1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
id | category | idiom | description |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Sport | Break your duck | (UK) If you break your duck, you do something for the first time. |
2002 | Sport | Can't get to 1st base | If you cant get to first base, youre having difficulties starting something. |
2003 | Sport | Come to grips | If you come to grips with a problem or issue, you face up to it and deal with it. |
2004 | Sport | Cover all the bases | If you cover all the bases, you deal with all aspects of a situation or issue, or anticipate all possibilities. (Cover all bases is also used.) |
2005 | Sport | Curve ball | (USA) If something is a curve ball, it is deceptive. |
2006 | Sport | Dead heat | If a race ends in a dead heat, two or more finish with exactly the same result. |
2007 | Sport | Do a Devon Loch | (UK) If someone does a Devon Loch, they fail when they were very close to winning. Devon Loch was a horse that collapsed just short of the winning line of the Grand National race. |
2008 | Sport | Down for the count | If someone is down for the count, they have lost a struggle, like a boxer who has been knocked out. |
2009 | Sport | Drop the ball | If someone drops the ball, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities seriously enough and let something go wrong. |
2010 | Sport | Early bath | (UK) If someone has or goes for an early bath, they quit or lose their job or position earlier than expected because things have gone wrong. |
2011 | Sport | Fall at the first fence | If something falls at the first fence, it goes wrong or fails at the first or an early stage. |
2012 | Sport | Fall at the first hurdle | If something falls at the first hurdle, it goes wrong or fails at the first or an early stage. |
2013 | Sport | Fever pitch | When a situation has reached fever pitch, people are extremely excited or agitated. |
2014 | Sport | Fighting chance | If you have a fighting chance, you have a reasonable possibility of success. |
2015 | Sport | First out of the gate | When someone is first out of the gate, they are the first to do something that others are trying to do. |
2016 | Sport | Football's a game of two halves | (UK) If somethings a game of two halves, it means that its possible for someones fortunes or luck to change and the person whos winning could end up a loser. |
2017 | Sport | Foul play | If the police suspect foul play, they think a crime was committed. |
2018 | Sport | Get the ball rolling | If you get the ball rolling, you start something so that it can start making progress. |
2019 | Sport | Get to grips | If you get to grips with something, you take control and do it properly. |
2020 | Sport | Get your skates on | This is used as a way of telling people to hurry up. |
2021 | Sport | Go down without a fight | If someone goes down without a fight, they surrender without putting up any resistance. |
2022 | Sport | Go the distance | If you go the distance, you continue until something ends, no matter how difficult. |
2023 | Sport | Hat trick | Three successes one after the other is a hat trick. |
2024 | Sport | Have someone in your corner | If you have someone in your corner, you have their support or help. |
2025 | Sport | Hit the bull's-eye | If someone hits the bulls-eye, they are exactly right about something or achieve the best result possible. "Bulls-eye" and "bullseye" are alternative spellings. |
2026 | Sport | Hit the mark | If someone hits the mark, they are right about something. |
2027 | Sport | Home stretch | The home stretch is the last part of something, like a journey, race or project. |
2028 | Sport | Hook, line, and sinker | If somebody accepts or believes something hook, line, and sinker, they accept it completely. |
2029 | Sport | Horses for courses | Horses for courses means that what is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another. |
2030 | Sport | In the ballpark | This means that something is close to the adequate or required value.? |
2031 | Sport | Jockey for position | If a number of people want the same opportunity and are struggling to emerge as the most likely candidate, they are jockeying for position. |
2032 | Sport | Jump the gun | If you jump the gun, you start doing something before the appropriate time. |
2033 | Sport | Keep your eye on the ball | If you keep your eye on the ball, you stay alert and pay close attention to what is happening. |
2034 | Sport | Kicked to touch | Touch is a zone of the playing field in Rugby. Kicked to touch means the ball was put safely out of play. Idiomatic usage usually means a person has deftly avoided an issue in argument. |
2035 | Sport | Level playing field | If theres a level playing field everybody is treated equally. |
2036 | Sport | Major league | Something major league is very important. |
