English idioms - Alphabetical list N

	Idiom	Meaning
N	Nailing jelly to the wall	To say that something is like nailing jelly to the wall, you mean that it is extremely difficult to do, if not impossible. "Keeping track of his movements is like nailing jelly to the wall."
	Your name is mud	To say that a person's name is mud means that they have acquired a bad reputation because of something they have done or said. "His name is mud now after the revelations in the newspaper."
	Name (written) on it	If something has someone's name (written) on it, it is intended for that person or is ideally suited to them. "That dress would be perfect for you - it's got your name on it!"
	A pain in the neck	If you refer to a person as a pain in the neck, you think they are very irritating or annoying.
	Neck and neck	In a contest or competition, when two competitors reach the same level, they are said to be neck and neck, so it is impossible to say who will win. "At the moment the two teams are neck and neck for the World Cup."
	Needs must (when the devil drives)	This expression means that you are sometimes forced by circumstances to do something that you do not want to do. "I'd rather stay with you than attend the conference, but needs must...!"
	A needle in a haystack	To refer to something as a needle in a haystack means that it is very difficult or impossible to find. "Finding a pub in Dublin without knowing its name is like looking for a needle in a haystack!"
	Neither here nor there	Something which is neither here nor there is unimportant or irrelevant. "Why the problem wasn't discovered earlier is neither here nor there. What's important now is to find a solution."
	Nerves of steel	Someone who has nerves of steel is not afraid in a difficult or dangerous situation. "You need to have nerves of steel to drive on those mountain roads."
	Nest egg	If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs. "Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age."
	Never a dull moment!	When there is never a dull moment, something is always changing or happening. "With four teenagers at home, there's never a dull moment!
	Never looked back	If you say that you have never looked back, you mean that after an event which changed your life for the better, you continue to be happy with the situation. "Since the day she decided to work from home, she has never looked back."
	Never mind	When you say "never mind" to someone, you are telling them not to worry, that it is not important. "When the child broke the cup Susan said : "never mind - it was an old cup."
	Never rains but pours	This expression is used to comment on the fact that when something bad happens, other bad things often happen too, and make the situation even worse. "First he forgot his briefcase, then he lost his wallet, and when he reached the car park, his car had been stolen - it never rains but it pours!"
	Never say die	This expression is used to encourage someone to persevere in their efforts and not give up or abandon their project. "Keep going. It's too soon to give up. Never say die!"
	New to this game	To say that you are new to this game means that you have never been involved in this sort of activity before. "I want to join Facebook but I don't know how to start. I'm afraid I'm new to this game!"
	New lease of life	A person who has a new lease of life has a chance to live longer or with greater enjoyment or satisfaction. "Moving closer to his children has given him a new lease of life."
	Next to nothing	The term next to nothing means a very small amount or almost nothing. "My boots were a real bargain. I bought them for next to nothing in the sales."
	Next best thing	If you can't have exactly what you want, the next best thing is the best alternative possible. "The camera I wanted was far too expensive so I opted for a cheaper one that was the next best thing."
	Nice as pie	If a person is nice as pie, they are surprisingly very kind and friendly "After our argument, she was nice as pie!"
	In the nick of time	If something happens in the nick of time, it happens at the last minute, when it is nearly too late. "The child was standing in front of the open window. His mother arrived in the nick of time."
	Night owl	Someone who is lively and active at night and goes to bed very late is called a night owl. "I work better in the evenings than in the morning. My friends say I'm a night owl."
	Nine-day wonder	An event which is a nine-day wonder causes interest, surprise or excitement for a short time, but it doesn't last. "His sudden departure was a nine-day wonder but he was soon forgotten."
	Nine times out of ten	When something happens nine times out of ten, it almost always happens. "The public transport system is very bad. Trains arrive late nine times out of ten."
	On cloud nine	A person who is on cloud nine is very happy because something wonderful has happened. "When the boss announced my promotion, I was on cloud nine!"
	Dressed up to the nines	To describe someone as dressed up to the nines means that they are wearing very smart or glamorous clothes. "Caroline musts be going to a party - she's dressed up to the nines!"
	Nineteen to the dozen	If someone talks nineteen to the dozen, they speak very quickly. "He was talking nineteen to the dozen so I didn't catch the whole story!"
	Nitty-gritty	When people get down to the nitty-gritty, they begin to discuss the most important points or the practical details. "I was interested in the project, but we didn't get down to the nitty-gritty until his partner arrived."
	No accounting for taste	This expression is used to indicate surprise at another person's likes or dislikes "She fell in love with a guy who's short, fat, bald and poor ... well, there's no accounting for taste!"
	No-brainer	A decision or choice that requires little or no thought, because the best option is so obvious, is called a no-brainer. "The choice was between a cash refund or having the amount credited to my account - it was a no-brainer! - I took the cash!
	No dice!	If someone asks you for something and you reply "no dice" you mean that it is impossible or that it can't be done. "Can you lend me your car?" "Sorry, no dice."
	No end	This expression is another way of saying 'very much'. "Aunt Bessie was pleased no end to be invited to your wedding."
	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."
	A no-go area	A no-go area is an area, particularly in a city, where it is dangerous to go. "Tourists have been advised to avoid parts of the city which have become no-go areas."
	No great shakes	To say that something or someone is no great shakes means that they are useless, ineffective or not very good. "He's a good actor but his last film was no great shakes."
	No hard feelings	If you have no hard feelings, you feel no resentment or bitterness about something. When Jack was promoted instead of Steve, he said to Steve : "No hard feelings I hope."
