(all) at sea (about something) confused; lost and bewildered. (all) Greek to me unintelligible to me. (as) black as pitch very black; very dark. (as) bold as brass brazen; very bold and impertinent. (as) bright as a button very intelligent; extremely alert. (as) calm as a millpond to be exceptionally calm. (as) cold as charity very cold; icy. (as) fit as a fiddle healthy and physically fit. (as) happy as a lark visibly happy and cheerful. (as) happy as a sandboy and (as) happy as Larry; (as) happy as the day is long very happy; carefree. (as) hungry as a hunter (as) large as life (and twice as ugly) an exaggerated way of saying that a person or a thing actually appeared in a particular place. (every) Tom, Dick, and Harry everyone without discrimination; ordinary people. above one’s station higher than one’s social class or position in society. above someone’s head too difficult or clever for someone to understand. according to one’s (own) lights according to the way one believes; according to the way one’s conscience or inclinations lead one. deliberately to behave in a silly or eccentric way; to play the fool. advanced in years afraid of one’s own shadow easily frightened; always frightened, timid, or suspicious. aid and abet someone to help someone, especially in a crime or misdeed; to incite someone to do something which is wrong. airs and graces proud behaviour adopted by one who is trying to impress others by appearing more important than one actually is. all ears (and eyes) listening eagerly and carefully. all hours (of the day and night) very late in the night or very early in the morning. all over bar the shouting decided and concluded; finished except for the formalities. very awkward and clumsy, especially with one’s hands. all to the good for the best; for one’s benefit. any port in a storm a phrase indicating that when one is in difficulties one must accept any way out, whether one likes the solution or not. apple of someone’s eye someone’s favourite person or thing. armed to the teeth heavily armed with weapons. as a duck takes to water easily and naturally. as black as one is painted as evil or unpleasant as one is thought to be. an innocent or naive person. the most remote place; somewhere very remote. back to the drawing-board [it is] time to start over again; [it is] time to plan something over again, especially if it has gone wrong. bag and baggage with one’s luggage; with all one’s possessions. baptism of fire a first experience of something, usually something difficult or unpleasant. be a thorn in someone’s side to be a constant source of annoyance to someone. be getting on for something to be close to something; to be nearly at something, such as a time, date, age, etc. to be old-fashioned; to be outmoded. to be very different, especially in opinions or attitudes; to be far from coming to an agreement. be thankful for small mercies to be grateful for any small benefits or advantages one has, especially in a generally difficult situation. beard the lion in his den to face an adversary on the adversary’s home ground. beat a (hasty) retreat to retreat or withdraw very quickly. beat about the bush to avoid answering a question or discussing a subject directly; to stall; to waste time. a situation or way of life that is always happy and comfortable. before you can say Jack Robinson almost immediately. to ask to be released from something; to refuse an invitation. beggar description to be impossible to describe well enough to give an accurate picture; to be impossible to do justice to in words. believe it or not to choose to believe something or not. bend someone’s ear to talk to someone at length, perhaps annoyingly. best bib and tucker one’s best clothing. beyond one’s ken outside the extent of one’s knowledge or understanding. beyond the pale unacceptable; outlawed. beyond the shadow of a doubt and beyond any shadow of doubt completely without doubt. more than one can say. bide one’s time to wait patiently. to pronounce someone well and healthy. bite someone’s head off to speak sharply and angrily to someone. bite the hand that feeds one to do harm to someone who does good things for you. bitter pill to swallow an unpleasant fact that has to be accepted. black sheep (of the family) a member of a family or group who is unsatisfactory or not up to the standard of the rest; the worst member of the family. freedom or permission to act as one wishes or thinks necessary. butterflies in one’s stomach to cause someone to have a nervous stomach. to know something perfectly; to have memorized something perfectly. call a spade a spade to call something by its right name; to speak frankly about something, even if it is unpleasant. to leave work and go home; to say that a day’s work has been completed; to bring something to an end; to stop doing something. the need to go to the lavatory. can’t hold a candle to someone not equal to someone; unable to measure up to someone. can’t make head nor tail of someone or something unable to understand someone or something. can’t see beyond the end of one’s nose unaware of and uncaring for the things which might happen in the future; not far-sighted. can’t see one’s hand in front of one’s face unable to see very far, usually owing to darkness or fog. carry a torch for someone to be in love with someone who does