A bad hair day.
Meaning: A day on which everything seems to go wrong.
Use in sentence: I missed the bus and was late on the one day the boss was early and now i have laddered my tights! Talk about a bad hair day.
A bad workman always blames his tools.
Meaning: A proverb that suggests a poor workman tends to look for an excuse for his poor work.
Use in sentence: It was really Andy s fault that the wall he built fell down but he tried to claim that the cement mixer was faulty.
A big ask.
Meaning: A favor which is a lot to ask of someone.
Use in sentence: Tod had only just got home from his overnight flight when his boss told him to get back to the airport and fly to Sydney that was a big ask.
A bigger bang for your buck.
Meaning: Better value for your money.
Use in sentence: Those Chinese fireworks are so cheap we literally get a bigger bang for our buck.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Meaning:: It's better to have a lesser but certain advantage than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing.
Use in sentence: The questions in the final round looked hard so we opted out of the big prize and took the smaller $000 second prize a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush you know.
A bite to eat.
Meaning: A small meal possibly taken quickly when time is short.
Use in sentence: We won’t have time for a meal after the concert finishes so let us get a bite to eat now before we go in.
A blessing in disguise.
Meaning: An apparent misfortune that works to the eventual benefit of the recipient.
Use in sentence: Breaking my arm was a blessing in disguise i married the nurse.
A bull and cow.
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for a row or argument.
Use in sentence: They were shouting and screaming at each other a real bull and cow.
A bunch of fives.
Meaning: A fist as used in a fight.
Use in sentence: Punch me would you? How’d you like a bunch of fives in your eye?
A chip on your shoulder.
Meaning: A sense of inferiority characterized by a quickness to take offence.
Use in sentence: He's the only cabinet minister that didn’t t go to Eton and it's given him a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
A diamond in the rough.
Meaning: A person or thing having good underlying qualities while appearing to be coarse and unpolished.
Use in sentence: He'd been in jail several times for fraud but when he found my lost wallet he returned it a rough diamond if there ever was one.
A dime a dozen.
Meaning: So commonplace as to be of little consequence.
Use in sentence: Red buses in London they’re a dime a dozen.
A doubting Thomas.
Meaning: A sceptic who won’t accept a widely believed truth until seeing the evidence in person.
Use in sentence: I told him he would need a raincoat but doubting Thomas that he is he had to check the forecast for himself.
A drop in the bucket.
Meaning: A very small part of a bigger whole.
Use in sentence: The country’s debt has risen to a trillion pounds paying off a billion is just a drop in the bucket.
A feather in one’s cap.
Meaning: A symbol of achievement.
Use in sentence: Getting nominated for an Oscar is the biggest feather in a film actor’s cap.
A fish out of water.
Meaning: Someone in an unfamiliar circumstance.
Use in sentence: He's a fine golfer but in this dance competition he's a fish out of water.
A flash in the pan.
Meaning: Something that fails to deliver long-term benefit after an initial success.
Use in sentence: Ricky valance was a one-hit wonder pretty much a flash in the pan you might say.
A fly in the ointment.
Meaning: A small flaw that spoils the whole.
Use in sentence: It was good to win the gold but not being able to attend the ceremony to collect it was the fly in the ointment.
A fly on the wall.
Meaning: An unperceived observer able to see and hear but not be seen or heard a form of cinema in which events are recorded without direction.
Use in sentence: 1 I wish i could have been a fly on the wall when Putin met Obama these reality shows are just the same as the old fly-on-the-wall documentaries.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Meaning: A foolish person is very likely to lose his money.
Use in sentence: He's off to the casino again a fool and his money i say.
A fool s paradise.
Meaning: A state of euphoria with no basis in reality.
Use in sentence: He thinks he is going to get the top job but there’s no chance of that he's just living in a fool’s paradise.
A foot in the door.
Meaning: An Initial Inroad that may lead to greater influence in future.
Use in sentence: I convinced them to start displaying my artwork I’m making a loss on it but it's a foot in the door.
A golden key can open any door.
Meaning: Money always has a telling influence.
Use in sentence: He's not really good enough to be an f1 driver but he got in the team because he brought a major sponsorship deal with him as they say a golden key can open any door.
A hot potato.
