| Idiom/Saying | Explanation |
|---|---|
| To bank on something/someone For example: "You can always bank on friends to help you." |
Something or someone you can be sure of. |
| To lock the barn door after the horse has bolted For example: "Buying a burglar alarm after the break in was like locking the barn door after the horse had bolted." |
To be careful or try to make something safe when it is too late. |
| To be banging/hitting your head against a brick wall. For example: "Trying to get them to do their homework is like banging my head against a brick wall." |
To keep asking someone to do something which they never do. |
| Like a ton of bricks For example: " The news of the accident hit me like a ton of bricks." |
To be affected strongly or forcefully by something. |
You can't make bricks without straw. For example: |
You cannot do something correctly without the necessary materials/knowledge. |
| To burn your bridges For example: "When he handed in his resignation he had burnt his bridges." |
To do something that makes it impossible for you to change your plans and go back to the situation you were in before. |
| Rome wasn't built in a day. For example: "It's taken me years to build this site, and I'm still not finished! Still, Rome wasn't built in a day." |
It takes a long time to do an important job. |
| Castles in the air For example: " She is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic." |
To have daydreams. |
| To be in the doghouse For example: "He was really in the doghouse after borrowing his father's car without permission." |
To be in trouble. |
| To hold the fort For example: "He has been holding the fort at his company while his boss is on vacation." |
To cope in an emergency, often by acting as a temporary substitute. |
| Close to home For example: "What the fortune teller said about my past life hit close to home, it was uncanny." |
To be near to someone`s personal feelings, wishes or interests. |
| Make oneself at home For example: "I always make myself at home when I visit the in-laws." |
To act as if you were at home. |
| House of cards For example: "The peace agreement between the two countries was like a house of cards and quickly fell apart." |
Something badly put together and easily knocked down, a poorly thought out plan/action. |
| On the house For example: "The club was celebrating its anniversary so the drinks were on the house." |
Something provided free by a business - especially in a bar or restaurant. |
| Put one`s own house in order For example: "The government should put its own house in order before it tells others what to do." |
Organize one`s own private affairs. |
| To bring the house down For example: "The last act was so good they brought the house down." |
To cause alot of applause or laughter. |
| People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones For example: "He was always telling people to be honest and then he stole the money, he should know that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." |
Do not complain about other people if you are as bad as they are. |
| Run-of-the-mill For example: "Nothing extraordinary happened the whole day was very run-of-the-mill." |
Something that is ordinary or usual. |
| To go through the mill For example: "Since his divorce he has really gone through the mill." |
To experience a difficult situation. |
| To go through the roof For example: "When she saw how dirty his clothes were, his mother went through the roof." |
To become very angry, go into a rage. |
| To hit the roof For example: "He hit the roof when he found out that his son had wrecked the family car. " |
To become very angry, go into a rage. |
The elephant in the room. For example:- "Her blindness was the elephant in the room." |
A problem or situation that everyone knows about but no one mentions. |
To close the stable door after the horse has bolted. For example:- "Giving the banks billions of dollars, is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted." |
To try to fix something after the problem has occurred. |
To stonewall. For example:- He stonewalled the new project and now it's been cancelled. |
To refuse to cooperate, especially in supplying information, often by talking a lot. |
| To be a tower of strength For example: " He has been a real tower of strength all through the divorce." |
Someone who gives strong and reliable support |
| A hole in the wall 1) "We went for a drink at a little hole in the wall near the university last night." 2) "I went to the hole in the wall to get some cash." |
1) A small place to live, stay or work in. 2) A cash machine. |
The writing's on the wall For example:- "The director has promised there won't be any compulsory redundancies this year, but I figure that for next year the writing's on the wall. Better get your CV up to date." |
The future is predetermined usually in a negative way. |
| To climb the wall For example: " The journey was so boring she was soon climbing the wall." |
To be so bored that you become anxious and frustrated |
| To knock one`s head against a brick wall For example: "I have been knocking my head against a brick wall trying to solve this week's Mind Bender." |
To waste time trying to do something with little or no success. |
| More idioms and sayings | |