Browse by first letter

The W drawer

36 phrases beginning with W.

Walk on eggshells To act with extreme caution or sensitivity around someone, fearing their reaction, as if treading on fragile shells that might crack.
Wallflower A person who stays at the edge of a dance or party, either too shy to join in or without a partner; by extension, anyone habitually overlooked or left…
Warts and all Including every flaw, defect or unflattering detail, with nothing smoothed over. Used of honest, uncensored portrayals, as in a 'warts-and-all…
Wash your hands of something Disclaim responsibility for, or end involvement with, a person or problem. Often implies a conspicuous or morally questionable refusal of…
Water under the bridge Past events, especially quarrels or mistakes, that are now irrecoverable and therefore best forgiven or forgotten. Typically said during…
We're all Jock Tamson's bairns We share a common humanity and none of us is inherently above the others. Affirming and egalitarian. It may refer to all humanity or, in a narrower…
Wear and tear Damage, deterioration or strain caused by ordinary, repeated use rather than by a single accident. Common in leases, warranties and insurance…
Wear your heart on your sleeve Show your feelings openly and make little effort to conceal your emotional vulnerability.
Wet behind the ears Inexperienced or naive, still green and untested.
Wet blanket A person who discourages other people's enjoyment or dampens enthusiasm; by extension, anything that has a depressing or subduing effect on an…
What in Sam Hill? An emphatic but softened way to ask what, who, where, or how in the world. Dated, comic, and mildly emphatic Regional use: United States and Canada.
What is your good name? What is your name?, asked respectfully or formally. Respectful in its home context. Some speakers use it for a formal name as distinct from a…
What's done is done A past action cannot now be changed and should be accepted or left behind. Can express mature acceptance or an attempt to avoid accountability…
What's the craic? What is happening, what is the news or how are things? In this question craic usually means news or happenings. In good craic it means enjoyable…
Whataboutism The practice of deflecting criticism by pointing at someone else's wrongdoing ('what about...?') instead of addressing the accusation. It answers a…
When hell freezes over Never, an impossible wait.
When in Rome To adapt to local customs or ways, blending in.
When pigs fly Something so absurd or impossible it'll never happen.
When push comes to shove When it gets tough or critical, forcing action.
When the cat's away Chaos or freedom reigns when authority's gone.
When the cat's away, the mice will play When the person in authority is absent, the people under their supervision relax, bend the rules, or enjoy themselves. Usually said half-humorously or…
When the chips are down In a tough or key moment, stakes high.
When the cows come home A long, vague wait, maybe never.
When the dust settles After chaos or fuss calms down, clear again.
When the fat lady sings The outcome is not settled until an event has completely finished; do not assume victory or defeat too early.
When the going gets tough When things turn hard or tight, a test.
When your ship comes in When luck or wealth hits, big time.
Where there's muck there's brass Dirty, unpleasant or unglamorous work can produce worthwhile profit or prosperity. Informal and often approving of practical enterprise, though it can…
White elephant A possession that costs far more to keep than it is worth and that the owner cannot easily dispose of. It now also extends to grand projects or…
Whoop it up Celebrate or enjoy oneself loudly and energetically, or stir up noisy enthusiasm for a person, event, or cause. Informal. The phrase can describe…
Wild and woolly Rough, disorderly, uncontrolled, or unconstrained by convention. Current but often invokes a stylised frontier past Regional use: Western United…
Willy-nilly Whether one wishes it or not; by compulsion, or in a later sense, without order or planning. The compelled sense and the disorderly sense both remain…
Witch hunt Literally, a hunt for people to prosecute as witches, as in the European and colonial trials of roughly 1450-1750; in modern use almost always…
Without let or hindrance Freely, with no legal or practical obstruction, delay, restraint or interference. Formal and legalistic. 'Let' means impediment here; it does not mean…
Without rhyme or reason With no discernible logic, orderly pattern, sensible motive, or consistent explanation. Rhyme is figurative: the phrase asks for coherent pattern as…
Wooden nutmeg A worthless imitation passed off as the genuine article; a petty fraud or sham product. Now dated and mostly historical, surviving mainly in…