American Idioms and Expressions

Take Sick/ill 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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take sick/ill
What does take sick/ill mean?		 to become illThe little boy took sick early last night.

Some Random Idioms
drop names
What does "drop names" mean?		 to mention the names of famous people as if they were your friends Nobody likes the girl because she is always dropping names when she meets her friends.

as wild as a tiger
What does "as wild as a tiger" mean?		 very wild The little boy was as wild as a tiger when we were trying to look after him.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
What does "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." mean?		 if you do me a favor then I will do you a favor "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," is a common expression in the construction industry.

Back Idioms

put (something) in mothballs
What does "put (something) in mothballs" mean?		 to put something into storage The government put the old navy ship in mothballs.

go down on one's knees/on bended knee
What does "go down on one's knees/on bended knee" mean?		 to show a lot of emotion when you are asking someone for somethingI was forced to go down on my knees and ask my supervisor for some free time from work.
after one`s own heart
What does "after one`s own heart" mean?		 to be well-liked for agreeing with one`s own feelings/interests/ideasMy new boss loves to go fishing. He is a man after my own heart.
Go fry an egg
What does "Go fry an egg" mean?		 This is used to tell someone to go away and leave you alone.
build a fire under (someone)
What does "build a fire under (someone)" mean?		 to stimulate someone to do something We keep trying to build a fire under our friend but he refuses to study or look for a job.

look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses
What does "look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses" mean?		 to see only the good things about something, to be too optimisticMy friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.
in a bad mood
What does "in a bad mood" mean?		 sad, depressedI was in a bad mood after I wrote the university exam.
work overtime
What does "work overtime" mean?		 to work more than one's regular hoursI had to work overtime every Friday last month.
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