Phrase and Idiom Dictionary Home » Phrase and Idiom Dictionary a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w These are various English phrases and idioms. (1, 2, 3) To 86 Something (A) A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush A Burnt Child Dreads the Fire A Bushel and a Peck A Card Up Your Sleeve A Case of Mistaken Identity A Cat Has Nine Lives A Cat May Look at a King A Cat in Gloves Catches No Mice A Chain Is Only As Strong As Its Weakest Link A Checkered Career A Far Cry From A Fool’s Paradise A Hard Pill to Swallow A Leopard Cannot Change its Spots A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing A Man After My Own Heart A Method to the Madness A Plague on Both of Your Houses A Pound of Flesh A Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss A Rose is a Rose is a Rose A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here Abide by Something Able to Take a Joke About to Above and Beyond Above the Law Absence Makes the Heart Grow Stronger Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely Ace in the Hole Ace It Achilles’ Heel An Acid Test Across the Board An Acquired Taste Act High-and-Mighty Act of Faith Act of God To Act Something Out To Act Your Age Acting Up Actions Speak Louder Than Words Active Duty Ad Hoc Ad Nauseam Add Fuel to the Fire Add Insult to Injury To Add Up Afraid of Your Shadow After All is Said and Done After Hours After the Fact Against My Better Judgment Against My Will Against the Clock Against the Grain Ahead of Time Aiding and Abetting To Air Your Grievances Alas Poor Yorick Albatross Around One’s Neck Alive and Kicking Along for the Ride Along in Years All Better All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go All Ears All for the Best All Good Things Must Come to An End All Gone All Hands on Deck All Hell Breaks Loose All in a Day’s Work All Jokes Aside All of a Sudden All of the Above All Over But the Shouting All Present and Accounted For All Riled Up All Roads Lead to Rome All Shook Up All Spruced Up All Systems Go All Talk and No Action All That Glitters is Not Gold All the Rage All Things to All People All’s Well That Ends Well All Wool and a Yard Wide All Year Round Along the Lines Of Alpha and Omega Ambulance Chaser Amount to the Same Thing An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away An Eye for an Eye And All That Jazz And How! And Then Some Ante Up Ars Longa Vita Brevis As Awkward as a Bull in a China Shop As Old as the Hills As the Crow Flies At All Costs At First Blush At Loggerheads (B) Back to Square One Back to the Drawing Board Bad Money Drives Out Good Money Bad News Travels Fast A Bad Workman Blames His Tools Balling the Jack Bar None Be That As It May Be There or Be Square Bean Counter Bear Down Beating a Dead Horse Beating Around the Bush Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Behind Every Great Man is a Great Woman Best Bang for Your Buck Best Case Scenario The Best Things in Life Are Free Bet Your Bottom Dollar Bet Your Sweet Bippy Bête Noire Better Keep Quiet About It Better Late Than Never Better Left Unsaid Better Luck Next Time Better the Devil You Know Than the Devil You Don’t Better to Be the Head of a Dog than the Tail of a Lion Better Safe Than Sorry Between a Rock and a Hard Place Between Jobs Between Life and Death Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Between You, Me, and the Bedpost Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts Beyond One’s Means Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond Words Beyond Your Depth Bid You Adieu Bide One’s Time The Big Apple Big Bucks Big Cheese Big Fish in a Small Pond Big Frog in a Small Pond Big Man on Campus Big Mouth The Big Picture Big Shot Bigger Fish to Fry Bigwig The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall Binge and Purge Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush Birds and the Bees Bird’s Eye View Birds in Their Little Nest Agree Birds of a Feather Flock Together Birthday Suit Bite Off More Than You Can Chew Bite One’s Nails Bite the Big One Bite the Bullet Bite the Dust Bite the Hand That Feeds Bite Your Tongue Bitten by the Same Bug A Bitter Pill to Swallow Black and Blue Black and White Black as Night Black as a Skillet Black Sheep of the Family To Blackmail Someone into Something Blank Check Blast from the Past Blaze a Trail Bleed Someone Dry Bleeding Heart Bless Your Lucky Star Blessed is He Who Expects Nothing A Blessing in Disguise Blind as a Bat Blind Leading the Blind Blind Luck Blood Runs Thicker Than Water Blood, Sweat, and Tears Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat