Nothing Doing 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. .

nothing doing What does nothing doing mean?	I will not do it, certainly not	"Nothing doing. I am not going to stay and work late again this evening."
nothing doing What does nothing doing mean?	I will not do it, certainly not	"Nothing doing. I am not going to stay and work late again this evening."
	Some Random Idioms
play it cool What does "play it cool" mean?	to act calm and not concerned	I tried to play it cool when the policeman stopped me when I was driving my car.

as easy as duck soup What does "as easy as duck soup" mean?	very easy, requiring no effort	Convincing the man to buy the car was as easy as duck soup.
homey What does "homey" mean?	good friend.	My homies all think I look good in black.
give (someone) a hard time What does "give (someone) a hard time" mean?	to tease someone, to make trouble for someone	The girl gave her boyfriend a hard time about his new haircut.
in the flesh What does "in the flesh" mean?	really present, in person	I finally was able to see my favorite movie actor in the flesh.
hold one`s breath What does "hold one`s breath" mean?	stop breathing for a moment, 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.
look over (something) What does "look over (something)" mean?	inspect/survey/examine something	"Please take some time to look over these documents before you sign them."
in pen What does "in pen" mean?	written or signed with a pen	The teacher asked the students to make sure that they wrote the essay in pen.

keep a straight face What does "keep a straight face" mean?	stop oneself from smiling or laughing	It was difficult to keep a straight face when the man fell off his chair into the grass.
put (something) on hold What does "put (something) on hold" mean?	to postpone a project	The construction company put the project on hold while they researched the problem with the bridge.
barista What does "barista" mean?	espresso bartender
clam up What does "clam up" mean?	to close one's mouth, to shut up	The students clammed up when they saw the teacher.
cut one's losses What does "cut one's losses" mean?	to do something in order to stop losing additional money or time etc.	We should sell the old machinery soon and try to cut our losses.
according to Hoyle What does "according to Hoyle" mean?	doing something strictly by the rules, doing something the usual and correct way (Hoyle was a writer who was an expert on the rules of card games)	"According to Hoyle, we should not use this room but probably nobody will complain if we do use it."

American Idioms and Expressions

Nothing Doing Idiom