Concept: Idioms & Phrases

CONTENTS

• Idioms & Phrases

• A bone of contention
  Meaning: a subject of dispute 

• A far cry
  Meaning: a long way off; no easy transition 

• A gift of the gab
  Meaning: a talent for speaking 

• A hard nut to crack
  Meaning: a difficult problem to solve 

• A man of his words
  Meaning: a trustworthy man 

• A man of straw
  Meaning: a man of no substance or consequence 

• A wild-goose chase
  Meaning: a foolish and fruitless search 

• A wolf in sheep's clothing
  Meaning: a hypocrite 

• Abide by
  Meaning: to act in accord with, agree with 

• Account for
  Meaning: to answer explaining one's 

• Achilles' heel
  Meaning: the one weak spot in someone's circumstance or character 

• Act as someone/something
  Meaning: to perform the actions or functions of (a specified person or thing) 

• Act for someone
  Meaning: to stand in as substitute for them 

• Act on/upon someone/something
  Meaning: to have an effect or influence on them or it 

• Act on/upon something
  Meaning: to follow (advice, etc); to obey (instructions, etc) 

• Act something out
  Meaning: to express (one's feelings, fears, etc) in one's behaviour, usually unconsciously 

• Act up
  Meaning: 1. said of a machine, etc;  to fail or function erratically; 2. to behave badly 

• Add fuel to the fire
  Meaning: worsen an already bad situation 

• After a fashion
  Meaning: to a certain degree; not satisfactorily 

• An ugly customer
  Meaning: formidable person to deal with 

• Ask after
  Meaning: to ask about the state of health or condition 

• Asked for
  Meaning: to look for trouble 

• At a person's beck and call
  Meaning: having constantly to obey a person's orders 

• At daggers drawn
  Meaning: have strained relations 

• At the drop of a hat
  Meaning: given the slightest excuse 

• At the first blush
  Meaning: at the first sight 

• Attend to
  Meaning: to look into and solve; pay 

• Backlash
  Meaning: a strong or violent reaction 

• Be eaten up with something
  Meaning: to be consumed by (jealousy, etc) 

• Bear a grudge
  Meaning: to harbour a feeling of ill-will or resentment 

• Bear down
  Meaning: quell, put down 

• Bear down on / upon someone / something
  Meaning: to move threateningly towards them or it 

• Bear on something
  Meaning: to affect, concern or relate to it 

• Bear someone/something out
  Meaning: to support or confirm them or it 

• Bear the brunt
  Meaning: receive the main force or impact 

• Bear up
  Meaning: to remain strong or brave under strain or difficult circumstances 

• Bear up
  Meaning: to endure; face hardship bravely 

• Bear with
  Meaning: be patient with 

• Bear with someone
  Meaning: to be patient with them 

• Bears out
  Meaning: confirms, corroborates, justifies 

• Black sheep
  Meaning: bad character(s), scoundrel(s) 

• Blue moon
  Meaning: occurring over a very long time 

• Blue-blooded
  Meaning: belonging to the nobility or aristocracy 

• Bolt from the blue (or bolt out of the blue)
  Meaning: a sudden and entirely unexpected event 

• Book in
  Meaning: 1. to sign one's name on the list of guests at a hotel; 2. to report one's arrival at a hotel or conference reception desk, airport

• Book someone in
  Meaning: to reserve a place or room for them in a hotel, etc. 

• Book something up
  Meaning: to fix and reserve in advance the tickets and other arrangements for (a holiday, show, meal, etc) 

• Bore away
  Meaning: won, took away 

• Brave the elements
  Meaning: to encounter inclement weather 

• Break the ice
  Meaning: to make a beginning 

• Bring forth
  Meaning: cause 

• Bring out
  Meaning: show, decipher the meaning 

• Bring something to bear
  Meaning: to apply or exert (especially pressure or influence) or bring something into operation 

• Bringing him round
  Meaning: converting him, influencing him 

• Brings in
  Meaning: yields 

• Broke down
  Meaning: failed, wept 

• Broke into
  Meaning: to enter by force 

• Broke off
  Meaning: to stop abruptly 

• Brought about
  Meaning: produced, caused 

• Brought forward
  Meaning: something pertinent or conclusive, adduced 

• Brought out
  Meaning: published 

• Brought up
  Meaning: raised, reared 

• Buckle under
  Meaning: to surrender or yield, 

• Build one's hopes upon
  Meaning: believe 

• Butt in
  Meaning: to intrude into someone's conversation 

• By fits and starts
  Meaning: irregularly; capriciously 

• By hook or by crook
  Meaning: by any means - fair or foul 

• Call in
  Meaning: summon, send 

• Call out
  Meaning: reveal, draw forth 

• Call up
  Meaning: remember, recollect 

• Called for
  Meaning: demanded or needed 

• Called on
  Meaning: to pay a brief or short visit 

• Came about
  Meaning: Happened 

• Came to
  Meaning: totalled 

• Came up
  Meaning: open to discussion or debate 

• Carried off
  Meaning: killed (especially in large numbers) 

• Carried on
  Meaning: Managed to take over and run something 

• Carry on
  Meaning: 1. to continue; to keep going; 2. to make a noisy or unnecessary fuss 

• Carry on with someone
  Meaning: to have a love affair with them 

• Carry out
  Meaning: execute, accomplish 

• Carry someone through
  Meaning: to help them to survive a difficult period, etc 

• Carry something forward
  Meaning: to transfer (a number, amount, etc) to the next column, page or financial period 

• Carry something off
  Meaning: 1. to manage (an awkward situation, etc); 2. to win (a prize, etc); 3. to take something away by force 

• Carry something out
  Meaning: to accomplish it successfully 

• Carry something over
  Meaning: 1. to continue it on the following page, etc; to carry forward; 2. to postpone it 

• Carry something through
  Meaning: to complete or accomplish it 

• Carry weight
  Meaning: be influential or important 

• Cast away
  Meaning: wrecked; rejected, discarded 

• Cast down
  Meaning: to lower someone's spirits; saddened, depressed; humbled 

• Close fisted
  Meaning: miserly or parsimonious 

• Cold feet
  Meaning: a loss or lack of courage or confidence 

• Come around
  Meaning: revive; visit 

• Come by
  Meaning: get, find or come across 

• Come off
  Meaning: happen, take place; to be successful 

• Come out
  Meaning: reveal or become known 

• Come round/around
  Meaning: change one's opinion, especially to agree with another 