Meaning: A current issue which many people are talking about and which is controversial.
Use in sentence: The bombing of Syria is a political hot potato.
A house divided against it cannot stand.
Meaning: Failure is certain if those on the same side argue amongst themselves.
Use in sentence: The tory party can't stop arguing over Europe don t they know that a house divided cannot stand.
A knight in shining armor.
Meaning: A person who comes to the aid of another when other hopes have faded like the knights in romantic stories.
Use in sentence: She was stuck out of petrol in the middle of the moors at night when the repair man turned up she called him her knight in shining armor.
A leopard can't change his spots.
Meaning: You cannot change your innate self.
Use in sentence: He was a bully at school and he's a bully now a leopard can't change its spots.
A little bird told me.
Meaning: I was told by an undisclosed source.
Use in sentence: How do I know it's your 5th anniversary? Well a little bird told me.
A load of cobblers.
Meaning: Nonsense.
Use in sentence: He says he has invented a perpetual motion machine which is clearly a load of cobblers.
A load of codswallop.
Meaning: Nonsense.
Use in sentence: You can't keep champagne fresh by putting a spoon in the neck of the bottle that’s a load of codswallop.
A lot on your plate.
Meaning: Having many responsibilities.
Use in sentence: Your mom dying just when you were moving house and being made redundant you certainly have a lot on your plate.
A man after my own heart.
Meaning: A kindred spirit someone who thinks as I do.
Use in sentence: We've both supported Manchester united since we were kid s you could say he was a man after my own heart.
A miss is as good as a mile.
Meaning: Some endeavors either succeed or they don t to miss narrowly is still failure.
Use in sentence: He came within a millimeter of breaking the high jump records sadly a miss is as good as a mile.
A penny for your thoughts.
Meaning: A way of asking what someone is thinking.
Use in sentence: You've been gazing out the window with a wistful look for ages a penny for your thoughts?
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Meaning: Anything you save has the same effect as adding to your income.
Use in sentence: I put all my small change into a jar every day it's not much but a penny saved is a penny earned.
A picture paints a thousand words.
Meaning: Pictures are far more descriptive than words.
Use in sentence: I tried to describe that fantastic sunset and then she just showed them a photo you know it's true a picture paints a thousand words.
A piece of cake.
Meaning: A task that can be accomplished very easily.
Use in sentence: jumping that two-foot fence? No problem a piece of cake.
A pig in a poke.
Meaning: A commodity that is bought without first examining it.
Use in sentence: Jim said that car was a good buy so I bid for it on eBay and it turned out to be a real rust bucket that’s what you get for buying a pig in a poke.
A place in the sun.
Meaning: An idealistic dream of a sunny hideaway.
Use in sentence: We've been lucky we managed to buy ourselves a place in the sun for our retirement.
A red rag to a bull.
Meaning: A deliberate provocation.
Use in sentence: Telling Putin that he is macho as a response to being small in stature was like a red rag to a bull.
A safe pair of hands.
Meaning: A reliable person who can be trusted not to fail in a task.
Use in sentence: When Margaret thatcher passed the prime minister ship to john major she thought he would be a safe pair of hands.
A sea change.
Meaning: A radical change.
Use in sentence: When Obama came in after George bush there was a real sea change in us foreign policy.
A sight for sore eyes.
Meaning: A welcome sight that you weren’t expecting.
Use in sentence: Wow you’re a sight for sore eyes they told me you were abroad and would miss my wedding.
A skeleton in the closet.
Meaning: A secret and possibly ruinous source of shame.
Use in sentence: No one in the family ever talked about granddad being convicted of child abuse it was the skeleton in our closet.
A shot in the arm.
Meaning: A boost or encouragement.
Use in sentence: I was out on my feet after ten miles running but seeing the kids cheering me on was a real shot in the arm.
A slap on the wrist.
Meaning: A mild rebuke of ten given when a more severe punishment might be expected.
Use in sentence: Those muggers should get a jail term but these days they'll probably just get a fine and a slap on the wrist.
A sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Meaning: The use of excessive resources to overcome a small problem.
Use in sentence: Using the air ambulance to get granny to hospital was a sledgehammer to crack a nut she could walk perfectly well and we only live 00 yards away.