2037 | Sport | Monday morning quarterback | (USA) A Monday morning quarterback is someone who, with the benefit of hindsight, knows what should have been done in a situation. |
2038 | Sport | Move the goalposts | When people move the goalposts, they change the standards required for something to their advantage. |
2039 | Sport | No harm, no foul | Theres no problem when no harm or damage is done, such as the time my sister-in-law stole the name wed chosen for a boy and we both ended up having girls. |
2040 | Sport | No holds barred | If there are no holds barred, there are no rules of conduct; you can do anything. |
2041 | Sport | Not cricket | (UK) If something is not cricket, it is unfair. |
2042 | Sport | Off the mark | If something is off the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect. |
2043 | Sport | On the ball | If someones on the ball, they are well-informed and know whats going on in their area of responsibility or interest. |
2044 | Sport | On the mound | (USA) If youre on the mound, youre on the mound back at your game, back in control. |
2045 | Sport | On the nod | (UK) When a horse runs, its head moves backwards and forwards alternately - in horse racing, if 2 horses cross the line together the one whose head happens to be going forward often wins and is said to win on the nod. |
2046 | Sport | On the ropes | When something or someone is on the ropes, it or they are doing badly and likely to fail. |
2047 | Sport | Out of the gate running | If someone comes out of the gate running, they start something at a fast pace, without any build-up. |
2048 | Sport | Out of the left field | (USA) If something comes out of the left field, it is beside the point and has nothing to do with the matter being discussed. |
2049 | Sport | Par for the course | If something is par for the course, it is what you expected it would be. If it is above par, it is better, and if it is below par, it is worse. |
2050 | Sport | Photo finish | A photo finish is when two contestants (usually in a race) finish at almost exactly the same time, making it difficult to determine the winner. (The saying stems from the practice of taking a photograph when the winners cross the finish line to determine who was ahead at the time.) |
2051 | Sport | Pick-up game | (USA) A pick-up game is something unplanned where people respond to events as they happen. |
2052 | Sport | Play ball | If you play ball, you agree to do what someone asks you to do, or to agree to work with someone in order to achieve something together (often negative) |
2053 | Sport | Play hardball | If someone plays hardball, they are very aggressive in trying to achieve their aim. |
2054 | Sport | Pull no punches | If you pull no punches, you hold nothing back. |
2055 | Sport | Pull your punches | If you pull your punches, you do not use all the power or authority at your disposal. |
2056 | Sport | Punching bag | A punching bag (or punch bag) is a person who gets a lot of unfair criticism. |
2057 | Sport | Quick off the mark | If someone is quick off the mark, they are very quick to use, start or do something new. |
2058 | Sport | Right out of the blocks | This means immediately; at the very beginning.? It describes a sprinter blasting out of the starting blocks at the beginning of a short distance race (e.g., 100-yard dash, 50-yard dash). |
2059 | Sport | Ringside seat | If you have a ringside seat, you can observe something from a very close and clear position. |
2060 | Sport | Roll with the punches | If you roll with the punches, you are flexible and able to adapt to difficult circumstances. |
2061 | Sport | Saved by the bell | If you are saved by the bell, you are rescued from a danger or a tricky situation just in time. |
2062 | Sport | Sticky wicket | (UK) If you are on a sticky wicket, you are in a difficult situation. |
2063 | Sport | Still in the game | If someone is still in the game, they may be having troubles competing, but they are not yet finished and may come back. |
2064 | Sport | Succeed in the clutch | If you succeed in the clutch, you? perform at a crucial time; it is particularly used in sports for the decisive moments of the game.? The opposite is fail in the clutch. |
2065 | Sport | Tackle an issue | If you tackle an issue or problem, you resolve or deal with it. |
2066 | Sport | Take a punch | If somebody takes a blow, something bad happens to them. |
2067 | Sport | Take your eye off the ball | If someone takes their eye off the ball, they dont concentrate on something important that they should be looking at. |
2068 | Sport | Tale of the tape | This idiom is used when comparing things, especially in sports; it comes from boxing where the fighters would be measured with a tape measure before a fight. |
