Idioms beginning with A, B, C
above board
If something is above board, it's been done in a legal and honest way.
above the law
If someone is above the law, they are not subject to the laws of a society.
Achilles' heel
An Achilles' heel is a weakness that could result in failure.
across the board
If something is across the board, it relates to all without exception.
add fuel to the fire
If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad situation even worse.
add insult to injury
Someone adds insult to injury if they say or do something to upset you a second time, after you've already been upset somehow.
against all odds | against all the odds
If you do something against all odds, or against all the odds, you do it even though there were many problems and it didn't seem possible to do.
agree to differ | agree to disagree
If two people agree to differ, or agree to disagree, they accept that they have different opinions about something and stop trying to change each other's opinion.
ahead of the game
You are ahead of the game if you have an advantage over your competitors in any activity in which you try to do better than others, such as in business, academia, sports, etc.
all hell broke loose INFORMAL
You can say "all hell broke loose" if a situation suddenly became violent or chaotic.
all the rage INFORMAL
If something is all the rage, it's very popular or it's in fashion at the moment.
an acid test
An acid test is something that shows the true worth or value of something or someone.
an act of God FORMAL
Something like an earthquake or a tornado can be called an act of God.
an ax to grind (1) American English
If you have an ax to grind with someone, you have a problem with them, or a complaint against them, which you'd like to discuss.
an axe to grind (2) British English
If you have an axe to grind, you have a strong opinion about something and you express this opinion whenever you can.
another string to your bow British English
If you have another string to your bow, you have another way of making a living.
answer the call of nature
If you answer the call of nature, you go to the toilet.
around the clock
If something occurs around the clock, it goes on all day and all night.
as soon as possible | asap
If you do something as soon as possible (sometimes abbreviated to "asap"), you do it at the first possible opportunity.
asking for trouble
If someone is asking for trouble, they're doing something risky that could lead to a problem.
at a loose end British English
If you're at a loose end, you have nothing to do.
at cross-purposes
If you're at cross-purposes with someone, you think you're both talking about the same thing but you're actually talking about different things.
at loose ends American English
If you're at loose ends, you feel restless and unsettled because you don't have anything to do.
at sea | all at sea
If you're at sea, or all at sea, you're confused about something and not sure what to do.
at the drop of a hat
If you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it immediately, without preparation or planning.
at your wits' end
If you're at your wits' end, you're upset and frustrated because you've tried everything you can think of to solve a problem, and nothing has worked.
(your) bread and butter
Your bread and butter is your livelihood or the source of your income.
a bad hair day INFORMAL
If you're having a bad hair day, everything seems to be going wrong for you.
a bag of tricks
Someone's bag of tricks is their collection of techniques or methods for getting a job done or for achieving a goal.
a ballpark figure | a ballpark estimate American English
If you give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate, you give a number which you think is fairly close to the actual one.
a blessing in disguise
You can say something is a blessing in disguise if it appears to be bad at first, but it results in something very good in the end.
back to square one
If you have to go back to square one, you have to stop and start again, usually because something isn't working as well as expected.
back to the drawing board
You can say "back to the drawing board" when a plan or a design has failed, and you decide to begin all over again.
backed into a corner
If you're backed into a corner, you're in a difficult situation that will be hard to get out of.
bark up the wrong tree INFORMAL
If you're barking up the wrong tree, you're looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way.
bear the brunt
If you bear the brunt of something, you suffer the worst of its impact or its effects.
beat around the bush | beat about the bush
If you beat around the bush, or beat about the bush, you don't say something directly, usually because you don't want to upset the person you're talking to.
beat the rap American English INFORMAL
If someone beats the rap, they avoid being found guilty of a crime.
behind someone's back
If you do something behind someone's back, you do it without letting them know about it.
behind the eight ball American English INFORMAL
If you're behind the eight ball, you're in a difficult or dangerous position.
behind the times
If someone is behind the times, they are old-fashioned and their ideas are out of date.
beside the point
You can say something is beside the point if it has nothing to do with what's being talked about or with the reason something is being done.
beyond a shadow of a doubt
Something is true "beyond a shadow of a doubt" if there is no possibility at all that it isn't true.
