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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Close, but no cigar
What does Close, but no cigar mean? | Nearly achieving success, but not quite. | That free throw was close, but no cigar.
Carnival games of skill, particularly shooting games, once gave out cigars as a prize. A contestant that did not quite hit the target was close, but did not get a cigar. |
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Some Random Idioms
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Cat fur and kitty britches
What does "Cat fur and kitty britches" mean? | When I used to ask my grandma what was for dinner, she would say 'cat fur and kitty britches'. This was her Ozark way of telling me that I would get what she cooked. (Ozark is a region in the center of the United States) |
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control the purse strings
What does "control the purse strings" mean? | to be in charge of the money | My mother always used to control the purse strings in our family.
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wouldn't touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole
What does "wouldn't touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole" mean? | would not get involved with something for any reason | I wouldn't touch that used car salesman with a ten-foot pole.
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Up the duff
What does "Up the duff" mean? | (UK) If a woman is up the duff, she's pregnant. |
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blow over
What does "blow over" mean? | to die down, to calm down | The problem with the lost invoices has blown over and everybody is happy again.
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Perfidious Albion
What does "Perfidious Albion" mean? | England is known to some as perfidious Albion, implying that it is not trustworthy in its dealings with foreigners. |
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table a motion
What does "table a motion" mean? | to postpone the discussion of something during a meeting | We tabled a motion to discuss the safety issue at another time.
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the hair of the dog that bit one
What does "the hair of the dog that bit one" mean? | a drink of alcohol that one takes when recovering from a hangover |
The man had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast.
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Roll with the punches
What does "Roll with the punches" mean? | Weather through tough times, try to minimize the
trouble. | Sometimes in life you just have to roll with the punches, even when the punches feel like they are coming from Mike Tyson.
Rolling with the punches is a technique used in boxing. The objective is to avoid receiving a direct hit with solid contact.
The technique is to move away from the punch in an attempt to avoid the blow or at least create a glancing blow. A glancing blow being preferable to a direct hit. |