American Idioms and Expressions

The Writing Is On The Wall Idiom

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. .

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
The writing is on the wall
What does The writing is on the wall mean?		One can see the inevitable result of circumstances.We are having a downsizing and the writing is on the wall: we'll all be cut loose.
From the Book of Daniel in the Bible's Old Testament. Belshazzar, the king of Israel, had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. At a party where wine was being consumed, the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the wall.
The interpretation of the writing was that the King's days were numbered. He had been weighed on the scales and found deficient and his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That same night, Belshazzar was killed.

Some Random Idioms
slow up
What does "slow up" mean?		 to cause someone or something to reduce speedThe factory manager decided to slow up production because of problems in the shipping department.
under arrest
What does "under arrest" mean?		 arrested by the police before being charged with a crimeThe man was placed under arrest for stealing a car.
clear of (something)
What does "clear of (something)" mean?		 to be not touching somethingWe checked that the ladder was clear of the electrical wires before we painted the house.
once in a while
What does "once in a while" mean?		 occasionally; from time to time.A: "Would you like coffee or tea?"B: "Coffee, please. I drink tea once in a while, but Igenerally drink coffee."
fade
What does "fade" mean?		 leave; depart; go away
done to a T
What does "done to a T" mean?		 to be cooked just right (just as one would cook a steak perfectly) The steaks were done to a T when my friend cooked them on the barbecue.

to the contrary
What does "to the contrary" mean?		 contrary to what has been stated/thoughtEverybody thought that the boy was bored at the dinner but to the contrary he was quite interested.
lose out to (someone or something)
What does "lose out to (someone or something)" mean?		 fail to win, miss first place in a contestOur team lost out to the other team in the soccer tournament.
out of hand
What does "out of hand" mean?		 immediately and without consulting anyoneThe police dismissed my complaint about my neighbors out of hand.
gig
What does "gig" mean?		a one-shot job or task (said often by people in the entertainment business)
bad-mouth (someone or something)
What does "bad-mouth (someone or something)" mean?		 to say bad things about someone or somethingThe football player began to bad-mouth his coach.
eat one's hat
What does "eat one's hat" mean?		 to do something extraordinary or special if something that you do not think will happen actually happens (this is always used with if and is used when you are quite certain that something will I do not think that my friend will arrive here on time. If my friend does arrive here on time I will eat my hat.
I do not think that our team will win the game today. If our team does win the ga
Search

Searching for?
 

Sponsors

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional