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A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  

 

This list of rhythmic words and phrases is included in this website because perceived rhythm is the best instance of the essential pattern within the Statement that constitutes human language.   A single musical measure can model the blending of repetition-with-change that marks the transfer of meaning from speaker to hearer   Since it is language that makes us human, it should be no surprise that music has such a fascination for us, since over and over again in all its subtle forms it takes us through the processes of human communication and hence of human thought and feeling.  Speech has its music and, thus, while the semantic transformations are taking place, they are accompanied on another level by the sounds that match the trick.

Perhaps at first glance the list below looks just like any list of English and American idioms and common phrases, one that can be found with ease on the web at the touch of a few keys.  Do not be misled.  There are similar lists to be found on the web that foreground alliteration in particular but none that take account of both direct and loose forms of alliteration and assonance (for ‘loose’ forms see below).  That it is is evidence of how much we, the word-singers that produce such phrases, are unaware of the power of the verbal music we employ and enjoy even as we employ and enjoy it.

A glance over the list will surely astonish.  The historical, social, cultural, commercial, political, international and religious (English-English, American-English, Latin, French, etc.) variety of the list is remarkable alone, proof of the universality of our human fascination with rhythm, as well as of rhythm’s characterizing our very humanity and, in particular, the emotive, persuasive expression in its rhetorical effect. 
Useful to point out to students how it makes nonsense of the confident assertions of all those who claim that ‘poetry’ is not for them.  It is worthwhile adding that, whether the meaning is commercial or ecclesiastical, ill-mannered or polite, modern or old-fashioned, vulgar or refined, popular or passé, obscene or respectable, ignorant or sophisticated, angry or calm, informal or formal, bizarre or mundane, criminal or honourable, sacred or profane, trifling or solemn, childish or grown-up, national or domestic, racist / misogynist / homophobic or liberal, working- or upper-class, Standard English or dialect, English or foreign language — the same employment of poetic rhythm slyly offers itself to human beings, who thereby reveal one invariable aspect of their life and nature (for this reason I have not censored some in the list).   For once the old idiom applies:  All human life is here  (itself an example!).  I myself could not help falling into it throughout this very paragraph!

Sometimes the phoneme rhythm is sparse (though the stress rhythm may not be).  Perhaps there may be only a rhythm based on a single consonant or vowel (alliteration — ‘all baloney’, ‘make up your mind’;  assonance — ‘well-read’, ‘all mod cons’).  Sometimes there are complex patternings of both alliteration and assonance  (‘bell, book and candle’, ‘up, close, and personal’,  ‘cutting-edge technology’ [this contains five direct alliterations and one loose one as well as two examples of assonance]);   rhyme (‘draw the short straw’, ‘argy-bargy’);   word-repetition (‘catch-as-catch-can’, ‘art for art’s sake’);   frame-repetition (‘the be-all and the end-all’, ‘Feed a cold and starve a fever’);   pararhyme (‘bet one’s boots’, ‘fall foul of’);  and  reverse rhyme (‘done and dusted’, ‘rule the roost’).  Alliteration, of course, is not confined to the repetition of initial consonants (see ‘starve a fever’).  All forms of phoneme rhythm are thus taken advantage of by those for whom the words ‘phoneme’ and ‘prosody’ are likely to be out of their vocabulary.  For an extensive list of words that depend on reduplication alone (e,g, ‘hurly-burly’, ‘clitter-clatter’) see the website http://allusional.info/dictRedup/wiki/DictionaryEntries
            It is worth reiterating that partial sound echoes, Mick Short’s ‘loose alliteration’ (Short 1996, 108-9) are often made use of.  See the example of  ‘quick on the trigger’,—  together with straightforward assonance of (to use International Phonetic Alphabet) / ə >/ and / i /, the discernible effect of the two unvoiced / k /’s and the voiced / g /;  and, similarly, in ‘up for grabs’, / p / and / b /.  For a third example, see, in ‘up, close, and personal’, beside the normal alliterations of / p /, / n / and / s /, the loose alliteration of the straightforward / l / and the ‘dark’ / ɫ /; and, for a fourth, in ‘national treasure’, of / ʃ /  and / ʒ /.  There are also examples of ‘loose assonance’, e.g. (as well as the alliteration of the / p / and / n /), the / u / and the / ʌ / in ‘push the panic button’, / puʃ õə pænik bʌt^ən / (there are some speakers in the north of England who actually say  /butən / for / bʌt^ən ).

If rhythm is not noticeably salient in an idiom (although it cannot be entirely absent, not least because of the stress rhythms), the idiom will owe its popularity chiefly to some other rhetorical device (antithesis, imagery, etc.).  This, of course, does not imply that many of those given below do not employ those also.  Antithesis, for example, is greatly strengthened with balancing rhythm, as Shakespeare well knew— ‘Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall’ (Measure for Measure, II, I, 38).  Imagery, of course, is everywhere, as Shakespeare’s phrase here exemplifies.  Shakespeare was especially fond of the combination of rhythm and antithesis (one might say, more precisely, similarity of sound and difference of meaning appearing together in a kind of counterpoint).  The combination is found, in direct forms, all over the early plays, and, more subtly, in the later ones:
           
            KING RICHARD:  Say, I will love her everlastingly,
QUEEN ELIZABETH:  But how long shall that title ‘ever’ last?
                       (King Richard the Third, IV, iv, 350-1)

FLORIZEL:  She’s as forward of her breeding
As she is i’the rear of her birth.
                        (The Winter’s Tale, IV, iii, 84-5)

Worthwhile noting that the principle is as active in our time as ever it was.  Groucho Marx, unsurprisingly, exploits it in this neat spoonerism (compare it with the Richard the Third quotation):

Oh, why can’t we break away from all this, just you and I, and lodge with my fleas in the hills — I mean flee to my lodge in the hills.
        (to Thelma Todd in the film Monkey Business 1931)

Compare the saying ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’.  The British prime minister David Cameron, at the 2011 Tory conference, added to his rhetoric with ‘It isn’t the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.’  The classical Greek and Roman rhetoricians, of course, had a name for this switching-round of words;  they called it ‘antimetabole’, which means no more than contrast-change-throw, i.e. ‘changing the words round the other way’.

If you should feel able to acquaint yourself with the International Phonetic Alphabet (not too difficult a task), you can experiment by writing some of the entries in that script.  You will become alert to hidden rhythms, but take care that you do not take the repetition of a printed letter, whether vowel or consonant, as a reliable sign of the repetition of a sound (e.g. that of the misleading letter ‘e’ in ‘beg, borrow or steal’, and of ‘a’ in ‘back to basics’);  and, contrariwise, that a rhythm is commonly present where there is no repetition of a printed letter at all (as in the / ʌ / in the ‘u’ and ‘o’ in ‘cut and come again’, and the / ɔː / in the ‘a’ in ‘fall’ and the ‘o’ in ‘short’ in ‘fall short of’).  The 18th century poet Charles Churchill spoke of making use of ‘alliteration’s artful aid’; however, the four letter ‘a’s are not an example of alliteration ⎯ two of them embody assonance;  the examples of alliteration are  / t / in  ‘Alliteration’s’ / ‘artful’  and the loose chime of the soft / l / in ‘alliteration’s’ / and the dark / ɫ / in ‘artful’. Assonance is more ‘artful’ than Churchill was aware of;  it is a kind of wily rhythm because of its written half-invisibility, but it is also more powerful then alliteration, which is, after all, only the brief boundary of a syllable whereas vowels constitute the core of syllables, both longer and more forceful than what merely contains them.  One must add that alliteration is not confined the repetition of initial letters (consider / n / in ‘a nail-biting finish’) as is assumed by the compilers of some lists on the web, who also, incidentally, commonly ignore assonance.
One aspect of word-rhythm, one ever-present but not explored here, is that of metrical repetitions, the patterns of syllabic stress that marks our speech.  The topic is explored in my forthcoming book on the application of the themes of my books on narrative and the ethical aspects of language to the teaching of English.

One last thought:  new examples of rhythmic words and phrases are being coined every day, as in this phrase itself:  ‘The list is endless.’

Reference
          Short, Mick (1996) Exploring the Languages of Poems, Plays and Prose.  London:    Longman.

(For theoretical exploration of the human connection between rhythm, the Statement, narrative, metaphor, rhetoric, etc. see Narrative, Perception, Language, and Faith, 2005, Chapter 5; (for a shorter but detailed analysis of the linguistic means by which a new meaning is conveyed and rhythm's relevance to it, also see Wright, 2008, No. 65 in articles publications list, accessible online).

 

 

A

abbey-lubber (a lazy monk)
abdabs (often ‘screaming abdabs’ — a hysterical fit)
abide one’s time
ablaze with light
able and cable (ready and willing)
able-bodied
about right
above average
above and beyond / the call of duty
above board
abracadabra
abram sham (beggar posing as a madman — in the original Bedlam (Bethlehem) in London the Abraham ward was for the incurably insane)
absentee landlord
an absolute beauty
an absolute belter
an absolute blast
absolute bliss
an absolute breeze (something very easy to do)
an absolute cracker
absolutely fantastic/fabulous
absolute shambles
abso-bloody-lutely
a. c. a. b. (tattoo meaning All coppers are bastards)
accidental daddy (one who fathers a child by accident)
an accident waiting to happen
accidents will happen
more by accident than by design
ace-deuce (a friend ), also acey-deucy
an ace of a day
an ace up your sleeve
agogo
Achilles’ heel
an acid rapper (one who takes large doses of LSD)
acid test
ack-ack (antiaircraft fire)
across the pond (across the Atlantic)
act of random kindness
action man
action on a solid half-traction
action-packed
in actual fact
an Adam’s apple
add fuel to the fire/flame
add insult to injury
an adrenalin rush
afraid of one’s own shadow
after/when all’s said and done
after the fact
after a fashion
after my own heart
aftermath
afternoon farmer
life after /x/
Aga saga (TV soap set in the country)
again and again
against the grain
against the regulations
from age to age
age before beauty
Agent Orange (weapon used in Vietnam war)
agitate the gravel
the agony and the ecstasy (derives ultimately from the title of a novel by Irving Stone)
agree to disagree
agricultural studies (euphemism for growing marijuana)
ahead of schedule
aim Archie at the Armitage (euphemism for urinate)
ain’t just whistling Dixie
Ain’t that a fact! / Is that a fact?
airy-fairy
A.K.A.
Alas and alack!
an alien invasion
all aboard
all of the above
all in all
all alone
all along
all baloney
all bark and no bite
in all one’s born days
all buttoned up
all day long
It’s all gone terribly wrong!
all Greek to me
all hell broke loose
in all honesty
All human life is here
all important
all my eye and Betty Martin
all my life long / never in my long life
all on the high-diddle-diddle
all that jazz
by all manner of means / by any manner of means
all mod cons
all mouth and no trousers
all the news that’s fit to print
all for one and one for all
all over the show
all to play for
all present and correct
all publicity is good publicity
all right on the night
all the right vibes
All roads lead to Rome
all round the houses
all skin and bone
all sizzle and no steak
all talk and no performance
all that and a bag of chips
to be all things to all men
all types and tripes
all the very best
all very well
from all walks of life
All win win win!
all wool and a yard wide
all-out war
all-singing, all-dancing
All’s well that ends well
ally-pally
along those lines
always a bridesmaid, never a bride
always a day late and a dollar short
Am I right or am I right? (also ‘Is it fun or is it fun?’, etc.)
amateur theatricals
amber nectar
ambulance chaser (solicitor after injury compensation cases)
amidships
angel cake
an angry young man
the animal kingdom
animal magnetism
anno domini
another day, another dollar                                                           
Answers on a postcard, please
have ants in one’s pants
anyone’s guess
Anyone for tennis?
Anything for a quiet life
apple of my eye
to apple polish (to curry favour)
apply the mind to
an approved school
April fool
an apt pupil
The Arab spring
Are we /x/ing or are we not?
argumentum ad baculum
argumentum ad hominem
argy-bargy
arm in arm
around the bend
around the house
arrested development
arsy-versy
art for art’s sake
arty-crafty / artsy-crafty / arts and crafts
arty-farty
as is
A.S.A.P.
ash dieback
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Ask your father
Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies
asleep at the wheel
assisted suicide
an asylum seeker
at anchor
at best . . . at worst
at daggers drawn
at death’s door
at it
at long last
a long shot
at a moment’s notice
at one’s word
at the drop of a dime/hat
at this stage of the game
attention deficit disorder
an avid reader
auction action
Author, author!
your average Joe
award-winning
awareness week
the awkward squad
axe-and-spend
Aye aye!

