IDIOMS – AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST

abbreviated This slang expression refers to someone who is

piece of nothing considered to be insignificant or worthless.
Bob doesn't think much of his new colleague. He calls him an
'abbreviated piece of nothing'.
to the best of When someone does something to the best of their
one's ability. ability, they do it as well as they possibly can.
I felt nervous all through the interview, but I replied to the best
of my ability.
(of) no fixed A person of no fixed abode has nowhere permanent to
abode live.
A 30-year-old man of no fixed abode was charged with the
burglary.
about turn/about This term refers to a complete change of opinion or
face policy.
The embassador's recent declarations indicate an about turn in
foreign policy.
above and If a person does something which is above and beyond
beyond the call the call of duty, they show a greater degree of courage or
of duty effort than is usually required or expected in their job.
The fire-fighter received a medal for his action which went
above and beyond the call of duty.
above board If a situation or business is described as above board, it
is open, honest and legal.
There are not secret negotiations.  Our dealings have always
been above board.
more Something that happens more by accident than (by)
by accidentthan design is done without deliberate intention.
by design I became an interpreter more by accident than design; nobody
else could speak the language of the refugees.
accidentally on If you do something intentionally, but pretend it was an
purpose accident, you do it accidentally on purpose.
I accidentially-on-purpose erased his email address so I
couldn't contact him again.
an
Something that has been done or completed, before
accomplished
those affected by it can intervene or change it, is called
fact (also 'fait
an accomplished fact.
accompli')
of your own If you do something of your own accord, you do it
accord spontaneously or willingly, without being influenced or
forced by anyone.
The boy went to see the owner of his own accord and admitted
breaking the window.
no accounting This expression is used to indicate surprise at another
for taste person's likes or dislikes.
She fell in love with a guy who is short, fat, bald and poor ...
there's no accounting for taste!
ace a test If you obtain a very high score or an excellent result,
you ace a test or exam.
Maria's parents said she could go to the party if she aced her
English test.
have an ace up If you have an ace up your sleeve, you have something in
your sleeve reserve with which you can gain an advantage.
I'm well prepared for the negotiations. I've got an ace up my
sleeve.
hold all the aces A person who holds all the aces is in a very strong
position because they have more advantages than
anyone else.
Given the high unemployment figures in some countries,
employers hold all the aces.

