| 1 |
Bringing a knife to a gunfight |
Means being significantly outmatched, often due to a lack of resources or a failure to prepare properly |
| 2 |
Burn the midnight oil |
Means to read, study, or work late into the night |
| 3 |
Pick someone's brain |
Means to obtain information by questioning someone who is better informed about a subject than oneself |
| 4 |
He's being coy |
Means he is playfully evasive, shy, or reluctant to give a direct answer or reveal his true feelings, often in a teasing or flirtatious way |
| 5 |
Puppet master |
Means a person, group, or country that covertly controls another |
| 6 |
Like to pull the strings |
Means to be in control of events or of other people's actions |
| 7 |
Strike while the iron is hot |
Means to do something immediately while there is still a good chance to do it |
| 8 |
No one is the wiser |
Means that nobody is more aware or has gained more understanding about a situation, either because they still don't understand a complicated explanation or because they are unaware of something that happened |
| 9 |
Can’t put my finger on it |
Means you can't quite identify or explain the exact reason for something, even though you feel or notice that something is off |
| 10 |
Chopped liver |
Means someone or something that is not important or appealing |
| 11 |
No slouch |
Means someone is very good, skilled, or capable at a particular activity |
| 12 |
Claim to fame |
Means a reason for being regarded as unusual or noteworthy |
| 13 |
Knows where the bodies are buried |
Means a person possesses confidential, incriminating, or embarrassing information about another person or an organization |
| 14 |
Stole his thunder |
Means to take away the attention, praise, or success that someone else was expecting |
| 15 |
Steal you thunder |
Means to win praise for oneself by preempting someone else's attempt to impress. |
| 16 |
Absence makes the heart grow fonder |
Means you feel more affection for those you love when parted from them |
| 17 |
When push comes to shove |
Means it can be done if the situation becomes so bad that you have to do it |
| 18 |
Nail home the point |
Means to emphasize something so forcefully and clearly that it is thoroughly understood and leaves a lasting impression |
| 19 |
The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray |
Means that no matter how carefully you plan something, unexpected events, misfortune, or external forces can cause those plans to fail or turn out poorly |
| 20 |
Start with a clean slate |
Means to begin a fresh start, completely disregarding past mistakes, offenses, or debts, and making a new beginning without prejudice or bias from what happened before |
| 21 |
Ahead of the game |
Means to be in a position of advantage, especially financially; succeeding or winning |
| 22 |
Tongue and cheek |
Means a statement or comment that is not meant to be taken seriously, but rather is made with insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration, often to be humorous or to express a slightly mocking or playful tone |
| 23 |
More trouble than it’s worth |
Means something that requires a greater amount of effort, time, or resources than the benefit, usefulness, or reward it provides |
| 24 |
Come clean |
Be completely honest; keep nothing hidden |
| 25 |
All hands on deck |
Means that there is a crisis that needs everyone to help out |
| 26 |
All the rage |
Means something is currently very popular, fashionable, or a widespread trend |
| 27 |
Playing fast and loose |
Means to be recklessly irresponsible, unreliable, or deceitful |
| 28 |
Adding insult to injury |
Means to act in a way that makes a bad or displeasing situation worse |
| 29 |
You don’t have a leg to stand on |
Means you have no evidence, justification, or support for your argument or claim, making it impossible to defend your position |
| 30 |
Low blow |
Means an unfair, unscrupulous, or hurtful attack, criticism, or action that is intended to cause distress or embarrassment |
| 31 |
Low down |
Means the true facts or relevant information about something |
| 32 |
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer |
Means to maintain strong bonds with friends for support while strategically monitoring enemies to anticipate their actions and mitigate threats |
| 33 |
Knock yourself out |
Means to tell someone to go ahead and do something |
| 34 |
As i live and breathe |
Used to emphasize the truth of a statement |
| 35 |
That was a masterstroke |
Means a masterly action or achievement; an extremely skillful or effective action |
| 36 |
A watched pot never boils |
Means time seems to pass much more slowly when you are anxiously waiting for something to happen, making the event feel like it takes forever |
| 37 |
Having second thoughts |
Means you are having doubts or uncertainty about a decision, opinion, or action you previously made, leading you to reconsider it |
| 38 |
Jump the shark |
Means that a creative work, most often a television series, has passed its peak quality and begun to decline, marked by a point where it resorts to outlandish, desperate, or far-fetched attempts to maintain audience interest |
| 39 |
Off pudding |
Means something that causes uneasiness, dislike, or annoyance |
| 40 |
Just like old times |
Means an experience or activity feels the same as it did in the past, evoking nostalgia or a return to a previous state |
| 41 |
No wiggle room |
Means there is no capacity or scope for negotiation or operation, especially in order to modify a previous statement or decision |
| 42 |
Nothing to sneeze at |
Means something is significant, worthwhile, or important enough to be taken seriously and not dismissed or ignored |
| 43 |
Lollygagging |
Means to waste time, dawdle, or spend time doing things that are not serious or useful |
| 44 |
Uphill climb |
Means a situation or task that is challenging, requires significant effort, and demands perseverance to achieve success |
| 45 |
All the time in the world |
Means that there is plenty of time to accomplish something or to take things at a leisurely pace |
| 46 |
That old chestnut |
Means a joke or story that has become tedious because of its age and constant repetition |
| 47 |
Coast is clear |
Means there is no danger of being observed or caught |
| 48 |
Off the rails |
Means to behave in a strange, abnormal, or wildly uncontrolled way |
| 49 |
Mind your p's and q's |
Means to be careful of your behavior and manners, especially in social situations |
| 50 |
Use your noodle |
Means to use your intelligence or brainpower to think about something carefully, especially to solve a problem or figure something out |
