Idioms List

You are here

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
think twice
To reconsider something; to consider something carefully before proceeding.

Think twice before you get married.

through the roof
Suddenly and excessively high.

Housing prices have gone through the roof in Southern California.

tie the knot
To get married.

Max and Mary tied the knot more than ten years ago.

to each his own
Everyone is entitled to personal preferences.

I wouldn't paint my car that color, but to each his own.

tongue-tied
Unable to say anything.

Every time Max sees Jane, he gets tongue-tied, and just sits there and stares.

under one's breath
softly spoken; in a whisper

Under his breath, Max called Mary a fat cow.

under the gun
Under pressure to perform or meet a deadline.

Max was under the gun to complete the research before the end of the fiscal year.

under the weather
Not feeling well; ill.

I'm a bit under the weather today. I think I'll take the day off.

until one is blue in the face
For a hopelessly long time

You can lecture Max until you're blue in the face, but he's going to do it his way no matter what.

up for grabs
available for anyone.

Now that Mary is working from home, her office is up for grabs.

up in the air
Undecided.

The exact date of the wedding is still up in the air at this point.

up to something
Scheming or devising.

Max is a little too quiet today. He must be up to something.

ups and downs
Good times and bad times.

We've had our ups and downs, but I'll always consider you my friend.

wake up and smell the coffee
To face reality; to stop deluding oneself; to become aware.

Wake up and smell the coffee! Unless you are extremely wealthy, the government doesn't care what you think.

watch like a hawk
To observe very closely.

When we were taking the test, the teacher watched us like a hawk to make sure that we weren't cheating.

water down, to water (something) down
To make weaker; to dilute.

The government has watered down the reports on global warming to make the problem seem less severe.

cross that bridge when one comes to it
To not deal with a situation until one is actually in the situation.

I'm not sure what we'll do if he says no. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

wet behind the ears
Inexperienced.

I don't think I want that young doctor performing heart surgery on me. He seems a little wet behind the ears.

when all is said and done
In the end; ultimately.

When all is said and done, we may not have made a lot of money, but we had a lot of fun.

whole shebang
The entire thing; everything.

In the divorce, Max lost his kids, dog, house, car, timeshare property, the whole shebang.

Pages

About

We are dedicated to creating and providing free, high-quality English language learning resources.