Staring Down The Barrel Of....
When you are staring down the barrel of something, you are faced with an imminent danger (one which happens soon).
This is used in a political context.
Example: "New York City is staring down the barrel of a $4 billion budget deficit next year. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called on his city commissioners to look at their departments and slash a combined $800 million from the current budget and $1.2 billion from the...
A Blip, A Wave, A Tsunami/ A Tidal Wave, A Method To One's Madness, Crowning Achievement
A Blip
Unlike a wave, "a blip" is a reference to a signal given off by radar (originally an acronym, now treated as a noun) indicating the presence of a real object at a given moment in time.
In trends, a figurative "blip" means a temporary event that is not, or is not yet known to be, part of a larger trend.
Example: "Today's upswing in national employment figures is believed to be a blip caused by a one-time event, and is not expected to be sustained...
Easier Said Than Done, In Store, Jumping The Shark, Heading Downhill
Easier Said Than Done
Something that is "easier said than done" - in other words, this idiom used as an adjective - means, something that is more difficult to actually do in reality, than to promise, pledge, or vow to do it.
This is a very common phrase in North America expressing that boasting of doing something before you have actually done it is easy, and worthless. Something easier said than done is something harder to do than it is to boast...
In All Seriousness, Digging It, Giving A Damn, A.M. and P.M., Keep Up The Good Work
In All Seriousness
When I write the phrase, "in all seriousness," I mean, as a completely serious, literal point, without sarcasm, irony, or humor.
Example: "In all seriousness, that house looks absolutely hideous. That shade of purple makes me want to cry."
This is saying, the house in question is not being described as hideous as some sort of joke; no, it really is hideous.
Digging It
An idiom popularized in the 70's, to "dig something" is...
To Keep Something Coming, Make My Day, Forcing Something, Turning The Page
To Keep Something Coming
If someone says, keep X coming, this is an invitation to bring more of that thing.
Example: Brian's boss is very pleased with the work Brian has been doing for their insurance company. Brian's boss tells Brian, "Excellent work. Don't stop. Keep it coming." Brian knows his boss is strongly urging him to keep doing excellent work.
"Make My Day"
Doubling as a famous quote, "Make my day" is urging someone else to provide an...
Mission Accomplished, I Can't Thank You Enough, Words Fail Me, At A Loss For Words
Mission Accomplished
Originating from the military, "mission accomplished" simply means that a mission's goals have been successfully fulfilled.
The trick is defining the mission properly. Technically, a mission is a single complex task within larger operations, battles, and wars. Idiomatically, politicians often use the word mission to refer to any major sustained effort. These two meanings can come into conflict.
Example: In a famous speech,...
"I Can't Hear You!", To Snatch Away, At The Top Of Your Lungs, Hanging Your Head (In Shame)
"I Can't Hear You!"
An idiom used by military drill sergeants in an aggressive, provocative way. When a drill sergeant yells this at a new recruit at a distance of two inches, the message being conveyed is this: "Speak louder!"
Being an idiom, this is not formal, and it is far less polite - but it is not intended to be polite. It is intended to get the recruit accustomed to being yelled at and to respond in a soldier-like manner.
Even though this...
Leaving It All On The Field, Cool, Hot, To Trust Blindly, I'm Free
Leaving It All On The Field
This idiom, from professional sports, refers to exhausting all possible efforts to win, either individually or as a team.
Figuratively, this refers to leaving one's sweat, blood, and tears on the playing field. This represents being sincere in one's effort to achieve victory, but does not refer to cheating or other morally questionable methods. It refers simply to hard work and exertion.
Example: "In football, there...
Cultural Epicenter, I'll Let You Kick This One Off, Did You Get Him, Something You Can Live With, Meeting In The Middle
Cultural Epicenter
Literally, an epicenter is the point of origin of an earthquake, the part that has the strongest vibrations. Figuratively, especially when applied to culture, an "epicenter" is the center, the focal point, the place with the richest, highest concentration of something, such as culture.
Example: In a recent review of Sapporo University for potential exchange students to Japan, I wrote, "Of course, being removed from the cultural...
