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The L drawer

42 phrases beginning with L.

Lang may your lum reek May your household remain warm, inhabited and prosperous for a long time. Warm, celebratory and strongly Scottish. Often heard around Hogmanay, but…
Laugh like a drain Laugh very loudly, freely and often unattractively. Informal. It emphasizes volume and abandon rather than elegance. Regional use: Chiefly British and…
Laughing all the way to the bank Making money easily or unexpectedly, reveling in profit with smug glee.
Lead-pipe cinch An outcome regarded as absolutely certain or very easy. Dated and emphatic Regional use: United States, initially horse-racing slang.
Leave much to be desired To be noticeably inadequate, disappointing, or below the standard expected, often expressed as restrained criticism rather than a blunt condemnation…
Leave no stone unturned To exhaust every possibility or effort in pursuit of a goal, searching thoroughly without overlooking anything, driven by determination or…
Left holding the bag To be abandoned by partners or accomplices and left to bear all the loss, cost, responsibility, or blame for what was supposed to be a shared…
Let her rip Allow a person or machine to proceed at full speed or force, or begin speaking and acting without restraint. Informal and energetic. The referent need…
Let sleeping dogs lie To avoid stirring up trouble or revisiting a settled issue, choosing peace over provocation even if it means leaving things unresolved. It suggests…
Let the cat out of the bag Reveal a secret, usually unintentionally or before the intended time.
Lickety-split At once and at very high speed, with an energetic or comic suggestion of racing away without delay. Informal, vivid, and often comic. It describes…
Like a bat out of hell Moving with wild, reckless speed, tearing off.
Like a bear with a sore head Grumpy or cross, out of sorts.
Like a bolt from the blue A sudden, shocking surprise, out of nowhere.
Like a bull at a gate Charging hard and fast, no pause.
Like a bull in a china shop Acting clumsily or recklessly in a delicate situation, smashing through finesse.
Like a cat with nine lives Surviving tough scrapes, always up.
Like a deer in the headlights Frozen stiff or shocked.
Like a dog with two tails Over-the-top happy or thrilled, all wag.
Like a kid in a candy store Thrilled or wild with glee, all eyes.
Like a lamb to the slaughter Without resistance or awareness, into danger, defeat, or an unpleasant situation. Usually ominous and sometimes melodramatic. Lambs to the slaughter…
Like a moth to a flame Drawn irresistibly to something risky, pulled in.
Like a red rag to a bull Sure to provoke or enrage, sparking a charge.
Like all get-out To an extreme or remarkable degree. Regional, informal, and somewhat old-fashioned Regional use: United States, now especially associated with…
Like billy-o Very hard, fast, loudly or intensely. Can intensify many verbs, not only movement: rain, work, shout and hurt are natural combinations. Regional use…
Like herding cats A task so chaotic or impossible it's like corralling free-roaming cats-wild, scattered, and defiant of order.
Like Hogan's goat Obnoxious, faulty, badly behaved, or forever interfering. Obscure and dated Regional use: United States.
Like shooting fish in a barrel Extremely easy because the target or task offers almost no challenge. It can imply that the advantage is excessive or unfair.
Like the clappers Extremely fast or with great energy. Informal and lively. The verb changes with the action being intensified. Regional use: Chiefly British English.
Like turkeys voting for Christmas Doing something foolishly against your own interests.
Living rent-free Occupying someone's thoughts constantly, especially when they cannot stop talking about the person or thing despite claiming indifference. It appears…
Lock, stock and barrel Entirely, completely, and in every part; the whole thing without exception. Typically adverbial after a verb, as in 'they bought the company lock…
Lollygag Dawdle, loiter, or waste time when something should be done. Current, informal, and often humorous Regional use: United States.
London to a brick Almost certain, or at extremely short odds compared with the alternative. Informal. On indicates that the favourite is at very short odds; context can…
Long in the tooth Old or getting old, especially of a person, and often said with mild humor or bluntness. It is also applied jokingly to things that are past their…
Long may your big jib draw May you enjoy good luck and favourable conditions for a long time. Traditional toast or farewell; now also used ceremonially Regional use…
Long time no see An informal greeting used when meeting or contacting someone after a noticeably long period without seeing one another. Generally neutral and common…
Loose cannon An unpredictable or reckless person, liable to cause havoc.
Loud budgeting Being openly and unapologetically honest about spending limits, for example telling friends you are skipping dinner out because you are saving for a…
Love bombing Flooding someone with affection, attention, gifts, and flattery far beyond normal warmth, originally as a recruitment tool of high-control groups and…
Love is blind Love makes people overlook faults or judge the person they love uncritically. Often affectionate or teasing, but it can sound dismissive of a person's…
Low-hanging fruit Something (or, more rarely, someone) that can be won, obtained, or accomplished with little effort, such as the easiest customers to sign or the most…