English idioms A–Z explained simply

An armchair critic 

A person who knows about a subject only by reading or hearing about it and criticises without active experience or first-hand knowledge.  

Armchair critic is first recorded in 1896 but the concept was around at least a decade earlier when Joseph Chamberlain sneered at opponents as ‘arm-chair politicians’ (1886). Another common variant is armchair traveller, meaning ‘someone who travels in imagination only’. 

Ignore the armchair critics and get professional advice from the experts before you start your business.  

At someone’s beck and call   

Always having to be ready to obey someone’s orders immediately.  

Beck in the sense of “significant gesture of command” comes from the verb beck, which is shortened form of beckon and is now found mainly in this phrase.  

She is going to be confined to a wheelchair for the next three weeks, but she’s not complaining as she will have a nurse at her beck and call.  

As easy as ABC  

Extremely easy or straightforward.   

A child’s first spelling or reading book was commonly called an ABC, hence its metaphorical use to mean the basic elements of something.  

The questions Mr. Gillis prepared for the quiz is as easy as ABC.  

An Aladdin’s cave  

A place full of valuable objects.   

From the Arabian Nights tale of Aladdin, who found the magic lamp in a cave.   

Not many are aware of this, but he has an Aladdin’s cave of special edition Nike shoes.  

Alarms and excursions  

Confused activity and uproar.   

Originally a call summoning soldiers to arms, the whole phrase is used to stage directions in Shakespeare to indicate a battle scene.  

The alarms and excursions over the dismissal of the Marketing Manager have hidden the real problem the company is facing.  

A blind spot 

An area into which one cannot see. Also: an aspect of something that someone knows or cares little about.  

These general senses appear to have developed from a cricketing term for the spot of ground in front of a batsman where a ball pitched by the bowler leaves the batsman undecided whether to play forward to it or back.  

I like science but math is a blind spot for me.   

All-singing, all-dancing 

Technologically advanced, with every possible attribute, able to perform any necessary function.  

Applied particularly in the area of computer technology, but ultimately driving from descriptions of show business acts.  

We love the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone that was launched today.  

A rotten (or bad) apple  

A bad person in the group, typically one whose behaviour is likely to have a corrupting/bad influence on the rest.  

With reference to the fact that a rotten apple causes other fruit with which is it in contact to rot.   

Despite the occasional bad apple, I enjoy working with our regional sales team.  

Argue the toss  

Dispute a decision or choice already made.   

Toss is the tossing of a coin to decide an issue in a simple and definite way according to the side of the coin visible when it lands.  

I agree with the CEO’s decision, although some employees will argue the toss.  

Alive and well 

Still existing and active.  

Often used to deny rumours or beliefs that something has disappeared or declined.  

Many may disagree, but chivalry is still alive and well in Melbourne.   

As blind as a bat 

Having very bad eyesight. Informal  

Probably arising from the bat’s nocturnal habits and its disorientated flutterings if it’s disturbed by day; A mid-17th-century collection of idioms has this expression in the form “blind as a bat at noon”. The poor eyesight of bats (and less frequently, moles) has been proverbial since the late 16th century.  

Chin is blind as a bat without her glasses.   

By (or through) the back door  

Using indirect or dishonest means to achieve an objective.  

The proverb – a postern (back) door makes a thief, recorded in English since the mid-15th century.  

Susan has influential friends, so she secured a high-ranking position in the company by the back door.  

Bark up the wrong tree 

Pursue a mistaken or misguided line of thought or course of action.  

The metaphor is of a dog that has mistaken the tree in which its prey has taken refuge and is barking at the foot of the wrong one.  

Sarah is angry at John for cheating, but I’m sure she’s barking up the wrong tree.  

Batten down the hatches  

Prepare for a difficulty or crisis.  

Originally a nautical term meaning ‘make secure a ship’s hatches with gratings and tarpaulins’ in expectation of stormy weather.  

A tornado is expected tomorrow evening, so I had better batten down the hatches.   

Beat around the bush  

Discuss a matter without coming to the point; be ineffectual and waste time. 

A metaphor originating in the shooting or netting of birds.  

I hope she would stop beating around the bush and answer my question immediately.  

Beat the bushes  

Search thoroughly.   

The expression originates in the practice of hunters who walk through undergrowth with long sticks to force birds or animals hiding in the bushes out into the open where they can be shot or netted.   

Shelley is beating the bushes for new customers because business has hit an all-time low.   

Bed of nails  

A problematic or uncomfortable situation.  

Originally a board with nails pointing out of it, as used by Eastern fakirs and ascetics.  

My parents are very judgmental and living with them can be a bed of nails. 

Beggar on horseback 

A formerly poor person made arrogant or corrupt through achieving wealth and luxury.  

The proverbial saying set a beggar on horseback and he’ll ride to the devil.  

It’s not surprising that he lost everything and is being investigated by the authorities as he was a beggar on a horseback.  

