A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All 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
Not a snowball’s (chance in hell)

No chance at all, the expression is of American origin from c. 1931.


Not all jam

Eric Partridge maintains that this phrase is now Standard English and means that something or other is not all plain sailing or easy. It dates from th...

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Not all that glitters is gold

see All that glitters is not gold


Not all there

Mentally deficient, dates from the mid-18th century.


Not as black as one is painted

Means not as bad as one is made out to be dates from the mid-1500s.


Not at the races/Not in the race

If someone is not at the races, they are not performing at their best. It derives from not being in the race, which means much the same thing i.e. los...

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Not best pleased

British understatement that expresses annoyance or irritation; dates from the mid-18th century and still enjoys popularity.


Not by a long chalk

This expression dating from the early 19th century means not by any means or not at all and is sometimes used in the context of a contest. Its origin...

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Not by a long shot

This expression has a similar meaning to not by a long chalk but its origin is from archery or shooting and therefore is much older, from at least the...

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Not by any stretch of the imagination

See By no stretch of the imagination


Not enough room to swing a cat

see Swing a cat


Not enough room to swing a cat

See No room to swing a cat


Not for all the tea in China

This means not at any price. The most populous nation on earth produces and drinks an awful lot of tea. Therefore, to decline something for all the te...

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Not for toffee

see Toffee


Not give a fig

In expressions like ‘couldn’t give a fig’ or ‘not giving a fig’, the word fig is not, as often supposed, a euphemism for the f word. Since late mediev...

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