisure centre, recently completed at a cost of ten million pounds, seems likely to prove a white elephant.
an all-rounder British & Australian
someone who is good at many different things, especially in sport
The most recent member of the England team is a good all-rounder.
An eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth).
something that you say which means if someone does something wrong, they should be punished by having the same thing done to them
This phrase comes from the Bible.
If you murder someone you deserve to die. An eye for an eye.
at the eleventh hour
almost too late
Negotiators reached agreement at the eleventh hour, just in time to avoid a strike.
at your fingertips
if you have information at your fingertips, you are able to get it very easily
Every fact and figure he needed was at his fingertips.
be beside the point
to be in no way connected to the subject that is being discussed
Ian's a nice guy but that's beside the point. He doesn't have the right experience for the job.
Blood is thicker than water.
something that you say which means family relationships are stronger and more important than other kinds of relationships, such as being friends
They say blood is thicker than water, so how come so many families hate each other?
drop a bombshell British, American & Australian, American drop a bomb
to suddenly tell someone a piece of news that upsets them very much
My sister dropped a bombshell by announcing she was leaving her job.
Her husband dropped a bomb over dinner. 'I'm seeing another woman,' he said.
by/in leaps and bounds
if progress or growth happens in leaps and bounds, it happens very quickly
Ashley's reading has come on in leaps and bounds since she's been at her new school.
Leaders of the organization say their membership is growing by leaps and bounds.
by hook or by crook
if you intend to do something by hook or by crook, you are determined not to let anything stop you doing it and are ready to use any methods
I decided that I was going to get that job by hook or by crook.
by word of mouth
if you hear information by word of mouth, you hear it from other people and not from the radio or television or from reading newspapers
I think she heard about the job by word of mouth.
chicken-hearted American
not brave
These chicken-hearted bosses always seem to give in at the first sign of a strike.
down-to-earth
down-to-earth people or ideas are practical and work well
David's very arty and a bit of a dreamer - Ruth's much more down-to-earth.
I like her down-to-earth approach to problem-solving.
through thick and thin
if you stay with or support someone through thick and thin, you always stay with or support them, even in difficult situations
That's what relationships are about - you stick with someone through thick and thin.
She remained loyal to the party through thick and thin.
happy-go-lucky
a happy-go-lucky person is happy all of the time and does not worry about anything
He struck me as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy.

no hard and fast rules

if there are no hard and fast rules, there are no clear rules which you must obey
There are no hard and fast rules about how much weight you can safely gain in pregnancy.
sb's bark is worse than their bite
if someone's bark is worse than their bite, they are not as unpleasant as they seem, and their actions are not as bad as their threats
I wouldn't be scared of her if I were you. Her bark's a lot worse than her bite.
hope against hope
to hope very strongly that something will happen, although you know it is not very likely
We were just hoping against hope that she would be rescued. [usually in continuous tenses; usually + that]
if the worst comes to the worst British, American & Australian, American if worst comes to worst
something that you say in order to tell someone what you will do if a situation becomes very difficult or serious
If the worst comes to the worst, we'll have to give them our bed and sleep on the floor.
If worst came to worst, could we sell the car to raise some extra cash?
in a nutshell
something that you say when you are describing something using as few words as possible
Karen wants them to get married and buy a house and Mike wants them to carry on as they are and that, in a nutshell, is the problem.
Well, to put it in a nutshell, we're going to have to start again.
in the twinkling of an eye
if something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very quickly
This machine will do all the calculations in the twinkling of an eye.
in cold blood
if you do something, especially kill someone, in cold blood, you do it in a way which is cruel because you plan it and do it without emotion
Four men were charged with the killing, in cold blood, of a French tourist last summer.
An unarmed boy was shot in cold blood outside his home yesterday.
be in deep water
to be in a difficult situation which is hard to deal with
We're going to be in deep water if the bank refuses to authorize a bigger loan.
get into deep water
to become involved in a difficult situation
I think we're getting into deep water here talking about gender issues.
in the long/short run
a long or short time in the future
It means spending a bit now, but in the long run it'll save us a lot of money.
Although prices may rise in the short run, they should begin to fall again by the end of the year.
in the nick of time
at the last possible moment
A nick was a mark on a stick which was used in the past to measure time.
We got there just in the nick of time. A minute later and she'd have left.
be in the same boat
to be in the same unpleasant situation as other people
She's always complaining that she doesn't have enough money, but we're all in the same boat.
If he loses his job he'll be in the same boat as any other unemployed person. [often + as]
be like a bear with a sore head British & Australian, humorous
to be in a bad mood which causes you to treat other people badly and complain a lot
If his newspaper doesn't arrive by breakfast time he's like a bear with a sore head.
be no laughing matter
if a subject is no laughing matter, it is serious and not something that people should make jokes about
Haemorrhoids are all very funny when other people have them, but if you get them yourself, it's no laughing matter.
the odd man/one out
someone or something that is different from the other people or things in a group
She was always the odd one out at school - she didn't really mix with the other children.
I felt like the odd man out yesterday. Everyone was watching football except me.