• Come what may
  Meaning: no matter what happens 

• Could do with something/someone
  Meaning: would benefit from having them or it 

• Crack down on someone/something
  Meaning: to take firm action against them or it 

• Crack up
  Meaning: to suffer an emotional breakdown 

• Cry off
  Meaning: to cancel an engagement or agreement 

• Cry out
  Meaning: to protest 

• Cry out for something
  Meaning: to be in obvious need of it 

• Cry someone or something up
  Meaning: to praise them or it 

• Cry something down
  Meaning: to be critical of it 

• Cut across something
  Meaning: 1. to go against (normal procedure, etc); 2. said of an issue, etc;  to be more important than, or transcend (the barriers or divisions between parties, etc); 3. to take a short cut through it, eg a field, etc 

• Cut back on something
  Meaning: to reduce spending, etc 

• Cut down
  Meaning: decrease 

• Cut down on something
  Meaning: to reduce one's use of it; to do less of it 

• Cut in
  Meaning: 1. to interrupt; 2. (said of a vehicle) to overtake and squeeze in front of another vehicle 

• Cut into someone
  Meaning: (said of the driver or a vehicle) to drive in front of (another vehicle) in a dangerous manner 

• Cut off
  Meaning: to stop suddenly; to disinherit; to interrupt; to separate; to expire 

• Cut one up
  Meaning: to be deeply affected by 

• Cut out
  Meaning: suited for 

• Cut out
  Meaning: 1. (said of an engine, etc) to stop working; 2. (said of an electrical device) to switch off or stop automatically, usually as a safety precaution 

• Cut someone off
  Meaning: to disconnect them during a telephone call 

• Cut something down
  Meaning: to fell a tree, etc 

• Cut something off
  Meaning: 1. to separate or isolate it; 2. to stop (the supply of gas, electricity, etc); 3. to stop it or cut it short 

• Cut something out
  Meaning: 1. to remove or delete it; 2. to clip pictures, etc out of a magazine, etc; 3. to stop doing it; 4. to exclude from consideration; 5. to block out the light or view 

• Dampener on
  Meaning: something that restrains or depresses 

• Die down
  Meaning: to subside or fade slowly 

• Do away with someone / something
  Meaning: to abolish; to murder 

• Do oneself up
  Meaning: to dress up 

• Do or die
  Meaning: persist regardless of danger 

• Do someone / something down
  Meaning: to speak of them or it as if unimportant or not very good 

• Do someone in
  Meaning: to kill them 

• Do someone out of something
  Meaning: to deprive them of it especially by trickery 

• Do something up
  Meaning: to repair, clean or improve the decoration of a building 

• Do without something
  Meaning: to manage without it 

• Dog in the manger
  Meaning: a person who prevents others from using something, although he has no use for it 

• Done for
  Meaning: finished, ruined 

• Dos and Don'ts
  Meaning: rules of behaviour 

• Draw a person's fire
  Meaning: attract hostility, criticism etc. away from a more important target 

• Draw back
  Meaning: to retreat; to recoil 

• Draw in
  Meaning: said of nights; to start earlier, making days shorter 

• Draw in one's horns
  Meaning: become less assertive or ambitious 

• Draw on something
  Meaning: to make use of assets from a fund or source, draw on reserves of energy 

• Draw oneself up
  Meaning: to lift oneself into an upright position; to straighten up 

• Draw someone out
  Meaning: to encourage them to be less shy or reserved 

• Draw something up
  Meaning: to plan and write (a contract or other document) 

• Draw up
  Meaning: to come to a halt 

• Dressing down
  Meaning: to scold or reprimand 

• Drop off
  Meaning: to decline, to fall asleep 

• Eat in
  Meaning: to eat at home rather than in a restaurant, café, etc 

• Eat into/through something
  Meaning: 1. to use it up gradually; 2. to waste it; 3. to destroy its material, substance or form, especially by chemical action; to corrode it 

• Eat out
  Meaning: to eat at a restaurant, café, etc rather than at home 

• Eat something away or eat away at something
  Meaning: 1. to gnaw it; 2. to eat into it 

• Eat something up
  Meaning: 1. to finish (one's food); 2. to destroy it; 3. to absorb; to listen with real interest

• Eat up
  Meaning: to finish one's food 

• Egg on one's face
  Meaning: an embarrassing situation caused by saying or doing something foolish 

• Fall about
  Meaning: to be helpless with laughter 

• Fall apart
  Meaning: 1. to break into pieces; 2. to fail; to collapse 

• Fall away
  Meaning: 1. (said of land) to slope downwards; 2. to become fewer or less; 3. to disappear 

• Fall back
  Meaning: to move back; to retreat 

• Fall back on something
  Meaning: to make use of it in an emergency 

• Fall behind or fall behind with something
  Meaning: 1. to fail to keep up with someone, with one's work, etc; 2. to be late in paying instalments, rent, etc 

• Fall down (on)
  Meaning: perform poorly 

• Fall for someone
  Meaning: to become infatuated with them, or fall in love with them 

• Fall for something
  Meaning: to be deceived or taken in by it; to be conned by it 

• Fall foul of
  Meaning: come into conflict with 

• Fall in
  Meaning: 1. (said eg of a roof) to collapse; 2. said of a soldier, etc

• Fall in with
  Meaning: is suited for; meets 

• Fall in with someone
  Meaning: to chance to meet or coincide with them 

• Fall in with something
  Meaning: to agree to it; to support it 

• Fall into place
  Meaning: begin to make sense 

• Fall off
  Meaning: to decline in quality or quantity; to become less 

• Fall on/upon someone
  Meaning: 1. to attack them; 2. to embrace them passionately 

• Fall out
  Meaning: 1. said of soldiers

• Fall out with someone
  Meaning: to quarrel with them, and then not talk to them or have contact with them for a period of time 

