Phrases & variants

A

160 phrases

• A bad egg
  • bad egg
  • bad eggs
  • one bad egg
• A bad hair day
  • bad hair days (plural)
  • bad-hair-day (attributive)
  • having a bad hair day
• A baker's dozen
  • a baker's dozen of
  • bakers dozen
  • long dozen
  • thirteen to the dozen
• A baptism of fire
  • baptism by fire
  • baptism of iron
  • fiery baptism
• A battle of wills
  • battle of wills
  • battles of wills
  • clash of wills
  • war of wills
• A bee in your bonnet
  • a bee in her bonnet
  • bees in one's head
  • have a bee in one's bonnet
  • to get a bee in your bonnet about something
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
  • Bird in hand
  • Two in the bush
• A bit part
  • bit part
  • bit player
  • bit role
  • bit-part actor
  • play a bit part
• A bitter pill to swallow
  • a bitter pill
  • a hard pill to swallow
  • a tough pill to swallow
  • quite a pill to swallow
• A black day
  • a black day for someone or something
  • Black Monday (and other black + weekday forms)
  • black-letter day
  • one of the blackest days
• A bolt from the blue
  • a bolt out of the blue
  • a thunderbolt from the blue
• A bull in a china shop
  • like a bull in a china closet
  • like an elephant in a china shop
• A bun in the oven
  • another bun in the oven
  • got a bun in the oven
  • have a bun in the oven
  • with a bun in the oven
• A cameo appearance
  • a cameo
  • cameo appearance
  • cameo part
  • cameo role
  • make a cameo
• A canary in the coal mine
  • canary in a coal mine
  • canary in the mine
  • climate canary
• A Cassandra warning
  • a Cassandra
  • a Cassandra prophecy
  • the Cassandra complex
• A cat on a hot tin roof
  • Cat on tin
• A charmed life
  • charmed existence
  • lead a charmed existence
  • lead a charmed life
  • live a charmed life
• A chip off the old block
  • Chip off block
• A cock and bull story
  • a tale of a cock and a bull
  • cock and bull tale
  • cock-and-bull story
  • that's a lot of cock and bull
• A cross to bear
  • bear one's cross
  • have a cross to bear
  • we all have our crosses to bear
• A Daniel come to judgment
  • a Daniel come to judgement
  • a second Daniel
  • a very Daniel come to judgment
• A dark horse
  • Dark horse
• A day late and a dollar short
  • a day late and a dollar shy
  • always a day late and a dollar short
  • day late and a dollar short
• A diamond in the rough
  • a rough diamond
  • a rough gem
  • an uncut diamond
  • an unpolished diamond
• A different kettle of fish
  • a whole different kettle of fish
  • another kettle of fish
  • quite a different kettle of fish
• A dime a dozen
• A dish fit for the gods
  • a feast fit for the gods
  • a meal fit for the gods
  • fit for the gods
• A dog's breakfast
  • a dog's dinner
  • a pig's breakfast
  • done up like a dog's dinner
• A drop in the bucket
  • In the bucket
• A feather in your cap
  • A feather in one's cap
  • Another feather in your cap
• A fish out of water
  • be a fish out of water
  • feel like a fish out of water
  • like a fish out of water
  • look like a fish out of water
• A flash in the pan
  • Flash-in-the-pan
  • No more than a flash in the pan
• A fly in the ointment
  • In the ointment
• A fly on the wall
  • fly on the wall
  • fly-on-the-wall (adjective)
  • if I were a fly on the wall
• A fool and his money are soon parted
  • A fool and his money are easily parted
  • A fool and his money is soon parted
  • A fool and their money are soon parted
• A foregone conclusion
  • A foregone result
  • Foregone conclusion
• A friend in need is a friend indeed
  • A friend is known in time of need
• A frog in your throat
  • a frog in my throat
  • a frog in the throat
  • have a frog in one's throat
• A golden opportunity
  • a golden chance
  • golden opportunities
  • golden opportunity
• A good egg
  • good egg
  • Good egg!
  • good eggs
• A gut feeling
  • go with your gut
  • gut instinct
  • gut reaction
• A hard nut to crack
  • a hard nut
  • a nut to crack
  • a tough nut to crack
  • quite a tough nut
• A hard row to hoe
  • a hard road to hoe
  • a long row to hoe
  • a tough row to hoe
  • quite a row to hoe
• A knee-jerk reaction
  • knee jerk reaction
  • knee-jerk liberalism
  • knee-jerk reflex
  • knee-jerk response
• A labour of Hercules
  • a Herculean task
  • a labour of Heracles
  • the twelve labours of Hercules
• A labour of love
  • A work of love
  • Labor of love
  • Labour of love
• A laughing stock
  • Laughingstock
  • The laughing stock of
• A law unto themselves
  • A law unto herself
  • A law unto himself
  • Be a law unto oneself
• A leap of faith
  • a leap in the dark
  • an act of faith
  • take a leap of faith
• A leopard can't change its spots
  • Can't change spots
• A level playing field
  • a level playing field for all
  • an uneven playing field
  • level the playing field
• A licence to print money
  • a license to print money
  • a permit to print money
  • printing money
• A litmus test
  • a litmus test for something
  • a litmus-test issue
  • apply a litmus test
• A little bird told me
  • a little bird said so
  • a little bird whispered it to me
  • a little birdie told me
  • I heard it from a little bird
• A lone wolf
  • a bit of a lone wolf
  • lone wolves
  • lone-wolf (adjective)
• A long shot
  • a bit of a long shot
  • by a long shot
  • longshot (solid compound)
  • not by a long shot
• A mentor
  • a trusted mentor
  • mentor and protege
  • mentoring
• A month of Sundays
  • Not in a month of Sundays
• A moveable feast
  • a bit of a moveable feast
  • a movable feast
  • be a moveable feast
• A needle in a haystack
  • Finding a needle in a haystack
  • Like looking for a needle in a haystack
  • Looking for a needle in a haystack
  • Needle in a haystack
• A nemesis
  • a nemesis of
  • arch-nemesis
  • his own nemesis
• A nine days' wonder
  • a nine-day wonder
• A parting shot
  • final shot
  • Parthian shot
  • parting blast
  • parting jab
• A pat on the back
  • a slap on the back
  • give someone a pat on the back
  • pat oneself on the back
  • pat yourself on the back
• A penny for your thoughts
  • a penny for it
  • a penny for them
  • penny for your thoughts
• A perfect storm
  • a perfect political storm
  • a perfect storm of circumstances
  • perfect-storm conditions
  • the perfect storm
• A pretty kettle of fish
  • a fine kettle of fish
  • a nice kettle of fish
  • quite a kettle of fish
• A pretty penny
  • cost a pretty penny
  • pay a pretty penny
  • worth a pretty penny
• A Pyrrhic victory
  • a Pyrrhic win
  • prove a Pyrrhic victory
  • Pyrrhic success
  • win a Pyrrhic victory
• A ray of sunshine
  • a little ray of sunshine
  • a ray of light
  • like a ray of sunshine
  • some ray of sunshine
• A rearguard action
  • fight a rearguard action
  • fighting a rearguard action
  • rear-guard action (variant spelling)
  • rearguard action
• A recipe for disaster
  • a recipe for success (opposite)
  • a recipe for trouble
  • be a recipe for disaster
• A red rag to a bull
  • like a red flag to a bull
  • red rag to the bull
• A red-letter day
  • red letter day
  • red-letter occasion
• A rising tide lifts all boats
  • a rising tide lifts all ships
  • a rising tide raises all boats
  • a rising tide that lifts all boats
  • the rising tide lifts all boats
• A rolling stone gathers no moss
  • Rolling stone
  • Stone no moss
• A run for your money
  • a real run for my money
  • get a run for your money
  • give someone a run for their money
  • have a run for your money
• A sair fecht
  • A sair fecht for a half-loaf
  • It's a sair fecht
• A sea change
  • Sea-change
  • Suffer a sea change
  • Undergo a sea change
• A shaggy dog story
  • shaggy dog story
  • shaggy dog tale
  • shaggy dog yarn
• A shot across the bow
  • a shot across the bows (British form)
  • a warning shot across the bow
  • fire a shot across someone's bows
  • shot across the bow
• A shot in the arm
  • a much-needed shot in the arm
  • a real shot in the arm
  • give something a shot in the arm
• A shot in the dark
  • a stab in the dark
  • a wild shot in the dark
  • just a shot in the dark
  • take a shot in the dark
• A shoulder to cry on
  • a shoulder to lean on
  • be a shoulder to cry on
  • cry on someone's shoulder
  • lend a shoulder
• A sight for sore eyes
  • a rare sight for sore eyes
  • a sight for weary eyes
  • you're a sight for sore eyes
• A siren call
  • a siren song
  • siren call of
  • the siren song of
• A Sisyphean task
  • a Sisyphean effort
  • like Sisyphus
  • Sisyphean labour
• A slap on the wrist
  • a tap on the wrist
  • little more than a slap on the wrist
  • slap on the wrist
• A smash hit
  • a smash
  • an absolute smash
  • smash hit of the season
  • smash success
  • smash-hit (adjective)
• A smoke-filled room
  • in a smoke-filled room
  • smoke-filled room
  • smoke-filled rooms
• A smoking gun
  • a smoking pistol (original form)
  • smoking gun
  • smoking-gun evidence
  • the smoking gun
• A snake in the grass
  • a serpent in the grass
  • an adder in the grass
  • snakes in the grass
  • the snake in the grass
• A soft answer turns away wrath
  • A gentle answer turns away wrath
• A sop to Cerberus
  • a sop for Cerberus
  • give a sop to Cerberus
  • throw a sop to Cerberus
• A sound bite
  • sight bite (rare)
  • sound-bite (hyphenated)
  • soundbite (one word)
• A square meal
  • a good square meal
  • square meal
  • three square meals
  • three square meals a day
• A stab in the back
  • a knife in the back
  • backstab
  • stab someone in the back
  • stab-in-the-back narrative
• A stage whisper
  • stage-whisper
  • stage-whispered
  • stage-whispering
• A stitch in time saves nine
  • Stitch in time
• A stone's throw
• A storm in a teacup
  • storm in a cream bowl
  • storm in a teapot
  • tempest in a teacup
  • tempest in a teapot
• A storm is brewing
  • a storm was brewing
  • a tempest is brewing
  • there's a storm brewing
  • trouble is brewing
  • trouble's brewing
• A straw poll
  • straw ballot
  • straw vote
• A stuffed shirt
  • a pompous old stuffed shirt
  • an old stuffed shirt
  • stuffed shirts
• A stumbling block
  • A cause of stumbling
• A taste of your own medicine
  • a dose of your own medicine
  • a spoonful of your own medicine
  • get a taste of your own medicine
• A thorn in your side
  • A thorn in one's side
• A tower of strength
  • Be a tower of strength
  • Tower of strength
• A voice crying in the wilderness
  • A voice in the wilderness
• A war of words
  • verbal war
  • war of words
  • wars of words
• A watched pot never boils
  • Pot never boils
  • Watched pot
• A whale of a time
  • a whale of a good time
  • a whale of a story (same pattern)
  • a whale of a weekend
  • have a whale of a time
• A wild card
  • a bit of a wild card
  • play the wild card
  • wild card
  • wild-card entry
  • wildcard
• A wild-goose chase
  • Go on a wild-goose chase
  • Lead someone on a wild-goose chase
  • Wild goose chase
• A wolf in sheep's clothing
  • Wolf in sheep
• Above board
  • Above the board
• According to Cocker
  • Quite according to Cocker
• Achilles' heel
  • Achilles' heels
  • an Achilles' heel
  • the Achilles' heel of
• Acid test
  • a real acid test
  • pass the acid test
  • the acid test
  • the ultimate acid test
• Across the board
  • across-the-board cuts
  • an across-the-board rise
  • apply across the board
• Acting the maggot
  • Act the maggot
  • Play the maggot
  • Stop acting the maggot
• After your own heart
  • a man after my own heart
  • a woman after your own heart
  • after my own heart
  • someone after your own heart
• Against the grain
  • be against the grain
  • cut against the grain
  • go against the grain
  • go against the natural grain
• Aid and abet
  • Aiding and abetting
• All and sundry
• All at sea
  • at sea
  • be all at sea
  • be all at sea over something
  • feel all at sea
• All ears
  • all eyes and ears
  • be all ears
  • I'm all ears
  • we're all ears
• All fur coat and no knickers
  • All fur and no knickers
  • All fur coat, no knickers
  • Fur coat and no knickers
• All hands on deck
  • all hands and the cook
  • all hands to the deck
  • all hands to the pumps
  • every hand on deck
• All hat and no cattle
  • Big hat, no cattle
• All Lombard Street to a China orange
  • Lombard Street to a China orange
• All mouth and no trousers
  • All mouth and trousers
  • Be all mouth
• All my eye and Betty Martin
  • All my eye
  • My eye and Betty Martin
• All that glisters is not gold
  • all that glistens is not gold
  • not all that glitters is gold
• All that glitters is not gold
  • Glitters not gold
• All's well that ends well
  • All is well that ends well
  • All was well that ended well
• An albatross around your neck
  • an albatross about the neck
  • an albatross around one's neck
  • an albatross round your neck
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away
  • an apple a day
  • eat an apple on going to bed and you'll keep the doctor from earning your bread
• An elegant sufficiency
  • An elegant sufficiency, and any more would be superfluity
  • Elegant sufficiency
  • I've had an elegant sufficiency
• An elephant never forgets
  • a memory like an elephant
  • elephants never forget
  • the elephant remembers
• An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
  • an eye for an eye
  • an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
  • an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
  • eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth
• An odyssey
  • a long odyssey
  • an intellectual odyssey
  • go on an odyssey
• An old wives' tale
  • old wife's tale (nonstandard)
  • old wives tale (without apostrophe)
  • old wives' fables (biblical antecedent)
• Angst
  • angsty
• Any port in a storm
  • any harbour in a storm
  • any old port in a storm
  • any port in a storm will do
• Apple of my eye
  • apple of her eye
  • apple of his eye
  • the apple of one's eye
  • the apple of your eye
• Apple of your eye
  • The apple of my eye
• As American as apple pie
  • American as apple pie
  • as American as baseball and apple pie
  • as American as mom and apple pie
• As good luck would have it
  • as chance would have it
  • as ill luck would have it
  • as luck would have it
• As plain as the nose on your face
  • as clear as the nose on your face
  • as plain as the nose on his face
  • as plain as the nose on one's face
  • plain as the nose on your face
• Astroturfing
  • astroturf
  • astroturf campaign
  • astroturfed
• At close quarters
  • close quarters
  • close-quarters (attributive)
  • fighting at close quarters
  • in close quarters
• At daggers drawn
  • At daggers drawing
  • Be at daggers drawn
  • With daggers drawn
• At His Majesty's pleasure
  • At Her Majesty's pleasure
  • During Her Majesty's pleasure
  • During His Majesty's pleasure
• At sixes and sevens
  • at six and seven
  • set on six and seven
  • sixes and sevens
  • to be at sixes and sevens with someone
• At the drop of a hat
  • at a drop of a hat
  • at the drop of the hat
  • drop of a hat
• At your wits' end
  • Be at your wits' end
• Avatar
  • avataar
  • avatara
  • avtar
• Away with the fairies
  • Be away with the fairies
  • Gone away with the fairies
  • Off with the fairies