not return love; to brood over a hopeless love affair. carry all before one to be exceptionally successful. carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders to appear to be burdened by many problems. complete freedom to act or proceed as one pleases. cast in the same mould Cat got your tongue? Why don’t you speak?; Speak up and answer my question!. catch one’s breath to resume one’s normal breathing after exertion; to return to normal after being busy or very active. catch someone on the hop to find someone unprepared or defenceless. catch someone’s eye to establish eye contact with someone; to attract someone’s attention. to become sunburnt. caught over a barrel at the mercy of someone; under the control of someone. cause tongues to wag to cause people to gossip; to give people something to gossip about. champ at the bit to be ready and anxious to do something; to be impatient. chance one’s arm to do something risky or dangerous. change horses in mid-stream to make major changes in an activity which has already begun; to choose someone or something else after it is too late. change someone’s tune to change the manner, attitude, or behaviour of a person, usually from bad to good, or from rude to pleasant. chapter and verse detailed sources of information. chapter of accidents a series of misfortunes. side by side; close together. mean; niggardly. bored; depressed; annoyed. to think deeply. physical exercises done every day. the everyday work routine. damn someone or something with faint praise to criticize someone or something indirectly by not praising enthusiastically. something which fails to be as successful or exciting as it promised to be. dance attendance on someone to be always ready to tend to someone’s wishes or needs. an old married couple living happily together. someone whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. Davy Jones’s locker the bottom of the sea, especially when it is the final resting place for someone or something. daylight robbery [an instance of] the practice of blatantly or grossly overcharging. dead and buried at the exact centre of something. dead on one’s or its feet exhausted; worn out; no longer effective or successful. dead set against someone or something totally opposed to someone or something. dead to the world sleeping very soundly. death to something having a harmful effect on something; liable to ruin something. die a natural death to fade away or die down. to laugh very long and hard. die of a broken heart to die of emotional distress, especially grief over a lost love. to suffer from boredom; to be very bored. dig one’s own grave to be responsible for one’s own downfall or ruin. dine out on something to be asked to social gatherings because of the information one has. extremely cheap. a look or glance expressing disapproval or dislike. do a double take to react with surprise; to have to look twice to make sure that one really saw correctly. do an about-face to make a total reversal of opinion or action. do justice to something to do something well; to represent or portray something accurately. dog in the manger one who prevents others from enjoying a privilege that one does not make use of or enjoy oneself. cooked just right. hard or boring work. donkey’s ages and donkey’s years a very long time. someone who is very enthusiastic; someone who works very hard. careful attention; an intently watchful eye. someone who gets up or arrives early or starts something very promptly, especially someone who gains an advantage of some kind by so doing. to act very humbly, especially when one has been shown to be wrong; to accept humiliation. eat like a bird to eat only small amounts of food; to peck at one’s food. eat like a horse to eat large amounts of food. a phrase telling the kind of thing that one would do if a very unlikely event were actually to happen. eat one’s heart out to be very sad. eat one’s words to have to take back one’s statements; to confess that one’s predictions were wrong. eat out of someone’s hands to do what someone else wants; to obey someone eagerly. eat someone out of house and home to eat a lot of food; to bring someone to the point of financial ruin by eating all the food in the person’s house. either feast or famine either too much or not enough. physical exertion; hard work. eleventh-hour decision a decision made at the last possible minute. enough is as good as a feast a saying that means one should be satisfied if one has enough of something to meet one’s needs, and one should not seek more than one needs. enter the lists to begin to take part in a contest or argument. escape someone’s notice to go unnoticed; not to have been noticed. every time one turns around frequently; at every turn; with annoying frequency. everything but the kitchen sink almost everything one can think of. everything from A to Z almost everything one can think of. expecting (a child) extend one’s sympathy (to someone) to express sympathy to someone. eyeball to eyeball person to person; face to face. to receive punishment; to accept the unpleasant results of one’s actions. outward appearance; what something first appears to be. fair crack of the whip a fair share of something; a fair opportunity of doing something. fair and just treatment [done to someone]. someone or something that it is quite