bite your tongue | hold your tongue
If you bite your tongue, or hold your tongue, you force yourself not to say something you really want to to say.
blow your own horn | blow your own trumpet
If you blow your own horn, or blow your own trumpet, you proudly boast about your own talents and successes.
break the ice
If you break the ice you say or do something to create a more relaxed atmosphere when meeting people for the first time.
break your heart
If someone breaks your heart, they cause you a lot of emotional pain by ending a romantic relationship, or by deeply hurting you in some other way.
burn your bridges | burn your boats
You have burned your bridges, or burned your boats, if you were in a situation and you then left it after doing something that made it impossible to go back there.
by the book
If you do something by the book, you do it strictly according to the rules or the official procedures.
by word of mouth
If something becomes well-known by word of mouth, it becomes well-known because people are telling each other about it, and not because of advertising or other marketing tools.
the back of beyond | the back of the beyond
You can say a place is in the back of beyond, or the back of the beyond, if it's very far from towns or cities.
the ball's in your court
If someone you're negotiating with says "the ball's in your court", they think it's your turn to make a move or make an offer.
a chip off the old block
Someone can be described as a chip off the old block if they are very similar in character to one of their parents, usually their father.
a couch potato
You can say someone's a couch potato if they're very lazy and they spend a lot of time sitting around watching TV and eating junk food.
call a spade a spade
If you call a spade a spade, you tell the truth in a straightforward and direct way, even if the truth is not pleasant.
call it a day INFORMAL
If you call it a day, you stop doing something that's usually related to work.
can of worms INFORMAL
If you say a situation or an issue is a can of worms, you think that getting involved in it could lead to problems.
can't see the forest for the trees American English
If you can't see the forest for the trees, you can't see the whole situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small details, or because you're too closely involved.
can't see the wood for the trees British English
If you can't see the wood for the trees, you can't see the whole situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small details, or because you're too closely involved.
carte blanche FORMAL
If you give someone carte blanche, you give them freedom to do whatever they want in a situation.
caught red-handed
If someone is caught red-handed, they are caught in the act of doing something wrong such as cheating or stealing.
change your tune
If you change your tune, you change your opinion about something or your attitude towards someone.
chew the fat | chew the rag
If you chew the fat, or chew the rag, you have a long, friendly chat with someone.
chickens come home to roost
If chickens are coming home to roost, someone is suffering the unpleasant consequences of their bad actions in the past.
clean as a whistle
If something is as clean as a whistle, it's extremely clean, or for a person it can mean they have a perfect record and have never done anything illegal.
come a cropper British English INFORMAL
If you come a cropper, you fall over, or you make a mistake which has serious consequences for you.
come clean
If you come clean about something, you let people know about it after keeping it a secret.
come in handy INFORMAL
You can say something might come in handy if you think it might be useful.
come to a head
You can say a situation or a problem comes to a head if it reaches a crisis point and dealing with it can no longer be avoided.
come to grips with | get to grips with
If you come to grips with something, or get to grips with something, you deal with the problems or challenges it poses.
come to your senses
If you come to your senses, you see things clearly and begin to act sensibly after a period of confusion and unwise behaviour.
come up trumps British English
If you come up trumps, you succeed in something that you may not have been expected to succeed in.
cook the books | cook the accounts
If someone cooks the books, or cooks the accounts, they keep inaccurate accounts for a business, usually in order to pay less tax.
cost the earth | charge the earth
If something costs the earth, or they charge the earth for it, it's very expensive.
couldn't care less INFORMAL
You can say "I couldn't care less" when you don't care about something, or it doesn't matter to you.
cover your tracks
If you cover your tracks, you make sure no-one can find evidence of what you've done.
cross that bridge when we come to it
You can say "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" if someone mentions a problem that might occur in the future, but you want them to think about what's happening now instead.
cut to the chase INFORMAL
If you tell someone to cut to the chase, you want them to get straight to the main point of what they are saying.
the cream of the crop
If something or someone is in the cream of the crop, they are among the best of a class of things or people
A, B, C D, E, F G, H, I, J K, L, M, NO, P, Q, R S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
A, B, C D, E, F G, H, I, J K, L, M, NO, P, Q, R S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
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