English idioms - Alphabetical list F

	Idiom	Meaning
F	Face like thunder	If someone has a face like thunder, they look very angry. "When Dad is really angry, he has a face like thunder!"
	Face the music	If you have to face the music, you have to accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions. "He was caught stealing. Now he has to face the music!"
	Have a poker face.	If you have a poker face, you show no emotion at all. "In spite of the repeated details of the events, the criminal kept a poker face."
	Keep a straight face	If you keep a straight face, you look serious although you really want to laugh.
	Fair-weather friend	Someone who acts as a friend when times are good, and is not there when you are in trouble, is called a fair-weather friend. "I thought I could count on Bill, but I've discovered he's just a fair-weather friend."
	Fall at the first hurdle	If you fall at the first hurdle, you fail to overcome the first difficulty encountered. "Scott fell at the first hurdle. He didn't study enough and failed his first exam."
	Fall from grace	To say that someone has fallen from grace means that they have done something wrong, immoral or unacceptable, and as a result have lost their good reputation. "The Finance Minister fell from grace as a result of a sex scandal."
	Fall into one's lap	If something good falls into your lap, it happens to you without any effort on your part. "She's not making much effort to find work. Does she think a job will fall into her lap?"
	Fall off the back of a lorry	If you buy goods that have fallen off the back of a lorry, they are stolen goods. "Judging by the price of that camera, it must have fallen off the back of a lorry!"
	Fall on one's sword	If you fall on your sword, you take responsibility for, or accept the consequences of an unsuccessful action. "The organizer of the referendum resigned when the poor results were announced. It was said that he 'fell on his sword'."
	False move	In a dangerous or risky situation, if you make a false move, you do something which may have unpleasant consequences. "He is under close surveillance. If he makes one false move he'll be arrested."
	False pretences	If you obtain something under false pretences, you deceive others by lying about your identity, qualifications, financial or social position, in order to obtain what you want.. "She obtained the interview under false pretences."
	Fat cat	To refer to a rich and powerful person as a fat cat means that you disapprove of the way they use their money or power.
	To a fault	To say that somebody has a good quality to a fault means that they have a lot, or even too much, of that quality. "My aunt is generous to a fault, ready to help anyone to claims to be in need."
	A feather in one's cap	To describe someone's achievement as "a feather in their cap" means that it is something they can be proud of. "The overwhelming victory of the team was a "feather in the cap" for the new manager."
	Feather your nest	To say of someone that they are feathering their nest is to say that they are taking advantage of their position in order to obtain money so as to have a comfortable life.
	Feel the pinch	When someone feels the pinch, they begin to suffer from a lack of money. "With the drop in tourism, hotels and restaurants are beginning to feel the pinch."
	Back on your feet	If you are back on your feet, after an illness or an accident, you are physically healthy again.
	Drag one's feet	If you say that a person is dragging their feet, you think they are unnecessarily delaying a decision which is important to you.
	Find your feet	To say that someone in a new situation is finding their feet means that they are learning what to do and gaining self-confidence.
	Get cold feet	If you get cold feet about something, you begin to hesitate about doing it; you are no longer sure whether you want to do it or not.
	Have itchy feet	A person who has itchy feet is someone who wants to move somewhere new or do something different.
	Keep one's feet on the ground	A person who keeps their feet on the ground continues to act in a sensible and practical way, even if they become successful.
	Think on one's feet	A person who thinks on their feet is capable of making good decisions without previous thinking or planning. "Good lawyers need to be able to think on their feet when pleading a case."
	Rushed off your feet.	If your are rushed off your feet, your are extremely busy. "I'd love to have lunch with you but we're rushed off our feet at the moment at the office."
	On the fence	When faced with a choice, a person who is on the fence has not yet reached a decision. "The candidates have such similar ideas that many electors are still on the fence."
	Fever pitch	If a situation or feeling reaches fever pitch, it becomes very intense and exciting. "Reaction to the affair has reached fever pitch all over the country."
