More than is required or expected; In addition to something; more than.
“My grandfather was given a medal by the president for going above and beyond the call of duty.”
Something that is done accidentally on purpose seems to be an accident but is actually done intentionally; pretending something is an accident that one actually does deliberately.
“I accidentally on purpose forgot to clean my room.”
Accidents will happen means that no matter how careful you are it is impossible to prevent things from going wrong; you cannot prepare for everything and unexpected events will occur.
“I’m sorry, mommy. I didn’t mean to knock over the lamp.” “Don’t worry sweetie, accidents will happen,” said Mom.
To have an ace up your sleeve or for someone else to have an ace up his sleeve means that they have a secret advantage, resource, or piece of knowledge which is unknown to others and held in reserve to be used when most needed.
“Don’t worry, he won’t win. I have an ace up my sleeve.”
An Achilles heel is a person’s (organization, country, etc.) weakness or vulnerability. Although it can refer to physical weakness or limitation, this idiom can refer to any perceived weakness.
“The team had an Achilles heel, their inexperienced outfielder.”
An acid test, when used as an idiom, is a situation or event that provides definitive proof of whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad, effective or ineffective.
“My knee has been fine in training but tomorrow’s game will be the acid test.”
Idioms From the Military
Bite the Bullet: to accept or confront a difficult situation with courage and stoicism; to accept the truth of a situation; to bravely pay the price of a bad situation.
Burn Your Bridges: to take an irrevocable step that makes it impossible to go back to a previous position, situation, etc.
By the Numbers: done in a precise and orderly sequence that is already determined.
Last-Ditch (effort, attempt): a final desperate attempt to achieve something before giving up for good or ultimately failing.
Marching Orders (To Get One’s): to be fired from a job or removed from a position; an order to move or proceed with something.
Up The Creek (Without a Paddle): to be in trouble, in a serious predicament, or an awkward position.
An acquired taste is something that you do not like at first but that you begin to like after trying it a few times; something that a lot of people do not like when they first experience it but that they often start liking after they have experienced it more times; something you don’t appreciate immediately but that you ‘learn’ to like.
“I didn’t always like Scotch. It’s an acquired taste.”
An act of God is an unexpected, powerful, and uncontrollable event that is not caused by humans, such as a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, volcanic eruption, wildfire, etc. (also: act of nature).
“If we make it out of these accursed mountains it will be an act of God,” said the explorer.
To act up, usually in regards to children, means to behave badly or cause trouble; in regards to machinery or electronics, to malfunction or to not operate abnormally; in regards to medical conditions and their symptoms, to act up means to become active. Often used in regards to allergies.
“If you children keep acting up, we are not going to go to the amusement park.”
Idiom Examples About Bed
Get Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed, toG: to start the day in a bad mood and to be grumpy all day and easily annoyed, but for no apparent reason.
Hit the Hay: to get into bed and go to sleep for the night.
Make Up the Bed: to arrange and straighten the covers on a bed so that it is ready to sleep in.
You Have Made Your Bed and Must Lie In It: you must accept the consequences of your actions, however unpleasant.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Actions speak louder than words means that a person’s intention or character can be better judged by what they do than what they say; what one does is more important than what they say; it is better to do things than talk about doing things.
“The mayor made a lot of promises today but actions speak louder than words.”
Ad nauseam means continuing for an excessive period of time until people are tired of it; to ridiculous excess or a sickening degree.
“He’s talked about Jenny ad nauseam ever since they had a date. I wish he’d shut up about her already.”
To add insult to injury is to make a bad situation become worse by saying or doing something; to upset someone once, with some remark or action, and then to do something else which compounds the original insult…
“I sprained my ankle when I stepped off the curb, and then, to add insult to injury, my cousin Stevie laughed at me.”
An Adonis is a young man of unusual physical beauty; an extremely sexually attractive young man, one who is well built and handsome.
“Wow, that guy is really good-looking,” said Mary. “Yeah, he’s a real Adonis,” said Mike, rolling his eyes.
Examples Of Sports Idioms
Down To the Wire: the very last possible moment or to the very end.
End Run (to do an): to maneuver around an obstacle or authority in order to accomplish a certain goal. This idiom means much the same as to go over someone’s head.
From the Word Go: from the very beginning or start.
Full-Court Press: applying aggressive tactics using all the resources at your disposal to exert maximum pressure in order to achieve some desired outcome.
Monday-morning Quarterback: a person who dissects an event and tells others how it should have been dealt with after the event has happened.
No Holds Barred: a situation without any restrictions, where anything is permitted. Anything goes.
On the Ball, to be: to be highly competent, capable, skillful, proficient, etc.; to be highly aware of what is going on and be quick to understand and react appropriately to things.
Par For the Course: normal, expected, or the usual; mediocre and unexceptional; something that past experience suggests should be expected.
To be afraid of one’s (your, his, her) own shadow means to be extremely timid, nervous, fearful, and easily frightened.
“Vick was always so carefree but since he was mugged he’s been afraid of his own shadow.”
The idiom after all has three possible meanings that are pronounced in slightly different ways.
1. Despite everything that occurred; despite what happened; regardless of the situation before; nevertheless. (Pronounced with the stress is on the first word: AFTER all.)
