Showing 31-50 of 50
Needle in a haystack
The idiom like a needle in a haystack means something very hard to find. It is used when you mean an impossible task to find something.This idiom draws from the literal image of a needle hidden in a haystack, which if you think about it is something that is very very hard to find.
Finding the right file felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Not the sharpest tool in the shed or not the sharpest knife in the drawer is a euphemism for saying someone is not very smart.He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he works hard.
On the fence
If you are on the fence you cannot decide what side of an argument or decision you are going to take. It comes from a literal description of someone on a fence between two properties. This idiom is used to represent indecision.She was on the fence about changing jobs.
Over the moon
To be over the moon means to be extremely happy about something.The expression comes from the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, where the cow jumps over the moon. Over time the phrase came to describe a feeling of happiness so strong it seems to lift someone far above the ground.
She was over the moon when she heard she had been accepted into the program.
Pure as driven snow
As pure as driven snow means completely innocent or morally clean. It is often used when someone claims they have done nothing wrong.This idiom refers to fresh snow that has just fallen, before it has been touched or dirtied. Because untouched snow looks perfectly clean and white, it became a symbol of purity.
He insisted he was as pure as driven snow despite the accusations.
Rabbit warren
A place is like a rabbit warren if it has many small rooms, passages, or paths that are confusing to move through. This idiom is used when a building or area is easy to get lost in.The expression comes from the underground burrows where rabbits live. A real rabbit warren is made of many twisting tunnels and chambers, which makes it easy to get lost inside.
The older part of the hospital is a rabbit warren of narrow corridors and small rooms.
Right up your alley
Right up your alley means something that is perfectly suited to a person's interests, skills, or tastes.The expression comes from bowling. In bowling, the ball rolls down a long narrow lane called an alley, so something that goes right up your alley fits exactly where it should.
If you like puzzles and mysteries, this book will be right up your alley.
Run like clockwork
To run like clockwork means that something happens very regularly.The phrase comes from mechanical clocks, which were designed to keep steady, precise time using gears and springs. Because a well made clock runs in a predictable way, this idiom became a way to describe anything that happens on a predictable timeframe.
Every morning at exactly six o'clock, the rooster started crowing like clockwork.
So far, so good
So far so good means that everything has been going well up to now. This idiom is used when a task or situation is working out as planned so far.The expression has been used in English since at least the 1800s. It reflects the idea that although the result is not known yet, the progress until now has been successful.
The cakes are baking nicely and have not burned yet, so far so good.
Stick out like a sore thumb
Something sticks out like a sore thumb if it is very obviously different from the things around it. This idiom came from how you would hold out an injured thumb so you don't hurt it even more.She wore a bright shirt to work, and stuck out like a sore thumb in the office.