permissible to attack. to laugh heartily. fall apart at the seams to break into pieces; to fall apart. fall between two stools to come somewhere between two possibilities and so fail to meet the requirements of either. fall by the wayside to give up and quit before the end; not to succeed. fall down on the job to fail to do something properly; to fail to do one’s job adequately. fall foul of someone or something to do something that annoys or offends someone or something; to do something that is contrary to the rules. fall from grace to cease to be held in favour, especially because of some wrong or foolish action. fancy someone’s chances to have confidence in someone’s [including one’s own] ability to be successful. far cry from something a thing which is very different from something else. feast one’s eyes (on someone or something) to look at someone or something with pleasure, envy, or admiration. feather in one’s cap an honour; something of which one can be proud. feather one’s (own) nest to use power and prestige selfishly to provide for oneself, often immorally or illegally. to feel well and healthy. feel it beneath one (to do something) to feel that one would be humbling oneself or reducing one’s status to do something. feel like a million dollars to feel well and healthy, both physically and mentally. feel like a new person to feel refreshed and renewed, especially after getting well or getting dressed up. feel something in one’s bones to sense something; to have an intuition about something. fiddle while Rome burns to do nothing or something trivial while something disastrous happens. fight shy of something to avoid something; to keep from doing something. fighting chance a good possibility of success, especially if every effort is made. fill someone’s shoes to take the place of some other person and perform satisfactorily in that role. to be exactly the thing that is needed. find it in one’s heart to do something to have the courage or compassion to do something; to persuade oneself to do something. find one’s feet to become used to a new situation or experience. game at which two can play a manner of competing which two competitors can use; a strategy that competing sides can both use. generous to a fault get a black eye to get a bruise near the eye from being struck. get a clean bill of health to be pronounced healthy by a doctor. get a good run for one’s money to receive what one deserves, expects, or wants; to be well compensated for effort, money, etc., spent. get a lucky break to have good fortune; to receive a bit of luck. get a lump in one’s throat to have the feeling of something in one’s throat—as if one were going to cry; to become emotional or sentimental. get a slap on the wrist to get a light punishment. to receive training or a big opportunity in beginning one’s career. get a tongue-lashing to receive a severe scolding. get a word in (edgeways) to succeed in saying something when other people are talking and one is being ignored. get above oneself to think or behave as though one is better or more important than one is. get away (from it all) to get away from one’s work or daily routine; to go on a holiday. get back on one’s feet to become independent again; to become able to move around again. get butterflies in one’s stomach to get a nervous feeling in one’s stomach. get by (on a shoe-string) to manage to live. get carried away to be overcome by emotion or enthusiasm. to become timid or frightened. get credit (for something) to receive praise or recognition for one’s role in something. get down to brass tacks to begin to talk about important things. get down to business to begin to get serious; to begin to negotiate or conduct business. get in someone’s hair to bother or irritate someone. get into full swing to move into the peak of activity; to start moving fast or efficiently. get into the swing of things to join in the routine or the activities. get nowhere fast not to make progress; to get nowhere. get off lightly to receive very little punishment. hail from somewhere to come originally from somewhere. hail-fellow-well-met friendly to everyone; falsely friendly to everyone. hair of the dog (that bit one) an alcoholic drink taken when one has a hangover. hale and hearty well and healthy. hand in glove (with someone) very close to someone. hand it to someone give credit to someone, often with some reluctance. to be exchanged very rapidly. [moving] one hand after the other. something, such as an article of used clothing, which has been “handed down,” or given, to someone because another person no longer needs it. handle someone with kid gloves to be very careful with a sensitive or touchy person. hang by a hair and hang by a thread to be in an uncertain position; to depend on something very insubstantial. to delay or wait; to be delayed. hang in the balance to be in an undecided state; to be between two equal possibilities. hang on by an eyebrow and hang on by one’s eyebrows to be just hanging on or just surviving. hang on someone’s every word to listen carefully and obsequiously to everything someone says. hang on to someone’s coat-tails to gain good fortune or success through another person’s success, rather than through one’s own efforts. Hang on to your hat! and Hold on to your hat! Prepare for a sudden surprise or shock. hang one’s