F 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. .

Face the music What does "Face the music" mean?	To accept the truth.	It's time to face the music on your donut addiction. Comes from the British military. When someone was court marshaled, there would be a military drum squad playing, hence face the music. The term "drummed out of the military" came from this practice....

For the love of Pete What does "For the love of Pete" mean?	I am frustrated with this situation.	For the love of Pete, can we just pick a restaurant and stop searching? I am hungry. This phrase and phrases like "for Pete's sake" are euphemisms for the phrases "for the love of God/Christ" or "for God's/Christ's sake" and hail from a time when those phases were considered blasphemous. Nowadays phrases like "for the love of God" are commonly used, but the euphemisms are still used. Why Pete? Most likely it is a reference to the catholic Saint Peter.
From stem to stern What does "From stem to stern" mean?	Thorough, complete.	I searched the house from stem to stern for that cat, then found him sleeping on a shelf right in front of me. The very front of a ship is called the stem, the rear is called the stern. From stem to stern includes the entire ship.
far-fetched What does "far-fetched" mean?	difficult to accept; difficult to believe.	"That story's pretty far-fetched. Nobody'sgoing to believe it."
feel blue What does "feel blue" mean?	feel sad and depressed.	"I'm feeling blue because I haven't had anymail except bills for a long, long time."
fire someone What does "fire someone" mean?	dismiss someone from a job because of poor performance.	"If you continue to be late for work, the company willfire you."
feel puny What does "feel puny" mean?	feel unwell, ill.	"Ted was feeling puny yesterday, so he decidednot to go to work."
fender-bender What does "fender-bender" mean?	automobile accident.	"Traffic was really slow on the freeway thismorningbecause of a fender-bender in one of the westbound lanes."

for ages What does "for ages" mean?	for a very long time.	"Where's Marie? I haven't seen her for ages."
face down (someone) What does "face down (someone)" mean?	to confront someone boldly, to defy someone	We decided to face down our competitors and were able to stay in business.
face the music What does "face the music" mean?	to accept the consequences of something	The boy must face the music for his actions very soon.
face to face What does "face to face" mean?	in person	I had a face-to-face meeting with my supervisor to talk about my job performance.
face up to (something) What does "face up to (something)" mean?	to accept something that is not easy to accept	My friend must face up to the fact that he will never have enough money to buy a car.
face value What does "face value" mean?	the value or price printed on a stamp/bond/paper money etc.	I sold the postage stamps for their face value.
face value What does "face value" mean?	the truth of something on the surface	The woman is a very nice person but you must take what she says at face value.
facts of life What does "facts of life" mean?	the facts about sex/marriage/birth that one should know	The boy seems to be too young to know about the facts of life.
fair and impartial What does "fair and impartial" mean?	fair and unbiased	The criminal was given a fair and impartial trial by the court.
fair and square What does "fair and square" mean?	completely fair, honestly	The British team won the game fair and square.
fair game What does "fair game" mean?	someone or something that you feel you can easily attack	Our company is fair game as a takeover target by other companies.
fair play What does "fair play" mean?	justice, equal and right action	The boy believes in fair play and is a good person to have on our team.
fair to middling What does "fair to middling" mean?	a little better than acceptable, so-so	I said that I was feeling fair to middling when my friend asked me how I was.
fair-weather friend What does "fair-weather friend" mean?	a person who is a friend only during good times	He is a fair-weather friend and you cannot rely on him if you have a problem.
fall apart What does "fall apart" mean?	to become to not work properly	The equipment fell apart soon after I bought it.
fall apart at the seams What does "fall apart at the seams" mean?	to break into pieces, to fall apart	My backpack was falling apart at the seams so I bought a new one.
fall asleep What does "fall asleep" mean?	to go to sleep	I fell asleep as soon as I arrived home.
fall back What does "fall back" mean?	to move back, to go back	The runner fell back from the other runners during the race.
fall back on (someone or something) What does "fall back on (someone or something)" mean?	to seek help when other things have failed	The woman had to fall back on her father when her business began to have problems.
fall behind What does "fall behind" mean?	to fail to keep up with work/studies/payments etc.	I fell behind with my homework at the beginning of the term and had problems throughout the year.
