English Idioms and Sayings

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by henry

hell to pay : dire consequences <if he's late there'll be hell to pay>

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionar...ry&va=hell

Yep. :D

Originally Posted by henry

What about " to see somebody in hell before?"

I've heard, "I'll see you in hell." (Probably in a movie.) Apparently, it means: "We will both be going to the bad place."

:)

[RonBee]

• "The devil's in the details."
  ----- H. Ross Perot

Meaning:

• Sure, things seem easy enough until you try to put your program into practice. Then, however, all kinds of things (details) give you headaches.

:)

[RonBee]

Q: What does it mean to "stack the deck"?

A: It means to arrange things to give someone (usually yourself) an unfair advantage.

[RonBee]

Q: What is meant by "He drinks like a fish"?

A: It means the person drinks a lot. (Usually alcoholic beverages.)

[RonBee]

Q: What does "You can take it to the bank" mean?

A: It means you can be sure of that.

[RonBee]

Q: What does "It takes two to tango" mean?

A: Literally, it means it takes two (people) to do the tango (a dance). More usually, it means that both sides have to cooperate for the thing to happen. Example:

• It takes two to tango. Ellis Henican, if you want to debate then you should do some debating.

:)

[RonBee]

Q: What does it mean to "set the record straight"?

A: It means to tell what you consider the truth about something.

:)

[RonBee]

I was looking throught the posts here and I noticed that I shortchanged you on this one. :)

Originally Posted by bmo

2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say:

• I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos on their arms and chests and holes in their pants. Some wear nose, tongue and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, well-mannered, church-going people.

:)

[RonBee]

As different as night and day

Meaning: very different.

Example:

• I don't know why they get along so well. They are as different as night and day.

:)

[RonBee]

Q: What does it mean to bite the hand that feeds you?

A: It means to harm the one that gives you sustenance. If you bite the hand that feeds you the one that feeds you might not be so eager to feed you next time. Example:

• Don't criticize your employer. You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you.

:)