B

107 phrases

• Back on your feet
  • back on one's feet again
  • be back on your feet
  • get back on your feet
  • up on your feet again
• Back to square one
  • Back at square one
  • Go back to square one
  • Return to square one
• Back to the drawing board
  • back to the old drawing board
  • it's back to the drawing board for someone
  • straight back to the drawing board
• Bad blood
  • clear up the bad blood
  • no bad blood
  • stir up bad blood
  • there is bad blood between them
• Bag and baggage
  • Bag, baggage and all
  • With bag and baggage
• Ballpark figure
  • ballpark estimate
  • in the ballpark
  • out of the ballpark
• Bamboozle
  • bamboozled
  • bamboozler
  • bamboozling
• Bandwidth
  • emotional bandwidth
  • low bandwidth
  • mental bandwidth
  • no bandwidth
• Bang for your buck
  • bang for one's buck
  • bigger bang for a buck
  • more bang for the buck
• Banshee
  • banshie
  • bean si
  • bean sidhe
• Bark is worse than their bite
  • Worse than bite
• Bark up the wrong tree
  • Barking up the wrong tree
  • You're barking up the wrong tree
• Barking mad
  • Barking
• Bat an eyelid
  • bat an eyelash
  • not bat an eye
  • not bat an eyelid
  • without batting an eyelash
  • without batting an eyelid
• Bated breath
  • Wait with bated breath
  • With bated breath
• Bats in the belfry
  • bats in one's belfry
  • batty
  • have bats in one's belfry
  • have bats in the belfry
• Batten down the hatches
  • Batten the hatches
  • Down the hatches
• Bean counter
  • bean counting
  • counting beans
• Bear market
  • a bears' market
  • bear territory
  • bearish market
• Beat a dead horse
  • Beating a dead horse
  • Flog a dead horse
  • Flogging a dead horse
• Beat around the bush
• Beat the bushes
• Beck and call
  • At someone's beck and call
  • At your beck and call
• Bedside manner
  • a good bedside manner
  • no bedside manner at all
  • poor bedside manner
• Before you can say Jack Robinson
  • Before you could say Jack Robinson
• Beggars can't be choosers
  • Beggars cannot be choosers
  • Beggars must not be choosers
  • Beggars should be no choosers
• Behind someone's back
  • behind his back
  • behind my back
  • behind their backs
  • go behind someone's back
• Behind the eight ball
  • be behind the eight ball
  • behind the 8-ball
  • find yourself behind the eight ball
  • put someone behind the eight ball
• Behind the scenes
  • backstage
  • behind the curtain
  • behind the scenes of
  • behind-the-scenes (adjective)
• Bell the cat
  • bell-the-cat (as epithet)
  • belling the cat
  • to bell the cat
  • who will bell the cat?
• Bells and whistles
  • all the bells and whistles
  • every bell and whistle
  • more bells and whistles
• Below the belt
  • a blow below the belt
  • hit below the belt
  • strike below the belt
• Belt and braces
  • a belt-and-braces job
  • belt and suspenders
  • belt-and-braces approach
  • belt-and-braces measures
• Benching
  • bench
  • benched
  • on the bench
  • to bench someone
• Bend over backwards
  • bend over backward
  • bend over backwards to help
  • fall over backwards
  • lean over backwards
• Beside yourself
  • beside herself with worry
  • beside himself with rage
  • beside myself with joy
  • beside oneself with grief
• Bet your bottom dollar
  • bet one's bottom dollar
  • bet your last dollar
  • you can bet your bottom dollar
• Better late than never
  • Better late than not at all
• Between Scylla and Charybdis
  • a Scylla and Charybdis choice
  • caught between Scylla and Charybdis
  • fall into Scylla avoiding Charybdis
• Between the devil and the deep blue sea
  • between the devil and the deep sea
  • betwixt the devil and the deep sea
  • caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
• Between wind and water
  • Hit between wind and water
  • Strike between wind and water
• Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
  • a Greek bearing gifts
  • fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts
  • Greeks bearing gifts
• Big fish in a small pond
  • big fish in a little pond
  • big frog in a little pond
  • big frog in a small pond
  • small fish in a big pond (converse form)
• Bigger than Dallas
  • Big as Dallas
  • Bigger'n Dallas
• Bigwig
  • corporate bigwig
  • one of the bigwigs
  • political bigwig
• Binge-watch
  • binge (verb, as in binged the whole season)
  • binge-viewing
  • binge-watching
  • marathon-watching
• Birds of a feather flock together
  • Birds of a feather
  • Birds of a feather will flock together
  • Birds of one feather flock together
• Bite off more than you can chew
  • Bite more than you can chew
  • More than you can chew
• Bite someone's head off
  • bite one's head off
  • bite someone's block off
  • don't bite my head off
  • snap someone's head off
• Bite the bullet
• Bite the dust
  • Another one bites the dust
• Bite your tongue
  • Bite the tongue
• Black affronted
  • Black affrontit
• Black and blue
  • beat someone black and blue
  • black and blue all over
  • black-and-blue (attributive)
  • bruised black and blue
• Blatant
  • blatancy
  • blatantly
  • blatantness
• Blind as a bat
  • as blind as a bat
  • blind as a beetle
  • blind as a brickbat
  • blind as a mole
• Blind spot
  • blind spots
  • have a blind spot
• Blood is thicker than water
  • blood runs thicker than water
  • blood's thicker than water
  • blude's thicker than water
• Blow hot and cold
  • Blow both hot and cold
  • Blow hot and cold with the same breath
  • Run hot and cold
• Blow off steam
  • Blow the steam
  • Off steam
• Blow the cobwebs away
• Blow your own trumpet
  • Blow one's own trumpet
  • Blow your own horn
  • Sound your own trumpet
  • Toot your own horn
• Blue blood
  • blue bloods
  • blue-blooded
  • have blue blood
  • of blue blood
• Blue chip
  • blue chipper
  • blue-chip company
  • blue-chip stock
• Blue-eyed boy
  • blue-eyed girl
  • someone's blue-eyed boy
  • the blue-eyed boy
  • the blue-eyed boy of the party
• Bob's your uncle
  • Bob is your uncle
  • Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt
  • Robert's your father's brother
• Boil the ocean
  • boiling the ocean
  • don't boil the ocean
  • let's not boil the ocean
• Bona fide
  • bona fides
• Bone idle
  • bone lazy
  • bone-idleness
• Bone of contention
  • a major bone of contention
  • bone of dissension (earlier historical form)
  • the biggest bone of contention
  • the main bone of contention
• Boondocks
  • boondock (attributive, as in boondock boots)
  • boondockers
  • the boonies
• Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
  • born with a silver spoon
  • born with a silver spoon in the mouth
  • silver spoon
  • silver-spooned
• Bowdlerize
  • bowdlerise (British)
  • bowdlerization
  • bowdlerized
  • bowdlerizing
• Box of birds
  • Be a box of birds
  • Feel a box of birds
  • Look a box of birds
• Boycott
  • boycotted
  • boycotter
  • boycotting
  • boycotts
• Brain drain
  • brain drains
  • reverse brain drain
  • talent drain
• Brain rot
  • chronic brain rot
  • rotting my brain
• Brass neck
  • a right brass neck
  • brass neck it
  • brass-necked
  • have a brass neck
  • what a brass neck
• Brave new world
  • a brave new world
  • O brave new world
  • this brave new world
  • welcome to the brave new world
• Bread and butter
  • bread-and-butter issues
  • bread-and-butter money
  • quarrel with your bread and butter
  • someone's bread and butter
• Breadcrumbing
  • breadcrumb
  • breadcrumbed
  • breadcrumber
  • to breadcrumb someone
• Breadwinner
  • main breadwinner
  • sole breadwinner
• Break a leg
  • break a leg out there
  • break both legs
  • go break a leg
  • I hope you break a leg
• Break the ice
• Brevity is the soul of wit
  • brevity being the soul of wit
  • brevity, the soul of wit
  • if brevity is the soul of wit
  • since brevity is the soul of wit
• Bring down the house
  • bring the house down
  • bring the house down with laughter
  • brought down the house
  • brought the house down
• Bring home the bacon
  • bring home the bacon and the gravy
  • bring the bacon home
  • bringin' home the bacon
  • take home the bacon
• Brownie points
  • earn brownie points
  • gain brownie points with someone
  • score brownie points
  • win brownie points
• Bucket list
  • bucket-list (modifier)
  • life list
  • things to do before I die
• Buckley's chance
  • Buckley's
  • Buckley's and none
  • Buckley's and Nunn
  • Buckley's hope
• Burn the candle at both ends
  • Candle both ends
• Burn the midnight oil
• Burn your bridges
  • Burn the bridges
• Bury the hatchet
  • bury the axe
  • bury the tomahawk
  • dig up the hatchet
  • the hatchet is buried
• Bury your head in the sand
  • bury one's head in the sand
  • have your head in the sand
  • hide your head in the sand
  • stick your head in the sand
• Bush party
  • bush parties
• Butter someone up
  • be buttering someone up
  • butter him/her up
  • butter up
  • butter up to someone
• Butter wouldn't melt in their mouth
  • a butter-wouldn't-melt expression
  • as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth
  • butter wouldn't melt
  • butter wouldn't melt in her mouth
  • butter wouldn't melt in his mouth
• Butterfingers
  • a pair of butterfingers
  • butterfingered
  • you butterfingers
• Buy a pig in a poke
  • a pig in a poke
  • don't buy a pig in a poke
  • pig in a poke
  • sell someone a pig in a poke
• Buy the farm
  • bought a plot
  • bought the farm
  • buy it
• By and large
  • By and large speaking
• By hook or by crook
  • By crook or by hook
  • By hook and by crook
  • Either by hook or by crook
• By the book
  • By th' book
  • Do something strictly by the book
  • Go by the book
• By the skin of your teeth
  • By the skin of one's teeth
• By word of mouth
  • by mouth
  • word of mouth (noun)
  • word-of-mouth (attributive, as in word-of-mouth marketing)
• Bête noire
  • bete noir
  • betenoir
  • betes noires

C

124 phrases

• C'est la vie
  • ce la vie
  • say la vee
• Cabin fever
  • a bad case of cabin fever
  • a touch of cabin fever
  • get cabin fever
  • suffer from cabin fever
• Call a spade a spade
  • call a spade a shovel
  • call a spade by any other name (historical form)
  • calling a spade a spade
  • let's call a spade a spade
• Call it a day
  • call it a night
  • call it half a day
  • let's call it a day
• Call someone's bluff
  • call the bluff
  • call their bluff
  • called someone's bluff
• Cancel culture
  • call-out culture
  • canceling
  • cancellation culture
  • cancelled culture
  • cancelling
• Cannon fodder
  • fodder for the guns
  • food for powder
  • gun fodder
• Cap in hand
  • cap-in-hand (adjective)
  • come cap in hand
  • go cap in hand to someone
  • hat in hand (North American)
• Carpe diem
  • seize the day
• Carry coals to Newcastle
  • Bring coals to Newcastle
  • Sell coal to Newcastle
  • Take coals to Newcastle
• Carry on like a pork chop
  • Behave like a pork chop
  • Carry on like a pork chop in a synagogue
  • Go on like a pork chop
• Carry the can
  • be left carrying the can
  • carry the can back
  • carry the can for someone
  • left to carry the can
• Carte blanche
  • cart blanche
  • carte blanch
• Cash cow
  • a real cash cow
  • cash cows
  • milking the cash cow
• Cast pearls before swine
  • Throw pearls before swine
• Cast the first stone
  • Let the one without sin cast the first stone
• Cat got your tongue?
  • Has the cat got your tongue?
  • The cat's got your tongue
• Cat nap
  • cat's nap
  • take a catnap
• Catamaran
  • cat
  • catamaran (catamarán)
  • cats
• Catawampus
  • catawampous
  • catawampously
  • catawampusly
  • cattywampus
• Catch someone's eye
  • catch the eye
  • catch the eye of someone
  • caught someone's eye
• Catch-22
  • catch twenty-two
  • catch-22 situation
  • catch-22s
• Catfishing
  • catfish
  • catfish account
  • catfished
  • to catfish someone
• Caught between a rock and a hard place
  • Between rock and hard
  • Rock and hard place
• Caught flat-footed
  • Caught flat
  • Flat-footed
• Caught in the act
  • In the act
• Caught in the crossfire
  • In the crossfire
• Caught in the crosshairs
• Caught napping
• Caught on the back foot
  • Back foot
• Caught on the hop
  • On the hop
• Caught red-handed
  • Red-handed
• Caught with chaff
  • With chaff
• Caught with egg on your face
  • Get egg on your face
  • Have egg on your face
• Caught with your hand in the cookie jar
  • Hand in jar
• Caught with your hand in the till
  • Hand in till
• Caught with your pants down
  • Catch someone with their pants down
  • Catch someone with their trousers down
  • Caught with your trousers down
• Cause célèbre
  • causes celebres
  • causes célèbres
• Chain reaction
  • chain reactions
  • set off a chain reaction
  • trigger a chain reaction
• Chalk and cheese
  • as different as chalk and cheese
  • different as chalk and cheese
  • like chalk and cheese
• Champ at the bit
  • champing at the bit
  • chomp at the bit
  • chomping at the bit
• Change of heart
  • have a change of heart
  • undergo a change of heart
• Chapter and verse
  • Cite chapter and verse
  • Give chapter and verse
  • Know chapter and verse
• Charity begins at home
  • Charity should begin at home
  • True charity begins at home
• Chasing rainbows
  • chase rainbows
  • chase the rainbow
  • chasing the rainbow
  • go chasing rainbows
• Chauvinism
  • chauvinist
  • chauvinistic
  • chauvinistically
  • male chauvinism
• Cheap at half the price
• Cheapskate
  • a real cheapskate
  • such a cheapskate
• Cherry-pick
  • cherry-pick the data
  • cherry-picked
  • cherry-picker
  • cherry-picking
• Cheugy
  • cheug
  • cheugie
  • cheugiest
  • cheuginess
• Chew the fat
  • chew the rag
  • chewing the fat
  • have a chew-the-fat session
  • sit around chewing the fat
• Chew the scenery
  • chew the furniture
  • chew up the scenery
  • chewing the scenery
  • scene-chewing
• Chicken feed
  • mere chicken feed
  • that is chicken feed
• Chicken out
  • chicken out of something
  • chickened out
  • chickening out
• Children should be seen and not heard
  • Children are to be seen and not heard
• Chip off the old block
  • a real chip off the old block
  • chip of the old block (earlier form)
  • chip of the same block (historical)
• Chip on your shoulder
  • carry a chip on your shoulder
  • chip on her shoulder
  • chip on his shoulder
• Chock-a-block
  • choc-a-block
  • chock-a-block full
  • chocker
• Chortle
  • chortled
  • chortler
  • chortles
  • chortling
• Chutzpah
  • chutzpa
  • hutzpa
  • hutzpah
  • khutspe (Yiddish-style spelling)
• Circle back
  • circle back around
  • circle back on this
  • circling back
  • let's circle back
• Clam up
  • clam up on someone
  • clammed up
  • clamming up
  • suddenly clammed up
• Clean bill of health
  • a clean bill
  • get a clean bill of health
  • give something a clean bill of health
  • receive a clean bill of health
• Clean the Augean stables
  • an Augean task
  • clean out the Augean stables
  • the Augean stables
• Clear as a bell
  • as clear as a bell
  • as sound as a bell
  • clear as a whistle
• Clickbait
  • clickbaiting
  • clickbaity
  • linkbait
• Cloak and dagger
  • cloak and dagger stuff
  • cloak-and-dagger (adjective)
  • cloak-and-dagger operations
  • cloaks and daggers
• Close ranks
  • close ranks against
  • close ranks around someone
  • close the ranks
  • closed ranks
• Close, but no cigar
  • close but no cigar
• Cloud cuckoo land
  • in cloud-cuckoo-land
  • live in cloud cuckoo land
• Clutch at straws
  • a drowning man will clutch at a straw
  • catch at straws (earlier form)
  • clutching at straws
  • grasp at straws
• Cock a snook
  • Cock a snook at someone
  • Cock snooks at
• Cock of the walk
  • cock o' the walk
  • cock of the dunghill (older kindred phrase)
  • cocks of the walk (plural)
  • the cock of the walk
• Cold comfort
  • poor comfort
  • small comfort
• Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
  • Brass monkey weather
  • Cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey
  • Cold enough to freeze the toes off a brass monkey
• Cold feet
  • Get cold feet
  • Have cold feet
• Cold fish
  • a bit of a cold fish
  • a real cold fish
  • something of a cold fish
• Cold turkey
  • cold-turkey treatment
  • go cold turkey
  • quit cold turkey
  • talk cold turkey
• Collateral damage
  • collateral casualties
  • collateral harm
  • counting the collateral damage
• Come a cropper
  • came a cropper
  • come a real cropper
  • coming a cropper
  • get a cropper
• Come from away
  • CFA
  • come-from-away
  • come-from-aways
  • from away
• Come hell or high water
  • hell or high water
  • in spite of hell and high water
  • through hell and high water
• Come into money
  • came into money
  • come into a fortune
  • come into an inheritance
  • come into property
  • come into some money
• Come rain or shine
  • come rain or come shine
  • rain or shine
  • rain, hail or shine
  • shine or rain
• Come the raw prawn
  • Come the raw prawn with someone
  • Don't come the raw prawn
  • Try the raw-prawn act
• Come what may
  • come what come may
  • come what might
  • let come what may
  • whatever may come
• Comic relief
  • a bit of comic relief
  • comic-relief character
  • for comic relief
  • provide comic relief
• Concern trolling
  • concern troll
  • concern trollery
  • concerned trolling
• Cook someone's goose
  • cook his goose
  • someone's goose is cooked
  • the goose is cooked
• Cook the books
  • cook the accounts
  • cook up the accounts
  • cooking the books
• Cool as a cucumber
  • as cool as a cucumber
  • calm as a cucumber
• Copper-bottomed
  • Copper-bottomed certainty
  • Copper-bottomed guarantee
• Copycat
  • copycat crime
  • copycatted
  • copycatting
• Core memory
  • a new core memory
  • core memories
  • core memory unlocked
  • unlocked a core memory
• Corpsing
  • corpse someone
  • corpsed
  • to corpse
• Cost an arm and a leg
  • an arm and a leg
  • costs an arm and a leg
  • give an arm and a leg
  • pay an arm and a leg
  • worth an arm and a leg
• Couch potato
  • a total couch potato
  • couch potato lifestyle
  • couch potatoes
  • couch-potato (attributive)
• Count sheep
  • count one's sheep
  • counting sheep
  • counting sheep over a fence
• Coup de grâce
  • coup de gras
  • coups de grâce
• Cream of the crop
  • cream of the cream
  • the cream of the crop of society
• Critical mass
  • achieve critical mass
  • critical mass of support
  • reach critical mass
• Crocodile tears
  • cry crocodile tears
  • shed crocodile tears
  • to shed crocodile tears over something
  • weep crocodile tears
• Cross that bridge when you come to it
  • Cross the bridge
• Cross the Rubicon
  • a Rubicon moment
  • crossing the Rubicon
  • pass the Rubicon (early form)
• Cruel to be kind
  • I must be cruel only to be kind
  • sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind
  • you have to be cruel to be kind
• Cry over spilled milk
• Cry wolf
  • Cry the wolf
• Crème de la crème
  • creme de la cremes
  • cremes de la creme
• Cuffing season
  • cuff
  • cuffed
  • cuffing
  • cuffing szn
• Curiosity killed the cat
  • Care killed the cat
  • Curiosity killed a cat
  • Curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought it back
  • Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back
• Curry favour
  • Curry favor
• Curtain call
  • final bow
  • take a bow
  • take a curtain call
  • walkdown
• Curtain-raiser
  • a curtain-raiser for
  • curtain-raiser to the main event
  • the curtain-raiser match
• Cushioning
  • cushion
  • cushioned
  • cushioning the blow
  • to cushion someone
• Cut and dried
  • Ready cut and dried
• Cut and run
  • cut and run away
  • cut and run for it
  • cut and run off
  • cutting and running
• Cut corners
  • cut a corner
  • cut a few corners
  • cut corners on something
  • cutting corners
• Cut from the same cloth
  • cut from a different cloth
  • cut out of the same cloth
  • from the same cloth
  • not cut from the same cloth
• Cut of your jib
  • Cut of one's jib
  • Like the cut of someone's jib
• Cut off your nose to spite your face
  • Cut off one's nose to spite one's face
  • Cutting off your nose to spite your face
  • Don't cut off your nose to spite your face
  • He cut off his nose to be revenged of his face
• Cut the Gordian knot
  • cut through the Gordian knot
  • the Gordian knot
  • untie the Gordian knot
• Cut the mustard
  • can't cut the mustard
  • couldn't cut the mustard
  • doesn't cut the mustard
• Cut to the chase
• Cut to the quick
  • cut someone to the quick
  • stung to the quick
  • touched to the quick