• Fall through
  Meaning: (said of a plan etc) to fail; to come to nothing 

• Fall to someone
  Meaning: something that becomes one's job 

• Fallen off
  Meaning: declined 

• Fallen out
  Meaning: to part ways in an acrimonious manner 

• Fallen through
  Meaning: not succeeded 

• Far and away
  Meaning: by a very large amount 

• Fell back
  Meaning: retreated 

• Flash in the pan
  Meaning: short-lived success 

• Fly off on a tangent
  Meaning: to start talking about an unrelated topic 

• For want of something
  Meaning: in the absence of it 

• Gave away
  Meaning: distributed; handed over 

• Gave himself up
  Meaning: to surrender or to give up 

• Gave way
  Meaning: broke 

• Get about/around
  Meaning: 1. to travel; to go from place to place; 2. said of a rumour, etc

• Get ahead
  Meaning: to make progress, to be successful 

• Get along with someone
  Meaning: to be on friendly terms with them 

• Get at
  Meaning: to suggest; to reach 

• Get at something
  Meaning: 1. to reach or take hold of it; 2. to suggest or imply it 

• Get away
  Meaning: 1. to leave or be free to leave; 2. to escape; 3. an exclamation

• Get away with something
  Meaning: to commit (an offence or wrongdoing etc) without being caught or punished 

• Get back at someone
  Meaning: to take revenge on them 

• Get by
  Meaning: 1. to manage to live; 2. to be just about acceptable 

• Get Carried away
  Meaning: lose self-control 

• Get down to something
  Meaning: to apply oneself to (a task or piece of work) 

• Get in with someone
  Meaning: to become friendly with them, often for selfish reasons 

• Get into something
  Meaning: to develop a liking or enthusiasm for it 

• Get off
  Meaning: to be let off lightly; to escape; to leave 

• Get off something
  Meaning: to stop discussing or dealing with (a subject) 

• Get off/get someone off
  Meaning: 1. to escape, or cause them to escape, with no punishment or with only the stated punishment; 2. to fall asleep or send (eg a child) to sleep. 

• Get on
  Meaning: to make progress; to be successful 

• Get on (get along)
  Meaning: to be in harmony with 

• Get on at/someone
  Meaning: to pester or criticize them continually 

• Get on to someone
  Meaning: 1. to make contact with them; 2. to begin dealing with them 

• Get on to something
  Meaning: 1. to find out the truth about it; 2. to start dealing with a matter 

• Get on with someone
  Meaning: to have a friendly relationship with them 

• Get oneself up
  Meaning: to get dressed up 

• Get out of
  Meaning: avoid or escape (a duty etc) 

• Get out of
  Meaning: said of information

• Get out of something
  Meaning: to avoid having to do it 

• Get over someone/something
  Meaning: to be no longer emotionally affected by them or it, to recover from something (an illness, disappointment, etc.) 

• Get round
  Meaning: (said of information, a rumour, etc) to become generally known 

• Get round someone
  Meaning: to persuade them or win their approval or permission 

• Get round to
  Meaning: deal with (a task) in due course 

• Get round to something/someone
  Meaning: to deal with it or them eventually 

• Get round/around
  Meaning: successfully coax especially to secure a favour 

• Get someone down
  Meaning: to make them sad or depressed 

• Get someone through
  Meaning: to help someone pass (a test, etc) 

• Get someone up
  Meaning: to make them get out of bed 

• Get something across
  Meaning: to make it understood 

• Get something down
  Meaning: 1. to manage to swallow it; 2. to write it down 

• Get something in
  Meaning: 1. to gather or harvest it; 2. to succeed in doing or making it before something else occurs 

• Get something out
  Meaning: 1. to manage to say it, usually with difficulty; 2. to publish it 

• Get something over
  Meaning: to explain it successfully; to make it understood 

• Get something over with
  Meaning: to deal with (something unpleasant) as quickly as possible 

• Get something up
  Meaning: 1. to arrange, organize or prepare it; 2. to learn it by deliberate effort; 3. to increase and maintain (speed) 

• Get the worst of it
  Meaning: be defeated 

• Get through
  Meaning: pass or assist in passing 

• Get through something
  Meaning: 1. to complete (a task, piece of work, etc); 2. to use it steadily until it is finished; 3. to pass (a test, etc) 

• Get through to someone
  Meaning: 1. to make contact with them by telephone; 2. to make them understand 

• Get together
  Meaning: to assemble, especially for a specified purpose 

• Get up to something
  Meaning: to do or be involved in it, especially when it is bad, unwelcome or not approved of 

• Give in
  Meaning: submit; surrender

• Give off
  Meaning: to give forth or release 

• Give out
  Meaning: to become exhausted 

• Give up on
  Meaning: lose hope; stop believing 

• Go ballistic
  Meaning: to be overwrought with emotion 

• Go by
  Meaning: decipher; judge from 

• Go down
  Meaning: to be believed; to decrease or descend; to be defeated 

• Go into
  Meaning: to inspect or scrutinize carefully; to take up as study or work 

• Go through
  Meaning: to inspect; to experience; to use up 

• Go through
  Meaning: experienced a lot of distress and suffering 

• Golden handshake
  Meaning: a special incentive to an older employee to induce early retirement. 

• Got through
  Meaning: passed 

• Hang about or around with someone
  Meaning: to spend a lot of time in their company 

• Hang about/around
  Meaning: 1. to waste time; to stand around doing nothing; 2. to stay or remain 

• Hang back
  Meaning: to be unwilling or reluctant to do something 

• Hang on
  Meaning: 1. to wait; "I'll hang on for a bit"; 2. to carry on bravely, inspite of problems or difficulties 

• Hang on something
  Meaning: 1. to depend on it. Eg. It all hangs on the weather; 2. to listen closely to it. Eg. Hanging on her every word 

• Hang on to something
  Meaning: to keep a hold or control it 

• Hang out
  Meaning: 1. to lean or bend (eg of a window, etc); 2. (said of clothes) to hang up outside to dry; 3. to frequent a place. Eg. He hangs out in local bars 

• Hang over someone
  Meaning: (said of an unresolved problem, decision, etc) to overshadow or threaten them 

