"Grass Always Looks Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence"..

Used to say that the things other people have or their situations always look better than your own, even when they are not really so.

"What's Cooking"................

Used to ask about what is happening or what someone is planning.

Strike While The Iron Is Hot..............



Act decisively and take your opportunities when they arise.

This old proverb clearly alludes to the imagery of the blacksmith or farrier at his forge. If he delays in shaping the iron when it is hot a pliable the metal soon cools and hardens and the opportunity is lost.

Silence is golden.........


A proverbial saying, often used in circumstances where it is thought that saying nothing is preferable to speaking and saying something you may regret in the long run.


Although this precise phrase was first recorded only in 1848, it is part of a much older proverb, “Speech is silver and silence is golden.”

Hell hath no fury like a Woman scorned....

https://www.enotes.com/topics/mourning-bride

tactless....


Offensively blunt, and undiplomatic. Thoughtless. Indelicate.

Having or showing a lack of adroitness and sensitivity in dealing with others. In considerate of someone else's feelings.

Agog.............



Meaning very eager or curious to hear or see something. Full of intense interest or excitement. Highly excited by eagerness, curiosity, anticipation, etc.

"Fighting Tooth and Nail"


If you fight tooth and nail for something, you fight as hard as you can to get it or achieve it.

The adverbial phrase “tooth and nail” (originally “with tooth and nail”) literally means “with the use of one's teeth and nails as weapons; by biting and scratching,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

"Knuckle Under".........


To yield or submit to someone or something.


In the 18th century, 'knuckle down' was used used to mean 'acknowledge oneself beaten; submit to another's authority'. The word 'knuckle' by itself had the same meaning. 'Knuckle under' was later coined in the USA, also with the same meaning.

Not playing with a full deck ....

When someone is not playing with a full deck, he is either mentally, psychologically, or intellectually deficient.


There is a popular story that the origin of this phrase dates back to the 1500s, when a tax was levied against decks of cards.

"Take With A Grain Of Salt"...



To consider a story someone says or tells while keeping in mind that it may not be completely true or accurate!
To take a statement with 'a grain of salt' (or 'a pinch of salt') means to accept it while maintaining a degree of skepticism about its truth.

In Pie Order/In Apple-Pie Order.....



If a place is in pie order, everything in it is very tidy and well-organized : in perfect order.

Sidebar: The phrase may originate from the French 'nappes pliees' = neatly folded, or from 'cap-a-pie order'. There's no definitive evidence to support this and the origin remains uncertain.

Right As Rain.............

In good order or good health, satisfactory.



Origin......The allusion in this simile is unclear, but it originated in Britain, where rainy weather is a normal fact of life, and indeed W.L. Phelps wrote, “The expression 'right as rain' must have been invented by an Englishman.” It was first recorded in 1894.

Shoot Yourself In The Foot............

To damage or impede one's own advantages or gains through foolish actions or words.


Origin: Based on war times, one would shoot themselves in the foot in order to get out of fighting and be sent back home. Commonly regarded as dishonorable.

Bee’s knees..................


Means the height of excellence; used to refer to an admired thing. It is the epitome of something cool or awesome or fantastic.

Origin: Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. It is tempting to explain this phrase as alluding to the concentrated goodness to be found around a bee's knee, but there's no evidence to support this explanation.

Get Off Scot-Free...........


To escape punishment for a crime or wrongdoing.

Origin..In fact, “scot”, in this case, is from the Old Norse word “skot” meaning something to the effect of “payment” or “contribution”. In English, “scot” initially just meant “tax”. The phrase scot free was first used in reference to municipal tax levies

Hang Someone Out To Dry........


To leave somebody in a difficult situation without your support, especially to avoid receiving any blame yourself.



Origin: The origin of this phrase probably comes from how some people dry their clothes

after having washed them—they hang their clothes outside to dry.

Get Called On The Carpet...........


To scold, rebuke, or reprimand someone. To reprimand a subordinate, or demand that they explain their actions.

Origin..The expression call on the carpet has been in usage since at least 1881, when it appeared in a glossary of words and idioms published by the English Dialect Society.

Lion's Share........


The largest part or portion of something.

origin: The phrase derives from the plot of a number of fables ascribed to Aesop.

Elephant In The Room....


A big issue everyone is aware of, but which is being ignored, because everybody finds discussion about it uncomfortable.
Failing to address an issue that stands out in a major way.

origin: Possibly from Ivan Andreevich Krylov, poet's 1814 fable entitled "The Inquisitive Man",

Nip It In The Bud............


To stop, cease, or prevent something at the beginning or early phase, before it becomes too difficult or unmanageable.

Origin: This phrase derives from the de-budding of plants. The earlier form of the phrase was 'nip in the bloom' and this is cited in Henry Chettle's romance Piers Plainnes Seaven Yeres Prentiship, 1595.

The Jig's Up..............


The plan or scheme has been discovered and/or thwarted; the game, trick, or deception is at an end.

Three-ring Circus...............

