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Questions and Answers

What does the idiom 'whistle in the dark' mean?

To enjoy life noisily

To annoy someone

To pretend to be unafraid (correct)

To narrowly escape danger

Which idiom best describes a life filled with excitement?

In the groove

Down the tubes

Scrape the barrel

In the fast lane (correct)

What is meant by the idiom 'made a pig’s ear'?

To create something beautiful

To enjoy a simple life

To make a mess (correct)

To experience success

What does 'to dodge a bullet' refer to?

To narrowly avoid a tough situation Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom refers to an unreal hope?

A pipe dream Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean to 'ruffle someone’s feathers'?

To annoy someone Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom indicates excellent service?

Yeoman’s service Signup and view all the answers

What does 'call the shots' mean?

To tell others what to do Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean to have 'egg on your face'?

To look foolish Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom denotes a neighborhood?

Neck of the woods Signup and view all the answers

What does the idiom 'cut above' mean?

Superior to Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom refers to a controversial situation?

A hot potato Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean to 'bear the brunt of' something?

To suffer the worst of Signup and view all the answers

The idiom 'call it a day' means?

To finish working for the day Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom means to tolerate something?

Put up with Signup and view all the answers

What does 'go for the jugular' imply?

To attack aggressively Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean if someone is described as 'a cold fish'?

Unfriendly and unemotional Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'to bite the bullet' signifies what action?

To endure something unpleasant Signup and view all the answers

What does 'make believe that' imply?

To pretend something is real Signup and view all the answers

Which idiom means to ensure success?

Bring home the bacon Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean to 'jump on the bandwagon'?

To follow a popular trend Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated by the idiom 'to sleep with the fishes'?

To be dead Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'to nip in the bud' means what?

To stop something early Signup and view all the answers

If someone is described as 'high and dry', they are likely to be:

In danger or neglected Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Idioms and Phrases