• Hang over something
  Meaning: to project over or lean out from it 

• Hang something on someone
  Meaning: to blame them for it 

• Hang something out
  Meaning: to hang up (washing) outside to dry 

• Hang something up
  Meaning: to hang something on a hook, hanger, etc 

• Hang together
  Meaning: make sense 

• Hang together
  Meaning: 1. (said of two people) to be united and support each other; 2. (said of ideas etc), to be consistent 

• Hang up
  Meaning: to finish a telephone conversation by replacing the receiver 

• Head over heels
  Meaning: completely 

• Heads I win, tails you lose
  Meaning: in any case I will be the winner 

• Hit the ceiling
  Meaning: to be enraged 

• Hobson's choice
  Meaning: no choice at all 

• Hoist with (or by) one's own petard
  Meaning: affected adversely by one's schemes against others 

• Hold out
  Meaning: resist; refuse to give up 

• Hold over
  Meaning: postponed 

• Hold up
  Meaning: to be stopped at gunpoint by force with the purpose of robbery; to delay 

• Hot air
  Meaning: empty and verbose talk 

• In black and white
  Meaning: in writing 

• In cold blood
  Meaning: deliberately done in a calculated manner and not in a moment of passion 

• In kind
  Meaning: in the same way; in the same measure 

• In one's blood
  Meaning: inherent in one's character 

• In the air
  Meaning: prevalent, found everywhere 

• In the long run
  Meaning: eventually; ultimately 

• In the nick of time
  Meaning: just at the right moment; opportunely 

• In the palm of one's hand
  Meaning: under one's control or influence

• In the palm of one's hand
  Meaning: in one's power 

• In the pink
  Meaning: in the best of health 

• In the same vein
  Meaning: along similar lines 

• In want of something
  Meaning: needing it 

• It is all one to me
  Meaning: just the same without any difference 

• Keep a stiff upper lip
  Meaning: to show no emotion or worry when faced with difficulties 

• Keep back
  Meaning: conceal 

• Keep one's head above water
  Meaning: to remain solvent

• Kick about/around
  Meaning: 1. to lie around unused and neglected; 2. to be idle; to go about aimlessly 

• Kick in
  Meaning: to take effect 

• Kick off
  Meaning: 1. to start, or restart, a football game by kicking the ball away from the center 

• Kick someone/around
  Meaning: to treat them badly or roughly 

• Kick someone/something out
  Meaning: to dismiss or get rid of them or get rid of it, especially using force 

• Kick something about/around
  Meaning: to discuss (an idea, etc) informally among several people 

• Kick something off
  Meaning: to begin (a discussion, etc) 

• Knock about with someone
  Meaning: to associate or go about with them 

• Knock about/around
  Meaning: 1. to wander about (a place) in a casual and aimless way; to lie about unused; to die knocking about the streets; 2. to travel about, roughing it and having varied experience. Eg. He knocked; about Europe for the summer 

• Knock into someone
  Meaning: to meet them by chance or unexpectedly 

• Knock into someone/something
  Meaning: to collide with them 

• Knock off
  Meaning: 1. to finish work; 2. strike off with a blow 

• Knock someone about/around
  Meaning: to treat them roughly; to hit or batter them 

• Knock someone back
  Meaning: 1. to cost them (a specified amount) Eg. Knocked me back 500 quid; 2. surprise, dismay, or disappoint them; 3. to rebuff or reject them; to turn them down 

• Knock someone down
  Meaning: to strike them to the ground, knocked down by a car 

• Knock someone out
  Meaning: 1. to make them unconscious, especially by hitting them; 2. boxing to make them unconscious or render them incapable of rising in the competition; 3. to amaze them; to impress them greatly 

• Knock someone sideways
  Meaning: to come as a severe shock to them; to devastate or disconcert them 

• Knock someone up
  Meaning: 1. to wake them by knocking; 2. to exhaust them; 3. coarse slang to make them pregnant 

• Knock something down
  Meaning: 1. to demolish (a building); 2. to reduce its price 

• Knock something into someone
  Meaning: to teach it to them forcefully 

• Knock something off
  Meaning: 1. to produce it or them at speed or in quick succession, apparently quite easily; 2. to deduct (a certain amount); 3. to rob or steal it; 4. to copy and distribute illegally; 5. (often in commands) to stop it 

• Knock something together
  Meaning: to make it hurriedly 

• Knock together
  Meaning: put together hastily 

• Knock up
  Meaning: to exchange practice shots with one's opponent before a match 

• Knocked down
  Meaning: sold (especially in an auction) 

• Knocked up
  Meaning: Tired 

• Know a thing or two
  Meaning: be experienced or shrewd 

• Know the ropes
  Meaning: to understand the particulars of a subject 

• Laid up
  Meaning: confined indoors 

• Laid/Lay down
  Meaning: to surrender or submit; to assert firmly 

• Lap up
  Meaning: receive very eagerly 

• Lay a charge
  Meaning: make an accusation 

• Lay hands on
  Meaning: seize or attack 

• Lay into something
  Meaning: to eat it quickly and with enthusiasm 

• Lay off someone
  Meaning: to leave them alone 

• Lay someone off
  Meaning: to dismiss (an employee) when there is no work available 

• Lay someone out
  Meaning: 1. to knock them unconscious; 2. to prepare (a dead body) for burial 

• Lay someone up
  Meaning: to force them to stay in bed or at home 

• Lay something aside
  Meaning: 1. to put it to one side, especially for later use or treatment; 2. to discard or abandon it 

• Lay something by
  Meaning: to put away for future use 

• Lay something down
  Meaning: 1. to put it on the ground or some other surface; 2. to give it as a deposit, pledge, formulate or device; 3. to give up or sacrifice (life); 4. to formulate or device (law); 5. to store (wine) in a cellar; 6. to begin to build (a ship or railway); 7. to put (music) onto tape, CD, etc 

• Lay something in
  Meaning: to get and store a supply of it 

• Lay something on
  Meaning: to provide a supply of it 

• Lay something out
  Meaning: 1. to plan and arrange (especially land or natural features); 2. to spread it our or display it; 3. to spend it 

• Lay something up
  Meaning: 1. to keep or store it; 2. to put (a ship) out of use, especially for repairs 

• Lay waste
  Meaning: ravage 

• Leave a person cold
  Meaning: not impress or excite a person 

• Let into
  Meaning: given the details of; allowed to participate; allowed entrance 

• Let off
  Meaning: leniently or lightly punished 

• Let off
  Meaning: let go without punishment 

• Let someone in for something
  Meaning: to involve them in something difficult or unpleasant 

• Let someone in on something
  Meaning: to share a secret, etc with them 

• Let someone or something down
  Meaning: to disappoint or fail to help them at a crucial time. 

