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Every man and his dog
Every man and his dog means almost everyone or a very large number of people. The phrase is often used when something becomes extremely common or widely done.The saying appeared in British English in the 1800s. It exaggerates the image of so many people showing up that they even bring their dogs along.
Don't feel so special, every man and his dog has a phone that can do that.
Few and far between
Few and far between means that something is rare and does not happen or appear very often. This idiom describes things that are scattered or uncommon.The phrase has been used in English since the 1600s. It combines two ideas, being few in number and far apart in distance, to emphasize how uncommon something is.
Good parking spots were few and far between on the busy street.
Give an inch, take a mile
To give an inch, take a mile means that if you allow someone to take something small, they may try to take much more than you intended. It describes people who take advantage of kindness or flexibility.The saying has been used in English since at least the 1500s. It plays on the idea of someone being given a tiny measurement, an inch, and then trying to claim something far larger.
If you let him borrow your tools once, he will start showing up every weekend because he tends to give an inch, take a mile.
House of cards
A house of cards describes something that is very precarious and likely to collapse if even a small problem occurs.The phrase comes from the activity of stacking playing cards to build a delicate structure. Because the cards are only lightly balanced, the whole structure can easily fall apart.
The company's finances turned out to be a house of cards once the debts were uncovered.
In hot water
To be in hot water means to be in trouble because of something you have done. It usually means the consequences of a mistake.The phrase has been used in English since the 1500s. Hot water was often associated with danger or discomfort, so the expression became a way to describe being in a difficult situation.
He was in hot water for being late again.
It's all fun and games
It's all fun and games means that something seems entertaining or harmless at first, but it can become serious or cause problems. The phrase is often used as a warning that playful behavior can go too far.The expression is a shortened form of the older saying "it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt". Variations of the phrase have been used in English for many years to remind people that actions can have consequences.
It was all fun and games while they were racing their bikes down the hill, until someone crashed.
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!
Judged and found wanting
To be judged and found wanting means that something or someone has been examined or tested and has been seen as not good enough.The phrase comes from older English writing and was influenced by a line in the Bible from the Book of Daniel about being "weighed" and found lacking. Over time it became a general expression for failing to meet a required standard.
After examining the cake, the fete committee judged it and found it wanting.
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"
Like a hot knife through butter
Like a hot knife through butter means something happens very easily and smoothly, with little effort or resistance. It describes a situation where a task or action works perfectly and quickly.The expression stems from the way a warm knife cuts through butter without any struggle, as it melts it as it cuts.
The new mower went through the long grass like a hot knife through butter.