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Keep your chin up
The idiom keep your chin up means staying positive and not losing hope during a difficult time.The phrase comes from posture. Lifting the chin gives a look of confidence instead of defeat.
Keep your chin up. Things will get better soon.
Keep your eyes peeled
To keep your eyes peeled means to watch carefully and stay alert for something. People use this idiom when they are telling someone to look closely so they do not miss anything important.The expression comes from the idea of keeping your eyes wide open, as if the eyelids were peeled back so you can see everything clearly.
Keep your eyes peeled for the trail marker so we do not miss the turn.
Keep your fingers crossed
You say keep your fingers crossed when you are hoping for good luck. This physical gesture has been in use for a very long time, but it is different in some countries.In Germany and Scandinavia, crossing your fingers is seen as a sign of lying, and in Vietnam it is considered offensive.
Crossing your fingers behind your back while you are lying is a superstition that forming a cross with your fingers where nobody can see it secretly negates the lie.
I'm crossing my fingers that I get that job!
Knee jerk reaction
A knee jerk reaction is a quick response made without thinking carefully. This idiom is used to describe when someone reacts straight away without thinking.The expression comes from a simple medical reflex. When a doctor taps the knee just below the kneecap, the leg automatically kicks forward without you meaning to.
His first response was a knee jerk reaction, but later he realized he needed to think about the problem more carefully.
Lend a hand
To lend a hand means to help someone with a task. The help is usually practical.The phrase comes from the simple idea of using your hands to assist another person. The image became a common way to describe offering help.
Can you lend a hand moving these boxes?
More than meets the eye
The idiom more than meets the eye means that something is more important or interesting than it first appears. At first glance it may seem simple, but there are hidden details or deeper reasons behind it.The phrase has been used in English for many years to describe situations where the true nature of something is not immediately obvious. It reminds people not to judge something too quickly based only on what they first see.
The quiet little shop looked ordinary, but there was more than meets the eye once you stepped inside.
No skin off my nose
The idiom no skin off my nose means that something does not affect or harm someone. People use this phrase when they do not mind what happens because it makes no difference to them.The expression comes from the idea of losing skin from the nose in a fight or injury, which would be painful and noticeable. Saying it is no skin off my nose means there is no personal loss or damage.
If you want to leave early, it is no skin off my nose.
Nose to the grindstone
The phrase nose to the grindstone means to work hard.It originates from the literal hard work of sharpening tools on a grinding wheel, where workers who were sharpening knives had to bend close to the stone to work.
Similar idioms are back to the grindstone or the daily grind and are all variations on this idiom.
Well, lunch is over, better go back and put my nose to the grindstone.
Off the top of my head
Off the top of my head means giving an answer without stopping to think deeply or check the details.The phrase appeared in English in the early 1900s. It suggests a thought coming straight from the head without careful preparation.
Just off the top of my head, I think those cost about ten dollars.
On the tip of my tongue
The idiom on the tip of my tongue means that someone almost remembers something, such as a word or name, but cannot quite say it yet.The expression comes from the image of a word being so close to being spoken that it seems to be sitting on the tip of their tongue, ready to come out.
Her name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just cannot remember it.