fall by the wayside What does "fall by the wayside" mean?	to give up or fail before the end of something	The man fell by the wayside and could no longer compete in the design competition.
fall down on the job What does "fall down on the job" mean?	to fail to do something properly	The man fell down on the job so they replaced him with another worker.
fall flat (on one's face) What does "fall flat (on one's face)" mean?	to be unsuccessful, to fail	My attempt at humor fell flat and now the girl does not like me.
fall for (someone or something) What does "fall for (someone or something)" mean?	to begin to like or love someone or something	The man fell for the woman at the bank but was afraid to ask her for a date.
fall from grace What does "fall from grace" mean?	to lose approval	The politician fell from grace with the public during the money scandal.
fall head over heels What does "fall head over heels" mean?	to fall down	The little boy fell head over heels down the hillside.
fall head over heels in love with (someone) What does "fall head over heels in love with (someone)" mean?	to fall deeply in love with someone	My sister fell head over heels in love with a boy in her English class.
fall ill What does "fall ill" mean?	to become ill	My father fell ill with a cold last week.
fall in love with (someone or something) What does "fall in love with (someone or something)" mean?	to begin to love someone or something	I fell in love with the girl the first time that I saw her at the restaurant.
fall in with (a group of people) What does "fall in with (a group of people)" mean?	to become associated with a bad group of people	The boy fell in with a bad group of friends and began to have problems at school.
fall into a trap What does "fall into a trap" mean?	to become caught in someone's scheme	The criminals fell into a trap that the police had prepared for them.
fall into line What does "fall into line" mean?	to stand properly in a row (like soldiers)	The soldiers fell into line as they waited for the inspection.
fall into line What does "fall into line" mean?	to conform to a certain course of action	The players fell into line after the coach became more strict during practice.
fall into place What does "fall into place" mean?	to fit together, to become organized	Everything fell into place and we were able to prepare for our trip to Brazil.
fall off What does "fall off" mean?	to decrease	The number of tourists to the island is falling off.
fall off the wagon What does "fall off the wagon" mean?	to return to use alcohol or drugs after stopping for awhile	The man fell off the wagon after he had stopped drinking for three years.
fall on deaf ears What does "fall on deaf ears" mean?	to ignore something that is intended for you	My complaints to my boss always fall on deaf ears.
fall on hard times What does "fall on hard times" mean?	to meet many troubles	The town fell on hard times after the computer company moved to another town.
fall out of use What does "fall out of use" mean?	to be no longer used	Video recorders have fallen out of use recently.
fall out with (someone) over (something) What does "fall out with (someone) over (something)" mean?	to disagree or quarrel with someone about something	I fell out with my roommate over who should clean the bathroom.
fall over backwards (to do something) What does "fall over backwards (to do something)" mean?	to do everything possible to do something to please someone	The teacher fell over backwards to help his students.
fall over oneself to do something What does "fall over oneself to do something" mean?	to be extremely eager to do something or please someone	The couple fell over themselves in their effort to please their host.
fall short of (one`s expectations) What does "fall short of (one`s expectations)" mean?	to be not be as good as one expected	The new movie fell short of everyone`s expectations and attendance is very low.
fall short of (something) What does "fall short of (something)" mean?	to not have enough of something	The campaign fell short of the amount of money that it had hoped to gather.
fall through What does "fall through" mean?	to fail, to not happen	My plan to go abroad fell through when my father refused to lend me some money.
fall to (someone) to do (something) What does "fall to (someone) to do (something)" mean?	to become the responsibility of someone	It usually falls to me to tell my roommates to be quiet.
fall upon/on (someone or something) What does "fall upon/on (someone or something)" mean?	to attack someone or something	The wolves fell upon the deer and quickly killed it.
familiar with (someone or something) What does "familiar with (someone or something)" mean?	to have knowledge of someone or something	My friend is familiar with the streets in the city and can drive there easily.
fan the flames of (something) What does "fan the flames of (something)" mean?	to make a situation worse	The speech by the labor leader fanned the flames of the protesting workers.
far and away the best What does "far and away the best" mean?	without doubt the best	The basketball player is far and away the best player on the team.
far and wide What does "far and wide" mean?	everywhere, in all directions	We looked far and wide for the book but could not find it.
