alphabetical list - a

7/23/2019 Alphabetical List - A

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Alphabetical List - A

(Idioms A page 1 : abbreviated piece of nothing hold all the aces)

abbreviated piece

of nothing

This slang expression refers to someone who is considered to be insignificant or worthless.

Bob doesn't think much of his new colleague. He calls him an 'abbreviated piece of nothing'.

to the best of one's

ability.When someone does something to the best of their ability the! do it as well as the! possibl! can.

I felt nervous all through the interview, but I replied to the best of my ability.

(of) no fixed abode A person of no fixed abode has nowhere permanent to live.

A 3!year!old man of no "#ed abode was charged with the burglary.

about turn/about

face

This term refers to a complete change of opinion or polic!.

$he ambassador's recent declarations indicate an about turn in foreign policy.

above and beyond

the call of duty

If a person does something which isabove and beyond the call of duty the! show a greater degree of

co"rage or effort than is "s"all! re#"ired or expected in their $ob.

$he "re!"ghter received a medal for his action which went above and beyond the call of duty.

above board If a sit"ation or b"siness is described asabove board it is open honest and legal.

$here are not secret negotiations. %ur dealings have always been above board.

more by accident

than by design

%omething that happens more by accident than (by) designis done witho"t deliberate intention.

I became an interpreter more by accident than design& nobody else could speak the language

of the refugees.

accidentally on

purpose

If !o" do something intentionall! b"t pretend it was an accident !o" do it accidentally on purpose.

I accidentally!on!purpose erased his email address so I couldn't contact him again.

an accomplished

fact (also 'faitaccompli')

%omething that has been done or completed before those affected b! it can intervene or change it is called

an accomplished fact.

of your own accord If !o" do something of your own accord !o" do it spontaneo"sl! or willingl! witho"t being infl"enced or

forced b! an!one.

$he boy went to see the owner of his own accord and admitted breaking the window.

no accounting for

taste

This expression is "sed to indicate s"rprise at another person&s li'es or disli'es.

he fell in love with a guy who is short, fat, bald and poor ... there's no accounting for taste(

ace a test If !o" obtain a ver! high score or an excellent res"lt !o"ace a test or exam.

)aria's parents said she could go to the party if she aced her *nglish test.

have an ace up

your sleeve

If !o" have an ace up your sleeve !o" have something in reserve with which !o" can gain an advantage.

I'm well prepared for the negotiations. I've got an ace up my sleeve .

hold all the aces A person who holds all the acesis in a ver! strong position beca"se the! have more advantages than

an!one else.

+iven the high unemployment "gures in some countries, employers hold all the aces.

Alphabetical List - A

(Idioms A page : Achilles heel alarm bells)


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Achilles heel This expression refers to a v"lnerable area or a wea' spot in an otherwise strong sit"ation that co"ld ca"se

one&s downfall or fail"re.

He's e#tremely intelligent, but his inability to speak in public is his Achilles heel .

acid test To refer to something as&the acid test& means that it will prove how effective or "sef"l something is.

$he training course was very interesting but the acid test will come when I start my new ob.

acquired taste

%omething that !o" disli'e when !o" first taste it b"t begin to li'e after tr!ing it several times is an acquired

taste.$ony has always loved olives, but for me it was an ac-uired taste.

act of God This term refers to an nat"ral event or accident for which no person is responsible (s"ch as an earth#"a'e

lightning and similar acts of nat"re).

$he insurance company refused to pay for the damage because it was caused by an act of +od.

get your act

together

If !o" tell someone to get their act together !o" mean that the! need to organie their affairs more effectivel!

in order to be more s"ccessf"l.

ou'd better get your act together if you want to "nd a ob(

add fuel to the

flames

If !o"add fuel to the flames !o" do or sa! something that ma'es a diffic"lt sit"ation even worse.

He forgot their wedding anniversary, and his apologies only added fuel to the /ames .

much ado about

nothing

When peoplemake much ado about nothing the! ma'e a lot of f"ss abo"t something which is not important.

$here was a meeting to discuss the name for the new playground.

0)uch ado about nothing0 said my 1ad(

afraid of one's

own shadow

A person who is afraid of his/her own shadowis ver! nervo"s or easil! frightened.

I've never seen anyone so easily scared. he's afraid of her own shadow(

after the fact If something is doneafter the fact it done too late after something has act"all! happened especiall! a crime

or an accident.

He said he reali2ed he had put people in danger, but that was of no help after the fact.

against one's

better udgement

If !o" do something even tho"gh !o" feel it is not a sensible thing to do !o" do it against your better

judgement.

