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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see eye to eye (with someone)
What does see eye to eye (with someone) mean? | to agree with someone | We do not always see eye to eye on things but generally I have a good relationship with my friend.
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see eye to eye (with someone)
What does see eye to eye (with someone) mean? | to agree with someone, to have the same opinion as someone else | I never see eye to eye with my friend about which television program to watch.
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Some Random Idioms
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bear/hold a grudge (against someone)
What does "bear/hold a grudge (against someone)" mean? | to continue to be angry at someone, to resent someone | The woman continued to bear a grudge against her friend for many years.
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penny wise and pound foolish
What does "penny wise and pound foolish" mean? | to be careful with small amounts of money but to waste large amounts of money on unnecessary things | The woman was penny wise and pound foolish and would hesitate to spend money on fruits and vegetables for her family but would buy very expensive desserts.
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Quarrel with bread and butter
What does "Quarrel with bread and butter" mean? | Bread and butter, here, indicate the means of one’s living. (That is why we say ‘he is the bread winner of the family’). If a sub-ordinate in an organisation is quarrelsome or if he is not patient enough to bear the reprimand he deserves, gets angry and retorts or provokes the higher-up, the top man dismisses him from the job. So, he loses the job that gave him bread and butter. Hence we say, he quarrelled with bread and butter (manager or the top man) and lost his job. |
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sack
What does "sack" mean? | the tackling of a player in football (American) |
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buy (something) sight unseen
What does "buy (something) sight unseen" mean? | to buy something without seeing it first | My sister made a big mistake when she bought the used car sight unseen.
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red ink
What does "red ink" mean? | debt (the red ink on a financial statement) | The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic conditions.
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merchandise
What does "merchandise" mean? | drugs |
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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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fit (someone) to a T
What does "fit (someone) to a T" mean? | to suit a person very well |
My cousin's new job fits her to a T.
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drop (someone/something) like a hot potato
What does "drop (someone/something) like a hot potato" mean? | to suddenly stop being involved with someone or with some kind of a problem | The advertisers dropped the basketball star like a hot potato when he became involved in a scandal.
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make a beeline for (someone or something)
What does "make a beeline for (someone or something)" mean? | to go straight toward someone or something (like bees when they fly in a straight line) |
Whenever my friend goes to a football game he makes a beeline for the food stand.
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word of mouth
What does "word of mouth" mean? | passing information orally from one person to another | I heard about the new restaurant by word of mouth.
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In perfect form
What does "In perfect form" mean? | When something is as it ought to be. Or, when used cynically, it may refer to someone whose excesses are on display; a caricature. |
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