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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Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
What does Don't look a gift horse in the mouth mean? | Do not be critical of a gift. | Okay, so the '72 Gremlin grandma gave you is not your idea of a babe magnet, but it was free - so don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Horses have gum lines that recede with age. Hence older horses have longer teeth than young horses.
To "look a horse in the mouth" is to examine the horse's mouth closely to determine its age (and therefore its usefulness and/or worth). To immediately judge a gift based on its worth or usefulness rather than the "thought" behind it considered rude, and ungrateful (it is a gift after all, and didn't cost the receiver anything).
The phrase is apparently quite old, a Latin version of it appeared in a work by St. Jerome in 420 AD, and it also exists in many languages. An Early english version (1510 AD) appears in John Standbridge's "Vulgari Standbrigi": "A gyuen hors may not (be) loked in the tethe." |
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Some Random Idioms
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down on (someone)
What does "down on (someone)" mean? | to be critical of someone, to be angry at someone | The girl is down on her friend but I do not know the reason.
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at one's fingertips
What does "at one's fingertips" mean? | something is within one's reach | I always have my address book at my fingertips.
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talk big
What does "talk big" mean? | to talk boastfully, to brag | The man is always talking big but nobody believes what he says.
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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 woke up and had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast.
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wipe the floor with (someone)
What does "wipe the floor with (someone)" mean? | physically beat someone | The ex-boxer wiped the floor with the man who insulted him.
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these things are sent to try us
What does "these things are sent to try us" mean? | some difficulties appear in order to test our courage or patience | The woman had very strong religious beliefs and although she faced many difficulties, she believed that those things were sent to try her and she continued on.
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come between (two people)
What does "come between (two people)" mean? | to disrupt the relationship between (two people) | The mother's constant interfering finally came between the man and his wife.
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brain drain
What does "brain drain" mean? | the loss of talented and educated people from one place/country to other places/countries where conditions are better | There is a brain drain from many poor countries to wealthy countries where conditions are better.
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raise its (ugly) head
What does "raise its (ugly) head" mean? | a problem or bad situation appears or happens after not happening for a period of time | The problem between the two managers raised its ugly head again after many months of calm.
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pride oneself on/in (something)
What does "pride oneself on/in (something)" mean? | to take special pride in something | My father prides himself on the fact that he has never been absent from work in his life.
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in the red
What does "in the red" mean? | to be in debt, to be unprofitable | The company has been in the red for three years now.
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the moment of truth
What does "the moment of truth" mean? | the point where someone has to face the reality of a situation | The moment of truth for the sprinter came when the final qualifying race for the Olympics began.
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