Circling The Drain 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. .

circling the drain What does circling the drain mean?	expected to die shortly.	He's circling the drain and won't last much longer.
	Some Random Idioms
Upper Hand What does "Upper Hand" mean?	Control of a situation.	If you are wondering who has the upper hand in your relationship, the next time you get up to fetch drinks, take a look on the sofa. There you will find that person. This phrase originated with the advent of sandlot baseball. In order to determine which team would bat first, one player would grasp the baseball bat at the lower end. A player from the opposing team would then place his hand directly above the first player's hand. They would alternate hands up the bat until the end was reached and one of the players had the "upper hand".

have ants in one`s pants What does "have ants in one`s pants" mean?	to be restless, to be nervous	The teacher told the little boy that he was moving around like he had ants in his pants.
heart stands still What does "heart stands still" mean?	to be very frightened or worried about something	My heart stood still when the truck on the highway almost hit our car.
take heart What does "take heart" mean?	to be encouraged, to feel brave and want to try something	I took heart from my previous failure and decided to try again.
live down (something) What does "live down (something)" mean?	remove blame or distrust by good conduct, cause something to be forgiven by not repeating it	Our supervisor is trying to live down his reputation of being a hard person to work for.
CA What does "CA" mean?	Chartered Accountant	Chartered AccountantWe went to see a CA in order to get our income tax finished on time.
rule (someone) with an iron fist What does "rule (someone) with an iron fist" mean?	to have strict and complete control over someone or a group of people	The leader of the small country rules the citizens with an iron fist.
spit in (someone's) eye What does "spit in (someone's) eye" mean?	to insult or annoy someone	The comments by my supervisor were as if he spit in my eye.
bring down the house What does "bring down the house" mean?	to cause much laughter in the audience	The comedian brought down the house with his jokes about the lost dog.
but for (someone or something) What does "but for (someone or something)" mean?	if it were not for someone or something	The man would have easily got the new job, but for the fact that he was not honest about his previous experience.
rear its ugly head What does "rear its ugly head" mean?	something unpleasant appears or becomes obvious after being hidden	The problem of mold has reared its ugly head in our house again.
put one's head in a noose What does "put one's head in a noose" mean?	to say or do something that could harm you or your image	The man put his head in a noose when he became angry and criticized his boss at the meeting.

American Idioms and Expressions

Circling The Drain Idiom