• Let someone/something off
  Meaning: to release them or it from work, duties, etc 

• Let up
  Meaning: to stop or to become less strong or violent Eg. The rain let up at last 

• Lock, stock and barrel
  Meaning: the whole of a thing 

• Look daggers at
  Meaning: to look angrily 

• Look into
  Meaning: examine 

• Look up
  Meaning: search for, find 

• Look up to
  Meaning: respect, revere 

• Looked on (looked upon)
  Meaning: to consider or regard 

• Looking up
  Meaning: improving scenario 

• Looks down on/upon
  Meaning: to be contemptuous of 

• Make a virtue of necessity
  Meaning: derive some credit or benefit from an unwelcome obligation 

• Make do
  Meaning: inferior substitute 

• Make light of
  Meaning: to see something as unimportant 

• Make out
  Meaning: decipher 

• Move heaven and earth
  Meaning: to make a supreme effort 

• Nip in the bud
  Meaning: to make it fail before it could mature 

• Not fit to hold a candle
  Meaning: not to be named in comparison with 

• Not to be in one's line
  Meaning: not to be in one's province or area of activities

• Not to mince matters/words
  Meaning: to speak unreservedly and frankly 

• Not worth his salt
  Meaning: quite worthless 

• Of a kind
  Meaning: of the same type 

• Of flesh and blood
  Meaning: human nature 

• Off and on (sometimes used as "on and off")
  Meaning: now and then; occasionally 

• On the brain
  Meaning: constantly in the thoughts 

• On the carpet
  Meaning: to earn a rebuke or reprimand for one's actions before a superior authority. 

• On the rest of a wave
  Meaning: at the most favourable moment in one's progress 

• Over the heads of
  Meaning: above the comprehension of 

• Paint the town red
  Meaning: to celebrate boisterously and noisily 

• Palm something off on someone/palm someone off with something
  Meaning: to give them something unwanted or unwelcome, especially by trickery 

• Pass by (someone/something)
  Meaning: move past 

• Pass muster
  Meaning: be adequate or pass a superficial inspection 

• Pass muster
  Meaning: accept as satisfactory 

• Passed (someone/something) by (pass over)
  Meaning: ignored or overlooked 

• Passed himself off
  Meaning: to pretend to be someone else 

• Pick a quarrel
  Meaning: start an argument or fight deliberately 

• Pick at something
  Meaning: 1. to eat only small quantities of (one's food); 2. to keep pulling at (a scab, etc) with one's fingernails 

• Pick on
  Meaning: to find faults 

• Pick on someone
  Meaning: 1. to blame them unfairly; 2. to bully them; 3. to choose them for an unpleasant job 

• Pick on something
  Meaning: to choose it 

• Pick over
  Meaning: select the best from 

• Pick someone out
  Meaning: 1. to select them from a group; 2. to recognize or distinguish them among a group or crowd 

• Pick up
  Meaning: said of a person, a person's health, or a situation

• Pick up or pick something up
  Meaning: to resume 

• Picked out
  Meaning: chose, selected

• Picking up
  Meaning: regaining or recovering; improve; lift; learn; accelerate 

• Play about/around
  Meaning: to behave ineffectively or irresponsibly 

• Play about/around with someone
  Meaning: to behave irresponsibly towards them, their affections, etc 

• Play about/around with something
  Meaning: to fiddle or meddle with it 

• Play along with someone
  Meaning: to co-operate with them for the time being; to humour them 

• Play at something
  Meaning: 1. to make a pretence of it, especially in play, eg., play at being cowboys; 2. to indulge in it trivially or flippantly, eg. play at politics; 3. (ironic) to try to achieve it, eg. what are they playing at? 

• Play off
  Meaning: 1. to replay a match, etc after a draw; 2. (golf) to play from the tee 

• Play on something
  Meaning: 1. to exploit (someone's fears, feelings sympathies, etc) for one's own benefit; 2. to make a pun on it. eg. played on the two meanings of 'batter' 

• Play one person off against another
  Meaning: to set them in rivalry, especially for one's own advantage 

• Play out/across something
  Meaning: (said of light, facial expression, etc), to flicker over, across, etc (a surface, etc) 

• Play someone along
  Meaning: to manipulate them, usually for one's own advantage 

• Play something back
  Meaning: to play (a film or sound recording) through immediately after making it 

• Play something down
  Meaning: to represent it as unimportant, to minimize, make light of or discount it 

• Play something on someone
  Meaning: to perpetrate (a trick or joke) against them 

• Play something out
  Meaning: to act out in real life a part, scene, etc that is so predictable that it could have come from a play 

• Play something up
  Meaning: to highlight it or give prominence to it 

• Play up
  Meaning: 1. to behave unco-operatively; 2. to cause one pain or discomfort, e.g., His stomach is playing up again; 3. (said of a machine etc) to function faultily; 4. to try one's hardest in a game, match, etc 

• Play up to someone
  Meaning: to flatter them; to ingratiate oneself with them 

• Play with someone
  Meaning: 1. said especially of children;  to spend time in recreation with them; 2. to joke with them at their expense 

• Play with something
  Meaning: to contemplate (an idea, plan, etc), e.g., played with the idea of becoming a writer 

• Pull down
  Meaning: demolish; lower 

• Pull someone's leg
  Meaning: make fun of; tease 

• Pull through
  Meaning: get over with some difficulty; survive 

• Pull together
  Meaning: Cooperate 

• Pulled up
  Meaning: censured; rebuked; come to a stop 

• Push to the wall
  Meaning: to push someone into a situation where there is only one choice to make 

