out of the blue
By surprise.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
All languages English Tiếng Việt
Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
out on a limb
Without support or isolated.
over my dead body
Completely oppose something and would do anything to prevent it.
own goal
To do something accidentally negative against yourself or your own team.
paint the town red
Go out and party.
part and parcel
The attribute of being an integral or essential component of another object.
pass the buck
Shift responsibility.
pay through the nose
Pay much more than a fair price.
penny wise and pound foolish
Economical in small matters while wasteful in big matters.
pick holes
Find fault with.
pie in the sky
Unlikely to be realized.
pigs might fly
Ironically expressing disbelief.
play fast and loose
Be irresponsible.
play games
Deal with someone or something in a way that lacks due seriousness.
play hard to get
Deliberately adopt an aloof or uninterested attitude.
play second fiddle
Take subordinate role.
play the field
Indulge in a series of sexual relationships without commitment.
play the white man
That someone is attempting to be decent and trustworthy in their actions.
play to the gallery
Act in order to appeal to popular taste.
political football
Topic of continued argument.
poor as a church mouse
Extrememly poor.
pop one's clogs
(UK) A euphemism for dying or death.
power behind the throne
A person with influence without formal status.
practice makes perfect
Repeated practice is the way to master a skill.
preaching to the choir
To present a side of a discussion or argument to someone who already agrees with it; essentially, wasting your time.
prepare the ground
Make it easier for something to occur.
pressed for time
Not enough time.
pull a fast one
Try to gain an unfair advantage.
pull out all the stops
Do all that is possible to achieve results.
pull someone's leg
To tease someone playfully by making them believe something untrue.
push the boat out
Be lavish in your spending.
push the envelope
To approach, extend, or go beyond the limits of what is possible; to pioneer.
pushing up daisies
A euphemism for dying or death.
put a brave face on
Act as if something unpleasant or upsetting is not as bad as it really is.
put a foot wrong
Make any mistake.
put the cart before the horse
Reverse the proper order.
put the cat among the pigeons
To create a disturbance and cause trouble.
race against time
Limited time.
rain cats and dogs
Rain heavily.
raining cats and dogs
Raining very hard or strongly.
raise hell
Complain vociferously.
red tape
Bureaucracy.
right as rain
Needed, appropriate, essential, or hoped-for; also has come to mean perfect, well, or absolutely right.
ring a bell
Familiar but details unclear.
rock the boat
To do or say something that will upset people or cause problems.
roll out the red carpet
Welcome warmly.
run amok
Behave disruptively.
run the gamut
Display the complete range of something.
run the gauntlet
Go through an intimidating experience in order to reach a goal.
run the show
Be in charge.
save face
Avoid humiliation.
saved by the bell
Narrowly saved.
schoolboy error
Foolish mistake.
screw the pooch
To screw up; to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion.
see a man about a dog
A euphemistic way to announce one's departure while concealing the true purpose.
see eye to eye
Have similar views.
seeing is believing
You can only really accept that something is true once you have seen it yourself.
sell like hot cakes
Be sold quickly and in large quantities.
sell-by date
A point of being useless.
shoot the breeze
To chat idly or casually, without any serious topic of conversation.
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