Blood Will Have Blood A Blot on the Landscape Blow Someone a Kiss Blow Someone Off Blow Someone Out of the Water Blow the Whistle on Someone Blow-by-Blow Account Blowhard Blown Out of Proportion Blue Around the Gills Blue Collar Bluff Your Way Out Bob’s Your Uncle Bodice Ripper To Boggle My Mind Bog Something Down To Boil Something Down Bold as Brass Bolster Something Up Bolt Out of Somewhere Bombard Someone With Questions Bone of Contention A Bone to Pick Bone Up On Something Boo Someone Off the Stage Boogie Down to Somewhere Book on Out of Somewhere Boost of Someone Up Boot Someone Out Booze It Up Bore You to Death Born Out of Wedlock Boss Someone Around Bottle Something Up Bottom Out Bottoms Up! Bought the Farm Bounce Back From Something Bounce Something Around Bound and Determined Bread-and-Butter Letter Break a Code Break a Habit Break a Leg Break a Record Break a Story Break Away From Something Break Bread with Someone To Break Down To Break Someone of Something To Break the Ice Breaking News Breaking Ranks Breaking Wind Breath of Fresh Air Breathe a Sigh of Relief Breathe One’s Last Breath Breeding Will Tell To Breeze Along Brevity is the Soul of Wit To Brew a Plot Bribe Someone into Doing Something Brick and Mortar To Bridge the Gap Bright and Early Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed To Bring Back to Life To Bring Crashing Down To Bring Home the Bacon To Bring Into the Fold To Bring Into Question To Bring Someone Down To Bring Someone Down to Earth To Bring Something Into Focus To Bring Something Into Play To Bring Something Out of the Woodwork To Bring Something to a Standstill To Bring the Best Out of Someone To Bring the House Down To Bring Them to Their Senses To Bring to a Boil To Bring to a Halt To Bring to a Head To Bring to a Heel To Bring to Justice To Bring to Trial To Bring to the Fore To Bring Up to Date Bringing Up the Rear To Brush Up On Something Broken Heart To Brood About Something To Browbeat Someone into Something Brown Noser To Brush Aside To Brush it Off To Brush Over Something To Bubble Over The Buck Stops Here Buck Up! Buckle Up To Buddy Up to Someone Build a Better Mousetrap Built Like a Brick Outhouse Bully For You! A Bully is Always a Coward To Bum Around With Bumper-to-Bumper Bun in the Oven Bust Out Laughing Busybody To Burn Rubber A Burnt Child Dread the Fire Burst Into Flames Burst Into Tears Burst Onto the Scene Burst Out Laughing Burst Your Bubble Bursting at the Seams Bury the Hatchet To Bury Your Head in the Sand To Bury Yourself in Something Bush League A Bushel and a Peck The Busiest Men Find the Most Time Business as Usual Business Before Pleasure The Business End of Something A Busman’s Holiday To Bust a Bronco To Bust a Gut To Bust a Move To Bust Ass Out Of Somewhere Butterflies in My Stomach Buy Back To Buy Into Something To Buy Some Time Buy Something Out To Buy Something Up Buy the Next Round Buying on Credit To Buzz Along Buzz Off By a Hair’s Breadth By a Show of Hands By All Appearances By All Means By and Large By Any Stretch of the Imagination By Chance By Hook or By Crook By Leaps and Bounds By Mistake By the Book By the By By the Skin of Your Teeth By the Sweat of Your Brow By Virtue of By Word of Mouth (C) Cabin Fever Caesar’s Wife Must Be Above Suspicion Cajole Someone into Something Calculated Risk Call a Meeting to Order Call a Spade a Spade Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker Can’t Win for Losing The Cards are Stacked Against You To Care for Someone To Carp About Something To Carry A lot of Weight With Someone Carbo Loading Carbon Copy A Card Carrying Member A Card Up Your Sleeve Card Shark Careful Not to Do Something To Carry a Secret to Your Grave To Carry a Torch for Someone Carry Coals to Newcastle To Carry On Carry Out Carry the Day To Carry the Weight of the World on Your Shoulders To Carry Your Cross To Carry Your Own Weight Cart Before the Horse Carte Blanche To Carve Someone Up Carved in Stone Cash Cow Cash Flow Problem To Cash in on Something Case in Point Case of Mistaken Identity Case the Joint Cash is King Cash Money Cash One’s Chips In Cash and Carry Cash or Credit Cast a Spell on Someone Cast Aside Cast Aspersions Cast Doubt on Someone Cast Down Your Bucket Cast in the Same Mold Cast Iron Stomach Cast Off To Cast One’s Eyes Down To Cast One’s Lot With Cast Pearls Before Swine Cast Someone As Cast the First Stone Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters Cast Your Vote Cat Got Your Tongue A Cat Has Nine Lives A Cat in Gloves Catches No Mice The Cat is in the Cradle A Cat May Look at a King Cat Out of the Bag To