 

B

baby blues
baby boom/boomers
I’ll be back! (Terminator catchphrase)
getting back into balance
back to basics
back to the baulk end (snooker term)
the back of beyond (origin attrib. to the novelist Sir Walter Scott)
back in the big time
back in the black
on the back burner
back to the drawing-board
Back me or sack me
back in the saddle
back in a sec / second / tick
back to square one
back on track / backtrack
back talk
back-biting
back-to-back
a backbencher
a back-breaker
backchat
backed into a corner
a background check
a backhander
backroom / backstreet boys
backstabber / backstabbing
backward(s) and forward(s)
bad apple
badass
bad blood
in someone’s bad books
bad for business
bad hair day
a bad hat
in bad odour
badgered to death
badly done (Jane Austen, Emma, Vol. III, ch. 8;  in Mr. Knightley’s reproof of Emma)
baffling graphs
bag and baggage (Shakespeare, As You Like It, III, ii, 170)
Bag yourself a bargain
bag of bones
baked beans
baker’s dozen
balance the books
a balancing act
Balderdash!
Balderdash, piffle and poppycock!
A whole new ball game                                                  
bamboozle
Ban the Bomb!
band of brothers
bandbox (adj. meaning ‘showy’)
banding together to beat the odds
bandit territory
bang on about
bang one’s head against a brick wall
bang some heads together
bang on target
bangers and mash
banjaxed (completely broken)
the Bank of Mum and Dad
banker-bashing
bar star
the bare bones of something
bargain basement
his bark is worse than his bite
the barmy army
a barn dance
a barrel of laughs
a barrel bomb
base over apex
bash cash (claiming unjustified compensation in an accident)
a basket case
baseborn
basement Betty (woman who runs a business out of her home)
with bated breath
bats in the belfry
batten down the hatches
battered and bruised
the Battle of Britain
a battle bus
battle with cancer
battle, murder and sudden death
a battle rapper contest  (interchange of rhyming insults)
a battle royal
a battle of wills
Be afraid, be very afraid
be back in a bit
be on the ball
be at someone’s beck and call
be there or be square
a beach bum
I’ll be there with bells on
be all things to all men
the be-all and /the/ end-all (Shakespeare, Macbeth, I, vii, 5)
Beam me up, Scottie (from Star Trek)
a beanfeast
bear the brunt of
beard him in his den
the beast with two backs
a beast of burden
beat the band
beat the bank
beat / blow one’s brains out
beat about the bush
beat a hasty retreat
If you can’t beat them, join them
It beats me
beautiful and fair
a  beautiful girl like you
beautiful twosome
Beauty is a fading flower
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
at someone’s beck and call
no bed of roses
bedblockers (old people occupying hospital beds unnecessarily)
beddy-byes
bedfellows
the bee’s knees (also the queen bee’s knees)
got a bee in one’s bonnet
beef and reef (of a restaurant that serves meat and fish)
beef about something
a beefeater
Been there, done that / Been there, seen it, done that
a beer belly
beetle-browed
before one can blink
beg, borrow or steal
beg the question
Beggar my neighbour
It beggars belief
Beggars can’t be choosers
a begging bowl
behind bars
behind someone’s back
behind closed doors
behind the times
behind with one’s work
being and becoming
Believe it or not
I’ll believe it when I see it
Believe you me!
bell, book and candle (accompaniments of excommunication curse)
a bellwether
the belle of the ball
a belly laugh
a belly-band
a belly-flop
everything went belly-up
a bellyful of beer
below the belt
belt and braces
bend one’s back
bend over backwards
Bend it like Beckham
bend/bow/bring before
bend the elbow
bend one’s steps towards
bends but doesn’t break
beneath one’s notice
benefit of the doubt
bereft of reason
a besetting sin
to the best of one’s ability
the best of a bad bargain/job
Best be off!
the brightest and best
the best of friends / best friends forever
best be going
one’s best bet
to the best of my belief/recollection
best of the best
best before / x /
best bib and tucker
the best of British
the best of the bunch / the best of a bad bunch
best buy
the best club in London
best ever
put one’s best foot forward
best friend
one’s best guess
in one’s own best interest
best kept secret
the best of men
Best not
best thing since sliced bread
best of both worlds
the best in the West
the bestest
a bestseller
bet one’s boots
bet one’s bottom dollar on
bet a dollar to a doughnut
You’d better believe it
better your bid
better than ever
better to beg than borrow
better late than never
Better low rent than no rent
better not go there / Don’t want to go there
better safe than sorry
better work, better pay
between hell and high water / come hell or high water
between the Devil and the deep blue sea
between two stools
betwixt and between
a bevy of beauties
beyond belief
beyond the shadow of a doubt
beyond my pay grade
beyond one’s wildest dreams
a bible-basher
the Bible Belt
bide one’s time
the Big Bang
big bargains
big big (in advertisements;  compare ‘low low’;  originally U.S.)
big and bold
a big boost
too big for one’s boots
Big boy! / You’re a big boy now!
Big Brother
big business
a big fish in a little pond
big hit/hitter
big as life and twice as natural
the big picture / the bigger picture
a bigger bang for your k
bigger and better
a bigwig
the bike brigade
all bile and bluster
a bimbo
Bing bang boom! / Bing bang bosh! (for something done quickly)
binge-drinking
binge-watching (of television, e.g. of box sets)
bio-inspired
bird-brained
the birds and the bees
birthday boy / girl
go out with a bit of a bang
a bit of a bash (a party)
a bit of a bother
a bit of bottle (i.e. determination)
a bit of a break
a bit of a buzz
a bit of gip
a bit of a pickle
a bit rich
a bit of rough
bite the bullet
a bite to eat
bite one’s tongue
bite your back / backbiting
bitesize
bits and bobs
bits of kit
bits and pieces
bitten by the (*****) bug
a bitter blow
bitter disappointment
a bitter pill to swallow
black and blue
in someone’s black books
a black box
black damp (mining term for air low in oxygen)
black magic
a black mark
black market
black-on-black
to blackball someone
a bladder of lard
all blah-blah-blah
the blame game
blame it on the rain
blame-storming
the bland leading the bland (cf. the original, with ‘blind’; attrib. to John K. Galbraith in The Affluent Society)
a blank canvas
a blank cheque
a blank look
a blanket ban
blanket cover
blanketty-bank
blast from the past
blaze a trail
bleeding obvious / bloody obvious
Bless my bloomers!
Bless his little cotton socks!
A blessing in disguise
a blight on my life
Blimey, O’Riley!
the blind leading the blind (cf. the spin-off above, with ‘bland’)
not a blind bit of notice / difference
Blind Man’s Buff
blind one with science
a blinding light
blindingly obvious
blind-sided / to blindside oneself
blindsight
bling bling
bling on a budget
in the blink of an eye
Blink and you’ll miss him
a blinking/blithering idiot [Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, II, viii, 53]
block and tackle
a blockbuster
a blonde bombshell
make one’s blood boil
blue blood / blue-blooded
blood brothers
one’s blood runs cold
blood and guts
blood on one’s hands
blood money
blood and thunder
his blood is up
a bloodbath
a bloodsucker
You bloody bastard!
You bloody bugger!
a bloody disgrace
bloody murder
bloodyminded
blot one’s copybook
blow / clear away the cobwebs
blow over
blow your/my/his etc. own trumpet
a blow-by-blow account
blubberbelly
Damn it to blue blazes!
Blue blistering barnacles! (borrowed from Captain Haddock in Hergé’s Tin-Tin books)
come out of a clear blue sky
the blue devils
once in a blue moon
blue through and through
into the wide blue yonder
a blue stocking
blue-collar worker
a blue-eyed boy
not always blues and twos
bluff and bluster
a blunderbuss bride
a blushing bride
boatloads
Bob-a-Job Week
bobbies on the beat
a bobby-soxer
Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt
bodge jobs
body bag
a body blow
the body bomb
body odour
at boiling point
a bold and roving eye
a bolt from the blue
bolt upright
a bomb went off
bonne chance
a bone of contention
bone-chilling cold
make no bones about it
a bonne bouche
a bonus buy (derived from a BBC TV programme Bargain Hunt)
a boo-boo (a blunder)
Boo-hoo!
couldn’t say “Boo!” to a goose
a boob tube
boogie-woogie
boom and bust
boomerang bosses
boos and blues
booze and broads
a booze cruise
borey-snorey
Were you born in a barn?
born within the sound of Bow Bells
born and bred
something borrowed and something blue (traditional recommendation to a bride to wear at her wedding)
bosom buddy / chum
bossy-boots
a Boston brahmin (intellectual snob from Boston, Massachusetts)
Boston strong
with both barrels
a bottle blonde
on the bottle
a bottle-stopper
scraping the bottom of the barrel
bounce back / bouncebackability
bow chica bow wow
bow out
bow-wow
bowl along
bow-busting (excessively showy violin playing)
bowled over by
a bow-wow
box clever
box in a corner
Box and Cox / boxing and coxing (in bureaucratic situations, the hiding of monetary transfers)
box of fluffy ducks
a box set
box-office (as adjective)
a boy band
an /x/ boy, born and bred
Boy-o-boy!
boys in the backroom
Boys will be boys
the boys in blue
boys and their toys
in a brace of shakes
bragging rights
brain is better than brawn
the brain drain
brain fade
brains before beauty
the brains behind something
the brains of a biology specimen
not have the brains they were born with
a brainbox
a brainwave
brand-spanking new
the bravest of the brave
a breach of the peace
bread and board
bread-and-butter (with meaning basic)
bread-and-butter letter (a thank-you letter after a stay)
know which side one’s bread is buttered
breadbasket
break the back of a job/of the beast
break one’s back
break the bank
break bread with
break your duck
break ranks
break every rule in the book
break the sound barrier
Break up – Make up
breaking and entering
a breath of fresh air
breathe easy/freely
bred in the bone
a breeches buoy
brick by brick
bricks and clicks (high street shops and internet shopping)
bridge-building (as part of a reconciliation effort)
bright and breezy
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
bright idea
bring down the house
bring home the bacon
bring your own beer
bring into being
bring to book
Bring it on!
a bring-and-buy sale
Britain deserves better
broad and balanced
broad in the beam
have broad shoulders
broadband
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
brokenbacked
broken bones
a broken record
a Brooklyn belle
a brouhaha
bruit it abroad
The bubble has burst
bubblegum
bubbling away in the background
Buck up!
bucket biologist (one who unthinkingly introduces an invasive species)
a bucketload of money
buckle under
bug dust (mining term for dust from rock-drill)
bugaboo
bugbear
bugger about
buggered up
buggerlug (waste time on something of no importance)
build bridges
builder’s bum
building block
bulletin board
bulls and bears (Stock Market jargon)
bully beef
bully boy
a bum bandit
bumboat
bumfluff (pubic hair)
a bum’s rush
bumble-puppy (game of bagatelle)
bumper-jumper (tail-gater)
bumps and bruises
bumpity-bump
bun in the oven
bunce up (overcharge)
a bundle of fun
bungee-jumping
bunkum
a bunny-boiler (from the film Fatal Attraction)
bunpuncher (teetotaller)
bunsen burner (‘a good plan’ in thieves’ slang)
buoyancy bags
Burlington Bertie (betting rhyming slang for a bet of 100-30)
burn one’s bridges behind one
burn the candle at both ends
burnie blower (cocaine user)
burning rubber
bus-bellied (fat)
business is business
business as usual
burst like a bubble
bust a/one’s gut
busta backbone (effortful chewing)
busted by the badge (caught by the police)
a busted flush
bustin’ one’s balls
a busy beaver / bee
busy hands are happy hands
the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker
butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth
butter somebody up
have butterflies in one’s stomach
buttock-broker (brothel keeper)
buttoned up
buy in bulk
buy in haste, repent at leisure
Buy once, buy well
Buy one, get one free
buy a pig in a poke
Let the buyer beware (Caveat emptor)
buzwuz (nonsense)
by/bye -blow
by the book
by and by
by the by
by one’s own bootstraps
By the cripes! (euphemism for ‘Christ’)
by day or by night
by hook or by crook
/ x / by name, / x / by nature
by rights
by the seat of one’s pants
Bye-bye!

 

