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.
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drop dead
What does drop dead mean? | to die suddenly | The bus driver dropped dead while driving the bus.
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drop dead
What does drop dead mean? | to die suddenly |
The bus driver dropped dead while driving the bus.
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Some Random Idioms
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go in for (something)
What does "go in for (something)" mean? | to choose something as one's particular interest, to occupy oneself with something | My friend is going to university and will go in for medicine.
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wipe-out
What does "wipe-out" mean? | a disaster, a calamity | My exams were a total wipe-out. I think that I failed all of them.
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put one's head in the lion's mouth
What does "put one's head in the lion's mouth" mean? | to put oneself in a dangerous or difficult situation | I put my head in the lion's mouth when I went to the meeting with my boss.
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With friends like that, who needs enemies?
What does "With friends like that, who needs enemies?" mean? | This expression is used when people behave badly or treat someone badly that they are supposed to be friends with. |
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Horse sense
What does "Horse sense" mean? | Common sense, able to stand the test of
reasonableness. | If your going to spend your time working anyway, it only makes horse sense to get a high paying job.
Horses are intelligent animals. They demonstrate the ability to act sensibly and to avoid situations that might cause them harm such as taking a fall, hence good common sense. |
on a dime
What does "on a dime" mean? | to do something in a very small space, to do something quickly | His new car has very powerful brakes and is able to stop on a dime.
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out of the blue
What does "out of the blue" mean? | without any warning, by surprise (like coming out of a blue sky) | Out of the blue my friend decided to quit his job and go to Europe.
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bookworm
What does "bookworm" mean? | someone who reads a lot |
My sister is a bookworm and is always reading a book.
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Bless your pointy little head
What does "Bless your pointy little head" mean? | This expression is used as to patronise someone, especially when they don't realise that they're not very clever.('Bless your pointes little head' is also used.) |
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top dog
What does "top dog" mean? | the most important person in an organization | My uncle is the top dog in his company.
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step/tread on (someone`s) toes
What does "step/tread on (someone`s) toes" mean? | to do something that interferes with or offends someone else | I do not want to tread on my supervisor's toes because he is not in a good mood today.
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call (someone) on the carpet
What does "call (someone) on the carpet" mean? | to call someone before an authority to be scolded or reprimanded |
The salesman was called on the carpet by his boss for losing the big sale.
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