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ENGLISH  IDIOMS  &  IDIOMATIC  EXPRESSIONS


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."

 
 


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