The Day of Reckoning, Aiming For Something, Hopping Mad, You've Gotta Be Kidding Me
The Day of Reckoning
Literally, the Day of Reckoning (capitalized) is, in Christian religion, the day of God's final judgment upon all nations. Figuratively speaking, the day of reckoning (not capitalized) for a person accused of a crime is the day upon which a verdict is rendered, finding the accused guilty or innocent.
Example: In medieval English law (let's say, 1066 to 1350 A.D.), an "appeal of felony" was a private prosecution against a person...
Idioms Review
John was always an eager beaver whenever he bought a new tool. First, he would be a busy bee around the house, repairing or renovating everything in sight. Then, he would put his tools away in his overcrowded garage. John was a packrat who never threw a single tool away, leaving his garage very crowded.
Reginald was a fat cat who had made hundreds of millions during the real estate boom. However, his best known project, an expensive hotel, was criticized...
Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater, Off The Reservation, At First Blush
Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater
To figuratively "throw the baby out with the bathwater" is to discard the good alongside the bad.
In old England, dirty, used bathwater from a baby's bath was discarded behind a house. No one sane would ever throw out the baby with the bathwater. Therefore, this expression describes an act of extreme foolishness and a complete lack of understanding of value and worth.
Example: "It is simply wrong to replace...
Smelling A Rat, A Packrat, A Frog In Your Throat
Smelling A Rat
Just as something being "fishy" describes something suspicious, to "smell a rat" is to suspect trickery or treachery.
Trickery is as in fraud. Treachery is as in betrayal. Also, in criminal culture, "a rat" is a police informant. This term has spread into popular culture; "ratting" or "ratting out" is to inform on someone and betray that person to an authority of some kind, whether lawful (police) or unlawful (organized crime)...
When Pigs Fly, Horsing Around, An Eager Beaver, Dropping Like Flies
When Pigs Fly
One of English's more colorful idioms, "when pigs fly" describes an extremely unlikely event, one that will never realistically come to pass.
Pigs would only fly (legitimately) if they sprouted angel-like wings and began flying on their own power. This is a ridiculous idea, and is used to ridicule another idea.
Example: "Think you might wind up marrying Ray someday?" "Me? Marry that fat, lazy slob Ray? When pigs fly!!" In this...
Wolfing Food Down, Pigging Out, Opening A Can Of Worms
Wolfing Food Down
To "wolf down" food is to eat food quickly, without fully chewing it.
Often, something that is wolfed down is not really chewed at all; it is simply swallowed.
Example: "Peter wolfed down his sandwich before leaving for work. I think he was in a hurry." In this case, Peter would have had to chew his sandwich somewhat (or choke to death!), but he did not take the time to eat the sandwich slowly. Rather, he ate as quickly as physically...
A White Elephant, The Tip of the Iceberg
A White Elephant
White elephants have been regarded as holy in Thailand, India and other Asian countries since ancient times. The owner of a white elephant was required by law to pay for the upkeep of the elephant with special (and thus, expensive) food and to provide access for common people to worship the white elephant.
It is said that if a Thai king was dissatisfied with a subject, he would give the subject a white elephant. Since the elephant...
Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag, A Fat Cat
Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag
Letting the cat out of the bag, is a metaphor for revealing a secret. It is far easier to keep a cat in a bag, than to put the cat back into the bag after it is out. Cats, like secrets, are very independent creatures that do not do as they are told; they follow their own desires. Once revealed, a secret cannot be made secret again; it spreads and becomes known to one and all.
Example: "Billy was having an affair with...
Making Waves, Go With The Flow, Down to Earth
Making Waves
To "make waves" is the opposite of "going with the flow." To make waves is to stand out, to demonstrate your individuality and uniqueness, and to make a name for yourself by becoming better known. Hopefully, when we make waves, it is in a good way, so that we are known for our successes, and not for our failures.
Example: "Martha made waves when she campaigned for extra sick leave for all employees. Not everyone agreed with her, but...