D

73 phrases

• Damp squib
  • A bit of a damp squib
  • Prove a damp squib
• Dark horse
  • a dark-horse candidate
  • dark horse in the race
  • dark horses
• David and Goliath
  • a David and Goliath battle
  • a David and Goliath struggle
  • David versus Goliath
• Davy Jones's locker
  • Go to Davy Jones's locker
  • Send to Davy Jones's locker
• Daylight robbery
  • absolute daylight robbery
  • daylight robbery, pure and simple
  • sheer daylight robbery
  • that's daylight robbery
• De facto
• De rigueur
  • de rigeur (frequent misspelling)
  • de-rigueur (hyphenated)
  • derigueur (written solid)
• Dead as a doornail
  • As a doornail
• Dead ringer
  • a dead ringer
  • dead ringer for
  • dead ringers
  • ringer
• Deep dive
  • deep dives
  • deep-dive (hyphenated modifier)
  • deep-dived
  • take a deep dive
• Deepfake
  • deepfakes
  • deepfaking
• Delulu
  • delulu era
  • delulu is the solulu
  • delulu-ing
• Deus ex machina
  • dei ex machina
  • deus ex machina ending
  • god from the machine
• Devil a bit
  • Deil a bit
  • Devil the bit
  • Divil a bit
• Digital detox
  • digital cleanse
  • digital sabbath
  • social media detox
  • tech detox
• Dine with Duke Humphrey
  • Dine with Humphrey
• Dinna fash yourself
  • Dinna fash
  • Do not fash yourself
• Dirt cheap
  • cheap as dirt
  • dog cheap
• Do the needful
  • Do the needful at the earliest
  • Kindly do the needful
  • Please do the needful
• Doff your hat
  • doff one's cap
  • doff one's hat to someone (figurative tribute)
  • tip one's hat
• Dog and pony show
  • dog and pony act
  • dog-and-pony presentation
  • put on a dog and pony show
• Dog days of summer
  • Dog days
  • The dog days
• Dog eat dog
  • Dog-eat-dog
  • Eat dog
• Dog in the manger
  • a dog in the manger attitude
  • act like a dog in the manger
  • dog in the manger tactics
  • dog-in-the-manger policy
• Dog whistle
  • dog-whistle politics
  • dog-whistling
  • to dog whistle
• Dogfooding
  • dogfood (verb)
  • drinking your own champagne
  • eat your own dog food
  • eating your own dog food
• Dollars to doughnuts
  • a dollar to a doughnut
  • bet dollars to doughnuts
  • dollars to donuts
• Domino effect
  • domino effects
  • domino theory
  • knock-on effect
• Don't bite the hand that feeds you
  • Don't bite hand
• Don't count your chickens before they hatch
  • Don't count your chickens
• Don't give up the day job
  • Day job
  • Don't give job
• Don't hold your breath
• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
  • Don't look the horse
  • Gift horse
• Don't put all your eggs in one basket
  • All eggs one basket
  • Eggs in one basket
• Don't rest on your laurels
• Don't rock the boat
• Don't shoot the messenger
  • Don't shoot
• Don't take any wooden nickels
  • Do not take any wooden nickels
  • Don't accept any wooden nickels
• Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs
  • Don't teach
  • Suck eggs
• Don't throw stones in glass houses
  • Glass houses
• Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
  • Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater
  • Empty the baby out with the bathwater
  • Throw the baby out with the bathwater
• Don't upset the apple cart
  • Apple cart
• Don't wash your dirty linen in public
  • Air your dirty laundry in public
  • Air your dirty linen in public
  • Don't air your dirty laundry in public
  • Wash your dirty linen in public
• Donkey's years
  • Donkey's
  • Donkey's ears
  • Donkeys' years
• Doom spending
  • doom spend
• Doomscrolling
  • doomscroll
  • doomscrolled
  • doomscrolling session
  • doomsurfing
• Doppelgänger
  • doppelgaenger
  • doubleganger
• Double act
  • comedy double act
  • comedy duo
• Double-double
  • double double
• Doubting Thomas
  • a doubting Thomas
  • doubting Thomases
  • doubting Thomasina
• Down in the dumps
  • a bit down in the dumps
  • feel down in the dumps
  • in the dumps
• Down in the mouth
  • down at the mouth
  • down-at-the-mouth
  • look down in the mouth
• Down the rabbit hole
  • fall down the rabbit hole
  • go down a rabbit hole
  • rabbit hole
• Down to earth
• Down to the wire
  • come down to the wire
  • down to the last wire
  • go down to the wire
  • right down to the wire
• Doxxing
  • dox
  • doxing
  • doxx
  • dropping dox
• Drag your feet
  • drag one's feet
  • drag your heels
  • dragging your feet
  • foot-dragging
• Draw a blank
  • come up blank
  • draw a complete blank
  • drawing a blank
  • drew a blank
• Draw first blood
  • drawing first blood
  • drew first blood
  • first blood
  • score first blood
• Draw the line
  • a line has to be drawn somewhere
  • draw a line
  • draw a line in the sand
  • draw the line at something
  • that is where I draw the line
• Draw the short straw
  • be left with the short straw
  • draw straws
  • get the short straw
  • pick the short straw
• Dressed to kill
  • dress to kill
  • dressed to kill and looking it
  • dressing to kill
• Dressed to the nines
  • dolled up to the nines
  • done up to the nines
  • dressed up to the nines
  • got up to the nines
  • to the nines
• Dressing down
  • dress someone down
  • get a dressing-down
  • give someone a dressing-down
• Drink like a fish
  • could drink like a fish
  • drank like a fish
  • drinking like a fish
  • drinks like a fish
• Drive someone up the wall
  • climbing the walls
  • drive someone up a wall
  • driving me up the wall
  • go up the wall
  • send someone up the wall
• Drugstore cowboy
  • Drugstore cowpuncher
• Drummed out of the corps
  • drum out of the corps
  • drummed out of society
  • drummed out of the regiment
• Duck soup
  • duck-soup (adjective)
  • easy as duck soup
  • pure duck soup
• Dutch courage
  • a dose of Dutch courage
  • Dutch valor
  • liquid courage
  • take some Dutch courage
• Dutch treat
  • doing Dutch
  • Dutch date
  • go Dutch
  • going Dutch
• Dutch uncle
  • a Dutch-uncle lecture
  • give someone a Dutch-uncle talking-to
  • like a Dutch uncle
  • talk to someone like a Dutch uncle
• Déjà vu
  • deja vous

E

32 phrases

• Easier said than done
  • More easily said than done
• Easy as pie
  • As pie
• Eat crow
  • Eat the crow
• Eat humble pie
• Eat like a bird
• Eat like a horse
• Eat like a pig
• Eat out of house and home
  • Eat out
• Eat out of your hand
  • Out of hand
• Eat your hat
• Eat your heart out
  • Eat your heart
• Eat your words
  • Eat the words
• Eat, drink and be merry
  • Let us eat, drink and be merry
• Eaten out of house and home
  • ate us out of house and home
  • eat someone out of house and home
  • eat you out of house and home
  • eaten me out of house and home
  • eating us out of house and home
• Echo chamber
  • echo chambering
  • echo-chamber effect
  • liberal/conservative echo chamber
  • media echo chamber
• Egg on your face
  • end up with egg on your face
  • got egg on his face
  • have egg on one's face
  • wipe the egg off your face
  • with egg all over your face
• Egg someone on
  • egg him on
  • egg on
  • egged on
  • egging someone on
• Elbow grease
  • a little elbow grease
  • apply some elbow grease
• Elephant in the room
  • 800-pound gorilla in the room
  • address the elephant in the room
  • elephant in the living room
  • the elephant in the room
• Emotional labour
  • affective labour
  • doing the emotional labour
  • emotional labor
• Enfant terrible
  • enfant terribles
  • enfants terribles
• Enshittification
  • enshittified
  • enshittify
  • platform decay
• Ersatz
  • ersatz butter
  • ersatz coffee
• Esprit de l'escalier
  • esprit d'escalier
  • l'esprit de l'escalier
  • staircase wit
• Eureka
  • eureka moment
  • heureka
• Even Stevens
  • even stephens
  • even Steven
  • even-steven (attributive, before a noun)
• Every cloud has a silver lining
• Every dog has its day
• Every man for himself
  • Man for himself
• Every trick in the book
  • Every trick
• Exit stage left
  • exit stage right
  • exits stage left
  • make an exit stage left
• Eyes bigger than your stomach

F

73 phrases

• Face like thunder
  • Like thunder
• Face the music
• Facts are chiels that winna ding
  • Facts are chiels that winna ding and downa be disputed
• Fair and square
  • Beat someone fair and square
  • Win fair and square
• Fair crack of the whip
  • A fair crack
  • A fair go
  • Get a fair crack of the whip
  • Give someone a fair crack of the whip
• Fair play
  • fair play to you
  • in fair play
  • spirit of fair play
  • that's fair play
• Fair to middling
  • Fair-to-middling
  • Middling to fair
• Fait accompli
  • fait accomplis
  • faits accomplis
• Fake news
  • fake news media
• Fall between two stools
  • Two stools
• Fall flat
  • fall completely flat
  • fall flat on its face
  • falling flat
  • fell flat
• Fall off the wagon
  • Off the wagon
• Fall on deaf ears
  • fall upon deaf ears
• Fall on your sword
  • fall on one's sword
  • fall upon one's sword
  • falling on the sword
  • fell on his sword
• Familiarity breeds contempt
  • Too much familiarity breeds contempt
• Fancy-free
  • footloose and fancy free
  • footloose and fancy-free
• Fast and loose
  • Play fast and loose
  • Playing fast and loose
• Fat cat
  • corporate fat cat
  • fat cats
  • fat-cat salaries
• Faux pas
  • faux pax
• Feast or famine
  • a feast or a famine
  • either feast or famine
  • feast or fast
• Feather your nest
  • feather his nest
  • feather one's nest at the public's expense
  • feather their nests
  • feather your own nest
• Feel it in your bones
  • feel it in my bones
  • feel something in your bones
  • know it in your bones
  • sense it in your bones
• Feel your oats
  • feel one's oats
  • feeling her oats
  • feeling his oats
• Fiddle while Rome burns
  • fiddle while the city burns
  • fiddle while the house burns down
  • fiddling while Rome burns
  • Nero fiddled while Rome burned
• Fifth wheel
  • fifth wheel on the cart
  • fifth wheel on the wagon
  • superfluous fifth wheel
  • third wheel
• Fight fire with fire
  • fighting fire with fire
  • fire against fire
  • meet fire with fire
• Fight the good fight
  • Fight the good fight of faith
  • Keep fighting the good fight
• Filibuster
  • break a filibuster
  • filibustering
  • launch a filibuster
• Filter bubble
  • filter bubbles
  • the filter bubble
• Fine and dandy
  • All fine and dandy
  • Just fine and dandy
• Fine as frog hair
  • fine as frog hair and twice as hard to split
  • fine as frog hair split four ways
  • fine as frog's hair
  • finer than frog hair
• Fine words butter no parsnips
  • Fair words butter no parsnips
  • Fine words butter no fish
  • Soft words butter no parsnips
• First come, first served
  • First to the mill, first to grind
• First rate
  • feeling first rate
  • in first-rate condition
  • second rate
• First-world problem
  • #firstworldproblems
  • first-world problems
  • FWP
• Fish for compliments
  • fish for a compliment
  • fish for flattery
  • fish for praise
  • fishing for compliments
  • go fishing for compliments
• Fish or cut bait
  • Cut bait
• Fish out of water
  • Fish out
• Fit as a butcher's dog
  • Butcher's dog
• Fit as a fiddle
  • As fit as a fiddle
• Fit like a glove
  • fit someone like a glove
  • fits like a glove
  • fitted like a glove
  • like a glove (elliptical)
• Fit to be tied
• Five by five
  • 5 by 5
  • five-by-five
• Flak
  • flack
  • FLAK (as an initialism in military contexts)
• Flat as a pancake
  • As a pancake
• Flat broke
  • dead broke
  • stone broke
  • stony broke
• Flat out like a lizard drinking
  • Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
  • Going flat out like a lizard drinking
• Flesh and blood
  • One's own flesh and blood
• Flotsam and jetsam
  • flotsam
  • jetsam
  • jetsam and flotsam
• Fly by the seat of your pants
  • Fly by pants
  • Seat of pants
• Fly off the handle
  • Fly off his handle
  • Off the handle
• Fly-by-night
  • fly-by-night company
  • fly-by-night merchant
  • fly-by-night operator
  • fly-by-night outfit
  • fly-by-night trader
• Follow suit
  • follow in suit
• FOMO
  • FOBO
  • JOMO
• Food for thought
  • give someone food for thought
  • offer food for thought
  • plenty of food for thought
  • provide food for thought
  • real food for thought
• Fool me once, shame on you
  • Fool me once
  • Fool me once, shame on thee; fool me twice, shame on me
  • Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
  • Fool me twice, shame on me
• Fool's gold
• Fool's paradise
  • in a fool's paradise
  • live in a fool's paradise
• Foot the bill
  • foot the bill for
  • foot the tab
  • foot the whole bill
  • footing the bill
• For a song
  • buy for a song
  • for a mere song
  • going for a song
  • sell for a song
• For love or money
  • For love nor money
  • Not for love nor money
  • Not for love or money
• For the birds
  • strictly for the birds
  • that's for the birds
• Forbidden fruit
  • forbidden fruit is the sweetest
  • taste the forbidden fruit
  • the tree of knowledge
• Foul play
  • No foul play
  • Play foul
  • Suspect foul play
• Friendly fire
  • blue on blue
  • blue-on-blue
  • fratricide
  • friendly-fire incident
• From pillar to post
  • From post to pillar
• From soup to nuts
  • know it from soup to nuts
  • soup to nuts
  • soup-to-nuts (adjective)
• From the bottom of your heart
  • from the bottom of one's heart
  • from the depths of your heart
  • to the bottom of my heart
• Front runner
  • a clear front-runner
  • front-running (adjectival)
  • the front-runner in the race
• Full of beans
• Full of hot air
• Full steam ahead
  • full speed ahead
  • full-steam-ahead (used as a modifier before a noun)
• Funny money
  • funny-money (attributive)
  • paid in funny money
  • passing funny money

G

85 phrases

• Galore
  • gallore
  • galor
• Gargantuan
  • Gargantua (the giant's name)
  • gargantuanly
  • Pantagruelic
  • Rabelaisian
• Gaslighting
  • gaslight
  • gaslighted
  • gaslit
  • to gaslight someone
• Gerrymander
  • Gerry-mander (original 1812 spelling)
  • gerrymandered
  • gerrymanderer
  • gerrymandering
• Gestalt
  • Gestalt (capitalised)
  • gestalten (German plural)
  • gestalts
• Get a leg up
  • Get a leg
  • Leg up
• Get a wiggle on
  • Get a wiggle on you
  • Get a wriggle on
• Get down to brass tacks
  • come down to brass tacks
  • down to brass tacks
  • get down to cases
  • getting down to brass tacks
• Get off on the wrong foot
  • begin on the wrong foot
  • start off on the wrong foot
  • start on the wrong foot
• Get someone's goat
  • don't let it get your goat
  • got his goat
  • really gets my goat
• Get the bit between your teeth
  • have the bit between one's teeth
  • take the bit in one's teeth
  • with the bit between his teeth
• Get the hook
  • face the hook
  • give 'em the hook
  • give someone the hook
• Get the sack
  • get the axe
  • get the boot
  • give someone the sack
  • sacked
• Get wind of
  • catch wind of
  • get wind of something
  • got wind of
  • have wind of
• Get your ducks in a row
  • Have your ducks in a row
  • Put your ducks in a row
• Get your goat
  • Get the goat
• Get your hands dirty
  • dirty your hands
  • get one's hands dirty
  • not afraid to get your hands dirty
  • soil your hands
• Get your money's worth
  • get one's money's worth
  • have your money's worth
  • money's worth
  • worth your money
• Ghosting
  • ghost
  • ghosted
  • ghoster
  • to ghost someone
• Gig economy
  • gig work
  • gig worker
  • platform economy
• Girl dinner
  • girl breakfast
  • girl's dinner
  • medieval peasant dinner
• Girl math
  • boy math
  • girl maths
• Girlboss
  • girlbossed
  • girlbossing
• Give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself
  • Enough rope to hang himself
  • Give him enough rope and he will hang himself
  • Give someone enough rope to hang themselves
  • Give them enough rope
• Give a wide berth
  • Wide berth
• Give as good as you get
  • Good as get
• Give it a whirl
  • Give a whirl
• Give no quarter
  • Ask no quarter
  • No quarter
  • No quarter given
• Give short shrift
  • be given short shrift
  • give someone short shrift
  • give something short shrift
  • make short shrift of
• Give someone a hand
  • a big hand for someone
  • give me a hand
  • give someone a big hand
  • lend someone a hand
• Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile
  • Give an inch and take a mile
  • Give him an inch and he'll take a yard
  • Give him an inch and he'll take an ell
  • Give them an inch and they'll take a mile
• Give someone the boot
  • be given the boot
  • boot someone out
  • get the order of the boot
• Give someone the cold shoulder
  • Cold-shoulder someone
  • Give the cold shoulder
  • Show someone the cold shoulder
• Give someone the runaround
• Give someone the shirt off your back
  • give the shirt off one's back
  • he'd give you the shirt off his back
  • steal the shirt off your back
  • take the shirt off your back
• Give someone the third degree
  • get the third degree
  • put someone through the third degree
  • third-degree someone
• Give the devil his due
• Give the game away
  • Give the show away
  • Give the whole game away
  • Give the whole show away
• Give the green light
  • Green light
• Give the slip
  • Give a slip
• Give up the ghost
  • Give the ghost
  • Up the ghost
• Give'r
  • giv 'er
  • giv'er
  • give 'er
• Glass ceiling
  • break the glass ceiling
  • crack the glass ceiling
  • hit the glass ceiling
• Glass cliff
  • glass cliffs
  • glass-cliff effect
  • pushed over the glass cliff
  • the glass cliff
• Go bananas
  • bananas over something
  • be bananas
  • drive someone bananas
  • go totally bananas
• Go belly up
  • float belly up
  • turn belly up
  • went belly-up
• Go bung
  • Gone bung
• Go for broke
  • go-for-broke
  • going for broke
  • let's go for broke
• Go for the big skate
  • going for the big skate
• Go out on a limb
  • Out on a limb
• Go overboard
  • go overboard for
  • go overboard with
  • went overboard
• Go pound sand
  • have sense enough to pound sand
  • pound sand
  • pound sand down a rat hole
• Go the extra mile
• Go the whole hog
  • Go whole hog
• Go to Jericho
• Go to pot
  • go to the pot
  • going to pot
  • gone to pot
  • let something go to pot
• Go to your head
  • don't let it go to your head
  • go to one's head
  • gone to your head
  • it went straight to her head
• Go with the flow
  • going with the flow
  • gone with the flow
  • just go with the flow
  • went with the flow
• Golden age
  • a golden age for something
  • a new golden age
  • golden era
  • golden-age (attributive)
• Golden calf
  • bow down to the golden calf
  • the calf of gold
  • worship the golden calf
• Golden handshake
  • golden goodbye
  • golden handshakes
  • silver handshake
• Golden parachute
  • golden parachute package
  • golden parachutes
  • parachute clause
• Gone for a Burton
  • Go for a Burton
  • Went for a Burton
• Gone pear-shaped
  • Go pear-shaped
  • Things went pear-shaped
  • Turn pear-shaped
• Gone to the dogs
  • go to the dogs
  • going to the dogs
  • going to the dogs fast
  • let it go to the dogs
• Good riddance
  • A good riddance
  • Good riddance of bad rubbish
  • Good riddance to bad rubbish
• Good Samaritan
  • a good Samaritan
  • Good Samaritan law
  • good Samaritans
• Gordon Bennett
• Grasp the nettle
  • grab the nettle
  • nip a nettle hard, and it will not sting you
  • seize the nettle
  • take the nettle firmly in hand
• Grassroots
  • grassroots campaign
  • grassroots movement
• Great minds think alike
  • great minds run in the same gutters
  • great minds think alike; fools seldom differ
• Green fingers
  • green thumb
  • green-fingered
  • have a green thumb
  • have green fingers
• Green flag
  • a total green flag
  • giving off green flags
  • green flags
  • green-flag (modifier)
• Green light
  • get the green light
  • green light to proceed
  • green-light something
• Green with envy
  • green with envy at
  • green with jealousy
  • turn green with envy
• Greenwashing
  • green sheen
  • greenwash
  • greenwashed
• Grey area
  • gray area
  • grey areas
  • grey zone
  • something of a grey area
• Grey matter
  • gray matter (US spelling)
  • grey cells
  • little grey cells
  • use your grey matter
• Grin and bear it
  • grin and abide it
  • grinned and bore it
  • grinning and bearing it
  • just grin and bear it
• Grin like a Cheshire cat
  • a Cheshire cat grin
  • grin like a Cheshire cat eating cheese
  • grinning like a Cheshire cat
  • smile like a Cheshire cat
• Grit your teeth
  • grit one's teeth
  • gritting one's teeth
  • through gritted teeth
• Groggy
  • groggily (adverb)
  • grogginess (noun)
• Guinea pig
  • act as a guinea pig
  • guinea-pigging
  • human guinea pig
  • used as a guinea pig
• Gung ho
  • kung ho
  • kung-ho
• Guru
  • gooroo
  • guru ji
  • gurukul