	No holds barred	This expression, which derives from wresting, is used to describe something done with no restraints, limits or rules of conduct. "It's a live talk show with no holds barred, which is not to everyone's taste."
	No smoke without fire	If it is said by many people that something bad is happening, there must be some truth in it. "Although no proof was ever found, people say there's no smoke without fire."
	There are no two ways about it	To say that there are no two ways about it means that there is only one suitable way of dealing with something. "There's no two ways about it. You can't accept the money, so you must give it back."
	Nodding terms	If you are on nodding terms with someone, you don't know them very well, just well enough to say 'hello' when you meet them. "We haven't made any friends yet but we're on nodding terms with out neighbours."
	Non-sequitur	This latin term refers to a statement which does not seem to be a logical follow-up to the previous statement or argument. "After announcing the merger, the chairman began talking about global warming which seemed a complete non sequitur."
	Nose out of joint	If a person's nose is out of joint, they have been upset, embarrassed or offended by somebody or something. "When he discovered that he wasn't on the invitation list, that really put his nose out of joint.'
	Keep your nose clean	A person who keeps their nose clean behaves well and avoids trouble.
	Keep your nose to the grindstone	A person who keeps their nose to the grindstone is someone who concentrates on working hard at his job.
	Look down your nose	To look down your nose at a thing or person, means that you treat that thing or person with contempt, or consider them inferior.
	Turn up your nose at something.	If you "turn up your nose" at something, you reject it because it is not good enough for you.
	Not a hair out of place	To say that someone does not have a hair out of place means that their appearance is perfect. "Angela is always impeccably dressed - never a hair out of place!"
	Not all there	Someone who is not all there behaves strangely at times, or seems a bit odd. "Our new neighbour wears a hat and coat even in summer; I don't think he's quite all there!"
	Not for all the tea in China	To say that you would not do something for all the tea in China means that you would not do it under any conditions. "I wouldn't live there for all the tea in China."
	Not for love or money	If you say that you cannot or will not do something for love or money, you mean that you cannot or will not do it under any circumstances. "I would not try bungee jumping for love or money!"
	Not by a long chalk/a long shot	This expression means 'not at all' and is used to emphasise a statement, especially a negative one "The matter hasn't been settled yet, not by a long chalk!"
	Not getting anywhere	If you are not getting anywhere, you are making no progress at all. "I've spent the whole day looking for a solution but I'm not getting anywhere."
	Not give a hang about something	If you do not give a hang about something, you are totally indifferent to it and do not care at all about it. "I'm not interested in football so I don't give a hang about which team wins."
	Not have a stitch on	Someone who does not have a stitch on is wearing no clothes and is therefore completely naked. "When the doorbell rang, he didn't have a stitch on!"
	Not in the same league	If something is not in the same league, it is of a much lower standard that something else. "He had a good voice but he wasn't in the same league as Pavarotti "
	Not lift a finger	Someone who does not lift a finger makes no effort to help or provide assistance when it is needed. "Many people saw the boy falling off his bike but not one of them lifted a finger."
	Not lose sleep over something	When something happens that in your opinion is not a cause for worry, you can say that you will not lose any sleep over it. "We didn't reach an agreement but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."
	Not the only pebble on the beach	To say that someone is not the only pebble on the beach means that they are not the only person worth consideration or interest. "He thinks his refusal to join the team will cause problems, but there are alternatives ... he's not the only pebble on the beach."
	A notch above	Something that is a notch above something else is a little better in every way "His rendering of the song was a notch above the others."
	Strike (or hit) the right note	If you strike (or hit) the right note, you say or do something suitable or appropriate. "He struck the right note with his future mother-in-law when he gave her a book on gardening - her favourite hobby!"
	Nothing doing!	This expression is used to say that there is no way you would accept to do what is proposed. . "Work on Sunday? Nothing doing!"
	Nothing succeeds like success!	This expression means that success often leads to further successes. "The success of my first book encouraged me to continue writing. Nothing succeeds like success!"
	Nothing to write home about	If you refer to something as nothing to write home about, you mean that it is not of great interest or importance. "Okay, she's written a couple of books, but nothing to write home about."
	Nothing ventured, nothing gained	This expression means that you cannot expect to achieve anything if you risk nothing. "He's going to ask his boss for a promotion even though he has little chance of obtaining satisfaction - nothing ventured, nothing gained! "
	Now you're talking!	This expression is used to show encouragement or agreement with something that has just been said, for example a good idea. "If we take the underground we'll avoid the traffic." "Now you're talking!"
	Nowhere to be found	To say that something is nowhere to be found means that, even after a thorough search, it is impossible to find it. "We looked everywhere for the cat but it was nowhere to be found."
	Null and void	Something which is null and void has no legal force or is invalid. "The contract was declared null and void."
	Number cruncher	This is a humorous way of referring to someone who is an accountant or who is very good at working with numbers and calculations. "She's a number cruncher who perfectly understands the organization's financial situation. "
	Nurse/bear/hold a grudge	If you nurse a grudge against someone or something, you have a feeling of resentment or ill-will towards them. "Ever since I got a promotion, he's been nursing a grudge against me."
	Go nuts	To say that a person has gone nuts means that they have become completely foolish, eccentric or mad.
	Nuts and bolts	The nuts and bolts of something are the detailed facts and the practical aspects. "We need to discuss the nuts and bolts of the proposal before going any further."
	In a nutshell.	You say in a nutshell when you give a brief summary of something. "In a nutshell, we disagreed and I left the company."