hat up somewhere to take up residence somewhere. cash, not cheques or credit. hard on someone’s heels following someone very closely. hard on the heels of something soon after something. hard-and-fast rule hardly have time to breathe to be very busy. hark(en) back to something to have originated as something; to have started out as something. hate someone’s guts to hate someone very much. haul someone over the coals to give someone a severe scolding. have a bee in one’s bonnet to have an idea or a thought remain in one’s mind; to have an obsession. have a big mouth to be a gossiper; to be a person who tells secrets. have a bone to pick (with someone) to have a matter to discuss with someone; to have something to argue about with someone. have a brush with something to have a brief contact with something; to have a brief experience of something, especially with the law. uneasy; anxious. ill-gotten gains money or other possessions acquired in a dishonest or illegal fashion. in a (pretty) pickle in a mess; in trouble. in a (tight) spot caught in a problem;. sad; depressed; cross; with low spirits. in a critical or bad state. [finishing a race] at exactly the same time; tied. in a bad situation. quickly; immediately. in an angry or offended manner or state. in a tight or difficult situation. very fast; very soon. in a few words; briefly; concisely. uncertain about what to do; confused. in a split second in a stage whisper in a loud whisper which everyone can hear. in a stew (about someone or something) upset or bothered about someone or something. in all one’s born days ever; in all one’s life. in all probability very likely; almost certainly. overdue; late, especially in reference to bills and money. present at the end of some activity, usually an activity with negative results. in black and white official, in writing or printing. in broad daylight publicly visible in the daytime. with good fortune; in a very good situation, especially financially. in a dangerous or vulnerable situation; in a serious situation; in trouble. in dribs and drabs in small irregular quantities. in fear and trembling with anxiety or fear; with dread. inch along (something) to move slowly along something little by little. jack-of-all-trades someone who can do several different jobs instead of specializing in one. good things in the future. Jekyll and Hyde someone with both an evil and a good personality. a mixed collection of varying quality. Job’s comforter someone who makes matters worse when trying to comfort or console someone. jockey for position to try to push or manoeuvre one’s way into an advantageous position at the expense of others. johnny-come-lately someone who joins in after it is under way. being serious for a moment; in all seriousness. jolly someone along to keep someone happy and satisfied in order to obtain compliance with one’s wishes. jump down someone’s throat and jump on someone to scold someone severely. jump out of one’s skin to react strongly to shock or surprise. to start before the starting signal, as in a race. jumping-off point a point or place from which to begin a venture. exactly what is required. just what the doctor ordered exactly what is required, especially for health or comfort. keen on someone or something enthusiastic about someone or something. keep a civil tongue (in one’s head) to speak decently and politely. keep a stiff upper lip to be cool and unmoved by unsettling events. keep a straight face to make one’s face stay free from laughter or smiling. keep a weather eye open to watch for something; to be on the alert; to be on guard. keep an eye out (for someone or something) to watch for the arrival or appearance of someone or something. keep body and soul together to feed, clothe, and house oneself. to manage a household. keep in with someone to remain friendly with a person, especially a person who might be useful. keep late hours to stay up or stay out until very late. keep oneself to oneself to remain private; not to mix with other people very much. keep one’s chin up to keep one’s spirits high; to act brave and confident. keep one’s distance (from someone or something) to maintain a respectful or cautious distance from someone or something. keep one’s eye on the ball to remain alert to the events occurring around one. keep one’s hand in (something) to retain one’s control of something. keep one’s head above water to stay ahead of one’s problems; to keep up with one’s work or responsibilities. keep one’s mouth shut (about someone or something) to keep quiet about someone or something; to keep a secret about someone or something. keep one’s nose to the grindstone to keep busy doing one’s work. keep one’s own counsel to keep one’s thoughts and plans to oneself; not to tell other people about one’s thoughts and plans. keep one’s side of the bargain to do one’s part as agreed; to attend to one’s responsibilities as agreed. keep one’s word to uphold one’s promise. keep someone in line to make certain that someone behaves properly. keep someone in stitches to cause someone to laugh loud and hard, over and over. keep someone on tenterhooks

