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The W drawer

72 phrases beginning with W.

Waiting in the wings Poised and ready to step in, take over or take part the moment the chance appears; said of successors, substitutes, products or ideas not yet on…
Walk on eggshells To act with extreme caution or sensitivity around someone, fearing their reaction, as if treading on fragile shells that might crack.
Walk the plank To be forced to walk off a plank extended over a ship's side into the sea, the legendary pirate method of execution; figuratively, to be made to…
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…
Walls have ears A warning that what you are saying may be overheard, so the conversation is not safe and you should speak carefully. Typically said in offices…
Wanderlust A strong, restless desire to travel and see the world. The tone is affectionate and aspirational rather than clinical. Modern English use often…
War chest A stock of money set aside in advance for a coming struggle, most often an election campaign, a legal battle, or a corporate takeover fight, though…
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…
Watch like a hawk To observe a person or thing very closely and continuously, usually to make sure nothing wrong is done or to catch the slightest change. It suggests…
Water off a duck's back Used of criticism, insults, or warnings that have no effect on someone: they are shrugged off instantly and completely, leaving no trace. Usually said…
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 my heart upon my sleeve To display one's feelings openly rather than keep them hidden, so that everyone can read one's emotions, especially romantic ones. Informal to neutral…
Wear the trousers To be the dominant or decision-making partner in a household or relationship: 'everyone knows who wears the trousers in that marriage'. Historically…
Wear your heart on your sleeve Show your feelings openly and make little effort to conceal your emotional vulnerability.
Weather the storm To survive a difficult period, crisis, or controversy without lasting damage; to keep operating despite serious problems. Very common in business and…
Weltanschauung A comprehensive philosophy or outlook on the world: the total framework of beliefs and assumptions through which a person or an age interprets life…
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…
Wet your whistle To have a drink, usually an alcoholic one, and often one that moistens the throat or refreshes the drinker. It is a jocular, conversational way to…
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 the dickens An exclamation expressing surprise, irritation, or bewilderment in a question, roughly equivalent to asking what on earth is going on. The key word is…
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 in Rome, do as the Romans do Advice to follow the customs, habits or rules of the place you are visiting or the group you are mixing with, rather than insisting on your own ways…
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade A proverbial encouragement to optimism: when misfortune or setbacks arrive, convert them into something worthwhile rather than dwelling on the loss…
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…
Where there's smoke there's fire If there are signs or rumours of something - usually wrongdoing - there is probably some truth behind them. Typically said to justify taking gossip…
Whet your appetite To stimulate interest or desire so that someone wants more of something. Originally said of hunger and food, it now mostly concerns curiosity…
Which came first, the chicken or the egg The classic causality dilemma: when two things each appear to depend on the other, which one produced the first? Used rhetorically of any circular or…
Whirlwind romance A love affair that moves with startling speed - meeting, moving in, engagement, even marriage within weeks. The image is of lovers seized like leaves…
Whistle-stop tour A campaign swing built on many brief appearances in many small towns, classically delivered from the rear platform of a train that halts just long…
Whistleblower A person inside an organisation who exposes its wrongdoing to the authorities or the public - an employee reporting fraud, an official leaking…
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…
White lie A minor falsehood told to avoid hurting someone's feelings, to be polite, or to smooth over something unimportant, rather than to deceive for personal…
Whiter than white Describes a person or organisation whose conduct is supposed to be completely honest and morally beyond reproach. In practice it is nearly always used…
Whiz kid A brilliant, precociously accomplished young person - the expert who is suspiciously young, arrives in a group, and reorganizes everything before…
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…
Win by a nose To win by the smallest possible margin. Borrowed from horse racing, where finishing margins are officially described in parts of the horse's body, and…
Win hands down To win easily and by a clear margin, without effort or struggle. The shorter adverb 'hands down' also intensifies comparisons ('hands down the best…
Win the battle but lose the war To achieve a narrow, immediate victory that damages your wider position or long-term interests. The saying warns that success in a single contest - an…
Wise as an owl Extremely wise, shrewd, or judicious; said admiringly of good judgement, or affectionately and often playfully of a quiet, knowing person, especially…
Wish is father to the thought A proverb meaning that people readily believe whatever they wish to be true: desire gives birth to conviction, supplying certainty that evidence does…
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…
With bells on Used of arriving somewhere or joining in eagerly, enthusiastically, and with flair; if you say you will be there with bells on, you promise not mere…
With flying colours With complete, conspicuous success; triumphantly. It is the standard way of saying that someone passed a test, examination, or ordeal not merely…
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…
Wolf in sheep's clothing Someone who presents a harmless, kind or trustworthy appearance while concealing hostile, greedy or predatory intentions. Almost always a warning that…
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…
Wool-gathering Daydreaming or letting the mind wander aimlessly instead of attending to the matter in hand. Somewhat literary or ironic now, often used…
Workhorse Literally, a horse kept for heavy labour such as ploughing and hauling, as opposed to riding, driving or racing; figuratively, a person, athlete…
Worth its weight in gold Extremely useful or valuable, as in 'a calm navigator is worth their weight in gold on a polar expedition'. Invariably hyperbolic praise for a person…
Wunderkind A child prodigy, and by extension any person who achieves remarkable success in a demanding field while still young. English has widened the word…