Idiom Category: General, Page 4

Burn the midnight oil

If you stay up very late working or studying, you burn the midnight oil.

Burning daylight

Burning daylight is wasting time.

Burning question

A burning question is something we all want to know about.

Burst at the seams

To be filled to or beyond normal capacity: This room will be bursting at the seams when all the guests arrive.

Burst your bubble

If you correct someone's ignorant or delusional belief, you burst their bubble. (Bust someone's bubble is also used.)

Busted flush

Someone or something that had great potential but ended up a useless failure is a busted flush.

Butt of a joke

If something or someone becomes the butt of a joke it or they are not taken seriously anymore.

By a long chalk

(UK) If you beat somebody by a long chalk, you win easily and comfortably.

By a mile

If you miss, lose, win, etc, something by a mile, there is a considerable difference in standard oir performance between you and the others. ('By miles' is also used.)

By and large

By and large means usually or generally.

By cracky

A term used by rural folks in years past to emphasize a matter of importance or urgency. An example: 'By cracky, you need to get out there in the field with that mule and plow and finish the sod-busting before dark.'

By dint of

This means 'as a result of' or 'because of': It would be good to think he'd risen to position of Chief Executive by dint of hard work.

By hook or by crook

If you are prepared to do something by hook or by crook, you are willing to do anything, good or bad, to reach your goal.

By leaps and bounds

Something that happens by leaps and bounds happens very quickly in big steps.

By the book

If you do something by the book, you do it exactly as you are supposed to.

By the by

This is used as a way of introducing an incidental topic in a conversation or to say that something is irrelevant. ('By the bye' is also used.)

By the same token

If someone applies the same rule to different situations, they judge them by the same token: If things go well, he's full of praise, but, by the same token, when things go wrong he gets furious.

Call a spade a spade

A person who calls a spade a spade is one speaks frankly and makes little or no attempt to conceal their opinions or to spare the feelings of their audience.

Call the shots

If you call the shots, you are in charge and tell people what to do.

Can't dance and it's too wet to plow

(USA) When you can't dance and it's too wet to plow, you may as well do something because you can't or don't have the opportunity to do anything else.

Can't get a word in edgeways

If you can't get a word in edgeways, you don't have the chance to say anything because the person you are with is is talking all the time.

Can't hack it

Unable to perform an act, duty, job etc. (example: I have to quit my job as a computer technician; I just can't hack it.)

Can't hold a candle

If something can't hold a candle to something else, it is much worse.

Carry the can

If you carry the can, you take the blame for something, even though you didn't do it or are only partly at fault.

Case in point

Meaning an instance of something has just occurred that was previously discussed. For instance, a person may have told another that something always happens. Later that day, they see it happening, and the informer might say, 'case in point'.

Cast a long shadow

Something or someone that casts a long shadow has considerable influence on other people or events.

Cast aspersion

If you cast aspersion, you try to blacken someone's name and make people think badly of them.

Cast doubt on

If you make other people not sure about a matter, then you have cast doubt on it.

Cast your mind back

If somebody tells you to cast your mind back on something, they want you to think about something that happened in the past, but which you might not remember very well, and to try to remember as much as possible.

Cast your net widely

If you cast your net widely, you use a wide range of sources when trying to find something.

Cat's arse and cabbage

(UK) The idiom  "cat fur and kitty britches" reminded me of this saying that my granny used when asked what was for dinner, and was her way too of saying you get what you're given! This was in Gloucestershire, UK and in the first part of the 20th century.

Catch as catch can

This means that people should try to get something any way they can.

Catch some z's

If you catch some z's, you get some sleep.

Champ at the bit

If someone is champing at the bit, they are very eager to accomplish something.  ('Chomping at the bit' is also used.)

Champing at the bit

To betray impatience, as to begin some action. "I'm champing at the bit to tell you" "Chomping at the bit" is also commonly used, though some regard it as an error.

Change tack

If you change tack, you use a different method for dealing with something.

Cheap shot

A cheap shot is an unprincipled criticism.

Chip off the old block

If someone is a chip off the old block, they closely resemble one or both of the parents in character.

Chop and change

If things chop and change, they keep changing, often unexpectedly.

Clean as a whistle

If something is as clean as a whistle, it is extremely clean, spotless. It can also be used to mean 'completely', though this meaning is less common nowadays. If somebody is clean as a whistle, they are not involved in anything illegal.

Clean bill of health

If something or someone has a clean bill of health, then there's nothing wrong; everything's fine.

Clean break

If you make a clean break, you break away completely from something.

Clean slate

If you start something with a clean slate, then nothing bad from your past is taken into account.

Clean sweep

If someone makes a clean sweep, they win absolutely everything in a competition or contest.

Climb the greasy pole

Advance within an organisation - especially in politics.

Cling to hope

If people cling to hope, they continue to hope though the chances of success are very small.

Close call

If the result of something is a close call, it is almost impossible to distinguish between the parties involved and to say who has won or whatever.  It can also mean that you very nearly have a serious accident or get into trouble.

Close the book

If you close the book on something, you end it completely.

Closed book to me

If a subject is a closed book to you, it is something that you don't understand or know anything about.

Clutch play

If an activity is referred to as a clutch play, it means that the activity was the key to the success or failure of the venture. For instance, a clutch play in a baseball game may be striking out a batter with the bases loaded.

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