Back to square one  

Back to the starting-point, with no progress made.  

'Square one' may be a reference to a board-game such as Snakes and Ladders or derived from the division of the football pitch into eight numbered sections for early radio commentaries.  

After three consecutive defeats, our basketball team is back to square one.  

Bite the bullet  

Face up to doing something difficult or unpleasant; avoid showing any emotion, fear or distress.   

From the days before anaesthetics, wounded soldiers were given a bullet or similar solid object to clench between their teeth when undergoing surgery.  

Linda was willing to bite the bullet for the sake of her children’s future.  

Back to the drawing board  

Start again to devise a new plan from the beginning because the present plan or course of action has been unsuccessful.  

An architectural or engineering project is at its earliest phase when it exists only as a plan on a drawing board.  

Our plans to acquire the new business fell through, so it’s back to the drawing board.  

Better the devil you know  

It’s wiser to deal with an undesirable but familiar person or situation than to risk a change that might lead to a situation with worse difficulties or a person whose faults you have yet to discover.  

A shortened form of the mid-19th century proverbial saying better than the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.   

I don’t think Matthew is the best choice for Class President but better the devil you know.  

Bring down the curtain on 

Bring to an end.   

Referring to the screen that is lowered at the front of the stage in the theatre at the end of a performance.  

Both leaders should be brought together to bring down the curtain on years of battling between the two countries.  

Below the belt 

Unfair or unfairly; not regarding the rules.  

From the notion of a low, and therefore illegal, blow in boxing.  

His joke about Jason’s misfortune was below the belt. 

Better late than never 

It’s preferable for something to happen or be done belatedly than not at all.  

An expression used in Latin (Livy IV.ii potius sero quam nunquam) and known in its current form in English from the mid-15th century.  

I didn’t know how to swim until I was 45, but better late than never.  

Bide one’s time  

Wait quietly for a good opportunity.  

This phrase employs the verb to bide in the sense of “to wait for,” a usage dating from about A.D 950 and surviving mainly in this idiom.  

I am just biding my time, planning and looking for a property that’s perfect for my family.  

Be in someone’s black books  

Be in disfavour with a person.  

Although generally an official book in which misdemeanours and their perpetrators were noted down, the phrase perhaps originated in the black-bound book in which evidence of monastic scandal and abuses was recorded by the commissioners of Henry VIII in the 1530s before the suppression of the English monasteries.  

I am quite sure I won’t be selected to represent the school as I ‘m in the coach’s black books at the moment.  

Bleed someone dry (or white)  

Drain someone of all their money or resources.   

Since the late 17th century, bleeding has been a metaphor for extorting money from someone. White refers to the psychological effect of loss of blood.  

Private medical costs are bleeding us dry.   

Draw a blank  

Does not bring about any response. Be unsuccessful.   

A blank was originally a lottery ticket that did not win a prize; the figurative use of the phrase can be traced back to the 19th century.   

There were so many signs linking him to the murder, but the investigators drew a blank.  

Get to first base 

Achieve the first step towards one’s objective.   

'Base' in this idiom refers to each of the four points in the angles of the ‘diamond’ in baseball.  

I hope to get to first base with this business deal before I update the company directors on its progress.  

Go belly up 

Go bankrupt (informal); to break or malfunction, fail or come to an end.  

The implied comparison is with a dead fish or other animals floating upside down in the water.  

We must be prepared because if the merger deal doesn’t materialise, the company may go belly up.  

Have a bone to pick with someone  

Have reason to disagree or to be annoyed with someone. Informal.   

A bone to pick (or gnaw) has been a metaphor for a problem or difficulty to be thought over since the 16th century.  

She was being mean as she had a bone to pick with me.  

Have an ace up one’s sleeve  

Have an effective resource or piece of information kept hidden until it is necessary to use it; a secret advantage.   

The ace, the card marked with a single pip, is the highest card in many card games, so a cheating player might well conceal one to use against an unsuspecting opponent.  

Josephine, our school’s star sprinter, was the ace up our team’s sleeve.  

Have people rolling in the aisles  

Make an audience laugh uncontrollably. To be very amusing (informal).  

It is based on the idea of uncontrollable laughter, causing people watching a show to fall on the floor in the aisles. (the long narrow spaces between rows of seats in a theatre)   

Russell’s jokes had everyone rolling in the aisles.  

Have an axe to grind  

Have a (private, sometimes damaging) motive for doing or being involved with something.  

The expression originated in a story told by Benjamin Franklin and was used first in the US. Especially with reference to politics, but now generally. Often in a negative context.  

The people attempting to destroy the evidence definitely have an axe to grind.   

Have one’s cake and eat it 

Enjoy the advantages of two mutually incompatible situations.  

Proverbial saying   

David can’t have his cake and eat it, he must decide if he wants the promotion or move to another country. 

Hold all the cards 

Be in the strongest and most advantageous position.  

The idea is of a winning hand in a card game.  