A big draw - Something that attracts a lot of people
A bull in a China shop - Someone who is clumsy and breaks things
A cold fish - Someone who is unfriendly and does not express emotions
A cut above something - Superior to something else
A damp squib - A disappointment or failure
A dog’s breakfast - Complete chaos or mess
A fine state of affairs - An unpleasant or undesirable situation
A gentleman at large - A man with no job
A hot potato - A controversial issue that people don't want to discuss
A house of cards - A plan or scheme that is weak and likely to fall apart
A kick in the teeth - A serious setback or disappointment
A lean patch - A period of poor performance or lack of success
A little bird told me - A way of saying you know something but won't reveal the source of your information
A man of straw - A person with no real power or substance
A moot point - A debatable or controversial issue
A nig-nog - A fool or idiot
A Penelope’s web - Something that never seems to end or be completed
A penny for your thoughts - A way to ask someone what they are thinking
A rainy day - A time of difficulty or hardship
A shot in the arm - An encouraging boost or stimulus
A stiff-necked person - An obstinate or stubborn person
A stuffed shirt - A person who is overly formal and pretentious
A vexed question - A controversial or debatable issue
Adam’s ale - Water
Aid and abet - To help someone commit a crime
Alive and kicking - In good health
All agog - Excited or amazed
All and sundry - Everyone, including everyone
All hat and no cattle - someone who talks big but lacks in substance or action
Alphabet soup - A metaphor for a large number of acronyms
An armchair critic - Someone who offers advice but has no real experience
An arrow in the quiver - A strategy or resource that one can use
Argus-eyed - Observant or watchful
As bald as a cue ball - Completely bald
As daft as a brush - Extremely silly or stupid
As high as a kite - Drunk or intoxicated
As the crow flies - The shortest distance between two points
As thick as two short planks - Very stupid
Asleep at the wheel - Not paying attention or not performing duties
Assume airs - To act superior or pretentious
At a loss - Unable to decide or unsure what to do
At beck and call - To be completely at someone's disposal
At daggers drawn - Enemies or hostile towards eachother
At each other’s throats - Arguing intensely
At large - A criminal who is escaped or not yet captured
At loose ends - In an uncertain or relaxed situation
At sixes and sevens - In disorder or confusion
At the drop of a hat - Without any hesitation
At the top of your lungs - Extremely loud
Babe in the woods - A naive or innocent person
Back in the saddle - To resume a duty or responsibility
Back to the drawing board - To start again, usually when a plan has failed
Banana oil - Nonsensical talk or empty promises
Bang for the buck - Good value for money
Batten down the hatches - To prepare for difficult times
Be a dab hand at something - To be skilled at something
Be a dead meat - To be in serious trouble
Be all one to - To make no difference
Be down with - To be suffering from (an illness, etc.)
Be glad to see the back of - To be happy when someone leaves
Be going places - To be successful in a particular field
Be in the red - To be in debt or making a loss
Be left stranded - To be in a difficult position with nobody to help
Be off - To go away
Be on the air - To be broadcast on radio or television
Bear down - To approach someone in a threatening or determined way
Bear fruit - To produce positive results
Bear the brunt of - To suffer the worst of something
Bear the palm - To win or be victorious
Beat one’s brains out - To work hard
Been nipped in the bud - Stopped at an early stage
Beside the mark - Irrelevant or off-topic
Best thing since sliced bread - Something that is very useful or innovative
Beyond the pale - Unacceptable or unreasonable
Big bucks - A large amount of money
Bite someone’s head off - To speak angrily without reason
Bite the bullet - To force yourself to do something unpleasant
Black ox - A misfortune
Blow a fuse - To become very angry
Blow his top - To become very angry
Blue-blooded - Of noble birth
Boils down - Summarizes to
Break new ground - To do or discover something new
Breathing down his neck - Watching someone closely and constantly
Bring home the bacon - To earn a living
Bring the house down - To make an audience laugh or applaud enthusiastically
Broke a lance with - To argue against someone
Broke Priscian’s head - To use bad grammar
Broken reed - Support that failed
Brought up - Introduced for discussion
Brown study - Deep thoughtfulness or absorption
Bugs me - Irritates me
Burn your boats - To do something that makes it impossible to return to the previous situation
Butt in - To interrupt
By a whisker - By a very small amount
By courtesy of - Given or allowed by someone
By the same token - In the same way