• Put off
  Meaning: to postpone or defer 

• Put on
  Meaning: feign; wear (clothes) 

• Put out
  Meaning: angered; annoyed 

• Put out
  Meaning: to extinguish 

• Put through
  Meaning: to complete; to bring about; to let go by, pass 

• Put up with
  Meaning: to tolerate or endure 

• Rub (someone) the wrong way
  Meaning: to irritate or annoy a person 

• Run into
  Meaning: to incur or incite; to crash into; to meet without planning 

• Run out
  Meaning: to have ended 

• Run over
  Meaning: to repeat; to hit and knock over 

• Run someone down
  Meaning: to disparage or mock; to chase; to peruse; to stop working 

• Run up
  Meaning: grown or increased; incur 

• Rundown
  Meaning: weak and feeble 

• Running over
  Meaning: flow over, inundate, to overflow 

• See him off
  Meaning: accompany him at for his departure 

• See through
  Meaning: detected, found, find out 

• Set aside
  Meaning: reject; abolish; cancel; reserve 

• Set off
  Meaning: begin; depart 

• Set upon
  Meaning: to assault 

• Show one's true colours
  Meaning: true character or personality 

• Sight for sore eyes
  Meaning: a welcome sight

• Sit on the fence
  Meaning: to remain neutral; to lack the courage to take a stand 

• Sit pretty
  Meaning: be in a comfortable position 

• Size up
  Meaning: to estimate or appraise 

• Sow one's wild oats
  Meaning: to be reckless and promiscuous before marriage. 

• Speak of
  Meaning: insignificant, not worth mentioning 

• Speak out
  Meaning: speak fearlessly and freely 

• Spill the beans
  Meaning: to reveal a secret and ruin a surprise 

• Stand by
  Meaning: Support 

• Stand in for
  Meaning: to substitute 

• Standing up for
  Meaning: for supporting, championing 

• Strike off
  Meaning: deleted, removed 

• Swan song
  Meaning: the last act of someone 

• Take after
  Meaning: to resemble or be similar to 

• Take in
  Meaning: understand, decipher; permit to enter; to include; to alter (clothing); to deceive 

• Take on
  Meaning: to challenge or contend with 

• Take the wind out of one's sails
  Meaning: to shock or stun with bad news. 

• Take to
  Meaning: to be habituated or addicted to something 

• Take up
  Meaning: occupy, fill up 

• Talk into
  Meaning: persuade or convince someone 

• Talk nineteen to the dozen
  Meaning: talk continuously 

• Talk one over
  Meaning: to convince him through persuasion; discuss thoroughly 

• Talk the hind leg off a donkey
  Meaning: talk continuously 

• Talk through one's hat
  Meaning: 1. talk nonsensically; 2. exaggerate 

• Tell upon
  Meaning: influencing or affecting 

• The ins and outs of
  Meaning: the full details of 

• The long and short of it
  Meaning: the eventual outcome 

• The long and the short of it
  Meaning: the simple fact; the whole matter in a few words 

• The order of the day
  Meaning: the prevailing state of things 

• Throw caution to the winds
  Meaning: to act in a rash manner

• Throw out
  Meaning: rejected or nullified 

• Thrown away
  Meaning: wasted, useless 

• To a fault
  Meaning: excessively 

• To a man
  Meaning: everyone without exception 

• To a nicety
  Meaning: exactly 

• To agree to differ
  Meaning: to give up trying to convince each other 

• To all intents and purpose
  Meaning: practically; virtually 

• To be a dead letter
  Meaning: to be no longer in force 

• To be a mare's nest
  Meaning: a worthless thing 

• To be all ears
  Meaning: to pay deep attention 

• To be all eyes
  Meaning: to eagerly watch 

• To be as good as
  Meaning: practically 

• To be as good as gold
  Meaning: to be very good 

• To be as good as one's word
  Meaning: to keep one's promise 

• To be at cross purposes
  Meaning: to misunderstand each other 

• To be at issue
  Meaning: to be in dispute 

• To be at one with
  Meaning: to be of the same opinion 

• To be at wit's ends
  Meaning: to be quite puzzled; not knowing what is to be done 

• To be beside oneself
  Meaning: to lose self-possession 

• To be beside the mark
  Meaning: not to the point; irrelevant 

• To be born with a silver spoon in the mouth
  Meaning: to be born into wealth and luxury 

• To be carried off the feet
  Meaning: wild with excitement 

• To be every inch
  Meaning: entirely; completely 

• To be Greek and Latin
  Meaning: something that is not understood 

• To be hand and glove (also hand in glove)
  Meaning: to be deeply involved (negative connotation) on very intimate terms 

• To be hard of hearing
  Meaning: slightly deaf 

• To be head and shoulders above
  Meaning: be much above 

• To be ill at ease
  Meaning: uncomfortable; uneasy; anxious 

• To be in bad books of one
  Meaning: to be out of favour with one 

• To be in bad odour
  Meaning: to be out of favour; in bad repute 

• To be in character with
  Meaning: in keeping with 

• To be in full swing
  Meaning: very active 

• To be in hand
  Meaning: to be under control 

• To be in high spirits
  Meaning: to be cheerful; joyful 

• To be in hot water
  Meaning: to be in trouble 

• To be in the good books
  Meaning: to be in favour with 

• To be led by the nose
  Meaning: to follow submissively 

• To be left holding the baby
  Meaning: to be burdened; to be left with the responsibility suddenly 

• To be neither here nor there
  Meaning: irrelevant; 

• To be on last legs
  Meaning: on the verge of ruin 

• To be on the alert
  Meaning: to be on guard; to be ready to act 

• To be on the cards
  Meaning: not improbable; probably 

• To be on the wrong side of sixty
  Meaning: to be more than sixty years of age 

• To be out of date
  Meaning: obsolete 

• To be out of pocket
  Meaning: to have no money 

• To be out of spirits
  Meaning: gloomy; sad 

• To be out of the question
  Meaning: not to be thought of, impossible 

• To be out of the way
  Meaning: strange; eccentric; abnormal 

• To be over head and ears
  Meaning: to be deeply immersed or involved 

• To be under the thumb of
  Meaning: to be completely under the influence or control of 

