Idioms

	A	B	C
1	Idiom	Example	Meaning

2	[Knows how to] Push your buttons		to [know how to] irritate someone
3	[Modern] Renaissance man/woman		someone who seems to be good at everything
4	[Up the creek] without a paddle		stuck; doomed
5	A bird in a hand is worth 2 in a bush	[Used by itself]	better to stick with what you have than seek out something better
6	A lick of...	That doesn't make a lick of sense to me.	a bit of
7	A little birdie told me that...	A little birdie told me that Susie and Jeff are dating now.	I have heard that...
8	A pipe dream	Stop thinking about going to space. It's just a pipe dream.	something that you wish would happen but probably never will
9	A shot in the dark		taking a risk on something that probably won't work
10	A stitch in time saves nine		a little fix now will prevent the whole thing from breaking in the future
11	A watched pot never boils	[Used by itself]	"be patient, it'll happen eventually"
12	Against the grain	Why do you always have to be such a rebel and go against the grain?	doing things that are unusual, and sometimes irritating
13	All in all	All in all, it could've gone a lot worse.	everything considered
14	All our ducks in a row	As long as we have all our ducks in a row, everything will run smoothly.	everything in order
15	All your eggs in one basket		only counting on one thing or way; not having a backup plan
16	An arm and a leg	It cost me an arm and a leg just to get you that table.	worth a lot
17	Apple of my eye	My love, my sweet, the apple of my eye!	love of my life
18	Back to the drawing board	Looks like we have to go back to the drawing board.	start anew (usually with a project/plan) after failing
19	Back-seat driver	If you want to practice your driving, don't take Henry. He's a back-seat driver.	someone who comments on driving conditions or complains about the driving when they are not driving
20	Bang for your buck	You get more bang for your buck if you buy in bulk.	the worth of your efforts/money
21	Bark is bigger than your bite	Vera might seem scary, but her bark is bigger than her bite.	they seem/sound tougher than they are
22	Basketcase	Don't trust her. She's a basketcase!	crazy
23	Between a rock and a hard place	It was either get caught by the police or jump off the bridge, so he was really stuck between a rock and a hard place.	stuck between 2 equally bad choices
24	Bigger fish to fry	Quit worrying about the quiz. We've got bigger fish to fry.	more important things to worry about
25	Birds and the bees	I'm going to talk to my son about the birds and the bees today.	sex, usually when explaining it to a kid
26	Bite the hand that feeds you	When Robert Pattinson complains about his role in Twilight, I feel like he's biting the hand that feeds him.	treat someone badly who has helped you in the past
27	Bouncing off the walls		very excited or energetic
28	Break a leg!	[Used by itself]	good luck (usually with live performances)
29	Brownie points	I think I get brownie points for raising my hand though.	extra, imaginary points for doing something good (there is a Girl Scouts rank called Brownie)
30	Burning the midnight oil	I stayed up, burning the midnight oil, just to finish that project on time.	working late into the night
31	By the skin of my teeth		barely
32	Call it a day	Let's call it a day and go home.	to stop doing something, usually for the day, possibly indefinitely
33	Call the shots	I call the shots around here!	to be in charge
34	Can't win for losing	I fell down and broke my tooth, and when I went to the dentist, I forgot my insurance card! I just can't win for losing!	Everything is going poorly
35	Carry a tune	I may not be an opera singer, but I can at least carry a tune.	being able to sing fairly well
36	Cart before the horse	Naw, man. Pouring the milk in first is like putting the cart before the horse.	doing things backwards
37	Chase rainbows	Quit chasing rainbows! You need to live in the real world!	going after something that doesn't exist
38	Chew the Fat	We were just sitting around, chewing the fat.	talking about nothing in particular; chatting
39	Chock full of...	This chocolate is chock full of peanuts!	stuffed with; filled with
40	Chomping at the bit		impatient to get started (a reference to horse racing)
41	Cock Block	I was about to start hitting on this girl when Rachel came and cock blocked me by talking to her about getting their nails done!	when someone prevents a guy from getting with a girl (in a sexual sense)
42	Cold Turkey	This is my last cigarette. After this, I'm quitting cold turkey.	to stop doing something completely, instead of being weened off gradually
43	Cooking with Gas	We hit a couple of roadblocks recently, but I think we're cooking with gas now.	things are moving along
44	Cup of tea	I don't hate swimming. It's just that it's not exactly my cup of tea.	something preferred
45	Cut and dry		obvious distinction between things
46	Cut loose	You just need to cut loose and come with us to a bar or something.	relax & have fun
