Showing 1-11 of 11
It never rains, but it pours
The idiom it never rains, it pours means that when something bad happens, many bad things often happen at the same time. It is used when problems seem to come all at once instead of one at a time. Less often someone will use it to describe a burst of good things rather than bad.This phrase draws on the idea of heavy rain. It is often not slow and steady, and a heavy storm suddenly brings a lot of water very quickly.
First my phone broke, then my car wouldn't start, and then I missed the bus - sometimes it never rains, it pours.
Nail in the coffin
Saying another nail in the coffin or the last (or final) nail in the coffin means this is another of a chain of mistakes, poor decisions or bad luck leading to the end or failure of something, like the visual of someone nailing the lid of a coffin closed.Having our key designer quit was another nail in the coffin for this project.
Neck and neck
The phrase neck and neck means very close, with no clear winner. It is often used to describe two choices, or two sides of a competion.The origin is horse racing, where two horses that are very close are described as neck and neck.
The two teams were neck and neck until the end.
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.
Nip it in the bud
To nip something in the bud means to stop it early before it gets bigger and becomes more of a problem. This is often used to reference stopping an emerging bad habit.This idiom comes from gardening, where you can nip off the buds on plants to direct which way they will grow.
Your puppy is chewing the furniture, you'd better nip that in the bud.
No pain, no gain
The idiom No pain, no gain means that you must endure hardship or effort (pain) to achieve success or improvement (gain). This phrase arose from gym culture in the 1980s, and can be applied to a number of everyday situations.He believed that working very hard would pay off. No pain, no gain!
No room to swing a cat
The idiom no room to swing a cat means a place is very small or crowded, with hardly any space to move around. People use this expression when a room or area feels too tight.The saying comes from the idea that swinging something around needs a lot of space, and it jokingly uses a cat as the thing to swing around because cats are small enough to swing.
When I saw my new dorm room, I joked there was no room to swing a cat.
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.
Not rocket science
The phrase it's not rocket science means that something is not very difficult to understand or do. People say this when they think a task or idea should be simple.This idiom became popular in the 20th century, when rocket science was widely seen as one of the most complex and technical kinds of work. By comparison, ordinary tasks seem easy.
Just follow the instructions on the box, it's not rocket science.