far be it from (someone) to do (something) What does "far be it from (someone) to do (something)" mean?	it is not really someone's place to do something	Far be it from me to tell the cleaning lady how to do her job.
far from it What does "far from it" mean?	not at all	"Far from it," I answered when the supervisor asked me if I was finished my work.
far into the night What does "far into the night" mean?	late into the night	I studied far into the night because I had a big test the next day.
far out What does "far out" mean?	to be strange	The man's sense of humor was far out and nobody understood him.
farm (something) out What does "farm (something) out" mean?	to have someone else do something, to send something away to have it done	We farmed out the printing to another company in order to save money.
fast buck What does "fast buck" mean?	money earned quickly and easily	The man is always trying to make a fast buck without working very hard.
fast talker What does "fast talker" mean?	a con artist, a clever talker who convinces others easily	The man is a fast talker and you should be careful not to believe everything that he says.
fat chance What does "fat chance" mean?	little or no possibility, almost no chance	Fat chance that my friend will let me borrow his car. He never lets me borrow anything.
fat of the land What does "fat of the land" mean?	the best of everything (without having to work for it)	My friend wants to move to the country and live off the fat of the land.
favor (someone) with (something) What does "favor (someone) with (something)" mean?	to provide someone with something good	The queen favored the charity workers with her presence.
favorite son What does "favorite son" mean?	a political candidate supported by his home area	We voted for the candidate because he is the favorite son of our state.
feast one's eyes on (someone or something) What does "feast one's eyes on (someone or something)" mean?	to look at someone or something with pleasure	We stood at the top of the canyon to feast our eyes on the most beautiful scenery in the world.
feather one`s nest What does "feather one`s nest" mean?	to enrich oneself (while holding public office or a trusted job etc.)	The mayor has been feathering his nest for many years and is now very rich.
fed up with (someone or something) What does "fed up with (someone or something)" mean?	to be disgusted or bored with someone or something	I think that he is fed up with the constant complaints of his boss.
feed one's face What does "feed one's face" mean?	to eat	We stopped at the small restaurant to feed our face.
feed (someone) a line What does "feed (someone) a line" mean?	to deceive someone	The man was feeding me a line about his plans to open a new restaurant downtown.
feed the kitty What does "feed the kitty" mean?	to contribute money to a special collection	Everyone had to feed the kitty to collect money for the coffee fund.
feel at home What does "feel at home" mean?	to feel accepted, to feel as if you are at home	The woman always makes her guests feel at home.
feel dragged out What does "feel dragged out" mean?	to feel exhausted	I was feeling dragged out so I went home and went to bed.
feel fit What does "feel fit" mean?	to feel well and healthy	I feel fit so I plan to go for a long walk this weekend.
feel free to do (something) What does "feel free to do (something)" mean?	to feel like you are permitted to do something	Everybody felt free to walk around the restaurant after the party started.
feel it beneath oneself to do (something) What does "feel it beneath oneself to do (something)" mean?	feel that one would be lowering oneself to do something	The young girl feels it beneath her to help clean the classroom.
feel like a million dollars What does "feel like a million dollars" mean?	to feel wonderful	I feel like a million dollars today so I think that I will go for a long walk.
feel like a new person What does "feel like a new person" mean?	to feel refreshed and renewed	I felt like a new person after I had a shower.
feel like doing (something) What does "feel like doing (something)" mean?	to be in the mood to do something, to want to do something	I do not feel like doing the dishes now.
feel like going (somewhere) What does "feel like going (somewhere)" mean?	to be in the mood to go somewhere, to want to go somewhere	I did not feel like going to a movie so I stayed home.
feel like having (something) What does "feel like having (something)" mean?	to want to have something	I did not feel like having milk so I had water.
feel on top of the world What does "feel on top of the world" mean?	to feel very good	I feel on top of the world and I plan to go dancing tonight.
feel out of place What does "feel out of place" mean?	to feel that one does not belong in a place	I sometimes feel out of place when I go to an expensive restaurant.
feel out (someone) What does "feel out (someone)" mean?	to talk or act carefully with someone in order to find out what he or she thinks	I will feel out my boss this weekend and see about my chance for a promotion.
