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| id | category | idiom | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4401 | Technology & science | Cutting edge | Something that is cutting edge is at the forefront of progress in its area. |
| 4402 | Technology & science | Don't push my buttons! | This can be said to someone who is starting to annoy you. |
| 4403 | 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. |
| 4404 | Technology & science | Fire on all cylinders | If something is firing on all cylinders, it is going as well as it could. |
| 4405 | Technology & science | Garbage in, garbage out | If a computer system or database is built badly, then the results will be bad. |
| 4406 | 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.) |
| 4407 | 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. |
| 4408 | 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. |
| 4409 | Technology & science | On the same wavelength | If people are on the same wavelength, they have the same ideas and opinions about something. |
| 4410 | 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. |
| 4411 | Technology & science | Silver surfer | A silver surfer is an elderly person who uses the internet. |
| 4412 | 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. |
| 4413 | Technology & science | Well-oiled machine | Something that functions very well is a well-oiled machine. |
| 4414 | Time | A month of Sundays | A month of Sundays is a long period of time: I havent seen her in a month of Sundays. |
| 4415 | Time | After the watershed | The watershed is the time limit after which more controversial |
| 4416 | Time | Against the clock | If you do something against the clock, you are rushed and have very little time to do it. |
| 4417 | Time | Ahead of time | If something happens ahead of time, it happens early or before the set time. |
| 4418 | 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. |
| 4419 | Time | Behind the times | Someone that is behind the times is old-fashioned and has ideas that are regarded as out-dated. |
| 4420 | Time | Better late than never | This idiom suggests that doing something late is better than not doing it at all. |
| 4421 | Time | Big time | This can be used to with the meaning very much- if you like something big time, you like it a lot. |
| 4422 | 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. |
| 4423 | 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. |
| 4424 | Time | Clean your clock | If you clean your clock, you beat someone decisively in a contest or fight. |
| 4425 | Time | Come of age | When something comes of age it develops completely and reaches maturity. When someone comes of age, they reach adulthood or fulfill their potential. |
| 4426 | Time | Crack of dawn | The crack of dawn is very early in the morning. |
| 4427 | Time | Crunch time | When people, companies, etc, have to make an important decision that will have a considerable effect on their future, it is crunch time. |
| 4428 | Time | Day in the sun | If you have your day in the sun, you get attention and are appreciated. |
| 4429 | Time | Days are numbered | When someone’s days are numbered, they are expected to die soon. |
| 4430 | Time | Do time | (UK) When someone is doing time, they are in prison. |
| 4431 | Time | Don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon | If you dont know what to do, you dont know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon. |
| 4432 | Time | Dwell on the past | Thinking too much about the past, so that it becomes a problem is to dwell on the past. |
| 4433 | Time | Eleventh hour | If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens right at the last minute. |
| 4434 | Time | Even a broken clock is right twice a day | This is used when people get lucky and are undeservedly successful.(Even a stopped clock is right twice a day is also used.) |
| 4435 | Time | Feast today, famine tomorrow | If you indulge yourself with all that you have today, you may have to go without tomorrow. |
| 4436 | Time | Five o'clock shadow | A five oclock shadow is the facial hair that a man gets if he doesnt shave for a day or two. |
| 4437 | Time | For the time being | For the time being indicates that an action or state will continue into the future, but is temporary. Im sharing an office for the time being. |
| 4438 | Time | Full of the joys of spring | If you are full of the joys of spring, you are very happy and full of energy. |
| 4439 | Time | Fullness of time | If something happens in the fullness of time, it will happen when the time is right and appropriate. |
| 4440 | Time | Girl Friday | A girl Friday is a female employee who assists someone without any specific duties. |
| 4441 | Time | Given the day that's in it | (Irish) This idiom is used when something is obvious because of the day that it occurs: traffic, for example would be busy around a football stadium on game day, given the day thats in it. On any other day the traffic would be unexplainable, but because its game day its obvious why there is traffic. |
| 4442 | Time | Good time | If you make good time on a journey, you manage to travel faster than you expected. |
| 4443 | Time | Have your moments | Someone who has his or her moments exhibits a positive behavior pattern on an occasional basis but not generally. |
| 4444 | Time | Here today, gone tomorrow | Money, happiness and other desirable things are often here today, gone tomorrow, which means that they dont last for very long. |
| 4445 | Time | Hour of need | A time when someone really needs something, almost a last chance, is their hour of need. |
| 4446 | Time | In an instant | If something happens in an instant, it happens very rapidly. |
| 4447 | Time | Just in the nick of time | If you do something in the nick of time, you just manage to do it just in time, with seconds to spare. |
| 4448 | Time | Laugh a minute | Someone who is a laugh a minute is very funny. |
| 4449 | Time | Legend in your own lunchtime | Somebody who becomes a legend in their own lifetime acquires fame, but often only to a select or specialist audience, while they are still alive. |
| 4450 | Time | Let's call it a day | This is used as a way of suggesting that it is time to stop working on something. |
| 4451 | Time | Like clockwork | If something happens like clockwork, it happens at very regular times or intervals. |
| 4452 | Time | Like there's no tomorrow | If you do something like theres no tomorrow, you do it fast or energetically. |
| 4453 | Time | Long time no hear | The speaker could say this when they have not heard from a person, either through phone calls or emails for a long time. |
| 4454 | Time | Long time no see | Long time no see means that the speaker has not seen that person for a long time. |
