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.
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At the eleventh hour
What does At the eleventh hour mean? | At the very last moment. | The union negotiator went right down to the eleventh hour before accepting the company's final offer.
On a 12-hour clock (rather than the 24-hour clock used by scientists, the military, et al) the hours of 12 noon and 12 midnight seem to hold special significance. De-marking the transition from morning to afternoon and the end of the day, they are often used as deadlines (high noon, the stroke of midnight).
To come at "the eleventh hour" implies that it comes in the last hour before the deadline. The choice of "the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" as the time to end W.W.I was quite apt. |
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Some Random Idioms
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cut/pare (something) to the bone
What does "cut/pare (something) to the bone" mean? | cut down severely (on something) | The company had no money so all of the extra expenses were cut to the bone.
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rule
What does "rule" mean? | be the top; be the best; dominate |
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bop
What does "bop" mean? | strike or punch someone or something |
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raise eyebrows
What does "raise eyebrows" mean? | to cause surprise or disapproval, to shock people | I raised eyebrows when I arrived at work two hours late this morning.
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shell out money
What does "shell out money" mean? | to pay money | I shelled out much money for the new stereo.
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two bits
What does "two bits" mean? | twenty-five cents, a quarter of a dollar | The newspaper cost only two bits a copy.
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like a deer caught in the headlights
What does "like a deer caught in the headlights" mean? | like someone who is very confused and does not know what to do | The boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights when we discovered him in the room that was supposed to be locked.
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face down (someone)
What does "face down (someone)" mean? | to confront someone boldly | The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.
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shape up or ship out
What does "shape up or ship out" mean? | to either improve one's performance or leave | The new employee was told to shape up or ship out when his performance was not equal to the other members of the staff.
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bite one's nails
What does "bite one's nails" mean? | to be nervous or anxious about something | The children were biting their nails as they waited for the results of the test.
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on a shoestring
What does "on a shoestring" mean? | on a very low budget, with very little money | We went to Europe on a shoestring and we enjoyed it very much.
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give out (something)
What does "give out (something)" mean? | to give something to people, to distribute something | We gave out more than six hundred balloons at the shopping center.
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speak ill of (someone)
What does "speak ill of (someone)" mean? | to say something bad about someone | I wish that my friend would not speak ill of the other people in our class.
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like father, like son
What does "like father, like son" mean? | a son usually acts like his father | "Like father, like son," the man said as he watched the boy playing baseball exactly like his father.
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