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.
.
hit the hay
What does hit the hay mean? | go to bed; go to sleep. | "It's late, so I guess I'll hit the hay."
|
hit the hay
What does hit the hay mean? | go to bed | I decided to hit the hay early last night because I was very tired.
|
hit the hay
What does hit the hay mean? | to go to bed |
I decided to hit the hay early last night because I was very tired.
|
|
Some Random Idioms
| |
Grass widow
What does "Grass widow" mean? | A grass widow is a woman whose husband is often away on work, leaving her on her own. |
|
a few cards short of a deck
What does "a few cards short of a deck" mean? | not smart, a little crazy, simple-minded |
The man often does very strange things. He is a few cards short of a deck.
|
bite one's nails
What does "bite one's nails" mean? | to bite one's fingernails because you are nervous or anxious |
The girl was biting her nails as she waited for the speech contest to begin.
|
with open arms
What does "with open arms" mean? | warmly, eagerly, glad to see someone | The author was welcomed with open arms when he came to visit the city.
|
Irons in the fire
What does "Irons in the fire" mean? | Having or pursuing multiple opportunities
simultaneously. | I have been out of work for 6 months, but I have a number of irons in the fire.
Blacksmiths traditionally worked iron into shape by hammering. The iron being worked would be heated in the fire until it was red-hot and malleable. The Smith removes the iron from the fire and shapes it with repeated blows from a hammer. They need to work quickly before the iron cools. Once the iron is cool, it becomes brittle and cannot be hammered.
Once removed from the fire, the iron cools quickly. It takes longer to heat the iron to red-hot than it takes for it to cool. Blacksmiths work more efficiently by having multiple pieces of iron in the fire heating simultaneously. In that way, the Smith can always have a piece of iron red-hot and ready for hammering. The cooled piece would be returned to the fire if it needed more hammering. |
pass with flying colors
What does "pass with flying colors" mean? | pass something easily and with a high score | I was able to pass the science test with flying colors.
|
break the back of (something)
What does "break the back of (something)" mean? | to reduce the power of something | The company tried very hard to break the back of the union.
|
have sticky fingers
What does "have sticky fingers" mean? | to be a thief | The new employee has sticky fingers and many things in the store have disappeared.
|