Catapult Someone Into Something To Catch a Cold To Catch a Glimpse Catch as Catch Can To Catch Forty Winks To Catch Hell About Something Catch Me Later To Catch On To Something To Catch Some Rays To Catch Some Z’s To Catch Someone at a Bad Time To Catch Someone by Surprise To Catch Someone With One’s Pants Down To Catch Someone’s Eye Catch the Next Wave Catch Up To Catch Your Breath Caught in the Act Caught in the Crossfire Caught in the Middle Caught Off Guard Caught Up in Something Cause Raised Eyebrows Causing a Commotion To Caution Someone Cautiously Optimistic To Cave in To Cave in to Someone Cease and Desist Cement Something Together Censure Someone Center of Attention Center on Something Certainly Not! Chalk and Cheese Channel Surfing Charley Horse Charm the Pants Off To Chase Around Chat About Something Cheapskate Chicken-Hearted Chief Cook and Bottle Washer Chink in the Armor Cheat at Something Cheat on Something Cheaters Never Prosper Check Back on Something Check Back with Someone Check Luggage Check Out of Somewhere Check, Please! Check That Check up on Someone To Check with Someone Checkup Cheek by Jowl Cheese Off Checkered Career Checks and Balances The Cheese Stands Alone Chicken Feed Children and Fools Tell the Truth Children Should be Seen and Not Heard Chill Out Chilled to the Bone Chinese Whispers Chip Off the Old Block Chip on your Shoulder Chock Full of Something Christmas Comes But Once a Year Chump Change Church Ain’t Over ‘Til They Quit Singing Circumstances Alter Cases City Slicker Civility Costs Nothing Clean as a Hound’s Tooth To Clean Your Clock Clear Something for Publication Clear the Air Clear the Table Clear the Way Click With Someone The Clock is Ticking Cloud Cuckoo Land Close But No Cigar Close Ranks Cock-a-Hoop To Coldcock Someone Cold Hands, Warm Heart Cold Hard Cash Cold Shoulder Cold Turkey Collaborate With To Collect One’s Thoughts Collude With Someone To Come to Grips To Come to Terms Comedy of Errors Comes With the Territory Company Man Control Freak Cool Your Jets Confession is Good for the Soul To Crack a Joke Crackpot Cross That Bridge When You Come to It Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War Cry Over Spilt Milk Crying Wolf The Customer is Always Right Cup of Joe A Curate’s Egg Curiosity Killed the Cat Cut Me Some Slack Cut the Mustard Cut to the Chase (D) The Daily Grind Darling Buds of May Dead End Job Dead to the World The Devil is in the Details Devil Takes the Hindmost The Die is Cast To Die With Your Boots On A Dish Fit For the Gods To Dock Your Pay Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch Don’t Cut Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk Don’t Have a Cow Over It Doom and Gloom Down to a T A Dry Run To Duck and Weave As Dull as Dishwater Dutch Courage Dutch Uncle Duty Bound (E) Eager Beaver The Early Bird Gets the Worm To Earn Your Keep Earn Your Stripes Easy Come, Easy Go Easy on the Eyes Egg on Your Face Elbow Room Embarrassment of Riches Empty Barrels Make the Most Noise Empty Calories The End All Be All To the Ends of the Earth The Ends Justify the Means Enough is as Good as a Feast Et Tu Brute Every Dog Has Its Day To Everything There is Season Eye for an Eye The Eyes are the Window to the Soul (F) Face the Music Faffing About Fair to Middling Fair and Square Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady Familiarity Breeds Contempt A Far Cry From Feeling Blue Few Words and Many Deeds Fight the Good Fight Fight Tooth and Nail To Fill You In Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers Finger in the Dike Finger on the Pulse First Come, First Served First Time for Everything Fish of Cut Bait Fish Out of Water A Fish Rots from the Head Down Fit as a Fiddle The Fix is in Flattery Will Get You Nowhere Flea Market Flush with Cash Fly By the Seat of Your Pants Fly Off the Handle Foaming at the Mouth Fool’s Errand Fool’s Gold A Fool’s Paradise To Foot the Bill Foot in Mouth For Pete’s Sake Forgive Them, Father, for They Know Not What They Do Forlorn Hope Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown. Forewarned is Forearmed French Leave Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears From Soup to Nuts Frog Strangler From the Bottom of My Heart Fuddy Duddy Full of Hot Air Full Tilt (G) The Game is Afoot Genius is One Percent Inspiration To Get Caught Up in Something Get Off My Back Get Off Your High Horse To Get Shafted Get The Show on the Road Getting Cold Feet Get Your Goat Give the Devil his Due Give the Green Light Give It a Rest Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him for a Day Give an Inch, Take a