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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on fire
What does on fire mean? | to be burning, being burned with flames | The small house was on fire when the fire truck arrived.
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on fire
What does on fire mean? | burning, being burned with flames |
The house was on fire when the fire truck arrived.
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Some Random Idioms
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same old story
What does "same old story" mean? | something that occurs or has occurred in the same way before | It is always the same old story with my friend. He borrows money but he never wants to pay it back.
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save one`s breath
What does "save one`s breath" mean? | to remain silent because talking will do no good | You may as well save your breath and not talk to her as she will not believe you anyway.
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go to the dogs
What does "go to the dogs" mean? | to deteriorate, to become bad | Many things in our city have gone to the dogs during the last ten years.
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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.
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Watch it!
What does "Watch it!" mean? | be careful (usually used as a command) | "Watch it! That truck is going very fast and may hit you."
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six of one or half-a-dozen of the other
What does "six of one or half-a-dozen of the other" mean? | to be the same, to have no difference between two things | It was six of one or half-a-dozen of the other as to whether we should take the train or the airplane. They both arrived at the same time and cost the same.
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Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
What does "Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" mean? | If the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, then communication within a company, organisation, group, etc, is so bad that people don't know what the others are doing. |
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teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
What does "teach one's grandmother to suck eggs" mean? | to try to tell or teach something to someone who knows more than you do about it |
Teaching some of the students how to use a computer is like teaching my grandmother to suck eggs. Most of them know more than I do.
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goose bumps
What does "goose bumps" mean? | the bumpy skin (like a goose) that one gets because of excitement or fear |
I got goose bumps when the woman began to talk about her sick child.
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argue for the sake of arguing/argument
What does "argue for the sake of arguing/argument" mean? | to argue only to be different |
My brother always argues for the sake of arguing.
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