Bob persuaded her to go by car, against her better udgement, and she regretted it as soon as

she saw the heavy trac.

against the cloc! If !o" do something against the clock,!o" are r"shed and have ver! little time to do it.

$hey are working against the clock to have the presentation ready for )onday.

ahead of the pac! If a person or organiation is ahead of the pack the! are better or more s"ccessf"l than their rivals.

%ur products will have to be more innovative if we want to stay ahead of the pack.

set the alarm bells

ringing /

alarm bells start to

ring

If somethingsets the alarm bells ringing it ma'es !o" begin to worr! beca"se it shows that there ma! be a

problem.

Alarm bells started to ring when my old neighbour didn't open his shutters all day and didn't

answer his phone.

(Idioms A page * : all along all the rage)

all along If something has existed or been somewhere all along it has been there all the time from the

beginning.

I had been looking for my keys for some time before I reali2ed they had been in my

pocket all along.


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all the better for (something) If !o" are all the better for something !o" benefit from it or feel m"ch better as a res"lt of it.

ou'll be all the better for a good night's rest.

all brawn and no brain %omeone who is ph!sicall! ver! strong b"t not ver! intelligent is said to be all brawn and no

brain.

He's an impressive player to watch, but he's all brawn and no brain.

all clear If !o" are allowed to do something after a chec'+"p to ma'e s"re that ever!thing is all right !o"

get the all clear.1ad says he's going to play golf again as soon as he gets the all clear from his

doctor.

all ears To sa! that !o" areall earsmeans that !o" are listening ver! attentivel!.

%f course I want to know ! I'm all ears(

all hands on dec! When there is a need forall hands on deck ever!one m"st help especiall! when there is a lot

of wor' to be done in a short amo"nt of time.

As the opening day approached, it was all hands on deck to have everything ready

in time.

all in your head If something is all in your head it is not real. It is in !o"r imagination.1on't be silly. 4obody is trying to harm you. It's all in your head(

all hell bro!e loose If !o" sa! thatall hell broke loose !o" mean that there was a s"dden angr! or nois! reaction to

something.

All hell broke loose when it was announced that the plant was going to close down.

all that a"" This expression means &all that st"ff& &other similar things& or &ever!thing of that 'ind&.

5et's get out the tinsel, the fairy lights and all that a22 to decorate the 6hristmas

tree.

of all people To "se the term of all peopleemphasies that the person !o" mention more than an!one else

is the one !o" wo"ld expect to do something.As an artist, you, of all people, should support the new art gallery.

all systems go When ever!thing is read! for an activit! or event to begin !o" can sa! that all systems go.

7e've got an oce, a telephone and the internet, so on )onday it's all systems go(

all things to all people If !o" areall things to all people,!o" please or satisf! ever!one.

he's e#hausted trying to be a good wife, a good mother and a good teacher, but

she can't be all things to all people.

all things being equal This expression refers to a probable sit"ation if in all other wa!s the conditions remain

"nchanged or e#"al.

All 8other9 things being e-ual, a reduction in the cost of transport should enable usto lower our prices.

all the rage When something is all the rage it has become ver! pop"lar or trend!.

$wittering te#t messages is all the rage these days, both among individuals and

companies.

(Idioms A page , : all sile apple of !o"r e!e)

all si""le and no

stea!

%omeone or something that t"rns o"t to be disappointing after a promotional campaign or mar'eting

operation which led "s to expect something better is called all si!!le and no steak.


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Because of the electoral promises he made, which so far he has failed to keep, many people

call the new president 'all si22le and no steak'.

all s!in and bone If someone is all skin and bone the! are ver! thin or too thin.

After trekking in the Himalayas, he was all skin and bone.

all things to all

people

If !o" are all things to all people !o" please or satisf! ever!one.

he's e#hausted tying to be a good wife, a good mother and a good teacher, but she can't be

all things to all people.

all thumbs /

all fingers and

thumbs

If !o" are all fingers and thumbs !o" are aw'ward and cl"ms! and do things incorrectl!.

7ould you mind wrapping this for me: I'm all "ngers and thumbs(

all told "ll toldmeans the final n"mber when ever!thing has been co"nted.

$he number of visitors to the e#hibition, all told, was ;eterson and cott are well!known ambulance chasers ! that's how they make their money(

answer for

something

If someone has to answer for something the! have to accept responsibilit! for their actions.

He will have to answer for his dishonesty.

answer the call of

nature / nature's

call

When a person answers the call of nature the! go to the toilet.

I had to get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature.

ants in one's pants eople who haveants in their pantsare ver! restless or excited abo"t something.

I wish he'd rela#. He's got ants in his pants about something today.

anyone's call This expression is "sed when the res"lt of a contest or election is diffic"lt to predict.