C

a cabinet of curiosities
cackhanded
caffuffle
the cake/game is not worth the candle
cakes and ale (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, II, iii, 113)
a cakewalk
calculated risk
call the coin (toss a coin)
call a halt to
call off the dogs
call in question
call it quits
call a spade a spade
calm before the storm
calm and collected
Can you imagine!
the cancan
candid camera
a can-do concept
cantankerous
canteen culture
Can’t complain
can’t cut it
can’t hold a candle to
can’t be counted on
can’t keep a good man down
can’t stop laughing
cap acquaintance (19th century;   a person one knows well enough to raise one’s cap when one passes on the street
cap in hand
capital punishmen
Captain Cash (person ready to pay a round in the pub)
Captain Flashman (a coward)
Caramba!
carbon copy
card-carrying (describing one who is a reliable member of a political party)
a car-crash (disaster)
card-sharper
cardinal sin
Care in the Community/ community care
Care killed the cat
career criminal
carefree or careless
Careful, kiddies, careful!
Careless Talk Costs Lives
carrot and stick
carrot-cruncher (a country dweller)
carry the banner of/for
carry the can
carry coals to Newcastle
carry conviction
carry on carrying on
carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders
case closed / a closed case
a case of mistaken identity
case-sensitive
cash for access
on a case-by-case basis
cash in one’s chips
cash cow
cash flat
cash in hand
cash in on
cash crop
Cash is king
cash-and-carry
cash-back
a cash-for-crash lawyer
cashstrapped/strapped for cash
cast the first stone
cast into outer darkness
cast in stone
cast-iron alibi / stomach
let the cat out of the bag
a cat’s cradle
a cat on hot bricks/ on a hot tin roof
a cat nap
a catcall
cats in a bag
the cat’s whiskers
catch cold/a cold // catch one’s death of cold
catch flat-footed
catch someone with their pants down
catch-as-catch-can
the cat’s whiskers
catwalk chic
caught in the act
caught in a cleft stick
caught in the crossfire
caught on camera
caught on
caught out
caught red-handed (coined by Sir Walter Scott)
caught short
causing ructions
Cave canem
centre of excellence
takes centre stage
cease to be
cease and desist
celebrate big time
chalk and cheese
chalk and talk (old-fashioned teaching)
chalk and
a challenger bank
champagne Charlie
champagne socialist
champagne tastes and a beer budget
chance your arm
change the channel (alter the topic of conversation)
a change of pace
chaps and chapesses
Chase me, Charlie! /chase-me-charlie
chase rainbows
chase your own tail
a chatty-chatty (a gossip)
cheap / chic and cheerful
cheap as chips
a chequered career
cheek to cheek
cheek by jowl
a cheeky chappie (originally the Thirties comedian Max Miller’s signature phrase)
Cheer up!  Might never happen
a cheerful earful (unpleasant news)
a cheerleader
chemical heaven (effect of the drug Ecstasy)
cherish the memory of
chichi (pretty)
chick flicks
chick lit
Chicken Little (nursery-rhyme character, continually fearful of the sky falling down)
chickenshit
a child of our time
a Chinaman’s chance
Chin-chin!
chip in with
chip and pin
chit-chat
chitter-chatter
chock-a-block
chocaholic
chocolate chip
chocolate-boxy
Choke up, chicken! (said to someone in a coughing fit)
choked with emotion
chokes and croaks (education in first-aid)
choo-choo
chop and change
gone for the chop (sacked, defeated)
Chop chop!
chop-logic
chop and change
chore wars
Christ Almighty!
Christmas cards
Christmas crackers
Christmas for criminals
chubby-chaser (man who prefers plump women)
a chuck-chuck
a chunk of change
Ciao for now
Circumstances alter cases
city centre
city slicker
Civvy Street
one’s claim to fame
clam up and be quiet
like the clappers
claptrap
a clarion call
a class act
claw one’s way back / clawback
clean up your act
a clean bill of health
a clean sheet (in football, having no goals scored against one’s side)
a clean slate
a clean sweep
clear customs
clear the decks
clear-cut
a clever cookie
clever-clever
cleverclogs
clicks or bricks (selling on the net or in shops)
click and collect
climb the corporate ladder
climate-change denier
clip someone’s wings
clipclop
clicketty-click
clock him one
clock on
the clock is ticking (i.e. You’ve not much time left.)
clodhopper
close to the bone
too close to call
too close for comfort
a close call
close to home
close up like a clam
close quarters
a close vote
cloud cover
cloud one’s judgement
cloudcuckooland
clover-kicker (a clumsy oaf)
Clunk-Click!
coal black
coal and coke (cockney slang for broke)
a coalition of chaos
The coast is clear
coast to coast
a coat of many colours
cock of the walk
cock a snook at
cockamamie / cockernannie (American slang, meaning ‘nonsense’)
cod psychology
code of conduct
codswallop
coffin-dodgers (insulting term for very old people)
Cogito ergo sum
co-inkydinky (slang for coincidence)
in cold blood /coldblooded
cold/cool and calculated
cold calls
a cold case
cold comfort (Shakespeare, King John, V, vii, 42)
cold cuts
cold hands, warm heart
cold hard cash
cold potato (have no enthusiasm for)
get the cold shoulder (origin attrib. to Sir Walter Scott)
cold turkey
collateral damage
collywobbles
colly-molly (melancholy)
see the colour of somebody’s money
come a’callin’
come across (e.g. with the truth)
come clean
come out of the closet
come in from the cold
Come come!
come to a conclusion
come in contact
come a cropper
come to the crunch
come down handsome
come close on the heels of
come down off your high horse
come to the front
come to nothing
come the old soldier
Come on-on-on-on in! (catchphrase of the comedian Frank Carson)
come on strong
come out of the closet
come to mind
come to a pretty pass
come rain or shine
Come to think of it
come undone
come unstuck
come up to snuff /scratch
come/turn up trumps
Come what come may’ (Shakespeare, Macbeth, I, I, 147)
a comeback
the comeback kid
the commentary box
Cometh the hour, cometh the man
comeuppance
coming down in kets
coming and going
command and control
in commission
commit a crime
commit to memory
the common cold
common courtesy
common or garden
common knowledge
common as muck
common property
communist conspiracy
a competitive edge
a complete geek
the complete picture
concentration camp
neither condone nor condemn
conduct unbecoming
a confidence boost
a confidence trickster
confidential information
a confidential relationship
a conflict of interest
a connecting thread
conniption fit
constitution of an ox
contempt of court
continental shelf
contract killing
control freak
conversation-stopper
cook the books
cook someone’s goose
cooked/done to a turn
That’s the way the cookie crumbles
cookie cutter (adj., Amer. ‘conformist’)
cool, calculated cheek
cool, calm and collected
a cool cat
a cool customer
a cool million
cool one’s heels
not much cop
cop the lot
cop a packet
cop shop
coping mechanism
copper-bottomed
copperknob
copycat
core competency
corner the market
Correct me if I’m wrong
cost-cutting
cotton on to
I couldn’t care less
Couldn’t the broad side of a barn
coughing like a donkey
couldn’t care less
couldn’t say ‘Boo!’ to a goose
Count me out
Count yourself lucky
countdown
a counting-house
countless hours
country bumpkin
country club
country cousins
by a country mile
a county Mountie
course correction
Courtesy Cops
couscous
cover one’s tracks
a cover-up
Cowardy cowardy custard!
The Cowpat School of Music
cowboy builders
till the cows come home
crack cocaine
crack the code
crack a joke
What’s crackalackin’?’(Irish idiom:  means What has been the topic of conversation?)
crackerjack
crackers (adj. mad )
a cracking piece of kit
from the cradle to the grave
crag rats (keen mountain climbers)
Crash bang wallop!
crash course
Cornwall clotted cream
the cream of the crop
the cream of the elite
cream teas
created equal
creative accounting
creature comforts
a credit card
the Credit Crunch
more credit than debit
creepy-crawly
la crème de la crème
a crewcut
a crick in one’s back
crisis situation
criss-cross
crony capitalism
cross one’s heart and hope to die
cross purposes
cross the Rubicon
crossing your bridges before you come to them
to crowd someone out
be cruel to be kind
cruel and unusual punishment
cruisin’ for a bruisin’
a crumb of comfort
crunch numbers / number crunching
cry crocodile tears
cry one’s eyes out
cry havoc (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, III, 1, 273)
cry over spilt milk
for crying out loud
crystal clear
a cuddly bunny
a cult classic
the cult of personality
a culture of corruption
culture-vulture
a cummerbund
a cunning monkey
one’s cup runneth over (Psalm 23: 5)
cup cakes
cupboard love
curdle someone’s blood
what can’t be cured must be endured
Curiosity killed the cat
curly-wurly
the curse of the cuttings (for an actor reading the press reviews)
a cut above
cut the cackle
cut a caper
cut class
cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth
cut from the same cloth
cut and come again
cut to the core
cut corners
cut the crap
cut crime
cut glass
Cut it out!
cut the mustard
cut off your nose to spite your face
cut to the quick
cut up rough
cut a rug
cut and run
cut short
cut someone some slack
cuts no ice
cutting-edge technology
a cutting remark
cut-throat
cut–and-thrust
cyberbullying
cybercrime
cyberspace

 

D

D-Day
a dab hand at
da-da da-da (meaning ‘etc.’)
Daddy / Dada / Dad
Daddylonglegs
dad-ratted (euphemism for ‘God-damn!’)
daffy-down-dilly
Yer daft David!
at daggers drawn
on a daily basis
daily dozen
damage limitation
damned if you do, damned if you don’t
a damsel in distress
dance attendance on
dance with death
dance till you drop
dancing days
dangerous driving
a Daniel come to judgement (Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, IV, I, 222)
a daredevil
after dark
dark deeds
darken someone’s door
darkest hour before the dawn
darkness at noon
the darkest day
dash down
a dash for gas (in energy supply)
a dastardly deed
data scrunchers and munchers
database
date rape
dated decor
from dawn to dusk / from dusk till dawn
day after day
day by day
day of days
from day one
in this day and age
make a day of it
this day of all days
day in and day out /day in day out
What a difference a day makes!
day of defeat
a day of grace
a day late and a dollar short
the day of rage (used of the Muslim rebellions in British India)
day-to-day
a daydream
let the daylights into
to be dead/dead-set against something
dead ahead
dead and buried
dead centre
dead and done for
a dead duck
a dead end
dead good
a dead letter
dead level
dead man’s handle
dead men tell no tales
dead from the neck up
dead presidents
dead reckoning
dead terrorist
dead tired
dead wood
dead to the world
deadhead / dead-heading
deadlights or headlights
deadline day
deadlines and headlines / headlines and deadlines
deadly revenge
a deadly weapon
fall on deaf ears
deaf and dumb
deal from the bottom of the deck
deal a death-blow to
deal or no deal
deal and seal
Dear dear dear!
Dear-oh-dear-oh-dear-oh-dear-oh-dear!
Dearie me! / Dearie dearie me!
dearly beloved
at death’s door
death duties
death knell
Death the Leveller
death threats
deep in debt
deep in the doo-doo
deep and meaningful
deep secrets
deep space
in a deep sleep
deep-seated
Defender of the Faith
deficit denier
Delhi belly
deliver the goods
deliver on all levels
the Delphic oracle
delusions of grandeur
dementia-friendly
the democratic deficit
the demon drink
the demon weed
Dennis the Menace (character in the comic The Beano)
depends on experience
deprive of life
deputy do-right
dereliction of duty
derring-do
a des res
detention centre
determined, dared, and done (Christopher Smart, A Song to David, last line)
devil’s advocate
between the devil and the deep blue sea
The devil’s in the detail
give the devil his due
devolution revolution
dewdrop
dialogue of the deaf
diamond cut diamond
dice with death/destiny
The dice are loaded
diddums
did good
a dicky-bird
diddlysquat
die of boredom
die in the last ditch
die a thousand deaths
die on the vine
die-hard
Dieu et mon Droit
A different day at the beach
a different kettle of fish
Different strokes for different folks (snooker comment)
a difficult decision
dig deep
dig your own grave
dig in
Dig for Victory!
dig up dirt
dilly-dally
the dim and distant past
a dime a dozen
ding-dong (adj. describing a back-and-forth argument or fight)
dinner date
Dip your toes in the water.
dipshit
dirty dog
dirty work (at the crossroads)
a disc-/desk-jockey
disco-diva or wilted wallflower
discombobulated
dish the dirt about
dish out the dollars
a dish fit for the gods
dish the dirt on
dish the lowdown
disjecta membra
a disregarded army
divine right
DIY
Do as I say not as I do
do your damnedest/darnedest
do or die
Do different!
do the dirty on someone
do their dirty work
do the dishes
do a double take
do oneself down
do duty for
do one’s duty
do one’s fair share
do or die / Do it and die
do one’s level best
do a Lord Lucan
do as others do
do a vanishing act
do wonders
do you a world of good
Do you hear what I hear?
Doctor Death
doctor’s orders
a do-da
a doddle
a dodgy deal
dodgy donors
the dodgy dossier
a do-do
doesn’t cut it
doesn’t miss much
doesn’t sit right
the dog days
Every dog has his day
I don’t have a dog in this fight
the dog watch
dog-and-pony-show
dog-eat-dog
It’s dogged that does it!
a doggie-bag
a do-gooder
make a dog’s dinner of it
a dogsbody
in the doldrums
one dollar a pop
dollars for doughnuts
a domestic treasure
done by the book
a done deal
done to death (effect ruined by repetition)
done down
done and dusted
/x/ has done good
done a runner
done to a turn
to have done wonders
donkey work
Don’t ask.  Don’t tell.  (Pre-2011 homophobic slogan for American army)
Don’t borrow trouble
Don’t call us — we’ll call you
Don’t care two hoots
I don’t give a damn!
Don’t you dare!
Don’t die like I did (George Best’s last words)
Don’t Drink and Drive
Don’t even go there
Don’t know, don’t care
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Don’t let it get you down
Don’t let the bed bugs bite
Don’t mind if I do
Don’t rock the boat
You don’t want to know
Don’t worry, be happy
a doo-dah
doolally
all doom and gloom / from doom to gloom
from door to door
dopey blokes
do’s and don’t’s
a dose of one’s own medicine
a dosshouse
every dot and comma
dot the i’s and cross the t’s
on the dot
dotty spotter (of train-, plane- and bird-spotters)
a double bluff
double dare
double date
double your dosh / money
double down
double duty
double take
double thumbs (emphatic sign of approval)
double trouble / double the trouble
double up
double-chuffed
I double-dare you
double-Dutch
a double-edged sword
a doubting Thomas
down to the bone
down for the count
down among the dead men (refrain of song by John Dyer, 1700-58)
down with a disease
down and dirty
down at the Dog and Duck
down the drain
down in the dumps
down to the ground
down memory lane
down in the mouth
down and out
down the pan
down the spout
down town / downtown
down under (Australia and New Zealand)
downhill all the way
drain to the dregs
Drastic times call for drastic measures
draw blood
draw down
to draw in one’s horns
draw the short straw
a dreadful mess
dream dreams
a dream team
a dream come true
Dreamwork makes the team work
dreaming and scheming
Dree your ain weird
dress/dressing down
dressed up like a dog’s dinner
dressing-room unrest (in football)
dribs and drabs
drifting apart
drink oneself to death
Drink deep ere you depart [Shakespeare: Hamlet]
drink it down
a drink-driver
drink and drugs
drink in
to have a drink taken (Irish idiom)
Drinka Pinta Milka Day (advertising slogan of the thirties)
drip-dry
drive around
drive a hard bargain
drive one to despair
to drive it out of one’s mind
a drive-by
drop a bombshell
Drop dead!
drop a dime on you
at the drop of a hat
drop someone like a hot potato
drop into your lap
drop his/her/their longstanding opposition
drop off
drop a shot
drop-dead-gorgeous
Drown the demon, darling! (demon-drink)
drown your sorrows
drowned in debt
a drugs bust
drug-smuggling
drum something into someone’s head
drum something up/drum up support
drummed out of the army
the drunk bunk
drunk till dawn
not a dry eye in the house
a dry run
If it swims like duck and quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it’s a duck
play ducks and drakes with (originally playing at making flat stones skip on water;  hence ‘idly playing’)
ducking and diving
due date
due diligence
duel to the death
Duff him up!
duffing off
a dumb blonde
a dumb bunny
a dumb cluck
dumbfounded
dumbing down
dumbstruck
a dummy run (also a dummy-runner, rugby union term)
a dunderhead
a dungeon
dungeons and dragons
the dustbin of history
dust something down
when the dust settles
a dusty answer (George Meredith, ‘Modern Love’, stanza 48)
a dust-up
Dutch courage
Dutch uncle
a duvet day (‘day off work with pay’)
DVD
dynamic duo

 

E

on each side of the fence
eager beaver
from ear to ear
early bird
of the earth earthy
ease the squeeze
easier said than done
East west, home’s best
easy come, easy go
Easy does it
easy as falling off a log
easy street
easy-peasy
eat the bread of idleness
eat dirt
eat one’s hat
eat one’s heart out
eat someone out of house and home
Eat less and live well
not an edifying spectacle
the economic climate
Education, education, education
effing and blinding
an egghead
Ein Volk!  Ein Reich!  Ein Fuhrer! (Nazi slogan)
the elixir of life
Elvis has left the building
emergency services
an emotional roller-coaster
an empty nest
am empty perfection
empty rhetoric
at the end of the day
an end in itself
end to end
end over end
at the end of the road
at the end of one’s tether
the end of the world
the thin end of the wedge
to know when enough is enough
enough and then some
I’ve had enough up to here!
entente cordiale
entry-level
environmental vandalism
environmentally friendly
equal pay for equal work
escape the fate of
escape by the skin of one’s teeth
an estate agent
ethnic cleansing
Et tu, Brute
on an even keel
even Stevens
even at the turning of the tide
from everlasting to everlasting (Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations, Section 3)
every credit to
Every dog has his day
Every little helps
every man for himself
every man jack of them
every now and then
every step of the way
every success
every trick in the book
everybody else
Everybody love/s everybody
everything but the kitchen sink
The exception proves the rule
Excuses, excuses!
Expect better
Expect the unexpected
an expected development
Expense is no object
explain away
expletive deleted
express oneself
with extraordinary force
extra time
extraordinary rendition
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (The Bible, Exodus, 21:24)
in the eye of the tiger
eyeball-to-eyeball
one’s eyes and ears
eyes wide open

