Showing 31-50 of 67
Get your ducks in a row
The idiom get your ducks in a row means to get organised and ready to do something.This idiom originated from carnival games where you would shoot wooden ducks and win a prize if you hit a certain number of ducks in a row. Actual ducks naturally organise themselves into rows quite often.
This event is really well organised, they sure had all their ducks in a row.
Hair of the dog
The idiom hair of the dog refers to an old folk remedy for rabies that included a hair of the dog that bit you in the potion. Today it refers to drinking alcohol the next day to cure a hangover.You look terrible, you should have a hair of the dog that bit you.
Happy as a pig in mud
If you are happy as a pig in mud you are happy and having fun, and you might be surrounded by mess. Pigs really enjoy playing in mud, so this idiom is comparing you to a happy, muddy pig, but in a good way.We gave the kids some finger paints, and they were happy as pigs in mud.
High and dry
High and dry means to be left in a difficult situation without help or support. This idiom describes someone who has been abandoned or left to deal with a problem on their own.The phrase comes from sailing. When the tide goes out, a boat can be left stranded on land above the waterline, literally high and dry. Over time the image became a metaphor for being left stuck without assistance.
They cancelled the ride and left us high and dry.
Hold Your Horses
To hold your horses means to slow down or wait for a moment instead of rushing. This idiom is used when someone is moving too quickly or getting ahead of themselves.The expression comes from the days when people traveled by horse. To hold your horses meant pulling on the reins to stop the animals from moving forward too fast.
Hold your horses, we have not even decided where we are going yet.
It's the bee's knees
The bee's knees is slang for something that is excellent. A similar idiom is "the cat's pajamas".This cafe is just the bee's knees!
Kill two birds with one stone
The idiom kill two birds with one stone means to achieve two things with one action. It describes efficiency and smart planning. The wording is derives from hunting with a slingshot where a well-aimed shot could kill two birds for dinner, using only one stone.I listen to podcasts while I exercise, and kill two birds with one stone - getting fit and learning things!
Let sleeping dogs lie
To let sleeping dogs lie means it is better not to bring up old problems or arguments that could cause trouble again. The idea is to leave a situation alone if disturbing it might make things worse.The saying has been used in English for several centuries and was recorded in writing as early as the 1300s. It compares old troubles to a sleeping dog that may bite if someone wakes it.
Everyone remembered the old disagreement, but they decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
Let the cat out of the bag
To let the cat out of the bag means to reveal a secret, often by accident.One possible origin comes from old market scams in which a seller might secretly replace a valuable piglet in a bag with a worthless cat. If the bag was opened and the cat escaped, the trick was exposed.
She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party before we could stop her.
Like a fish needs a bicycle
To need something like a fish needs a bicycle means that something is completely unnecessary or useless. It is used to say that you really don't need something at all.The phrase became popular in the 1970s as a humorous saying linked to the feminist slogan "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". It was meant to express the idea that women do not depend on men in order to live full lives.
When we got married, we got so many blenders we'd open presents and say "we need another blender like a fish needs a bicycle"