English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List - S
(page 24 : sweet tooth → all
systems go)
| sweet tooth | Someone who has
a sweet tooth enjoys eating sweet
things like sugar, pastries, chocolate, etc. She'll be delighted if you bring her chocolates - she's got a sweet tooth. |
| sweetheart deal | The term
sweetheart deal is used to refer to an
abnormally lucrative arrangement between two
parties. Opponents say the contract was awarded to the builder as part of a sweetheart deal, and is therefore illegal. |
| swelled/swollen head | Someone who has a
swelled or swollen head has
become proud or conceited, usually because
of a recent success. Larry's promotion has given him a swelled/swollen head! |
| swim against the tide | A person who is
doing or saying the opposite to most other
people is said to be swimming against
the tide. Perhaps it's because she always swims against the tide that her books are successful. |
| get into the swing of things | When you get
into the swing of something, you become
involved in it or get used to it and begin
to enjoy it. It'll be more fun when you get into the swing of things. |
| in full swing | When 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. |
| swings and roundabouts | What you lose
on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. This expression means that there are as many advantages as there are disadvantages, or what is lost in one area can be gained in another. The more you earn, the more tax you pay. It's swings and roundabouts. |
| swishing (party) | Swishing is the name given to a recent fashion phenomenon - a party organised to swap second hand clothes. Everyone takes along clothes they no longer wear and people can then choose the ones they want. |
| fall on one's sword | If you fall on
your sword, you accept the consequences
of an unsuccessful or wrong action. The organiser of the referendum resigned when the poor results were announced. It was said that he' fell on his sword'. |
| all systems go | When everything is
ready for an activity or event to begin, you
can say that 'all systems go'. We've got an office, a telephone and the internet - so on Monday it's all systems go! |
| ...back | |
alphabetical lists S ...
| S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | S12 | S13 | S14 | S15 | S16 | S17 | S18 | S19 | S20 | S21 | S22 | S23 | S24 |
more alphabetical lists ...
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |