Stroke Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms

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. .

stroke What does stroke mean?	flatter or comfort somebody.	Just go stroke his ego, then you'll get a raise.
	Some Random Idioms
out of the red What does "out of the red" mean?	to be out of debt	The small company is out of the red after two years of cutting costs.

in a pinch What does "in a pinch" mean?	okay when nothing else is available	The other tool will do in a pinch if we can`t find the correct one.
in the chips What does "in the chips" mean?	with much money, wealthy	My grandfather was in the chips after they discovered oil on his farm.
say (something) under one's breath What does "say (something) under one's breath" mean?	say something so softly that almost nobody can hear it	I think that the clerk in the store said something under her breath about me.
Yank my chain What does "Yank my chain" mean?	If some one says this to another person (i.e. stop yanking my chain) it means for the other person to leave the person who said it alone and to stop bothering them.
thumbnail sketch What does "thumbnail sketch" mean?	a short description of someone or something	The new book included a thumbnail sketch of the author.
(to be) hot and bothered What does "(to be) hot and bothered" mean?	excited and worried, displeased	I don`t know what is wrong with her but she is hot and bothered about something.

bird in hand is worth two in the bush What does "bird in hand is worth two in the bush" mean?	something that you already have is better than something that you might get	A bird in hand is worth two in the bush so we decided to sell the car to our neighbor rather than wait to get a higher price.
upset the applecart What does "upset the applecart" mean?	ruin or spoil a plan or idea	Try not to upset the applecart as we have spent a lot of time working on this project.
post What does "post" mean?	steering column in a car
burst in on (someone or something) What does "burst in on (someone or something)" mean?	to enter a room and interrupt someone or some activity	The woman burst in on the meeting just as it started.
get (someone's) back up What does "get (someone's) back up" mean?	to make someone become angry	I got my friend's back up when I asked to borrow her notes from school.

American Idioms and Expressions

Stroke Idiom