47	Cut of your jib	That's a brilliant idea. I like the cut of your jib!	what you're saying
48	Cut the cheese		fart/flatulate
49	Cut the mustard		fulfill the standard
50	Cut to the Chase	Quit blabbing and cut to the chase.	skip to the end; get to the point of what someone is saying
51	Dead in the water	This project never really had a chance. It was dead in the water.	failed as soon as it started
52	Does the carpet match the drapes?	[Used by itself]	asking if someone's head hair matches their pubic hair, implying that they don't dye their hair
53	Don't count your chickens before they hatch	[Used by itself]	don't act until you know the outcome
54	Don't shit a brick	[Used by itself]	telling someone to calm down
55	Down for the count		no longer available or able
56	Down the rabbit hole		dwelling on the irrelevant details
57	Down the tubes	All my hard work went down the tubes.	wasted
58	Down to the wire	We're getting down to the wire.	to the end
59	Drink the Kool-Aid	I wouldn't believe a word his students said about him. They've all been drinking the Kool-Aid.	holding a belief without carefully examining it; convinced to believe something to be worth it (a reference to the mass suicide caused Jim Jones's cult)
60	Enough to fill a tooth		very little food
61	Every Tom, Dick, and Harry	Stop shouting! We don't need every Tom, Dick, and Harry involved in this!	everyone, including people you don't know
62	Excuse My French	Excuse my French, but that's bullshit.	warning/apology for cursing (can be used before or after)
63	Face the Music	She's got to stand up and face the music.	admit what's happening
64	Fancy Pants	Look at fancy pants over there...	over-the-top/gaudy/pretentious, especially with what the person is wearing
65	Fight like cats and dogs		Fighting viciously
66	Fingers in many pies	I wouldn't underestimate Bob's ability to get things done. He has fingers in many pies.	involved in many things
67	Fit the bill	I think the new mayor's ideas really fit the bill to what our city needs right now.	a good match for what you're looking for
68	Five O'Clock Shadow	He's already got a 5 o'clock shaddow	facial stubble that usually starts appearing at 5PM after a man shaved that morning
69	Flip their wig	Don't tell your mom that concert ends after midnight. She'd flip her wig.	freaking out
70	Fly off the Handle	My boss flew off the handle today.	had an angry fit; lose it
71	Flying by the seat of my pants		just barely able to do something
72	Foot the bill	George, can you foot the bill tonight? I forgot my wallet.	pay the bill
73	From the get-go	I knew he was a jerk from the get-go.	at the beginning
74	Get Around	Boy, does she get around. She's such a slut!	to have sex with a lot of different people
75	Get wind of	Did you get wind of the new job possitions?	to hear news about
76	Go Haywire	I tried to put it together, but everything went haywire.	to go wrong
77	Go to town		do/take all that you want in a gluttonous way
78	Going through the motions	I've had the same schedule for so long that I'm just going through the motions now.	doing things without thinking about them
79	Good head on your shoulders		smart; has good common sense
80	Got a kick [out of]	She got a kick out of those cat videos you sent.	to think something is funny
81	Grass is always greener [on the other side]		Other circumstances seem more desirable than one's own but in reality are often not.
82	Grain of salt	Take what she says with a grain of salt.	careful not to fully believe
83	Guinea pigs	I've never done this before, so you'll be my guinea pigs.	testing subjects
84	Happy as a clam	Jenny's as happy as a clam ever since she got that promotion.	very happy
85	Happy camper	Ever since she got that new job in France, Hannah's been one happy camper.	happy with the current situation
86	Has a mind of its own		behaves wildly; uncontrolable
87	Have a ball		having a great time
88	Have butterflies [in your stomach]	Every time I put on a piano recital I get butterflies in my stomach.	getting nervous
89	Heading out		leaving
90	Herding cats	Trying to get everyone to send me their movie ticket info is like herding cats.	People are going whichever direction they want to and refusing to be directed. Alternatively trying to control something that can't be controlled.
91	Here's to...	Here's to another great year!	[a beginning of a toast]
92	Hissy fit	She's having a hissy fit over nothing!	tantrum
93	Hit a chord/Struck a chord		you can emotionally identify with it
94	Hit a nerve		to hurt emotionally
95	Hit the bull's eye	Boy, that comedian realy hit the bull's eye with that graduate student joke.	to do something perfectly; hit the target
96	Hit the road		leave and go somewhere else
97	Hold your horses	Hold your horses! I'm coming!	calm down; take it easy
98	How about them apples?		what do you think of that?
99	I'll bite		"I'll humor you and go along with what your saying."
100	Icing on the cake	I love working out at the gym. Seeing all the hot people there is just icing on the cake	an added bonus; making something good even better