H

88 phrases

• Hair of the dog
  • A hair of the dog
  • Hair of the dog that bit you
• Halcyon days
  • halcyon times
  • halcyon years
  • in one's halcyon days
  • the halcyon days of
• Hale and hearty
• Half seas over
  • half sea over
  • half seas o'er
  • half-seas-over (adjective)
• Half the battle
  • half the fight
  • knowing is half the battle
  • showing up is half the battle
  • the first blow is half the battle
• Half-baked
  • half-baked idea
  • half-baked plan
  • half-baked scheme
  • half-baked theory
• Ham it up
  • ham actor
  • ham it
  • ham it for the cameras
  • hamming it up
• Hammer and tongs
  • At it hammer and tongs
  • Go at it hammer and tongs
• Hand in glove
  • hand and glove
  • hand and glove with
  • work hand in glove with
• Hand over fist
  • hand over hand
  • hand-over-fist (attributive)
  • making money hand over fist
• Hand-me-down
  • hand-me-down (adjective)
  • hand-me-downs (plural noun)
  • reach-me-down (British counterpart)
• Handle with kid gloves
  • handle something with kid gloves
  • kid-glove treatment
  • kid-gloves approach
  • treat someone with kid gloves
  • with kid gloves
• Hands are tied
  • have your hands tied
  • my hands are tied
  • tie someone's hands
  • with both hands tied
• Hang a Larry
  • hang a left
  • hang a Louie
• Hang a Roger
  • hang a Randy
  • hang a right
• Hang by a thread
  • By a thread
• Hang in there
• Hang out to dry
  • be hung out to dry
  • hang someone out to dry
  • leave someone out to dry
  • left hanging out to dry
• Hang up your skates
  • hang up one's skates
  • hang up the skates
  • hanging up one's skates
• Happy as a clam
  • happy as a clam at high tide
  • happy as a clam at high water
  • happy as a clam at high-water mark
• Happy as a sandboy
  • As happy as a sandboy
  • Jolly as a sandboy
• Happy as Larry
  • As happy as Larry
• Hard and fast
  • A hard-and-fast rule
• Hard pass
  • hard no (near-synonym)
  • hard pass on that
  • that's a hard pass
• Harp on
  • harp on about
  • harp on the same string
  • harping on
• Hatchet man
  • hatchet men
  • hatchet woman
  • someone's hatchet man
• Hate-watching
  • hate-listening
  • hate-reading
  • hate-watch (verb or noun)
  • hate-watcher
• Hats off to someone
  • a tip of the hat to someone
  • hat's off to (nonstandard spelling)
  • hats off to you
  • take one's hat off to someone
• Have a beef with someone
  • beef with someone
  • have no beef with someone
  • hold a beef against someone
  • what's the beef?
• Have a bone to pick
  • Bone to pick
• Have a butcher's
• Have a Captain Cook
  • Have a Captain
  • Take a Captain
  • Take a Captain Cook
• Have a chip on your shoulder
  • A chip on your shoulder
  • Have a chip on one's shoulder
• Have a dekko
  • Have a decko
  • Take a dekko
  • Take a deko
• Have a screw loose
  • Have a loose screw
  • Have got a screw loose
• Have a tiger by the tail
• Have an axe to grind
  • An ax to grind
  • An axe to grind
  • Have an ax to grind
• Have bigger fish to fry
  • Bigger fish
• Have something up your sleeve
  • have a card up one's sleeve
  • have a trick up one's sleeve
  • have an ace up one's sleeve
  • nothing up my sleeve
• Have the blues
  • a case of the blues
  • feel blue
  • get the blues
  • the Monday blues
• Have the last laugh
  • get the last laugh
  • have the last laugh on someone
  • he who laughs last laughs best
  • he who laughs last laughs longest
• Have your cake and eat it
  • Cake and eat
• Have your head in the clouds
  • be up in the clouds
  • have one's head in the clouds
  • head in the clouds
  • living with your head in the clouds
  • with your head in the clouds
• Head and shoulders above
  • be head and shoulders above
  • head and shoulders above the rest
  • head and shoulders better than
  • stand head and shoulders above
• Head over heels
  • fall head over heels
  • head over ears
  • head over heels in love
  • heels over head
• Head start
  • a head start on the competition
  • get a head start
  • give someone a head start
  • have a head start
• Headliner
  • co-headliner
  • headline act
  • headline the show
  • top-billed act
• Heads will roll
  • heads are going to roll
  • heads rolled
  • heads should roll
  • some heads will roll
• Heart in your mouth
  • heart in one's mouth
  • heart in your throat
  • my heart leapt into my mouth
  • your heart is in your mouth
• Heart of gold
  • a heart of gold
  • a heart of pure gold
  • a heart of solid gold
  • hearts of gold
• Heavens to Betsy
  • Heaven to Betsy
  • Heavens to Betsey
• Helicopter parent
  • cosseting parent
  • helicopter dad
  • helicopter mom
  • helicopter parenting
• Hell in a handbasket
  • go to hell in a handbasket
  • go to hell in a handcart
  • hell in a handcart
• Hell-bent for leather
  • go hell-bent for leather
  • hell for leather
  • hell-bent for election
• Helter-skelter
  • In helter-skelter fashion
• Henpecked
  • henpecked husband
  • to henpeck someone
• High and dry
  • high-and-dry (adjective)
  • leave someone high and dry
  • left high and dry
• High muckety-muck
  • high muck-a-muck
  • high muckamuck
  • muck-a-muck
  • muckety-muck
• High on the hog
  • Eat high on the hog
  • High off the hog
  • Live high off the hog
• Highway robbery
  • it's highway robbery
  • legalized highway robbery
  • perfect highway robbery
  • that's highway robbery
• Hit for six
  • hit someone for six
  • knock someone for six
  • knocked for six
• Hit the ground running
• Hit the hay
  • hit the bed
  • hit the sack
  • make the hay
• Hit the jackpot
  • win the jackpot
• Hit the nail on the head
  • Nail on the head
• Hither and thither
• Hobson's choice
• Hoist with your own petard
  • Hoist by your own petard
  • Hoist with his own petard
  • Hoisted with your own petard
• Hold the fort
• Hold the line
• Hold thumbs
  • Hold thumbs for someone
  • Keep your thumbs held
  • Thumbs held
• Hold water
  • Hold the water
• Hold your horses
• Hold your own
  • Hold the own
• Hold your tongue
• Holy mackerel
• Honcho
  • hancho
  • hancho (hanchō)
  • head honcho
• Horse of a different color
  • Horse of a different colour
  • Horse of another color
  • Horse of another colour
• Hot potato
  • a political hot potato
  • drop it like a hot potato
  • hot-potato issue
  • pass along the hot potato
• Hot under the collar
  • get hot under the collar
  • go hot under the collar
  • hot in the collar (early variant)
• How do you like them apples
  • how about them apples
  • how do you like those apples
  • how'd you like them apples
• Hubris
  • hubrises
  • hybris
• Hue and cry
  • Raise a hue and cry
  • Set up a hue and cry
• Humblebrag
  • humblebragged
  • humblebragging
  • to humblebrag
• Hunky-dory
  • hunkey dora
  • hunkey dorey
  • hunkey dory
  • hunky dory
• Hurly-burly
  • The hurly-burly
• Hush money
  • hush fund
  • hush payment
  • pay hush money
• Hustle culture
  • grind culture
  • the hustle culture
  • toxic hustle culture

I

52 phrases

• I'll eat my hat
  • eat one's hat
  • I'd eat my hat
  • I'll eat my hat and swallow the buckle whole
  • I'll eat my hat if I'm wrong
• If it ain't broke, don't fix it
  • if it ain't broken, don't fix it
  • if it works, don't fix it
  • if it's not broke, don't fix it
• If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
  • If wishes were buttercakes, beggars might bite
  • If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride
  • If wishes were thrushes, beggars would eat birds
• Ignorance is bliss
• In a New York minute
  • a New York minute
  • one-fourth of a New York minute
• In a nutshell
  • Nutshell
• In a pickle
• In a pig's eye
  • Pig's eye
• In a stew
  • get into a stew
  • in a real stew
  • in a stew about
  • stew in one's own juice
• In black and white
  • down in black and white
  • get it in black and white
  • put it in black and white
  • written in black and white
• In cold blood
  • cold-blooded
  • cold-bloodedly
  • in hot blood
• In deep water
  • get into deep water
  • in deep waters
  • into deep water
  • still in deep water
• In fine fettle
  • In excellent fettle
  • In good fettle
  • In rare fettle
• In for a penny, in for a pound
  • If in for a penny, in for a pound
  • Once in for a penny, in for a pound
• In good hands
  • a safe pair of hands
  • in safe hands
  • in the best of hands
  • you're in good hands
• In hot water
  • In the hot water
• In like a dirty shirt
  • all over it like a dirty shirt
  • in there like a dirty shirt
  • on it like a dirty shirt
• In like Flynn
  • I'm Flynn
  • in like Flint
  • your name is Flynn, you're in
• In my mind's eye
  • in her mind's eye
  • in his mind's eye
  • in the mind's eye
  • the mind's eye
• In one ear and out the other
  • go in one ear and out the other
  • in at one ear and out at the other
  • straight in one ear and out the other
  • went in one ear and out the other
• In one's heart of hearts
  • heart of hearts
  • in his heart of hearts
  • in my heart of hearts
  • in your heart of hearts
• In over your head
• In someone's black books
  • in her black books
  • in his black books
  • in somebody's black books
  • in someone's bad books
• In stitches
  • have somebody in stitches
  • keep us in stitches
  • laugh oneself into stitches
  • reduced to stitches
• In the bag
• In the black
• In the cold light of day
  • in the cold light of morning
  • in the cold light of the next day
  • in the harsh light of day
  • seen in the cold light of day
• In the doghouse
  • Doghouse
• In the doldrums
  • Have the doldrums
  • The Doldrums
• In the driver's seat
  • Driver's seat
• In the firing line
  • be in the firing line
  • in the line of fire
  • on the firing line (US)
  • put someone in the firing line
• In the heat of the moment
• In the lap of luxury
• In the limelight
  • hog the limelight
  • out of the limelight
  • steal the limelight
  • take the limelight
• In the nick of time
  • In the nick
  • Nick of time
• In the offing
  • lie in the offing
  • something in the offing
  • wait in the offing
• In the pink
• In the pink (of health)
  • in the pink of condition
  • the pink of perfection
  • the very pink of (something)
• In the public eye
  • fall out of the public eye
  • keep in the public eye
  • out of the public eye
  • the public eye
• In the red
• In the same boat
  • Same boat
• In the soup
• In the spotlight
  • in the full glare of the spotlight
  • steal the spotlight
  • under the spotlight
• In the twinkling of an eye
  • In a twinkling of an eye
• In the wake of
  • follow in the wake of
  • in his wake
  • in something's wake
  • in the wake of something
• Influencer
  • influencer marketing
  • influencing (verb, as in influencing is a job)
  • Instagram influencer
  • social media influencer
• It never rains but it pours
  • It cannot rain but it pours
  • It never rains without pouring
  • When it rains, it pours
• It takes a village
  • It takes a village to raise a child
  • It takes a village to raise a puppy
  • It takes a whole village to raise a child
• It takes two to tango
  • it takes two
  • it takes two to make a quarrel
  • it took two to tango
  • takes two to tango
• It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
  • it's an ill wind
  • it's an ill wind that blows no good
  • it's an ill wind that blows no one any good
  • it's an ill wind that blows nobody good
• It's not over till the fat lady sings
  • it's not over until the fat lady sings
  • the fat lady hasn't sung yet
  • the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings
• It's not rocket science
  • it doesn't take rocket science
  • not rocket science
  • rocket science it is not

J

21 phrases

• Ja well no fine
  • Ja well, no fine
  • Ja, well, no, fine
  • Jawellnofine
  • Yarwellnofine
• Jack of all trades
  • Jack of trades
• Jack of all trades, master of none
  • Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one
  • Jack-at-all-trades
  • Jill of all trades
• Janus-faced
  • a Janus-faced policy
  • Janus-headed
  • two-faced
• Je ne sais quoi
  • a certain je ne sais quoi
  • je ne se quoi
• Jerusalem cricket
  • Child of the earth
  • Jerusalem crickets
  • Potato bug
  • Sand cricket
• Joie de vivre
  • joie de vie
  • joy of living
• JOMO
  • JOMO moment
  • joy of missing out
• Juggernaut
  • jaggernauth (historical spelling)
  • juggernaught (common misspelling)
  • juggernauth (historical spelling)
• Jump down someone's throat
  • Jump down one's throat
  • Jump down your throat
• Jump on the bandwagon
  • Jump the bandwagon
  • On the bandwagon
• Jump on the gravy train
  • Get on the gravy train
  • Gravy train
  • Ride the gravy train
• Jump out of the frying pan into the fire
  • Frying pan fire
• Jump out of your skin
  • Out of skin
• Jump ship
  • Jump the ship
• Jump the gun
• Jump the queue
• Jump the shark
  • Jumped the shark
  • Jumping the shark
• Jump through hoops
  • Through the hoops
• Jumping Jehoshaphat
  • Jumpin' Jehoshaphat
  • Jumping Geehosofat
• Just what the doctor ordered
  • everything the doctor ordered
  • exactly what the doctor ordered
  • what the doctor ordered

K

52 phrases

• Kafkaesque
  • kafkaesque (usually lowercased)
• Kangaroo court
  • hold a kangaroo court
  • kangaroo courts
  • kangaroo trial
• Karma
  • karmic
  • kharma
• Katy, bar the door
  • Katie, bar the door
  • Katie, bar your door
  • Katy, bar your door
• Keep at bay
  • be held at bay
  • hold at bay
  • keep something at bay
  • stand at bay
• Keep it under your hat
  • Keep under hat
• Keep the ball rolling
  • Keep things rolling
  • Keep this ball rolling
• Keep the wolf from the door
  • Wolf at door
• Keep your cards close to your chest
  • hold your cards close to your chest
  • keep your cards close to your vest
  • play it close to the vest
  • play your cards close to the vest
  • play your cards close to your chest
• Keep your chin up
  • chin up
  • hold your chin up
  • keep one's chin up
  • keep your pecker up (British counterpart)
• Keep your ear to the ground
  • have your ear to the ground
  • keep an ear to the ground
  • keep one's ear close to the ground
  • put your ear to the ground
• Keep your eye on the ball
• Keep your eyes peeled
  • Eyes peeled
• Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
  • always keep your enemies close
  • hold your friends close and your enemies closer
  • keep your enemies close and your friends closer
  • keep your friends close, but your enemies closer
• Keep your hair on
  • Hair on
• Keep your head above water
  • get your head above water
  • hold your head above water
  • keep one's head above water
  • keep your head above the water
• Keep your head down
  • get your head down
  • keep one's head down
  • keep your head low
  • keeping my head down
• Keep your nose clean
  • Nose clean
• Keep your nose to the grindstone
• Keep your pants on
  • Pants on
• Keep your pecker up
  • Keep one's pecker up
  • Keep up your pecker
• Keep your powder dry
  • Keep one's powder dry
  • Keep the powder dry
• Keep your shirt on
  • Keep the shirt
  • Shirt on
• Kibosh
  • kybosh (usual British spelling)
  • kye-bosk (historical spelling)
• Kick against the pricks
  • Kick against the goads
• Kick over the traces
• Kick the bucket
• Kick the can down the road
  • Can down the road
  • Kick the can
• Kick the habit
• Kick up a fuss
• Kick up your heels
• Kill the fatted calf
  • kill the fatted calf for someone
  • kill the fattened calf
  • slaughter the fatted calf
  • the fatted calf
• Kill them with kindness
  • kill someone with kindness
  • kill with kindness
  • killing them with kindness
• Kill two birds with one stone
  • Kill two with one
  • Two birds one stone
• Kindly revert
  • Kindly revert back
  • Please revert
  • Revert at the earliest
  • Revert with the details
• King's ransom
  • a king's ransom
  • cost a king's ransom
  • pay a king's ransom
  • worth a king's ransom
• Kith and kin
  • Neither kith nor kin
• Kitsch
  • kitch
  • kitschy
• Klutz
  • clutz
  • klutziness
  • klutzy
• Knee-high to a grasshopper
  • knee-high to a frog
  • knee-high to a mosquito
  • knee-high to a toad
• Knight in shining armour
  • knight in shining armor
  • knight on a white charger
  • white knight
• Knock down a cheque
  • Knock down a pile
  • Knock down one's cheque
  • Knock one's cheque down
• Knock for a loop
  • Knock someone for a loop
  • Knocked for a loop
  • Throw for a loop
• Knock into a cocked hat
  • beat someone into a cocked hat
  • knock someone into a cocked hat
  • knocked into a cocked hat
• Knock on wood
  • Knock wood
  • Touch wood
• Knock yourself out
  • don't knock yourself out
  • go ahead and knock yourself out
  • knock oneself out
• Know which side your bread is buttered (on)
  • know on which side your bread is buttered
  • know which side one's bread is buttered on
  • knows which side his bread is buttered
  • see which side the bread is buttered
• Know which way the wind blows
  • know which way the wind is blowing
  • see which way the wind is blowing
  • which way the wind blows
• Know your onions
  • Know one's onions
  • Know your onion
• Knuckle down
  • knuckle down and get on with it
  • knuckle down to something
  • knuckled down
  • knuckling down
• Kowtow
  • kotow
  • koutou
• Kudos
  • kudo
  • kudoes