Call down - To scold or reprimand
Call it a day - To stop doing something
Call off - To cancel something
Calls the shots - To be in control
Came out of his shell - Became more sociable or outgoing
Can’t cut the mustard - To be unable to do a job
Cap in hand - In a respectful manner
Carry the ball - To be in charge
Carry the can - To take the responsibility for a mistake
Carry weight - To be important or influential
Carve out a niche - To develop a specific position or role for oneself
Cast a slur upon - To damage someone's reputation
Casting pearls before swine - Offering good things to undeserving people
Catch 22 - A paradoxical situation where one cannot do anything
Catch a tartar - To deal with someone who is more powerful or difficult than expected
Catch time by the forelock - To seize an opportunity
Cat’s whiskers - To be excellent or highly impressive
Cheek by jowl - Very close together
Chew something over - To discuss or consider something carefully
Chicken feed - A very small amount of money
Chicken out - To decide not to do something because of fear
Chinks in the armour - A weakness that can be exploited
Cloak and dagger - Involving mystery and secrecy
Cloven hoof - Evil intentions
Cold comfort - Little or no comfort
Come hell or high water - No matter what
Come off - To be separated or detached
Come to blows - To fight physically
Come to grief - To have a bad experience or meet disaster
Come to terms with something - To gradually accept a sad situation
Cook the books - To falsify financial records
Cool about working - Ready to work
Cool your heels - To be kept waiting
Cordoned off - Isolated or surrounded
Cross out - To eliminate or remove
Cry down - To depreciate or belittle
Cut and dried - Already decided
Cut in/Cut one short - To interrupt someone while they are speaking
Cut the mustard - to perform well
Damp squib - a complete failure
Died in harness - To die while in service
Down and out - Without money
Dressing down - To give a scolding
Drive home - To emphasize an important point
Egg on - To encourage
Eye wash - A deception
Face the music - To bear the consequences of one's actions
Fall back on - To seek support out of necessity
Falling head over heels - Falling deeply in love
Feeding frenzy - An episode of frantic competition
Finding their feet - To begin to understand and feel confident in a new situation
Flea market - A market selling second-hand goods
Floor - Puzzled or shocked
Fly off at a tangent - To start discussing something irrelevant
Flying off the handle - Suddenly becoming very angry
For good - Permanently
Fuddy-duddy - A very old-fashioned person
Full of hot air - Full of nonsense
Gall and wormwood - Hateful
Give vent to something - To express a negative emotion forcefully
Get cracking - To start doing something
Get down to brass tacks - To start discussing the important details
Get into a soup - To make things difficult
Get someone’s goat - To irritate someone
Get the hang of - To learn how to do something
Get the sack - To be dismissed from a job
Getting in someone’s hair - To annoy someone
Give in - To accept defeat
Give up the ghost - to die
Give way - To collapse
Go belly up - To go bankrupt
Go Dutch - To divide the cost of something equally
Go for a song - To be sold cheaply
Go for the jugular - To attack someone relentlessly
Go haywire - To become out of control
God’s ape - A fool
God’s acre - A cemetery
Grin from ear to ear - To smile broadly
Hang up your boots - To retire
Haul over the coals - To scold or criticize severely
Head in the clouds - To daydream
Helter-skelter - In disorderly haste
High and dry - Neglected or abandoned
High and low - Everywhere
High on the hog - To live in a luxurious way
Hold out - To endure a difficult situation
Horse around - To behave in a silly and noisy way
In a flutter - In a nervous state
In a jiffy - Very quickly
In cahoots with - In partnership with
In deep water - In great difficulty
In the blues - Cheerless and depressed
In the offing - Appearing soon
In the running - Competing for a position
In the soup - To be in trouble
In the swim - Well informed and up to date
In the teeth of - In direct opposition to
Ivory towers - Detachment and seclusion
Jump the gun - To act hastily
Jumping down someone’s throat - To scold angrily
Keep abreast of - To keep oneself updated
Keep your wig on - To calm down
Keep a stiff upper lip - To remain expressionless
Kicking his heels - Wasting time
Kith and kin - Relatives
Learn/know the ropes - To learn how to do a particular job
Let off steam - To work or play off excess energy
Let your hair down - To relax and enjoy oneself
Like a shag on a rock - Completely alone
Lock, stock and barrel - Completely
Look out - Be careful
Made off - Ran away with something
Made out of whole cloth - Entirely false and fabricated
Make believe that - To pretend
Make off with - To steal or run away with something
Mealy-mouthed - Afraid of speaking frankly