feel put upon What does "feel put upon" mean?	to feel that someone is taking unfair advantage of you	My sister always feels put upon when her husband's friends visit.
feel (something) in one's bones What does "feel (something) in one's bones" mean?	to sense something	I feel it in my bones that I will win the lottery this month.
feel sorry for (someone) What does "feel sorry for (someone)" mean?	to pity someone	I feel sorry for my friend who recently lost his job.
feel the pinch What does "feel the pinch" mean?	to have problems caused by having too little money	The family is beginning to feel the pinch since the husband lost his job.
feel up to (do something) What does "feel up to (do something)" mean?	to feel healthy enough or rested enough to do something	I do not feel up to going to the game.
fence (someone) in What does "fence (someone) in" mean?	to restrict someone in some way	I always feel fenced in when I visit my friend on the small island.
ferret (information or something) out of (someone) What does "ferret (information or something) out of (someone)" mean?	to get something from someone by being persistant	I tried hard to ferret out the time of the party from my friend.
few and far between What does "few and far between" mean?	not many, rare	The gas stations were few and far between on the highway through the mountains.
fiddle around What does "fiddle around" mean?	to tinker with something, to do something in an unplanned way	I tried fiddling around with the computer printer but it still would not work.
fiddle while Rome burns What does "fiddle while Rome burns" mean?	to do nothing while a disaster is happening	The economy became worse as the government did nothing. They seemed to fiddle while Rome burned.
field questions What does "field questions" mean?	to answer questions	The speaker began to field questions as soon as he finished talking.
fifty-fifty What does "fifty-fifty" mean?	equally, evenly	We divided the cost of the trip fifty-fifty.
fight against time What does "fight against time" mean?	to hurry to do something quickly, a fight to do something quickly	The rescue party was fighting against time to save the men who were trapped in the coal mine.
fight tooth and nail What does "fight tooth and nail" mean?	to fight fiercely or with all one`s strength	I am fighting tooth and nail to get a transfer to another department.
fighting chance What does "fighting chance" mean?	a good possibility of success if you try hard	I did not have a fighting chance to get my job application finished on time.
figure on (something) What does "figure on (something)" mean?	to depend on something, to be sure about something	You can figure on many people coming to the party next week.
figure out (someone or something) What does "figure out (someone or something)" mean?	to try to understand someone or something, to solve something	I finally figured out how to use the new DVD recorder.
fill (someone`s) shoes What does "fill (someone`s) shoes" mean?	to substitute for someone and be able to do a satisfactory job	Although he is a good supervisor he is unable to fill the shoes of those who came before him.
fill out (something) What does "fill out (something)" mean?	to write down the facts that are asked for (in a report/form etc.)	We were asked to fill out the forms before we could have an interview for the job.
fill (someone) in What does "fill (someone) in" mean?	to tell someone the details about something	"I will fill you in later about our plans for the weekend."
fill (something) in What does "fill (something) in" mean?	to write words in blanks	"Please fill in this form and give it to the receptionist."
fill the bill What does "fill the bill" mean?	to be suitable for what is required	I think that the new equipment should fill the bill for us.
filled to the brim What does "filled to the brim" mean?	to be filled up to the top edge of something	The coffee cup was filled to the brim.
find fault with (someone or something) What does "find fault with (someone or something)" mean?	to criticize someone or something	My boss finds fault with everything that I do.
find it in one's heart to (do something) What does "find it in one's heart to (do something)" mean?	to have the courage or compassion to do something	I could not find it in my heart to tell the little boy about his dead dog.
find one's feet What does "find one's feet" mean?	to become used to a new situation or experience	My uncle is finally finding his feet in his new job.
find one's own level What does "find one's own level" mean?	to find the position to which one is best suited	The teacher helped the child find his own level in the reading class.
find one's tongue What does "find one's tongue" mean?	to begin to be able to talk	I could not find my tongue when I stood in front of the crowd of people.
find one's way What does "find one's way" mean?	to discover the route to a place	We were lost for over an hour but we finally found our way.
find oneself What does "find oneself" mean?	to discover what one's talents and preferences are	The woman went to Europe in order to try and find herself.
find out (something) What does "find out (something)" mean?	to learn or discover something	My mother is angry at me because she found out that I had quit my French class.
