American Idioms and Expressions

Lend Someone An Ear Idiom

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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lend (someone) an ear
What does lend (someone) an ear mean?		 to listen to what someone is saying I asked my friend to lend me an ear and listen to my problem.


Some Random Idioms
(not to be) sneezed at
What does "(not to be) sneezed at" mean?		 (not) to be worth having, (not) to be considered unimportant (used in the negative or interrogative)The new stereo system is not to be sneezed at.
whet (someone's) appetite
What does "whet (someone's) appetite" mean?		 to cause someone to be interested in something and want to learn more about it The introduction to playing a musical instrument helped to whet my appetite to learn more about music.

egg Idioms

goofus
What does "goofus" mean?		dumb, oafish person
on the verge of (doing something)
What does "on the verge of (doing something)" mean?		 to be just about to do somethingI was on the verge of quitting my job when I suddenly changed my mind.
tax-and-spend
What does "tax-and-spend" mean?		 spending freely and taxing heavilyThe government has a tax-and-spend attitude that many people do not like.
Have a ripper
What does "Have a ripper" mean?		 If you have a ripper of a time, you enjoy yourself.
make a clean sweep of (something)
What does "make a clean sweep of (something)" mean?		 do something completely or thoroughlyThe new political party made a clean sweep of the large cities during the election.
in the wake of (something)
What does "in the wake of (something)" mean?		 as a result of something, following somethingIn the wake of the large number of people who have recently left our company we will need to hire some new people.
speak with a forked tongue
What does "speak with a forked tongue" mean?		 to tell lies, to try to deceive someoneThe man speaks with a forked tongue and you cannot believe what he says.
totalled
What does "totalled" mean?		 wrecked; demolished; destroyed
hold one`s breath
What does "hold one`s breath" mean?		 to stop breathing for a moment, to stop doing something and wait until something happens I held my breath and waited to see if my name had been called for an interview with the movie company.

Gunboat diplomacy
What does "Gunboat diplomacy" mean?		 If a nation conducts its diplomatic relations by threatening military action to get what it wants, it is using gunboat diplomacy.
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