English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - K,
from: 'keep your options open'
to: 'kick yourself'
- keep your options open
- When you keep your options open, you postpone making a decision so that you can choose among several possible courses of action.
"The offer sounds good, but keep your options open until you're sure it's the best choice."
- When you keep your options open, you postpone making a decision so that you can choose among several possible courses of action.
- keep someone posted
- If someone asks you to keep them posted, they want you to keep them informed about a situation.
"Our agent promised to keep us posted on developments in the negotiations."
- If someone asks you to keep them posted, they want you to keep them informed about a situation.
- keep the ship on course
- The expression keep the ship on course means that it is important to stay concentrated and focus on the essential.
"We must be careful to keep the ship on course if we want to succeed."
- The expression keep the ship on course means that it is important to stay concentrated and focus on the essential.
- keep the wheels turning
- When you keep the wheels turning, keep things moving forward and ensure development
"We need to hire a manager who can keep the wheels turning."
- When you keep the wheels turning, keep things moving forward and ensure development
- keep your shirt on!
- If you tell somebody to keep their shirt on, you are asking them to calm down.
"Keep your shirt on Bob. Just give your version of what happened!"
- If you tell somebody to keep their shirt on, you are asking them to calm down.
- keep a stiff upper lip
- If a person keeps a stiff upper lip, they contain their emotion and do not let other people see their feelings.
"When she heard the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip."
- If a person keeps a stiff upper lip, they contain their emotion and do not let other people see their feelings.
- keep something under your hat
- If you keep something under your hat you do not reveal information that must be kept secret.
"My boss has promised me a promotion, but it's not official yet, so keep it under your hat."
- If you keep something under your hat you do not reveal information that must be kept secret.
- keep something under wraps
- If something is kept under wraps, it is held secret and not revealed to anyone.
"The plan was kept under wraps until the contract was officially signed."
- If something is kept under wraps, it is held secret and not revealed to anyone.
- keep things in proportion
- If you react to a situation in a sensible way, without exaggerating the importance or seriousness of the facts, you
keep things in proportion.
"Yes, we've got a problem, but let's try to keep things in proportion."
- If you react to a situation in a sensible way, without exaggerating the importance or seriousness of the facts, you
keep things in proportion.
- keep up appearances
- A person who keeps up appearances maintains an outward show of prosperity or well-being in order to hide their
difficulties from others.
"Leo continued to keep up appearances even when business was bad."
- A person who keeps up appearances maintains an outward show of prosperity or well-being in order to hide their
difficulties from others.
- keep up with Joneses
- Someone who tries to keep up with the Joneses tries to have the same possessions or social achievements as someone else
in order to appear equally important.
"First the Browns moved their children to an expensive school. Now the Smiths have done the same. It's silly how some people feel they have to keep up with the Joneses!"
- Someone who tries to keep up with the Joneses tries to have the same possessions or social achievements as someone else
in order to appear equally important.
- keep the wheels turning
- A person who keeps the wheels turning manages to keep things moving forward and continuing to develop.
"We need to hire a manager who can keep the wheels turning."
- A person who keeps the wheels turning manages to keep things moving forward and continuing to develop.
- keep the wolf from door
- To keep the wolf from the door you need to have enough money to buy food and other basic essentials in order to survive.
"My grandparents earned barely enough money to keep the wolf from the door."
- To keep the wolf from the door you need to have enough money to buy food and other basic essentials in order to survive.
- put the kibosh on
- If you do something to prevent a plan or activity from happening or developing, you put the kibosh on it.
"The bank's refusal to grant him a loan put the kibosh on Jack's project."
- If you do something to prevent a plan or activity from happening or developing, you put the kibosh on it.
- kick the bucket
- The expression kick the bucket is a lighthearted way of talking about death.
"Hugo will inherit when his grandfather kicks the bucket."
- The expression kick the bucket is a lighthearted way of talking about death.
- kick up a fuss
- A person who kicks up a fuss createsa disturbance, especially by complaining or protesting about something.
"The service was so slow in the restaurant that several customers began to kick up a fuss."
- A person who kicks up a fuss createsa disturbance, especially by complaining or protesting about something.
- get a kick out of something
- If you get a kick out of something, you feel enjoyment or excitement from something.
"Tania is a bit strange - she gets a kick out of listening to other people's phone messages."
- If you get a kick out of something, you feel enjoyment or excitement from something.
- kick yourself
- If you feel like kicking yourself, you are angry with yourself for something you have or have not done.
"I could have kicked myself for forgetting Emily's birthday."
- If you feel like kicking yourself, you are angry with yourself for something you have or have not done.
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More Idioms:
alphabetical lists K: K1 K2 K3
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