Mile Give No Quarter Glass Half Empty The Gloves Are Off Go For Broke Go Fly a Kite Go Out on a Limb Go Over Like a Lead Balloon Go Pound Sand Goat Rope Gone to Pot Goody Two Shoes The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side The Great Unwashed Green With Envy Grin and Bear It Grist for the Mill Greased Lightning To Grow Accustomed To (H) Halcyon Days Half a Loaf is Better Than None Hand to Mouth Hand over Fist Hands Down Hanky Panky Hang in There Hanging Out Happy As a Clam As Happy as Larry Harbinger of Doom Hard and Fast Hard Pill to Swallow Have a Cow He Who Laughs Last Laughs Best Head Over Heels To Head Up Something Heads Up Heard it Through the Grapevine Heart of Gold Heavens to Betsy To Hedge Your Bets To Hem and Haw Henpecked Here’s Mud in Your Eye Hindsight is 20/20 High and Dry Hissy Fit Hit Below the Belt Hit the Bottle Hit the Ground Running To Hit it Off Hit the Skids Hit a Snag Hitch a Ride Hoisted by Your Petard Honest to a Fault Honesty is the Best Policy Honor Among Thieves Hot Off the Press A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand A House of Cards A House of Ill Repute How Now Brown Cow Hung Out to Dry Hunker Down (I) I Figured as Much I Should Be So Lucky I Smell a Rat If I do Say so Myself If I Had My Druthers If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen If You Have to Ask, You Can’t Afford It Ill at Ease I’m a Goner In a Pickle In a Timely Fashion In Between Jobs In for a Penny, In for a Pound In my Mind’s Eye In the Black In the Buff In the Fold In the Pink In the Red In the Twinkling of an Eye In Your Face Indian Giver Innocent Until Proven Guilty Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze It Could be Worse; It Could be Raining It Takes Two to Tango It’s About Time It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn It’s Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be It’s Not Brain Surgery It’s Not Rocket Science (J) Jack the Lad Jack of Trades, Master of None Jaws of Death Jaws of Life The Jig is Up Jimmy Riddle Johnny on the Spot Joined at the Hip Jump the Gun The Jury is Still Out Just What the Doctor Ordered (K) Keep at Bay Keep on Truckin’ Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Keep Your Nose Clean Kick the Bucket Kiss and Tell Keep the Ball Rolling Keep Your Chin Up Keep Your Ear to the Ground Keep Your Eyes Peeled Keep Your Shirt On Knee-Jerk Reaction Knock Your Socks Off Know the Ropes Knuckle Down (L) Labor of Love Last But Not Least The Last Straw Left in the Lurch Left to My Own Devices To Lead Someone On Leap of Faith A Leopard Cannot Change Its Spots Less is More Let Her Rip To Let Someone Down Let the Dead Bury the Dead Lickety-Split Lightning Never Strikes the Same Thing Twice Like a Bull in a China Shop Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle Like Chalk and Cheese Like Father Like Son Like It or Lump It Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel Like the Dickens Like Water Off a Duck’s Back Like White on Rice The Lion’s Share Lip Service Little Black Book A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing Living on Borrowed Time A Lone Wolf At Loggerheads Long in the Tooth Long Pole in the Tent A Long Shot To Look the Part Look What The Cat Dragged In Love is Blind Lovebirds Lovey-Dovey Love Them to Pieces The Luck of the Irish A Lump in My Throat (M) Made Out Like a Bandit Make a Run For It Make Hay While the Sun Shines Making a Scene Making the Big Bucks A Man After My Own Heart Man Alive! Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone A Man of Few Words Many Hands Make Light Work Man’s Inhumanity to Man Many a Truth is Said in Jest May You Live in Interesting Times A Method to the Madness Mickey Finn Milk of Human Kindness The Moment Everyone Has Been Waiting For Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees Monkey Around Monkey in the Middle More Than Meets the Eye More Than One Way to Skin a Cat Mountain Out of a Molehill Much Ado About Nothing Music Soothes the Savage Beast My Better Half My Ears Are Burning My Kingdom for a Horse (N) Namby Pamby Nasty, Brutish, and Short Navel Gazing Necessity is the Mother of All Invention Never Never Land Night Owl Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner No Accounting for Taste Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be No Bones About It No News is Good News No Spring Chicken No Time Like the Present No Way Jose Not a Dicky Bird Nothing Succeeds Like Success (O) Off the Hook Off the Top of Your Head Off Your Rocker Often Imitated, Never Duplicated Oh My Stars and Garters Oh the Humanity Old Habits Die