L

64 phrases

• Laconic
  • laconic humor
  • laconic wit
  • laconically
• Lame duck
  • lame duck period
  • lame-duck Congress
  • lame-duck president
  • lame-duck session
• Lang may your lum reek
  • Lang may yer lum reek
• Last-ditch
  • die in the last ditch
  • last-ditch attempt
  • last-ditch effort
  • last-ditch stand
  • to the last ditch
• Laugh like a drain
  • Cackle like a drain
  • Laughing like a drain
  • Roar like a drain
• Laugh up your sleeve
  • laugh in one's sleeve (earlier form)
  • laughing up one's sleeve
  • smile in one's sleeve
  • snigger up one's sleeve
• Laughing all the way to the bank
• Lead-pipe cinch
  • a lead-pipe cinch
  • lead pipe cinch
• Learn the ropes
  • know the ropes
  • learning the ropes
  • show someone the ropes
• Leave much to be desired
  • Leave a great deal to be desired
  • Leave a lot to be desired
  • Leave something to be desired
  • Leaves much to be desired
  • Left much to be desired
• Leave no stone unturned
  • No stone unturned
• Left holding the bag
  • hold the bag
  • leave somebody holding the bag
  • left holding the sack
  • stuck holding the bag
• Left out in the cold
  • be left out in the cold
  • kept out in the cold
  • leave someone out in the cold
  • left standing out in the cold
• Legerdemain
  • legerdemaine
• Leitmotif
  • leading motive
  • leitmotiv
• Let her rip
  • Let 'er rip
  • Let the machine rip
• Let sleeping dogs lie
  • Let dogs lie
• Let the cat out of the bag
  • The cat is out of the bag
  • The cat's out of the bag
• Let your hair down
  • let one's hair down
  • let our hair down
  • let their hair down
  • letting your hair down
• Lickety-split
  • Lickety-click
  • Lickety-cut
• Lie through your teeth
  • lie in one's teeth
  • lie through his teeth
  • lying through one's teeth
• Lightning never strikes twice
  • lightning doesn't strike twice
  • lightning never strikes the same place twice
  • lightning never strikes twice in the same place
• Like a bat out of hell
  • Out of hell
• Like a bear with a sore head
  • Bear sore head
  • Like bear sore
• Like a bolt from the blue
  • From the blue
• Like a broken record
  • be like a broken record
  • like a scratched record
  • sound like a broken record
• Like a bull at a gate
• Like a bull in a china shop
  • Bull and china
  • Bull in china
• Like a cat with nine lives
  • Nine lives
• Like a deer in the headlights
• Like a dog with two tails
  • Two tails
• Like a kid in a candy store
• Like a lamb to the slaughter
  • Led like a lamb to the slaughter
• Like a moth to a flame
  • To a flame
• Like a red rag to a bull
  • Rag to bull
  • Red rag bull
• Like all get-out
  • all git-out
  • as all get-out
  • as get-out
  • than all get-out
• Like billy-o
  • Like billio
  • Like billy-hoo
  • Like billy-oh
• Like herding cats
  • Herding cats
• Like Hogan's goat
  • deader than Hogan's goat
  • Hogan's goat
  • wouldn't know it from Hogan's goat
• Like pulling teeth
  • it's like pulling teeth
  • like having teeth pulled
  • like pulling eye teeth
  • like pulling teeth out
• Like rats deserting a sinking ship
  • like rats abandoning a sinking ship
  • like rats leaving a sinking ship
  • rats deserting a sinking ship
• Like shooting fish in a barrel
  • As easy as shooting fish in a barrel
  • Shooting fish in a barrel
• Like the clappers
  • Go like the clappers
  • Run like the clappers
  • Work like the clappers
• Like turkeys voting for Christmas
  • Turkeys for Christmas
• Live from hand to mouth
  • a hand-to-mouth existence
  • from hand to mouth
  • live hand to mouth
  • living from hand to mouth
• Living rent-free
  • lives rent-free in my head
  • living in your head rent-free
  • rent free (no hyphen)
  • rent-free
• Lock, stock and barrel
  • stock, lock and barrel
  • the whole shooting match
• Logrolling
  • logroll
  • you roll my log and I'll roll yours
• Lollygag
  • lally-gag
  • lallygag
  • lolly-gag
• London to a brick
  • It's London to a brick
  • London to a brick against
  • London to a brick on
• Long in the tooth
  • a bit long in the tooth
  • getting long in the tooth
  • somewhat long in the tooth
• Long may your big jib draw
  • and long may your big jib draw
  • deed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw
• Long time no see
  • Long time no see you
• Look before you leap
  • first look and then leap
  • look before leaping
  • look before ye leap
  • look ere you leap
• Look what the cat dragged in
  • like something the cat brought in
  • like something the cat dragged in
  • look what the cat drug in
  • look what the cat's dragged in
  • look who the cat dragged in
• Loophole
  • a tax loophole
  • close a loophole
  • exploit a loophole
  • loophole in the law
• Loose cannon
• Lose face
  • face-saving (derived adjective)
  • losing face
  • loss of face
  • lost face
• Lose your head
  • don't lose your head
  • lose one's head
  • losing your head
  • lost his head
• Lot's wife
  • a pillar of salt
  • look back and turn to salt
  • remember Lot's wife
• Loud budgeting
  • budgeting loudly
  • loud budgeter
• Love bombing
  • love bomb
  • love-bombed
• Love is blind
  • Love sees no faults
• Low-hanging fruit
  • grab the low-hanging fruit
  • lowest-hanging fruit

M

76 phrases

• Mad as a cut snake
  • Go off like a cut snake
  • Mad as a snake
  • Wild as a cut snake
• Mad as a hatter
  • As mad as a hatter
• Mad as a March hare
  • as mad as a March hare
  • mad as a hatter (often used interchangeably)
  • merry as a March hare
• Madder than a wet hen
  • As mad as a wet hen
  • Mad as a wet hen
• Magnum opus
  • magna opera
  • magnum opuses
• Main character energy
  • main character moment
  • main character syndrome
  • main character vibes
  • MCE
• Make a beeline
  • Make the beeline
• Make a beeline for
  • beeline for
  • beeline it to
  • make a beeline to
  • make a beeline toward
• Make a clean breast
  • Clean breast
• Make a clean sweep
  • Clean sweep
• Make a hames of
  • Make a complete hames of
  • Make a hames out of
  • Make a right hames of
• Make a holy show of yourself
  • Be a holy show
  • Make a show of yourself
• Make a meal of it
• Make a mountain out of a molehill
• Make a pig of yourself
  • Make a pig of oneself
  • Make a pig out of yourself
• Make a pig's ear
  • Pig's ear
• Make a rod for your own back
• Make a scene
  • cause a scene
  • create a scene
  • make an awful scene
• Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
• Make a song and dance
• Make a virtue of necessity
  • Turn necessity into a virtue
• Make ends meet
  • Make both ends meet
  • Make the two ends meet
  • Struggle to make ends meet
• Make hay while the sun shines
  • Hay while sun shines
  • Make hay
• Make no bones about it
  • Make no bone
  • No bones
• Make no odds
  • No odds
• Make the grade
  • Made the grade
  • Making the grade
• Make waves
  • Make the waves
• Making waves
  • don't make waves
  • made waves
• Malapropism
  • malaprop
  • malapropian
  • malapropos
• Man does not live by bread alone
  • Man cannot live by bread alone
• Mansplaining
  • mansplain
  • mansplained
  • mansplainer
• Manspreading
  • manspread
  • manspreader
• Many a little makes a mickle
  • Many a mickle makes a muckle
  • Many littles make a mickle
• Many hands make light work
  • Many hands lighten the work
• March to a different drummer
  • march to a different drum
  • march to the beat of a different drummer
  • step to a different drummer
• May Two-Four
  • May Two Four
  • May Two-Four weekend
• Mea culpa
  • mea culpas
  • mea maxima culpa
• Meat and drink
  • be meat and drink to
  • be meat and drink to someone
  • meat and drink for someone
  • meat and drink to me
• Meat and potatoes
  • a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy
  • meat-and-potatoes (adjective)
  • the meat and potatoes of something
• Meet one's Waterloo
  • meet their Waterloo
  • meet with a Waterloo (early 19th-century form)
  • meet your Waterloo
  • met his Waterloo
• Melted into thin air
  • disappeared into thin air
  • dissolved into thin air
  • melt into thin air
  • vanished into thin air
• Mercurial
  • a mercurial temperament
  • mercurial wit
  • mercurially
• Mesmerize
  • mesmeric
  • mesmerise (British)
  • mesmerised
  • mesmerism
  • mesmerizing
• Method in the madness
  • A method to the madness
  • Method to your madness
  • There's method in your madness
• Mid
  • it's mid
  • mid-tier
  • mids
• Might and main
  • With might and main
• Milk it
  • milk it for all it's worth
  • milk someone dry
  • milk something for something
• Mind like a steel trap
• Mind your Ps and Qs
  • Mind your p's and q's
  • Watch your p's and q's
• Miss the boat
  • miss the boat on
  • miss the bus
  • miss the ferry
  • miss the last boat
• Monday morning quarterback
  • Monday quarterback
  • Monday-morning quarterbacking
• Money burns a hole in your pocket
  • Hole in pocket
• Money doesn't grow on trees
  • it doesn't grow on trees
  • money does not grow on trees
  • money don't grow on trees
• Money down the drain
  • down the drain
  • gone down the drain
  • pour money down the drain
  • throw money down the drain
• Money for old rope
  • a real money-for-old-rope job
  • like taking candy from a baby
  • money for jam
• Money is the root of all evil
  • for the love of money is the root of all evil
  • money is the root of all kinds of evil
  • the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil
• Money talks
  • money talks louder than words
  • money talks, bullshit walks
  • money talks, wealth whispers
• Money to burn
  • got money to burn
  • have money to burn
  • with money to burn
• Monkey business
  • monkeyshines
  • no monkey business
  • stop the monkey business
• Monkey on your back
  • A monkey on one's back
  • Have a monkey on your back
• Monkey's wedding
  • A monkey wedding
  • Jackal's wedding
  • The monkey's wedding
• More haste, less speed
  • The mair haste, the waur speed
  • The more haste, the less speed
• More in sorrow than in anger
  • in sorrow rather than in anger
  • more in sadness than in anger
  • sorrow, not anger
• More sinned against than sinning
  • I am more sinned against than sinning
  • more sinned against than sinner
  • she is more sinned against than sinning
• More than meets the eye
  • far more than meets the eye
  • more than meets the ear
  • more to it than meets the eye
  • there's more than meets the eye
• More than one way to skin a cat
  • many ways to skin a cat
  • more ways than one to skin a cat
  • other ways to skin a cat
  • there's more than one way to skin a cat
• More than you can shake a stick at
  • As many as you can shake a stick at
  • More things than you can shake a stick at
  • Worth shaking a stick at
• Motte and bailey
  • Motte and Bailey Doctrine
  • motte and bailey fallacy
  • motte-and-bailey doctrine
• Mountain out of a molehill
  • a mountain from a molehill
  • make a mountain of a molehill
  • molehill into a mountain
  • turn a molehill into a mountain
• Move fast and break things
  • move fast and break stuff
  • move fast with stable infra
  • move quickly and break things
• Move heaven and earth
  • move heaven and earth to do something
  • moved heaven and earth
  • moving heaven and earth
  • would move heaven and earth
• Move the goalposts
  • move the goal line
  • moving the goalposts
  • shift the goalposts
• Mudslinging
  • mudslinger
  • sling mud
• Murder will out
  • Mordre wol out
• Music to my ears
  • like music to my ears
  • music to someone's ears
  • music to the ears
  • sweet music to my ears
  • that's music to my ears
• My brother's keeper
  • Am I my brother's keeper?

N

55 phrases

• Nail your colours to the mast
  • nail one's colours to the mast
  • nail your colors to the mast
  • nail your colours to the masthead
  • nail your flag to the mast
  • pin your colours to the mast
• Namby-pamby
  • a namby-pamby (noun form)
  • namby-pambyism
• Ne plus ultra
  • ne-plus-ultra (hyphenated)
  • nec plus ultra
  • non plus ultra
• Necessity is the mother of invention
  • necessity is the mother of ingenuity
  • necessity is the mother of innovation
  • necessity, the mother of invention
  • need is the mother of invention
• Neck and crop
  • Throw someone out neck and crop
• Neck of the woods
  • in our neck of the woods
  • my neck of the woods
  • this neck of the woods
  • your neck of the woods
• Neither a borrower nor a lender be
  • neither a borrower or lender be
  • neither borrower nor lender be
• Neither use nor ornament
  • Be neither use nor ornament
• Nest egg
  • a little nest egg
  • egg nest (rare)
• Netflix and chill
  • Netflix & chill
• Night owl
  • a real night owl
• Nip in the bud
  • nip it in the butt (eggcorn)
  • nip something in the bud
  • nipped in the bud
• Nip it in the bud
  • In the bud
  • Nip the bud
• No dice
• No man is an island
  • No man is an island entire of itself
  • No one is an island
  • No person is an island
• No man's land
  • in no man's land (figurative)
  • No Man's Land (place name)
• No room to swing a cat
  • hardly room to swing a cat
  • not enough room to swing a cat
  • room to swing a cat
• No rose without a thorn
  • Every rose has its thorn
• No skin off my nose
  • No skin off my back
  • No skin off one's nose
• No spring chicken
• Non sequitur
  • non sequiturs
• None of your beeswax
  • It's none of your beeswax
  • mind your own beeswax
  • that's not your beeswax
• Nose out of joint
  • get one's nose out of joint
  • have one's nose out of joint
  • put someone's nose out of joint
  • someone's nose is out of joint
• Nosh
  • nosh-up
  • nosher
  • noshing
• Not a leg to stand on
• Not a patch on
• Not a snowball's chance in hell
• Not all there
  • Not quite all there
• Not born yesterday
  • I was not born yesterday
  • I wasn't born yesterday
  • was I born yesterday?
  • you think I was born yesterday?
• Not cricket
  • It isn't cricket
  • That's not cricket
• Not for Joe
  • Not for Joseph
• Not give a hoot
• Not give a monkey's
• Not give a tinker's cuss
  • Not care a tinker's cuss
  • Not give a tinker's curse
  • Not give a tinker's damn
• Not just whistling Dixie
  • Not merely whistling Dixie
  • You ain't just whistling Dixie
  • You aren't just whistling Dixie
• Not know someone from Adam
  • don't know her from Adam
  • not know someone from Adam's off ox
  • wouldn't know him from Adam
• Not lift a finger
  • didn't lift a finger
  • never lift a finger
  • not raise a finger
  • without lifting a finger
• Not my cup of tea
  • Not my tea
• Not my pigeon
  • Not one's pigeon
  • Someone's pigeon
  • That's not my pigeon
• Not playing with a full deck
  • A few cards short of a full deck
• Not the full quid
  • A few bob short of a quid
  • A few roos loose in the top paddock
  • A sandwich short of a picnic
  • Not the full bottle
• Not within cooee
  • Not within a cooee
  • Nowhere within cooee
• Not worth a brass farthing
  • Brass farthing
• Not worth a hill of beans
  • Hill of beans
  • Not worth beans
• Not worth a plugged nickel
  • Plugged nickel
• Not worth a red cent
  • haven't got a red
  • not one red cent
  • without a red cent
• Not worth a tinker's damn
  • Not worth a tinker's curse
  • Not worth a tinker's cuss
• Not worth the candle
• Not worth the paper it's written on
• Not worth your salt
  • not worth his salt
  • worth one's salt
  • worth their salt
  • worth your salt
• Nothing new under the sun
  • There is nothing new under the sun
• Nothing to sneeze at
  • Not to be sneezed at
  • Not to be sniffed at
  • Nothing to sniff at
• Nothing ventured, nothing gained
  • naught ventured, naught gained
  • nothing risked, nothing gained
  • nothing ventured
  • nought ventured, nought gained
• Now-now
  • I'll do it now-now
  • Just now
  • Now now
• Null and void
  • Null, void and of no effect

O

72 phrases

• October surprise
  • a late October surprise
  • an October surprise
  • October surprises
• Off the beaten track
  • off the beaten path
  • off the beaten trail
  • off the well-beaten track
  • the beaten track
• Off the cuff
• Off the hook
• Off the peg
  • off the rack (American)
  • off the rail
  • off-the-peg (attributive)
  • straight off the peg
• Off the top of your head
  • off the top of one's head
  • right off the top of my head
  • straight off the top of my head
• Off your high horse
• Off your rocker
  • Off one's rocker
• Off-colour
  • a bit off-colour
  • feeling off-colour
  • off-color
  • off-colour joke
• OK boomer
  • Okay boomer
• Old habits die hard
  • an old habit dies hard
  • habits die hard
  • old customs die hard
  • old habits are hard to break
• Old hat
  • become old hat
  • old hat to someone
  • old-hat (attributive adjective)
  • that's old hat
• On a hiding to nothing
  • A hiding to nothing
  • On a hiding to nowhere
• On a shoestring
  • live on a shoestring
  • shoestring budget
  • shoestring operation
• On a sticky wicket
  • a sticky wicket
  • bat on a sticky wicket
  • batting on a sticky wicket
  • be on a bit of a sticky wicket
• On a wing and a prayer
  • On wing prayer
  • Wing and prayer
• On an even keel
  • back on an even keel
  • even-keeled
  • on a level keel
  • upon an even keel
• On cloud nine
  • Cloud nine
  • Up on cloud nine
• On tenterhooks
  • On tenters
• On the back burner
  • back burner
  • on a back burner
  • put on the back burner
• On the back foot
  • Back foot
• On the ball
• On the breadline
  • Breadline
• On the fiddle
  • at the fiddle
  • fiddle the books
  • fiddling expenses
  • on a bit of a fiddle
• On the fritz
  • be on the fritz
  • go on the fritz
  • on the blink
• On the horns of a dilemma
• On the lam
• On the level
  • is he on the level?
  • level with me
  • on the square (related Masonic synonym)
  • to be on the level
• On the other hand
  • on the flip side
  • on the one hand
  • on the one hand ... on the other hand
  • on the other side of the coin
• On the pig's back
  • Pig's back
• On the Q.T.
  • On Q.T.
  • Q.T. on
• On the razzle
• On the rocks
  • a marriage on the rocks
  • a whisky on the rocks
  • be on the rocks
  • go on the rocks
• On the ropes
• On the same wavelength
  • be on the same wavelength
  • not on the same wavelength
  • on a different wavelength
• On the skids
• On the straight and narrow
  • The straight and narrow
  • The strait and narrow
• On the stump
  • out on the stump
  • stumping
  • take to the stump
• On the wagon
  • On the water cart
  • On the water wagon
• On the wallaby track
  • Go on the wallaby
  • On the wallaby
  • Out on the wallaby
• On the warpath
  • be on the warpath
  • go on the warpath
  • war path (original two-word form)
  • warpath
• On the wrong side of the tracks
  • Wrong side
• On your beam-ends
  • laid on her beam-ends
  • on her beam-ends
  • on one's beam-ends
• On your high horse
  • come down off your high horse
  • get off your high horse
  • get on your high horse
  • mount the high horse
  • on one's high horse
• On your last legs
  • be on your last legs
  • on its last legs
  • on my last legs
  • on one's last legs
• Once bitten, twice shy
  • once bit, twice shy
  • once bitten, twice cautious
  • once burned, twice shy
  • once hurt, twice shy
• Once in a blue moon
  • Once every blue moon
  • Once in a very blue moon
  • Twice in a blue moon
• Once more unto the breach
  • into the breach once more
  • once more into the breach
  • once more unto the breach, dear friends
• One fell swoop
  • At one fell swoop
  • In one fell swoop
• One for the books
  • another one for the books
  • one for the book
  • one for the record books
  • that's one for the books
• One for the road
  • a quick one for the road
  • have one for the road
  • one more for the road
• One over the eight
  • Be one over the eight
  • Have one over the eight
  • One over eight
• One swallow doesn't make a summer
  • One swallow does not a summer make
  • One swallow does not make a summer
  • One swallow doesn't make a spring
  • One swallow maketh not a summer
• One-horse town
  • one-horse affair (broader adjectival use)
  • one-horse village
  • some one-horse town
• One-trick pony
  • not just a one-trick pony
  • one-trick pony act
• Open a can of worms
  • a can of worms
  • a different can of worms
  • a whole other can of worms
  • opening up a can of worms
• Orbiting
  • orbit
  • orbited
  • orbiter
  • to orbit someone
• Other fish to fry
  • got other fish to fry
  • have better fish to fry
  • have other fish to fry
• Out in the cold
  • be out in the cold
  • kept out in the cold
  • leave someone out in the cold
  • left out in the cold
• Out of left field
  • come out of left field
  • from out of left field
  • out in left field
  • way out in left field
• Out of sight, out of mind
  • Once out of sight, soon out of mind
• Out of station
  • Be out of station
  • Currently out of station
  • Go out of station
• Out of the blue
• Out of the frying pan into the fire
  • From the frying pan into the fire
• Out of the woods
  • not out of the woods yet
  • not yet out of the woods
  • out of the wood (British)
  • we're not out of the woods
• Out of your depth
  • Out of depth
• Out to lunch
  • be out to lunch
  • way out to lunch
• Over a barrel
  • get someone over a barrel
  • have someone over a barrel
  • hold someone over a barrel
• Over the moon
  • absolutely over the moon
  • be over the moon
  • jump over the moon
  • over the moon about something
• Over the top
  • go OTT
  • go over the bags (historical trench variant)
  • go over the top
  • OTT
• Over your head
  • be over your head
  • go over someone's head
  • over one's head
  • way over my head
• Over-egg the pudding
  • Over-egg it
  • Overegg the pudding