to keep someone anxious or in suspense. keep someone posted to keep someone informed; to keep someone up to date. keep something under one’s hat to keep something a secret; to keep something in one’s mind. keep something under wraps to keep something concealed. keep the home fires burning to keep things going at one’s home or other central location. keep the lid on something to restrain something; to keep something quiet or under control. keep the wolf from the door to maintain oneself at a minimal level; to keep from starving, freezing, etc. knuckles rapped to receive punishment. a task which is either unpaid or poorly paid and which one does simply for one’s own satisfaction or pleasure or to please someone whom one likes or loves. a man who likes to flirt and make love to women, and who is popular with them. lag behind (someone or something) to fall behind someone or something; to linger behind someone or something. someone or something that is helpless, useless, or inefficient. land a blow (somewhere) to strike someone or something with the hand or fist. land on one’s feet and land on both feet to recover satisfactorily from a trying situation or a setback. last but not least last in sequence, but not last in importance. last-ditch effort a final effort; the last possible attempt. when one is old. late in the day far on in a project or activity; too late in a project or activity for action, decisions, etc., to be taken. laugh something out of court to dismiss something as ridiculous. laugh up one’s sleeve to laugh secretly; to laugh quietly to oneself. law unto oneself one who makes one’s own laws or rules; one who sets one’s own standards of behaviour. to strike at people and things in all directions around one; to hit everyone and everything near one. lay down the law to state firmly what the rules are. lay something on the line to speak very firmly and directly about something. lead a dog’s life to lead a miserable life. lead someone (on) a merry chase and lead someone (on) a merry dance to lead someone in a purposeless pursuit. lead someone by the nose to force someone to go somewhere; to lead someone by coercion. lead someone to believe something to imply something to someone; to cause someone to believe something untrue, without lying. lead someone to do something to cause someone to do something. lead someone up the garden path to deceive someone. learn something by heart to learn something so well that it can be written or recited without thinking; to memorize something. learn something by rote to learn something without giving any thought to what is being learned. learn the ropes to learn how to do something; to learn how to work something. leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth to leave a bad feeling or memory with someone. leave no stone unturned to search in all possible places. leave oneself wide open for something and leave oneself wide open to something to invite criticism or joking about oneself; to fail to protect oneself from criticism or ridicule. to cost too much. a first public speech, especially a British Member of Parliament’s first speech to the House of Commons. the first voyage of a ship or boat. make (both) ends meet to manage to live on a small amount of money. make a beeline for someone or something to head straight towards someone or something. make a clean breast of something to confess something. make a clean sweep to do something completely or thoroughly, with no exceptions. make a comeback to return to one’s former career. make a go of it to make something work out all right. make a great show of something to make something obvious; to do something in a showy fashion. make a mountain out of a molehill to make a major issue out of a minor one; to exaggerate the importance of something. make a name for oneself to make oneself famous; to become famous. make a pitch for someone or something to say something in support of someone or something; to attempt to promote or advance someone or something. make a point of (doing) something to make an effort to do something. make an example of someone to punish someone as a public warning to others. make cracks (about someone or something) to ridicule or make jokes about someone or something. make do (with someone or something) to do as well as possible with someone or something. make eyes at someone to flirt with someone. make fun of someone or something to ridicule someone or something. make good as something to succeed in a particular role. make good money to earn a large amount of money. to proceed at a fast or reasonable rate. make it worth someone’s while to make something profitable enough for someone to do. make light of something to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous. to have fun; to have an enjoyable time. to cause trouble. make no bones about something to have no hesitation in saying or doing something; to be open about something. make nothing of it not to understand something; not to get the significance of something. make oneself at home to make oneself comfortable as if one were in one’s own home. make or break someone to improve or ruin someone. make someone look good to cause someone to appear successful or competent. nail in someone’s or something’s coffin something which will harm or destroy someone or something. nail one’s colours to the mast to commit oneself to a particular course of action or to a particular point of view. the human eye, unassisted by optics such as a telescope, microscope, or spectacles. name of the game the goal or purpose; the important or central thing. near the bone and near the knuckle coming too close to mentioning something which should not be mentioned, for example because it might hurt or offend someone. exactly even, especially in a race or a contest. if it is absolutely necessary for something to be done, then it must be done. neither fish nor fowl not any recognizable thing. neither hide nor hair no sign or indication. do not worry; have confidence. never had it so good [have] never had so much good fortune. never in one’s life not in one’s experience. forget it; pay no more attention. new lease of life a renewed and revitalized outlook on life. new one on someone something one has not heard before and that one is not ready to believe. night on the town a night of celebrating. someone who usually stays up very late. nine days’ wonder something that is of interest to people only for a short time. nine-to-five job a job with regular and normal hours. nip something in the bud to put an end to something at an early stage. no hard feelings no anger or resentment. no holds barred with no restraints. no ifs or buts about it absolutely no discussion, dissension, or doubt about something. no love lost between someone and someone else and no love lost between people no friendship wasted between someone and someone else. no skin off someone’s nose no difficulty for someone; no concern of someone. no sooner said than done done quickly and obediently. a sensible and wise person who is not easily deceived. not knowing any more. none the worse for wear no worse because of use or effort. none too something not very; not at all. an unusual or atypical person or thing. odour of sanctity and air of sanctity an atmosphere of excessive holiness or piety. of the first water of the finest quality. of the old school holding attitudes and ideas that were popular and important in the past, but are no longer considered relevant or in line with modern trends. not very well; slightly ill. off the beaten track in an unfamiliar place; on a route which is not often travelled. not exactly in the centre or middle. old enough to be someone’s mother and old enough to be someone’s father as old as someone’s parents. old hand at doing something someone who is experienced at doing something. on a first-name basis (with someone) and on first-name terms (with someone) knowing someone very well; good friends with someone. on a fool’s errand involved in a useless journey or task. on a par with someone or something equal to someone or something. in battle or ready to go into battle. on one’s hands and knees. generally; usually. on behalf of someone and on someone’s behalf [doing something] as someone’s agent; [doing something] in place of someone; for the benefit of someone. once and for all finally and irreversibly. once in a blue moon once in a while once upon a time once in the past. once-in-a-lifetime chance a chance that will never occur again in one’s lifetime. to give one training or a big opportunity in beginning one’s career. one credit (for something) to praise or recognize someone for doing something. one for the record (books) a record-breaking act. one in a thousand and one in a hundred; one in a million unique; one of a very few. one-up (on someone) ahead of someone; with an advantage over someone. one’s days are numbered to face death, dismissal, or ruin. one’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach to take more food than one can eat. one’s old stamping-ground the place where one was raised or where one has spent a lot of time. one’s way of life one’s life-style; one’s pattern of living. one’s words stick in one’s throat one finds it difficult to speak because of emotion. pack someone off (to somewhere) to send someone away to somewhere, often with the suggestion that one is glad to do so. to draw a lot of people. very crowded; containing as many people as possible. paddle one’s own canoe to do by oneself; to be alone. pain in the neck a bother; an annoyance. pale around the gills and green around the gills; green about the gills paper over the cracks (in something) to try to hide faults or difficulties, often in a hasty or not very successful way. par for the course typical; about what one could expect. without understanding the meaning of what one has learnt, is saying, etc. part and parcel of something an essential part of something; something that is unavoidably included as part of something else. parting of the ways a point at which people separate and go their own ways. the official ideas and attitudes which are adopted by the leaders of a particular group, usually political, and which the other members are expected to accept. pass as someone or something to succeed in being accepted as someone or something. to measure up to the required standards. to pass the blame; to give the responsibility. pass the hat round to attempt to collect money for some project. pass the time of day (with someone) to chat or talk informally with someone. past someone’s or something’s best and past someone’s or something’s sell-by date; past it less good or efficient now than someone or something was before. pay an arm and a leg (for something) and pay through the nose (for something) to pay too much money for something. pay lip-service (to something) to express loyalty, respect, or