English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - R, page 4
from: 'paint town red'
to: 'ride it out'
- paint the town red
- If you paint the town red, you go out and enjoy a lively evening in bars, night-clubs, etc.
"To celebrate the victory, the team's supporters painted the town red."
- If you paint the town red, you go out and enjoy a lively evening in bars, night-clubs, etc.
- see red
- If someone sees red, they suddenly become very angry or annoyed.
"Discrimination of any kind makes me see red."
- If someone sees red, they suddenly become very angry or annoyed.
- caught red-handed
- If a person is caught red-handed, they are caught while they are doing something wrong or illegal.
"The boy was caught red-handed stealing chocolate in the supermarket."
- If a person is caught red-handed, they are caught while they are doing something wrong or illegal.
- redress the balance
- An effort to redress the balance is an attempt to make things equal.
"With too few girls entering university, the authorities declared that an effort would be made to redress the balance."
- An effort to redress the balance is an attempt to make things equal.
- reduce to tears
- If your behaviour or attitude makes someone cry, you reduce them to tears.
"The teacher's criticism of her presentation so harsh that she was reduced to tears."
- If your behaviour or attitude makes someone cry, you reduce them to tears.
- refresh someone's memory
- If you refresh someone's memory, you remind them of facts they seem to have forgotten.
"Let me refresh your memory - you've already missed three classes this term."
- If you refresh someone's memory, you remind them of facts they seem to have forgotten.
- regain your composure
- If you regain your composure, you calm down and
control your emotions again after a stressful or upsetting event.
"It took her a while to regain her composure after hearing the insulting remarks."
- If you regain your composure, you calm down and
control your emotions again after a stressful or upsetting event.
- regain your feet
- If you regain your feet, you stand up again after
stumbling or falling.
This expression can also mean that you are once again financially solvent after a difficult period.
"John helped his father to regain his feet when he tripped on the steps."
- If you regain your feet, you stand up again after
stumbling or falling.
- remains to be seen
- If something is still unknown or a decision has not yet been
taken, it remains to be seen.
"The construction of a new hospital has been voted, but the exact location remains to be seen."
- If something is still unknown or a decision has not yet been
taken, it remains to be seen.
- the rest is history
- This is a way of saying that there is
no need to finish a story because everyone knows what happened next.
"Facebook was launched in 2004 and was initially restricted to students from Harvard, and the rest is history ..."
- This is a way of saying that there is
no need to finish a story because everyone knows what happened next.
- ride someone's coattails
- If you use your connections with someone successful in order to achieve
fame or success for yourself, without any personal effort, you ride their coattails.
"He rode his uncle's coattails in the hope of being elected."
- If you use your connections with someone successful in order to achieve
fame or success for yourself, without any personal effort, you ride their coattails.
- ride roughshod
- If you ride roughshod over something, you behave in
a harsh or thoughtless manner, or you treat a situation with contempt.
"The government rode roughshod over all opposition to the new measures."
- If you ride roughshod over something, you behave in
a harsh or thoughtless manner, or you treat a situation with contempt.
- ride it out / ride out the storm
- If you manage to survive a dangerous or very unpleasant
situation, like a ship sailing through a storm, you ride it out.
"His business was hit by the recession but he managed to ride it out."
- If you manage to survive a dangerous or very unpleasant
situation, like a ship sailing through a storm, you ride it out.
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