Hard On the Ball On Tenterhooks On that Note On the Up and Up On a Wing and a Prayer On a Wild Goose Chase On Standby One Foot in the Grave One Good Turn Deserves Another One for the Money, Two for the Show One (More) for the Road Oops a Daisy Out of Sorts Out of the Question Over and Out Over Your Head (P) Paddle Your Own Canoe Paint the Town Red Patience is a Virtue Pay the Piper The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword Pennies from Heaven Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Pete’s Sake To Peter Out Pigheaded Pinching Pennies Pins and Needles To Pitch a Fit To Pitch In A Plague on Both of Your Houses Play Ducks and Drakes Playing Catch Up Playing for Keeps Playing Opossum Plead the Fifth The Plot Thickens To Poke Fun At To Poke the Bear Poker Face To Pop Off A Pound of Flesh Pressed for Time Press Your Luck Pride Comes Before the Fall The Proof is in the Pudding Pull a Fast One Pull the Plug Pull Yourself Together Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps To Put a Sock in It Put the Cart Before the Horse Put Two and Put Two Together Put Your Best Foot Forward Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Putting on the Ritz (Q) Quality Time Quick and Dirty Quick on the Draw Quiet as a Mouse (R) Rain on Your Parade Raining Cats and Dogs Raising Cain Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Reached the Breaking Point Red-Letter Day Red Sky at Night, Sailor’s Delight Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated Reputation Precedes You Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold Rise and Shine Robbing the Cradle A Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss A Rose is a Rose is a Rose Round and Round it Goes Rubbing Elbows With To Run a Tight Ship Running a Fever Running a Temperature (S) Scratch Paper See Eye to Eye See the Light at the End of the Tunnel Separate the Wheat from the Chaff Serious as a Heart Attack Set the Bar Screw Your Courage to the Sticking Place Shaking in My Boots Shaking Like a Leaf The Shoe is on the Other Foot Shooting Fish in a Barrel Short Shrift Shut Your Pie Hole Skeletons in the Closet Skid Row The Sky is the Limit A Slap in the Face To Sleep On It To Sleep, Perhaps to Drea Sleep Tight Slow on the Uptake Smoke and a Pancake So Hungry I Could Eat a Horse Sold a Bill of Goods Some People are Born Great Snake Eyes Spare no Expense Spill the Beans Spring Ahead, Fall Back Spruced Up Spur of the Moment Standing on Ceremony Step on Your Toes Stick in the Mud Stick it in Your Ear Stitch in Time Saves Nine Storm the Castle Straight from the Horse’s Mouth Straight-Laced Straight to the Point Strike While the Iron is Hot To Suck Up to Someone Swallow Your Pride Swamped with Work (T) Tail Wagging the Dog Take a Breather Take the Cake Take Your Time Take Up Arms Take up the Mantle To Talk Shop To Talk Turkey A Tall Order Tell it to the Marines That Ship Has Sailed There But for the Grace of God Go I There’s no Accounting for Taste Think Highly of Yourself This Mortal Coil Through the Roof Through Thick and Thin Throw the Book at Someone Throw Someone Under the Bus Throw Your Hat Into the Ring Thumb Your Nose Tickled to Death Tickling the Ivories Tide You Over Tie the Knot Time and Tide Wait for No Man In a Timely Fashion A Tinker’s Dam Tinkled Pink The Tipping Point ‘Tis the Season Toe the Line Tongue Tied Toodle Loo Too Much of Good Thing Tough as Nails Tuckered Out To Turn a Blind Eye to Turn Back the Hands Of Time Turn Over a New Leaf In the Twinkling of an Eye Two Down, One to Go Two Lovebirds Tying Up Loose Ends (U) Ugly Duckling Under the Weather Under Your Nose Up the Ante Up in Arms Up to Par (V) Variety is the Spice of Life To the Victor Goes the Spoils (W) Wait a Cotton Picking Minute Wake Up Call Walk it Off Walking on Air The Walls Have Ears Water Off a Duck’s Back Waxing Poetic We Few, We Happy Few Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve We’ll Cross That Bridge When We Come to It Wet Behind the Ears What a Piece of Work is Man What God Has Put Together Let No Man Put Asunder What Goes Up Must Come Down What’s Not to Like? What’s up, Doc? When All Else Fails When You’re Right, You’re Right White Lie White on Rice White-Show Law Firm The Whole Nine Yards Wild Goose Chase A Wing and a Prayer The Winter of Our Discontent Without a Hitch Worse for the Wear Worth Their Salt Worth Your While Would Not Harm a Fly (Y) Yada Yada Yellow Belly Yes Siree Bob You Better Keep Quiet About It You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make It Drink You’re My Rock Your Name is Mud Your Reputation Precedes You