P

91 phrases

• Packed like sardines
  • crammed like sardines
  • packed in like sardines
  • packed like sardines in a tin
  • squashed in like sardines
• Paint the town red
  • Paint the whole town red
• Pandora's box
  • open a Pandora's box
  • open Pandora's box
  • Pandora's boxes
• Panic
  • a market panic
  • panic-stricken
  • panicked
• Paparazzi
  • paparazzis
  • paparazzo
  • papped
• Paper over the cracks
  • paper over something
  • paper over the cracks in something
  • papered over the cracks
  • papering over the cracks
• Paper tiger
  • paper tigers (plural)
  • paper-tiger (hyphenated)
  • zhilaohu (romanised Chinese, in scholarship)
• Paradigm shift
  • Kuhnian shift
  • paradigm change
  • paradigmatic shift
• Parasocial
  • parasocial attachment
  • parasocial bond
  • parasocial relationship
  • parasociality
• Part and parcel
  • Part or parcel
• Pass muster
  • does not pass muster
  • pass mustard (eggcorn)
  • pass the muster
  • passed muster
• Pass the buck
• Pass the hat
  • pass the hat around
  • pass the hat for
  • passing the hat
  • the hat was passed
• Pay dirt
  • hit pay dirt
  • hit the pay dirt
  • strike pay dirt
• Pay lip service
  • give lip service to
  • lip-service support
  • mere lip service
  • pay lip service to
• Pay through the nose
  • paid through the nose
  • pay through the nose for something
  • paying through the nose
• Peaches and cream
  • everything is peaches and cream
  • life is just peaches and cream
  • not all peaches and cream
  • peaches-and-cream (compound modifier)
  • peachy
• Pecking order
  • peck order
  • pecking orders
  • the pecking order
• Pell-mell
  • In pell-mell fashion
• Penny dreadful
  • penny awful
  • penny blood
  • penny dreadfuls
  • penny horrible
• Penny pincher
  • penny-pinching
  • pinch pennies
  • pinchpenny
• Penny wise and pound foolish
  • Pennie wise and pound foolish
  • Penny wise, pound foolish
• People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
  • don't throw stones if you live in a glass house
  • people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
  • those in glass houses should not throw stones
  • those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
• Perp walk
  • doing the perp walk
  • perpetrator walk
  • taken on a perp walk
• Persona non grata
  • personae non gratae
  • PNG
• Photo finish
  • a photo-finish election
  • down to a photo finish
  • won in a photo finish
• Pick someone's brain
  • brain-picking
  • pick someone's brains
  • pick your brain
  • pick your brains
  • picked his brains
• Pie in the sky
  • get pie in the sky when you die
  • pie in the sky by and by
• Piece of cake
  • A piece of cake
• Pied-à-terre
  • pieds-à-terre
• Piggy bank
  • money pig
  • pig bank
  • piggie bank
  • piggy
• Pigs might fly
  • and pigs might fly
  • pigs may fly
  • pigs might fly, but they're very unlikely birds
• Pile-on
  • pile-ons
  • piling on
• Pin money
  • a little pin money
  • pocket money
  • spending money
• Ping me
  • give me a ping
  • ping
  • ping you later
  • pinged
• Pink slip
  • get the pink slip
  • hand someone a pink slip
  • pink slips
  • pink-slipped
• Pipe down
  • Pipe down below
• Piping hot
  • hot enough to pipe (archaic)
• Plain sailing
  • clear sailing
  • plane sailing
  • smooth sailing
• Play cat and mouse
  • a game of cat and mouse
  • cat-and-mouse
  • play a cat-and-mouse game
• Play hooky
  • hooky
  • play hookey
  • play hookie
• Play it by ear
  • By ear
  • Play by ear
• Play second fiddle
  • Second fiddle
• Play to the gallery
  • court the gallery
  • play to the cheap seats
  • play to the galleries
  • playing to the gallery
• Plead the Fifth
  • I plead the Fifth
  • plead the Fifth Amendment
  • take the Fifth
• Pleased as Punch
  • as pleased as Punch
  • as proud as Punch
  • proud as Punch
• Plough the sands
  • plough the sand
  • ploughing the sands
  • plow the sand
  • plow the sands
• Poacher turned gamekeeper
  • an old poacher makes the best gamekeeper
  • gamekeeper turned poacher
  • the poacher has turned gamekeeper
• Pocket money
  • a bit of pocket money
  • spending money
  • weekly pocket money
• Poetic justice
  • poetic irony
  • poetical justice
• Poker face
  • a good poker face
  • keep a poker face
  • poker-faced (adjectival)
• Pomp and circumstance
  • all the pomp and circumstance
  • full pomp and circumstance
  • pomp and ceremony
• Pop your clogs
  • pop off
  • pop one's clogs
  • popped his clogs
  • she'll pop her clogs
• Pork barrel
  • Pork
  • Pork-barrel legislation
  • Pork-barrel politics
  • Pork-barrel spending
• Posh
  • poshness (noun)
  • to posh something up (verb)
• Post-truth
  • post-factual
  • post-truth era
  • post-truth politics
  • post-truthfulness
• Prima donna
  • prima donnas
  • prime donne
• Promethean
  • Promethean ambition
  • Promethean fire
  • the Modern Prometheus
• Pull out all the stops
  • Pull the stops
• Pull someone's leg
  • leg-pulling
  • pull one's leg
  • pulling my leg
• Pull the other one, it's got bells on
  • Go and pull the other one
  • Pull the other leg, it's got bells on
  • Pull the other one
  • Pull the other one, it's got brass bells on
• Pull the plug
  • pull the plug on something
  • pulled the plug
  • pulling the plug
• Pull the wool over someone's eyes
  • have the wool pulled over one's eyes
  • pull the wool over our eyes
  • pull the wool over the public's eyes
• Pull the wool over your eyes
  • Draw the wool over someone's eyes
  • Spread the wool over someone's eyes
  • You can't pull the wool over my eyes
• Pull your finger out
  • get your finger out
  • pull one's finger out
  • pull your finger out of your arse
  • pull your finger out of your ass
• Pull your punches
  • not pull any punches
  • pull no punches
  • pulled their punches
• Pull your socks up
  • pull one's socks up
  • pull up your socks
• Puppy love
  • calf love
  • puppy-love (attributive)
• Purple prose
  • a touch of purple
  • purple passage
  • purple patch
• Push the boat out
  • push out the boat
  • push the boat out for someone
  • really push the boat out
• Put a damper on
  • Damper on
• Put a sock in it
  • Put in a sock
• Put all your eggs in one basket
  • eggs in one basket
  • have all your eggs in one basket
  • put all one's eggs in one basket
• Put in your two cents
  • give your two cents
  • my two cents
  • my two cents' worth
• Put on your thinking cap
  • don your thinking cap
  • get your thinking cap on
  • put your thinking cap on
  • thinking caps on
• Put paid to
  • Put paid
• Put the cart before the horse
  • Don't put the cart before the horse
  • Set the cart before the horse
• Put the comether on
  • Put the come-hither on
  • Put the comether on someone
• Put the heart crossways in someone
  • Have the heart crossways in you
  • Put someone's heart crossways
  • Put the heart crosswise in someone
• Put the kibosh on
  • Put the kybosh on
  • Put the kyebosh on
• Put the screws on
  • Screws on
• Put the wind up
  • Wind up
• Put through the wringer
• Put up your dukes
  • Put up the dukes
  • Put up your dooks
• Put wood in the hole
  • Put t' wood in t' oil
  • Put wood in t'hole
• Put your back into it
  • put one's back into it
  • put your back into
  • put your back into the job
  • put your backs into it
• Put your best foot forward
  • Best foot
  • Foot forward
• Put your foot down
  • put her foot down about something
  • put one's foot down
  • put the foot down
• Put your foot in it
  • Foot in mouth
  • Put one's foot in it
  • Put one's foot in one's mouth
  • Put your foot in your mouth
  • Stick your foot in your mouth
• Put your money where your mouth is
• Put your oar in
  • Oar in

Q

11 phrases

• Quantum leap
  • a quantum leap forward
  • quantum jump
  • quantum leaps
• Queen Anne is dead
  • Queen Anne's dead
• Queer as a three-dollar bill
  • Fake as a three-dollar bill
  • Phony as a three-dollar bill
• Queer fish
  • Odd fish
• Queer street
  • Down Queer Street
  • In Queer Street
• Quick as a flash
  • As a flash
• Quick on the draw
• Quiet as a mouse
  • As a mouse
• Quiet firing
  • quiet fired
  • quiet-fire
  • quietly fired
• Quiet quitting
  • quiet quit
  • quiet quitter
  • quiet quitting phenomenon
• Quixotic
  • quixotical (archaic)
  • quixotically
  • quixotism
  • quixotry

R

61 phrases

• Rack and ruin
  • Go to rack and ruin
  • Wrack and ruin
• Rack your brains
  • rack my memory
  • rack one's brains
  • rack your brain
  • wrack your brains
• Rags to riches
  • from rags to riches
  • go from rags to riches
  • rags-to-riches story
  • rags-to-riches tale
• Rain on someone's parade
  • don't rain on my parade
  • rain on my parade
  • rained on her parade
• Rain on your parade
• Raining buckets
• Raining cats and dogs
  • Rain cats and dogs
  • Raining dogs and cats
• Raining pitchforks
• Raise Cain
  • raise the Devil
  • raised Cain
  • raising Cain
• Raise the roof
• Raison d'être
  • raison d' etat
  • raisons d'etre
• Rank and file
  • Rank-and-file members
  • The rank and file
• Rara avis
  • rarae aves
  • rare avis
• Rattle your dags
  • Better rattle your dags
  • Get your dags rattling
  • Rattle the dags
• Reach for the stars
  • aim for the stars
  • reach for the moon
  • reach for the sky
  • shooting for the stars
• Read between the lines
  • between the lines
  • read between the lines of something
  • reading between the lines
• Read the Riot Act
  • Read someone the Riot Act
• Read the room
  • failed to read the room
  • read the room wrong
  • reading the room
• Realpolitik
  • realpolitiker
• Reap the whirlwind
  • Reaping the whirlwind
  • Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind
  • They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind
• Reap what you sow
  • As you sow, so shall you reap
• Receipts
  • have receipts
  • pull up the receipts
  • show me the receipts
  • the receipts
• Red flag
  • raise a red flag
  • red flag emoji used as shorthand
  • red flags
  • red-flag (verb)
• Red herring
  • draw a red herring across the trail
  • red herrings
  • throw out a red herring
• Red mist
  • a red mist descended
  • red-mist moment
  • the red mist comes down
  • the red mist descends
• Red tape
  • bound in red tape
  • cut through red tape
  • red tape bureaucracy
• Reinvent the wheel
  • don't reinvent the wheel
  • reinvent the wheel again
  • reinventing the wheel
• Rest on one's laurels
  • reap one's laurels
  • repose on one's laurels
  • retire on one's laurels
  • sit on one's laurels
• Ride herd on
  • Ride herd over
  • Riding herd on
• Ride roughshod over
  • Ride roughshod
  • Ride roughshod over someone
  • Run roughshod over
  • Run roughshod over someone
• Ride shotgun
  • Sit shotgun
• Ride the coattails
  • long coattails
  • on the coattails of
  • ride on someone's coattails
• Ride the wave
• Right as rain
  • as right as rain
  • be right as rain
  • feel right as rain
  • right as rain again
• Ring the changes
  • rang the changes on
  • ring the changes on
  • ringing the changes
  • rung the changes on
• Rizz
  • rizz up
  • rizzler
  • unspoken rizz
  • W rizz
• Road to Damascus
  • a road to Damascus moment
  • Damascene conversion
  • on the road to Damascus
• Rob Peter to pay Paul
  • borrow from Peter to pay Paul
  • robbing Peter to pay Paul
  • steal from Peter to pay Paul
  • take from Peter to pay Paul
• Robot
  • bot
  • robotic
  • robotically
  • robots
• Roll out the red carpet
  • a red-carpet welcome
  • give someone the red-carpet treatment
  • lay out the red carpet
  • roll out the red carpet for someone
• Rolling in the aisles
  • be rolling in the aisles
  • had them rolling in the aisles
  • have them rolling in the aisles
  • leave them rolling in the aisles
  • roll in the aisles
• Rome wasn't built in a day
  • Rome was not built in a day
  • Rome wasn't built in a day, but it burnt in one
  • Rome wasn't built in one day
• Root and branch
  • Root-and-branch reform
• Root, hog, or die
  • root hog or die
  • root, hog, or - die
• Rose-tinted spectacles
  • rose-colored glasses
  • rose-coloured glasses
  • rose-coloured spectacles
  • rose-tinted glasses
  • see the world through rose-tinted glasses
• Rough and ready
  • a bit rough and ready
  • rough-and-readiness
• Round the bend
  • Around the bend
  • Drive someone round the bend
  • Go round the bend
• Rub shoulders with
  • rub elbows with
  • rub shoulders
  • rub shoulders with the rich and famous
  • rubbing shoulders with
• Ruffle some feathers
• Rule of thumb
  • As a rule of thumb
  • By rule of thumb
• Rule the roost
  • rule the roast (earlier form)
  • rules the roost
  • ruling the roost
  • run the roost
• Run a mile
• Run a tight ship
  • Tight ship
• Run around like a headless chicken
  • Headless chicken
• Run like the wind
• Run of the mill
  • Run of mill
• Run off your feet
• Run out of steam
• Run ragged
  • Run rag
• Run rings around
  • Rings around
  • Run rings
• Run the gauntlet
  • Go through the gauntlet
  • Run the gantlet
  • Run the gantlope