	Few and far between	Items, places or events which are few and far between are rarely found or do not happen very often. "Restaurants in this part of the country are few and far between."
	Fiddling while Rome burns	If you say that somebody is fiddling while Rome burns, you mean that they are doing unimportant things while there are serious problems to be dealt with "His visit to the trade fair was 'fiddling while Rome burns' according to the strikers."
	Field day	A field day refers to a day, period or time of great excitement and activity. "Journalists will have a field day with the latest political scandal"
	Fight a losing battle	If someone is fighting a losing battle, they are trying to do something even when there is little chance of succeeding. "The headmaster is fighting a losing battle trying to ban mobile phones at school."
	Fight tooth and nail	If you fight tooth and nail for something, you fight with all your energy. "The Transport Minister fought tooth and nail to have to have the proposed road safety law accepted."
	Fight shy of something	If you fight shy of something, such as a task, a problem or a duty, you want to avoid doing it or you are unwilling to confront it. "He had money problems for years but fought shy of asking his children for help."
	A figment of one's imagination	To refer to something as a figment of one's imagination means that an appearance, event or incident is not considered to be real but is only imaginary. "Other people saw the car, so it's not a figment of Tom's imagination!"
	Fine-tooth comb	To go over something with a fine-tooth comb means to examine it closely and thoroughly so as not to miss any details. "The police are examining the scene of the accident with a fine-tooth comb."
	A finger in every pie	If someone has a finger in every pie, they are involved in many activities "For information about the town development project, you should talk to John Brown. He has a finger in every pie."
	Firing line	Someone who is in the firing line is in a position to be criticized because of their responsibilities or the position they hold. "The managing director of the bank is in the firing line since the fraud was discovered."
	Fish in troubled waters	If you fish in troubled waters, you try to gain advantages for yourself from a disturbed state of affairs. "Between the declaration of independence and the first elections, some people were accused of fishing in troubled waters."
	Fish out of water	If you feel like a fish out of water, you feel uncomfortable because of an unfamiliar situation or unfamiliar surroundings. "As a non-golfer, I felt like a fish out of water at the clubhouse."
	Have other fish to fry	If you have other fish to fry, you have more important things to do. "I don't think he'll attend the office party; he's got other fish to fry."
	Neither fish nor fowl	This is said to describe people or things that are difficult to classify, that are neither one thing nor another. "Interns are neither fish nor fowl. They are neither students nor fully qualified practitioners."
	Fishing expedition	If someone is on a fishing expedition, they are trying to obtain information in any way possible. "The lunch invitation was clearly a fishing expedition to obtain information about his private life."
	Fit as a fiddle	If you are fit as a fiddle, you are active and healthy. "My grandfather is still fit as a fiddle at the age of 90."
	Fit like a glove	If something fits you like a glove, it fits you perfectly. "I was lucky! The first skirt I tried on fitted me like a glove!"
	Fit the bill	If someone or something fits the bill, they are exactly right for for a particular situation. "They wanted a quiet place for the week-end and the country inn just fitted the bill."
	In fits and starts	If you do something in fits and starts, you do it in an irregular manner, often stopping and starting again. "You'll never make progress in English if you work in fits and starts."
	Five-finger discount	If somebody gets a five-finger discount, they take something without paying. In other words, they steal. "How could he afford that watch?" "Who knows - perhaps with a five-finger discount!"
	Flea in one's ear	After an attempt at something, if you are sent away with a flea in your ear, you are angrily reprimanded or humiliated. "When he tried to put the blame on Pete, he was sent away with a flea in his ear."
	There are no flies on him!	To say that there are no flies on someone means that they understand quickly and cannot be tricked or deceived easily. "It's better to tell him all the facts. There are no flies on him."
	Fly by the seat of your pants	If you fly by the seat of your pants, you do something without knowledge or experience, using only your instinct and hoping that you will succeed. "Without any formal training, he decided to fly by the seat of his pants and try his luck in New York."
