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| id | category | idiom | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 601 | Body and bodily functions | Nail-biter | If a game, election, contest, etc, is a nail-biter, it is exciting because the competitors are so close that it is impossible to predict the result. |
| 602 | Body and bodily functions | Near the knuckle | If something is near the knuckle, it is bit explicit or too close to the truth for comfort |
| 603 | Body and bodily functions | Neck and neck | If two competitors or candidates, etc, are neck and neck, then they are very close and neither is clearly winning. |
| 604 | Body and bodily functions | Neck of the woods | If someone talks about their neck of the woods, they mean the area where they live. |
| 605 | Body and bodily functions | Nerves of steel | If someone has nerves of steel, they dont get frightened when other people do. |
| 606 | Body and bodily functions | New blood | If something needs new blood, it has become stale and needs new ideas or people to invigorate it. |
| 607 | Body and bodily functions | No skin off my nose | If somethings no skin off your nose, it doesnt affect or bother you at all. |
| 608 | Body and bodily functions | No spine | If someone has no spine, they lack courage or are cowardly. |
| 609 | Body and bodily functions | No Sweat | No Sweat means something is easy. For example, "This contest is just no sweat." meaning "This contest is just easy." |
| 610 | Body and bodily functions | Nod's as good as a wink | (UK) A nods as good as a wink is a way of saying you have understood something that someone has said, even though it was not said directly.? The full phrase (sometimes used in the UK ) is a nods as good as a wink to a blind horse. |
| 611 | Body and bodily functions | Nose in the air | If someone has their nose in the air, they behave in a way that is meant to show that they are superior to others. |
| 612 | Body and bodily functions | Nosy parker | (UK) A nosy parker is someone who is excessively interested in other peoples lives. (Nosey parker is an alternative spelling.) |
| 613 | Body and bodily functions | Not bat an eye | If someone doesnt bat an eye, they do not react when other people normally would. |
| 614 | Body and bodily functions | Not have the heart | If you dont have the heart to do something, you dont have the strength or courage to do something. (Usually used in the negative) |
| 615 | Body and bodily functions | Not to be sneezed at | If something is not to be sneezed at, it should be taken seriously. |
| 616 | Body and bodily functions | Off the top of your head | If you say something off the top of your head, you dont think about it beforehand. |
| 617 | Body and bodily functions | Off-hand | Off-hand means without preparation. People say that they dont know the answer off-hand, meaning that they dont know it at that time. |
| 618 | Body and bodily functions | On my back | If people are on your back, they are bothering or nagging you. |
| 619 | Body and bodily functions | On the nod | (UK) If something is accepted by parliament or a committee majority, it is on the nod. |
| 620 | Body and bodily functions | On the nod | (UK) Someone whos on the nod is either asleep or falling asleep, especially when the shouldnt or are are in a position unusual for sleep, like sitting or standing. |
| 621 | Body and bodily functions | On the nose | This means right on time. |
| 622 | Body and bodily functions | On the right foot | If you start something or set off on the right foot, you get off to a good start. |
| 623 | Body and bodily functions | On the tip of your tongue | If a word is on the tip of your tongue, you know you know the word, but you just cant quite remember it at the moment. |
| 624 | Body and bodily functions | On your last legs | If someones on their last legs, theyre close to dying. |
| 625 | Body and bodily functions | On your toes | Someone on his or her toes is alert and ready to go. |
| 626 | Body and bodily functions | One hand washes the other | This idiom means that we need other people to get on as cooperation benefits us all. |
| 627 | Body and bodily functions | One in the eye | If you achieve something that will irritate someone because they did not think that you were capable it is one in the eye for them. |
| 628 | Body and bodily functions | Out of hand | If something gets out of hand, it gets out of control. |
| 629 | Body and bodily functions | Out of your hair | If you get someone out of your hair, you get them to stop bothering or annoying you. (Stay/keep/get out of my hair! can be used as imperatives) |
| 630 | Body and bodily functions | Out on a limb | If somebodys out on a limb, they are in a very exposed position and could get into difficulties. |
| 631 | Body and bodily functions | Over your head | If something is over your head, or goes over your head, it is too complex or difficult for you to understand. |
| 632 | Body and bodily functions | Pain in the neck | If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a pain in the neck. Pain in the butt, or pain in the ass (USA), and Pain in the arse (UK) are less polite alternative forms. |
| 633 | Body and bodily functions | Pay through the nose | If you pay through the nose for something, you pay a very high price for it. |
