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Cry wolf
To cry wolf means to raise a false alarm too often. When real trouble comes, people may not believe you. This phrase comes from a story where a shepherd called the villagers out because a wolf came for the sheep so many times in a row that the villagers eventually stopped coming. Then a wolf did come for the sheep and nobody would help the shepherd.He cried wolf so many times that no one listened.
Cut corners
To cut corners means to do something in a careless or cheap way in order to save time or money. This often leads to poor results. The phrase is usually used as a warning about taking shortcuts. It originates from people who cut a path across the corner of a field instead of walking around the outside edge.The company cut corners and the product broke quickly.
Cut from the same cloth
Cut from the same cloth or patches of the same quilt means that two people are very similar, with similar personalities, sense of humor or beliefs.This originated from tailoring, when you bought cloth in long lengths and could cut two garments out from the same roll of cloth.
You like that too? Wow, we are cut from the same cloth!
Cut off your nose to spite your face
The idiom cut off your nose to spite your face means to do something that disadvantages yourself when you try and punish someone else. It is an act of self-sabotage to spite someone else.She crashed her car on purpose so her boyfriend would stop borrowing it without asking. Didn't she cut off her nose to spite her face?
Cut to the chase
The idiom cut to the chase means to get to the main point without wasting time. It comes from early films where the chase scene was the most exciting part. People use this phrase when they want direct information.Please cut to the chase and explain the problem.
Don't have a crystal ball
The phrase "I don't have a crystal ball" comes from the symbolism of a fortune teller who uses a crystal ball to see the future.People use this idiom to express that you don't know what is happening next, especially when someone directly asks them about something that will happen in the future.
They're discussing a new product, but I don't know what it will be - I don't have a crystal ball!
Out of the corner of my eye
This idiom is a way of saying you see someone in your peripheral vision. It means you did not get a good look at something because you were not looking directly at it, but you still saw it.I saw the kids taking cookies, out of the corner of my eye.
The cat's pajamas
The cat's pajamas is a slang way of saying something is excellent.My new shoes are just the cat's pajamas!