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The K drawer
53 phrases beginning with K.
- Kafkaesque Describing a situation, especially one ruled by bureaucracy, that is nightmarishly complex, bizarre, and illogical, trapping people in processes no…
- Kangaroo court A sham or illegitimate tribunal that goes through the motions of legal process while the outcome is decided in advance, usually against the accused…
- Karma In Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain thought, the principle by which a person's actions bring corresponding consequences, in this life or a future rebirth; in…
- Katy, bar the door Watch out or prepare for sudden danger, disorder, or fierce competition. Dated, colourful warning Regional use: United States, especially Southern and…
- Keep at bay To hold a threat, an enemy or an unwelcome force at a distance and prevent it from advancing or doing harm. The object is usually something…
- Keep it under your hat To keep something secret, tucked away.
- Keep the ball rolling Maintain momentum by causing an activity, discussion, plan, or process to continue rather than stall or stop. Informal but suitable in many…
- Keep the wolf from the door To fend off poverty or harm, just scraping by.
- Keep your cards close to your chest To keep your plans, intentions or feelings deliberately secret so that others cannot anticipate, second-guess or exploit them. Common in talk of…
- Keep your chin up To remain cheerful, courageous, and hopeful in the face of difficulty, rejection, or discouragement; most often spoken as encouragement to someone who…
- Keep your ear to the ground To stay alert and well informed about what is happening or about to happen, especially trends, rumours or shifts in opinion, so that you can act…
- Keep your eye on the ball Stay sharp or focused.
- Keep your eyes peeled To stay sharply alert or watchful, scanning for signs.
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer Strategic counsel to stay in close contact with adversaries as well as allies, since rivals are the ones most likely to harm you and most in need of…
- Keep your hair on Stay calm or cool, no flap.
- Keep your head above water To manage to survive or keep coping, especially when money, time, or energy is only just sufficient. It implies struggling at the very limit of your…
- Keep your head down To stay quiet and inconspicuous in order to avoid trouble, criticism, or unwelcome attention while a difficult period passes. In British English a…
- Keep your nose clean Stay out of trouble or vice, all clear.
- Keep your nose to the grindstone To work hard and steady, focused down.
- Keep your pants on Hold off or chill, no haste.
- Keep your pecker up Remain cheerful, courageous, or determined despite difficulty. This chiefly British expression is old-fashioned and easily misunderstood…
- Keep your powder dry Remain prepared and conserve resources until they are needed. A somewhat old-fashioned military metaphor, often used in politics, business, and…
- Keep your shirt on A plea to stay calm or patient, holding off a hotheaded strip to fight.
- Kibosh Found almost only in the phrase 'put the kibosh on': to bring something abruptly and decisively to an end, whether plans, hopes, or a scheme. The noun…
- Kick against the pricks Resist authority or unavoidable pressure in a way that only hurts oneself. Potentially distracting today because prick has acquired other senses. The…
- Kick over the traces To rebel or break free, tossing off rules.
- Kick the bucket To die. The expression is informal and can sound flippant when used about a recent or painful death.
- Kick the can down the road To delay dealing with a problem, pushing it off for later.
- Kick the habit To quit a bad routine or vice, shaking it off.
- Kick up a fuss To create a noisy or emotional disturbance, usually in protest or complaint, drawing attention to a grievance with exaggerated reaction. It suggests…
- Kick up your heels To let loose and have fun, cutting free.
- Kill the fatted calf To prepare a lavish celebration, especially serving the best food and drink, in order to welcome someone home after a long absence. Very often used…
- Kill them with kindness To defeat, exhaust, or simply overwhelm someone through relentless generosity or indulgence - plying a rival or guest with so much food, praise…
- Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two goals with a single action, maximizing efficiency.
- Kindly revert Please reply or respond, usually to a message or request. Formal and regionally standard. Revert back is common locally, though editors elsewhere may…
- Kindred spirit A person who shares one's feelings, attitudes, beliefs or interests, so that one feels a natural kinship with them. Cambridge defines it as a person…
- King's ransom An extremely large sum of money, far more than something is worth or more than an ordinary person could pay. Almost always used hyperbolically about…
- Kith and kin One's friends, acquaintances and relatives considered together as a familiar social circle. Warm, literary or humorous rather than neutral everyday…
- Kitsch Art, objects, or design regarded as tasteless, overly sentimental, or gaudy, yet often enjoyed precisely because of those qualities. In art criticism…
- Klutz A clumsy, awkward person prone to tripping, dropping things, or fumbling; by extension, anyone cursed with graceless hands or feet. The word is…
- Knee-high to a grasshopper Extremely small, and by extension extremely young. In practice it almost always describes someone as they were in early childhood, as in 'I've known…
- Knight in shining armour A person, usually a man, who heroically rescues or champions someone in trouble, especially one who turns up unexpectedly and sorts everything out…
- Knock down a cheque Spend an entire pay cheque lavishly, traditionally in a prolonged drinking spree. Dated colonial slang. It commonly implies heavy drinking and…
- Knock for a loop Defeat, disrupt, astonish, or emotionally overwhelm someone so thoroughly that normal composure or plans are lost. Informal. It can describe physical…
- Knock into a cocked hat To defeat someone utterly or comprehensively; in older use also to batter a person senseless or smash a thing out of shape. Now mostly figurative and…
- Knock on wood Said, often while tapping wood, after mentioning good fortune or a hope for the future, as a playful or superstitious attempt to avoid bad luck. The…
- Knock yourself out Go ahead freely; alternatively, make an exhausting all-out effort. Current; permissive use can sound sarcastic Regional use: Strongly established in…
- Know which side your bread is buttered (on) To understand where your own advantage lies and to act accordingly, especially by staying on good terms with whoever controls that benefit; usually…
- Know which way the wind blows To understand how a situation is developing, especially the direction of public opinion, and so to be able to anticipate what will happen. Usually…
- Know your onions Be thoroughly knowledgeable or competent in a subject. The possessive normally changes with the subject: know my, your, his, her or their onions…
- Knuckle down To settle down to serious, disciplined effort on a task, often after delay, distraction or half-hearted attempts. It implies a deliberate shift into…
- Kowtow To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground as an act of reverence or submission - the literal historical sense - but in modern English almost…
- Kudos Praise, credit, or acclaim given for an achievement, as when a team earns recognition for a rescue plan. Though borrowed as a singular Greek noun, its…