2. Ultimately, everything considered. (Pronounced with the stress on the second word: after ALL.)
3. For the reason given (Pronounced with the stress on the second word: after ALL.)
“Despite the cut in pay and the longer commute, I took the job after all. The benefits are great and there is lots of opportunity.”
Against all odds means despite many difficulties, setbacks, opposition, or seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
“Against all odds, Jane was able to win a scholarship to the ivy league school of her choice.”
When two people or parties agree to disagree, they both decide not to argue anymore; for two people to calmly agree that they are not going to reach an agreement or share the same views, and thus they should stop arguing and move on.
“Let’s just agree to disagree. We’re never going to see eye to eye on politics!”
Money Idiom Examples
A Day Late and a Dollar Short: too late and too little; delayed too long and ineffective.
A Dime a Dozen: very common and easily found; plentiful and of little to no value; common and therefore cheap.
An Arm and a Leg: An arm and a leg is a very large amount of money; a very high price. Something can cost an arm and a leg or a person can charge an arm and a leg for something.
Dirt Cheap: When something is dirt cheap it is very inexpensive.
For My Money: in my opinion; my preference; or my choice. This idiom alludes to how you would spend your money if given the chance.
To be all ears means to be listening closely; to be eager to hear something; to pay close attention when being told something or to be willing to pay close attention.
“I heard you had an idea for the project. I’m all ears.”
When all hell breaks loose, there is sudden chaos, confusion, uproar, arguing, fighting, violence, etc; things get out of control.
“When the police fired tear gas into the crowd of protesters, all hell broke loose.”
All of a sudden means abruptly, without any warning; unexpectedly.
“I don’t know why she all of a sudden refused to talk to me. I didn’t do anything to her.”
All that glitters is not gold means that just because something is externally attractive it is not good or desirable. In other words, although something may appear to have high value, it may be worthless.
“I really wanted a sports car and this one looked so awesome. I found out the hard way that all that glitters is not gold. It’s been in the shop constantly since I bought it.”
To be all thumbs means to be physically awkward and clumsy, especially with one’s hands.
“I dropped an expensive vase yesterday and had to pay for it. I’m all thumbs.”
An ambulance chaser is a lawyer who encourages people who have been injured in an accident or who are ill due to someone’s negligence to sue for damages, in order to profit from someone else’s trouble; any unethical or inferior lawyer; any lawyer who is overly aggressive in seeking out clients.
“I can’t believe you hired that ambulance chaser. You should fire him and get a good lawyer.”
An accident waiting to happen is a dangerous situation that is certain to cause an accident or cause something to go wrong. This expression usually refers to negligence, carelessness, bad planning, wrong procedures, etc.
“Another trip to the emergency room! This kid is an accident waiting to happen.”
Saying something is ancient history is often an exaggerated way of saying it is in the past; someone or something from the past that is no longer important or that is forgotten.
“I used to be in a band but that’s ancient history.”
Any second now means very soon; within a few moments; suddenly and with little warning or preparation. You can also say any minute now or any moment now.
“He’ll be back any second now. Can I get you a coffee or something else to drink?”
An arm and a leg is a very large amount of money; a very high price.
“I’m not going to pay an arm and a leg to fix a car with this many miles on it.”
As the crow flies means in a straight line, without having to follow roads or without any detours; without having to go around any obstacles, such as hills, mountains, lakes, etc.
“It’s only about 10 miles as the crow flies but it’s about 12 miles if you take the lake road.”
To keep someone or something at arm’s length is to maintain an emotional distance as to avoid familiarity or intimacy; to dissociate yourself from someone or something and to avoid coming into close contact. A variant is to hold at arm’s length.
“He was a fair boss, but he kept his employees at arm’s length and avoided casual banter.”
To be at death’s door means to be so ill or so badly injured that you may die; to be at a point where death is imminent.
“My mother calls me whenever she has the slightest discomfort and acts like she is at death’s door. She is perfectly healthy!”
At Face Value (to take something)
To take something at face value means to accept it as true based on its outward appearance, without asking questions or giving it further consideration.
“The prosecutor decided to take the claims of the witness at face value.”
To be at hand means to be nearby; within easy reach and ready to use. Also, in reference to time, soon to occur.
“The first step to any project is to make sure all your tools are close at hand.”
The idiom ‘at last’ is used the same way as the adverb finally, to mean after a long time or delay. It may have the connotation of something finally occurring after a long period of difficulty or irritation. At long last is a more emphatic version of the same idiom.
“At last my new computer arrived. I thought it would never come.”
At length means in full detail, for a long time.
“The CEO talked at length about the company’s ideology but managed to say nothing about its prospects.”
When something is done at the drop of a hat, it is done immediately, without any planning; instantly, without delay; without good reason or excuse.
“You can’t just go on vacation at the drop of a hat anymore. You have a real job, now.”
At the end of the day means In the end, once all things are taken into consideration and regardless of whatever else happens or comes up, the final point is…”
“Franz was struggling to make a living with his art. He sold very few paintings. Still, at the end of the day, he was an artist and it was the art that drove him.”
To be at the end of your rope means that you have reached the limit of your patience, resources, abilities, energy, etc. and so are unable to deal with a situation any longer.
“I’ve tried everything I know to fix this car but it still won’t run. I’m at the end of my rope.”
When something is at your fingertips it is in a convenient place, is easy to find or is readily available or accessible; easy to get and to use immediately.
“If you want to win a debate, you