A
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: A story told by pictures, a lot of descriptive text.
A Doubting Thomas: Originating from the Bible where Thomas believe all what Jesus says
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand: Every kingdom divided is brought to desolation
A Leopard Can't Change His Spots: When people state that they can't change who they are
Absent Without Leave: Not present without permission
All Your Base Are Belong To Us: turned into a joke among gamers
Apple of My Eye: Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me in the shadow of Your wings.
B
Back Seat Driver: Someone who watches and criticizes
Back To Basics: Decency/values
Back To Square One:To returned
Bad Hair Day: Nothing seems to be going right.
Baker's Dozen: Bakers were usually not educated and terrible counters
Ball and Chain: 'wife'. Originating from the presumption that a man's wife has held him down
Balls to the Wall: Dating back to the 1950's, this refers to nn all-out effort
Barking: Reaching the wrong conclusion when told something
Beeswax: It actually has nothing to do with 'wax'
Big Apple:The whole city.
Blackmail:Evil is consideres black.
Blind leading the blind:The person in charge of the situation knows no more than the people leading.
Moon: Rarely.
Blue Sky: No clouds to block the view
Brass Monkey: Don’t let anybody convince you of this. It’s rubísh.
Break A Leg: Have luck.
Brownie Points: Silly/childlike.
Buckaroo: The origin was Spanish Baquero.
Bullpen: They were herded like bulls
C
Carry her over the threshold: man carrying his wife through the front door of their new home.
Catch-22: Bureaucratic regulation is dependent on another
Caught With Your Pants Down: Someone caught you doing something.
Charley Horse: Mencken gives no dates for this one
Chip on his Shoulder: To carry a grudge
Chow Down: Meaning to sit down and eat.
Clear Blue Water: Reguarding ideas
Close but no Cigar: Many years ago slot machines gave out cigars as prizes
Cock and bull story: The kind of story someone gives to cover up the truth
Cold War: A conflict between nations that is just short of physical war.
Copasetic: You had to be a good judge of what a man was like.
Crackerjack: "superb" or "excellent"
Cup Of Joe: That thing is just for that person.
Cut to the Chase: To get to the point
Cute as a Bug's Ear: The smaller they come the cuter they are.
Cyber: cybernétique, which meant the art of governing .
D
Dead Ringer: Something that is exactly duplicated.
Deadline: On the limit.
Devil's Advocate: Person who espouses a cause just for the sake of argument.
Diamond in the Rough: Someone of good character who lacks social graces.
Dirt Poor:Something is not for sure.
Dog Days: Extremely hot days
Don't look a Gift Horse in the Mouth: When given something don't be ungrateful.
Don't try to teach your Grandma to suck eggs: You shouldn't teach anyone who knows alot more than you do
Doozy: Silly.
Dope: People who used drugs were dopes for acting silly or stupid.
Double Whammy: Some sort of setback or a double blow.
Doughboy: A type of dumpling called a doughboy.
Drag Race: A wagon or buggy.
Drink like a fish: Drink heavily.
Dropping like flies: Dead very quickly or falling down ill and in large numbers.
Dry Run: Going through the motions of firing weapons.
E
Eat Drink and Be Merry: Let's eat, drink, and be merry.
Eighty Six: Refuse to serve an unwelcomed customer at a bar or restaurant.
Elvis has left the building: Meaning the show/event has ended.
End of story: To end a conversation.
Ethnic Cleansing: Also known as genocide.
Eureka: I have found it!",
Excuse my French: To forgive one for using a swear word / cussing.
F
Face the Music: To turn towards the audience.
Feeding Frenzy: The voracious feeding habits of sharks.
Field Day: An enjoyable or especial time.
Finger lickin' good: Excellent, delicious food.
Flea Market: "flea" used to mean cheap.
Flesh and Blood: From Shakespeare's Hamlet this term means 'one's family'
Flip The Bird: The middle finger solute.
Fly on the wall: Someone who over sees something without the watched noticing him/her.
Foam at the Mouth: To display rape...
Fools Gold: look a little like gold but are worthless.
French Kiss:Kiss with tongue.
Full Monty: The whole thing.
Funny Farm: 'funny in the head'.
G
Get out of the wrong side of bed: Meaning to be in a bad mood.
Getting Down To Brass Tacks: Getting serious.
Gilding the Lily: To add hyperbole to an otherwise unremarkable event or story.
Go out on a limb: Taking a rish in order to support something or someone.
Go The Extra Mile: You have gone above and beyond what was required of you.
Good Samaritan:Someone who helps another one.
Got my mojo working: To have a lucky charm.
Graveyard Shift: It has nothing to do with actually working.
Green Room: The actors got paid
Gung Ho: The unofficial motto of the US Marine Corps.
