A - Z Database
See On one's toes
An idiom that means to do as someone else has done or to follow their lead in repeating or imitating whatever has gone before. It derives from playing...
If someone is described as 'old school' it means having traditional, proven, trusted, and rather old-fashioned principles and values, as opposed to ha...
Chiefly British and Australian informal expression for someone who is excellent and puts on a good, sometimes showy, performance, in any field of ende...
To find one's feet means to get accustomed to a new situation, a new environment, or a new skill or pastime. It derives from the concept of an animal...
Hubba, hubba is an American slang interjection or exclamation that expresses surprise, admiration, or approval, especially when directed at a member o...
A no brainer is an informal phrase that describes something that is easy to understand and is so obvious that it does not require any mental effort to...
'Crabs in a bucket' is not so much an idiom as a metaphor that describes attitudes or behaviour of the type 'if I can't have it, then nobody can.' The...
This idiom for a member of one's family or a close relative, is first cited in the New Testament, Ephesians 6-12. Flesh and blood can also be used to...
The OED gives alternative spellings for this expression, with one 'l' or two. 'To barrel along' is to move or travel quickly and purposefully, as in a...
British army slang for 'enough', 'no more', or often used to describe something that is finished and no longer of any use. It is a corruption of the F...
'This phrase when used figuratively means that people or entities, when compared, share the same characteristics. The allusion, of course, is to tailo...
See Cut
To loose or release the shackles, or to say 'the shackles have come off' are figurative uses of shackle, which means that one is free, and can cut loo...
The figurative use of 'pay dividends' meaning to get rewards for effort or for some undertaking or other e.g. 'hard work always pays dividends' dates...