Brickyard 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. .

Brickyard What does Brickyard mean?	Indianapolis racetrack (home of the Indy 500)
	Some Random Idioms
have one's ear to the ground What does "have one's ear to the ground" mean?	listen carefully for advice or advance warning of something	Our teacher always has his ear to the ground to look for possible trouble at school.

gopher What does "gopher" mean?	somebody whose job is to fetch or bring trivial items to more important people
not show one's face What does "not show one's face" mean?	to not appear somewhere	The hero of the movie did not show his face for most of the movie.
intense What does "intense" mean?	important, serious, significant
take a hard line (with someone) What does "take a hard line (with someone)" mean?	to be firm with someone, to have a firm policy for dealing with someone	The company takes a hard line with people who come to work late.
lead/live the life of Riley What does "lead/live the life of Riley" mean?	live an easy life of luxury, live a pleasant life	My father has been leading the life of Riley since he retired from his job.
Deer in the headlights What does "Deer in the headlights" mean?	When one is caught offguard and needs to make a decision, but cannot react quickly.

shake (someone) down What does "shake (someone) down" mean?	to blackmail or extract money from someone	The gang tried to shake down the owner of the small store.
wax and wane What does "wax and wane" mean?	increase and decrease (like the moon)	The boy's interest in soccer is always waxing and waning.
half-baked What does "half-baked" mean?	to be not thought about or studied carefully	Our friend has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.
touch and go What does "touch and go" mean?	uncertain, in a dangerous situation	It was touch and go whether the girl was going to survive after the car accident.
stick to a story/the facts What does "stick to a story/the facts" mean?	to remain faithful to the facts of a story	"Please stick to the facts when you tell the story to the police."

American Idioms and Expressions

Brickyard Idiom