A White Elephant 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. .

a white elephant What does a white elephant mean?	something that is not useful and costs a lot of money to maintain	The airport was a white elephant and nobody liked to use it.
a white elephant What does a white elephant mean?	something that is not useful and costs a lot of money to maintain	The airport is a white elephant and nobody liked to use it.
	Some Random Idioms
muscle in on (someone or something) What does "muscle in on (someone or something)" mean?	forcefully try to discipline someone or take over someone's property or business	The large supermarket was trying to muscle in on the territory of the small shops.
hoagie What does "hoagie" mean?	sandwich made with Italian bread sliced lengthwise, filled with cold cuts, cheese, and vegetables
pooped out What does "pooped out" mean?	to be worn out, to be exhausted	We spent all day painting the house so we were pooped out when we got home.
Heaven knows What does "Heaven knows" mean?	If you ask someone a question and they say this, they have no idea.
follow through with (something) What does "follow through with (something)" mean?	to continue or finish an action that one has started	My neighbor said that he would help me paint my house but he has never followed through with his offer.
look at (someone) cross-eyed What does "look at (someone) cross-eyed" mean?	to do something or look at someone in a way that may provoke anger	If you look at the man cross-eyed he will usually become angry.

let bygones be bygones What does "let bygones be bygones" mean?	forget about problems that happened in the past	"We need to let bygones be bygones and forget about our past differences."
raise the ante What does "raise the ante" mean?	increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)	increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)The government raised the ante when they decided to cancel the contract of the health care workers.
turn (something) to good account What does "turn (something) to good account" mean?	to make good use of a situation/experience	We were able to turn our experience with the income tax office to good account when we began to look at our business practices.
cut in line What does "cut in line" mean?	enter a line ahead of other people
buckle down to (do something) or buckle down and (do something) What does "buckle down to (do something) or buckle down and (do something)" mean?	to make a big effort to do something, to give one's complete attention or effort to do something	The teacher told the girl that she must buckle down and begin to work harder than before.
get (something) under control What does "get (something) under control" mean?	to be able to control something	The fire fighters were quickly able to get the fire under control.

American Idioms and Expressions

A White Elephant Idiom