support for something insincerely. pay one’s debt to society to serve a sentence for a crime, usually in prison. to pay the fees required to belong to an organization. pay someone a back-handed compliment to give someone an apparent compliment that is really an insult. pay someone a compliment to compliment someone. to pay a great deal of money for something. to provide the money for something and so have some control over how the money is spent. pick a quarrel (with someone) to start an argument with someone. pick and choose to choose very carefully from a number of possibilities; to be selective. pick holes in something to criticize something severely; to find all the flaws or fallacies in an argument. to get into a queue; to form a queue. quick on the draw quick to draw a gun and shoot. quick on the uptake quick to understand. quids in with someone in an advantageous or favourable position with someone. race against time to hurry to beat a deadline; to hurry to achieve something by a certain time. rack one’s brains to try very hard to think of something. rain cats and dogs to rain very hard. cancelled or postponed because of rain. raise a few eyebrows to shock or surprise people mildly by doing or saying something. raise one’s sights to set higher goals for oneself. rally round someone or something to come together to support someone or something. to shout angrily and wildly. rap someone’s knuckles to rebuke or punish someone. extremely keen to act or do something. a fierce struggle for success, especially in one’s career or business. read between the lines to infer something. read someone like a book to understand someone very well. read someone the Riot Act to give someone a severe scolding. read someone’s mind to guess what someone is thinking. read something into something to attach or attribute a new or different meaning to something; to find a meaning that is not intended in something. rear its ugly head to appear or become obvious after lying hidden. receive someone with open arms and welcome someone with open arms to welcome someone eagerly. a piece of information or suggestion introduced to draw attention away from the truth or real facts of a situation. over-strict attention to the wording and details of rules and regulations, especially by government or public departments. redbrick university one of the universities built in England in the late nineteenth century, contrasted with Oxford and Cambridge Universities. regain one’s composure to become calm and composed. rest on one’s laurels to enjoy one’s success and not try to achieve more. a ticket which allows one to go to a destination and return. ride roughshod over someone or something to treat someone or something with disdain or scorn. riding for a fall risking failure or an accident, usually owing to overconfidence. right up someone’s street ideally suited to one’s interests or abilities. to cause someone to remember something or to seem familiar. ring down the curtain (on something) and bring down the curtain (on something) to bring something to an end; to declare something to be at an end. something that is regarded by some people with such respect and veneration that they don’t like it being criticized by anyone in any way. safe and whole or healthy. sail through something to finish something quickly and easily. sail under false colours to pretend to be something that one is not. salt of the earth the most worthy of people; a very good or worthy person. something that occurs or has occurred in the same way often. save one’s breath to refrain from talking, explaining, or arguing. save someone’s skin to save someone from injury, embarrassment, or punishment. save something for a rainy day to reserve something—usually money—for some future need. saved by the bell rescued from a difficult or dangerous situation just in time by something which brings the situation to a sudden end. say something under one’s breath to say something so softly that hardly anyone can hear it. to give a signal to begin; to say or as a signal to begin. scare someone stiff to scare someone severely; to make someone very frightened. scrape the bottom of the barrel to select from among the worst; to choose from what is left over. scratch someone’s back to do a favour for someone in return for a favour done for you. scratch the surface just to begin to find out about something; to examine only the superficial aspects of something. screw up one’s courage to get one’s courage together; to force oneself to be brave. scrimp and save to be very thrifty; to live on very little money, often to save up for something. second nature to someone easy and natural for someone. better than anyone or anything else. to see two of everything instead of one. see eye to eye (about something) and see eye to eye (on something) to view something in the same way. see someone home to accompany someone home. see something with half an eye to see or understand very easily. to see flashing lights after receiving a blow to the head. to understand something clearly at last. see the light at the end of the tunnel to foresee an end to one’s problems after a long period of time. see the light of day to be finished or produced. seeing is believing one must believe something that one sees. tail wagging the dog a situation where a small or minor