A public spectacle, especially one with little substance. A chaotic situation, often one in which a lot of activity is occurring simultaneously.

Sour Grapes.......

Something that one cannot have and so disparages as if it were never desirable. If you describe someone's attitude as sour grapes, you mean that they are jealous of another person's success and show this jealousy by criticizing that person.

Origin: This expression alludes to the Greek writer Aesop's famous fable about a fox that cannot reach some grapes on a high vine and announces that they are sour. In English the fable was first recorded in William Caxton's 1484 translation, "The fox said these raisins be sour."

Fixing (fittin, fixen) verb

Primarily used in the South, a regional dialect. Fixing popularly means getting ready to. An example would be, " I'm fixing to go to the store." It doesn't indicate any time or urgency in keeping with the more leisurely pace of the traditional South.

This word's etymology is truly American or as it is called, "an Americanism."

Webster - paraphrasing defines it as to prepare or to set/place in the manner most desired.

Farmer, John "Americanisms - Old and New, "called fix the hardest worked word in the 'American language.'" Farmer also notes that fixed could mean ready.

OED - defines fixing as making preparations for in def. 14a and 14b.

If You Play Your Cards Right.........

To act adeptly and with good judgment; to make the best and most effective use of the resources at one's disposal. To work or negotiate correctly and skillfully in order to receive an desired effect.

Origin: Not positive but I would think it comes from the actual game of card playing and winning if you play the cards you've been given correctly.

I think a lot of idioms or expressions are regional! When I moved to Milwaukee, people would constantly say they were "going to go by" either someplace or someone which I soon found out meant they were actually going to that place of person NOT just going or driving by...:seeingstars:

In New Orleans it's "pass by." If a tourist hears that they get confused. They get the impression that you are going to walk or drive by their house when you are going to visit with the person. Another example of time being more fluid in the South. Growing up as the daughter of a true Southern lady, being up here in NY is a BIG adjustment. People seem to always be in a hurry no matter the reason. Once I got left behind by my Partner's family who were going to a town just to look around; because, I did not have my coat and boots on when my sister in law arrived.

Piss Poor / Doesn't Have A Pot To Piss In Nor A Window To Throw It Out Of...

A very poor person!

Origin: They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. Once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive, you were 'piss poor.' But worse than that were the really poor folks, who couldn't even afford to buy a pot.

In medieval London, people did not have indoor plumbing. It was common to use a chamber pot as an indoor toilet. The chamber pot could then be dumped out a window into the street gutter below. A person who did not have a pot to piss in was poor indeed.

Green With Envy..............

The phrase ‘Green with Envy’ means to be very jealous, or envious of what someone has.

Origin: Before Shakespeare’s days, a pale (green) complexion was associated with fear, illness, and poor humor. The origin of the idiom 'green with envy' is believed to come directly from the great William Shakespeare himself.

Green Eyed-Monster...........

Jealousy personified.


Origin: The phrase comes from the Shakespeare play Othello. In Othello, Iago warns Othello: “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

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.

Origin: I cannot find an authoritative source, but various sites on the web have it that the original "apple" was a mortar-fired bomb used during WW I.

Thin-skinned........


Sensitive to criticism or insults, easily bothered by criticism or insults : very sensitive.

Smitten...........

Uncontrollable happiness when thinking about or in the presence of a special person.

Bury The Hatchet.........

To settle your differences with an adversary.

Origin: The figurative expression 'burying the hatchet' did originate as an American Indian tradition. Hatchets were buried by the chiefs of tribes when they came to a peace agreement. The phrase is recorded from the 17th century in English but the practice it refers to is much earlier, possibly pre-dating the European settlement of America. A translation of Thwaites' monumental work Jesuit Relations, 1644, suggests the practice.

A Shot In The Dark.....................

A attempt to guess something when you have no information or knowledge about the subject and therefore cannot possibly know what the answer is. A wild guess.

A Shoulder To Cry On.....................


Someone who is willing to listen to your problems and give you sympathy, emotional support, and encouragement.

A Chip On Their Shoulder............

To have a chip on one's shoulder refers to the act of holding a grudge or grievance that readily provokes disputation. They feel that they have been wronged by the world, so is always ready for a fight: easily offended because they feels that they have been treated unfairly by others, or perhaps feels inferior.

Origin: Comes from the days when there was a formal declaration for a fight. When a person disagreed strongly with someone over a personal belief, they would place a chip of wood on their shoulder and dare the other to knock it off. Once the other person did this, it signaled the beginning of the fight and thus punches were thrown. Examples of this can be seen in old British movies circa 1930-1950's.

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar....

Flies represents anything you want to achieve. Honey (sweet) represents anything pleasant that you do to get what you want. Vinegar (sour) represents anything unpleasant that you do to get what you want. It suggests using nice methods rather than unkind methods yields better results.

No Skin Off My Nose....................


If someone says it's no skin off my nose they mean they are not worried about something because it only affects or harms other people or because it is not their responsibility and has no affect on them personally.