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The T drawer

73 phrases beginning with T.

Take a rain check To postpone an offer or plan for later, holding off with a promise to revisit.
Take French leave Go away without permission, notice or a proper farewell. Often mildly disapproving and sometimes humorous. It can describe either a social departure…
Take it offline In meetings, to move a discussion out of the current group setting, into a separate conversation, call, or email thread between the people it…
Take it on the chin To accept a blow or setback bravely, facing it square.
Take it with a grain of salt Treat a statement cautiously rather than accepting it as wholly accurate, complete or sincere. 'A grain of salt' is the usual North American wording…
Take the bit between your teeth Grab control or charge.
Take the bull by the horns To face a challenge boldly, grabbing it head-on.
Take the cake To be the most outstanding or extreme example, for better or worse; now often used ironically of something especially surprising, annoying, or absurd.
Take the gilt off the gingerbread To strip the shine or fun, dull it.
Take the high road To choose the noble or moral path, rising above.
Take the mickey To tease or mock gently, poking fun.
Take the rough with the smooth To accept life's ups and downs, good with bad.
Take the sting out To soften a blow or hurt, ease it.
Take the wind out of your sails To deflate someone's confidence or momentum, draining their drive.
Taken aback Startled or disconcerted by something unexpected, often to the point of being momentarily lost for words. Almost always appears in the passive ('I was…
Talk the hind leg off a donkey Talk at exhausting length, especially with little pause for anyone else. Informal and humorous. Singular and plural leg forms both occur. Regional…
Talk turkey Speak frankly and directly, especially when discussing practical terms, serious business, or a negotiation.
That dog won't hunt That idea, excuse, or plan is not convincing and will not work. Current, folksy, and dismissive Regional use: United States, strongly associated with…
The be-all and end-all The most important, decisive or comprehensive part of something, treated as if nothing else matters. Often appears in negative statements that reject…
The best-laid schemes of mice and men Even carefully made plans can be defeated by events beyond anyone's control. Literary but widely recognized. 'Schemes' is Burns's wording; 'plans' is…
The better part of valour is discretion Caution or withdrawal can be wiser than taking a needless risk merely to appear brave. Often lightly humorous or self-justifying. Valour is the…
The bitter end The final limit or conclusion, especially when reaching it is difficult or unpleasant. Commonly implies persistence through adversity, but it can also…
The blind leading the blind People who lack knowledge or ability trying to guide others who are equally uninformed. Common but potentially insensitive if used carelessly around…
The cat's pajamas An outstanding, fashionable, or highly admirable person or thing. Dated but readily understood; usually playful Regional use: United States.
The eleventh hour The latest possible time before a deadline or decisive event. Often used before a noun with a hyphen, as in an eleventh-hour deal. Regional use: Late…
The green-eyed monster Jealousy personified as a destructive, self-consuming force that distorts judgement and relationships. Literary but widely understood. It refers…
The ick A sudden feeling of disgust or repulsion toward someone you are dating or attracted to, usually triggered by something trivial such as the way they…
The last best West A historical promotional name for the Canadian Prairie West. Historical; survives in Prairie heritage references Regional use: Manitoba, Saskatchewan…
The last straw The final, often minor, addition to a series of difficulties that makes a situation unbearable - the last small burden after which someone gives up…
The law is an ass A law or its rigid application is foolish, unjust or contrary to common sense. Blunt and critical but not obscene in British usage; 'ass' here means…
The life of Riley A carefree, comfortable, or luxurious way of living. Current but somewhat old-fashioned Regional use: United States, later wider English.
The man on the Clapham omnibus A figurative stand-in for the ordinary, reasonably educated and level-headed person, used especially in English law as the benchmark for how a…
The more the merrier An occasion or shared activity is likely to be more enjoyable when additional people join. Usually friendly and inclusive, though it can be ironic…
The mote in your eye A small fault noticed in someone else, especially while a greater fault of one's own is ignored. Mote is archaic outside this biblical allusion. The…
The pot calling the kettle black A hypocritical criticism in which the accuser has the same fault as the accused. A direct accusation of hypocrisy. The shortened 'pot, meet kettle' is…
The powers that be The people or institutions currently holding authority, often viewed as remote or impersonal. Often mildly sceptical or humorous because the authority…
The primrose path An easy, pleasant, self-indulgent course of life or action that leads to harm, ruin, or damnation. It always carries the sense of a deceptively…
The root of all evil The fundamental underlying cause from which serious wrongdoing, corruption, or broader trouble grows. The biblical subject is covetousness or love of…
The root of the matter The fundamental cause, essential issue or deepest part of a problem. Often overlaps with heart of the matter, though root more strongly suggests an…
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak A person sincerely intends to do something but lacks the physical strength, discipline or resolve. Frequently self-deprecating. Flesh can mean bodily…
The whole ball of wax Everything involved in a matter: the complete collection, arrangement, business, or set of related concerns. Informal and sometimes slightly…
The whole nine yards Everything available or required; the full extent, complete story, or maximum effort.