once in a blue moon

very rarely
My sister lives in Alaska, so I only get to see her once in a blue moon.
I don't know why I bought that CD-ROM for my computer - I only ever use it once in a blue moon.
on the spur of the moment
if you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it suddenly, without planning it
It was something I bought on the spur of the moment, and I've regretted it ever since
be on top of the world
to feel very happy
She'd just discovered she was pregnant and she felt on top of the world.
sb's bread and butter informal
a job or activity that provides you with the money you need to live
Teaching at the local college is his bread and butter.
show sb in their true colours
to show what someone's real character is, especially when it is unpleasant
By showing the terrorists in their true colours, the government hopes to undermine public support for them.
be out of your mind informal
to be crazy
You paid three thousand pounds for that heap of junk! Are you out of your mind?
jump out of the frying pan (and) into the fire
to go from a bad situation to an even worse one
Many kids who run away from unhappy homes discover they've jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
a rude awakening
if you have a rude awakening, you have a severe shock when you discover the truth of a situation
We had a rude awakening when we saw the amount of our phone bill.
You've been so spoiled by your parents, you are in for a rude awakening when you start to look after yourself
the apple of sb's eye
the person who someone loves most and is very proud of
His youngest son was the apple of his eye.
the best of both worlds
if you get the best of both worlds, you get the advantages of two different things at the same time
She works in the city and lives in the country, so she gets the best of both worlds.
With these delicious but healthy recipes you can have the best of both worlds.
OPPOSITE the worst of both worlds
Farmers have the worst of both worlds: low prices for their products, and no guarantee they'll be able to sell them.
the long and the short of it
something that you say when you intend to tell someone something in the quickest and simplest way possible
Anyway, the long and the short of it is that he's not going to be working for us any more.
be the salt of the earth
if someone is the salt of the earth, they are a very good and honest person
His mother's the salt of the earth. She'd give you her last penny.
be tied to your mother's apron strings
if someone, usually a man, is tied to their mother's apron strings, they still need their mother and cannot think or act independently
He's 30 but he's still tied to his mother's apron strings.
under sb's nose
if something bad happens under your nose, it happens very close to you but you do not notice it
I'm amazed that it was going on right under his nose all that while and he didn't realize.
ups and downs
the mixture of good and bad things which happen to people
Like most married couples we've had our ups and downs.
The book charts the ups and downs of a career in fashion.

be at the end of your tether British, American & Australian, American be at the end of your rope
to be so tired, worried, or annoyed by something that you feel unable to deal with it any more
An animal which is tied up by a rope cannot reach the grass which is further away than the end of the rope and becomes hungry and unhappy.
After a day with four screaming kids I'm at the end of my tether.
He's out of work, hanging around the house all day and at the end of his rope.
be born with a silver spoon in your mouth
to be the son or daughter of a very rich family
His complete lack of concern about money is natural of someone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
be in a fix
to be in a difficult situation
I'm in a real fix, the tyre's flat and I haven't got a spare.
in black and white
written down
I wouldn't have believed him capable of fraud, but there it was, in black and white.
be in sb's good books informal
if you are in someone's good books, they are pleased with you
I cleaned the bathroom yesterday so I'm in Mum's good books.
OPPOSITE be in sb's bad books informal
He's in Melanie's bad books because he arrived 2 hours late.