American slang, idiom and cliche

Go to ToInspire homepage

 

 

 

all dressed up and nowhere to go

all that glitters is not gold

all in a day's work
all or nothing

an apple a day keeps the doctor away
an arm and a leg
as brown as a berry
 
any port in a storm
as neat as a pin
born with a silver spoon in your mouth
beauty is only skin deep
big as a house
breath of fresh air
by the skin of your teeth
back to the drawing board
burn the midnight oil

busy as a one-armed paper hanger

clear as a bell
cute as a button
chip off the old block
chip on your shoulder
clean as a whistle
cold as ice
cat has got your tongue
chew the cud
a cakewalk

crystal clear

 

crack of dawn
 

don't look a gift horse in the mouth
 

down my alley
 

don't count your chickens before they hatch
 

easy as pie
 

early bird gets the worm
 

egged on
 

feet of clay
 

fresh as a daisy
 

free as a bird
 

faster than a speeding bullet
 

foot in your mouth
 

for Pete's sake
 

fall fast asleep
 

fork over

forever in a day
 

fifth wheel
 

first class
 

got my fingers crossed
 

green with envy
 

get your feet wet
 

good as done
 

higher than a kite
 

hit the books

  hit the motherload

hot as fire
if it were a snake, it would bite you

If there's a will, there's a way

 

it's never over until it's over
in the doghouse
jack of all trades
kill two birds with one stone

lame duck 

light as a feather
 

learn the ropes
 

life is a bowl of cherries
 

lick the red off the candy

like a broken record

 

like father, like son
 

lap of luxury
 

let one's hair down
 

letter perfect
 

mother hen
 

not worth a pretty penny
 

necessity is the mother of invention
 

not turn a hair
 

once in a blue moon
 

on the other hand
 

once in a lifetime
 

one in a million
 

over the hill
 

on the tip of your tongue
 

on an even keel
 

piece of cake

pretty as a picture
 

a picture is worth a thousand words
 

pot shot
 

quiet as a mouse
 

raining cats and dogs
 

the rat race has begun
 

run of the mill
 

rule of thumb
 

silly as a goose
 

straight from the horse's mouth
 

smart cookie
 

speak of the devil
 

sitting duck
 

sitting pretty
 

shake a leg
 

sly as a fox
 

simple as sugar
 

shoot the breeze
 

stick your neck out
 

slow as molasses in January
 

sleep like a top
 

shot in the dark
 

secondhand
 

taken to the woodshed
 

turn over the applecart
 

tall as a tree
 

touch and go
 

tall tale
 

take a raincheck
 

tear one's hair out
 

up in the air
 

ugly duckling
 

up the creek without a paddle
 

under the weather
 

up to one's ears
t

he world's my oyster
 

wet behind the ears
 

wise as an owl
 

with a fine tooth comb
 

wealth of knowledge
 

water under the bridge

you should quit while you're ahead

 

Please email others that you know to andy@toinspire.com

Go to ToInspire homepage