S

156 phrases

• Sabre rattling
  • rattle the sabre
  • rattling sabres
  • saber rattling (US spelling)
• Sackcloth and ashes
  • Wear sackcloth and ashes
• Saddle someone with
• Sadfishing
  • sadfish
  • sadfished
  • sadfisher
  • sadfishing accusation
• Safe and sound
  • Sound and safe
• Safe as houses
  • as safe as a house
  • as safe as houses
  • as safe as the Bank of England
• Sail close to the wind
  • close to the wind
  • sail near the wind
  • sailing close to the wind
• Salad days
  • In one's salad days
  • My salad days
• Salt of the earth
• Sang-froid
• Save for a rainy day
  • keep something for a rainy day
  • put something aside for a rainy day
  • rainy-day fund
  • saving for a rainy day
• Saved by the bell
  • Be saved by the bell
  • Was saved by the bell
• Savoir-faire
  • savior faire
  • savior-faire
• Say uncle
  • cry uncle
  • holler uncle
  • make someone say uncle
• Scapegoat
  • a scapegoat for
  • be made the scapegoat
  • make a scapegoat of someone
  • scapegoating
• Scarce as hen's teeth
  • As scarce as hen's teeth
  • Rare as hen's teeth
  • Scarcer than hen's teeth
• Scarlet woman
  • scarlet lady
  • the scarlet woman of Babylon
  • the woman arrayed in scarlet
• Schadenfreude
  • shadenfreude
• Schlep
  • schlepp
  • shlep
  • shlepp
• Schmooze
  • schmoose
  • shmoose
  • shmooze
  • shmoozing
• Scot-free
  • Get off scot-free
• Scraping the barrel
• Screw the pooch
  • screwed the pooch
  • screwing the pooch
• Scuttlebutt
  • scuttlebutt has it that
  • the scuttlebutt
• Sea legs
  • find one's sea legs
  • get one's sea legs
  • have one's sea legs
• Sealioning
  • sealion
  • sealioned
• Second wind
  • catch a second wind
  • find a second wind
  • get a second wind
  • one's second wind
• See a man about a dog
  • See a man about a horse
• See eye to eye
  • not see eye to eye
  • see eye to eye with someone
  • see things eye to eye
  • seeing eye to eye
• See pink elephants
  • a pink elephant (for a hallucination)
  • pink elephants on parade
  • seeing blue mice and pink elephants
  • seeing pink elephants
• See red
  • made her see red
  • saw red
  • seeing red
  • the red mist
• See the elephant
  • go to see the elephant
  • I've seen the elephant
  • seen the elephant
• See which way the wind blows
  • Wind blows
• Seen better days
  • has seen better days
  • have seen better days
  • looked on better days
• Sell like hot cakes
  • go like hotcakes
  • going like hot cakes
  • selling like hot cakes
• Sell someone down the river
  • sell somebody down the river
  • sold down the river
  • sold up the river (a distinct idiom)
• Send someone packing
  • Be sent packing
  • Send her packing
  • Send him packing
• Send someone to Coventry
  • Be sent to Coventry
  • Send to Coventry
• Separate the wheat from the chaff
  • divide the wheat from the chaff
  • separate the grain from the chaff
  • separate the wheat and the chaff
  • sort the wheat from the chaff
• Serendipity
  • serendipities
  • serendipitous
  • serendipitously
• Set your teeth on edge
  • Put your teeth on edge
• Shake a leg
  • shake your leg
  • shaking a leg
• Shanghai
  • shanghai someone into something
  • shanghaied
  • shanghaiing
• Shanks's pony
  • Shank's mare
  • Shanks' pony
  • Shanks's nag
• Sharenting
  • oversharenting
  • sharent
  • sharented
  • sharents
• Sharp as a tack
• Shell out
  • shell out for
  • shelled out
  • shelling out
• Shipping
  • relationshipper
  • ship
  • shipper
• Ships that pass in the night
  • like two ships that pass in the night
  • ships in the night
  • ships passing in the night
  • two ships that passed in the night
• Shipshape and Bristol fashion
  • Bristol fashion and shipshape
  • Ship-shape and Bristol fashion
• Shoot from the hip
  • From the hip
• Shoot the breeze
• Shoot the messenger
  • blame the messenger
  • don't kill the messenger
  • kill the messenger
• Shoot your mouth off
  • mouth off
  • shoot off at the mouth
  • shoot off one's mouth
  • shoot one's mouth off
• Shoot yourself in the foot
  • foot-shooting
  • shoot oneself in the foot
  • shoot yourself in both feet
  • stop shooting yourself in the foot
• Short shrift
  • A short shrift
  • Get short shrift
  • Give short shrift to
• Show a leg
  • Show a leg and turn out
• Show the white feather
  • display the white feather
  • get the white feather
  • mount the white feather
  • show a white feather
• Show your true colours
  • reveal your true colours
  • show one's true colours
  • show your true colors
  • show yourself in your true colours
• Showstopper
  • a real showstopper
  • stop the show
• Shrinkflation
  • shrinkflation hoax (disputed usage)
  • shrinkflationary
• Sick as a dog
• Sick as a parrot
  • As a parrot
• Sick as a pig
• Sick to death
  • To death
• Sick to the back teeth
  • Back teeth
• Signs of the times
  • A sign of the times
  • Sign of the times
  • The signs of the times
• Silver bullet
  • a silver bullet for
  • no silver bullet
  • silver bullets
• Simmer down
  • simmer down now
  • simmered down
  • simmering down
• Sine qua non
  • causa sine qua non
  • condicio sine qua non
  • sine qua nons
• Sing for your supper
  • sing for its supper
  • sing for one's supper
  • sing for their supper
• Sing like a bird
• Sing like a canary
  • Like a canary
• Sink or swim
  • sink or swim together
  • swim or sink
• Sit on the fence
  • be on the fence
  • come down off the fence
  • fence-sitter
  • fence-sitting
  • straddle the fence
• Sitting duck
  • a sitting duck
  • sitting ducks (plural)
  • sitting target
• Situationship
  • in a situationship
  • situational relationship
  • situationships
• Six of one and half a dozen of the other
  • six and two threes
  • six in one hand, half a dozen in the other
  • six of one, half a dozen of the other
  • six to one, half a dozen to another
• Skating on thin ice
  • be on thin ice
  • skate on thin ice
  • skating over thin ice
  • walk on thin ice
• Skeleton in the closet
• Skin and bones
  • a bag of bones
  • nothing but skin and bones
  • reduced to skin and bones
  • skin and bone
• Skosh
  • a skosh
  • skoshe
  • sukoshi
• Slacktivism
  • clicktivism
  • hashtag activism
  • slacktivist
  • slacktivists
• Sling your hook
  • Sling one's hook
  • Sling yer hook
  • Take your hook
• Slip through your fingers
  • let something slip through your fingers
  • slip through somebody's fingers
  • slip through your grasp
  • watch something slip through your fingers
• Slippery as an eel
  • as slippery as an eel
  • slippy as an eel
• Slogan
  • slogane
  • slogorn
  • slogorne
  • slughorn
• Slow and steady wins the race
  • slow and steady
  • slow and sure wins the race
  • slow but steady wins the race
  • slowly but surely
• Slush fund
  • slush account
  • slush money
• Sly as a fox
  • As a fox
• Small potatoes
  • mere small potatoes
  • pretty small potatoes
  • small potato
  • small potatoes next to
• Smart aleck
  • smart Alec
  • smart-Alec
• Smart cookie
  • a real smart cookie
  • one smart cookie
  • quite a smart cookie
  • smart little cookie
• Smell a rat
  • can smell a rat
  • smell rats
  • smelling a rat
  • smelt a rat (British past tense)
• Smithereens
  • smiddereens
  • smitherens
  • smitherings
  • smithers
• Smoke and mirrors
  • all smoke and mirrors
  • mirrors and blue smoke
• Snake oil
  • selling snake oil
  • snake oil merchant
  • snake-oil peddler
  • snake-oil salesman
• Snowball effect
  • a snowballing problem
  • like a rolling snowball
  • snowballing
  • snowballing effect
  • the snowball effect
• Snowed under
  • completely snowed under
  • get snowed under
  • snow under
  • snowed under with work
• Soft day, thank God
  • A soft day, thank God
  • Soft day, thanks be to God
• Soft launch
  • hard launch (antonym)
  • Instagram soft launch
  • soft-launched
  • soft-launching
• Son of a gun
  • son of a gun! (exclamation)
  • son-of-a-gun (hyphenated modifier)
  • sons of guns (plural)
  • you old son of a gun
• Sour grapes
  • a sour-grapes attitude
  • cry sour grapes
  • it's pure sour grapes
  • that's just sour grapes
• Sow wild oats
  • sow a few wild oats
  • sow one's wild oats
  • sow your wild oats
  • sowing wild oats
• Sowing dragon's teeth
  • sow dragon's teeth
  • sown dragon's teeth
  • the armed harvest
• Spare the rod and spoil the child
  • He that spareth his rod hateth his son
  • Spare the rod and spill the child
  • Spare the rod, spoil the child
• Spartan
  • spartan conditions
  • Spartan discipline
  • spartan lifestyle
• Spend a penny
  • Go and spend a penny
  • Spending a penny
• Spick and span
  • Spick and span new
• Spiel
  • shpeel
  • shpil
  • spiels (plural)
• Spill the beans
  • Spill all the beans
• Spill the tea
  • spill the T
  • spilling tea
  • the tea
  • weak tea
  • what's the tea
• Spin a yarn
  • a good yarn
  • spin a good yarn
  • spin a long yarn
  • spin someone a yarn
  • yarn-spinning
• Spin doctor
  • spin doctoring
  • spin doctors
  • spinmeister
• Spit and image
  • Spitten image
  • Spitting image
• Splice the mainbrace
• Split hairs
  • don't split hairs
  • hair-splitting
  • split a hair
  • splitting hairs
• Sportswashing
  • esportswashing
  • sport washing
  • sport-washing
  • sportswash
• Square peg in a round hole
  • a square peg in a round hole
  • force a square peg into a round hole
  • square pegs in round holes
• Square the circle
• Stag and doe
  • buck and doe
  • Jack and Jill
  • stag and doe party
  • stag-and-doe
• Stage fright
  • get stage fright
• Stan
  • stan account
  • stanned
  • stanning
  • stans
• Star-crossed lovers
  • a pair of star-crossed lovers
  • star-cross'd lovers
  • star-crossed pair
  • star-crossed romance
• Status quo
  • status quo ante
  • status quo ante bellum
  • the status quo
• Steady as she goes
  • steady as you go
  • steady-as-she-goes (used as a modifier before a noun)
• Steady the ship
  • right the ship
  • steady as she goes
  • steady the boat
  • steady the ship of state
• Steal someone's thunder
  • Steal their thunder
• Steal the scene
  • scene-stealer
  • steal the show
  • steal the spotlight
  • stole the show
• Steelman
  • steel man argument
  • steel-manning
  • steelmanning
• Stem the tide
  • stem the flood
  • stem the flow
  • stem the tide of
  • stemming the tide
• Stentorian
  • in stentorian fashion
  • stentorian tones
  • stentorian voice
• Step into someone's shoes
  • big shoes to fill
  • fill someone's shoes
  • stand in someone's shoes
  • step into the shoes of
• Step up to the plate
  • step up to the plate and deliver
  • stepped up to the plate
  • stepping up to the plate
• Stew in your own juice
  • fry in your own grease
  • leave someone to stew in their own juice
  • let them stew
  • stew in your own gravy
  • stew in your own juices
• Stick to your guns
  • stand by your guns
  • stand to your guns
  • stick by your guns
  • stood to her gun
• Stick your neck out
  • Neck out
• Stiff upper lip
  • a very British stiff upper lip
  • keep a stiff upper lip
  • stiff-upper-lip (adjectival)
  • with a stiff upper lip
• Still waters run deep
  • Still water runs deep
• Stir up a hornets' nest
  • arouse a hornets' nest
  • kick a hornet's nest
  • poke a hornet's nest
  • stir a hornet's nest
• Stool pigeon
  • stool-pigeon
  • stoolie
• Straight from the horse's mouth
  • From the horse's mouth
  • Right from the horse's mouth
• Straight man
  • act as straight man
  • be the straight man to someone's comic
  • play the straight man
  • straight woman
• Strange bedfellows
  • Make strange bedfellows
  • Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows
  • Politics makes strange bedfellows
• Strapped for cash
  • cash-strapped
  • strapped
  • strapped for funds
  • strapped for money
• Straw man
  • straw man argument
  • straw man fallacy
  • straw-manning
• Strike it rich
  • hit it rich
  • strike gold
  • strike it big
  • struck it rich
• Strike while the iron is hot
  • hit while the iron is hot
  • strike the iron while it is hot
  • strike when the iron is hot
  • strike while the iron's hot
• Suffer fools gladly
  • Gladly suffer fools
• Sunsetting
  • end-of-life (related)
  • sunset (verb)
  • sunset a product
  • sunsetted
• Swan song
  • one's swan song
• Sweet as
  • All sweet as
  • Choice as
  • Sweet as, bro
  • Sweet-as
• Sweet tooth
  • a sweet tooth for something
  • have a sweet tooth
  • sweet-toothed
• Sweetheart deal
  • sweetheart agreement
  • sweetheart contract
  • sweetheart deals
• Swing the lead
  • Be swinging the lead
  • Lead-swinging
  • Try to swing the lead
• Swings and roundabouts
  • it's all swings and roundabouts
  • lose on the swings, win on the roundabouts
  • swings-and-roundabouts (hyphenated modifier)
  • what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

T

201 phrases

• Tabula rasa
  • tabla rasa
  • tabula rasas
  • tabulae rasae
• Take a back seat
  • be relegated to the back seat
  • take a back seat to
  • take the back seat
• Take a rain check
  • Rain check
  • Take a rain
• Take centre stage
  • occupy centre stage
  • share centre stage
  • take center stage
• Take French leave
  • Be absent on French leave
  • French leave
  • Go on French leave
• Take it offline
  • let's take it offline
  • offline (adverbial)
  • take this offline
  • taking it offline
• Take it on the chin
  • On the chin
• Take it with a grain of salt
  • Take it with a pinch of salt
  • Take something with a grain of salt
  • Take something with a pinch of salt
  • With a grain of salt
  • With a pinch of salt
• Take the bit between your teeth
• Take the bull by the horns
• Take the cake
  • Take the biscuit
  • Take the cakes
• Take the gilt off the gingerbread
• Take the high road
  • High road
• Take the mickey
• Take the rough with the smooth
  • Rough and smooth
• Take the sting out
  • Sting out
• Take the wind out of someone's sails
  • have the wind taken out of your sails
  • knock the wind out of someone's sails
  • take the wind out of his sails
• Take the wind out of your sails
  • Take the sails
  • Wind out of sails
• Take to something like a duck to water
  • as a duck takes to water
  • like a duck to water
  • take to it like a duck to water
• Taken aback
  • take someone aback
  • taken aback by
  • taken back (nonstandard)
• Talk the hind leg off a donkey
  • Talk a donkey's hind leg off
  • Talk the hind leg off a horse
  • Talk the hind legs off a donkey
• Talk through your hat
  • talk through one's hat
  • talked through his hat
  • talking through your hat
  • you're talking through your hat
• Talk turkey
• Tantalizing
  • a tantalizing prospect
  • tantalize
  • tantalizingly close
• Teach your grandmother to suck eggs
  • teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
  • teach your grandma to suck eggs
  • teach your granny to suck eggs
• Tell it to the marines
  • tell it to the horse marines
  • tell that to the marines
  • that will do for the marines
• That dog won't hunt
  • the dog won't hunt
  • this dog won't hunt
• That's the way the cookie crumbles
  • that's how the cookie crumbles
  • that's when the cookie crumbled
  • the way the cookie crumbles
• The almighty dollar
  • almighty dollars
  • the mighty dollar
  • the pursuit of the almighty dollar
• The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
  • the apple does not fall far from the stem
  • the apple doesn't roll far from the tree
  • the apple falls not far from the tree
  • the apple never falls far from the tree
• The ball is in your court
  • put the ball in someone's court
  • the ball is in their court
  • the ball's in your court
• The be-all and end-all
  • Be-all and end-all
  • The be-all and the end-all
• The best thing since sliced bread
  • better than sliced bread
  • greatest thing since sliced bread
  • the best invention since sliced bread
  • the greatest thing since sliced bread
• The best-laid schemes of mice and men
  • The best-laid plans of mice and men
  • The best-laid plans often go awry
• The better part of valour is discretion
  • Discretion is the better part of valor
  • Discretion is the better part of valour
  • The better part of valor is discretion
• The big cheese
  • a real big cheese
  • big cheese
  • cut a big cheese
• The bitter end
  • To the bitter end
  • Until the bitter end
• The black market
  • a black market in something
  • black-market goods
  • on the black market
• The black sheep
  • black sheep of the family
  • black sheep of the flock
  • the family's black sheep
• The blind leading the blind
  • When the blind lead the blind
• The boot is on the other foot
  • the boot is on the other leg
  • the boot's on the other foot
  • the shoe is on the other foot
  • the shoe's on the other foot
• The bully pulpit
  • bully pulpit
  • from the bully pulpit
  • use the bully pulpit
• The calm before the storm
  • a calm before the storm
  • the calm before the tempest
  • the lull before the storm
  • the quiet before the storm
• The camel's nose under the tent
  • if the camel once gets his nose in the tent
  • the camel's head in the tent
  • the camel's nose in the tent
• The cat's pajamas
  • cat's pyjamas
  • the cat's meow
  • the cat's whiskers
• The cat's pyjamas
• The clothes make the man
  • clothes make the man
  • clothes maketh the man
  • the apparel oft proclaims the man
• The cut of your jib
  • I don't like the cut of his jib
  • the cut of her jib
• The devil finds work for idle hands
  • Idle hands are the devil's workshop
  • Idle hands do the devil's work
  • Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do
  • The devil finds work for idle hands to do
  • The devil makes work for idle hands
• The devil to pay
  • hell to pay
  • the devil and all to pay
  • the devil to pay and no pitch hot
• The die is cast
  • alea iacta est (Latin original)
  • the dice are cast
  • the dice is cast
  • the die has been cast
• The dogs of war
  • let slip the dogs of war
  • the dogs of war are loose
  • unleash the dogs of war
• The early bird catches the worm
  • be an early bird
  • it's the early bird that catches the worm
  • the early bird catches the fattest worm
  • the early bird gets the worm
• The eleventh hour
  • At the eleventh hour
• The emperor's new clothes
  • the emperor has no clothes
  • the emperor wears no clothes
  • the emperor's new clothes moment
  • the Emperor's new suit
• The end justifies the means
  • Exitus acta probat
  • The end does not justify the means
  • The end doesn't justify the means
  • The ends justify the means
• The eye of the storm
  • at the eye of the storm
  • eye of the hurricane
  • in the eye of the storm
  • the calm eye of the storm
• The game is afoot
  • the game is on
  • the game's afoot
  • the hunt is on
• The gloves are off
  • gloves-off
  • take off the gloves
  • take the gloves off
  • the gloves come off
• The Golden Fleece
  • a golden fleece
  • like Jason seeking the Golden Fleece
  • the quest for the Golden Fleece
• The grass is always greener on the other side
  • The grass always looks greener on the other side
  • The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
  • The grass is always greener where you water it
  • The grass is greener on the other side
• The gravy train
  • board the gravy train
  • gravy-train (as modifier)
  • riding the gravy train
  • the gravy train dries up
• The green room
  • green-room
  • greenroom
• The green-eyed monster
  • Green-eyed monster
  • The monster of jealousy
• The icing on the cake
  • be the icing on the cake
  • cherry on top
  • frosting on the cake
  • the cherry on the cake
• The ick
  • getting the ick
  • got the ick
  • icks
  • the mega ick
• The kiss of death
  • a kiss of death
  • be the kiss of death for
  • be the kiss of death to
• The lady doth protest too much
  • he protests too much
  • methinks the lady doth protest too much
  • the lady protests too much
  • thou dost protest too much
• The last best West
  • Last Best West
• The last hurrah
  • a last hurrah
  • final hurrah
  • last hurrahs
  • one's last hurrah
• The last straw
  • The final straw
  • The last straw that breaks the camel's back
  • The straw that breaks the camel's back
  • The straw that broke the camel's back
• The law is an ass
  • The law is a ass
  • The law is such an ass
• The letter of the law
  • by the letter of the law
  • letter and spirit
  • letter of the law
• The life of Riley
  • live the life of Riley
  • living the life of Riley
  • the life of Reilly
• The lion's den
  • beard the lion in his den
  • den of lions
  • go into the lion's den
• The lion's share
  • lion's share
  • the lion's part
  • the tiger's share (Indian English)
• The long and the short of it
  • long story short
  • the long and short of it
  • the short and the long of it
• The long arm of the law
  • escape the long arm of the law
  • long arm of the law
  • the strong arm of the law
• The man on the Clapham omnibus
  • the man on the Clapham bus
  • the person on the Clapham omnibus
  • the reasonable man on the Clapham omnibus
  • the woman on the Clapham omnibus
• The Midas touch
  • have the Midas touch
  • reverse Midas touch
  • the golden touch
• The milk of human kindness
  • full of the milk of human kindness
  • milk of human kindness
  • not a drop of the milk of human kindness
• The more the merrier
  • The merrier the more
• The mote in your eye
  • The mote and the beam
• The pen is mightier than the sword
  • Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword
  • The pen beats the sword
  • The pen is mightier
  • The pen is mightier than the gun
• The penny dropped
  • the penny drops
  • the penny finally dropped
  • the penny has dropped
  • wait for the penny to drop
• The pot calling the kettle black
  • Pot, meet kettle
  • That's the pot calling the kettle black
  • The frying-pan calling the kettle black
• The powers that be
  • Powers that be
• The primrose path
  • lead someone down the primrose path
  • primrose path of dalliance
  • the primrose way
• The prodigal son
  • a prodigal son
  • prodigal daughter
  • the prodigal returns
• The proof of the pudding is in the eating
  • The proof is in the pudding
  • The proof of the pudding
  • The proof of the pudding is in the tasting
• The rat race
  • escape the rat race
  • out of the rat race
  • rat-race (adjective)
• The root of all evil
  • The love of money is the root of all evil
• The root of the matter
  • At the root of the matter
  • Get to the root of the matter
  • Root of the matter
• The scales fell from his eyes
  • scales fall from your eyes
  • the scales fell from her eyes
  • the scales fell from my eyes
• The short end of the stick
  • draw the short end of the stick
  • get the dirty end of the stick
  • get the shitty end of the stick
  • get the short end
  • get the wrong end of the stick
• The show must go on
  • the show goes on
  • the show must go on regardless
  • the show went on
• The silent majority
  • America's silent majority
  • the great silent majority
  • the vast silent majority
• The silver screen
  • on the silver screen
  • silver-screen (adjective)
  • stars of the silver screen
• The sound and the fury
  • a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
  • full of sound and fury, signifying nothing
  • sound and fury
• The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
  • The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
  • The spirit is willing; the flesh is weak
• The squeaky wheel gets the grease
  • it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
  • the squeakiest wheel gets the grease
  • the squeaky wheel gets the oil
  • the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the grease
• The sun is over the yardarm
  • sun over the yardarm
  • the sun is barely over the yardarm
  • the sun isn't over the yardarm yet
  • the sun's over the yardarm
• The sword of Damocles
  • a sword of Damocles hanging over
  • hang like the sword of Damocles
  • the Damocles sword
• The tail wagging the dog
  • a case of the tail wagging the dog
  • the tail is wagging the dog
  • the tail wags the dog
  • wag the dog
• The thin end of the wedge
  • small end of the wedge
  • the thin end of the wedge argument
  • thin edge of the wedge
• The thin red line
  • the thin blue line (policing adaptation)
  • the thin red streak tipped with a line of steel (Russell's original wording)
  • thin red line
• The third degree
  • give them the full third degree
  • third-degree interrogation
• The third rail
  • political third rail
  • the third rail of politics
  • touching the third rail
• The tide is turning
  • the tide has turned
  • the tide turned
  • the tides are turning
  • turning of the tide
• The upper crust
  • society's upper crust
  • the crust
  • upper-crust (adjective)
• The upper hand
  • gain the upper hand
  • get the upper hand
  • have the upper hand
  • seize the upper hand
  • the whip hand
• The wheel has come full circle
  • come full circle
  • gone full circle
  • the wheel is come full circle
• The whole ball of wax
  • The entire ball of wax
  • Whole ball of wax
• The whole enchilada
  • the big enchilada
  • the full enchilada
  • whole enchiladas (rare plural)
• The whole nine yards
  • All nine yards
  • The full nine yards
  • The whole six yards
• The whole shebang
• The winds of change
  • a wind of change
  • the wind of change is blowing
  • the winds of change are blowing
  • wind of change
• The winter of our discontent
  • made glorious summer by this sun of York
  • now is the winter of our discontent
  • winter of discontent
• The world and his wife
  • All the world and his wife
• The world is your oyster
  • The world is my oyster
  • The world is someone's oyster
  • The world's mine oyster
• The world's your oyster
  • the world is her oyster
  • the world is his oyster
• The writing on the wall
  • See the writing on the wall
• There's method in the madness
  • method in someone's madness
  • method to someone's madness
  • there's method to my madness
• There's no such thing as a free lunch
  • TANSTAAFL
  • There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
  • There is no free lunch
  • TINSTAAFL
• There's the rub
  • Ay, there's the rub
  • That's the rub
  • There is the rub
• Thick as thieves
  • as thick as two thieves
  • be as thick as thieves
  • get as thick as thieves
  • thick as thieves with someone
• Think on your feet
  • fast on your feet
  • think on one's feet
  • think quickly on your feet
  • thinking on your feet
• Think outside the box
  • outside the box
  • think out of the box
  • thinking outside the box
• Third time lucky
  • Third time is the charm
  • Third time's a charm
  • Third time's lucky
  • Third time's the charm
• Thirty pieces of silver
  • 30 pieces of silver
  • his thirty pieces of silver
  • thirty pieces
• Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
  • Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it
  • Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
  • Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it
  • Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it
• Thought leader
  • industry thought leader
  • thought leadership
• Three sheets to the wind
  • a sheet in the wind
  • a sheet in the wind's eye
  • three sheets in the wind
  • two sheets to the wind
• Throw a monkey wrench into the works
  • put a monkey wrench in the works
  • throw a monkey wrench into the machinery
  • throw a spanner in the works
• Throw a spanner in the works
  • A spanner in the works
  • Put a spanner in the works
  • Throw a wrench in the works
• Throw caution to the wind
  • cast caution to the winds
  • fling caution to the wind
  • throw caution to the winds
  • toss caution to the wind
• Throw down the gauntlet
  • cast down the gauntlet
  • fling down the gauntlet
  • lay down the gauntlet
  • throw down the glove
• Throw in the towel
  • In the towel
  • Throw the towel
• Throw shade
  • shade
  • threw shade
  • throw shade at
  • throwing shade
• Throw someone to the lions
  • fed to the lions
  • feed someone to the lions
  • thrown to the lions
• Throw someone to the wolves
  • feed someone to the wolves
  • throw them to the wolves
  • thrown to the wolves
• Throw the book at
  • chuck the book at
  • sling the book at
  • throw the whole book at
  • toss the book at
• Throw the cat among the pigeons
  • put the cat among the pigeons
  • set the cat among the pigeons
  • throw the cat amongst the pigeons
• Throw your hat in the ring
  • chuck your hat in the ring (British, informal)
  • hat in the ring
  • throw one's hat into the ring
  • toss your hat in the ring
• Throw your hat into the ring
  • put your hat into the ring
  • throw your cap into the ring
  • toss your hat into the ring
• Throw your weight around
  • fling your weight around
  • throw one's weight around
  • throw your weight about
  • throwing his weight about
• Thumb your nose at
  • nose-thumbing
  • thumb one's nose at
  • thumbed his nose at
  • thumbing your nose at
  • thumbs her nose at
• Tickety-boo
  • Ticketty-boo
  • Tickety boo
  • Ticketyboo
  • Tiggerty-boo
• Tickled pink
  • tickled pink to
  • tickled to death
  • tickled to pieces
• Tie the knot
  • tie the nuptial knot
  • tied the knot
  • tying the knot
• Tighten the purse strings
  • control the purse strings
  • cut the purse strings
  • hold the purse strings
  • loosen the purse strings
  • tighten one's purse strings
• Tighten your belt
  • belt-tightening
  • pull in one's belt
  • tighten one's belt
  • tighten our belts
• Tilt at windmills
  • charge at windmills
  • fight windmills
  • tilting at windmills
• Time and tide wait for no man
  • Time and tide wait for no one
• Time is money
  • remember that time is money
  • time equals money
• Tip of the iceberg
  • just the tip of the iceberg
  • only the tip of the iceberg
  • the tip of the iceberg
• Tipping point
  • at the tipping point
  • reach a tipping point
  • tipping points
• To a T
  • down to a T
  • to a tee
  • to the T
• To and fro
  • Toing and froing
• To thine own self be true
  • be true to yourself
  • to your own self be true
  • true to thine own self
• Toe the line
  • toe the mark
  • toe the party line
  • toe the scratch
  • toeing the line
  • tow the line (common misrendering)
• Tongue in cheek
  • tongue firmly in cheek
  • with one's tongue in one's cheek
• Too big for your boots
  • getting too big for your boots
  • too big for one's britches
  • too big for your breeches
• Too big to fail
  • TBTF
  • too big to jail
• Too many cooks spoil the broth
  • The more cooks, the worse potage
  • Too many cooks
  • Too many cooks spoil the soup
• Too much of a good thing
  • can one desire too much of a good thing
  • you can get too much of a good thing
  • you can have too much of a good thing
• Tooth and nail
  • Fight tooth and nail
  • With tooth and nail
• Top banana
  • first banana
  • second banana
  • second-banana role
  • third banana
• Top billing
  • above-the-title billing
  • get top billing
  • receive top billing
  • star billing
• Topsy-turvy
  • Turn topsy-turvy
• Touch and go
  • A touch-and-go affair
  • It was touch and go
• Touch grass
  • go touch grass
  • grasstype
  • touch some grass
  • touching grass
• Tough cookie
  • a real tough cookie
  • one tough cookie
  • quite a tough cookie
  • tough cookies
• Tour de force
  • tour de forces
  • tours de force
• Tread the boards
  • tread the stage
  • treading the boards
  • trod the boards
  • walk the boards
• Trip the light fantastic
  • Dance the light fantastic
  • On the light fantastic toe
  • Trip the light fantastic toe
  • Tripping the light fantastic
• Trojan horse
  • a Trojan horse
  • Trojan horses
• True blue
  • as true as Coventry blue
  • true blue through and through
  • true-blue (attributive)
• Truth is stranger than fiction
  • Fact is stranger than fiction
  • Truth can be stranger than fiction
  • Truth is often stranger than fiction
  • Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't (Twain)
• Truth will out
  • the truth will out
  • truth will come out
• Tuckered out
  • all tuckered out
  • take the tuck out of
  • tucker out
• Tug at the heartstrings
  • pluck at the heartstrings
  • pull at the heartstrings
  • tug on the heartstrings
• Turn a blind eye
  • Turn a blind eye to something
  • Turn a deaf ear
  • Turned a blind eye
• Turn King's evidence
  • King's evidence
  • Turn Queen's evidence
• Turn on a sixpence
  • on a sixpence
  • stop on a sixpence
  • turn on a dime
  • turning on a sixpence
• Turn over a new leaf
  • turn a new leaf
  • turn over the leaf
  • turning over a new leaf
• Turn tail
  • turn tail and flee
  • turn tail and run
  • turning tail
• Turn the other cheek
  • Offer the other cheek
• Turn the tables
  • How the tables have turned
  • The tables are turned
  • Turn the tables on someone
  • Turning of the tables
• Turn the tide
  • the turn of the tide
  • turn the tide of
  • turned the tide
  • turning of the tide
• Turn up trumps
  • Come out trumps
  • Come up trumps
  • Turn out trumps
• Turncoat
  • turn one's coat
• Twenty-three skidoo
  • 23 skidoo
  • skidoo
  • twenty-three, skidoo
• Twist in the wind
  • left to twist in the wind
  • left twisting in the wind
  • twist slowly in the wind
  • twisting in the wind
• Twist someone's arm
  • arm-twisting
  • have your arm twisted
  • twisted my arm
• Two left feet
  • be born with two left feet
  • have two left feet
  • I've got two left feet
  • two left hands
• Two peas in a pod
  • as alike as two peas in a pod
  • as like as two peas
  • like two peas in a pod
  • peas in a pod
• Two solitudes
  • Canada's two solitudes
  • the two solitudes
• Two-four
  • 2-4
  • two four
• Tycoon
  • taikun (historical romanisation)
  • tycoon (archaic spelling)
  • tycoonate (rare derived noun)
• Tête-à-tête

