In Play Idiom 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. .

in play What does in play mean?	active; being played (said in sports)
	Some Random Idioms
look up to (someone) What does "look up to (someone)" mean?	think of someone as a good example to copy, respect someone	I look up to the president of our company as someone I would like to copy.
get a toehold (somewhere) What does "get a toehold (somewhere)" mean?	to get an initial position of support, to reach a starting point	We were able to finally get a toehold in the textbook market.
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.
whole new ball game What does "whole new ball game" mean?	a new set of circumstances (from a new game of baseball)	a new set of circumstances (from a new game of baseball)The election had become a whole new ball game when the main candidate quit because of a scandal.
slip up What does "slip up" mean?	to make a mistake	I slipped up when I said that I would be able to go to the meeting next week.
gone with the wind What does "gone with the wind" mean?	to be gone	The woman is gone with the wind and we will probably never see her again.

tail wagging the dog What does "tail wagging the dog" mean?	a situation where a small part controls the whole thing	It is like the tail wagging the dog when the receptionist is able to control everything in the office.
There's never a road without a turning What does "There's never a road without a turning" mean?	No situation in life stays the same forever.
small potatoes What does "small potatoes" mean?	something that is not very big or important compared with other things or people	The amount of money for the stadium is small potatoes compared to the total cost of the Olympics.
bad-mouth (someone or something) What does "bad-mouth (someone or something)" mean?	to say bad things about someone or something	The supervisor has the habit of bad-mouthing her boss.
third base What does "third base" mean?	act of oral sex or finger sex (used as a way to mark "progress" in sex, especially among youth)
inside out What does "inside out" mean?	so that the inside is turned outside	She turned her purse inside out in order to look for her lost key.

American Idioms and Expressions

In Play Idiom