Armchair Critic Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

Armchair critic What does Armchair critic mean?	An armchair critic is someone who offers advice but never shows that they could actually do any better.
	Some Random Idioms
(in) high gear What does "(in) high gear" mean?	at top speed, full activity	The preparations for his visit have been in high gear all week.

break loose (from someone or something) What does "break loose (from someone or something)" mean?	to get away from someone or something that is holding you	The horse broke loose from the rope and began running through the town.
drive a hard bargain What does "drive a hard bargain" mean?	to conclude a bargain without making any concessions	Although the man drives a hard bargain, I like doing business with him.
pay (someone) off What does "pay (someone) off" mean?	to pay someone a bribe	The man tried to pay off the customs agent to quickly get his products into the country.
throw cold water on (something) What does "throw cold water on (something)" mean?	to discourage or forbid something	The manager threw cold water on our plan to close the factory for one week in August.
when the cat's away, the mice will play What does "when the cat's away, the mice will play" mean?	when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble	When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around.
bend over backwards (to do something) What does "bend over backwards (to do something)" mean?	to try very hard to do something	"I will bend over backwards to help you get a job in this company."

kill the goose that layed/lays the golden egg What does "kill the goose that layed/lays the golden egg" mean?	spoil something that is good or something that one has by being greedy	He was always complaining about his job but now it is gone. He has killed the goose that layed the golden egg.
a ripple of protest What does "a ripple of protest" mean?	a small amount of quiet protest	There was only a ripple of protest when the government raised the gasoline tax.
a jack-of-all-trades What does "a jack-of-all-trades" mean?	a person who can do many things	We gave the man a job because we needed a jack-of-all-trades to look after the many repairs.
four eyes What does "four eyes" mean?	an expression (often used by children) for someone who is wearing glasses	The children called their friend with the glasses four eyes.

American Idioms and Expressions

Armchair Critic Idiom