Coutesy myuniversalfacts.com.
A
A bed of roses
Meaning:
A pleasant or easy situation.
A cock and bull story
Meaning:
A fanciful and unbelievable tale.
A diamond in the rough
Meaning:
Someone who are basically good hearted but lacking social graces and respect for the law.
A dish fit for the gods
Meaning:
An offering of high quality.
A leopard cannot change its spots
Meaning:
The notion that things cannot change their innate nature.
As keen as mustard
Meaning:
Very enthusiastic.
B
Back to square one
Meaning:
Back to the beginning, to start again.
Baker's dozen
Meaning:
Thirteen.
Below the belt
Meaning:
An unfair tactic.
C
Call a spade a spade
Meaning:
To speak plainly - to describe something as it really is.
Chip on his shoulder
Meaning:
To harbour a grudge.
Cold shouldered
Meaning:
Be treated in an offhand unfriendly way.
Come hell or high water
Meaning:
Persevere no matter what difficulties are encountered.
Crocodile tears
Meaning:
Fake tears.
Cut to the chase
Meaning:
Get to the point - leaving out unnecessary .
D
Daylight robbery
Meaning:
Blatant and unfair overcharging.
E
Excuse my French
Meaning:
Please forgive my swearing.
End of story
Meaning
The talking is over - there's no more to be said.
F
A face like a bulldog chewing a wasp
Meaning:
Ugly
Fall on your sword
Meaning:
Commit suicide or offer your resignation.
From sea to shining sea
Meaning:
From one coast to another.
G
Get off on the wrong foot
Meaning:
Make a bad start to a project or relationship.
Get used to it
Meaning:
Accept that what you want isn't going to be.
Get your feet wet
Meaning:
To get your first experience of something.
H
Have an axe to grind
Meaning:
Have an ulterior motive.
Head over heels
Meaning:
Excited, and/or turning cartwheels to demonstrate one's excitement.
Hit the hay
Meaning:
Go to bed.
Hold your horses
Meaning:
Hold on; be patient.
Hot off the press
Meaning:
Freshly printed.
Hanky-panky
Meaning:
Trickery - double dealing. Also, more recently, sexual shenanigans.
I
In a Nutshell
Meaning:
In very few words; briefly; clearly and to the point.
In the limelight
Meaning:
At the centre of attention.
It never rains but it pours
Meaning:
When troubles come they come together.
J
Just deserts
Meaning:
To get that which is deserved - A reward for what has been done wether it be good or bad.
Jet-black
Meaning:
To emphasize just how black something is.
K
Keep your nose to the grindstone
Meaning:
Apply yourself conscientiously to your work
Kick the bucket
Meaning:
Die.
knee jerk reaction
Meaning:
An automatic response to something.
Knock off
Meaning:
To finish work for the day.
Know the ropes
Meaning:
To understand how an organisation works.
Know which way the wind blows
Meaning:
To understand what is happening in changing circumstances.
L
labour of love
Meaning:
Work undertaken for the pleasure of it or for the benefit of a loved one.
Last but not least
Meaning:
An indication that something or someone are not necessarily in order of importance.
Laughing-stock
Meaning:
A figure or object of ridicule and laughter.
Learn the ropes
Meaning:
Learn something new.
Level playing field
Meaning:
Fair competition, where no advantage is shown to either side.
Lie low
Meaning:
Keep out of sight.
Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning:
To reveal a big secret, often unintentionally.
Living on borrowed time
Meaning:
Living after the time you would have expected to have died.
M
Make hay
Meaning:
Be quick - To take advantage of a favorable opportunity as soon as it arises without wasting time.
Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning:
To assume something is much worse than it actually is.
Make waves
Meaning:
To cause a lot of trouble.
Mind one's Ps and Qs
Meaning:
To be very careful and/or to behave correctly.
Mumbo jumbo
Meaning:
Nonsense.
N
Never never land
Meaning:
A utopia promised in the place of a real benefit.
New kid on the block
Meaning:
A new arrival in an area and in a group of young friends.
Nip in the bud
Meaning:
Put a stop to something while it is still in its early development.
No man is an island
Meaning:
Human beings do not thrive when isolated from others.
Not worth the candle
Meaning:
Worthless.
