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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under fire
What does under fire mean? | being shot at or attacked, under (verbal) attack | The owner of the company is under fire for not paying his employees a fair salary.
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under fire
What does under fire mean? | being shot at or attacked, under (verbal) attack |
The soldiers were under fire.
The owner of the company is under fire for not paying his employees a fair salary.
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Some Random Idioms
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Cat bird seat
What does "Cat bird seat" mean? | A highly advantaged position, to have it all. | Some might describe Bill Gates as sitting in the cat bird seat.
Mocking birds are sometimes referred to as cat birds. Mocking birds typically sit at the top of a tree. Hence the cat bird seat is at the top. |
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In the black
What does "In the black" mean? | To be making money. | Live below your means and you will always be running in the black.
Standard practice for accounting is to record positive numbers in black ink and negative numbers in red ink. Operating "in the black" is to record positive numbers, that is to say earnings. |
land an account
What does "land an account" mean? | to acquire an account |
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.
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Opening a can of worms
What does "Opening a can of worms" mean? | If you open a can of worms, you do something that will cause a lot of problems and is, on balance, probably going to cause more trouble than it's worth. |
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make (someone's) flesh crawl
What does "make (someone's) flesh crawl" mean? | become frightened so that your skin feels funny or you get goose bumps | The movie was very weird and from the beginning it made my flesh crawl.
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as ugly as a toad
What does "as ugly as a toad" mean? | very ugly | The man was as ugly as a toad and very difficult to look at.
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Bandit territory
What does "Bandit territory" mean? | An area or an industry, profession, etc, where rules and laws are ignored or flouted is bandit territory. |
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cast around/about for (someone or something)
What does "cast around/about for (someone or something)" mean? | to look for someone or something | We have been casting around for a new file clerk in our company.
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scare (someone) out of his or her wits
What does "scare (someone) out of his or her wits" mean? | to frighten someone very much | The dog scared the little boy out of his wits.
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amount to (something)
What does "amount to (something)" mean? | to become successful | The boy will never amount to anything if he does not change his behavior.
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