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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wipe out
What does wipe out mean? | remove, kill or destroy completely | The city spends a lot of money every year trying to wipe out the rats near the river.
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wipe-out
What does wipe-out mean? | a disaster, a calamity | My exams were a total wipe-out. I think that I failed all of them.
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wipe-out
What does wipe-out mean? | a disaster, a calamity |
My exams were a wipe-out. I think that I failed all of them.
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Some Random Idioms
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popper
What does "popper
" mean? | small container of amyl nitrate |
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Tar baby
What does "Tar baby" mean? | A tar baby is a problem that gets worse when people try to sort it out. |
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put (something) on hold
What does "put (something) on hold" mean? | to postpone a project | The construction company put the project on hold while they researched the problem with the bridge.
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of two minds
What does "of two minds" mean? | to be unable to decide what to do or what you think about something | I am of two minds about going to the movie tonight. I am very busy but I also want to see the movie very much.
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flora and fauna
What does "flora and fauna" mean? | plants and animals | We took some books to the cottage so that we could learn about the flora and fauna of the area.
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Take for granted
What does "Take for granted" mean? | If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it because you assume you will always have it. If you take someone for granted, you don't show your appreciation to them. |
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at (someone's) earliest convenience
What does "at (someone's) earliest convenience" mean? | as soon as it is convenient for someone | I went to the bank at my earliest convenience to speak to the bank manager.
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keep an eye out for (someone or something)
What does "keep an eye out for (someone or something)" mean? | to watch carefully for someone or something |
I am keeping my eye out for my grandparents this morning.
My friend is keeping his eye out for a new car.
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Rings a Bell
What does "Rings a Bell" mean? | To sound familiar, to spark a memory. | I don't remember meeting him, but the name John Smith rings a bell.
Bells such as the type used in churches are large and loud. Their sound can be heard from a great distance. Bells sound a single, clear note so their sound is distinctive and not easily confused.
Before electric sirens and amplification systems, bells were a valuable means of signaling people and alerting of important events.
Further, accurate timepieces were not always as available as they are today. Bells were used to signal people of the start of events such as a church session, the start of school, or a celebration. The bells acted as a reminder of the start of the event for people who had an out of synch timepiece or no timepiece.
Someone would literally ring a bell as a reminder.
As an aside bells were later used on clocks to mark the hour. A large clock usually in the town square could be heard throughout the town. This clock acted as a master time reference for the town. The hourly bell ringing gave people an opportunity to synchronize their respective timepieces, and early watches required frequent adjustment. |
zip
What does "zip" mean? | score of zero | It was 10 to zip, we won!
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powder one's nose
What does "powder one's nose" mean? | to put powder on one's nose (usually a woman goes to the restroom to do this) |
The singer went to the dressing room to powder her nose before the performance.
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