 

F

make a face at
a face flannel
a face only a mother could love
a face that would stop a clock
face-to-face
a face-off
face-saving
fact and fiction
fact-finding
fade away
faffing about
a failed state
fail-safe
a fair fight
fair and square
fair weather and foul
a fairweather friend
a fairy story (first introduced into print by Charles Dickens)
Fake it till you make it
fall on deaf ears
fall in a faint
fall on one’s feet
fall at someone’s feet
fall at the first hurdle
fall flat / on one’s face
fall for
fall foul of
fall in line
fall in love
fall short of
fall on one’s sword
fallen idol
false economies
false pretences
fame and fortune
a family feud
family friendly
a family man
family planning
family values
famous for fifteen minutes
to fan the flames
fancy one’s chances
some fancy footwork
fancy free
fancy pants
a fantastic asset
fantasy football
far be it from me
too far, too fast
far and few (from Edward Lear’s ‘The Jumblies’)
far from it
far from the madding crowd (Thomas Gray, ‘Elegy written in a Country Churchyard’, l. 73)
far-famed
farfetched
far-flung
farewell
fashion fad
a fast car
fast food
fast forward
fast and furious
fast and loose
faster and faster
a fat cat
the fat is in the fire
fat and forty
the fat of the land
a fat lot of good
fat-finger syndrome (Stock Exchange slang for a mis-typing at the computer)
a father-figure
a father and mother of a . . .
fear factor
without fear or favour
feast or famine
a feast for the fans
a feast of fun
a feast of reason
feather one’s nest
featherbedding
feathers fly
a featherweight friend
February fill-dyke
feed/fill one’s face
Feed a cold and starve a fever
a feeding frenzy
feel free
feel the benefit
feel the flow
feel free to do something
feel funny
feel like a million
the feel-good factor
fell off the back of a truck
fellow feeling
a fellow labourer
a fellow-traveller
a female friend
fend for yourself/themselves/etc.
fender-bender (slight car accident)
ferret out
few and far between / fewer and farther between
fickle fans
the fickle finger of fate
Fiddle-dee-dee!
fiddle-faddle
Fiddlesticks!
fifteen minutes of fame
fifty-fifty
a fight against time
fight fire with fire
Fight the good fight
Fight or flight?
fight for your life
fight shy of
fighting fit
fighting talk
fill the bill
fill to the brim
fill me in
filthy weather
filthy rich
the final frontier
find fault with
find one’s feet
finders keepers / losers weepers
fine and dandy
in fine feather
in fine fettle
in fine form
a fine kettle of fish
a fine line between
finer feelings
fine-weather friend
finger-lickin’ good
finger-stinger (of a hard catch in cricket or football)
the fire next time
a firefight / firefighter
firelight
in the firing line
firm friends
first come, first served
first and final
first and foremost
first fruits
from first to last
first in, last out
first past the post (election system)
first things first
first-time buyers (see also estate-agents’ term ‘second-steppers’)
First World
the first and worst
the fiscal cliff
fish and chips / a fish-and-chip shop
fish fingers
neither fish, flesh or fowl/ nor good red herring
have bigger fish to fry
a fishing expedition
fishing for a profit
a fist fight
fists were flying
fisticuffs
fit the bill
fit in with
fit to kill
not fit to live
fit to print
fit for purpose / not fit for purpose (brought to notice by the Labour Home Secretary John Reid)
fit to a T
a fitness freak
by/in  fits and starts
a five-and-dime store
in a fix
fixes and gimmicks
a flash crash (sudden fall in the stock market brought about by automatic computer responses)
flash for crash (encouraging drivers to emerge from side road in order to crash into them, and then to claim insurance)
flash floods / flash flooding
a Flash Harry
flash in the pan
flash trash
a flashback
and that’s flat!
flat on the floor
flat out
a flatfoot / flatfooted
flat-lining
a flat-pack
a flea in one’s ear
fleet of foot/ fleet-footed
Fleet Street
a fleeting glance
flew the coop
a flibbertigibbet
a flick of a switch / flick someone’s switch
a flight of fancy
flim-flam
flip one’s lid
flip-flop
float your boat
float a loan
the floozie in the jacuzzi
flotsam and jetsam (origin attrib. to the novelist Sir Walter Scott)
flower power
flown in fresh daily
in one’s first flush
flushed with indignation
fly in the face of the facts
fly the flag
fly off the handle
fly by the seat of your pants
a fly-by-night
flying blind
with flying colours
flying high
flying a kite (i.e. testing a proposal out)
foaming at the mouth
fob off
out of the fold and into the cold
follow the fashion/leader
follow in one’s footsteps
followed to the letter
a fond farewell
fons et origo
food faddist
a foodfest
foolproof
shoot oneself in the foot
footfall (also retailers’ term for number of customers)
footloose and fancy-free
for better or for worse
for days on end
for ever and ever
for free
for fuck’s sake
for fun
not for love or money
for me to know, for you to find out
for my money
for that matter
forbidden fruit
a force field
forefathers
foregone conclusion
foreign body / bodies
foreign correspondent
Forever Active (gym slogan)
forever better
forever in your debt
forgive and forget
a formidable foe
forward guidance
forewarned is forearmed
forget-me-not
forget oneself
forgive and forget
form and function
Fortune favours fools
fortune-hunter
fossil fuel
fought to a finish
the founder of the feast
founding fathers
the four freedoms
a fraught debate
fraught with peril
freaky and funky
free and easy
free fall
free from fear
a free and frank discussion
free reign
a free-for-all
the Free French
a freebee
a freedom fighter
the freedom of the press
French connection
French fries
a French letter
a frequent flier
a fresh/new lease of life
fridge-freezer
friends and family
friend or foe
friend of a friend
A friend in need is a friend indeed
friendly fire
on a friendly footing
a fright night
little frog in a big pond
have a frog in one’s throat
from all walks of life
from mouth to mouth
from the off
from pillar to post
from start to stop
from stem to stern
from then on in
from the frying pan into the fire
front runner
frost-free
to froth at the mouth
a fruit-loop (insulting term for someone mentally deficient)
the fruits of the forest
fuckface
You fucking cunt! (two repeated phonemes, plus one loose)
fuddy-duddy
the full force of the law
full frontal
full of fight
full of fuss and feathers
full tilt
full of yourself
full-fledged
more fun than a barrel of monkeys / barrel-load of m. / cartload of m.
a fun run
a funday Sunday
funny currency (used of the rhetoric of a slogan)
in the funny farm
funny man
funny money
Funny-peculiar or funny-ha-ha?
fur coat and no knickers
set fur flying
furniture picture (picture of little value)
future-proofing
fuzzy-wuzzy

 

G

ga-ga
gadabout antics
the gaiety of nations
gain ground
gal pal
gallivanting
a game that two can play
game-changing / -changer / a gamechanger situation
gang bang
gangland / a gangland killing
garbage in, garbage out
all gas and gaiters
gas-guzzler
gathered to one’s fathers
gauche and gangly
a gee-gee
herd geese with the minimum of hissing
Generation X
genetic engineering
gentle giant
Gently, Bentley!
get ahead
Get away with you!
get the ball rolling
get the better of
get the deal done
get it off your chest
get cracking
get an edge on
get your feet wet
get it to a fine art
get into gear
get all the glory
get going / from the get-go
get someone’s goat
get greedy
get the green light
get a grip / to grips with / and grin
get in on the ground floor
get/give the go-ahead
get one’s head around
get it into one’s head
Get the hell out of there!
get on like a house on fire
get in on
get the jitters
get on with the job
Don’t get your knickers in a twist!
get a load off one’s mind/chest
get the measure of
get into a mess
get the message
get it in the neck
get into the swing of things
get something off one’s chest
get off on the wrong foot
get off to a flying start
get off the ground
get on the good side of someone
get to the point
get rich quick
get the show on the road
get something into someone’s thick skull
Get with it!
get with the program
get up and go
get up to speed
get a word in edgeways
get yourself tested
get your act together
It gets better
from the get-go
a get-together
geyser-gazers (in Yellowstone Park)
ghostbuster
a giant step for mankind
the giddy limit
play/act the giddy goat
the gift of the gab
gild the lily/the pill
gimmicky
an arm and a leg
give it a bit of stick
give the cold shoulder
give credit where credit’s due
give the devil his due
give the game away
give up the ghost
give someone the glad eye/hand
give it a/another / good go
give it the go-by
give as good as you get
give it a good shot / my best shot
give the green light
give one lots of grief
give ground / give grounds for
give your best guestimate
Give him a hand!
give it to someone hot and heavy
Give the man the money!
give it a miss
give it the once-over
Give over! (northern slang for ‘Stop!’)
give pride of place
give someone the runaround
give it a shot
give someone the slip
give up the ghost
gives you some stick
gives one the willies
gladhanding
glad rags
glad tidings
the glass ceiling
glitterati
glitz and glamour
gloat over something
global flows
the global gift of labour
the global village
Glory be to God
glued to the news
a glutton for punishment
Go!  Go!  Go!  Go!  Go!  Go!  Go! (US military order)
go about one’s business
go back to the drawing-board
go by the board
go by the book
go for broke
go down like a lead balloon
Go fly a kite!
go for the gold
go/blow great guns
go head to head
go it alone
go to any length
go for broke
go with the flow
go to ground
go to great lengths/pains
go gunning for
go with your gut
go off half-cocked
go hand in hand with
go to hell in a handcart / handbasket
go off in a huff
go off like a shot
go on and on about
go out like a light
go over the same ground
go overboard
go pound sand
go/get straight to the point
go through the motions
go through the roof (e.g. of prices)
go to sea in a sieve
go up in smoke
go the whole hog
go to wrack and ruin
a go-getter
gobbledegook
a go-getter
a go-to guy
God is dead
God forbid!
God of the gaps
God-given
God rot them
God slot
God speed!
the God squad
God’s gift to /x/
God works in mysterious ways
God wot
god-botherer
a godsend
It all goes to show
the go-go
a go-getter / go-getting
goggle-box
going global
going for gold (in the Olympic Games)/ going for glory
going for a song
going global
going postal (committing multiple murder with a gun, as in such outrages in the US postal service in the eighties)
going to run and run
going seven bells
going along swimmingly
gold-digger                                                                                                      
a golden girl/child
golden hellos and golden goodbyes
the golden mean
golden oldies
golliwog
Golly-gosh! (double euphemism for ‘God’)
gone to the dogs
Gone but not forgotten
good and bad
good, bad and indifferent
the good, the bad, and the ugly
There’s good news and bad news
gone but not forgotten
gone to ground
gone to meet one’s maker
gone to pot
A good beginning makes a good ending
in someone’s good books
have a good command of
good cop, bad cop
a good day to bury bad news
a good drying day
a good egg (used of a reliable person)
as good as it gets
a good gig
Good girl! / There’s a good girl!
We’re good to go
as good as gold
done with a good grace / in someone’s good graces
Good grief!
in good hands
a good kookie
Good lad!
Good Lord!/ the good Lord
A good man is hard to find
The good news is . . . :  the bad news is . . .
the good/bad old days
good and ready
Good riddance! (to bad rubbish! / Goodbye to bad rubbish!
a good run for your money
have a good thing going
good as one’s word
a goodlooker
Good gracious!/Goodness gracious me!/Oh my goodness gracious me!
goody-goody / goody-goody-gumdrops
Goody Two-Shoes
goofing off
goo-goo eyes
Gorblimey O’Riley!
got another think coming
got to go
got to go to bed
got to hand it to him
got the hots for someone
got off on the wrong foot
got it in one
got the skills to pay the bills
Gotta get outta here
goth rock
Something’s gotta give
gotta lotta bottle
Grab your bags
There but for the grace of God goes . . .
grace and favour
grand beyond grand
a grand slam
a grand scandal
a grandstander / grandstanding
grasping at straws
the grass is greener
from grave to gay
grave goods (archaeologist’s term)
the gravy train
grease the skids
a great escape
great expectations (from Dickens’ novel, but perhaps already in circulation)
Great God!
the great and the good
great grief
great guns
Great minds think alike
a great night out
great open spaces
no great shakes
Great snakes! (from the Tin-Tin books)
the greater good
the greed creed
Greed is good
greedyguts
All Greek to me
green with envy
green fingers
green around the gills
green and gold
a green screen
a greenhorn
grey area
a grey goo
the grim reaper
grin from ear to ear
grist to/for the mill
grit your teeth
ground rules
grow grey in the service of
grubby money
Your guess is as good as mine
a guessing game
the guide price
guidelines are not tramlines
a guinea pig
gum things up
gunboat diplomacy
a gunrunner / gunrunning
with all guns blazing
A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do
a gyppy tummy