2069 | Sport | The ball's in your court | If somebody says this to you, they mean that its up to you to decide or take the next step. |
2070 | Sport | Throw a curve | (USA) If you throw someone a curve, you surprise them with something they find difficult to deal with. (Throw a curveball is also used.)? |
2071 | Sport | Throw in the towel | If you throw in the towel, you admit that you are defeated or cannot do something. |
2072 | Sport | Whole new ball game | If somethings a whole new ball game, it is completely new or different. |
2073 | Sport | Wide of the mark | If something is wide of the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect. |
2074 | Technology & science | All-singing, all-dancing | If somethings all-singing, all-dancing, it is the latest version with the most up-to-date features. |
2075 | Technology & science | Bells and whistles | Bells and whistles are attractive features that things like computer programs have, though often a bit unnecessary. |
2076 | Technology & science | Blow a fuse | If you blow a fuse, you become uncontrollably angry. |
2077 | Technology & science | Cog in the machine | A person who does an unimportant job in a large company or organisation is a cog in the machine. |
2078 | Technology & science | Cutting edge | Something that is cutting edge is at the forefront of progress in its area. |
2079 | Technology & science | Don't push my buttons! | This can be said to someone who is starting to annoy you. |
2080 | Technology & science | Driven by a motor | This is used to describe people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when they talk excessively: they act as if driven by a motor. |
2081 | Technology & science | Fire on all cylinders | If something is firing on all cylinders, it is going as well as it could. |
2082 | Technology & science | Garbage in, garbage out | If a computer system or database is built badly, then the results will be bad. |
2083 | Technology & science | Get your wires crossed | If people get their wires cross, they misunderstand each other, especially when making arrangements.? (Get your lines crossed is also used.) |
2084 | Technology & science | Hit the airwaves | If someone hits the airwaves, they go on radio and TV to promote something or to tell their side of a story. |
2085 | Technology & science | Light years ahead | If you are light years ahead of others, you are a long way in front of them in terms of development, success, etc. |
2086 | Technology & science | On the same wavelength | If people are on the same wavelength, they have the same ideas and opinions about something. |
2087 | Technology & science | Rocket science | If something is not rocket science, it is not very complicated or difficult to understand. This idiom is normally used in the negative. |
2088 | Technology & science | Silver surfer | A silver surfer is an elderly person who uses the internet. |
2089 | Technology & science | Sputnik moment | A Sputnik moment is a point where people realise that they are threatened of challenged and have to redouble their efforts to catch up. It comes from the time when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, the Sputnik 1, and beat the USA into space. |
2090 | Technology & science | Well-oiled machine | Something that functions very well is a well-oiled machine. |
2091 | Time | A month of Sundays | A month of Sundays is a long period of time: I havent seen her in a month of Sundays. |
2092 | Time | After the watershed | The watershed is the time limit after which more controversial subjects, bad language, etc, can be shown on TV in some countries, so if its after the watershed, then discussions can be freer, franker and more controversial. |
2093 | Time | Against the clock | If you do something against the clock, you are rushed and have very little time to do it. |
2094 | Time | Ahead of time | If something happens ahead of time, it happens early or before the set time. |
2095 | Time | Around the clock | If something is open around the clock, it is open 24 hours a day. For example, an airport is open around the clock. |
2096 | Time | Behind the times | Someone that is behind the times is old-fashioned and has ideas that are regarded as out-dated. |
2097 | Time | Better late than never | This idiom suggests that doing something late is better than not doing it at all. |
2098 | Time | Big time | This can be used to with the meaning very much- if you like something big time, you like it a lot. |
2099 | Time | Call it a day | If you call it a day, you stop doing something for a while, normally at least until the following day. |
2100 | Time | Carry the day | If something carries the day, it wins a battle (the sense is that the battle has been long and could have gone either way) or competition for supremacy. |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47