Idioms And Phrases

noun a sudden burst or outpouring of something, such as energy or emotion

• The blue streak in the sky was caused by a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere.
• She ran like a blue streak to catch the bus before it left.
• He talks a blue streak whenever he gets excited about something.
• Her anger was like a blue streak, quick and intense, but soon faded away.

noun a nautical term referring to the depth of six fathoms, or approximately 36 feet

verb to dispose of or get rid of something, often by throwing it overboard

• The captain ordered the crew to deep six the damaged cargo to prevent it from sinking the ship.
• We need to deep six this old couch and get a new one for the living room.
• Let's deep six this plan and come up with something better.
• She decided to deep six her past mistakes and start fresh in a new city.

noun a person who prevents others from using something that they do not need or want for themselves

• The farmer scolded his dog for behaving like a dog in the manger, not allowing the other animals to eat.
• Stop being a dog in the manger and share your toys with your little sister.
• Don't be a dog in the manger and hog all the snacks at the party.
• She's like a dog in the manger, always preventing others from enjoying what she doesn't want.

noun a situation or state of affairs that is difficult, problematic, or chaotic

• The situation we find ourselves in is indeed a fine kettle of fish that will require careful consideration.
• Well, this is a fine kettle of fish we've gotten ourselves into, isn't it?
• This whole mess is turning out to be one hell of a fine kettle of fish.
• Dealing with this problem is like trying to untangle a fine kettle of fish.

verb to do something to an excessive or exaggerated degree

adverb in an excessive or exaggerated manner

• It is important not to go overboard with your spending during the holiday season.
• Don't go overboard with the snacks at the party, you'll regret it later.
• She always goes overboard with her makeup, it's a bit much.
• I appreciate your enthusiasm, but let's not go overboard with the decorations for the event.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to specify a noun

• The company's reputation started to go to the dogs after the scandal.
• Ever since the new manager took over, this place has really gone to the dogs.
• I can't believe how quickly this party went to the dogs.
• If we don't take action now, our economy will go to the dogs.

adjective not properly prepared or thought out; impulsive or rash

adverb in a hasty or impulsive manner

• The soldier was reprimanded for going into battle with his weapon half cocked.
• Don't go into that meeting half cocked, make sure you're fully prepared.
• He always shows up to parties half cocked, never fully sober.
• She went into the job interview half cocked, not fully understanding the position's requirements.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea (horses)

verb to wait or be patient

pronoun a word that takes the place of a noun (your)

• Please hold your horses and wait for further instructions before proceeding with the project.
• Hey, hold your horses! Let's not rush into making a decision just yet.
• Hold your horses, dude! We're not in a hurry.
• Before you jump to conclusions, hold your horses and consider all the facts first.

noun a person or thing that is the recipient of an action or the subject of a verb

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb and typically answers the questions when, where, how, or to what extent

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• After years of hard work, he finally found himself in clover with a successful business.
• She's been living in clover ever since she won the lottery.
• He hit the jackpot and now he's in clover.
• Once she landed her dream job, she was in clover.

noun a type of high boot or sock that reaches up to the knee

adjective describing the height of something that reaches up to the knee

• The knee-high boots were a popular choice among the attendees at the formal event.
• She wore a cute pair of knee-high socks with her outfit.
• Those knee-highs are so trendy right now.
• The water in the river was knee-high after the heavy rain.

noun a joint of a finger when the fist is closed

verb to press or rub with the knuckles

adjective relating to or resembling a knuckle

• She rapped her knuckle on the door before entering.
• I accidentally cracked my knuckle while playing basketball.
• I heard he got into a fight and ended up busting his knuckle.
• He was so nervous that he was biting his knuckles during the presentation.

noun a slang term used to describe something that is not functioning properly or is broken

• The computer system at the office is on the fritz and needs to be repaired.
• My phone has been acting on the fritz lately, I think I need to get it checked out.
• My car is on the fritz again, I swear it's always breaking down.
• His relationship with his girlfriend is on the fritz, they've been arguing a lot lately.

noun a slang term referring to someone's energy, enthusiasm, or feistiness

conjunction used to connect the two nouns 'piss' and 'vinegar' in the phrase

• The young man's energetic demeanor is often attributed to his youthful exuberance and spirited nature.
• That guy is always full of piss and vinegar, never a dull moment with him around.
• She's got so much piss and vinegar, she could outlast anyone on the dance floor.
• Despite his age, the old cowboy still has plenty of piss and vinegar left in him to tackle any challenge that comes his way.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite

• The employee was ecstatic about the promotion, he was like a dog with two tails.
• When Sarah found out she won the lottery, she was like a dog with two tails.
• After getting a perfect score on the test, Tim was grinning like a dog with two tails.
• The child's face lit up with joy, he was like a dog with two tails when he saw his birthday present.

adjective confused or disorganized

preposition used to describe a state of confusion or disorder

• The committee was at sixes and sevens when trying to decide on a course of action.
• I'm feeling at sixes and sevens about which movie to watch tonight.
• She's always at sixes and sevens when it comes to making decisions.
• His mind was at sixes and sevens after hearing the shocking news.

adjective describing the state of being lacking in wealth or resources

preposition used to compare two things, indicating that they are equally lacking in wealth or resources

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• Despite his hard work, he remained as poor as a church mouse.
• She's always broke, as poor as a church mouse.
• He's so skint, as poor as a church mouse.
• The small business struggled to make ends meet, as poor as a church mouse.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this phrase, 'eel' is a noun as it refers to a type of fish.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this phrase, 'slippery' is an adjective as it describes the eel.

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. In this phrase, 'as' is an adverb that compares the slipperiness of the eel.

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite. In this phrase, 'an' is an article that introduces the noun 'eel'.

• The floor was as slippery as an eel after it had been freshly mopped.
• Be careful on that wet floor, it's as slippery as an eel!
• Watch out on that ice, it's as slippery as an eel out here!
• His excuses were as slippery as an eel, always changing and hard to pin down.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to specify a noun as definite or indefinite

• Taking a leisurely stroll in the park is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
• Going for a walk in the park is so relaxing.
• Let's go for a walk in the park and chill out.
• For her, solving that math problem was like a walk in the park.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• He told the unruly crowd to go to the devil if they did not calm down.
• If she keeps bothering me, I'll tell her to go to the devil.
• I can't stand that guy, he can go to the devil for all I care.
• When faced with unfair treatment, sometimes it's best to just tell the negativity to go to the devil.

noun a bag made of fabric or other material used for carrying or storing items

verb to dismiss or get rid of something or someone

preposition used to indicate removal or separation

• It is unprofessional to sack off work without a valid reason.
• Let's just sack off this meeting and go grab some lunch instead.
• I'm going to sack off studying and binge-watch Netflix tonight.
• Sometimes you need to sack off negative thoughts and focus on the positive instead.