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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pay (someone) a compliment
What does pay (someone) a compliment mean? | to compliment someone | My supervisor paid me a compliment for the work that I was doing.
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Some Random Idioms
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Dog-whistle politics
What does "Dog-whistle politics" mean? | (AU) When political parties have policies that will appeal to racists while not being overtly racist, they are indulging in dog-whistle politics. |
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Wag the dog
What does "Wag the dog" mean? | To 'wag the dog' means to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance. By doing so, the lesser-significant event is catapulted into the limelight, drowning proper attention to what was originally the more important issue.The expression comes from the saying that 'a dog is smarter than its tail', but if the tail were smarter, then the tail would 'wag the dog'. The expression 'wag the dog' was elaborately used as theme of |
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eat (something) up
What does "eat (something) up" mean? | to enjoy something, to absorb something | The children ate up the stories that the teacher was telling.
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cojones
What does "cojones" mean? | testicles; guts (from Spanish) |
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lead a dog`s life
What does "lead a dog`s life" mean? | to lead a miserable life | The man is leading a dog`s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to.
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Cloud of suspicion
What does "Cloud of suspicion" mean? | If a cloud of suspicion hangs over an individual, it means that they are not believed or are distrusted. |
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step on the gas
What does "step on the gas" mean? | to go faster, to hurry | I had to step on the gas in order to get to work on time.
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fact of the matter
What does "fact of the matter" mean? | the truth is, the most important thing is |
The fact of the matter is that we must finish the project this week.
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scruffy
What does "scruffy" mean? | dirty; unkempt. | Who you calling scruffy looking?
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A poor man's something
What does "A poor man's something" mean? | Something or someone that can be compared to something or someone else, but is not as good is a poor man's version; a writer who uses lots of puns but isn't very funny would be a poor man's Oscar Wilde. |
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square off to do (something)
What does "square off to do (something)" mean? | to get ready for an argument or fight | The two candidates squared off to debate the important issues of the election.
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