Showing 21-30 of 30
Hit the sack
The idiom hit the sack, or sometimes hit the hay, means to go to bed in order to sleep. People use the phrase when they are tired and ready to end the day.The expression comes from the time that beds that were filled with sacks of hay, straw or other soft material. Lying down on the sack to sleep eventually became a casual way of saying someone was going to bed.
I am exhausted after the long drive, so I am going to hit the sack.
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.
Hold your tongue
The phrase hold your tongue means choosing not to speak even though you want to say something.The phrase appeared in English many centuries ago. The image suggests physically keeping the tongue still so words do not come out.
He wanted to argue but decided to hold his tongue.
Hot on the heels
To be hot on the heels of someone means you are following very closely behind them.The phrase comes from the image of a runner close enough to almost step on the heels of the person ahead.
The second runner was hot on the heels of the leader as they approached the finish line.
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.
Like herding cats
If something is like herding cats it means you are trying to organize or control a group that refuses to cooperate. The task feels chaotic and almost impossible.The phrase uses the picture of trying to move cats all together. Unlike herd animals, cats tend to wander wherever they want.
Running the meeting felt like herding cats because everyone kept talking about different ideas.
On the home stretch
To be on the home stretch means being close to finishing something after a long effort.The phrase comes from horse racing. The home stretch is the final straight section of the track leading to the finish line.
After months of work on the renovation, they were finally on the home stretch.
On your high horse
To be on your high horse describes someone acting proud and superior while judging others.The phrase comes from earlier times when important people rode tall horses while ordinary people walked. The higher position became a symbol of social status.
He got on his high horse about proper grammar during the meeting.
Your home is your castle
A man's home is his castle is an old proverb that says you should be safe and secure in your own home. It is backed up by laws in many countries that give you rights to defend yourself in your home, and that even authorities have limited rights to come into your home.We tried to get grandpa to move out to a nursing home, but he insists his home is his castle.