fine and dandy What does "fine and dandy" mean?	all right, okay	It is fine and dandy for me that the sale will be held next Saturday.
fine kettle of fish What does "fine kettle of fish" mean?	an unsatisfactory situation	It was a fine kettle of fish when my friend phoned and said that he could not come to dinner.
fine state of affairs What does "fine state of affairs" mean?	an unpleasant situation	The mess in the bathroom was a fine state of affairs and I had to deal with it quickly.
finger in the pie What does "finger in the pie" mean?	a part ownership of something or responsibility for something	My uncle has his finger in the pie of many small companies in our town.
fire a gun What does "fire a gun" mean?	to shoot a gun	I fired a gun for the first time at my uncle's farm.
fire away at (someone or something) What does "fire away at (someone or something)" mean?	to shoot at someone or something, to ask many questions	The students began to fire away at the speaker after he finished his speech.
firing on all cylinders What does "firing on all cylinders" mean?	to be working and making every possible effort	We were firing on all cylinders when we began work on the new drop-in center.
first and foremost What does "first and foremost" mean?	the first and most important	First and foremost we need a new computer for our office.
first come, first served What does "first come, first served" mean?	the person who comes first will have his turn first	"First come, first served" my aunt called as she put the food on the table.
first of all What does "first of all" mean?	the very first thing	First of all we prepared the garden before we planted the seeds.
first off What does "first off" mean?	the first thing	First off the policeman told us that we had been driving too fast.
first-run What does "first-run" mean?	new, shown for the first time	There are many first-run movies that I have not seen yet.
first things first What does "first things first" mean?	the most important things must be taken care of first	We did first things first and cleaned the kitchen before cleaning the living room.
firsthand What does "firsthand" mean?	directly	I learned the news from my sister firsthand.
fish for a compliment What does "fish for a compliment" mean?	to try and get someone to give you a compliment	The girl was fishing for a compliment when she asked her friend if she liked her new dress.
fish for (something) What does "fish for (something)" mean?	to try to find information etc. about something	The woman is always fishing for information when I meet her at work.
fish in troubled waters What does "fish in troubled waters" mean?	to involve oneself in a difficult or dangerous situation in order to gain an advantage	The politician was fishing in troubled waters in order to gather information related to the scandal.
fish or cut bait What does "fish or cut bait" mean?	to do something yourself or quit and let someone else do it, to stop trying to do something	We told the men to fish or cut bait. If they did not want to buy the car then they should stop asking questions about it
fishy What does "fishy" mean?	to be strange and suspicious	Something is fishy with the man's excuse for being late for work.
fit and trim What does "fit and trim" mean?	to be slim and in good physical shape	My sister looked fit and trim after spending six months at the spa.
fit as a fiddle What does "fit as a fiddle" mean?	to be in good athletic condition or health	My grandfather is 92 years old but he is as fit as a fiddle.
fit for a king What does "fit for a king" mean?	to be totally suitable (especially suitable for a king)	The food at the wedding was fit for a king.
fit in with (someone or something) What does "fit in with (someone or something)" mean?	to be comfortable or in harmony with someone or something	The new boy fits in with the other children very well.
fit like a glove What does "fit like a glove" mean?	to fit perfectly	The new pair of jeans that I bought fit like a glove.
fit (someone or something) in What does "fit (someone or something) in" mean?	to make time for someone or something	I try hard to fit some exercise in everyday.
fit (someone) into a schedule What does "fit (someone) into a schedule" mean?	to be able to enter someone into a schedule and have time to see him or her	The doctor was not able to fit me into her schedule.
fit (someone) out with (something) What does "fit (someone) out with (something)" mean?	to provide someone with something	The store helped to fit us out with camping equipment for our holiday.
fit (someone) to a T What does "fit (someone) to a T" mean?	to fit a person very well	My cousin's new job fits her to a T.
fit the mold What does "fit the mold" mean?	to do what you expect, to do what is considered usual (usually used in the negative - does not fit the mold)	Our teacher does not fit the mold of someone who volunteers to help homeless people every Saturday.
fit to be tied What does "fit to be tied" mean?	to be very angry or upset	My boss was fit to be tied when he heard that I was going to take a month off from work this summer.

American Idioms and Expressions

F