Nail your colours to the mast - To openly declare your position or beliefs
No dice - No chance of success
No man is an Island - No one is self-sufficient
Not mince matters - To speak frankly and without hesitation
Of the first water - Of the best quality
Off the cuff - Without preparation
Off the hook - Out of trouble
On Shanks’ mare - On foot
On the cuff - On credit
On the level - Honest
Out and out - Totally
Out at the elbows - Poor
Out of bounds - Forbidden
Out of the woods - Out of danger
Over head and ears - Completely
Palm off - To dispose of something by deception
Pandora’s box - A source of many problems
Parthian shot - An unpleasant remark made at the end of a conversation
Peas in a pod - Very similar
Pick to pieces - To analyse critically
Pie in the sky - Something that is not possible
Pound the pavement - To search for a job by going from place to place
Pull a fast one - To trick someone
Pull strings - To use personal influence
Pull yourself together - To calm oneself down
Put up with - To tolerate
Run into - To meet accidently
Run riot - To act without restraint
Reap the whirlwind - To face the negative consequences of one’s actions
Rip up old sores - To revive a forgotten quarrel
Root and branch - Completely
Rose-coloured glasses - A positive outlook on life
Salad days - Adolescence or youth
Seize the nettle - To deal with a difficult situation firmly
Shake off - To get rid of something
Shooting fish in a barrel - A very easy task
Silver bullet - A simple solution to a complicated problem
Sleep on it - To wait before making a decision
Stand-offish - Indifferent or aloof
Standstill - Complete halt
Straw in the wind - An indication of what might happen
Swollen-headed - Prideful
Take exception to - To object strongly
Take heart - To take courage
Take up the hatchet - To prepare for war
Take after - To be similar to
The ayes have it - Majority of votes are in favor
The bee’s knees - Extraordinary or excellent
The die is cast - The decision has been taken
The Gnomes of Zurich - International bankers
The nitty-gritty - The most important aspects of a subject
The seamy side - The unpleasant aspect of something
Thin end of the wedge - The start of a harmful development
The wheels have come off - Things are starting to go wrong
Threw a spanner - To prevent a plan from succeeding
Thumb one’s nose - To express hatred or contempt
Throw up the sponge - To surrender
Til the cows come home - For a long time
To angle - To fish
To be in a quandary - To be in a confusing situation
To be pushing up daisies - To be dead and buried
To be taken aback - To be surprised
To be under the weather - To feel ill
To beat a retreat - To run away in fear
To beat the rap - To be acquitted of a crime
To break a leg - To wish good luck
To carry the day - To succeed
To clear the decks - To remove obstacles
To cut my teeth on - To gain experience
To cut the cackle - To stop talking and start working
To get wind - To come to know
To gird up the loins - To prepare for hard work
To go down like a lead balloon - To be poorly received
To hammer out - To arrive at an agreement through discussion
To have a blast - To have a good time
To hit the sack - To go to sleep
To jump on the bandwagon - To follow popular trends
To keep in abeyance - To suspend or postpone
To keep up - To stay in touch
To make a pile - To make a lot of money
To nip in the bud - To stop something at the start
To pay off old scores - To take revenge
To pick holes - To criticize someone
To pick up the threads - To restart from the previous closing point
To pigeon-hole - To unfairly think of someone as less than their ability
To play to the gallery - To try to win approval from a particular audience
To put one out of countenance - To make someone feel ashamed
To put up with - To tolerate
To run amok - To run about in a frenzy
To shoot the breeze - To have a casual conversation
To shun - To avoid someone deliberately
To sleep with the fishes - To be dead
To sow the dragon’s teeth - To act foolishly
To stave off - To postpone
To steal a march - To outshine someone
To steer clear of - To avoid
To take the cake - To be the worst
To take someone for a ride - To deceive someone
To take someone to task - To scold someone
To the letter - In every detail
To throw a fit - To express extreme anger
To toe the line - To follow the rules
To turn over a new leaf - To change one's behaviour for the better
Tongue in cheek - In an ironic or humorous way
Touch and go - Uncertain
Turn turtle - To turn upside down
Turn up - To appear
Up in arms - Angry
Vis-à-vis - Face to face
Wag the dog - To divert attention from something important
Water under the bridge - Something that is no longer important
Weal and woe - Good and bad times
Wear the green willow - To suffer unrequited love
Weigh anchor - To prepare a ship to sail
Wet his whistle - To get drunk
What a small world! - An expression of surprise when two people unexpectedly meet

