American Idioms and Expressions

Up To (something) 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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up to (something)
What does up to (something) mean?		 occupied in or planning some activity that is often badI don`t know what he was up to last night but it was probably something bad.

Some Random Idioms
lay up (a vessel)
What does "lay up (a vessel)" mean?		 take a vessel out of active service, put a boat in a boat dock or a garageThe weather was getting cold so they decided to lay up their boat for the winter.
within calling distance
What does "within calling distance" mean?		 close enough to hear someone callWe were within calling distance of the men in the boat.
in unison
What does "in unison" mean?		 acting as one, together and at the same timeThe fans cried out in unison when the star player made a goal.
thumbs up on (someone or something)
What does "thumbs up on (someone or something)" mean?		 to be in favor of someone or something I waited to hear if it would be thumbs up on our new policy at work.

add fuel to the fire
What does "add fuel to the fire" mean?		 to make a problem worse, to make an angry person angrierThe company added fuel to the fire when they criticized the angry workers.
a white lie
What does "a white lie" mean?		 a lie that is told to avoid offending someone or hurting his / her feelings. "The cake that Susan made tasted terrible, but I knew that
she made it because she wanted to please me, so when she
asked if I liked it, I told a white lie and said it was good."
know (something) in one's bones
What does "know (something) in one's bones" mean?		 know and sense something, have an intuition about somethingI know it in my bones that I am not going to pass my English exam.
in abeyance
What does "in abeyance" mean?		 the temporary suspension of an activity or a rulingThe final estate settlement was in abeyance while the lawyers looked at the will in more detail.
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