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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Horse of a different color
What does Horse of a different color mean? | Unlike the subject at hand. | Bush and Reagan are both credible, but Clinton is a horse of a different color.
Horses are registered at birth and the registration includes a record of their color. When a horse trades hands due to sale, the registration is also transferred. Sometimes the color recorded on the registration may not match the actual color of the horse leading one to suspect the horse is not the one in the registration.
Horses sometimes change color as they age, just as some people's hair changes color. More likely the horse is not the one represented on the registration but is actually an entirely different horse. |
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Some Random Idioms
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feel the pinch
What does "feel the pinch" mean? | to have problems caused by having too little money | The family is beginning to feel the pinch since the husband lost his job.
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claim a life
What does "claim a life" mean? | to take the life of someone | The accident on the freeway claimed the life of two people.
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in the absence of (someone or something)
What does "in the absence of (someone or something)" mean? | without someone or something | In the absence of any concrete plans for the building we decided to try and sell it.
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gangsta
What does "gangsta" mean? | member of a gang |
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down to the wire
What does "down to the wire" mean? | at the very last minute (from the wire at the end of a horse
race) | at the very last minute (from the wire at the end of a horse race)The election went down to the wire but in the end the President was re-elected to another term in office.
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see the world/things through rose-colored glasses
What does "see the world/things through rose-colored glasses" mean? | to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic | She is unrealistic and tends to see the world through rose-colored glasses.
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meat and potatoes
What does "meat and potatoes" mean? | basic simple and good food, simple tastes | The man is a meat-and-potatoes person who enjoys the simple pleasures of life.
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place an order
What does "place an order" mean? | to submit an order | I recently placed an order for a new and smaller refridgerator.
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pitch in
What does "pitch in" mean? | to give help or money for something | My friends pitched in and helped me finish the job quickly.
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stack the deck
What does "stack the deck" mean? | unfairly arrange things for or against someone so that a
person has an unfair advantage or disadvantage | unfairly arrange things for or against someone so that a person has an unfair advantage or disadvantageThe league stacked the deck against the new team so that the older, more established teams could advance to the playoffs.
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Dry spell
What does "Dry spell" mean? | If something or someone is having a dry spell, they aren't being as successful as they normally are. |
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Brickyard
What does "Brickyard" mean? | Indianapolis racetrack (home of the Indy 500) |
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