• To be up-to-date
  Meaning: modern; recent 

• To be well-balanced
  Meaning: to be reasonable; moderate 

• To be with open arms
  Meaning: to be ready for a warm welcome 

• To be within an ace of
  Meaning: on the point of, within the reach of 

• To bear a charmed life
  Meaning: to be invulnerable 

• To bear fruit
  Meaning: to be productive 

• To bid fair
  Meaning: to seem likely 

• To bleed someone white
  Meaning: to deprive someone/ entity of all his/its resources 

• To blow one's own trumpet
  Meaning: to praise oneself 

• To bring down the house
  Meaning: call forth general and loud applause 

• To bring to light
  Meaning: to disclose 

• To burn one's fingers
  Meaning: to cause oneself trouble or harm 

• To burn the candles at both ends
  Meaning: overtaxing the energies 

• To bury the hatchet
  Meaning: to make peace; to cease fighting 

• To carry all before
  Meaning: to be completely successful; successful in convincing an audience 

• To cast the gorge at
  Meaning: to reject with loathing 

• To catch / clutch / grasp at a straw
  Meaning: resort in desperation to an utterly inadequate expedient 

• To catch red-handed
  Meaning: to catch at the moment of committing the crime 

• To change colour
  Meaning: to turn pale 

• To change hands
  Meaning: to go in some other's possession 

• To coin money
  Meaning: to make money very quickly 

• To come of age
  Meaning: to reach adult status 

• To come to a head
  Meaning: to reach a crisis 

• To come to grief
  Meaning: to fail; to ruin 

• To come to the front
  Meaning: to attain prominence; to become conspicuous 

• To cook the accounts
  Meaning: to prepare false accounts 

• To create bad blood
  Meaning: to create ill-feeling, bitterness 

• To crow over
  Meaning: to triumph over; to gloat over 

• To curry favour
  Meaning: to ingratiate oneself 

• To cut a poor figure
  Meaning: to make a poor impression 

• To cut off without a shilling
  Meaning: to disinherit 

• To cut one's own throat
  Meaning: to ruin oneself 

• To cut short
  Meaning: to interrupt 

• To die in harness
  Meaning: to continue to the last in business or profession 

• To do the handsome thing by somebody
  Meaning: to behave in a magnanimous manner towards somebody 

• To do yeoman service
  Meaning: to do an excellent service

• To draw one out
  Meaning: to elicit information out from one 

• To draw the line
  Meaning: to fix the limits 

• To eat a humble pie
  Meaning: to apologize humbly 

• To eat one's words
  Meaning: to take back what one has said 

• To end in smoke
  Meaning: to end without any result 

• To fall flat
  Meaning: to produce no effect; to cause no interest; to become a fiasco 

• To fall foul of
  Meaning: to quarrel with 

• To fall short of expectations
  Meaning: to disappoint 

• To feather one's own nest
  Meaning: to make money unfairly 

• To feel like a fish out of water
  Meaning: to be in a strange situation; like one out of his element 

• To fight shy of
  Meaning: dislike; to avoid 

• To fight tooth and nail
  Meaning: with all the power 

• To foot the bill
  Meaning: to pay for it 

• To gain ground
  Meaning: to become more widely influential 

• To get into hot water
  Meaning: to get into trouble 

• To get it into one's head
  Meaning: firmly believe or maintain 

• To get the better of
  Meaning: to gain advantage over 

• To get the better of one
  Meaning: to overcome someone 

• To give a cold shoulder
  Meaning: to treat in a cold and distant manner 

• To give a false colouring
  Meaning: to misrepresent 

• To give a handle to
  Meaning: to furnish an occasion for 

• To give a person in charge
  Meaning: to hand a person over to police 

• To give a piece of one's mind to
  Meaning: to scold 

• To give chapter and verse
  Meaning: full and precise reference to authority 

• To give oneself airs
  Meaning: to behave arrogantly 

• To go back on one's word
  Meaning: to fail to keep up one's word 

• To go hard with
  Meaning: to suffer severely; to prove a serious matter 

• To go home to one
  Meaning: to have the desired impact, to deeply affect 

• To go off the deep end
  Meaning: become overwrought emotionally 

• To go out of hand
  Meaning: to lose control; to go out of control 

• To go out of the way
  Meaning: to take special trouble 

• To go to heart
  Meaning: to touch deeply 

• To hang fire
  Meaning: be slow in taking action or in progressing 

• To hang in the balance
  Meaning: to be undecided

• To hang on somebody's lips/words
  Meaning: to listen eagerly to somebody's words; to give close admiring attention to somebody 

• To hang together
  Meaning: to be consistent; to keep united 

• To harp on the same string
  Meaning: dwell tediously on the same subject 

• To have a bone to pick with
  Meaning: to have a cause for quarrel 

• To have a hand
  Meaning: to be involved in or concerned with 

• To have an axe to grind
  Meaning: a personal interest in some matter; private ends to serve 

• To have an eye to the main chance
  Meaning: have the main objective of making money 

• To have an old head on young shoulders
  Meaning: to be wise beyond one's age 

• To have at one's finger's ends
  Meaning: to know thoroughly 

• To have one's hands full
  Meaning: to be very busy 

• To have one's heart in the right place
  Meaning: be of a kindly and sympathetic disposition 

• To have the blood run cold
  Meaning: to be horrified 

• To have too many irons in the fire
  Meaning: to engage oneself into many works at the same time 

• To heap coals of fire on the head of enemy
  Meaning: to return good for evil and make the enemy ashamed of enmity. 

• To hit the nail on the head
  Meaning: to state the truth exactly 

• To hold good
  Meaning: to be valid; to remain deliberation 

• To hold water
  Meaning: to stand scrutiny 

• To hope against hope
  Meaning: to hope even when the result seems to be futile. 

