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id | category | idiom | description |
---|---|---|---|
4201 | Profession or work | Baker's dozen | A Bakers dozen is 13 rather than 12. |
4202 | Profession or work | Bean counter | A bean counter is an accountant. |
4203 | Profession or work | Beggars can't be choosers | This idiom means that people who are in great need must accept any help that is offered, even if it is not a complete solution to their problems. |
4204 | Profession or work | Busman's holiday | A busmans holiday is when you spend your free time doing the same sort of work as you do in your job. |
4205 | Profession or work | Don't give up the day job | This idiom is used a way of telling something that they do something badly. |
4206 | Profession or work | Game plan | A game plan is a strategy. |
4207 | Profession or work | Gardening leave | (UK) If someone is paid for a period when they are not working, either after they have given in their notice or when they are being investigated, they are on gardening leave. |
4208 | Profession or work | Give away the store | (USA) If someone gives away the store, they say or do something that makes their position in negotiations, debates, etc, much weaker. |
4209 | Profession or work | Glass ceiling | The glass ceiling is the discrimination that prevents women and minorities from getting promoted to the highest levels of companies and organisations. |
4210 | Profession or work | Good offices | Good offices is help and support, especially in mediating |
4211 | Profession or work | Have your work cut out | If you have your work cut out, you are very busy indeed. |
4212 | Profession or work | Movers and shakers | Dynamic, important people who can get things done quickly and are influential are the movers and shakers. |
4213 | Profession or work | New brush sweeps clean | A new brush sweeps clean means that someone with a new perspective can make great changes. However, the full version is a new brush sweeps clean, but an old brush knows the corners, which warns that experience is also a valuable thing. Sometimes broom is used instead of brush. |
4214 | Profession or work | Noddy work | (UK) Unimportant or very simple tasks are noddy work. |
4215 | Profession or work | Not worth a tinker's dam | This means that something is worthless and dates back to when someone would travel around the countryside repairing things such as a kitchen pot with a hole in it. He was called a tinker. His dam was used to stop the flow of soldering material being used to close the hole. Of course his trade is pass?, thus his dam is worth nothing. |
4216 | Profession or work | Number cruncher | A number cruncher is an accountant or someone who is very good at dealing with numbers and calculations. |
4217 | Profession or work | On the line | If somebodys job is on the line, they stand a very good chance of losing it. |
4218 | Profession or work | Pointy-heads | Pointy-heads are supposed intellectuals or experts, but who dont really know that much. |
4219 | Profession or work | Pull rank | A person of higher position or in authority pulls rank, he or she exercises his/her authority, generally ending any discussion and ignoring other peoples views. |
4220 | Profession or work | Real trouper | A real trouper is someone who will fight for what they believe in and doesnt give up easily. (People often use Real trooper as the two words sound the same.) |
4221 | Profession or work | Speak to the organ grinder not the monkey | Talk to the boss not the subordinate |
4222 | Profession or work | Swear like a sailor | Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a sailor. |
4223 | Profession or work | Swear like a trooper | Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a trooper. |
4224 | Profession or work | Teacher's pet | The teachers favorite pupil is the teachers pet, especially if disliked by the other pupils. |
4225 | Profession or work | The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot | A skilled or knowledgeable person often fails to use their skills for the benefit of their family and people close to them. |
4226 | Profession or work | Top brass | In the army or in other organizations, the top brass are the people in the highest positions |
4227 | Profession or work | Tread the boards | When someone treads the boards, they perform on stage in a theatre. |
4228 | Profession or work | Work the system | If people work the system, they exploit the state or similar setup to their advantage. |
4229 | Profession or work | Yeoman's service | (UK) To do yeomans service is to serve in an exemplary manner. |
4230 | Religion | Act of God | An act of God is something like an earthquake or floods that human beings cannot prevent or control. |
4231 | Religion | Adam's ale | (dated, humorous) water |
4232 | Religion | All hell broke loose | When all hell breaks loose, there is chaos, confusion and trouble. |
4233 | Religion | Amen | Some use Amen or Amen to that as a way of agreeing with something that has just been said. |