In the current tough labour market conditions, employers hold all the cards. 

Jump (or climb) on the bandwagon 

Join others in doing or supporting something fashionable or likely to be successful.   

Bandwagon was originally the US term for a large wagon able to carry a band in a procession.  

When your TV show does extremely well, advertisers will be competing to be the first to jump on the bandwagon. 

Let the cat out of the bag  

Reveal a secret, especially carelessly or by mistake.   

In the mid-18th century, there was a similar metaphorical use of bag cf. vider le sac literally “empty the bag’ meaning to “tell the whole story”  

Under intense pressure to explain her visits to the doctor, Delia let the cat out of the bag and announced that she is pregnant.  

Make a beeline for  

Go rapidly and directly towards.   

The bee was supposed to fly in a such a way when returning to its hive.   

They hungry tourists made a beeline for the buffet that featured delicious food from all over the world. 

On bended knee (or knees)  

Kneeling, especially when pleading, asking for something or showing great respect.   

Bended was the original past participle of bend, but in Middle English it was superseded in general use by bent. It’s now archaic and survives only in this phrase.  

Simon went down on bended knee and surprised Jenny with a marriage proposal.  

One’s heart bleeds for someone 

One sympathizes very deeply with someone or the phrase can be also said sarcastically to mean the opposite.  

Used by Chaucer and Shakespeare to express sincere anguish, but now most commonly ironic, indicating the speaker’s belief that the person referred to doesn’t deserve the sympathy they are seeking.  

My heart bleeds for Nathan who missed his chance to meet his sister who was given up for adoption 10 years ago.   

Run amok  

Behave uncontrollably and disruptively.   

The work comes from the Malay 'amuk', meaning “in a homicidal frenzy” ran amok.  

He ran amok and threatened the security guard outside the bank with a knife.  

Rise from the ashes  

Be renewed after destruction.   

In classical myth, the phoenix was a fabulous bird which, when it became old, sacrificed itself upon a funeral pyre and was born again from the ashes with renewed youth.  

With the failing economy, there are serious doubts that the company shares can rise from the ashes.   

Throw the baby out (or away) with the bathwater  

Discard something valuable along with other things that are inessential or undesirable.   

Based on a German saying recorded from early 16th century by Thomas Carlyle who identifies it as German and gives it in the form, “You must empty out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it.”  

Parts of this strategy are brilliant, so let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water and abandon the entire project.  

The ball is in someone’s court 

It’s that particular person’s turn to act next.  

A metaphor from tennis or a similar ball game where different players use particular areas of a marked court.  

I have done my part so the ball is in your court now.  

Turn a blind eye  

Ignore or pretend not to notice.   

Said to be in reference to Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), who lifted a telescope to his blind eye at the naval Battle of Copenhagen (1801), thus making certain that he failed to see his superior’s signal to “discontinue action”.  

He doesn’t like his daughter’s fiancé, but he is willing to turn a blind eye and accept him as his son-in-law because she loves him.  

The apple of one’s eye 

Person or thing of whom one is extremely fond and proud.  

Originally denoting the pupil of the eye, considered to be a globular solid body; hence extended as a symbol of something cherished and watched over.  

Please don’t say anything negative about that painting as it’s the apple of Lisa’s eye.  

Take someone aback 

Shock, surprise or disconcert someone.  

The frequently used passive form of the phrase (be taken aback) was adopted from a nautical terminology, describing the situation of a ship with its sails pressed back against the mast by headwind, preventing forward movement.  

When I first met him, I was taken aback by his rude behaviour.  

Take it on the chin 

Endure or accept misfortune courageously.  

A metaphor from boxing.  

Melissa really took it on the chin today when she got reprimanded for missing her flight. 

Up (or raise) the ante  

Increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute.   

From the Latin ante meaning ‘before’. As an English noun, it was originally a term in poker and similar gambling games, meaning ‘a stake put up by a player before drawing cards’.  

We upped the ante another $5,000 for the house on the hill as we want it badly.  

Upset the apple cart  

Spoil an advantageous project or disturb the status quo.   

Apple cart is a metaphor for a satisfactory but possible risky state of affairs is recorded in various expressions from late 18th century onward.  

If there’s another top management resignation next week, it could really upset the apple cart.   

With bated breath  

In great suspense; very anxiously or excitedly.   

Baited, which is sometimes seen, is a misspelling, since 'bated' in this sense is a shortened form of abated, the idea being that one’s breathing is lessened under the influence of extreme suspense.  

The suspense is killing me! I’m waiting with bated breath for the announcement about the winner.   

Work like a beaver 

To work steadily and industriously or to work very hard and energetically. Also, work like a dog, work like a horse.  

The beaver is referred to here because of the industriousness with which it constructs dams.  

He worked like a beaver to clean the house.   

When the chips are down 

When one is in a very serious and difficult situation.  

Chips refer to gambling chips here.  

Uncle Joe is someone you can depend on when the chips are down.