Idioms Beginning with N

Here, you will find idioms that start with the letter N.

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Examples of Idioms Starting with N

Naked as a Jaybird: naked; completely unclothed.

Naked Eye, the: human sight without any assistance by instruments designed to magnify images, such as microscopes, telescopes, binoculars, etc.

Name is Mud, his, her: someone who has a very poor reputation, has been discredited or disgraced, or is generally detested.

Needle in a Haystack: something that is very hard, or almost impossible, to find.

Neither Fish Nor Fowl: something that is odd and does not easily fit into any specific category or group.

Nervous Nellie: someone who is excessively nervous, worried, apprehensive, or timid.

Nest Egg, a: an amount of money set aside and saved for a special purpose in the future, often for retirement or for difficult times.

Never Hear the End of It: to expect to have to endure people talking about something that embarrassed you or upset you for the foreseeable future.

Never Mind: disregard something; take no notice of something; do not worry about something; do not be troubled by something, or to not be upset by something.

New Kid on the Block: the newest person in a place, group, or organization; a new employee; an inexperienced newcomer; etc.

New York Minute: a very short period of time; an instant.

Night Owl: a person who habitually stays up late at night and who prefers to be active during the night.

Nine to Five (9 to 5): the hours one works on a regular job; a set work schedule that starts and ends at the same time each day.

No End In Sight (to something): to expect there to be no end to something; whatever is happening will never end.

No Great Shakes: ordinary, mediocre, average, or not very good; unimportant; insignificant; uninteresting.

No Hard Feelings: there is no residual anger, resentment, or hostility.

No Holds Barred: a situation without any restrictions, where anything is permitted.

No Pain, No Gain: nothing can be achieved without without suffering or sacrifice; you cannot make progress without discomfort; etc.

No Problem (Thank You Response): an alternative to ‘you’re welcome’, meaning that helping was no trouble or required little effort.

No Siree: an emphasized form of no; no indeed; certainly not; absolutely not.

No Spring Chicken: someone who is no longer young; someone who can no longer be considered youthful; an old person.

No Such Animal: there is nothing like the thing mentioned; there is nothing of that kind in existence; nothing similar exists.

No Sweat (Thank You Response): a very informal alternative to ‘you’re welcome’, meaning that helping was not hard work.

None the Wiser:  to be unaware of something that is happening; to not know any more after an event than before the event happened; etc.

Nose Around: to snoop around; to look for something that is hidden or being kept private; to look around someone else’s property.

Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be: something that is not as good as its popular reputation would suggest.

Not Bat an Eye: to not show any emotional reaction, shock, or surprise; to act as if everything is completely normal (when it is not); to do something with no hesitation or thought.

Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat: very little space; no elbow room; cramped quarters; a confined space or a small room.

Not For All the Tea in China: not for any price or reward; never; not at all.

Not Have A — Bone In One’s Body: the person being referred to absolutely does not possess the quality named.

Not Lift a Finger: to do nothing; to refuse to do something to help; to fail to make even a small effort; to refuse to perform some action or to exert oneself.

Not Much to Look At: unattractive, plain, unappealing from a visual standpoint.

Not My Cup of Tea: not something you like or prefer; not something one would choose.

Not Rocket Science: not very complicated; easy to understand; obvious.

Not the Only Fish in the Sea: there are plenty of other suitable persons, especially for a romantic relationship.

Not Think Twice: to do something spontaneously and quickly without considering it very much or worrying about the consequences.

Nothing If Not: very, certainly; most of all.

Nothing To Write Home About: unremarkable, ordinary, and not very exciting.

Null and Void: a legal term that means canceled or ineffective; unenforceable.