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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screw up
What does screw up mean? | to make a mess of something, to cause trouble for someone or something | My travel agent screwed up my travel schedule and I had to stay at the airport overnight.
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Some Random Idioms
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lodge a complaint (against someone)
What does "lodge a complaint (against someone)" mean? | make a complaint against someone | The man decided to lodge a complaint against the company that had built the apartment building.
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brain drain
What does "brain drain" mean? | the loss of talented and educated people from one place/country to other places/countries where conditions are better | There is a brain drain from many poor countries to wealthy countries where conditions are better.
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the living end
What does "the living end" mean? | great, fantastic, the ultimate | My sister said that her new boyfriend was the living end.
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in nothing flat
What does "in nothing flat" mean? | quickly | I will have this information printed out for you in nothing flat.
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back down (from someone or something)
What does "back down (from someone or something)" mean? | to fail to carry through on a threat to do something | The government backed down from their plan to sell the national airline.
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get one's nose out of (someone's) business
What does "get one's nose out of (someone's) business" mean? | to stop interfering in someone else's business | The school secretary was told to get her nose out of the teacher's business.
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ready, willing, and able
What does "ready, willing, and able" mean? | to be eager or willing to do something | Everybody in the small village is ready, willing, and able to help the family who lost their house in the fire.
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Apple of your eye
What does "Apple of your eye" mean? | Something or, more often, someone that is very special to you is the 'apple of your' eye. |
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thrill (someone) to pieces/death
What does "thrill (someone) to pieces/death" mean? | to please or excite someone very much | The music that they played at the wedding thrilled me to pieces.
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when push comes to shove
What does "when push comes to shove" mean? | when a situation becomes more difficult | When push comes to shove my friend's daughter is always able to find a job.
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play one's cards close to one's chest
What does "play one's cards close to one's chest" mean? | be extremely secretive and cautious about something (holding
playing cards close to your chest so the other players can't see
them) | be extremely secretive and cautious about something (holding playing cards close to your chest so the other players can't see them)My boss always plays his cards close to his chest when he is negotiating with another company.
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number one
What does "number one" mean? | oneself | My friend only thinks about number one and never about anybody else.
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booze
What does "booze" mean? | alcoholic beverage of any sort. | Gimme some booze, now.
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tell it to the marines/Sweeney
What does "tell it to the marines/Sweeney" mean? | I do not believe you, stop trying to fool me | My friend said that she was going to start her own business but I told her to tell it to the marines as I did not believe her.
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