Achilles heel This expression refers to a vulnerable area or a weak

spot, in an otherwise strong situation, that could cause
one's downfall or failure.
He's extremely intelligent, but his inability to speak in
public is his Achilles heel.
acid test To refer to something as' the acid test' means that it will
prove how effective or useful something is.
The training course was very interesting but the acid test
will come when I start my new job.
Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but
acquired taste begin to like after trying it several times, is an acquired
taste.
Tony has always loved olives, but for me it was an
acquired taste.
act of God This term refers to an natural event or accident, for which
no person is responsible (such as an earthquake,
lightning and similar acts of nature).
The insurance company refused to pay for the damage
because it was caused by an act of God.
get your act If you tell someone to get their act together, you mean
together that they need to organize their affairs more effectively in
order to be more successful.
You'd better get your act together if you want to find a job!
add fuel to the If you add fuel to the flames, you do or say something
flames that makes a difficult situation even worse.
He forgot their wedding anniversary, and his apologies
only added fuel to the flames.
much ado about When people make much ado about nothing, they make a
nothing lot of fuss about something which is not important.
There was a meeting to discuss the name for the new
playground. 
"Much ado about nothing" said my Dad!
afraid of one's A person who is afraid of his/her own shadow is very
own shadow nervous or easily frightened.
I've never seen anyone so easiily scared. She's afraid of
her own shadow!
after the fact If something is done after the fact, it done too late, after
something  has actually happened, especially a crime or
an accident.
He said he realized he had put people in danger, but that
was of no help after the fact.
against one's If you do something, even though you feel it is not a
better sensible thing to do, you do it against your better
judgement judgement.
Bob persuaded her to go by car, against her better
judgement, and she regretted it as soon as she saw the
heavy traffic.
against the If you do something against the clock, you are rushed and
clock have very little time to do it.
They are working against the clock to have the
presentation ready for Monday.
ahead of the If a person or organization is ahead of the pack, they are
pack better or more successful than their rivals.
Our products will have to be more innovative if we want to
stay ahead of the pack. 
set the alarm If something sets the alarm bells ringing, it makes you
bells ringing /  begin to worry, because it shows that there may be a
alarm bells start problem.
to ring Alarm bells started to ring when my old neighbour didn't
open his shutters all day and didn't answer his phone.
all along If something has existed or been somewhere all along, it
has been there all the time, from the beginning.
I had been looking for my keys for some time before I realized
they had been in my pocket all along.
all the better for If you are all the better for something, you benefit from it
(something) or feel much better as a result of it.
You'll be all the better for a good night's rest.
all brawn and no Someone who is physically very strong but not very
brain intelligent is said to be all brawn and no brain.
He's an impressive player to watch, but he's all brawn and no
brain.
all clear If you are allowed to do something after a check-up to
make sure that everything is all right, you get the all
clear.
Dad says he's going to play golf again as soon as he gets the
all clear from his doctor.
all ears To say that you are all ears means that ou are listening
very attentively.
Of course I want to know - I'm all ears!
all hands on deck When there is a need for all hands on deck, everyone
must help, especially when there is a lot of work to be
done in a short amount of time.
As the opening day approached, it was all hands on deck to
have everything ready in time. 
all in your head If something is all in your head, it is not real.  It is in your
imagination.
Don't be silly. Nobody is trying to harm you. It's all in your
head!
all hell broke If you say that all hell broke loose, you mean that there
loose was a sudden angry or noisy reaction to something.
All hell broke loose when it was announced that the plant
was going to close down.
all that jazz This expression means 'all that stuff', 'other siimilar
things', or 'everything of that kind'.
Let's get out the tinsel, the fairy lights and all that jazz to
decorate the Christmas tree.
of all people To use the term 'of all people' emphasizes that the
person you mention, more than anyone else, is the one
you would expect to do something.
As an artist, you, of all people, should support the new art
gallery.
all systems go When everything is ready for an activity or event to
begin, you can say that all systems go.
 We've got an office, a telephone and the internet, so on
Monday it's all systems go!
all things to all If you are all things to all people, you please or satisfy
people everyone.
She's exhausted trying to be a good wife, a good mother and
a good teacher, but she can't be all things to all people.
all things being This expression refers to a probable situation if, in all
equal other ways, the conditions remain unchanged or equal.
All (other) things being equal, a reduction in the cost of
transport should enable us to lower our prices.
all the rage When something is all the rage, it has become very
popular or trendy.
Twittering text messages is all the rage these days, both
among individuals and companies.

all sizzle and Someone or something that turns out to be disappointing,

no steak after a promotional campaign or marketing operation which
led us to expect something better, is called all sizzle and no
steak.
Because of the electoral promises he made, which so far he has
failed to keep, many people call the new president 'all sizzle and
no steak'.
all skin and If someone is all skin and bone, they are very thin or too
bone thin.
After trekking in the Himalayas, he was all skin and bone.
all things to all If you are all things to all people, you please or satisfy
people everyone.
She's exhausted tying to be a good wife,  a good mother and a
good teacher,  but she can't be all things to all people.
all thumbs /  If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are awkward and
all fingers and clumsy and do things incorrectly.
thumbs Would you mind wrapping this for me? I'm all fingers and
thumbs!
all told All told means the final number, when everything has been
counted.
The number of visitors to the exhibition, all told, was 2543.
up/down your If something is (right) up or down your alley, it is exactly the
alley sort of thing that will suit your tastes or abilities.
Alex loves reading, so the job in the bookshop is right up his alley.
also-ran This term refers to an unsuccessful competitor whose
performance is so much poorer than the winner's that it
 appears insignificant.
He entered the contest hoping that he wouldn't end up as an
'also-ran'.
alter ego The term alter ego, which in Latin means 'other self', refers
to a very close and trusted friend who is very like hourself.
ambulance A lawyer who finds work by persuading people injured in
chaser accidents to claim money from the person who caused the
accident is called an'ambulance chaser'.
Peterson and Scott are well-known ambulance chasers - that's
how they make their money!
answer for If someone has to answer for something, they have to
something accept responsibility for their actions.
He will have to answer for his dishonesty.
answer the When a person answers the call of nature, they go to the
call of nature / toilet.
nature's call I had to get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of
nature.
ants in one's People who have ants in their pants are very restless or
pants excited about something. 
I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something
today.
anyone's call This expression is used when the result of a contest or
election is difficult to predict.
"Who do you think will win?" "It's anyone's call."
any port in a When you have no choice, any port in a storm refers to a
storm solution you accept, which in normal circumstances you
would find unacceptable.
The hotel was substandard, but it was a case of any port in a
storm; 
all the others were full. 
the apple of A person, usually a child, who is the apple of your eye is
your eye one for whom you have great affection.
My grandson is the apple of my eye.

