The Phrase In Question Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms - What does The Phrase In Question Idiom mean?

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. .

The phrase in question What does The phrase in question mean?	The meaning of the phrase.	An example of how the phrase would be used. An explaination (and/or discussion) of where or how the phrase originated.
	Some Random Idioms
not up to scratch/snuff What does "not up to scratch/snuff" mean?	to be not adequate	My uncle's golf game is not up to scratch and he always gets a bad score.

words stick in one's throat What does "words stick in one's throat" mean?	one can hardly speak because he or she is so overcome by emotion	I tried to ask the girl for a date but the words stuck in my throat and I could not say anything.
a kick-off What does "a kick-off" mean?	a start	The kick-off for the no smoking campaign will start next week.
turn over What does "turn over" mean?	to do business to a certain amount of money/product	We turned over most of our stock last month.
hold true What does "hold true" mean?	be true	It usually hold's true that the students who come late get the lowest marks.
make (someone's) head spin What does "make (someone's) head spin" mean?	make someone confused or overwhelmed, make someone dizzy	The numbers and information that I had to learn in the accounting course made my head spin.
for short What does "for short" mean?	in a short form	The man always uses his nickname for short.

as good as one's word What does "as good as one's word" mean?	to be dependable in keeping one's promises	My friend is always as good as his word and you can always trust him.
one by one What does "one by one" mean?	one at a time, each in turn	One by one the contestants walked onto the stage.
bare bones (of something) What does "bare bones (of something)" mean?	the most basic and important parts of something	The company had to restructure and most services were cut to the bare bones of the operation.
dirty one`s hands What does "dirty one`s hands" mean?	to hurt one's character or reputation, to do a bad or shameful thing	The politician dirtied his hands when he became involved in the land scandal.
melt in one's mouth What does "melt in one's mouth" mean?	to taste very good	The pastry melted in my mouth.
Grease monkey What does "Grease monkey" mean?	A grease monkey is an idiomatic term for a mechanic.

American Idioms and Expressions

The Phrase In Question Idiom