H

Ha ha, me hearties!
Ha-bloody-ha!
old habits die hard
/ x / can’t quite hack it
haggled, bargained and bought
hail and farewell
hail-fellow-well-met
by a hair’s breadth
hairy at the heel
hale and hearty
half empty or half full
at half mast
half-and-half
halfhearted
half-holiday
half-past kissing-time, a time to kiss again
half-way house
Hallelujah!
ham actor
the hammer and the anvil
hammer something home
Hammer-horror-hammy
in hand
on hand
hand of friendship
hand on heart
You have to hand it to him/her, etc.
hand over hand
from hand to hand
hand-in-hand
hand-me-down
handle with kid gloves
hands across the sea
hands around the world
Handsome is as handsome does
Handy Andy
handy-dandy (Shakespeare, King Lear, IV. vi, 152)
handyman
hang back
hang in the balance
hang, draw and quarter
hang by a hair
hang up /on to/ one’s hat
hang one’s head
hang heavy
Hang on a second!
a hanger-and-flogger / hangin’-and-floggin’
hanky-panky        
haphazard
What happens happens
happenstance
a happy bunny (more frequently:  not a happy bunny)
a happy camper
a happy chappy
happy ever after (trochaic stress rhythm dominant)
happy families
happy snaps
happy-clappy
happy-go-lucky
happy holidays
the Happy Hunting Grounds
happy-slapping
hard and fast
hard graft
the hard hats (i.e. the people who wear them)
hard of hearing
hard on one’s heels
hard put to it
a hard row to hoe
a hard taskmaster
the hard yards  (difficulties)
the hardest hit
hardheaded 
hard-hitting / hard hit
harum-scarum
hash house
a hashtag
Hasta la vista, baby!
Haste makes waste
with hat in hand
a hatchback
a hatchet man
haul over the coals
have the courage of one’s convictions
have a field day
have a funny feeling
have a good head for
have a good mind to do something
have one’s guts for garters
have been had
Have you heard?
Have a heart!
have had it up to here
to have in hand
have a hand in
have to hand
have something hanging over one’s head
have a hangover
have one’s head in the clouds/sand
have one’s head examined
have a heart
have a hope
have one’s hopeful hat on
have the hots for
have a hunch
have a nice time
have it over someone
have the sense to mind your ‘ead (the Singing Postman)
have several irons in the fire
have sticky fingers
have a way with
have a word with
head in the clouds
a head of hair
head, heart and soul / head and heart
head over heels
with one’s head held high / heads held high
head for the hills
head for home
Your head will never save your legs
head and shoulders above
good head on one’s shoulders
head-hunting
heading for disaster
heading for the poorhouse
head-to-head
the headline deficit
a health check
health and happiness
health professionals
Hear hear!
after one’s own heart
to one’s heart’s content
eat one’s heart out
Have a heart!
in one’s heart of hearts
the heart of the matter
with all one’s heart and soul
one’s heart stands still
a heart-to-heart talk
heartfelt hatred
heat haze
in the heat of the moment
the Heathrow hassle factory
Heave ho! / Cheerio!
Heaven forfend!
Heaven help us!
heavenly vibes
Heavens above!
heaven-sent
Heavens to Betsy!
with a heavy hand / heavy-handed
with a heavy heart
a heavy hitter
heavy metal
a heavy weight
hedge your bets
hedge-hopping
heebie-jeebies
Heigh-ho!
from hell to breakfast
The hell I will!
to hell in a handcart / handbasket
get the hell out of here
to hell or Hoboken
at a hell of a lick
all hell let loose
a hell of a lot
hell on wheels
hell-bent on
a hell-hole
Help, help! A horrible heffalump! (A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh, 1926)
a help-desk
a helping hand
hell’s bells
helter-skelter
a hen-pecked husband
henny-penny
Here but for the grace of God goes . . .
here, there and everywhere
Here we go again!
neither here nor there
Here to help
from here on in
here today, gone tomorrow
Here’s your hat.  What’s your hurry?
Here’s to your health!
from hero to zero in a /x/ (i.e. day. month, etc.)
He’s his own man
hey-day
without hesitation, deviation, or repetition (a rule of the Radio 4 programme Just a Minute)
hewers of wood and drawers of water
hicks in the sticks
Hi-de-hi!  Ho-de-ho! (morning call to campers at Butlin’s)
hidden persuaders [!]
neither hide nor hair of
to hide one’s head [in the sand]
on a hiding to nothing
Hi-di-hi, ho-di-ho!
hi-fi
hidden agenda
a hideyhole
a hiding to nothing
higgledy-piggledy
high and dry
a high five
a high flyer
have / entertain high hopes
a high hat
high on cloud nine
high on the hog
on one’s high horse
high as a kite
a high maintenance player
high and mighty
a high profile
high in the sky
high and tight
it’s high time
having a high old time
high, wide and handsome
highdays and holidays
the higher the fewer
higher and higher
high-handed
a high-skill sector
highway to heaven
highways and byways
hillbilly
Himalayan blunder
hindsight
Hip hip hooray!
hiphop
hippety-hop
his and hers
His Nibs
a hissy fit
hit below the belt
hit it big
hit a brick wall/the bricks
hit the ground running
hit the hay
hit the headlines
hit the high spots
hit home
hit and hope (e.g. in snooker)
hit it where it hurts
hit the jackpot
hit the nail on the head
hit pay dirt
hit someone right between the eyes
hit rock-bottom
hit it for six
hit the skids
hit the spot
hitlist
hit-and-miss/hit-or-miss
to hitchhike
hither and thither
a hive of activity
Ho ho ho! (Santa Claus’s traditional greeting))
Ho hum!
a hobby horse
hobbledehoy
hobgoblin
hobnob
hocus pocus
hodgepodge
in hog heaven
go the whole hog
hogwash
hoi polloi
hoity-toity
hokey-cokey
hold one’s face to the fire
hold one’s ground
hold someone’s hand
Hold on to your hats!
hold one’s head up high
Hold your horses!
hold one’s nose
hold one’s own
hold out hope
hold the phone
holly-go-lightly
the Holy Ghost
holy of holies
Holy Moses!
a holy pile
a holy show (Irish slang for a spectacle)
Holy smoke!
a holy Willie
home alone
Home is where the heart is
a home from home
home sweet home
And the hunter home from the hill (Robert Louis Stevenson, his poem ‘Requiem’, last line)
honest to God / goodness
honest John
an honesty box
honeybunch
honeybunny/bun
Honi soit qui mal y pense
honky-tonk
hoodoo
a hooh-ha
hook, line and sinker
a hooray henry
Hop on over to my house
a hop, skip and a jump
Hope floats
not a hope in hell
to hope against hope
a hopeless case
horrible monster
horribly wrong
horror of horrors
horse sense
horses for courses
hot and bothered
hot under the collar
Hot /diggety/ dog!
than you’ve had hot dinners
hot gossip
a hot hand
hot as hell
hot and heavy
hot off the press
hot on the heels of / on the trail of
a hot potato
a hot rod
in the hot seat
a hot spot
a hot shot
hot and strong
a hot ticket
a hot topic
hot to trot
get into hot water
hotchpotch
a hotdog
to run hotfoot after
a hothead/hotheaded
a hotshot
a hottentot
the hounds of hell
hour after hour
hour by hour
hours and hours
house and home
house hunting
house proud
household words
househusband
Houston, we have a problem
How about . . . ?
How about now?
How do you do?
How in hell . . .? / How the hell. . .?
How long is a piece of string?
How may I help you?
How now, brown cow?
How’s it hanging?
How, when, where, and why
hubbie trouble
a hubbub
Hug a hoodie!
to huff and to puff (nursery rhyme:  ‘The Three Little Pigs’)
hugger-mugger
hullabaloo
hum/hem and haw
All human life is here
human life a cyberhive
Humbug!
humps her and dumps her
to be in it a hundred-and-ten per cent
a hundred-per-cent American
I’ll trust you — hundreds wouldn’t
The first hundred years are the hardest
hung, drawn and quartered
the hungry hordes
hunky-dory
hunt high and low for something
hunt with the hounds
hurdy-gurdy
hurly-burly
hurry-scurry
If it isn’t hurting, it isn’t working
hush-hush
hush it up
hush money
hustle and bustle
hutch up

 

I

I think:  therefore I am
I spy with my little eye
I will survive
idée fixe
identity theft
ideological posturing
Idle is as idle does
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
If I may say so
If I told you once, I told you twice!
an ignorant bigot
ignorance is bliss (Thomas Gray)
ill will
an ill wind
ill-gotten gains
in the clink
in one’s element
in it to win it
in like Flynn
in the heat of the moment
in limbo
in the mix
in the nick of time
in the pipeline
in the sticks
in stitches
in the thick of it
in a tick
in with
in the zone
inch by inch
an incurable romantic
indoors and outdoors
informationalization (computerization of business, institution, etc.
infra dig (origin attrib. to Sir Walter Scott)
innocent until proven guilty
the ins and outs of something
inside-outside (also outside-inside)
insider dealing
instant impact
add insult to injury
intergenerational injustice
international chicanery
invasion of privacy
Irish eyes are smiling
Is it exciting or is it exciting? (Substitute other words)
Is that a fact?!
too many irons in the fire
Is a pig pork?
It ain’t half hot
itchy feet
itchy fingers
itchy-scratchy
it’s the pits
itsy-bitsy
itty-bitty

 

J

jackass
jack-in-the-box
Jack-a-dandy
Jack and Jill
Jack the lad
jack-o’lantern
jack-slapping
jail bait
jake flake
the Jam Generation
jam tomorrow (Lewis Carroll)
jam-packed
Jaw-jaw is better than war-war (Winston Churchill)
jaw-dropping
Jeepers creepers! (euphemism for ‘Jesus Christ’)
Jenny Wren
Jersey justice
jet set
jibber jabber
in a jiffy
jiggery-pokery
Jiminy Cricket!  (euphemism for ‘Jesus Christ!’)
the jimjams
jingle-jangle
a job lot
job snobs
the jobless generation
Joe Doakes
Joe Po
Joe Soap
jobs for the boys
Johnny foreigner
Johnny-cum-lately
Johnny-on-the-spot
jolly along
jolly hockeysticks
jolly lucky
the Jolly Roger
not a jot/one jot or tittle
judge and jury
juggle frogs
jumbo jet
jump on the bandwagon
jump the gun
jump for joy
jump a mile high
jump ship
jumping Jack
Jumping Jehoshaphat! (double euphemism for ‘Jesus’)
jumping genes
jump-jet
Just answer the question
just deserts
just for the fun of
just for starters
just get lost
just the job
just a joke
just like Mother makes it
just my luck
just one big balloon
just shut up!
just what the doctor ordered
a justifiable assumption

 

K

a kangaroo court
keep up appearances
keep the ball rolling
Keep Calm and Carry On (World War II home-front slogan)
keep your chin up
keep clean
keep a clean sheet (football term:  to have no goals scored against one’s team)
keep in the clear
keep company
keep one’s cool
keep one’s counsel
keep in countenance
keep your eye on the prize
keep one’s feet
keep your options open
keep it real
keep it up
keep a level head
keep someone in the loop
keep a low profile
keep on an even keel
keep on keeping on
keep one’s eyes peeled
keep one’s nose clean
keep one’s nose to the grindstone
keep the peace
keep your pecker up
keep a poker face
keep someone posted
keep your powder dry
keep quiet
keep reinventing the wheel
keep on keeping on
keep on the safe side
Keep your seats, please
keep a secret
keep the show on the road
keep / save something for a rainy day
keep in step
keep a stiff upper lip
keep one’s temper
keep track of
keep under lock and key
keep up/pace with
keep someone up
keep up appearances
keep watch and ward
keep within one’s means
keep under one’s thumb
keep it under your hat
keep it under wraps
keeps himself to himself (yourself, herself, etc)
keepy-uppy
kerb-crawl
kerfuffle
a fine kettle of fish
the key of the kingdom
a key question
keyboard shortcuts
kick the ballistics
kick the ket
kick the can down the road
kick up a fuss / a racket
kick the living daylights out of
kick against the pricks
for a kick-off
a kick-back
kicked to the curb
drag someone kicking and screaming out of / into
kicks in
kid in a candy store
kiddiwinks
in at the kill
kill or be killed
kill or cure
kill by inches
kill with kindness
killing myself laughing
a killer-diller
make a killing
Kinder, Kuche, Kirche (Nazi slogan)
a kindred spirit
king of the castle/hill
for king/queen and country
kinky vicars
kiss my arse / ass (cf. James Joyce’s ‘Kiss my royal Irish ass!)
kiss and cuddle
kiss on the lips
kiss and make up
Kiss my pixel
kit and caboodle
kitchen sink drama
kith and kin
kitty-corner
knee deep in
a kneejerk reaction
knees knocking together
knickerbockers
knickers in a twist
knick-knack
a knight in shining armour
with knobs on
a knock back
knock somebody’s block off
knock the bottom out of
knock into a cocked hat
Knock it off!
knock it out of the park
knock off (with meaning stop work)
knock off course
a knock-on effect
knock on wood
knock the props out from under
knock it for six
knock the socks off
knock the spots off someone
knocked for six
a knocking shop
knock-kneed
a knotty problem
know full well
know someone like the back of one’s hand
know something in one’s bones
know a hawk from a handsaw’ (Shakespeare, Hamlet, II, ii, 383-5)
know one’s onions
know the price of everything and the value of nothing
know the ropes
Know thine enemy
know what’s what
not know whether one’s coming or going
know which is which
know which way the wind blows
a know-nothing
knuckle under
knuckleduster
to kowtow

 