upset the If you upset (or overturn) the applecart, you spoil a

applecart satisfactory plan or situation.
I hope Julie doesn't attend the meeting; she could upset the
applecart. 
apple-pie order If something is in apple-pie order, it is well organized or
in perfect order.
 They made sure the house was in apple-pie order before their
parents arrived back home. 
apron strings If one person is tied to another's apron strings, they
remain dependent at an age when they should be
independent.
All his decisions are influenced by his mother. He's still tied to
her apron strings. 
argue the toss If you argue the toss, you dispute a decision or choice
which has already been made.
The final choice was made yesterday, so don't argue the toss
now! 
arm of the law This expression refers to the extent to which the
authority or power of the law extends.
He fled to South America hoping to escape the arm of the
law. 
give your right If you say "Id give my right arm for that", you mean that
arm you want it a lot and would do almost anything to obtain
it.
 I'd give my right arm to have an apartment on Central Park. 
cost an arm and a If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very
leg expensive.
The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets. 
be up in arms If you are up in arms , you are very angry about
something and protest very strongly.
The population was up in arms over the demolition of the old
theatre. 
keep someone at If you keep someone at arm's length, you do not allow
arm's length yourself to become friendly with them.
It's not easy to become friends with Sophie;  she tends to
keep everyone at arm's length. 
armchair critic An armchair critic is someone who gives advice based
on theory rather than practice.
That guy is such an armchair critic - no experience but plenty
of advice. 
armchair traveler Someone who reads books or watches TV programmes
about other places and countries, but doesn't actually
travel anywhere, is called an armchair traveller.
 A surprising number of adventure books are bought by
armchair travellers. 
asking for trouble Someone who is asking for trouble is behaving so
stupidly that he/she is likely to have problems.
Driving fast on these roads is really asking for trouble! 
asleep at the If you say that someone is asleep at the wheel, you
wheel mean that they are not sufficiently attentive, especially at
a critical moment when vigilence is required.
When the firemen arrived too late at the scene, the night
watchman was accused of being asleep at the wheel. 
at all costs If you are determined to obtain or achieve something at
all costs, you want it regardless of the expense, effort or
sacrifice involved.
The journalist was determined at all costs to get a report
from the war zone. 

at this stage of This expression refers to the current point reached in a

the game process, activity or developing situation.
At this stage of the game I think any further intervention
would be unwise. Let's wait and see how things develop. 
at stake Someone who has a lot at stake is in a risky situation,
with a lot to be won or lost.
He was nervous about signing the agreement because there
was a lot at stake. 
automatic pilot If you are on automatic pilot, you do something without
thinking about it or having to pay attention, because you
do it regularly.
Fred's on automatic pilot today - he didn't even hear my
question!
or no avail Something which is of no avail is not at all helpful or
useful.
The coffee machine wouldn't work, and the instruction leaflet
was of no avail.  
avowed intent When someone makes a public declaration of their
objective or goal, this is their avowed intent.
The avowed intent of the new government is to reduce
unemployment. 
a rude awakening If you get a rude awakening, you are forced to accept
the unpleasant truth or reality.
She thought Charlie would want her back, but she got a rude
awakening - he was already dating another girl. 
away with the Someone who is away with the fairies is in such a
fairies dreamy state that they are not totally in touch with reality
and give the impression of being slightly mad.
It's no use trying to explain the problem to her - she's away
with the fairies! 
have an axe to If you have an axe to grind, you have personal reasons
grind for becoming involved in something or adopting a
particular attitude.
It was decided that the best candidate would be selected by a
recruitment agency who had no axe to grind within the
company.