A Stick-In-The-Mud, A Sight For Sore Eyes, Raining On Someone's Parade
A Stick-In-The-Mud
Figuratively, a stick-in-the-mud (usually written with hyphens and pronounced as if it is one long word) is a person whose behavior resembles, well, a stick (of wood) impaled in mud: someone who is resistant to being pulled into a productive activity. Such a person is a loner who does not like group activities or may be actively hostile to them. In vocabulary, a "grouch" is similar.
Example: "Carol was inviting co-workers to a...
Under the Weather, Having Your Head In The Clouds
Under the Weather
Someone said to be "under the weather" is someone who appears to be at less than full health, like a sky that is cloudy instead of clear. The person can either be ill, or intoxicated; the important thing is that the person is not feeling well. Ex.: "Arnold looks under the weather. Maybe he's having a bad reaction to the mussels he ate last night?" Mussels are a type of sea food; people not used to eating them will sometimes get...
Literal vs. Figurative
For the idiom just posted below, some English natives might write, "Melissa is literally a ray of sunshine for everyone at the office."
This would be completely incorrect. Literally, Melissa is a human being, not a ray of light. Figuratively, she might be a ray of sunshine, but certainly not literally.
Using "She's a real ray of sunshine" is using a much lighter touch.
In both cases, the culprit is the common use of exaggeration in English. Those...
Weathering the Storm
To weather a storm is to endure a difficult, but temporary situation. Because the difficult situation is temporary, it resembles a passing storm. Eventually, the storm ends. Ex.: "The Senator was under a cloud of suspicion, but no hard evidence was found. As a result, he was cleared of all wrongdoing. He had successfully weathered the storm." In the West, the presumption...
Stealing Someone's Thunder, Hitting the Sack, Hitting the Hay, Digging Deep, Cheesy
Stealing Someone's Thunder
To "steal someone's thunder" is an expression for taking the credit and praise for something someone else did. That is, someone else does the work, but you take the credit.
Ex.: "Brian worked for a whole week on that project, but Dave acted like it was all his doing. You shouldn't go stealing someone else's thunder like that." Dave took credit for Brian's hard work.
In the movie "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The...
A Bad Apple, A Bad Egg, One's Bread and Butter, A Piece of Cake
A Bad Apple
A "bad apple" is someone who might not be in trouble with the law (as is the case for "a bad egg"), but is a person who has a bad attitude (often about work), who is a negative influence in a team, and who is generally not pleasant to work with or be around.
Ex.: "That guy we just hired? I think he's a bad apple. He snaps at co-workers; he's becoming a real distraction." The new employee is creating negativity around him.
A Bad Egg
Figuratively,...
In A Nutshell, Egg on your Face, A Hot Potato, Hitting the Sauce, Gravy Train etc.
In A Nutshell
A nutshell is a small package provided by Mother Nature, containing a seed. The expression "in a nutshell" is for something that can be explained, represented, or summarized, in a small package.
Ex.: "Vegetarianism In A Nutshell" is a website devoted to explaining vegetarianism in a short, concise, and efficient manner.
Egg on your Face
To unknowingly have a piece of egg on your face is a dinnertime embarrassment. To figuratively...
Riding Someone's Coattails, Caught On Tape, Armed to the Teeth, Seeing Eye To Eye
Riding Someone's Coattails
"Riding coattails" means using the fame or popularity of another person to increase one's own fame or popularity. Someone else does all the work, while you receive credit just by being seen with the hard working person. Can also be used in a business context. Ex.: "AMD (shares) riding Intel's coattails, but will it last?" This indicates, AMD shares are rising simply by being in the same sector (computer chips) as Intel...
Flipped On Its Head, In The Heart Of, I Feel Like A Million Bucks, On The Line
Flipped On Its Head
Something "flipped on its head" has been figuratively turned upside down. It has been altered so profoundly that up is down, left is right, and a person's expectations have been completely overwhelmed.
Ex.: "Social media has turned the communications business on its head." Social media has revolutionized the communications business....
Idioms Beginning With T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
T
table scrap
table talk
tag along
tag team
tail between one's legs
tail wagging the dog
take a back seat
take a bath
take a bead on
take a bite
take a bow
take a breath
take a breather
take a bullet
take a chance
take a crack...