L

lab life
lab rats
labour of love
a lack of capacity
lackadaisical
lacklustre
la-di-da
lady friend
ladylike
Lady Luck
lad-mad
a lady-killer
a lager-lout
lah-di-dah
laid out in lavender
laissez faire, laissez aller
lambent flame
Lancashire lass / lad
a land grab
land in one’s lap
land of the living
the Land of Nod
a landline
landlocked
a landlord
a landslide
Lang may your lum reek!’ (Scots dialect:  ‘Long may your chimney smoke!’)
lap it up
lapsed catholic
lardy-dah / dardy
large as life / larger than life
by a large margin
the last-chance saloon
at his last gasp
a last hurrah
the last lap
to have the last laugh
last but not least
the last of the leaves
last man standing
last one in, first one out
on one’s last legs
the last in line
a last stand
the last straw
a lasting legacy
late in life
late in the day
late-lamented
a latin lover
a laugh a line
laugh it off
laugh a lot
laugh out loud
laugh till I cry
a laundry list
the law of the land
lay something away
lay the blame on
lay the foundations for
lay down the law
lay down one’s life
lay it on the line
lay waste to
lazy hazy days
lazy-bones
a lazy-susan
lead a charmed life
lead someone a dance
lead a dog’s life
lead someone up / down the garden path
leaderless
a leading light
lean and mean
learn your lesson
learn to live with something
a learning curve
least said, soonest mended
the least worst case / not the best but the least worst
leather or prunella (see Pope, Essay on Man, iv)
leatherneck
Leave /x/ be! (e.g. Leave him be!)
leave it with me
leave a loose thread
leave /x/ in the lurch
leave no stone unturned
leave nothing undone
leave one out on a limb
leave out of account
leave in peace
leave someone alone
leave well alone
leaves on the line
to be led a dance
left out of account
left luggage
left/leave in the lurch
left, right and centre
to be left on the shelf
leftover lolly
legend in her/his own lifetime
legion of the lost (Rudyard Kipling, ‘Gentlemen Rankers’)
legless (drunk)
lend a hand
lender of last resort
throughout the length and breadth of
the less said the better
less and less
less of your lip
lessons in love
lest we forget
let alone (as in ‘He can’t cycle, let alone drive!’)
let bygones be bygones
let the cat out of the bag
let down lightly
let everybody else go hang / let go hang
let the grass grow under one’s feet
let it all hang out
let light into something
Let there be light
let me see
let one have it in the neck
Let not poor Nelly starve (Charles II of Nell Gwynn, attrib.)
let sleeping dogs/it lie
let something loose
let it rip
let something slide
let slip through the fingers
let there be light
let well alone
letter of the law
letter-perfect
a level playing field
level-headed
level-pegging
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
lick one’s lips
lickety-split
a lickspittle
the lie (Eng.)/lay (Amer.) of the land
lie down with lions
lie (Eng.)/lay (Amer.) low
lies, damned lies and statistics
life everlasting
life in the fast lane
life began in a garden
where there’s life, there’s hope
Life means life
risk life and limb
Life is short, death is long
a life-and-death affair
lifeless
a lifeline
lifelong
lifestyle
lift-off
lift a finger
on the light fantastic toe’ (Milton: ‘L’Allegro’, l. 34)
light on one’s feet
light of my life
light of love
light at the end of the tunnel
lights my fire
like father, like son
Like hell you will!
Like I care!
like for like
like it or lump it
a likely story
lily-livered  (cf. Shakespeare, Hamlet, II, ii, 587:  pigeon-livered)
in the limelight
it’s/that’s the limit
line of fire
the line of least resistance
line of life
lingua franca
a lion among ladies
one’s lips are sealed
lipstick on a pig
liquid lunch
the list is endless
Listen and learn
listen to reason
a little bit
in your little black book
Little Britain
Little children – headache:  big children – heartache.
little by little
a little off-kilter
too little, too late
little love lost between them
Little strokes fell great oaks
a little thick
a little goes a long way
a little of this, a little of that
a little old lady
live in clover
live and die by your own decisions
live off the fat of the land\live the good life
live high off the hog
live in an ivory tower
live and learn
Live life to the full
live and let live
Live long!
Live long and prosper! (said by the ‘Vulcan’ Spock in the TV sci-fi series Star Trek)
I should live so long!
live to tell the tale
a live wire
live with difference
A cat has nine lives
living up to the billing
a living legend
living in the lap of luxury
living a lie
living the life of Riley
a living will
the livelong day
Lo and behold!
a load of baloney
a load of old cobblers
load with reproaches
loading the dice
loblolly man (see Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Toads’)
local colour
local hero
local yokel
local-relevant
Location, location, location
under lock and key
Lock it or lose it
lock, stock, and barrel (attrib. to Sir Walter Scott)
loitering with intent
L.O.L.
lollapalooza
lollipop
London pride
the long arm of the law
be long gone
at long last
longlife
Long live the King/Queen/etc.
a long long way to go
a long row to hoe
a long shot
the long and the short and the tall (from WWII song ‘Bless ‘em all’)
the long and the tall of it
a long time coming
a long ways away
long-lost
Look alive!
Look back / in anger
look on the bright side
look fit to kill
look green about the gills
look high and low
look to one’s laurels
look at it in the light of
look like a million dollars
Look lively!
look over one’s shoulder
long-distance lover
if looks could kill
a lookalike
looking and loving
loom large
the loony left / the loony liberal left
loop the loop
Loose lips sink ships
loosy-goosy
lop-and-top (branches and twigs from pruned trees)
Lord-love-a-duck!
lose one’s cool
lose one’s life
lose one’s lunch
lose your sense of humour
lose track of time
lose the will to live
lose-lose situation
not lost but gone before
lost and gone forever
lost to history
a loss leader
loss of life
a lost leader
lost in love
lost the plot
lost in translation
a lot of folderol
have a lot on one’s plate
Lotos/Lotus Land
loud and clear
a loudmouth
a lounge lizard
love it to bits
Love is blind
Love conquers all.
Love ‘em and leave ‘em!
love of my life
love it or loathe it (cf. You either love it or you hate it.)
Love me, love my dog
no love lost between them
love you like a brother
love you lots
love you, miss you, want you
for love or money
Lovely Dudley!
Lovely grub!
lovely jubbly
lovely lolly (‘lolly’ meaning money)
lovely / lousy prospects
lovesick puppy
all lovey-dovey
lovey-duck
loving and giving
a low-key campaign
lowest of the low
low life / low-life (noun and adj.)
low-low (adj.— applied to price in advertisements; orig. U.S.)
a lubberly boy
more by luck than judgement
a lucky break / streak
lucky in love
lucky lucky lucky
lump it or leave it
a lump sum
lumpen proletariat
lunar module
a lust for life
lynch law

 

M

a mackerel sky
mad endeavour
a mad mad world
A mad world, my masters!
a madcap
a madman
made of money
made to order
made in the shade
made of tough stuff
made-to-measure
a magical mystery tour
main chance
a mainstay
mainstream media
make amends
make assurance double sure’ (Shakespeare, Macbeth, IV, I, 83)
make away with
make the best of a bad bargain
make a big stink about
make a big thing of
make your blood boil
make a boo-boo
make a break for
make or break
make a clean sweep of
make a comeback
make common cause with
make a day of it
make my day
make a dead set at
make do and mend
make ends meet
make an enquiry
make every effort
make eye contact
make a face
make a fair fist of it
make the feathers/fur fly
make your flesh crawl
make a fool of yourself
make good money
make the grade
make one’s hair stand on end
make it happen on purpose
make haste
make hay / while the sun shines
make heads or tails of
make headway
make a killing
make life miserable for someone
make a long story short
make one’s mark
make a match /match-maker
It makes me sick
make a meal of
make and mend
make merry /merry-maker
make a million
make mincemeat out of
make up one’s mind
make-up-your-mind time
make no mistake
make money/a mint of money
make mischief / mischief-maker/-making
make no/a mistake
make a monkey out of
make the most of
make a motion
make a mountain out of a molehill
make a move
make much of
make a name for oneself
make no bones about it
make nothing of something
can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
a breakthrough
make a play for
make a quick k
make a racket
make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
make a song and dance about something
make a request
make it stick
make your toes curl
make tracks
make waves
Make way!
make one’s way
It makes you or beaks you
make yourself scarce
mal-de-mer
male and female
male and pale (comment on candidates at elections)
Mama / Mummy / Mammy / Mum
It’s that man again! (from the wartime comedy programme ITMA)
a man after my own heart
man in black
a man bun
the man on the Clapham omnibus
Man down!
every man jack of them
man of the match / moment
a man of means
a man among men
a man in a million
the man of the moment
the Man in the Moon
Are you a man or a mouse?
as one man
a man with a plan
a man wit
Man proposes, God disposes
a man-about-town
manhunt
man-in-motion
manage a smile
manifest destiny (John O’Sullivan’s call to 19th century America)
a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do
man’s inhumanity to man
a mansion tax
a man’s man
man-to-man
Many a mickle makes a muckle
many moons ago
the march of the makers
the mark of Cain
mark someone’s card
mark time
a marked man
married man / woman
a marriage of two minds
to marry money/a marrier of money
martial arts
a mass murderer
mass trespass
a massive amount of money
massive retaliation
master and man
Like master, like man
mastermind
masters of mendacity
masters of the universe
a slanging match
matchmaker
matchy-matchy
mate’s rates
a matter of fact / the fact of the matter
Mayday!’ (M’aidez!)
mea culpa
mealy-mouthed
Meals on Wheels
a mean lean machine
I don’t mean maybe
mean, moody and magnificent
a mean streak
Measure twice:  cut once
a measured mile
meat-eater
media management / mode
media mischief
media mogul
media monkeys
a medicine man
mee-maw
meek and mild
meet and greet
meet one’s Maker
meet one’s match
a meeting of minds
megadeath
megaheavy
megaphone diplomacy
MegaMonday
a megawatt optimist
melancholy mad
melt in one’s mouth
melting pot
memento mori
memorandum of understanding
men and their machines
men, women and children
mend fences with someone
Mend it or end it!
Mercy me!
mercy mission
us mere mortals
Merry Christmas!
a merry devil
merry-go-round
merry hell
mesmerizing
message to all friends
messmate
method in his madness [Shakespeare: Hamlet, II, i, 111)]
the metropolitan elite
meum and tuum
a Mexican stand-off
of mice and men (Robert Burns, ‘To a Mouse’)
a mickey finn
mickey-mouse work/subject
micromanage
middle for diddle
on middle ground
middle-of-the-road
middleman
a midlife crisis
midnight mass
midsummer madness (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, II, iv, 54)
with might and main
Might is right
by a country /massive mile
a mile a minute
a mile wide
a milestone in someone’s life
the milk of human kindness (Shakespeare, Macbeth, I, v, 18)
not a million miles from/away
in the mind’s eye
Mind my bike!
mind one’s manners
a mind map
mind over matter
mind your P’s and Q’s
minidisc
in mint condition
mint money
minute by minute
minutes of the meeting
Misery loves company
mishmash
miss the bus
miss the mark
miss by a mile/is as good as a mile
miss a trick
miss you, love you
the Missing Link
mission accomplished
mission critical
in the mists of time
Mister Big
Mister Decisive
Mister Nice Guy
misty mountains
misty and murky
mix and match
a mixed blessing
a mixed-up kid
the mizzenmast
moaning and groaning
a moaning minnie
a mobile phone
a model pupil
modus operandi
to mollycoddle
Molotov cocktail
Mom and Pop
a moment of madness
a moment of magic
at this moment in time
Monday morning quarterback
Mondeo man
the money moment (from TV programme Bargain Hunt)
money from nothing
money for old rope
money-grubbing
money-hungry
Money-money-money!
a money-spinner
a monkey on your back
Don’t monkey around with me!
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!
monkey see, monkey do
month after month
never in a month of Sundays
a moo-moo
mood music
mooning and spooning
moonshine
a moose with the mumps
a moot point
mop and mow
moping mum
morbid obesity
more and more
more bang for your k
more by accident than by design
more fool you
more than meets the eye
more haste, less speed
more heat than light
more of a hindrance than a help
the more we learn, the less we know
the more, the merrier
more money than sense
more often than not
more of the same
morning after the night before
morning, noon and night
mother country
the mother and father of a  . . .
the mother of the months (echo of a Swinburne poem)
motherfucker
a mothers’ meeting
mother’s milk
a motor for growth
motormouth
motorway madness
a mountain of debt
the mountie always gets his man
all mouth and trousers
move heaven and earth
Move it or lose it!
move mountains
not move a muscle
move over
movers and shakers (from Arthur O’Shaughnessy, ‘Ode’)
MP3
How much month left at the end of the money?
much missed
much of a muchness
Where there’s muck there’s money
muck-raking
muddle and fudge
a mug’s/muggin’s game
a mugwump
multiculturalism
multimedia
multiple input, multiple output
multitask
mumbo-jumbo
mummy (meaning mother)
muscular Christianity
music to my ears
What must be, must be
must be seeing things
Mustn’t grumble
the mutter from the gutter
mutual admiration society
My enemy’s enemy is my friend
My eye!
My oh my!
My stars and garters!
My way or the highway!
a mystery man
Mystic Meg

 

 

N

Naff off!
naked and afraid
the naked ape
nail in the coffin
nail a lie
a nail-biting finish
naked as nature intended
namby-pamby (from the name of the poet 18th-century Ambrose Phillips)
the name / nature of the game
Your name is mud
x by name, x by nature
make a name for oneself
name and shame/naming and shaming
You name them, we have them
Nana / Nan
nasty, brutish and short (Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Part 1, ch. 13)
the nasty party (Teresa May’s term for the Conservative Party)
nasty-nice
a nation of shopkeepers
a national institution
nattering on
nature and/or nurture
naughty but nice
the naughty nineties
a naysayer
neck and neck
it’s neck or nothing
near the knuckle
near and dear/one’s nearest and dearest
as near as makes no matter
if need be
need a hand
need it like a hole in the head
on a need to know basis
need no introduction
needless to say
needs must when the devil drives
a need-to-know basis
a ne’er-do-well
negative equity
neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring
neither here nor there
neither rhyme nor reason
a nervous Nelly
the nervous nineties (term in cricket relating to the feelings of a batsman nearing a century)
a nest egg
Never apologize, never explain
never better / never been better
never darken my door again
I never would have guessed
You never know
never in a month of Sundays
Never say ‘never’
Never knowingly undersold
never looked so good
on the never-never
never-never land
New brooms sweep clean
the New Jerusalem
a new kid on the block
new lease of life
new money
a New Year’s resolution
New York New York
the next logical step
next to nothing
nice day for ducks!
nice to know
It’s nice to be nice
nice as pie
nice and quiet
a nice surprise
Nice try / , good guy, goodbye! (said to conclude a haggle)
in the nick of time
a nifty fifty (i.e. money easily gained)
nifty thinking
niggly cricket
the night of the long knives
night life
Night-night / Nighty-night
this night of all nights
a night-light
nine days’/nine-day  wonder
A cat has nine lives
a nine-to-five job
nineteen to the dozen
nipped in the bud
nitty-gritty
nitwit
no accounting for taste
no bones about it
no boyfriend since birth
No defence like a good offence
no fixed abode
No fool like an old fool
no go/no-go (adj., as in ‘a no-go zone’)
no great accolade
no great shakes
no holds barred
no holiday from history
no ifs or buts
no joke
no love lost between them
no matter what/what happens
no names, no pack drill
no news is good news
No no / No no no
No — and no!
No offence meant
No pain, no shame’ (also ‘No shame/pain, no gain’)
no picnic
no place like home
no pressure, then
No problem there then!
No problemo!/Not a problem!
No profit, no loss
no quit, no spit
No shit, Sherlock
no skin off my nose
no spring chicken
no such luck
no time to talk
in no uncertain terms
No way, José
No win, no fee
Nobby No-Mates
Noblesse oblige
like nobody’s business
nobody’s home (small-minded joke-name for someone simple-minded)
a no-brainer
nod off
no-fly zone
a no-hoper
noisy neighbours
no-man’s-land
a no-no / a big no-no
non-doms
none of your business
every nook and cranny
Norma(n)-No-Mates
normal for Norfolk
nose to nose
not always blues and twos
not the be-all and end-all
not bothered
not the brightest bulb in the box
not by a long shot
not cricket
not cut out for
not a dicky-bird
not the end of the world
not fit to live (William Shakespeare, Macbeth, IV, iii, 103)
not give a fig for
Not great (i.e. as answer to “How are you?’, etc.)
not have the heart to
not have/worth a red cent
not here now
not a hope in hell
Not in my name!
not on the job
not a jot
not just whistling Dixie
not leave a leg to stand on
not lift a finger
not long for this world
not by a long shot
Not a lot of people know that
not for love or money
not made of money
not to make a blind bit of difference
not miss much/a trick
not move a muscle
not much cop
not my type
not my style
Not on your nelly!
not a nibble
not /x’s/ night
not now!
It’s not on (i.e. not allowed)
not on my watch
If it’s not one thing, it’s another
not the only pebble on the beach
not for profit
not quite right
not a sausage
not so hot
not so nice
not spot (no connection for mobile phones)
not tell a living soul
not that bothered
not then and not now
not waving, but drowning (from a poem by Stevie Smith)
not what you know but who you know
not worth a brass farthing
nothing but trouble
nothing doing
nothing if not . . .
nothing new under the sun
nothing and nobody
nothing for nothing
nothing to shout about
nothing succeeds like success
nothing to hide, nothing to fear
nothing to sneeze at
nothing ventured, nothing won
not-spot (area without broadband)
now or never
Now now!
now . . ., now . . .
now I know
now or never
now and then
Now you’ve been and gone and done it!
Now you see it —Now you don’t!
nudge nudge, wink wink
number among
his number was up
number-cruncher/-crunching
numbskull
the nuts and bolts /of something
nuzzle up to someone

