John Q Public 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. .

John Q Public What does John Q Public mean?	John Q Public is the typical, average person.
	Some Random Idioms
talk (someone) out of (something) What does "talk (someone) out of (something)" mean?	to persuade someone not to do something	I tried to talk our sales manager out of offering a price that was too low.

number one What does "number one" mean?	oneself, one`s own interests	He is always looking out for number one and will never do anything for other people.
turn tail What does "turn tail" mean?	to run away from trouble or danger	We decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument.
helter-skelter What does "helter-skelter" mean?	in a confusing group, in disorder	When we arrived at work we found the files scattered helter-skelter over the floor.
do (something) in a heartbeat What does "do (something) in a heartbeat" mean?	to do something almost immediately if you have the chance	I would change jobs in a heartbeat if I had the chance.
coke What does "coke" mean?	cocaine

from stem to stern What does "from stem to stern" mean?	from one end to the other, from the front to the back of a ship	The boat was damaged from stem to stern after the big storm.
to the bitter end What does "to the bitter end" mean?	to the very end	We stayed to the bitter end and watched our team lose very badly to the other team.
beyond the pale What does "beyond the pale" mean?	to be outside the bounds of acceptable behavior	What they are doing is totally unacceptable and beyond the pale.
birds-eye view What does "birds-eye view" mean?	a general view from above	"Let`s go up to the roof and get a birds-eye view of the surrounding area."

American Idioms and Expressions

John Q Public Idiom