H
Handwriting on the wall: When people see bad things coming or avoid disaster because of their alertness they say
Hat Trick: Aplayer was able to gather money from the crowd with
his (or a given) hat.
Have an axe to grind: Have an ulterior motive.
Heavy Metal: Hard rock music.
Hell in a Handbasket: A handbasket being easy to carry.
High Five: Slap hands above each others heads.
High on the hog: To be affluent and well fed.
Hit the Hay::Go to bed comes from.
Hit The Nail on the Head: Define the conclusion of an argument or discussion.
Hocus Pocus: Trickery or magic.
Hold your horses: Be patient and to wait.
Honeymoon: New father-in-law giving honey beer to his new son-in-law.
Houston we have a problem: First used to report a real serious problem in space.
I
I Wash My Hands Of It: advertize a wrong and it continues anyway.
I'll Have His Head On A Platter: Destroying an enemy.
In Like Flynn: Get women into bed.
In the bag: Under the Speaker's chair.
In the buff: Being naked.
In your face: Aggressive manner one would be in.
It came like a bolt from the blue: It means a surprise.
Ivy League: Conference of teams which were also known as the Old Ten.
J
Jaywalk: An annoying or stupid person.
JinxA bringer of bad luck or an evil influence.
Joshing Me: A friend of mine heard….
K
Keep body and soul together: 'to survive'
Keep your chin up: To stay full of cheer even in situations that may be difficult.
Kick The Bucket:To die.
Kilroy was here: "inspected."
Kitty-corner:Diagonal.
Knee jerk reaction: Something with an automatic response
Knock on wood:To have better luck.
Knock Someone Down A Peg: A measurement of alcohol and the saying has something to do with drinking games.
Know the ropes: Understand how something works.
Know which way the wind blows: When circumstances change and you still understand what is happening is what this idiom means.
L
Last but not least: The last person announced isn't any less important than the others called before him.
Let The Dog See The Rabbit : Get out of the way
Level playing field: No side has an advantage.
Like a chicken with its head cut off:A frenzied manner.
Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword: When Judas had betrayed Jesus and a crowd came up to arrest Him.
Lollygag: iIly or dally spend time
Long in the Tooth: Horses teeth growing very long as it ages.
Loose Cannon: Anything unpredictable.
Lose your rag: Lose one's temper.
Lynch: execution by a self-constituted court that has no real legal authority.
M
Mad As A Hatter: After years of mercury exposure it would make the user quite mentally unstable.
Make no bones about: State a fact in a way that allows no doubt.
Mayday: Derived from the French word "m'aidez" meaning "help me".
Mayhem: "to wound".
Mexican Wave: Elvis has left the building.
Money is the Root of All Evil: love of Money.
Muck and Brass: Give us all your copper mister.
Mum's the word: This idiom means say nothing and keep your mouth shut.
Mumbo Jumbo: Nonsense.
Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong, it will".
My Brother's Keeper: you are asked the whereabouts of someone else.
N
Nerd: Surfer or hot-rodder lingo, or even that is it a euphemism for "turd".
Nest Egg: Allusion of putting china egg into a hen's nest to encourage her to lay.
New kid on the block: The newest arrival in a community, area or circle of friends.
New York Minute:Faster than a second.
No Dice: When a proposition is refused.
No Room to Swing a Cat: A small space.
Not Playing With a Full Deck: You are stupid.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes: In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
O
Off The Cuff: Traditionally thought to be a spontaneous statement or response.
Off the Record: Something that you don't want attributed to you, told in confidence.
OK:That’s right.
On a wing and a prayer: To rely on good fortune.
On the dole: 'unemployed'
One for the road: One last drink before leaving.
One over the eight: Drinking more than eight alcholic beverages would get you drunk.
Over the Top: Exaggerated or excessive.
P
P's and Q's: Means to learn one's letters.
Paddle Your Own Canoe: To decide your own fate and act independently.
Pass The Buck: From what my great-uncle has told me, the buck in "pass the buck".
Pedal to the metal: Much like "balls to the wall",came from transport sources.
Peeping Tom:Spy.
Pick up your ears: To pay careful attention.
Pie in the Sky: To search for the impossible dream
Pig in a Poke: Something that isn't really what you've been told it is.
Piggyback: Pick a Back.
Pin Money: This is money from a part time job.
Pipe Down: When a sailor was to be dismissed below he would have been 'piped down' by an officer
Play by ear: This comes from not using sheet music to play the music.
Posh: Intended to refer to luxurious.
Prick Up Your Ears: Stand upright
Pull out all the stops: To put a maximum of effort into a certain activity.
Pull the plug: to stop something.
Pull the Wool Over His Eyes: To deceive
Push the Envelope: to go the limits.
Put a sock in it: Request to be quiet or silent.
Put on your thinking cap: Meaning to think hard.