• To keep a good table
  Meaning: to provide luxurious food 

• To keep at arm's length
  Meaning: to keep at a distance 

• To keep in the dark
  Meaning: to keep in ignorance; to hide 

• To keep in touch with
  Meaning: to have knowledge of 

• To keep on tenterhooks
  Meaning: to keep in a state of suspense and anxiety 

• To keep one's head above water
  Meaning: to keep out of debt 

• To keep one's own counsel
  Meaning: to preserve a discreet silence; not sharing details of one's plans with others 

• To keep pace with
  Meaning: to progress at an equal rate (speed) 

• To keep the wolf from the door
  Meaning: to keep away from starvation 

• To keep up appearances
  Meaning: to keep an outward show of prosperity 

• To kick up a row
  Meaning: to make a great noise 

• To know a thing or two
  Meaning: to be wise or cunning 

• To know what one is about
  Meaning: to be far-sighted and prudent 

• To lay at the door
  Meaning: to impute blame 

• To lay hands on
  Meaning: to catch hold of 

• To leave for good
  Meaning: to leave permanently 

• To leave no stone unturned
  Meaning: to adopt all possible means 

• To leave one in the lurch
  Meaning: to desert one in difficulties; to leave one in a helpless condition 

• To let the grass grow under one's feet
  Meaning: to remain idle; to procrastinate 

• To lie in the bed that one has made
  Meaning: to take the consequences of one's own acts; suffer for one's misdeeds 

• To live by one's wits
  Meaning: to live by deceit or fraud 

• To live from hand to mouth
  Meaning: satisfying only one's immediate needs 

• To look as if butter won't melt in one's mouth
  Meaning: to act as if one was not guilty, to act very innocent 

• To lord over
  Meaning: to dominate 

• To lose ground
  Meaning: to become less powerful or acceptable 

• To make a clean breast of
  Meaning: to confess without reserve 

• To make a pile
  Meaning: to make a fortune 

• To make both ends meet
  Meaning: to live within one's income 

• To make common cause with
  Meaning: to side with and give support 

• To make ducks and drakes of
  Meaning: to squander 

• To make good the loss
  Meaning: to compensate the loss 

• To make light of
  Meaning: to treat lightly without taking serious note of 

• To make neither head nor tail
  Meaning: to make nothing of 

• To make one's mark
  Meaning: to be of the same opinion 

• To make over
  Meaning: to transfer the possession of (a thing) to a person 

• To make shift
  Meaning: to get along as best as one can 

• To make the blood creep
  Meaning: to fill with horror (anger) 

• To make the flesh creep
  Meaning: to horrify 

• To make the most
  Meaning: to use to the best advantage 

• To make up one's mind
  Meaning: to decide; to resolve 

• To mean business
  Meaning: to be in earnest 

• To meet half-way
  Meaning: to compromise 

• To move heaven and earth
  Meaning: to make every possible effort 

• To nail one's colours to the mast
  Meaning: refuse to surrender or climb down 

• To pay back in one's own coin
  Meaning: to treat one in the same way he has treated 

• To pay off old scores
  Meaning: to take revenge 

• To play false
  Meaning: to deceive; to betray 

• To play fast and lose
  Meaning: to say one thing and do another; be unreliable 

• To play with fire
  Meaning: to trifle with matters liable to cause trouble 

• To pocket affront
  Meaning: to receive or submit to something without protest

• To put a finger in the pie
  Meaning: to do something with the affair; to mix up in the affair 

• To put a good face on
  Meaning: to bear up courageously 

• To put a spoke in the wheel
  Meaning: to thwart; to stop 

• To put heads together
  Meaning: to consult one another 

• To put on one's mettle
  Meaning: to rouse a person to do his best 

• To put on the market
  Meaning: to offer for sale 

• To put one's foot down
  Meaning: to take a resolute stand 

• To put one's foot down
  Meaning: to remain firm (at one decision) 

• To put one's foot in something
  Meaning: to blunder 

• To put one's hand in one's pocket
  Meaning: to give money in charity 

• To put one's heart in the right place
  Meaning: be faithful and true-hearted 

• To put the screw on
  Meaning: to bring pressure to bear on 

• To put two and two together
  Meaning: to reason logically; to draw correct inference 

• To sink one's teeth into
  Meaning: to do something with great enthusiasm 

• To sweep under the carpet
  Meaning: to hide some unpleasant fact 

• To the backbone
  Meaning: in every way; to the last bit; completely 

• To the letter
  Meaning: exactly with adherence to every detail 

• To the point
  Meaning: relevant or relevantly 

• To wash one's dirty linen in public
  Meaning: discussing unpleasant private matters before strangers 

• To wash one's hands off something
  Meaning: refuse to be involved any more 

• To win one's laurels
  Meaning: to acquire glory 

• To win one's spurs
  Meaning: to make reputation or to gain distinction 

• Too close to call
  Meaning: too narrow a margin to predict a winner

• Turn against
  Meaning: to go against and be hostile to 

• Turn out
  Meaning: to be proven or confirmed as 

• Turn out
  Meaning: produces, manufactures 

• Turn up
  Meaning: to make an appearance 

• Turn up
  Meaning: occur; appear 

• Under false pretences
  Meaning: by giving a deliberately misleading impression

• Under one's nose
  Meaning: in the very presence of one 

• Up to the mark
  Meaning: quite satisfactory 

• Upto the eyes
  Meaning: completely; to its full extent 

• Upto the mark
  Meaning: in excellent health; completely prepared or fit 

• Walk on eggs
  Meaning: to walk or act cautiously

• Warm to someone
  Meaning: to gain in affection or approval from them 

• Wash one's hands of
  Meaning: renounce responsibility 

• Well heeled
  Meaning: Rich 

• Which way the wind blows
  Meaning: tendency or probability to 

• Whistle in the dark
  Meaning: pretend to be unafraid 

• White elephant
  Meaning: an item that is expensive to maintain 

• Wink at
  Meaning: to deliberately ignore something 

• With a high hand
  Meaning: oppressively; having some power 

• With bag and baggage
  Meaning: completely with all belongings 

• With one voice
  Meaning: unanimously 

• Within a stone's throw
  Meaning: at a short distance from 

• Without reserve
  Meaning: fully; implicitly 

• Work on
  Meaning: influence or convince 

• Work out
  Meaning: solved; found; find the answer to 

• Work up
  Meaning: incite, provoke 

• Work upon
  Meaning: to influence