English Idioms and Sayings

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by bmo

What is an ax to grind?

Somebody with an ax to grind has a bee in his bonnet. He's itchin' to pick a fight about something.

Example:

• Sam has an ax to grind. He recently lost his job and he's been going around bad mouthing his former boss.

How's that?

:)

[RonBee]

What does it mean to let the cat out of the bag?

What does it mean to spill the beans?

:)

[RonBee]

What is meant by "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"?

:)

[bmo]

Originally Posted by RonBee

What does it mean to let the cat out of the bag?

What does it mean to spill the beans?

:)

Thanks. Let the cat out of the bag and spell the beans are the same: revealing a secret.

My little sister spells the bean; she told mom I am seeing Tom again.

[bmo]

Originally Posted by RonBee

What is meant by "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"?

:)

You come back to your roots?

[Beeuurkes]

Originally Posted by RonBee

What is meant by "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"?

:)

Funny, they have the same expression in Dutch "De appel valt niet ver van de boom" and that means, if I remember well, that a son is often like his father. Am I right ?

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Beeuurkes

Funny, they have the same expression in Dutch "De appel valt niet ver van de boom" and that means, if I remember well, that a son is often like his father. Am I right ?

Close enough!

(English: apple; Dutch: appel; German: apfel)

:)

[RonBee]

Bob: Sam, you expect the world to dance to your tune.
Sam: No, I don't. I just expect everybody to do what I want them to.

:)

[RonBee]

What does it mean to burn your bridges behind you?

:)

[Beeuurkes]

Originally Posted by RonBee

What does it mean to burn your bridges behind you?

To eliminate any possibility of a retreat to a former position.

According to The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. :wink: