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The F drawer
39 phrases beginning with F.
- Face like thunder Looking furious or grim, dark as a storm.
- Face the music To accept the consequences of one's actions, especially when they're unpleasant, requiring courage or accountability rather than avoidance. It implies…
- Facts are chiels that winna ding Facts are stubborn things that cannot simply be knocked down or dismissed. Literary Scots. It asserts the resistance of evidence to contradiction, not…
- Fair and square Honestly, directly and according to accepted rules, especially in a contest or transaction. Often follows win, beat or play. Square reinforces honesty…
- Fair crack of the whip A fair opportunity to take part, compete or prove one's ability. Informal. Fair go is the shorter and especially characteristic Australian equivalent…
- Fair to middling Acceptable or moderately good, but not especially impressive.
- Fake news In its dominant modern sense, fabricated or deliberately misleading stories dressed up as news reporting, originally spread via social media for…
- Fall between two stools To miss both options, stuck in limbo.
- Fall off the wagon To relapse into a bad habit, usually drinking, after quitting.
- Familiarity breeds contempt Close or prolonged acquaintance can reduce respect and make faults more noticeable. It describes a possible effect, not a universal law; familiarity…
- Fast and loose In a recklessly inconsistent or deceitful manner, especially by ignoring rules, facts or commitments. Often constructed as play fast and loose with…
- Feel your oats Feel unusually lively, confident, frisky, or self-important. Current but somewhat folksy Regional use: United States, later wider North American…
- Fifth wheel A person or thing that is unnecessary, surplus to requirements, or in the way, especially an extra person who feels awkward or out of place in a…
- Fight the good fight Persevere courageously in a worthy moral, religious or difficult cause. May be earnest, religious or lightly ironic. Good implies that the speaker…
- Filter bubble A situation, especially online, in which a person only encounters information and opinions that match their existing views, because personalization…
- Fine and dandy Entirely satisfactory, agreeable, or in good order, sometimes said sarcastically when the situation is plainly otherwise. Informal. Tone determines…
- Fine as frog hair Exceptionally fine, delicate, excellent, or in very good spirits. Regional, humorous, and now relatively obscure Regional use: United States…
- Fine words butter no parsnips Polite promises and flattering talk achieve nothing without practical action. Often used to demand evidence, money or action after reassuring talk…
- First come, first served People are dealt with in the order in which they arrive or apply. Often used attributively before basis, with or without hyphens depending on house…
- First-world problem A minor annoyance that qualifies as a problem only for someone living in comfort and affluence, such as slow hotel wifi or a coffee made with the…
- Fish or cut bait Decide to act or step aside, no dallying.
- Fish out of water Feeling awkward, uncomfortable, or out of place in an unfamiliar environment. It captures disorientation or mismatch-someone struggling to adapt-with…
- Fit as a butcher's dog In top shape or health, sturdy and spry.
- Fit as a fiddle To be in excellent physical health or condition, often with an emphasis on vitality and energy. It's commonly used to describe someone who appears…
- Fit to be tied Extremely angry, irritated, or agitated. Informal and hyperbolic. It normally means very angry, not literally violent or in need of restraint…
- Five by five Completely satisfactory; loud, clear, and working well. Recognisable but less common outside radio or pop-culture contexts Regional use: United States…
- Flat as a pancake Completely level or dull, no rise at all.
- Flat out like a lizard drinking Working extremely hard, very busy, or moving at top speed. The Australian simile is deliberately comic.
- Flesh and blood Living human beings, ordinary human nature, or one's close biological family. Context determines whether the phrase means humanity, human weakness, or…
- Fly by the seat of your pants To act or navigate by instinct alone, with no plan or tools.
- Fly off the handle To suddenly lose one's temper or become uncontrollably angry, often in an exaggerated or unexpected outburst. It's typically used to describe…
- FOMO Anxious worry that more exciting or rewarding things are happening elsewhere and you are missing them, which can push people to over-check social…
- Fool's gold Something that looks valuable but isn't, a shiny fake.
- For love or money Under any circumstances or by any inducement, most often used after a negative. Usually appears in a negative clause. Outside that construction it may…
- For the birds Completely worthless, trivial or beneath serious attention; fit only to be dismissed. An informal American put-down applied to things, ideas and…
- Foul play Dishonest, treacherous or criminal conduct; sometimes violence suspected in a death or disappearance. In police reporting it often implies possible…
- From pillar to post From one place, person, or difficulty to another, usually without making progress. Usually implies frustration, disorder, or repeated referral rather…
- Full of beans Bursting with energy or enthusiasm, lively as if fueled by a jolt.
- Full of hot air Talking big with no substance, all puff.