part is controlling the whole thing. take a leaf out of someone’s book to behave or to do something in the way that someone else would; to use someone as an example. take a stab at something to make a try at something, sometimes without much hope of success. take leave of one’s senses to become irrational. take one’s medicine to accept the punishment or the bad fortune which one deserves. take someone down a peg (or two) to reprimand someone who is acting in too arrogant a way. take someone to task to scold or reprimand someone. take someone under one’s wing to take over and care for a person. take something as read to assume something or regard something as being understood and accepted without reading it out, stating it, or checking it. take something in one’s stride to accept something as natural or expected. take something lying down to endure something unpleasant without fighting back. take something on the chin to experience and endure a blow stoically. take something to heart to take something very seriously. take the rough with the smooth to accept the bad things along with the good things. take the wind out of someone’s sails to put an end to someone’s boasting or arrogance and make the person feel embarrassed; to take an advantage away from someone. take the words (right) out of one’s mouth to say what you were going to say. take up the cudgels on behalf of someone or something to support or defend someone or something. talk nineteen to the dozen to talk a lot, usually quickly. talk of the town the subject of gossip; someone or something that everyone is talking about. talk through one’s hat to talk nonsense. talk until one is blue in the face to talk until one is exhausted. a place or meeting where things are discussed, but action may or may not be taken. tarred with the same brush having the same faults or bad points as someone else. teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs to try to tell or show someone more knowledgeable or experienced than oneself how to do something. Tell it to the marines. and Tell that to the marines. I do not believe you. tell tales out of school to tell secrets or spread rumours. thank one’s lucky stars to be thankful for one’s luck. in large numbers or amounts and at a rapid rate. not easily upset or hurt; insensitive. thin end of the wedge a minor or unimportant event or act that is the first stage in something more serious or unfortunate. up a blind alley at a dead end; on a route that leads nowhere. active and lively. rising up in anger. undecided; uncertain. doing something bad or criminal. the higher levels of society; the upper class. upset the applecart to spoil or ruin something. use every trick in the book to use every method possible. vanish into thin air to disappear without leaving a trace. vent one’s spleen to get rid of one’s feelings of anger caused by someone or something by attacking someone or something else. a difficult problem about which there is a lot of discussion without a solution being found. villain of the piece someone or something that is responsible for something bad or wrong. waiting in the wings ready or prepared to do something, especially to take over someone else’s job or position. walk a tightrope to be in a situation where one must be very cautious. to be very happy; to be euphoric. to be very cautious. walls have ears we may be overheard. want it both ways to want two incompatible advantages at the same time. warm the cockles of someone’s heart to make someone feel pleased and happy. including all the faults and disadvantages. water under the bridge something past and forgotten. wear more than one hat to have more than one set of responsibilities; to hold more than one office. wear out one’s welcome to stay too long; to visit somewhere too often. to weep a great many tears. weigh on someone’s mind to be constantly in a person’s thoughts; for something to be bothering someone’s thinking. weigh one’s words to consider one’s own words carefully when speaking. well up in something having a great deal of knowledge about something. wheeling and dealing taking part in clever but sometimes dishonest or immoral business deals. wheels within wheels circumstances, often secret or personal, which all have an effect on each other and lead to a complicated, confusing situation. when the time is ripe at exactly the right time. whistle for something to expect or look for something with no hope of getting it. something which is useless and which is either a nuisance or expensive to keep up. whole (bang) shooting match win the day and carry the day to be successful; to win a competition, argument, etc. wise after the event knowledgeable of how a situation should have been dealt with only after it has passed. wish someone joy of something to express the hope that someone will enjoy having or doing something, usually while being glad that one does not have to have it or do it. with all one’s heart and soul very sincerely. with every other breath saying something repeatedly or continually. with flying colours easily and excellently. wither on the vine to decline or fade away at an early stage of development. within an inch of doing something very close to doing something. the time at which something is due to begin; a crucial moment. 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