 

O

an obesity strategy
an object lesson
odd bod
odd jobs
odds bodikins
odds and ends
odds and sods
odds-on
Oedipus/Schmedipus (and all such Yiddish dismissal-of-interest remarks, expressed by the addition of the prefix ‘Schm-’  [cf. ‘Budget/Schmudget’] in which a rejection of a supposedly important focus of attention is the key effect via a blurring of a word’s classificatory power)
of all the nerve
of no avail
of the old school
off the beaten track
off the cuff
off one’s feet
off in a flash
off the mark
off one’s nob
off and on
off one’s rocker/trolley
off the shelf
off like a shot
off the starting-blocks
off the top of one’s head
Off you trot!
off on the wrong foot
off-again, on-again
an offer I couldn’t refuse
office gossip
Oh no! / Oh hell no!
Oh la-la!
Oh me, oh my!
Oh, yoi-yoi-yoi!
Oi oi! (expression of surprise)
oiling the wheels (i.e. bribing someone)
okey-doke/-dokey
the old Adam
an old codger
old enough to know better
an old fogey
an old hand at
an old maid
oldest trick in the book
an oldie but a goldie
oldy-worldy
omnium-gatherum
on again, off again
on another planet
on borrowed time
on the campaign trail
on the chopping block
on the dot
on the factory floor
on a first-name basis
on the job
on the knocker
on one’s last legs
on line
on the money
on with the motley
on the nail
on the never-never
on the nod
on the nose
on and off
on the off-chance
on and on and on
on one’s own [account]
on the run
on the same page/plate
on the same wavelength
on send and not receive
on the sidelines
on a silver platter
on a soap-box
on song
on the spot/hot seat
on tenterhooks
on the tip of one’s tongue
on one’s tod
on the town
on my/his/ her, etc. watch
on the wrong track
on the trot
on the up and up
on one’s way
once an /x/, always an /x/
once bitten, twice shy
once in a blue moon
once in a lifetime
once or twice
once in a way
once in a while
once an /x/, always an /x/
He’s one bad apple
One of these days is none of these days
One of these days you’ll wake up dead
One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure
one in a million
one for the pot
one by one
one on one
one shot
one small step for [a] man
one step ahead / one step ahead of the weather
one to watch
a one top cookie
a one-cap wonder (footballer who has played in one World Cup match)
one-season wonder (football term)
one-stop shop
one-man band
one-to-one
only joking
onward/s and upward/s
an open goal
open the kimono
open Pandora’s box
open to question
open season
the opium of the people
optional material
the order of the day
organically grown
original sin
ostrich strategy/politics
O.T.T.
out and about
to be out for blood
out of bounds
out for the count
out of date
out of earshot
out of the frying pan into the fire
out of kilter
out like a light
out loud
out of one’s mouth
out of one’s power
out of print
out of sight, out of mind
out of spite
out of your tiny mind
out of town
out on the town
out of tune
out of turn
out of one’s wits
out-and-out
out-and-outer
out-Herod Herod (Shakespeare, Hamlet, III, ii, 15)
over and above
It ain’t over till it’s over
over and over
over the coals
over one’s dead body
over-achiever
overcome with emotion
overegg the pudding
overpaid, oversexed and over here (insulting reference to American soldiers in England in the Second World War
an own goal
Own the podium! (Winter Olympic slogan, 2010)
You don’t get owt for nowt
an Oxford scholar

P

Pack it in!
pack a punch
paddy wagon (prison van, named after Irish policemen in the US)
a paddywhack (fit of rage — xenophobic in origin [of the Irish])
pagoda shoulder (sloping style fashion for the shoulder)
Have you paid and displayed?
paid peanuts
No pain, no gain / Pain today, gain tomorrow
the pain in the game
pain in the neck
a pain point
paint us a picture
pale in comparison
pale, male and stale / old, male and stale
a pancake landing
panic-stricken
paparazzi
a paper tiger
a paper trail
a paperchase (first introduced into print by Charles Dickens)
a paper-pusher
a parade of horribles (American political jibe)
paralysis of analysis
parish pump politics
park one’s car
parrot-fashion
part of the furniture
part and parcel
part in peace
a parting shot
a partnership for peace
a party pad (flat suitable for parties)
party politics
a party-pooper
pass in the dark
pass from mouth to mouth
pass muster
pass an opinion
pass up an opportunity
a passing fancy
a past master at something
what’s past is past
past one’s peak
a pat on the back
path of least resistance
Every path has its puddle
the patience of a saint
a Paul Pry
pause for thought
pave the way
pay grade
pay lip service to
pay on the nail
pay packet
pay the piper
pay to play
pay the price
pay one’s way
payday / payday lender
the paying public
paying top dollar
You pays your money and you takes your choice
PC
P.C. Plod
PDQ (pretty damn/darn quick)
Peace and plenty
the peace process
a peaceful protest
peak and pine
a pearl beyond price
pears for your heirs
went pear-shaped
the Peasant Poet (John Clare)
pedal to the metal
pedal power
pedal-pusher
Peddle your peppers elsewhere
peer pressure
pell mell
pen a line
a pen pal
pen and paper
a pen-pusher
a pension pot
in for a penny, in for a pound
A penny saved is a penny earned
penny-dreadful
a penny-a-liner
penny-pinching/-pincher
penny plain and twopence coloured
penny wise, pound foolish
pennies from heaven (originally title of song)
a people person
people power/Power to the people!
people-pleasers
Per ardua ad astra
perils and pitfalls
pernickerty
persistence pays
personality politics
persuade parliaments and populations
pester power
a pet peeve
peter out
the Peter Principle
a petrolhead
Phone a friend
photo-finish
piccanniny
pick of the litter
pick up the pace
the pick of the paddock
pick up the pieces
pick up sticks and go
pickers and stealers
a pick-me-up
pick-and-mix
in a pickle
a pickpocket
the bigger picture
picture-perfect
Pidgin English
pie in the sky
pie-eyed
piece by piece
a piece of piss
pig dog
a pig in a poke
in a pig’s eye
pig-ignorant
Pigs might fly
piggy in the middle
piggy-wiggy
a bitter pill to swallow
pill pedlar
from pillar to post
pin someone down
pin money
in a pinch
a pinch to grow an inch
pinch point
ping-pong conversation
in the pink
the pink of condition
pink/pale about the gills
pins and needles
pints and quarts
pint-size
pipe and slippers (characterizing male retirement)
the pipes of Pan
this weak piping time of peace (William Shakespeare: ‘the piping time of peace’.  Richard III,  Act I. sc. I, l. 18)
pipped to/at the post
pishery-pashery
piss into the wind
a piss-artist
piss-poor
a piss-pot
pistol-whip
pit one’s wits against
pit-pat / pit-a-pat
pitch / peach perfect
to pitch and plunge
to pitch in/into/upon
a pitstop
pitter-patter
pizzazz
a place in the sun
a plain Jane
plain sailing
plain and simple
plan of action
plan to pave Paradise
a plaster saint
play one’s ace
play along
play away (have an adulterous affair)
play a bad hand
play with the big boys
play ducks and drakes with
play fast and loose with
play first/second fiddle
play the game/a waiting game/games
play one’s part / a leading part
make a play for
play politics
play possum
play the race card
to play safe/it safe
playing away (having an adulterous relationship)
playing to the gallery
playmate
PLC
as you please
pluck up one’s courage
plug and play
plunder the past
poetry in motion
poetry and prose
point of contact
point of no return
at this point in time
point-to-point
poison pen
poke one’s nose into/ above the parapet
from pole to pole
in pole position
poles apart
police brutality
police line-up
police presence
policy not personality
a policy response
a policy wonk
polish something off
a polished performance
polishing peanuts
political considerations
political will
politically correct/political correctness
a political hot potato
pomp without power
across the pond (the Atlantic)
I’ll leave you to ponder, yonder
pooh-pooh
pooper-scooper
the poor of the parish
Pop / Pap / Papa / Pappy / Papsy
pop one’s clogs
pop up
to pop-off
poppycock
popping pills
/x/ could sell a Porche to a pauper
pork pies or porkies (Cockney rhyming slang:  ‘lies’)
any port in a storm
posh nosh
too posh to push (choosing Caesarian birth)
post to post
postcode
post-haste
pots and pans
potwalloper
to pound the pavement
pound for pound
pounds and pence
a power house
Power to the people!
Practice makes perfect
Practise what you preach
a pregnant pause
present company excepted
press the flesh
pretty chipper
a pretty pass
a pretty penny
a pretty pickle
Pretty please!
the price of everything and the value of nothing
the price is right
prim and proper
the prime of life
prime time
prime-ministerial material
the primrose path (Shakespeare, Ham, I, iii, 107)
primum mobile
from prince to pauper
a princely prize
principalities and powers
in print
a private eye
the privilege of age
problem novel
A problem faced is a problem halved
problem-solving
pro bono publico
produce the goods
product placement
the productivity puzzle
profit and loss / no profit, no loss
project manager
prolong the agony
Promises, promises!
Pronto, Tonto! (from the Lone Ranger films)
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
prop up
a proper charmer (also ‘proper-charmer’, [adj.], Geordie dialect)
proper provision
a property-owning democracy
propose a toast
pros and cons
protection racket
proven track record
a pub lunch
public acclaim
public property
the public sector
the public purse
a publicity stunt
publish or perish
pug-ugly (also plug-ugly)
pull your leg
pull out all the stops
pull all the strings
pull to pieces
pull no punches
pull the pin
pull the plug on
pull the rug out from under
pull the wool over one’s eyes
pulling me plum (Irish slang for doing nothing)
punch and counterpunch
punch drunk
Punch-and-Judy
a punch-up
punched in the gut
punt above one’s weight
puppet government
puppy love
a purdah period
pure and simple
a purple patch/passage
push the boat out
push the envelope
push-me-pull-you
push the panic button
push pieces of paper around
when push comes to shove
pushing at an open door
pushy parents
Puss-puss!
to pussyfoot
put in an appearance
put back in the box
put something on the back burner
put one’s best foot forward
put the boot in
put on a brave face
put one’s feet up
put one’s foot down
put your best foot forward
put one’s foot in it
not put a foot wrong
put in a good word for
put your hand on your heart
put your heads together
put it on the map
put the mockers on
put your money where your mouth is
put through one’s paces
put paid to
put something on paper
put the paper to bed
put something past someone
put out to pasture
put the pedal to the metal
put someone on a pedestal
put pen to paper
put things in their right perspective
put someone in the picture / keep you in the picture
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
put in one’s place
put something plainly
put into play
put something into practice
put pressure on
can’t put a price on it
put a quart into a pint pot
put the right foot forward
put a spanner in the works
put on your thinking cap
put through the hoop
put through one’s paces
put / get the show on the road
put to sleep
put my thinking cap on
put two and two together
put in words of one syllable
Put up or shut up!
a put-put
a Pyrrhic victory

 

Q

Q.E.D.
a quack-quack
quality control
quality over quantity
quality time
a quality squad (in football)
quantum of solace
a queen bee
for queen/king and country
Queer Street
a quick k
a quick fix
quick off the mark
quick on the trigger
quick on the uptake
quickest kid on the block / quick off the block
quicksilver
quids in
quid pro quo
Anything for a quiet life!
quinkydink’ (teen slang deliberate mispronunciation of ‘coincidence’)
Quit your bitching!
quite a character
Quite quite!
quite put out
quite out of cash
quote-unquote

 