	Fly in the ointment	The expression a fly in the ointment refers to someone or something that prevents a situation from being completely satisfactory. "Tony's poor English was a fly in the ointment when he applied for the job."
	Fly on the wall	This expression is used to describe a person who watches a situation without being noticed. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the management discusses my project."
	Fly off the handle	A person who flies off the handle becomes suddenly very angry. "Dad flew off the handle when I told him I had damaged his new car."
	It will never fly	To say that something will never fly means that it will not be successful. "He's got incredible ideas, but none that will ever fly!"
	With flying colours	To achieve something with flying colours means to do it very successfully. "My daughter passed the entrance exam with flying colours. I'm so proud of her!"
	Foam at the mouth	Someone who foams at the mouth is extremely angry about something. "The director was foaming at the mouth when he saw a picture of his children in the newspaper."
	Follow one's nose	If you follow your nose, you go straight ahead. (Also: follow your instinct in life). "The station is at the end of the road - just follow your nose."
	Follow in someone's footsteps	If you follow in someone's footsteps ( for example a parent), you lead a similar life or do the same job. "Lily followed in her mother's footsteps and became a teacher."
	Follow suit	If you follow suit, you do the same as somebody else has just done. The first robber held up his hands. The other two followed suit.
	Food for thought	If something gives you food for thought, it makes you think very hard about something. "The documentary on poverty in the world really gave me food for thought."
	A foot in the door	If you say that someone has a foot in the door, you mean that they have a small but successful start in something and will possibly do well in the future. "With today's unemployment, it's difficult to get a foot in the door in any profession."
	Put one's foot down	To put one's foot down means to exert authority to prevent something from happening.
	Footloose and fancy-free	A person who is footloose and fancy-free has few responsibilities or commitments of any kind and feels free to do as they please. "John will never get married. He says he prefers to be footloose and fancy-free."
	Force of habit	When something is done out of force of habit, it has become automatic through frequent repetition. "Why do I always park here? It's force of habit I suppose."
	Force someone's hand	If you force someone's hand, you make them do something unwillingly or sooner than planned. "The interviewer forced his hand and made him reveal his relocation plans."
	Forewarned is forearmed	This expression means that if you know something is going to happen, you can be prepared for it. "The Chairman is going to attend the meeting tomorrow. Your presentation had better be good. Forewarned is forearmed.!"
	Free as a bird	If someone is free as a bird, they are completely free to do as they please. "My dad's very happy - he's free as a bird since he retired."
	A free-for-all	This term refers to an uncontrolled situation such as a discussion, argument or fight where everyone present can do or say what they like. "It started as a serious debate but turned into a free-for-all."
	Of your own free will	If you do something of your own free will, you do it voluntarily, without any pressure from others. "He decided to tell the truth, and he did it of his own free will."
	Freudian slip	This refers to a mistake made by a speaker which is considered to reveal their true thoughts or feelings. "So you got the job - I'm so sad - sorry, I mean glad!"
	Have a frog in one's throat	A person who has a frog in their throat is unable to speak clearly because their throat is sore, or because they want to cough.
	From the word go	The expression 'from the word go' means from the very beginning of an activity. "Right from the word go he was rejected by the rest of the group."
	Front runner	In a contest, race or election, the front runner is the person who seems most likely to succeed or win. "Who are the front runners in the coming elections?"
	Out of the frying pan and into the fire.	This expression means to go from one difficult situation to another, usually even worse. "The flight was delayed because of snow. When the plane eventually took off, it had to turn back because of engine trouble - out of the frying pan into the fire!"
	Full of the joys of spring	If you are full of the joys of spring, you are happy, enthusiastic and full of energy. "Barbara is full of the joys of spring at the moment! Has she got a new boyfriend?"
	In full swing	When something, such as an event, gets into full swing, it is at its busiest or liveliest time. "When we got back to the office, the Christmas party was in full swing."
	Fur coat and no knickers	A person who tries to appear distinguished but has no real class is referred to as "fur coat and no knickers". "Don't let her impress you. She's what we call 'fur coat and no knickers'!