English idioms - Alphabetical list A

	Idiom	Meaning
A	Abbreviated piece of nothing	This slang expression refers to someone who is 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 one's ability	When someone does something to the best of their 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 abode	A person of no fixed abode has nowhere permanent to live. A 30-year-old man, of no fixed abode, was charged with the burglary.
	about-turn / about-face	This term refers to a complete change of opinion or policy. "The ambassador's recent declarations indicate an about-turn in foreign policy."
	Above and beyond the call of duty	If a person does something which is above and beyond the call of duty, they show a greater degree of courage or 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
	More by accident than (by) design	Something which happens more by accident than (by) design is done without deliberate intention. "I became an interpreter more by accident than design; nobody else could speak the language of the refugees."
	Accidentally on purpose	If you do something intentionally, but pretend it was an accident, you do it 'accidentally on purpose'. "I accidentally-on-purpose erased his email address so I couldn't contact him again."
	An accomplished fact (also: 'fait accompli')	Something that has been done or completed, before those affected by it can intervene or change it, is called an accomplished fact.
	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 your sleeve.	If you have an ace up your sleeve, it means that you have something in reserve with which you can gain an advantage.
	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 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."
	Act of God	This term refers to a 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 together!	If you tell someone to get their act together, you mean that they need to organize their affairs more effectively in order to be more successful.
	Add fuel to the flames	If you add fuel to the flames, you say something that makes a difficult situation worse. "He forgot their wedding anniversary, and his apologies only added fuel to the flames."
	Much ado about nothing.	If people make "much ado about nothing", they make a lot of fuss about something which is not important.
	Afraid of one's own shadow	A person who is afraid of their own shadow is very nervous or easily frightened. "I've never seen anyone so easily scared - she's afraid of her own shadow."
	After the fact	If something is done after the fact, it is too late, after something has actually happened, particularly 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 the clock	If you do something against the clock, you are rushed and have very little time to do it. "They are working against the clock to have the presentation ready for Monday."
	Set (the) alarm bells ringing/ alarm bells start to ring	If something sets the alarm bells ringing, it makes you begin to worry because it shows that there may be a problem. "Alarm bells started to ring when my old neighbour didn't open his shutters all day and didn't answer the phone."
	All brawn and no brain	Someone who is physically very strong but not very 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 as soon as he gets the all clear from his doctor."
	All ears	To say that you are all ears means that you are listening very attentively. "Of course I want to know - I'm all ears!"
	All hell broke loose	To say that all hell broke loose means that there was a sudden angry, noisy reaction to something. "All hell broke loose when it was announced that the plant was going to close down."
	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 hour head!"
	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."
	(You can't be) all things to all people	If you are all things to all people you please or satisfy 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 (other) things being equal	This expression refers to a probable situation if in all 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 no steak	Someone or something that turns out to be disappointing, after a promotional campaign or marketing operation which led us to expect something better, is called all sizzle and no steak. "Because of all 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 thumbs/all fingers and thumbs	If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are awkward and clumsy and do things incorrectly. "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."
	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 yourself.
	Ambulance chaser	This terms refers to a lawyer who finds work by persuading people injured in accidents to claim money from the person who caused the accident. "Peterson & 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 accept responsibility for their actions. "He will have to answer for his dishonesty."
	Answer the call of nature/ nature's call	When a person answers the call of nature, they go to the toilet. I had to get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature
	Ants in one's pants	People who have ants in their pants are very restless or excited about something "I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something today!"
	Any port in a storm	When you have no choice, any port in a storm refers to a 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 your eye.	If somebody is the apple of your eye, this means that you like them very much : "My grandson is the apple of my eye".
	To upset the applecart	To upset (or to overturn) the applecart means to spoil a 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 very 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 arm	If you say "I'd give my right arm for that", you mean that you want it a lot and would do almost anything to obtain it. "I'd give my right arm to have a apartment on Central Park."
	Cost an arm and a leg	If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive! "The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets."
	To be up in arms	If you are up in arms about something, you are very angry. "The population was up in arms over the demolition of the old theatre."
	Keep someone at arm's length	If you keep someone at arm's length, you do not allow yourself to become too 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 traveller	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 stupidly and is likely to have problems. "Driving fast on these roads is really asking for trouble!"
	Asleep at the wheel	If you say that someone is asleep at the wheel you mean that they are not sufficiently attentive, especially at a critical moment when vigilance 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 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."
	At this stage of the game	This expression refers to the current point reached in a 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."
	Of 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.
	Away with the fairies	To say that someone is away with the fairies means that they are in such a 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 grind	If you have an axe to grind, you have personal reasons for becoming involved in something or adopting a particular attitude. "It was decided that the best candidates would be selected by a recruitment agency who had no axe to grind within the company."