| 634 | Body and bodily functions | Pick someone's brains | If you pick someones brains, you ask them for advice, suggestions and information about something they know about. |
| 635 | Body and bodily functions | Plain as the nose on your face | If something is as plain as the nose on your face, it is very clear and obvious. |
| 636 | Body and bodily functions | Plastic smile | When someone is wearing a plastic smile, they are appear to be happier with a situation or events than they actually are. This is actually a description of the forced smile you might see in many photographs. |
| 637 | Body and bodily functions | Play into someone's hands | If you play into someones hands, you do what they were expecting you to do and take advantage of this. |
| 638 | Body and bodily functions | Play it by ear | If you play it by ear, you dont have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape. |
| 639 | Body and bodily functions | Play out of your skin | If someone plays out of their skin, they give an outstanding performance. |
| 640 | Body and bodily functions | Point the finger | When you point the finger at someone, you are accusing and blaming them for something. |
| 641 | Body and bodily functions | Pound of flesh | If someone wants their pound of flesh, the force someone to pay or give back something owed, even though they dont need it and it will cause the other person a lot of difficulty. |
| 642 | Body and bodily functions | Powder your nose | If somebody goes to powder your nose, it is a euphemism for going to the lavatory (toilet). |
| 643 | Body and bodily functions | Press the flesh | When people, especially politicians, press the flesh, they meet members of the public and shake their hands, usually when trying to get support. |
| 644 | Body and bodily functions | Prick up your ears | If you prick up your ears, you listen very carefully.? (Pick up your ears is also used.) |
| 645 | Body and bodily functions | Pull someone's leg | If you pull someones leg, you tease them, but not maliciously. |
| 646 | Body and bodily functions | Pull the wool over someone's eyes | If you pull the wool over someones eyes, you deceive or cheat them. |
| 647 | Body and bodily functions | Pull your finger out! | (UK) If someone tells you to do this, they want you to hurry up. (Get your finger out is also used.) |
| 648 | Body and bodily functions | Put a bug in your ear | If you put a bug in someones ear, you give him or her a reminder or suggestion relating to a future event. |
| 649 | Body and bodily functions | Put or get someone's back up | If you put or get someones back up, you annoy them. |
| 650 | Body and bodily functions | Put somebody's nose out of joint | If you put someones nose out of joint, you irritate them or make them angry with you. |
| 651 | Body and bodily functions | Put your best foot forward | If you ut your best foot forward, you try your best to do something. |
| 652 | Body and bodily functions | Put your foot down | When someone puts their foot down, they make a firm stand and establish their authority on an issue. |
| 653 | Body and bodily functions | Put your foot in it | If you put your foot in it, you do or say something embarrassing and tactless or get yourself into trouble. |
| 654 | Body and bodily functions | Put your foot in your mouth | If you put your foot in your mouth, you say something stupid or embarrassing. |
| 655 | Body and bodily functions | Put your hand on your heart | If you can out your hand on your heart, then you can say something knowing it to be true. |
| 656 | Body and bodily functions | Put your heads together | If people put their head together, they exchange ideas about something. |
| 657 | Body and bodily functions | Put your money where your mouth is | If someone puts their money where their mouth is, they back up their words with action. |
| 658 | Body and bodily functions | Put your shoulder to the wheel | When you put your shoulder to the wheel, you contribute to an effort. |
| 659 | Body and bodily functions | Put your thumb on the scales | If you put your thumb on the scales, you try to influence the result of something in your favour. |
| 660 | Body and bodily functions | Rack your brain | If you rack your brain, you think very hard when trying to remember something. (Rack your brains is an alternative.) |
| 661 | Body and bodily functions | Raise eyebrows | If something raises eyebrows, it shocks or surprises people. |
| 662 | Body and bodily functions | Rib tickler | A rib tickler is a story or joke that will make you laugh a lot. Alternately, a joke might "tickle your ribs". |
| 663 | Body and bodily functions | Roll your eyes | If you roll your eyes, you show with your eyes that you dont believe someone or arent interested in what theyre saying. |
| 664 | Body and bodily functions | Rub shoulders | If you rub shoulders with people, you meet and spend time with them, especially when they are powerful or famous. |
| 665 | Body and bodily functions | Rule of thumb | Rule of thumb means approximately. |
| 666 | Body and bodily functions | Run off your feet | If you are run off your feet, you are extremely busy and dont have enough time to do everything. |