Put your best foot forward: 'to make a bold start'.
Q
Quality Time: The time a parent who works spends with their neglected child.
Queer Street: 'in debt'
Queer the pitch: To ruin a plan.
Quiz:Just a test.
R
Rain Cats and Dogs: Lightning and thunder sounds like that of a cat/dog fight, cats had a big influence on the weather.
Raincheck: used when baseball games were rained out and fans were issued vouchers that allowed them to return and watch another game.
Raise Cain: To cause trouble comes from a biblical account.
Red Herring: Seems to be in common use today.
Redhanded: Having blood on one's hands.
Redneck: Ruddy neck caused by anger.
Ring Fencing: The protection of project funds are guaranteed.
Rise and Shine: 'Get out of bed'
Rule of thumb: A basic rule that is usually but not always correct
Run out of steam: To run out of energy.
S
Sabotage: Unhappy at the loss of their jobs.
Sacred Cow: Something open to criticism and highly reguarded.
Safe Sex: taking precautions when having sex.
Saved by the bell:When you are saved by anything to do something terrible.
Scapegoat: Someone who gets the blame for a scandal/mistake.
Shake a leg: To rouse yourself and get out of bed.
Shot in the dark: A desperate attempt at doing something.
Sitting in a Catbird Seat: Favored position.
Sitting Shotgun: You sit next to the person with the reigns w/ a shotgun in your handsto protect the wagon's cargo and the people on it
Skid Row: The loggers usually hung out in a rough neighborhood full of vagrants and bums.
Skin of your teeth: Barely escape from a harrowing situation.
Sleep Tight: Sleep well.
Son of a gun: If you were born at sea you were often referred to as a "son of a gun".
Sour Grapes: To act mean after a disappointment.
Southpaw: "Paw" refers to their pitching hand.
Spare The Rod, Spoil the Child: The practice of spanking your children in discipline.
Spitting Image: One person is so much like that person he may have been spit from the person's mouth.
Straight From The Horse's Mouth: The phrase is used to indicate that something is definitely true
Strike a deal: to agree on a transaction.
Stumped:When you are sunk, stopped.
T
Thats all Folks!: Banner shown at the very end of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
The Truth Will Set You Free: Jesus:”you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free”.
The Whole Nine Yards: if they shot you full of holes and ran out of bullets you got "the whole nine yards.
There's more than one way to skin a cat: To beat and cats may have suffered.
Third times a charm: Good luck.
Third World:First Eors:
Three Dog Night:A cold and unexpected night.
Three Sheets to the Wind: When someone has had too much to drink and is therefore unsteady.
Three strikes and you are out: Originally a baseball term.
Tie the knot: To make yourself a marriage bed you had to 'tie the knot'.
Til the cows come home: A long and indefinite time.
To Everything There Is A Season: This is a famous song "To everything/Turn, turn.
To Make A Long Story Short: Usually the phrase repeated by a person telling a boring, long-winded story.
Tongue In Cheek: To keep yourself from laughing at a bad time.
Top Drawer: To go first class.
Top Notch: Excellent
Turn A Blind Eye: I see no ships
Twenty three skidoo: let's get out of here
U
Uncle Sam: Famous symbol during World War II on recruiting posters.
Under the Weather: Bad weather can make you sick.
Up a blind alley: On the wrong track.
Up the Apples and Pears:That way.
Use Your Loaf: Just
thought i'd share that one for ya readers.
V
Vampire:Someone very bad, witch.
Van Gogh's ear for music: Van Gogh's well known ear which was cut off and means tone deaf.
W
Wag the Dog: The subsidary (small) part controlling the major part.
Wearing the pants: Being in charge.
Well Heeled: Well heeled or 'wealthy'.
Wet Behind The Ears: Someone is very young or, more often, inexperienced.
Where there's muck there's brass: There is money to be made even with dirty jobs.
White Bread: Supposed bland and uninteresting nature of white middle class culture in the
Who Let The Cat Out Of The Bag: The real truth has been revealed.
Whole nine yards:All you have.
Wild and Woolly: Unrestrained and law-less.
Windy City:
Wolf In Sheep's Clothing: Someone who is secretly out to harm you.
Word for Word: Exact repetition of someone else's words.
Word in your shell-like: 'I would like to talk to you'.
X
X marks the spot: When one find's something or a clue to finding something one's been looking for.
Y
Yankee: Pejorative term for Americans.
You are what you eat: What you eat determines how healthy of a person you are.
You Can't Take it With You: For we have brought nothing into the world, and so we cannot take anything out of it.
Your name is mud: You are not popular.
Z
Zero Tolerance: No crimes will be overlooked.
Zigger Zigger: Noisy rattles that were once used at sporting events in
Make sentences with at leat three idioms and we will make a forum to talk about it
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