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A rolling stone gathers no moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss means that someone who is always moving from place to place does not settle down or collect responsibilities or possessions.The saying has been known in English since the 1500s and appeared in a collection of proverbs by John Heywood in 1546. The image compares a stone that keeps rolling with one that stays still long enough for moss to grow on it.
He has lived in five different cities in ten years, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
Like rats fleeing a sinking ship
The idiom like rats fleeing a sinking ship means a lot of people all leaving a failing situation around the same time. It is often used when people abandon a group, plan, or organization as soon as trouble appears.The expression comes from the old belief that rats on ships would sense danger and escape before a vessel sank. Because rats were often seen leaving damaged ships in ports, the image became a metaphor for people rushing to abandon a doomed situation.
When the company started losing money, investors left like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
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.
Rain on your parade
To rain on your parade means to spoil someone's plans or happiness by saying or doing something negative. It is used when someone interrupts a good moment with bad news or criticism.The phrase comes from the image of a parade being ruined by bad weather. If rain falls during a parade, it makes the event less enjoyable for everyone.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but the concert you wanted to see has already sold out.
Raise the bar
To raise the bar means to increase the level of difficulty or the standard that must be reached. When someone raises the bar, they make expectations higher so that people have to work harder or perform better to succeed.The phrase comes from the sport of high jump, where athletes must jump over a horizontal bar. As the competition continues, the bar is raised higher, making each attempt more challenging.
After the team produced such a great design, the manager said they had really raised the bar for future projects.
Rare as hen's teeth
Something is as rare as hen's teeth if it is so uncommon that you need an idiom to exaggerate how uncommon it is! Hens have no teeth, so hen's teeth are so rare they do not exist at all.You found one of those at the thrift store? Well done, they are as rare as hen's teeth!
Read between the lines
To read between the lines means to understand a hidden meaning that is not directly stated, usually from hints or clues.The expression comes from the idea of looking past the written words to notice what the writer or speaker truly intends. The phrase has been used in English for many centuries.
She did not say she was unhappy with the plan, but if you read between the lines, you could tell she had doubts.
Reinvent the wheel
You reinvent the wheel when you invest a lot of time, money or effort into doing something that has already been done. This idiom is often used when a solution to something already exists and you could just use that instead.Let's not reinvent the wheel, and just use an existing service.
Revenge is a dish best served cold
The idiom revenge is a dish best served cold means that revenge is more satisfying when it is planned carefully and carried out after time has passed, rather than done in anger right away.The expression compares revenge to food that tastes better after it has gone cold. The idea has been written about in many forms for centuries, and a similar line appeared in a French novel in the 1800s.
He waited years to expose the fraud, saying revenge is a dish best served cold.
Right as rain
To be right as rain means feeling healthy, well, or completely fine again after being sick or having a problem. It is often used when someone quickly returns to normal.The expression comes from the idea that rain is natural and dependable. In British English especially, it came to mean that something is exactly as it should be.
After a good night's sleep, she felt right as rain.