07ho do you think will win:0 0It's anyone's call.0

any port in a storm When !o" have no choice any port in a stormrefers to a sol"tion !o" accept which in normal circ"mstances

!o" wo"ld find "nacceptable.$he hotel was substandard, but it was a case of any port in a storm&

all the others were full.

the apple of your

eye

A person "s"all! a child who isthe apple of your eye is one for whom !o" have great affection.

)y grandson is the apple of my eye.

upset the

applecart

If !o" "pset (or overt"rn) the applecart !o" spoil a satisfactor! plan or sit"ation.

I hope /"lie doesn&t attend the meeting0 she co"ld "pset the applecart.

apple#pie order If something is in apple+pie order it is well organied or in perfect order.

The! made s"re the ho"se was in apple+pie order before their parents arrived bac' home.


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apron strings If one person is tied to another&s apron strings the! remain dependent at an age when the! sho"ld be

independent.

All his decisions are infl"enced b! his mother. e&s still tied to her apron strings.

argue the toss If !o" arg"e the toss !o" disp"te a decision or choice which has alread! been made.

The final choice was made !esterda! so don&t arg"e the toss now2

arm of the law This expression refers to the extent to which the a"thorit! or power of the law extends.

e fled to %o"th America hoping to escape the arm of the law.

give your right

arm

If !o" sa! 3Id give m! right arm for that3 !o" mean that !o" want it a lot and wo"ld do almost an!thing to

obtain it.

I&d give m! right arm to have an apartment on 4entral ar'.

cost an arm and a

leg

If something costs an arm and a leg it is ver! expensive.

The ho"se cost "s an arm and a leg b"t we have no regrets.

be up in arms If !o" are "p in arms !o" are ver! angr! abo"t something and protest ver! strongl!.

The pop"lation was "p in arms over the demolition of the old theatre.

!eep someone at

arm's length

If !o" 'eep someone at arm&s length !o" do not allow !o"rself to become friendl! with them.

It&s not eas! to become friends with %ophie0 she tends to 'eep ever!one at arm&s length.

armchair critic An armchair critic is someone who gives advice based on theor! rather than practice.

That g"! is s"ch an armchair critic + no experience b"t plent! of advice.

armchair traveller %omeone who reads boo's or watches T5 programmes abo"t other places and co"ntries b"t doesn&t

act"all! travel an!where is called an armchair traveller.

A s"rprising n"mber of advent"re boo's are bo"ght b! armchair travellers.

as!ing for trouble %omeone who is as'ing for tro"ble is behaving so st"pidl! that he6she is li'el! to have problems.

7riving fast on these roads is reall! as'ing for tro"ble2

asleep at thewheel

If !o" sa! that someone is asleep at the wheel !o" mean that the! are not s"fficientl! attentive especiall! ata critical moment when vigilance is re#"ired.

When the firemen arrived too late at the scene the night watchman was acc"sed of being asleep at the

wheel.

at all costs If !o" are determined to obtain or achieve something at all costs !o" want it regardless of the expense effort

or sacrifice involved.

The $o"rnalist was determined at all costs to get a report from the war one.

(Idioms A page 8 : at this stage axe to grind)

at this stage of the game This expression refers to the c"rrent point reached in a process activit! or developing sit"ation.

At this stage of the game I think any further intervention would be unwise. 5et's

wait and see how things develop.

at sta!e %omeone who has a lot at stakeis in a ris'! sit"ation with a lot to be won or lost.

He was nervous about signing the agreement because there was a lot at stake.

automatic pilot If !o" are on automatic pilot !o" do something witho"t thin'ing abo"t it or having to pa!

attention beca"se !o" do it reg"larl!.

?red's on automatic pilot today ! he didn't even hear my -uestion(

or no avail %omething which is of no availis not at all helpf"l or "sef"l.


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$he co@ee machine wouldn't work, and the instruction lea/et was of no avail.

avowed intent When someone ma'es a p"blic declaration of their ob$ective or goal this is theiravowed intent.

$he avowed intent of the new government is to reduce unemployment.

a rude awa!ening If !o" get a rude awakening !o" are forced to accept the "npleasant tr"th or realit!.

he thought 6harlie would want her back, but she got a rude awakening ! he was

already dating another girl.

away with the fairies %omeone who isaway with the fairiesis in s"ch a dream! state that the! are not totall! in to"ch

with realit! and give the impression of being slightl! mad.

It's no use trying to e#plain the problem to her ! she's away with the fairies(

have an axe to grind If !o" have an axe to grind !o" have personal reasons for becoming involved in something or

adopting a partic"lar attit"de.

It was decided that the best candidate would be selected by a recruitment agency

who had no a#e to grind within the company

alphabetical list - a

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