American Idioms and Expressions

Scare (someone) Stiff 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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scare (someone) stiff
What does scare (someone) stiff mean?
to scare someone severelyThe little boy was able to scare his little brother stiff when he decided to hide in the closet and scare him.

Some Random Idioms
sit idly by
What does "sit idly by" mean?
to sit and watch something while others work, to ignore a situation that calls for helpThe man sat idly by while the others worked hard.
scrimp and save
What does "scrimp and save" mean?
to be very thrifty, to save up for somethingI have been scrimping and saving in order to buy a new laptop computer.
come through
What does "come through" mean?
to do what one is expected to do (often under difficult circumstances)My friend will always come through when we need his help.
Break a leg!
What does "Break a leg!" mean?
: Good luck!"I understand you have a job interview tomorrow.Break a leg!"
Drop a dime
What does "Drop a dime" mean?
Make a phone call.Don't be such a stranger. Drop a dime some time.
This is a good phrase to discuss with anyone born after 1970. Pay phones cost 35, 50, or even 75 cents today, but they really did cost 10 cents at one time. The dime was dropped into the slot of the pay phone.
serve (someone`s) purpose
What does "serve (someone`s) purpose" mean?
to be useful to someone for a certain needThe small screwdriver should serve my purpose until I find the correct size.
jockey for position
What does "jockey for position" mean?
try to put yourself in a better position at the expense of others (as a jockey would do in a horse race) try to put yourself in a better position at the expense of others (as a jockey would do in a horse race)The salesmen started to jockey for position as soon as they learned that the sales manager was leaving the company.
a pat on the back
What does "a pat on the back" mean?
praise, congratulations, encouragementThe man was given a pat on the back for his efforts to stop pollution in the river.
pride comes before a fall
What does "pride comes before a fall" mean?
if you have too much pride then you may soon meet a difficulty that will make you humbleThe president of the company was arrogant about his business practices. However, pride comes before a fall and he lost his position because of a business scandal.
in the hole
What does "in the hole" mean?
to be in debt, to owe moneyI think that we are now in the hole and our business is having trouble.

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