U

39 phrases

• Ugly duckling
  • the ugly duckling of the group
  • ugly duckling of the family
  • ugly-duckling stage
• Under a cloud
  • A cloud over someone
  • Be under a cloud
  • Leave under a cloud
  • Under a cloud of suspicion
• Under bare poles
  • Lie under bare poles
  • Scud under bare poles
• Under false colours
  • Fly false colours
  • Sail under false colours
  • Under false colors
• Under fire
  • came under fire
  • come under fire
  • under constant fire
  • under heavy fire
• Under lock and key
  • Keep under lock and key
  • Lock someone up and throw away the key
  • Put under lock and key
• Under the gun
  • Be under the gun
• Under the knife
  • go under the knife
  • put someone under the knife
  • went under the knife
• Under the sun
  • all under the sun
  • anywhere under the sun
  • everything under the sun
• Under the table
• Under the thumb
  • have someone under your thumb
  • keep someone under the thumb
  • under her thumb
  • under his thumb
  • under someone's thumb
• Under the weather
• Under the wire
• Under your belt
  • get something under your belt
  • have something under your belt
  • under one's belt
• Under your thumb
  • Under the thumb
• Understood the assignment
  • really understood the assignment
  • understand the assignment
  • understood the brief
  • we understand the assignment
• Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
  • heavy is the head that wears the crown
  • heavy lies the head that wears the crown
  • uneasy is the head that wears a crown
• Unicorn (startup)
  • decacorn
  • soonicorn
  • tech unicorn
• Until you're blue in the face
  • black and blue in the face
  • blue in the face
  • till you're blue in the face
  • until you are blue in the face
• Up a blind alley
  • Blind alley
• Up a gum tree
• Up and running
• Up in arms
  • In arms
• Up in the air
  • In the air
  • Up in air
• Up the ante
• Up the boohai
  • Gone boohai
  • Up Boohai
  • Up Puhoi
  • Up the boohai shooting pukeko
• Up the creek
  • Up a creek
• Up the creek without a paddle
  • up a creek without a paddle
  • up shit creek without a paddle
• Up the duff
• Up the wall
• Up to scratch
  • To scratch
  • Up the scratch
• Up to snuff
  • Be up to snuff
  • Not up to snuff
  • Up to snuff and a pinch above it
• Up to the mark
• Up to your ears
  • To your ears
• Up to your neck
• Up your sleeve
• Upset the applecart
  • overset the apple-cart
  • upset someone's applecart
• Upstage someone
  • get upstaged
  • upstage somebody
  • upstage the competition
  • upstaging
• Utopia
  • Utopia (More's island)
  • utopian
  • utopianism
  • utopias

V

3 phrases

• Vanish into thin air
  • disappear into thin air
  • disappeared into thin air
  • into thin air
  • vanished into thin air
• Vibe shift
  • the vibe shift
  • vibes are shifting
• Virtue signalling
  • virtue signal
  • virtue signaling
  • virtue signaller
  • virtue signaller (UK) / virtue signaler (US)

W

66 phrases

• Waiting in the wings
  • in the wings
  • lurking in the wings
  • wait in the wings
  • waiting in the wings for someone
• Walk on eggshells
  • Walk on eggs
• Walk the plank
  • made to walk the plank
  • walk the death plank
  • walking the plank
• Wallflower
  • a bit of a wallflower
  • feel like a wallflower
  • the wallflowers at the party
  • wallflower at the ball
• Walls have ears
  • even the walls have ears
  • the walls have ears
  • these walls have ears
• Wanderlust
• War chest
  • build up a war chest
  • campaign war chest
  • election war chest
  • war-chest (attributive)
• Warts and all
  • a warts-and-all portrait
  • the warts-and-all approach
  • warts and everything
• Wash your hands of something
  • Wash one's hands of it
• Watch like a hawk
  • eyes like a hawk
  • watch someone like a hawk
  • watched like a hawk
  • watching it like a hawk
• Water off a duck's back
  • like water from a duck's back
  • like water off a duck's back
• Water under the bridge
  • that's all water under the bridge
  • water over the dam
  • water under the bridge now
• We're all Jock Tamson's bairns
  • We're a' Jock Tamson's bairns
  • We're all John Tamson's bairns
• Wear and tear
  • Normal wear and tear
• Wear my heart upon my sleeve
  • her heart on her sleeve
  • wear one's heart upon one's sleeve
  • wearing his heart on his sleeve
• Wear the trousers
  • Wear the breeches
  • Wear the pants
  • Wear the pants in the family
  • Who wears the trousers?
• Wear your heart on your sleeve
• Weather the storm
  • ride out the storm
  • weather a storm
  • weathering the storm
• Weltanschauung
  • weltanschauung (lowercase)
  • Weltanschauungen (German plural)
  • weltanschauungs (anglicised plural)
• Wet behind the ears
  • Behind the ears
• Wet blanket
  • a bit of a wet blanket
  • throw a wet blanket on something
  • throw a wet blanket over something
  • to wet-blanket (someone)
• Wet your whistle
  • wet my whistle
  • wet one's whistle
  • whet your whistle
• What in Sam Hill?
  • how in Sam Hill
  • like Sam Hill
  • what the Sam Hill
  • who in Sam Hill
• What is your good name?
  • Could I have your good name?
  • May I know your good name?
  • Your good name, please?
• What the dickens
  • how the dickens
  • where the dickens
  • who the dickens
  • why the dickens
• What's done is done
  • What is done cannot be undone
  • What is done is done
  • What's done cannot be undone
• What's the craic?
  • Any craic?
  • How's the craic?
  • What about ye, any craic?
  • What's the crack?
• Whataboutism
  • whataboutery
  • whatabouting
  • whataboutist
• When hell freezes over
  • Hell freezes
• When in Rome
  • In Rome
• When in Rome, do as the Romans do
  • Do as the Romans do
  • When at Rome, do as the Romans do
  • When in Rome, do as the locals do
• When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
  • if life gives you lemons, make lemonade
  • make lemonade out of lemons
  • turn lemons into lemonade
  • when life hands you lemons, make lemonade
• When pigs fly
  • Pigs fly
• When push comes to shove
  • Push to shove
• When the cat's away
  • Cat's away
• When the cat's away, the mice will play
  • The cat's away
  • When the cat's away, the mice do play
  • While the cat's away, mice will play
  • While the cat's away, the mice will play
• When the chips are down
• When the cows come home
• When the dust settles
  • Dust settles
• When the fat lady sings
  • It ain't over till the fat lady sings
  • It isn't over until the fat lady sings
  • The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings
• When the going gets tough
• When your ship comes in
  • Ship comes
• Where there's muck there's brass
  • Where there's muck there's luck
  • Where there's muck there's money
• Where there's smoke there's fire
  • No smoke without fire
  • There's no smoke without fire
  • Where there's smoke, there's usually fire
• Whet your appetite
  • wet your appetite (common eggcorn)
  • whet someone's appetite
  • whet the appetite
  • whet your appetite for something
  • whetted my appetite
• Which came first, the chicken or the egg
  • chicken or egg
  • chicken-and-egg problem
  • hen or egg
  • the chicken or the egg
  • which came first
• Whistleblower
  • a whistleblower complaint
  • blow the whistle
  • blow the whistle on
  • whistleblowing
• White elephant
  • gift of a white elephant
  • white elephant project
  • white elephant sale
  • white elephants
• White lie
  • a little white lie
  • little white lies
  • tell someone a white lie
  • white lies
• Whiter than white
  • not exactly whiter than white
  • whiter than driven snow
  • whiter than white, inside and out
  • whiter-than-white (attributive)
• Whoop it up
  • Whoop things up
  • Whooping it up
• Wild and woolly
  • wild and woolly and hard to curry
  • wild and wooly
• Willy-nilly
  • Will I, nill I
• Win hands down
  • beat someone hands down
  • hands down
  • win something hands down
• Win the battle but lose the war
  • win every battle but lose the war
  • winning the battle but losing the war
  • won the battle but lost the war
• Wise as an owl
  • a wise old bird
  • as solemn as an owl
  • as wise as an owl
  • wise old owl
• Witch hunt
  • witch-hunting
  • witchhunter
• With bells on
  • be there with bells on
  • same to you with bells on
  • with all the bells on
• With flying colours
  • come off with flying colours
  • pass with flying colours
  • with flying colors
• Without let or hindrance
  • Without any let or hindrance
• Without rhyme or reason
  • Neither rhyme nor reason
• Wolf in sheep's clothing
  • a wolf in sheep's skin
  • in sheep's clothing
  • wolves in sheep's clothing
• Wooden nutmeg
  • sell someone a wooden nutmeg
  • the wooden nutmeg story
  • wooden nutmegs
• Wool-gathering
  • go woolgathering
• Worth its weight in gold
  • Worth his/her weight in gold
  • Worth one's weight in gold
  • Worth your weight in gold
• Wunderkind
  • wunderkinder
  • wunderkinds

X

2 phrases

• X marks the spot
• X-ray vision
  • Ray vision

Y

21 phrases

• Yellow-bellied
  • yeller-bellied
  • yellow
  • yellow bellied coward
  • yellow-belly
• Yeoman's service
  • do yeoman service
  • do yeoman's work
  • yeoman service
  • yeoman work
• You can lead a horse to water
  • Horse to water
  • Lead to water
• You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink
  • lead a horse to water
  • you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
  • you can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink
• You can't get blood out of a stone
  • blood from a turnip
  • blood out of a brick
  • get blood out of a stone
  • you can't get blood from a stone
• You can't have it both ways
• You can't have your cake and eat it too
  • Eat your cake and have it too
  • Have your cake and eat it too
  • You can't eat your cake and have it too
  • You can't have your cake and eat it
• You can't judge a book by its cover
  • Book by its cover
• You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
• You can't polish a turd
  • Can't polish
• You can't put the genie back in the bottle
• You can't take it with you
  • Can't take
  • Take it
  • With you
• You can't teach an old dog new tricks
  • Old dog tricks
• You can't win them all
  • You can't win 'em all
• You're pulling my leg
  • Pulling my leg
• You're the bee's knees
  • Bee's knees
  • The bee's knees
• You've got another think coming
  • Another think
  • Think coming
• You've got rocks in your head
  • Have rocks in one's head
  • Rocks in your head
• You've got your work cut out
  • Work cut
• Young at heart
  • young in spirit
  • young-at-heart (hyphenated modifier)
• Your name is mud
  • (One's) name is mud
  • His name is mud
  • My name is mud
  • Somebody's name is mud

Z

4 phrases

• Zapped out
  • Zapped
• Zeitgeist
• Zero-sum game
  • zero-sum
  • zero-sum gain
  • zero-sum thinking
• Zig when others zag
  • Zig and zag