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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Chew the fat
What does Chew the fat mean? | To talk about unimportant things. | Sit down, have a beer, and let's chew the fat.
The Inuit (different from Eskimos) used to chew on pieces of whale blubber almost like chewing gum. The blubber took quite a while to dissolve, so it just sort of helped pass the time while they were doing something else.
Some other cultures may have used bacon fat in a similar way. |
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Some Random Idioms
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put down (something)
What does "put down (something)" mean? | to stop something by force, to crush something | The government easily put down the rebellion by the rebel army.
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pay off
What does "pay off" mean? | to yield good results | My risks in starting the new business finally paid off.
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red-letter day
What does "red-letter day" mean? | a day that is memorable because of some important event | Saturday was a red-letter day when we finally won the school championship.
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check
What does "check" mean? |
inter. okay; yes; right |
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lay off (workers/staff)
What does "lay off (workers/staff) " mean? | reduce the number of workers when business is bad | Six hundred workers at the automobile factory were recently laid off.
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take it
What does "take it" mean? | to endure trouble/criticism/abuse | My friend is quite sensitive and cannot take it when I make a joke about him.
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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. |
decide in favor of (someone or something)
What does "decide in favor of (someone or something)" mean? | to determine the winner of something, to decide who is right | The city decided in favor of building a new bridge over the river.
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have a screw loose
What does "have a screw loose" mean? | act in a strange way, be foolish | He is a very strange person. I think that he has a screw loose somewhere.
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horny
What does "horny" mean? | sexually aroused; wanting sexual activity |
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Feeling blue
What does "Feeling blue" mean? | If you feel blue, you are feeling unwell, mainly associated with depression or unhappiness. |
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as sound as a dollar
What does "as sound as a dollar" mean? | very secure and dependable | The company president believes that his business is as sound as a dollar.
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move to (do something)
What does "move to (do something)" mean? | to propose to do something (usually at a meeting) | I moved to have another meeting next week when we can discuss the problem.
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walk out on
What does "walk out on" mean? | abandon your partner and end a relationship | abandon your partner and end a relationshipThe man walked out on his wife and their small baby and nobody knew the reason why.
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