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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jump out of one`s skin
What does jump out of one`s skin mean? | be badly frightened | I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the man at the window.
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Some Random Idioms
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before long
What does "before long" mean? | soon. | A: "I'm really tired of working."B: "Just be patient. The weekend will be here before long."
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tighten one`s belt
What does "tighten one`s belt" mean? | to live on less money than usual | We decided to tighten our belt and try to save up some money for a holiday.
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go overboard
What does "go overboard" mean? | to do something in excess | The man went overboard with the birthday party preparations.
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mind-boggling
What does "mind-boggling" mean? | overwhelming, startling | The choices of evening classes at the university are mind-boggling.
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talk up (someone or something)
What does "talk up (someone or something)" mean? | to speak in favor of someone or something | The manager was talking up the new product during the meeting.
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jack up (the price)
What does "jack up (the price)" mean? | to raise the price of something | The store jacked up the prices of their summer stock at the beginning of the summer.
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empty calories
What does "empty calories" mean? | food with little or no nutritional value |
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Rake over old coals
What does "Rake over old coals" mean? | (UK) If you go back to old problems and try to bring them back, making trouble for someone, you are raking over old coals. |
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black box
What does "black box" mean? | an electronic device such as a flight recorder that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package | The investigators searched for a long time in order to find the black box of the airplane.
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cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
What does "cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face" mean? | to make things worse for oneself by trying to harm someone/something else | The man cut off his nose to spite his face when he became angry and quit his job.
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have bigger fish to fry
What does "have bigger fish to fry" mean? | to have other more important things to do | I have bigger fish to fry and I do not want to spend every evening doing extra work for my company.
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tie up (something)
What does "tie up (something)" mean? | to limit or prevent the use of something | All of my uncle's money is tied up in real estate investments.
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Clear as a bell
What does "Clear as a bell" mean? | Clearly understood. | You don't have to repeat yourself. Your message is clear as a bell.
Bells such as the type used in churches are large and loud. Their sound can be heard from a great distance. Bells sound a single, clear note so their sound is distinctive and not easily confused.
Before electric sirens and amplification systems, bells were a valuable means of signaling people and alerting of important events like an impending attack. The bell and the message intended could be heard clearly over a large area.
Back in the 1910's, many companies were trying to get into the manufacturing and selling one the hottest items around, the phonograph. One of those companies was the Sonora Chime Company.
This company started the Sonora Phonograph Company and used "Clear as a Bell" as their slogan, touting the fidelity of their machine's sound reproduction. |
have one's nose in the air
What does "have one's nose in the air" mean? | be conceited or aloof | The girl has her nose in the air and is unfriendly to the other members of her class.
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