| 667 | Body and bodily functions | Run your mouth off | If someone runs their mouth off, they talk too much. |
| 668 | Body and bodily functions | Safe pair of hands | A person who can be trusted to do something without causing any trouble is a safe pair of hands. |
| 669 | Body and bodily functions | Save face | If someone saves face, they manage to protect their reputation. |
| 670 | Body and bodily functions | Save your skin | If someone saves their skin, they manage to avoid getting into serious trouble. |
| 671 | Body and bodily functions | Scales fall from your eyes | When the scales fall from your eyes, you suddenly realise the truth about something. |
| 672 | Body and bodily functions | Scent blood | If you can scent blood, you feel that a rival is having difficulties and you are going to beat them. |
| 673 | Body and bodily functions | Sea legs | If you are getting your sea legs, it takes you a while to get used to something new. |
| 674 | Body and bodily functions | See eye to eye | If people see eye to eye, they agree about everything. |
| 675 | Body and bodily functions | Shake a leg | If you shake a leg, you are out of bed and active.? It can be used to tell someone to hurry up. |
| 676 | Body and bodily functions | Shoot yourself in the foot | If you shoot yourself in the foot, you do something that damages your ambition, career, etc. |
| 677 | Body and bodily functions | Sight for sore eyes | Someone or something that is a sight for sore eyes is a pleasure to see. |
| 678 | Body and bodily functions | Skin and bones | If someone is skin and bones, they are very underweight and look bad. |
| 679 | Body and bodily functions | Skin in the game | A person who has skin in the game has invested in the company they are running. |
| 680 | Body and bodily functions | Skin someone alive | If someone skins you alive, they admonish and punish you hard. |
| 681 | Body and bodily functions | Slap on the wrist | If someone gets a slap on the wrist, they get a very minor punishment when they could have been punished more severely. |
| 682 | Body and bodily functions | Sleight of hand | Sleight of hand is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you cant see. |
| 683 | Body and bodily functions | Slip of the tongue | If you say something accidentally, it is a slip of the tongue. |
| 684 | Body and bodily functions | Slip through one's fingers | If something slips through one’s fingers it escapes or is lost through carelessness. |
| 685 | Body and bodily functions | Smack in the face | If something is a smack in the face, it is a shock, usually one that impedes progress. |
| 686 | Body and bodily functions | Smooth as a baby's bottom | If something is smooth as a babys bottom, it has a regular, flat surface. |
| 687 | Body and bodily functions | Speak with a forked tongue | To say one thing and mean another, to lie, to be two-faced |
| 688 | Body and bodily functions | Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak | If the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, someone lacks the willpower to change things they do because they derive too much pleasure from them. |
| 689 | Body and bodily functions | Spit blood | If someone is spitting blood, they are absolutely furious. |
| 690 | Body and bodily functions | Spit it out | People say this when someone has something to say but is too embarrassed, shy, etc, to say it. |
| 691 | Body and bodily functions | Split hairs | If people split hairs, they concentrate on tiny and unimportant details to find fault with something. |
| 692 | Body and bodily functions | Stand head and shoulders above | It means to stand apart from the rest (in a good way), or to be the best. For example, "With his amazing grasp on the subject, John stood head and shoulders above the rest". |
| 693 | Body and bodily functions | Stars in your eyes | Someone who dreams of being famous has stars in their eyes. |
| 694 | Body and bodily functions | Step on someone's toes | If you step on someones toes, you upset them, especially if you do something that they should be in charge of. |
| 695 | Body and bodily functions | Stick in your craw | If someone or something really annoys you, it is said to stick in your craw. |
| 696 | Body and bodily functions | Stick out like a sore thumb | If something sticks or stands out like a sore thumb, it is clearly and obviously different from the things that are around it. |
| 697 | Body and bodily functions | Stick your neck out | If you stick you neck out, you take a risk because you believe in something. |
| 698 | Body and bodily functions | Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me | To be resistant to criticism. This is often said to young children upset over the fact that another child called them something that they did not like. |
| 699 | Body and bodily functions | Sticky fingers | The tendency to keep (or steal) an object you touch.? Also, to steal something quickly without anyone noticing. (ex: You stole that guys wallet? You have some sticky fingers, my friend.) |
| 700 | Body and bodily functions | Stiff upper lip | (UK) If you keep your emotions to yourself and dont let others know how you feel when something bad happens, you keep a stiff upper lip. |
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