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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hard on (someone or something)
What does hard on (someone or something) mean? | treat someone or something roughly | His son is very hard on shoes.
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Some Random Idioms
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full of hot air
What does "full of hot air" mean? | to be full of nonsense, to be talking nonsense | I knew that the man was full of hot air when he began to tell us how to make lots of money.
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push (someone) around
What does "push (someone) around" mean? | to make someone do what you want | The sales manager is always pushing around his salespeople.
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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. |
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.
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an open secret
What does "an open secret" mean? | a secret that so many people know about that it is no longer a secret | It is an open secret that I will be leaving the company next month.
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up in arms
What does "up in arms" mean? | to be very angry and wanting to fight, to be equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight | The students were up in arms over the school's plan to make them wear uniforms.
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dry run
What does "dry run" mean? | an attempt or rehearsal for something | The marriage ceremony was on Saturday so we had a dry run on Thursday night.
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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.
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nuts about (someone or something)
What does "nuts about (someone or something)" mean? | to be enthusiastic about something | He has been nuts about cars ever since he was a little boy.
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clear the air
What does "clear the air" mean? | to calm down and remove bad feelings | We had a big argument but now it is time to clear the air.
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kangaroo court
What does "kangaroo court" mean? | an illegal court formed by a group of people to settle a dispute among themselves |
The military court in the small country was a kangaroo court that permitted the military to do whatever they wanted.
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