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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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.
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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 project.
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Some Random Idioms
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Off your rocker
What does "Off your rocker" mean? | (UK) Someone who is off their rocker is crazy. |
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figure out (something) or figure (something) out
What does "figure out (something) or figure (something) out" mean? | to find an answer by thinking about something |
Everybody is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.
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for real
What does "for real" mean? | to be genuine, to be real |
The attitude of the woman was not for real and nobody believed her.
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lie low
What does "lie low" mean? | stay quietly out of sight, try not to attract attention | "The man is very angry at you so I think that you should lie low for a few days until he calms down."
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jerk
What does "jerk" mean? | dumb, unappealing person |
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dumb bunny
What does "dumb bunny" mean? | a stupid gullible person |
He is a dumb bunny and you never know what he will do next.
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Even Stevens
What does "Even Stevens" mean? | If everything is equal between people, they are even Stevens. |
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Don't take any wooden nickels
What does "Don't take any wooden nickels" mean? | This idiom is used to advise people not to be cheated or ripped off. |
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make waves
What does "make waves" mean? | create trouble; create controversy |
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wear thin
What does "wear thin" mean? | grow less interesting or believable | His excuses began to wear thin after he kept using them again and again.
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Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Hatched
What does "Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Hatched" mean? | Don't be overconfident and assume success before
you know the outcome of a venture. | In the midst of this daydream, she did toss her curls, sending the pail of milk spilling. The moral of the fable is: Such are the disappointments of those who count their chickens before they are hatched.
This proverb's use in English began in the second half of the sixteenth century, but its origins are in Aesop's Fables, written in the sixth century B.C. "The Milkmaid and the Pail" is a fable about a young girl on her way home, carrying her pail of milk on top of her head.
She was daydreaming about what she would do with the milk, starting with making cream and butter to sell. Then, she could buy eggs with that money, and the eggs would hatch into chickens. They would lay more eggs, and the process would continue, growing more and more profitable. Later on, she could sell some of the birds and buy herself a dress, drawing attention of the young men in the town. When they took notice, her plan was to ignore their advances wit a toss of her curls. |