"At A Drop Of A Hat"..........


To do something at the drop of a hat means to do it immediately, without delay and at the slightest provocation; on the slightest signal or at urging.


Sidebar: This idiom may have come from the American Old West, when various fights, contests, and duels began with a signal consisting of a man grabbing his hat and thrusting it toward the ground.

"The Cat's Meow"


Something or someone highly enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially in a fancy or elaborate way. Often used as a term of endearment.

"Get The Lay of The Land".............


By extension, the particular state, arrangement, or condition of something; the way a situation exists or has developed. Finding out or investigating how a situation is handled before making a commitment.

"Falling/Coming Apart At The Seams".............



To be approaching failure: to become very emotional. To become very emotional, especially with sadness or grief.

"Sit Tight"....




To wait patiently: to wait without taking any immediate action.
If you sit tight, you stay in the same place or situation and wait to see how it develops before taking any action.

Cat got your tongue?
 

I am sure you have heard it said, "hotter than the hobs of hell"

The hob of a fireplace is proverbially a black hot place, as is Hell; logically the hottest and blackest part of Hell should be its hobs. (VSD)

"You can't win for losing"




The elaboration "You can't win for losing," with its added play on logic, was around in the 1960s. It means that losing keeps you from winning; you can't win because things keep going wrong. People would say it when something unexpected or a bit of bad luck spoiled their plans.

"It takes two to tango"...



Meaning: Both parties involved in a situation or argument are responsible for it.

"Tip Of The Iceberg"......


The idiom 'tip of the iceberg' basically means the small part of a much larger situation or problem that remains hidden. Only a small, often unrepresentative portion of something much larger.

Sidebar: This comes from the fact that only the tip of an iceberg can be seen and the rest of the iceberg, which is much larger, is underneath the water and cannot be seen.

Cat got your tongue?
 

Caught between a rock and a hard place

Meaning: Making a choice between two unpleasant choices

"There's Never A Road So Long Without A Curve"



Tho things so smoothly for a time, at some point there will be an upset.

Cat got your tongue?
 

He knew that she had 'flown the coup"----- Left


"Poor as a church mouse"------ really poor

"A Feather In Your Cap"............

An accomplishment or achievement that one takes pride in:


Sidebar: The term a feather in your cap is an English idiomatic phrase believed to have derived from the general custom in some cultures of a warrior adding a new feather to their head-gear for every enemy slain, or in other cases from the custom of establishing the success of a hunter as being the first to bag a game bird by plucking off the feathers of that prey and placing them in the hat band. The phrase today has altered to a more peaceful allusion, where it is used to refer to any laudable success or achievement by an individual that may help that person in the future.

"Bought-the-farm"

To have died.


Sidebar: It comes from a 1950s-era Air Force term meaning “to crash” or “to be killed in action,” and refers to the desire of many wartime pilots to stop flying, return home, buy a farm, and live peaceably ever after.

"Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush"........


A sure thing is always better than a maybe!

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

Where one sees beauty another may not.

"Putting The Cart Before The Horse".......

The expression cart before the horse is an idiom used to suggest something is done contrary to a convention or culturally expected order or relationship. A cart is a vehicle that is ordinarily pulled by a horse, so to put the cart before the horse is an analogy for doing things in the wrong order.

To have things confused and mixed up.

"Play Your Cards Right".....

To act adeptly and with good judgement; to make the best and most effective use of the resources at one's disposal: to make the most advantageous use of one’s opportunities.

Sidebar: Card-playing was popular in England from the mid-sixteenth century on, and terms from card games soon began to be transferred to other activities. This one appeared in print in Samuel Foote’s The Englishman in Paris (1753): “If Lucinda plays her cards well, we have not much to fear.”

"Sticking It" to someone...


To intensely confront, punish, or retaliate against someone, perhaps vindictively or with unnecessary severity.

"That Takes The Cake".......


That which is the very worst in a series of negative actions or events: be the most outstanding in some respect, either the best or the worst.

"A Step Ahead"..
A little bit more prepared, skilled, or successful than someone or something else; able to outmaneuver or outpace someone or something.

Sidebar:
Since at least the 19th century, one step ahead referred to a literal step forward. Early evidence for its metaphorical use comes in the late 1800s. An 1876 religious anthropology text, for instance, describes Hindu theology taking “one step ahead of the philosophic thought of primitive man,” the phrase using walking as a metaphor for advancement.

The phrase was in common idiomatic use in the 20th-century, widely found in a range of written texts by the 1980s. One step ahead commonly appears in the longer phrase, one step ahead of the game, referring to someone who is more prepared or able to beat the competition. It also frequently occurs in one step ahead of the law, describing criminals able to evade capture or outfox authorities.

By the 1990–2000s, to be, stay, or keep one step ahead was widespread in workplace communication to characterize proactive planning and preparation (e.g., a one-step-ahead strategy for growth).

"How Do You Like Them Apples".......


A phrase used to draw attention to one's cleverness or superiority to the one being addressed, especially after a recent triumph.


Sidebar: There is a perfect example of this idiom being used in a scene from Good Will Hunting!

Cat got your tongue?
 

Love doesn't make the world go around. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones


A woman can say more in a sigh than a man can say in a sermon.
Arnold Haultain

"Over A Barrel"...


In a position of vulnerability, weakness, or powerlessness.



Sidebar: Where did the expression come from? It is a nautical term, which derives from the practice of hanging a drowned, usually unconscious person over a barrel to clear their lungs of water. The fate of the "patient" was determined solely by the actions of those administering the treatment. In other words, he was at their mercy.

idioms
 

"put your hands in your pocket"-- is to be generous and to pay your part.

"hands down"-- easily and totally--hands down she is the best cook of them all

~~
"A Shot In The Dark"...........

A guess or estimate with very little or no assurance as to its accuracy. A wild, unsubstantiated guess.

"Knock (something) Out Of The Ballpark"...


To do or perform something extraordinarily well; to produce or earn an exceptional achievement.

Cat got your tongue?
 

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

It is best to appreciate what you have than to seek more when you could lose all.

"Shoe Is On The Other Foot".......

Circumstances have changed or if circumstances were to change between two people.


Sidebar: This saying began life as the boot is on the other leg, appearing in print in the mid-nineteenth century. Putting the left shoe on the right foot would, of course, entail considerable discomfort, a meaning retained in the metaphor, which implies “See how you like being in my place.” Winston Churchill used it in My African Journal (1908)

Cat got Your Tongue
 

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

When making a change save what matters to you and dispose of the rest.

Cat got your tongue?
 

"Love to be a fly on the wall."

Wanting to be within eye and earshot of a situation without being visible as to get informed without interfering or being obvious.

"Break the ice" "An Icebreaker".........


To break down a social stiffness in order for things to be more comfortable. This phrase is sometimes used when two people are meeting for the first time.

Sidebar: Some people may think that the phrase break the ice comes from steam-powered icebreaker ships that were designed in the 1800s. While traveling through ice-covered waters can be challenging, these ships were built to make navigation through the arctic regions of the world a bit easier.

So then, does the expression “break the ice” come from these types of ships? No, this is not the source of its origin because this phrase actually goes back to the 17th century, which means it precedes the creation of the icebreaker ships. For example, this expression makes an early appearance in a poem by Samuel Butler.

"A fly in the ointment".......

A minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something.

Cat got your Tongue?
 

Quotes:

"Progress might have been alright once; but it's gone on too long."
Ogden Nash


"Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity." Thor Heyerdahl