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Toe the line
To toe the line means to follow rules or instructions carefully, especially when someone in authority expects strict obedience.The expression comes from early military drills, where soldiers stood with their toes touching a marked line so the ranks stayed straight and orderly.
The coach warned the team to toe the line if they wanted to stay on the squad.
Too close for comfort
The idiom too close for comfort means a situation feels uncomfortably near or risky. It is used when something almost goes wrong or when danger or trouble comes closer than someone would like.The expression has been used since the early 1900s. It likely developed from the simple idea that being too near to something unpleasant can make people feel uneasy.
That car swerved past us on the narrow road and it was too close for comfort.
Too hard basket
The too hard basket is part of a metaphorical filing system where you put tasks that are too hard and you'll do later. People often say this when they give up on something.He put organising the garage into his too hard basket.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Too many cooks spoil the broth or in modern times, shortened to too many cooks means that if too many people are involved in something, it actually hinders the process.This proverb came from a story where soup was being cooked, and everyone in the house remembered separately that it needed to have salt added. Once every one of them had added some salt, the broth was too salty and was inedible.
Every time I try and do something on this project, someone else gives me a different answer and I can't get anything done. Too many cooks spoil the broth!
Touch and go
Touch and go means a situation that is uncertain and could easily end badly, or they could end well, but it is so close you can't tell what will happen.The expression comes from aviation. In a touch and go landing, a plane briefly touches the runway and immediately takes off again, making it a risky manoeuvre that requires careful control.
It was touch and go for a while, but the doctors managed to stabilize the patient.
Two sides of the same coin
Two sides of the same coin means that two things may seem different, but they are closely connected and part of the same situation. Often one cannot exist without the other.The phrase comes from the two faces of a coin. Although each side shows a different image, both belong to the same object and are inseparable.
The two sisters argued all the time, but they were two sides of the same coin.