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.
.
egg (someone) on
What does egg (someone) on mean? | to urge or push someone to do something | The boy is always egging his friend on to do stupid things.
|
|
Some Random Idioms
| |
Under the weather
What does "Under the weather" mean? | To be ill. | I'd love to help you move all your furniture next weekend, but I expect to be feeling a bit under the weather.
Passengers aboard ships become seasick most frequently during times of rough seas and bad weather. Seasickness is caused by the constant rocking motion of the ship. Sick passengers go below deck, which provides shelter from the weather, but just as importantly the sway is not as great below deck, low on the ship.
On a ship the greatest swaying action is on deck, and the most stable point is down near the keel. Hence seasick passengers tend to feel better below deck. |
|
| |
trash
What does "trash" mean? | damage; vandalize |
|
bring home the bacon
What does "bring home the bacon" mean? | to work and earn money for your family | My friend is bringing home the bacon for his family and is very busy.
|
chickens come home to roost
What does "chickens come home to roost" mean? | someone`s words or actions come back to cause trouble for him or her | The man was very mean to other people when he was supervisor. Now his chickens have come home to roost and people are very unkind to him.
|
light into (someone)
What does "light into (someone)" mean? | scold someone | The woman lit into her child when he came home from school late.
|
Lo and behold
What does "Lo and behold" mean? | This phrase is used to express surprise. |
|
bod
What does "bod" mean? | body; physique (especially an appealing one). | Look at that bod.
|
cloud up
What does "cloud up" mean? | to become cloudy | It began to cloud up and soon started raining.
|
|
| |
roast
What does "roast" mean? | tease and insult a person at a party held in his or her honor |
|
swamped with (something)
What does "swamped with (something)" mean? | to be overwhelmed with something | "I am swamped with work at the moment so I can`t meet you tonight."
|
to hem and haw
What does "to hem and haw" mean? | to avoid giving a clear answer, to be evasive in speech | He hemmed and hawed when I asked him if he knew where the missing money was.
|
tipple
What does "tipple" mean? | alcoholic drink such as beer, wine, or liquor. | My favorite tipple? A bit of cognac.
|
Rings a Bell
What does "Rings a Bell" mean? | To sound familiar, to spark a memory. | I don't remember meeting him, but the name John Smith rings a bell.
Bells such as the type used in churches are large and loud. Their sound can be heard from a great distance. Bells sound a single, clear note so their sound is distinctive and not easily confused.
Before electric sirens and amplification systems, bells were a valuable means of signaling people and alerting of important events.
Further, accurate timepieces were not always as available as they are today. Bells were used to signal people of the start of events such as a church session, the start of school, or a celebration. The bells acted as a reminder of the start of the event for people who had an out of synch timepiece or no timepiece.
Someone would literally ring a bell as a reminder.
As an aside bells were later used on clocks to mark the hour. A large clock usually in the town square could be heard throughout the town. This clock acted as a master time reference for the town. The hourly bell ringing gave people an opportunity to synchronize their respective timepieces, and early watches required frequent adjustment. |
make a stink (about something)
What does "make a stink (about something)" mean? | make a major issue out of something | The woman went to the store to make a stink about the broken CD player that she had bought.
|