English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Comparisons - Similarity
(as ... as / like)
(Idioms page 1 : as blind as a bat → as
fit as a fiddle)
| as blind as a bat | Someone whose vision is very poor, or who is unable to see
anything, is (as) blind as a bat. Without his glasses, the old man is as blind as a bat. |
| as broad as it's long | This expression
means that there is no real difference which
alternative is chosen. Take the high-speed train, or fly and take a taxi? It's as broad as it's long. |
| as clean as a whistle |
Something as clean as a whistle is
extremely clean. This can also mean that a person's criminal record is clean. Bob spent the afternoon washing and shining his car until it was as clean as a whistle. |
| as close / as dumb as an oyster | Someone who is as
close or as
dumb as an oyster will never reveal
something told in confidence or betray a
secret. Sophie will never repeat what you tell her. She's as dumb as an oyster. |
| as cool as a cucumber | A person who is as
cool as a cucumber is not anxious,
but relaxed and non-emotional. The bride's mother stayed as cool as a cucumber all through the ceremony. |
| as crooked as a dog's hind leg | To say that someone is as crooked as
a dog's hind leg
means that they are very dishonest indeed. He can't be trusted - he's as crooked as a dog's hind leg. |
| dead as a dodo | To say that something is (as) dead
as a dodo means that it is
unquestionably dead or obsolete, or has gone
out of fashion. (A dodo is a bird that is now extinct.) The floppy disk is an invention that is now (as) dead as a dodo. |
| dead as a doornail | This expression is used to stress that a
person or thing is very definitely dead. They've started fighting again, so the peace agreement is now as dead as a doornail. |
| as different as chalk and cheese | Two people who are as different as
chalk and cheese are completely
different from each other. I'm surprised they get on so well. They're as different as chalk and cheese. |
| as different as night and day | Two people or
things that are very different from each
other are as different as night and day. Although they are twins they are as different as night and day. |
| as dry as dust | Something that is as dry as dust
is very dry indeed. This expression can also refer to something dull and uninteresting. The ground was as dry as dust. / His speech was as dry as dust. |
| as dull as ditchwater | Something as
dull as ditchwater is very boring. The film was as dull as ditchwater. I nearly fell asleep. |
| as easy as pie | Something that is (as) easy as pie
is very easy to do. "How did the English test go?" "No problem, it was (as) easy as pie!" |
| as fit as a fiddle | A person who is as
fit as a fiddle is in an excellent
state of health or physical condition. My grandfather is nearly ninety but he's as fit as a fiddle. |
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