A sorry sight.
Meaning: Something sadly neglected a person or thing of untidy appearance.
Use in sentence: The se Georgian town houses were beautiful when they were built but they make a sorry sight now they've been left unoccupied and vandalized since Jim hit the bottle after Joan left him he s not been taking care of himself he looked a sorry sight today just dressed in old clothe s and slippers.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Meaning: A small effort made at the right time might save a calamity later on.
Use in sentence: Fixing that frayed rope was a real stitch in time it would probably have snapped when the wind got up later if we hadn’t.
A stone's throw.
Meaning: A short distance.
Use in sentence: Number ten Downing Street is just a stone’s throw from Parliament the Prime Minister can walk there in no time.
A taste of your own medicine.
Meaning: Mistreatment you receive in retaliation to that you gave to others.
Use in sentence: You always made me work on Christmas day when I was the junior now I’m in charge of the holiday Rota and you can take a dose of your own medicine.
A thorn in my flesh.
Meaning: A persistent and difficult to ignore annoyance.
Use in sentence: The anti-capitalist campaigners turned up at every political meeting they were are real thorn in the flesh for the government.
A tossup.
Meaning: The flip of a coin to decide on something a result usually between two courses of action which is uncertain and could go either way.
Use in sentence: Before the game we tossed up to decide which direction we would be playing who will win the premiership this year? It looks pretty even I’d say it's a tossup.
A wolf in sheep s clothing.
Meaning: Someone who uses the pretense of kindliness to disguise their evil intent.
Use in sentence: He was 38 but tried to pass himself off as a thirteen year old in order to get a date with a schoolgirl a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
About face.
Meaning: A military command to turn when on parade a change from ones previous position.
Use in sentence: Stand to attention! Present arms! About face! Winston Churchill joined parliament as a conservative and then did an about face and changed to the liberals before going about face again and re-joining the conservatives.
About time.
Meaning: Almost time high time.
Use in sentence: Hurry up it's about time for the game to start these running shoe s are worn through it's about time I got a new pair.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Meaning: Our feelings for people and things grow when we are apart from them.
Use in sentence: I enjoyed visiting Italy but after a few weeks I couldn’t wait to get home to my wife as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Abs-bloody-lutely.
Meaning: A more emphatic version of absolutely.
Use in sentence: Would I like to borrow your new Maserati for a day? Abs-bloody-lately I would!
Ace in the hole.
Meaning: A saved hidden advantage that can supply a victory when revealed.
Use in sentence: Pete Townshend thought I can see for miles was a sure-fire hit and he saved it as an ace in the hole until he needed to boost the group’s success.
Achilles heel.
Meaning: A fatal weakness in an otherwise strong person or thing.
Use in sentence: JFK's Achilles heel was his inability to ignore the charms of a long-legged blonde.
Across the board.
Meaning: Applying everywhere and to all classes of thing.
Use in sentence: Everyone has to pay value-added tax it's an across the board levy.
Act your age.
Meaning: Behave in a manner appropriate to your stage in life.
Use in sentence: Granddad is doing his jazz dancing again so embarrassing I wish had act his age.
Actions speak louder than words.
Meaning: Actions show ones character more than what you say.
Use in sentence: She spoke up for the immigrants but he gave them a bed in his house actions speak louder than words.
Adam's Ale.
Meaning: A reference to water of ten used to emphasize the purity of water compared to other drinks.
Use in sentence: I didn't want a beer when I finished the Marathon Adams Ale was all I needed.
Add fuel to the fire.
Meaning: Make a bad situation even worse than it is.
Use in sentence: Going into that race riot and telling them to get back to Africa was really adding fuel to the fire.
Add insult to injury.
Meaning: To further a loss to make a bad situation worse.
Use in sentence: She jilted him at the altar but to add insult to injury she later married his brother.
Against the clock.
Meaning: In a great hurry to complete something before a set deadline.
Use in sentence: Sorry no pub lunch for me today I’m up against the clock this reports got to be done by 6pm or I’m dead.
Aren’t my first Rodeo.
Meaning: Said by someone who has experience of a situation.
Use in sentence: You don't need to show me how to peel the potatoes this aren’t my first rodeo you know.
Al fresco.