| 4455 | Time | Make my day | If something makes your day, it satisfies you or makes you happy. |
| 4456 | Time | Mile a minute | To do something very quickly. For example: He was talking a mile a minute. |
| 4457 | Time | Nick of time | If you do something in the nick of time, you do it at the very last minute or second. |
| 4458 | Time | No time like the present | If people say that theres no time like the present , they believe that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later, in which case it might never get done. |
| 4459 | Time | No time to lose | If theres no time to lose, then its time to get started otherwise it wont be finished on time. |
| 4460 | Time | Not born yesterday | When someone says that they werent born yesterday, they mean that they are not naive or easily fooled. |
| 4461 | Time | Not give the time of day | If you wouldnt give the time of day to someone, you dislike them so much that you would not even use common courtesy. |
| 4462 | Time | Not on my watch | Someone distancing themselves from a situation could say that it is not on their watch. |
| 4463 | Time | Now and then | This idiom means occasionally. |
| 4464 | Time | One-man band | If one person does all the work or has all the responsibility somewhere, then they are a one-man band. |
| 4465 | Time | Open all hours | If a shop or suchlike is open all hours, it only closes, if at all, terribly late. |
| 4466 | Time | Pass the time of day | If you pass the time of day with somebody, you stop and say hello, enquire how they are and other such acts of social politeness. |
| 4467 | Time | Play for time | If you play for time, you delay something because because you are not ready or need more time to thing about it.? Eg. I knew I had to play for time until the police arrived. |
| 4468 | Time | Pressed for time | If you are pressed for time, you are in a hurry or working against a very tight schedule. |
| 4469 | Time | Question of time | If somethings a question of time, its certain to happen, though we dont know exactly when. |
| 4470 | Time | Rough patch | A rough patch is a difficult or trying period. |
| 4471 | Time | Rue the day | This means that the person will one day bitterly regret what they have done. |
| 4472 | Time | Since time immemorial | If something has happened since time immemorial, its been going on for such a long time that nobody can remember a time without it. |
| 4473 | Time | Small-time | If a person or a thing is called small-time it means theyre inconsequential, not worth much, dont play in the big leagues, as in a small-time operator. |
| 4474 | Time | Some other time | If somebody says theyll do something some other time, they mean at some indefinite time in the future, possibly never, but they certainly dont want to feel obliged to fix a specific time or date. |
| 4475 | Time | Spur of the moment | If you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it because you felt like it at that time, without any planning or preparation. |
| 4476 | Time | Stitch in time saves nine | A stitch in time saves nine means that if a job needs doing it is better to do it now, because it will only get worse, like a hole in clothes that requires stitching. |
| 4477 | Time | Stop a clock | A face that could (or would) stop a clock is very ugly indeed. |
| 4478 | Time | Strange at the best of times | To describe someone or something as really weird or unpleasant in a mild way. |
| 4479 | Time | Stroll down memory lane | If you take a stroll down memory lane, you talk about the past or revisit places that were important to you in the past. (You can also take a trip down memory lane.) |
| 4480 | Time | The sands of time | The sands of time is an idiom meaning that time runs out either through something reaching an end or through a persons death. It comes from the sand used in hourglasses, an ancient way of measuring time. |
| 4481 | Time | Third time's the charm | This is used when the third time one tries something, one achieves a successful outcome. |
| 4482 | Time | Time and again | If something happens time and again, it happens repeatedly. (Time and time again is also used.) |
| 4483 | Time | Time and tide wait for no man | This is used as a way of suggestion that people should act without delay. |
| 4484 | Time | Time does sail | This idioms means that time passes by unnoticed. |
| 4485 | Time | Time flies | This idiom means that time moves quickly and often unnoticed. |
| 4486 | Time | Time is on my side | If time is on your side, you have the luxury of not having to worry about how long something will take. |
| 4487 | Time | Time of your life | If youre having the time of your life, you are enjoying yourself very much indeed. |
| 4488 | Time | Time-honoured practice | A time-honoured practice is a traditional way of doing something that has become almost universally accepted as the most appropriate or suitable way. |
| 4489 | Time | To the end of time | To the end of time is an extravagant way of saying forever. |
| 4490 | Time | Tomorrow's another day | This means that things might turn out better or that there might be another opportunity in the future. |
| 4491 | Time | Wee hours | Wee hours are the first hours after midnight. |
| 4492 | Time | Zero hour | The time when something important is to begin is zero hour. |
| 4493 | Transport & Travel | As much use as a handbrake on a canoe | This idiom is used to describe someone or something as worthless or pointless. |
| 4494 | Transport & Travel | Asleep at the wheel | If someone is asleep at the wheel, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities very carefully. Asleep at the switch is an alternative. |
| 4495 | Transport & Travel | Backseat driver | A backseat driver is an annoying person who is fond of giving advice to the person performing a task or doing something, especially when the advice is either wrong or unwelcome. |
| 4496 | Transport & Travel | Beam me up, Scotty | Something someone says when they want to get out of a place or situation, meaning Get me out of here!. (It comes from the TV series and movies |
| 4497 | Transport & Travel | Circle the wagons | (USA) If you circle the wagons, you stop communicating with people who dont think the same way as you to avoid their ideas.? It can also mean to bring everyone together to defend a group against an attack. |
| 4498 | Transport & Travel | Clear the decks | When you clear the decks, you get ready for an important action and put away items that might get in your way. |
| 4499 | Transport & Travel | Climb on the bandwagon | When people climb on the bandwagon they do something because it is popular and everyone else is doing it. |
| 4500 | Transport & Travel | Country mile | (USA) A country mile is used to describe a long distance. |
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