Common Idioms and their Meanings

What a coincidence: A surprising and unexpected event.
When pigs fly: Something that will never happen.
Whistle in the dark: Trying to appear brave when scared.
Whoop it up: To enjoy oneself noisily and enthusiastically.
Will-o-the-wisp: An elusive or impossible goal.
Wipe the nose: To cheat or steal from someone.
With a fine tooth comb: To examine something very carefully.
Yeoman’s service: Excellent and dedicated work.
On the breadline: To be very poor or living in poverty.
To dodge a bullet: To narrowly avoid a dangerous situation.
Pen and Ink: Smells foul (this is an idiom, meaning something smells unpleasant).
Crack someone up: To make someone laugh hysterically.
A plum job: An easy and enjoyable job.
Made a pig’s ear: To make a mess or do something badly.
Second wind: A sudden burst of energy.
Grist to the mill: Something that is useful and advantageous.
Loaves and fishes: Materialistic wealth.
To a T: Exactly how something is supposed to be.
Call the shots: To be in charge and give orders.
In the fast lane: A life filled with excitement and fast living.
Sly as a fox: Someone who is clever and cunning.
Be like chalk & cheese: Two people or things that are completely different.
As phony as a 3 dollars bill: Something that is fake or not genuine.
Have egg on your face: To look foolish or embarrassed.
Grasping at straws: Making desperate attempts to succeed when the situation looks hopeless.
Run of the mill: Average, ordinary, nothing special.
Scrape the barrel: To use one’s last resources or make do with what little you have.
Bad iron: Unlucky or cursed.
Up the creek: In trouble or in a difficult situation.
On the ball: Doing a good job quickly and efficiently, alert and aware.
As dead as a doornail: Completely obsolete or out of fashion.
A pipe dream: An unrealistic hope or dream.
Dance attendance: To obey someone’s every command, be at someone's beck and call.
Buy a lemon: To buy something that is worthless.
In the groove: Starting to perform very well.
Dead ringer: A person or thing that is very similar to another.
Crossed the rubicon: Made a decisive change that cannot be reversed.
Go bananas: To become excited or angry.
Rust bucket: An old and rusty vehicle.
Hit the hay: To go to bed.
A broth of a boy: An energetic and healthy person.
Chew the fat: To gossip or chat casually.
Keep someone posted: To keep someone informed of the latest news or developments.
Ruffle someone’s feathers: To annoy or upset someone.
I don’t buy it: I am not convinced or I don't believe it.
Slap on the wrist: A mild punishment.
A bull market: A market where prices for stocks are rising.
To meet one’s water loo: To be badly defeated.
Slack off: To ease pressure or reduce effort.
Pig in a poke: Something that is bought without proper examination and inspection.
To twiddle one’s thumbs: To be idle or do nothing.
Neck of the woods: Neighborhood or local area.
To lay someone by heels: To confine someone in a confined space or imprison them.
Cast someone adrift: To leave someone without support or help.
A brown study: To be lost in deep thoughts.
Mumbo jumbo: Nonsense speech or meaningless words.
Fly into a passion: To become angry quickly and unexpectedly.
Bob’s your uncle: Something that is easily and quickly achieved.
Latin and Greek: Incomprehensible or difficult to understand.
Yellow bellies: Cowards or people who lack courage.
An olive branch: A gesture of peace or goodwill.
Down the tubes: Failing completely or going downhill rapidly.
Lose your marbles: To go insane or become crazy.
Went pear shaped: Went terribly wrong or badly.
Aladdin’s cave: A place full of interesting and valuable objects.
Charley horse: A painful muscle cramp.
Beside oneself: Out of one’s senses or extremely emotional.
At the drop of dime: Happening quickly and without hesitation.
In Vogue: In fashion or popular.
Hornet’s nest: A difficult or dangerous situation.
Mincing walk: Walking in small, delicate steps.
Toffee nosed: A person who thinks they are of a higher social class than others.
Want to curl up & die: To feel extremely sorry, sad, or embarrassed.
To the nine: To perfection or complete and flawless.
On the horizon: An event that is likely to happen soon.
A cog in the machine: A small part of a large organization, unimportant.
No spring chicken: No longer young.
Sweat of his brow: Hard work.
When the crunch comes: When things get difficult or when a decision needs to be made.
Play it by ear: To perform or act without rehearsals or planning.
Memory like sieve: A poor memory.
Queer Fish: A strange or unusual person.
Have a bash: To make an attempt or try something.
Queer Pitch: To spoil someone's chance of doing something.
Pell mell: Great confusion or disorder.
Lily Livered: Not brave.
Drive someone up the wall: Make someone extremely angry.