Meaning: In the open air.
Use in sentence: The weathers lovely let's have our lunch Al-Fresco on the terrace.
Al Desko.
Meaning: Eating ones lunch while still working (a pun on al fresco).
Use in sentence: I'm too busy to come to the cafe this lunchtime I’ll be lunching Al Desko.
All at sea.
Meaning: In a confused disordered state.
Use in sentence: He dropped his notes just before the interview and panicked you could say he was all at sea.
All kidding aside.
Meaning: Said when you want people to realize you are speaking seriously when they might otherwise think you were joking.
Use in sentence: I know I’m dressed as a circus clown for the party but believe me the kitchen is on fire.
All bark and no bite.
Meaning: Having lots to say but not willing to engage in a fight.
Use in sentence: There's always one loud guy at the back who dis-appears when trouble starts all bark but no bite.
All Greek to me.
Meaning: Incomprehensible as Greek is to someone who cannot speak it.
Use in sentence: He says that Quantum Physics isn't so difficult but it's all Greek to me.
All in all.
Meaning: On the whole when everything is considered.
Use in sentence: We've had some bad times in our marriage but all in all the past thirty years have been happy.
All in a day s work.
Meaning: Typical; A normal set of circumstances.
Use in sentence: Screaming through red lights to find a house burning down all in a day’s work if you are a fireman.
All set.
Meaning: Ready to go.
Use in sentence: We're all packed tickets checked the kids are in the card you could say that we are all set to go.
All thumbs.
Meaning: Clumsy or physically inept.
Use in sentence: Clumsy or physically inept.
All to cock.
Meaning: Ruined or shambolic.
Use in sentence: I put in tablespoons instead of teaspoons and my cake recipe has gone all to cock.
All together now.
Meaning: Invitation to join in communal singing.
Use in sentence: Come on all of you let us have a sing-song ill count you in all together now.
Alpha Mom.
Meaning: An ambitious mother who aims to excel at work while raising children.
Use in sentence: She has two kids and is desperate to get the top job to save to get them into private school a real alpha mom.
Alphabet soup.
Meaning: A jumble of words or letters of ten referring to organizations known by their initials like CIAO and BBC.
Use in sentence: All those institutions of the European parliament are confusing a real alphabet soup.
Amber nectar.
Meaning: A slang term for lager.
Use in sentence: I’ve been in the outback all day rounding up sheep and my throats as dry as a Pommies towel I’m just about ready to sink a few tinniest of the amber nectar.
Amped up.
Meaning: Excited and ready for action.
Use in sentence: He's been training for today all year now the big day has come and he’s amped up and ready to go.
An act of God.
Meaning: Some event that is considered to be outside human control commonly used in insurance policies to refer to events that the insured cannot be held responsible for.
Use in sentence: The insurance company had to pay up for the lightning strike damage after all it wasn’t my fault it was an act of god.
An arm and a leg.
Meaning: very expensive a large amount of money.
Use in sentence: That new lawnmower is top of the range it cost me an arm and a leg.
An axe to grind.
Meaning: A dispute with someone.
Use in sentence: Hey I’ve an axe to grind with you didn't I hear you calling my sister a slag?
An open and shut case.
Meaning: A straight-forward legal case in which the outcome is clear.
Use in sentence: He was caught with the stolen money and the police had his picture at the crime scene on CCTV it was an open and shut case.
Apples and Pears.
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for stairs.
Use in sentence: Time for bed jimmy get yourself up the apples and pears.
At the drop of a hat.
Meaning: With no delay.
Use in sentence: They were always ready to help just say the word and they’d be there at the drop of a hat.
Away with the fairies.
Meaning:Not facing reality; in a dream world.
Meaning: She says she is going to star in Johnny Depp’s next movie if you ask me she's away with the fairies.
The HeGo dev chose to venture in the space of education purely with the intent to provide world class education to the youth to mold them to become “Leaders of Tomorrow”.
We are always available online for listening your quries. You can reach us by writing an e-mail. hegodev@gmail.com
The HeGo dev chose to venture in the space of education purely with the intent to provide world class education to the youth to mold them to become “Leaders of Tomorrow”.
This site is open for all and there is no need of creating account, we do not store any of your information.