Phrase | Meaning |
A blessing in disguise | An apparent misfortune that eventually has good results |
A dime a dozen | Very common |
A penny for your thoughts | What are you thinking about? |
Across the board | Applies to all |
Add insult to injury | To make a bad situation worse |
Alive and kickin’ | Very active |
All ears | Listening eagerly and attentively |
All thumbs | Awkward with your hands |
At this stage of the game | A point in the progress of a dispute or process |
Awesome sauce | Amazing, really good |
Back on your feet | To be healthy again or back to normal after a period of illness or difficult again |
Bang a u’ey (prounced “u-ee”) | Make a U-Turn |
Beat around the bush | Discuss a matter without coming to the point |
Better late than never | Better to do it now than to never do it |
Bite the bullet | Do something difficult or unpleasant that you’ve been putting off |
Blind-sided | Catch someone unprepared |
Born with a silver spoon in their mouth | Very privileged |
Break a leg | Good luck |
By the skin of your teeth | Just barely |
Call it a day | Go home for the day or be done with something |
Call the shots | You make the decision |
Caught in the crossfire | Trapped between two opposing or arguing sides |
Clean bill of health | In good health |
Come full circle | Return to a past position or situation |
Cool your jets | Slow down or stop being upset |
Costs an arm and a leg | Very expensive |
Crash course | Rapid and intense course of study |
Cut from the same cloth | Very similar |
Cut somebody some slack | Allow someone some leeway in their conduct |
Cutting corners | Not doing things the correct way, usually by ignoring or breaking the rules |
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch | Don’t depend on something you hoped for until you are sure it is certain |
Don't cry over spilt milk | Don’t complain about something that can’t be fixed |
Don’t get bent out of shape | Don’t get upset |
Down to the wire | A situation where the outcome is not known until the very end |
Easy does it | Be careful; don’t take too much effort |
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy | Very easy or simple. |
Faux pas (pronounced “foh pah”) | A significant or embarrassing mistake |
Fit as a fiddle | In very good health |
Fly on the wall | An unnoticed observer |
Food for thought | Something that warrants serious consideration |
Frog in my throat | Hoarseness or lose your voice |
Get all my ducks in a row | Organize your tasks |
Get out of hand | No longer able to control the situation |
Get something out of your system | Do something you’ve wanted to do so you can move on |
Get your act together | Work better or leave |
Give it a whirl | Try something new |
Give someone the benefit of the doubt | Trust what someone says |
Go back to the drawing board | Start over |
Go the extra mile/ yard | Make special effort to achieve something |
Good faith | Honesty or sincerity of intention |
Grasping for straws | An attempt to succeed when nothing is likely to work |
Have a cow | Become angry, excited or agitated |
Herding kittens | Trying to control something uncontrollable |
Hit a homerun | You did a great job |
Hit the ground running | To start a new activity with a lot of energy and enthusiasm |
Hit the nail on the head | You got it exactly right |
Hit the sack/ hit the hay | Go to sleep |
Hold your feet to the fire | Put pressure on a person to obtain a desired result |
Hook line and sinker | Someone has been deceived or tricked |
In the limelight | Center of attention |
It's not rocket science | It’s not complicated |
It takes one to know one | You’re just as bad as I am |
Jack of all trades | A person who can do many different types of work |
Jawn | What you call something you don’t know the name of |
Jump the gun | Went ahead and completed something earlier than planned/ needed |
Keep your eyes peeled | Be aware of your surroundings |
Kill two birds with one stone | Complete two tasks at once |
Learn the ropes | Learn how to do things |
Like a duck to water | Naturally good at something |
Lose your marbles | Go insane |
Madder than a wet hen/ madder than a mashed duck | Extremely angry |
Make a long story short | Explain what happened without going into detail |
My way or the highway | There is no alternative but to accept the speaker’s opinions or policies |
Nailing jello to the wall | Impossible task |
Nervous as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs | Very nervous |
New lease on life | To get a fresh start, from good health |
Nip in the bud | Suppress an issue at an early stage |
Once in a blue moon | Rarely |
On the money | Accurate, correct |
On thin ice | Risky position |
Pale as a ghost | Very white/ pale |
Par for the course | That is typical or expected |
Piece of cake | Very easy to do |
Plain as day | Very clearly |
Play devil's advocate | To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument |
Pulling your leg | Joking around with you |
Putting socks on a rooster | Impossible task |
Ready Freddy? | Are you ready to go? |
Right as rain | Be perfectly fit and well |
Roll with the punches | Adapt to adverse circumstances |
See you later, Alligator | Goodbye, see you soon. |
Short end of the stick | To be in a worse position or situation |
Short fuse | Lose temper easily |
Sick as a dog | Very ill |
Sit tight/ hang tight | Refrain from taking action or changing one’s mind |
Slam dunk | Success is easily achieved |
Snowball effect | Something that starts small, and grows in significance, becoming more serious |
So far so good | Things are going well so far |
So to speak | Indicates that someone is talking figuratively |
Speak of the devil | When a person appears just after they were mentioned in a conversation |
Step up to the plate | Take action in response to crisis or opportunity |
Sweet tooth | Love sweet tasting foods |
Take it with a grain of salt | Don’t take it too seriously |
That is the last straw | My patience has run out |
That was a curveball/ you were thrown a curveball | Unexpected challenge or disruption |
The ball is in your court | It’s up to you to make the decision |
The straw that broke the camel's back | A small action that causes a large reaction, as a result of several smaller actions |
Third degree | Severe questioning |
Throw in the towel | Give up |
Under the knife | Going in for a surgical procedure |
Under the weather | Not feeling well |
Up a creek without a paddle | In serious trouble without a way of getting out of it |
We will cross that bridge when we get there | Let’s not talk about that problem right now |
When the chips are down | When a serious and difficult situation arises |
Willy-nilly | Doing something by compulsion; without planning or order |
Worth your salt or worth your weight in salt | You are competent, deserving and worthy |
Woulda, coulda, shoulda | A disappointed statement where the person saying it doesn’t believe the person’s intentions to follow through on a task. |
Wrap your head around something | Understand something complicated |
You can say that again | That’s true, I agree |
You have bigger fish to fry | You have more important matters to take care of than what we are talking about |
Your guess is as good as mine | I have no idea |
6 eggs in one hand, half a dozen in the other | Two alternatives will give the same outcome |