4234 | Religion | At the bottom of the totem pole | (USA) If someone is at the bottom of the totem pole, they are unimportant. Opposite is at the top of the totem pole. |
4235 | Religion | Baptism of fire | A baptism of fire was a soldiers first experience of shooting. Any unpleasant experience undergone, usually where it is also a learning experience, is a baptism of fire. |
4236 | Religion | Believe in the hereafter | A belief in the hereafter is a belief in the afterlife, or life after death. It is, therefore, associated with religions and the souls journey to heaven or to hell, whichever way being just deserts for the person based on how they led their life. |
4237 | Religion | Better the devil you know | This is the shortened form of the full idiom, better the devil you know than the devil you dont, and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing. |
4238 | Religion | Between the devil and the deep blue sea | If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma; a difficult choice. |
4239 | Religion | Broad church | If an organisation is described as broad church, it is tolerant and accepting of different opinions and ideas. |
4240 | Religion | Catch hell | If you catch hell, you get into trouble or get scolded. (Catch heck is also used.) |
4241 | Religion | Chapter and verse | When you know something very well, and can quote it, you know it chapter and verse. |
4242 | Religion | Cold day in hell | This is used as a prediction there is no chance some event or condition will ever happen.There will be a cold day in hell before he manages it. |
4243 | Religion | Come hell or high water | If someone says theyll do something come hell or high water, they mean that nothing will stop them, no matter what happens. |
4244 | Religion | Cross to bear | If someone has a cross to bear, they have a heavy burden of responsibility or a problem that they alone must cope with. |
4245 | Religion | Devil finds work for idle hands | When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people dont have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality. |
4246 | Religion | Devil is in the detail | When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on. |
4247 | Religion | Devil may care | If you live a devil-may-care life it means you are willing to take more risks than most people. |
4248 | Religion | Devil's advocate | If someone plays Devils advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they dont believe in just for the sake of the argument |
4249 | Religion | Doubting Thomas | A Doubting Thomas is someone who only believes what they see themselves, not what they are told. |
4250 | Religion | Dry as a wooden god | (AU) Very dry area or very thirsty: That desert is as dry as a wooden god. |
4251 | Religion | Face your demons | If you face your demons, you confront your fears or something that you have been trying hard to avoid. |
4252 | Religion | Fall from grace | If a person falls from grace, they lose favor with someone. |
4253 | Religion | Fool's paradise | A fools paradise is a false sense of happiness or success. |
4254 | Religion | From your lips to God's ears | When you say this to someone, it means that you hope what they are saying will come true. |
4255 | Religion | Heaven knows | If you ask someone a question and they say this, they have no idea. |
4256 | Religion | Heaven knows | Used when someone does not feel recognized or appreciated. For example; heaven knows how hard I work to feed my family. |
4257 | Religion | Heaven only knows | The answer to a question is not or cannot be known. For example, heaven only knows when the war will end. |
4258 | Religion | Heavenly bodies | The heavenly bodies are the stars. |
4259 | Religion | Hell for leather | If you do something hell for leather, especially running, you do it as fast as you can. |
4260 | Religion | Hell in a handcart | If something is going to hell in a handcart, it is getting worse and worse, with no hope of stopping the decline. |
4261 | Religion | Holier-than-thou | Someone who is holier-than-thou believes that they are morally superior to other people. |
4262 | Religion | Holy smoke! | This is a way of expressing surprise: "Holy smoke! Look at all of those geese!" |
4263 | Religion | Hope in hell | If something hasnt got a hope in hell, it stands absolutely no chance of succeeding. |
4264 | Religion | Hot as Hades | If somethings as hot as Hades, its extremely hot. |
4265 | Religion | Idle hands are the devil's handiwork | When someone is not busy, or being productive, trouble is bound to follow. |
4266 | Religion | If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed | If something cannot or will not happen the easy way, then sometimes it must be done the hard way. |
4267 | Religion | If you lie down with the Devil, you will wake up in hell | This means that if you become involved with bad company, there will be negative consequences. |
4268 | Religion | Lap of the gods | If something is in the lap of the gods, it is beyond our control and fate will decide the outcome. |
4269 | Religion | Let the devil take the hindmost | This idiom means that you should think of yourself and not be concerned about other people; look after yourself and let the devil take the hindmost. |
4270 | Religion | Lord willing and the creek don't rise | Pertains to the ability to accomplish a task or meet an obligation, barring unforseen complications. Example: "I will be at work tomorrow, Lord willing and the creek dont rise." |
4271 | Religion | Man Of God | A man of God is a clergyman. |
4272 | Religion | Man of the cloth | A man of the cloth is a priest. |
4273 | Religion | Man proposes, God disposes | Your fate lies in the hands of God. |
4274 | Religion | Move heaven and earth | This expression indicates a persons determined intention of getting a work done in spite of all odds he may face. He will use all and every means to accomplish the target. Example: He moved heaven and earth to get his literary work recognised by the committee of experts. |
4275 | Religion | Ninth circle of hell | In Dantes Inferno, the ninth circle of hell is the centre where the worst punishments are found, so it is used idiomatically for something that couldnt get worse. |
4276 | Religion | Not a snowball's chance in hell | There is absolutely no possibility of something hapening if theres not a snowballs chance in hell. |
4277 | Religion | Pastoral care | This is used in education to describe the aspect of care offered to pupils that cover things besides learning. |
4278 | Religion | Poisoned chalice | If someone is given a poisoned chalice, they are given a job or task which appears attractive but is actually doomed to failure or beset with problems that will damage their reputation or harm them. |
4279 | Religion | Poor as a church mouse | If soemone is as poor as a church mouse, they are very poor indeed. |
4280 | Religion | Practise what you preach | If you practise what you preach, you do what you say other people should do.(In American English, the verb is practice) |
4281 | Religion | Preaching to the choir | If someone preaches to the choir, they talking about a subject or issue with which their audience already agrees. (Preaching to the converted is an alternative form.) |
4282 | Religion | Prodigal son | A prodigal son is a young man who wastes a lot on money on a lavish lifestyle. If the prodigal son returns, they return to a better way of living. |
4283 | Religion | Right church, wrong pew | Right church, wrong pew means that someone is very nearly right, |
4284 | Religion | Saving grace | If someone has some character defects, but has a characteristic that compensate for their failings and shortcomings, this is their saving grace. |
4285 | Religion | Sell your soul | If someone sells their soul, their betray the most precious beliefs. |
4286 | Religion | Seventh heaven | If you are in seventh heaven, you are extremely happy. |
4287 | Religion | Sing from the same hymn sheet | If people are singing from the same hymn sheet, they are expressing the same opinions in public. |
4288 | Religion | Slough of despond | If someone is very depressed or in despair, theyre in a slough of despond. |
4289 | Religion | Speak of the devil! | If you are talking about someone and they happen to walk in, you can use this idiom as a way of letting them know you were talking about them. |
4290 | Religion | Tempt providence | If you tempt providence, you take a risk that may well have unpleasant consequences. (Tempt fate is also used.) |
4291 | Religion | To err is human, to forgive divine | This idiom is used when someone has done something wrong, suggesting that they should be forgiven. |
4292 | Religion | Vale of tears | This vale of tears is the world and the suffering that life brings. |
4293 | Religion | When hell freezes over | An impossible or very unlikely situation or event |
4294 | Religion | Wing and a prayer | If you do something on a wing and a prayer, you try to do something and hope youll succeed even though you have very little chance of success. |
4295 | Religion | Your sins will find you out | This idiom means that things you do wrong will become known. |
4296 | Sex and sexuality | An old flame | An old flame is a person that somebody has had an emotional, usually passionate, relationship with, who is still looked on fondly and with affection. |
4297 | Sex and sexuality | As the actress said to the bishop | (UK) This idiom is used to highlight a sexual reference, deliberate or accidental. |
4298 | Sex and sexuality | Facts of life | When someone is taught the facts of life, they learn about sex and reproduction. |
4299 | Sex and sexuality | In the club | (UK) If a womans in the club, shes pregnant. In the pudding club is an alternative form. |
4300 | Sex and sexuality | In the family way | If a woman is in the family way, she is pregnant. |
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