The whole shebang The entire thing, group, operation, or collection. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States, later widespread.
The world and his wife A large and varied crowd, or apparently everyone of consequence. Informal hyperbole. The inherited masculine personification can feel conspicuously…
The world is your oyster You have broad freedom and opportunity to pursue what life can offer. Possessive forms vary with the subject. The pearl explanation is a useful modern…
The writing on the wall A clear warning that failure, dismissal, or disaster is approaching. Usually concerns an impending negative outcome that evidence already makes…
There's the rub That is the central difficulty, obstacle or inconvenient point. Somewhat literary but concise. Rub means obstacle here, not friction or massage…
Third time lucky Said to express or encourage the belief that a third attempt will succeed where the first two failed - sometimes as genuine confidence, sometimes as a…
Thought leader A person or organisation treated as a foremost authority in a field, whose ideas shape how others in it think and act; 'thought leadership' names both…
Throw a monkey wrench into the works Disrupt a plan, process, or system, often suddenly. Current North American idiom Regional use: Metaphor developed in the United States; spanner form…
Throw a spanner in the works Disrupt a plan or process by introducing an unexpected difficulty. An everyday informal metaphor. Put is at least as common as throw in modern use…
Throw down the gauntlet To issue a bold, public challenge to an opponent, inviting a contest, debate or confrontation; the challenged party may then accept, or take up the…
Throw in the towel To give up or surrender after effort fails, admitting defeat with a gesture of finality.
Throw shade To insult someone subtly or indirectly, often through a cutting remark, a dismissive tone or a nonverbal gesture such as a side-eye, rather than an…
Tickety-boo In good order, satisfactory or progressing well. Informal and cheerful. Hyphenation and spelling vary considerably. Regional use: British and…
Tickled pink Greatly pleased, amused, or delighted. Informal and warm in tone, typically used about reactions to compliments, invitations, or good news. Informal…
Tilt at windmills To attack imaginary enemies or waste effort fighting opponents that exist mainly in one's own imagination; to pursue a vain, quixotic cause. 'Tilt'…
Time and tide wait for no man Time and natural events continue regardless of anyone's wishes or delay. Man is generic in the traditional wording; no one is a common inclusive…
To a T Exactly, precisely; used of something that fits, suits or describes a thing perfectly, as in 'the jacket fits you to a T' or 'that sums up the problem…
To and fro Backwards and forwards between positions or places, often repeatedly along the same route. Used literally for alternating motion and figuratively for…
Too big to fail Describes a bank or other institution so large and interconnected that its collapse would devastate the wider economy, so governments are expected to…
Tooth and nail With every available means and the greatest possible determination, energy or ferocity. Usually follows fight, battle, resist or defend, but can…
Topsy-turvy Upside down, inverted or in a state of thorough confusion where the normal order has been disrupted. May describe literal inversion or figurative…
Touch grass A dismissive instruction telling someone to go offline and reconnect with reality, aimed at people whose views seem warped by spending too much time…
Tuckered out Completely tired or deprived of energy. Current, informal, and folksy Regional use: United States, first documented in New England.
Turn a blind eye To deliberately ignore something one knows is happening, usually because it is convenient or expedient to pretend not to notice it. The ignored…
Turn King's evidence Give evidence for the prosecution against one's alleged accomplices, usually in hope of leniency. Legal and sometimes figurative. In 2026 the UK form…
Turn the other cheek Refuse to retaliate after insult or injury, choosing restraint instead of revenge or escalation. It advocates non-retaliation, not passive acceptance…
Turn up trumps Produce an unexpectedly good result or prove especially helpful when needed. Informal and approving. Come up trumps is a very common modern form…
Turncoat A person who abandons their party, cause or allegiance and joins the opposing side, especially for personal advantage, and is therefore regarded as a…
Twenty-three skidoo A brisk command to leave, or a hurried departure. Strongly dated; now humorous or deliberately old-fashioned Regional use: United States.
Two solitudes English- and French-speaking communities living alongside one another with limited understanding or sympathy. Current in historical, political, and…
Two-four A case containing twenty-four bottles of beer. Current informal term and cultural identity marker Regional use: Canada, especially Ontario, Western…