List of English idioms starting with A

Showing 11-14 of 14

Photo of buildings on a corner

Around the corner

The phrase around the corner is used to mean something will happen soon. It can be used to talk about something close by "he lives just around the corner" or an event that will happen soon.

Summer holidays are just around the corner.

Madras91 / CC BY-SA
Generated image of a man at a loss

At a loss

The phrase at a loss means confused or unsure what to do. A person does not have an answer or solution.
This idiom originated from hunting with dogs, when they lost the scent of the animal they are tracking.

I was at a loss when the computer stopped working.

Photographic Dictionary / Generated illustration
Photo of money

At face value

The idiom at face value means accepting something as it appears, without looking deeper. It can be a warning to think more carefully. This phrase originated from the financial markets, where the face value of something monetary is the value printed on that item. For example, a one hundred dollar bill has a face value of one hundred dollars.

Don’t take his promise at face value.

Dennis Sylvester Hurd / CC BY-SA
Generated image of someone getting frustrated at chatgpt

At your wits’ end

The phrase at your wits’ end means feeling completely frustrated, and you do not know what to do next.
It originated in the 1300s to describe scholars who were at the edge of their understanding.

I'm at my wits' end trying to get this computer program to do what I want!

Photographic Dictionary / Generated illustration