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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rear its ugly head
What does rear its ugly head mean? | something unpleasant appears or becomes obvious after being hidden | The problem of mold has reared its ugly head in our house again.
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Some Random Idioms
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red in the face
What does "red in the face" mean? | embarrassed | The clerk was red in the face after she heard the comment by the customer.
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beer
What does "beer
" mean? | drink beer. | Beer me.
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Chinese walls
What does "Chinese walls" mean? | Chinese walls are regulatory information barriers that aim to stop the flow of information that could be misused, especially in financial corporations. |
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at death's door
What does "at death's door" mean? | very near death | The sales manager was at death's door after having a heart attack.
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dog
What does "dog" mean? | pursue; stalk; track (someone). | Stop dogging me. Leave alone.
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cash on the barrelhead
What does " cash on the barrelhead" mean? | to pay cash to buy something | It was cash only at the store and we were forced to pay cash on the barrelhead for everything.
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Rings a Bell
What does "Rings a Bell" mean? | To sound familiar, to spark a memory. | I don't remember meeting him, but the name John Smith rings 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.
Further, accurate timepieces were not always as available as they are today. Bells were used to signal people of the start of events such as a church session, the start of school, or a celebration. The bells acted as a reminder of the start of the event for people who had an out of synch timepiece or no timepiece.
Someone would literally ring a bell as a reminder.
As an aside bells were later used on clocks to mark the hour. A large clock usually in the town square could be heard throughout the town. This clock acted as a master time reference for the town. The hourly bell ringing gave people an opportunity to synchronize their respective timepieces, and early watches required frequent adjustment. |
have (someone's) hide
What does "have (someone's) hide" mean? | scold or punish someone | The mother promised to have her son's hide if he didn't behave.
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lay low
What does "lay low" mean? | to hide, to keep out of sight for a period of time | He decided to lay low until his friend forgot that he had damaged his car.
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close but no cigar
What does "close but no cigar" mean? |
idiom. unsuccessful; almost but not quite good enough |
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take effect
What does "take effect" mean? | to become legally operative, to begin | The new traffic laws took effect early last month.
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all at once
What does "all at once" mean? | suddenly, without warning | All at once the fire alarm rang and we had to leave the building.
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wimp out
What does "wimp out" mean? | cease or stop due to fear or anxiety |
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