No-brainer
Meaning:
A problem that is especially easy to solve, if not outright obvious.
O
Off the hook
Meaning:
Someone have avoided punishment or criticism for something they have done.
Off the mark
Meaning:
It is inaccurate or incorrect.
On cloud nine
Meaning:
To be extremely happy.
On the fiddle
Meaning:
Engaged in corruption.
On the same page
Meaning
Two or more persons understanding a given situation the same way and are operating accordingly.
P
Paddle your own canoe
Meaning:
Act independently and decide your own fate.
Paper tiger
Meaning:
A person who appears to have power but is in reality ineffectual.
Pass the buck
Meaning:
Pass responsibility on to someone else.
Play by ear
Meaning:
Handle a situation in an impromptu manner, without reference to a set of guidelines.
Put your best foot forward
Meaning:
Embark on a journey or task with purpose and gusto.
Q
Queer Street
Meaning:
In debt.
Queer the pitch
Meaning:
Ruin a plan.
Quick buck
Meaning:
To make some money easily
R
Rags to riches
Meaning:
Someone who starts life very poor and becomes rich.
Red tape
Meaning:
Bureaucratic rules and paperwork.
Rise and shine
Meaning:
Get out of bed.
Rule of thumb
Meaning:
A means of estimation made according to a rough and ready practical rule, not based on science or exact measurement.
Run out of steam
Meaning:
Run out of energy.
S
Sacred cow
Meaning:
Something too highly regarded to be open to criticism.
Scot free
Meaning:
To escape pursuers or avoid payment.
Shot in the arm
Meaning:
A stimulus.
Shot in the dark
Meaning:
A hopeful attempt at something.
Sleep tight
Meaning:
Sleep well.
Smoke and mirrors
Meaning:
Trickery or deception.
Sour grapes
Meaning:
Acting meanly after a disappointment.
Strike a deal (or bargain)
Meaning:
To agree terms on a transaction.
T
Take a back seat
Meaning:
Take no active part.
Take with a pinch of salt
Meaning:
Accept a truth but with reservations.
The Ball is in your court
Meaning:
The next move is up to you.
The bitter end
Meaning:
To the limit of one's efforts - to the last extremity.
The blind leading the blind
Meaning:
Uninformed and incompetent people leading others who are similarly incapable.
The Full Monty
Meaning:
Complete, the whole thing.
Thorn in the flesh
Meaning:
A persistent difficulty or annoyance.
Time and tide wait for no man
Meaning:
No one is so powerful that they can stop the march of time.
Tie the knot
Meaning:
Get married.
Top notch
Meaning:
Excellent.
Two cents worth
Meaning:
Offer an opinion.
Turn a blind eye
Meaning:
To refuse to take notice of a situation.
Turn the tables
Meaning:
Reverse the positions of adversaries. Usually used when the weaker position subsequently becomes dominant.
U
Up a blind alley
Meaning:
On the wrong track.
V
Veg out
Meaning:
Relax in a slothful and mindless manner.
W
Wake up on the wrong side of the bed
Meaning:
Be very grumpy.
Water under the bridge
Meaning:
A past event that is no longer worth agonizing over.
What goes around comes around
Meaning:
What ever a person do, it will eventually come back to him/her. If a person does something bad, for example, something bad will happen to him.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander
Meaning:
The sexes should be treated the same way and not be subjected to different standards.
When in Rome, do as the Romans
Meaning:
When you are visiting a different place or culture, you should try to follow their customs and practices.
Where there's smoke, there's fire
Meaning:
A suspicion or rumor usually has a basis in fact - There is always a basis for a rumor, no matter how untrue it appears.
White elephant
Meaning
Something that is more trouble than it is worth.
Willy-nilly
Meaning
Two slightly differing but related meanings.
X
X marks the spot
Meaning:
This is used to say where something is located or hidden.
Y
Yellow belly
Meaning:
Cowardly
You are what you eat
Meaning
The notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food.
You can't get blood out of a stone
Meaning:
You cannot extract what isn't there to begin with.
Your name is mud
Meaning:
You are not popular
Z
Zero hour
Meaning:
The time when something important is to begin.
Zero tolerance
Meaning:
A form of policing that allows no crime to be overlooked.
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