Idiom Category: Nature

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A rising tide lifts all boats: This idiom, coined by John F Kennedy, describes the idea that when an economy is performing well, all people will benefit from it.
Across the pond: (UK) This idiom means on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, used to refer to the US or the UK depending on the speaker's location.
As cold as stone: If something is as cold as stone, it is very cold. If a person is as cold as stone, they are unemotional.
At sea: If things are at sea, or all at sea, they are disorganized and chaotic.
Beat the daylights out of someone: If someone beats the daylights out of another person, they hit them repeatedly. ('Knock' can also be used and it can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.)
Between a rock and a hard place: If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, you are in a position where you have to choose between unpleasant alternatives, and your choice might cause you problems; you will not be able to satisfy everyone.
Break the ice: When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing.
Clear as mud: If something is as clear as mud, then it is very confusing and unclear.
Cliffhanger: If something like a sports match or an election is a cliffhanger, then the result is so close that it cannot be predicted and will only be known at the very end.
Cuts no ice: If something cuts no ice, it doesn't have any effect or influence.
Dead air: When there is a period of total silence, there is dead air.
Down-to-earth: Someone who's down-to-earth is practical and realistic. It can also be used for things like ideas.
Drop in the ocean: A drop in the ocean implies that something will have little effect because it is small and mostly insignificant.
Four corners of the earth: If something goes to, or comes from, the four corners of the earth, it goes or comes absolutely everywhere.
Full of hot air: Someone who is full of hot air talks a lot of rubbish.
Grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow: 'The grass may be greener on the other side but it's just as hard to mow' is an expression used to mean a person's desire to have that which another person has in the belief it will make their life easieris false as all situations come with their own set of problems.
Head for the hills: If people head for the hills, they run away from trouble.
Hung the moon: If you refer to someone as having hung the moon, you think they are extremely wonderful, or amazing, or good.
In broad daylight: If a crime or problem happens in broad daylight, it happens during the day and should have been seen and stopped.
It's an ill wind that blows no good: This is said when things have gone wrong; the idea being that when bad things happen, there can also be some positive results.
Make a mountain out of a molehill: If somebody makes a mountain out of a molehill, they exaggerate the importance or seriousness of a problem.
Make waves: If someone makes waves, they cause a lot of trouble.
Many moons ago: A very long time ago.
Moral high ground: If people have/take/claim/seize, etc, the moral high ground, they claim that their arguments, beliefs, etc, are morally superior to those being put forward by other people.
Mountain to climb: If you have a mountain to climb, you have to work hard or make a lot of progress to achieve something.
Move mountains: If you would move mountains to do something, you would make any effort to achieve your aim. When people say that faith can move mountains, they mean that it can achieve a lot.
Mud in the fire: The things that cannot be changed in the past that we usually forget about are mud in the fire.
Nature abhors a vacuum: This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics.
No smoke without fire: This idiom means that when people suspect something, there is normally a good reason for the suspicion, even if there is no concrete evidence. ('Where's there's smoke, there's fire' is also used.)
Not the only pebble on the beach: If something is not the only pebble on the beach, there are other possibilities or alternatives.
Old flames die hard: It's very difficult to forget old things, especially the first love.
On ice: If plans are put on ice, they are delayed and no action will be taken for the foreseeable future.
Place in the sun: If you have your place in the sun, you find wealth, happiness or whatever you are looking for in life.
Pull out of the fire: (USA) If you pull something out of the fire, you save or rescue it.
Ride with the tide: If you ride with the tide, you accept the majority decision.
Run into the sand: If something runs into the sand, it fails to achieve a result.
Scare the daylights out of someone: If you scare the daylights out of someone, you terrify them. (This can be made even stronger by saying 'the living daylights'.)
Scattered to the four winds: If something's scattered to the four winds, it goes out in all directions.
Sell down the river: If you sell someone down the river, you betray their trust.
Shed light: If you shed light on something, you make it clearer and easier to understand.
Shifting sands: If the sands are shifting, circumstances are changing.
Skate on thin ice: If someone is skating on thin ice, they are taking a big risk.
Sky is the limit: When people say that the sky is the limit, they think that there are no limits to the possibilities something could have.
Slippery slope: A slippery slope is where a measure would lead to further worse measures.
Stick-in-the-mud: A stick-in-the-mud is a person who is old-fashioned, does not want to change the way they do things or innovate.
Still waters run deep: People use this idiom to imply that people who are quiet and don't try to attract attention are often more interesting than people who do try to get attention.
Swim against the tide: If you swim against the tide, you try to do something that is very difficult because there is a lot of opposition to you. ('Go against the tide' is an alternative form.)
Swim with the tide: If you swim with the tide, you do the same as people around you and accept the general consensus. ('Go with the tide' is an alternative form.)
The sun might rise in the west: When people say this, they mean that they don't expect something to happen.
Tip of the iceberg: The tip of the iceberg is the part of a problem that can be seen, with far more serious problems lying underneath.
Uncharted waters: If you're in uncharted waters, you are in a situation that is unfamiliar to you, that you have no experience of and don't know what might happen. ('Unchartered waters' is an incorrect form that is a common mistake.)
Up a river without a paddle: If you up a river without a paddle, you are in an unfortunate situation, unprepared and with none of the resources to remedy the matter.
Up the wooden hill: When you go up the wooden hill, you go up the stairs to bed.
Walking on air: If you are walking on air, you are so happy that you feel as if you could float.
Where there's smoke, there's fire: When there is an indication or sign of something bad, usually the indication is correct.
Worse things happen at sea: This idiomatic expression is used as a way of telling someone not to worry so much about their problems.

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