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Off the beaten path
Off the beaten path means a place that is quiet, unusual, or not visited by many people. It often describes locations that are away from busy roads, popular attractions, or crowded tourist areas.The phrase comes from the idea of a path that becomes worn or "beaten" by many people walking on it. A place off that path is somewhere fewer people have traveled.
We found a small café off the beaten path that served the best food on our trip.
Off the hook
To be off the hook means that someone is no longer responsible for something or no longer in trouble. It is often used when a person escapes blame.The phrase comes from early telephones. The receiver rested on a small hook when the phone was not in use, and lifting it started the call. If the receiver was left off the hook, the phone line stayed busy, which led to the expression being used in a figurative way.
When the meeting was canceled, she was finally off the hook for giving the presentation.
Off the rails
To go off the rails means that something has gone badly wrong or out of control. This idiom is used when a plan, situation, or a person's behavior stops following the expected path.The expression comes from railway accidents. If a train's wheels leave the metal rails that guide it, the train can no longer move safely along the track and the journey quickly becomes dangerous to anyone on or near the train.
The meeting went off the rails once everyone started arguing.
Off with the fairies
To be away with the fairies means you are distracted, daydreaming or not paying attention.She's meant to be studying, but I think she's away with the fairies.
On a short leash
On a short leash means being closely controlled or carefully watched by someone in authority. A person on a short leash is not given much freedom to act on their own.The idiom is derived from the notion of walking a dog with a very short leash. When the leash is short, the dog must stay close to its owner and cannot run off.
After missing several deadlines, he was kept on a short leash by his manager.
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.
On the same page
To be on the same page means means that people understand a situation in the same way and agree about what should happen.The expression comes from reading or studying together. If everyone is literally on the same page of a book or document, they are looking at the same information at the same time.
Before starting the project, the team met to make sure everyone was on the same page.
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.
Once bitten twice shy
Once bitten, twice shy means that after someone has a bad experience, they become more careful about similar situations in the future. It describes how people learn to avoid repeating the same mistake.The idea appears in very old proverbs. A similar saying was written in the 1600s, comparing a person who has been bitten by a dog to someone who becomes cautious even around friendly dogs afterward.
After losing money in a risky investment, she was once bitten, twice shy about trying another one.
One born every minute
The idiom there's one born every minute or there's a sucker born every minute is a way of saying there is a never-ending supply of fools or victims, constantly being born.It is something you say when you see someone being tricked or scammed.
You really fell for that? There's one born every minute!