R

rabble-rousing / rabble-rouser
race away
a race riot
one’s race is run / a race well run
race to stand still
The race is not to the swift (Ecclesiastes, 9:11)
rack one’s brains
rack and ruin
radical chic
rag, tag and bobtail
a ragged retreat
from rags to riches
rah-rah politics/ history/justice, etc. (Ra-ra-ra! — expressive of scorn for someone’s enthusiasm)
to railroad something
Don’t rain on my parade!
rain or shine
It never rains but it pours
raining stair-rods
a rainy day
rainbow nation
raise Cain
raise eyebrows
raise one’s game
didn’t raise a finger
raise your game
raise merry hell
raise the roof
raise a rumpus
raise the stakes
raison d’être
rake someone over the coals
rally round
a ram-raid
ramble on about
ramshackle
rant and rave / ranting and raving / ranting and railing
rapscallion
the rat race
a rat run (side road overused by traffic)
rat-a-tat-tat
at a rate of knots
rather you than me
a rattletrap
a rave review
a raw recruit
razzle-dazzle
razzmatazz
reach an agreement
read between the lines
read the handwriting on the wall’ (Isaiah, 47)
read someone’s mind
read someone his or her rights
read the Riot Act
read the tea leaves
read and write
readily assent
ready money
Ready, steady, go!
as ready as we’ll ever be
ready when you are
ready-made
ready-to-rumble
a real deal
real for people
the real reason
really really
in the rear with the gear away from the fear (Afghanistan war correspondent’s phrase)
a recipe for disaster
Reculez pour mieux sauter
not got a red cent
a red herring
a red rag to a bull
red-handed
a red-hot favourite
a red-letter day
a redneck
Reds under the bed
refresh the memory
a regular guy
to rent-a-rabble
rental potential
reopen an old wound
a repeat performance
a rescue package
the rest is history / the rest of history
rest on one’s laurels
rest one’s case
rest and relaxation
a rest-room
Rhubarb, rhubarb!
neither rhyme or reason
rib-tickling
the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
riddle-me-ree
ride hell for leather
ride roughshod over
riding for a fall
riding high
riff-raff
right off the bat
right here, right now
right down the middle/to the wire
right in the line of fire
in one’s right mind
the right guy in the right place
all right on the night
in the right place at the right time
right question, right answer
right as rain
the right rate (for the job)
right of reply
right royal
in a right state
right up one’s street
on the right track
right to the wire
right and wrong
right-hand man
righter than right
rigmarole
ring-a-ding-ding
ring-fencing
rinky-dink
rip up the rule book
rip-roaring
rise and shine
risk averse
risk one’s neck
risked it for a biscuit
all the rage on the page (newspaper idiom)
the road to riches
road rage
a roadshow
rob Peter to pay Paul
robber baron
rock around the clock
a rock-bottom offer / price
rock n’ roll
rock solid
It’s not rocket science
on the rocks
a rockstar economist
rodomontade (from a boastful character in Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso — Rodomonte)
a rogue trader
role model
role reversal
roll in the aisles
roll in the dough
roll out the red carpet
roll over in his grave
roll up one’s sleeves
a roller-coaster /cuts /an emotional roller-coaster/-ride
a rolling stone
a roll-over
roly-poly
a romcom
Romany rye
room for manoeuvre
root around
to root it out
rooted to the spot
rootin’-tootin’
rope up
A rose is a rose is a rose (Gertrude Stein)
rose-red
give someone the rough edge of one’s tongue
a rough customer
rough justice
a rough rider
a rough road
rough stuff
rough-and-ready
rough-and-tumble
round the bend
round the houses
round out
a round robin
round and round
a roundabout
the royal road to
rub elbows with
rub up the wrong way
rub-a-dub
rubber duck
when the rubber hits the road
Bloody rubbish!
Rubbish in, rubbish out
ruffle someone’s feathers
rufty-tufty
rule of the road
rule with a rod of iron
rule the roost
rules and regulations
a rum customer
a rumble of thunder
rumbumptious
a rumour mill
rumpy-pumpy
rumrunner (‘smuggler’)
run amok
run in the blood
run circles around
run for fun
run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
a run of luck
a run for one’s money
run it past me first
run one’s own race / run a race with
to be run ragged
run a red light
run rings round
run riot
run the risk of
It will run and run
give someone the runaround
runners and riders
a runner-up
a running jump
to rush around
rush of blood to the head
rush to judgement
rushed off one’s feet
Russian roulette
a rustket
rustle something up

 

S

a sack of hammers
a sacred cow
a sacrificial lamb
sad sack
sadder but wiser (see Coleridge, ‘The Ancient Mariner’)
safari park
safe from danger
a safe haven
a safe seat
safe sex
better safe than sorry
safe and sound
safety focus
a safety shot
sail away
saints and sages
an island of saints and scholars (said of Ireland)
saints and sinners
my salad days (Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, I, v, 73)
same old, same old
same old story / the same story
We’re on the same page
same-sex marriage
same song and dance
same stuff, different day
same time, same place
san-fairy-ann (WW1 soldiers’ slang for French Ça ne fait rien)
sans peur et sans reproche
satnav
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
save one’s bacon
save the day
save the drama for your mama
save one’s face
Could save lives!
save something for a rainy day
save one’s skin
Save the Whale!
saved from yourself
a saving grace
say something to someone’s face
Say goodnight, Gracie
Say it ain’t so
Say it as if you mean it
say nay
to say the least
say one’s piece
Say what you will
‘Say when .’. . . ‘When.’
on my say-so
scallywag
scapegrace
scaredy-cat
scare the living daylights out of me
schadenfreude
a scene-stealer
schemes and dreams
school of hard knocks
sci-fi
scoff the lot
score an own goal
a score to settle
scotch broth
Scotch on the rocks
get off scot free
scout around
scout out
scrape an acquaintance with
scrape the bottom of the barrel
scrape and save
scrape something up
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours
scratch the surface
scream bloody/blue murder
It screams quality
have a screw loose
Screw you!
scrimp and save
scrounge around for something
scroungers and shirkers//and strivers
S.D.S. (Acronym for ‘Some Day Soon’ — and 400 other possibilities!)
seal of approval
seal the deal
on the seamy side
a search-and-seize (police term)
search one’s soul
by the seat of your pants
second best
a second bite at the cherry
second chance
second childhood
second class
every second counts
second sight
second win
to second-guess
secondhand
secret sauce
secrets are secret
security blanket
security-obsessed
see eye to eye with someone
see for ourselves
see and hear
see how the land lies
See you later, alligator!’ (answered with ‘In a while, crocodile!’)
see off the competition
see reason
see service
see the sights
see you soon
see stars
See things steadily, see them whole (Matthew Arnold, ‘To a Friend’)
See track.  Think train. (Warning at level-crossing)
See you when I see you
see which way the wind is blowing
see the whole field
seeing is believing
seek the peace
seen it all, been there/done it all
Has to be seen to be believed
Seesaw
a self-fulfilling prophecy
selfie-stick
self-possessed
self-seeking
self-serving
Sell in May. Go away. (Stock Exchange dictum)
sell his mother for sixpence
sell short
sell something for a song
sell your soul
send one about one’s business
send away with a flea in his ear
send to kingdom come
send a message to
send out a message
senior citizen
a sense of perspective
sense a response
a serial killer
serve someone’s purpose
serve one’s turn
serve up a softball
set afloat
set oneself against
set aside
set the ball rolling
set the cat among the pigeons
set foot
set great store by
set on one’s legs
set a precedent
set sail
set one’s sights on
set out one’s stall
set in stone
set the Thames on fire
set up shop
set one’s wits to work
settle a suit
settled weather
yelling/bellowing seven bells
the seven deadly sins
in a seventh heaven
sex pest
Sex is the question, no is the answer
shabby-chic
shadow-show
a shagbandit
a shaggy-dog story
shakalaka boom boom
shake one’s faith
Shake the man’s hand
shake in one’s shoes
Shape up or ship out
shape-shifting / shapeshifter
share and share alike
a sharp shower
The sharper the berry, the sweeter the wine
a sharpshooter
to shed blood
a shedload
sheds for / with beds (the practice of renting out sheds in one’s garden as living quarters)
shelf life
shell shock/-shocked
shellfish
shenanagans/shenanikins
shilling shocker
shilly-shally
one’s ship coming in
shipshape /and Bristol fashion
shit bricks /a shitload of bricks
shit and derision
shitlist
Shiver me timbers!
Shock!  Horror!
a shock jock
shocking pink
a shocking shortage
shoot oneself in the foot
shoot straight
shoot through
shooting for the moon
shop till you drop
shopaholic
a shopping expedition
shopping therapy
a short haul
in short order
short shrift
short and sweet
the short straw
a shortcut
a shot across the bows
shovel shit
a showboat  / showboating (showing off)
showhorses and workhorses
shoulder to shoulder
shout someone down
shout from the housetops
show a bold front
show a clean pair of heels
show someone the ropes
not a shred of evidence
a shrewd move
shrinking and wrinkling (i.e. growing old)
shrug one’s shoulders
Shut it!
shut up shop
Shut up! / shut something up
a sick building
sick and tired of being sick and tired
this side of Christmas
side lights
side by side
from side to side
sideswipe
a sight for sore eyes
sign on the dotted line
a sign of the times
signed, sealed, and delivered
Silicon Valley
make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
silly billy
the silly season
silly willy
silver bullet
silver lining
the silver screen
a silver spoon in the mouth
silver surfer
Simon says . . .
simplicity itself
the sin bin
sin and misery
since time immemorial
sing from the same hymn-sheet / -tune
sing for your supper
a sing-song
a sing-along
the singer not the song
sink their differences
sink in
sink or swim
siphon something off
Sis
sit in the hot seat
sit/stand idly by
sit on it
sit it out
sit still
sit tight
sit up and take notice
sitting pretty
sitting shotgun
six of one and half a dozen of the other
six ways to Sunday
at sixes and sevens
sixth sense
skeleton in one’s closet
skeleton staff/crew
skidaddle
a skill set
all skin and bone
skinflicks
a skinflint
skinny-dipping
Skip it!
Skulduggery
The sky’s the limit
skydiver
sky-high
skylight
skyline
slap/slam/smack/wham-bang//smack-dab/ in the middle
a slap-up meal
slaphappy
slave away
slave driver
sleep like a log/like a top
sleep the sleep of the just
a sleeper cell
a sleeping partner
a sleeping policeman
sleet and snow
slice and dice
have a slice of the pie
slicing and dicing
slim /rich pickings
slinky-malinky
slip through one’s fingers
slip of the pen
slip him the wink
a slippery-slope argument
a slip-up
Slow and steady wins the race.
in the slow lane
a slow-burning earner (of something for sale)
slow-coach (first introduced into print by Charles Dickens)
slo-mo (for slow motion filming)
slower and slower
slowly but surely
slubberdegullion
slush fund
a slushket
small but beautifully formed
small talk
It’s a small world
smarty pants / socks
smash-and-grab
smashed to smithereens
smoke and mirrors
smoke a peace pipe
smoke pokes (Lancashire dialect for cotton-mill chimneys)
a smokeless zone
smokescreen
smooth sailing
smorgasbord
snail mail
a snail’s pace
Snap out of it!
snap it up
a snapdragon
a sneak peek
a snollygoster
You snooze, you lose
snowmobile
so-and-so/a so-and-so
so it goes
so far, so good
so much to do, so little time to do it in
so now you know
so on and so forth
so so sad
So sue me!
so to speak
soak up the sunshine
soaked to the skin
a soap opera
a sob sister
a sob story
sob stuff
the social whirl
sockdologer
Soft lights, sweet music
a soft shoe shuffle
to soft soap someone
have a soft spot for
softly softly catchee monkey
Get some shut-eye
Some you win:  some you lose
to soft-soap someone
somebody up there loves me
someone very special
the something-must-be-done syndrome
something and/for nothing
something or other
something to shout about
something of the sort
something’s gotta give
son-of-a-gun
on song
a song-and-dance
the sooner the better
sooner or later / sooner rather than later
sooner begun, sooner done
sooner said than done
a sop to Cerberus
a sophisticated dictatorship
a sore spot
sorry to say
a sorry sight (Shakespeare, Macbeth, II, ii, 20)
SOS (‘Save our souls’)
so-so (adj.)
sought after
soul-searching
sound off about
sound someone out
a sound-bite society
sounding board
souped up
sow one’s wild oats
sow the seeds of suspicion
the space age
space invaders
the space to play with
space probe
the space race
spare no expense
a sparring partner
Speak for yourself
speak off the cuff
speak one’s piece
Speak truth to power
a power-house
Speak when you’re spoken to
a speakeasy
speaking loud and clear
the special/essential relationship (Britain and America)
special measures
speculate to accumulate
speed someone’s release
Spend, spend, spend!
spend a penny
spending decisions
a spending spree
the spice of life
spick and span
spin and din
spin a yarn
spinach cinema
spine-tingling
spiral out of control
not-spot (area without broadband)
Spit it out!
spit and polish
the spit’n image of
spits and spots of rain
spitting into the wind
splash cash / the cash / thousands of pounds
splasher or stasher
a splendid send-off
Splendidoso!
splendours and miseries
split the difference
in a split second
split the spoils
split ticket (voting for candidates of different parties)
split up
Spock speak (like the Star Trek character)
a spoilsport
spoilt for choice
a spoonful of sugar
a spot of bother
spot on
on the spot
a sprat to catch a mackerel
spray and pay
spread the word
no spring chicken
spring fully formed from
Der spring is sprung (‘The grass is riz’, etc.  Anonymous poem)
the spring in someone’s step
I spy with my little eye (from the children’s game)
square the circle
squeaky-clean
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
a squeegee
the squeezed middle
stab someone in the back
stack the cards/deck
the staff of life
at this stage of the game
stagestruck
a staging-post
stake a claim to
a stalking horse
Stand and deliver!
stand the gaff
stand one in good stead
stand one’s ground
stand on one’s head (to do something)
stand pat
stand the racket
stand still
stand the test of time
stand up and be counted
a standard gambling fallacy
at a standstill
staring one in the face
the Star-Spangled Banner / the Stars and Stripes
stark staring mad
star-struck
star-studded
start the ball rolling
start out
start from scratch
stashing dodgy cash
state of the art
the state of the nation
state of nature
state of play
a state secret
status symbol
stay away
stay in the game
stay one step ahead
staycation
Steady-Eddy
steal a goal
steer clear of
from stem to stern
step up one’s game
step by step
step/leap up to the plate
stepping-stone
stepping westward
made of sterner stuff
stew in one’s own juice
stick to one’s knitting
stick to one’s last
stick one’s neck out
stick to one’s ribs
every stick and stone
Stick or twist?
Stick with it!
a sticking-plaster approach
sticks to the ribs
sticks and stones
sticky fingers
sticky subject
a sticky wicket
stiff competition
a stiff upper lip
in the still of the night
a still small voice
stink/smell to high heaven
stinking rich
stir one’s stumps
in stitches
stock still
worship stocks and stones
stone cold (cf. ‘cold as any stone’  (Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part One,
stone cold sober
Cor, stone the crows!
stone-blind
within a stone’s throw of something
stony broke
stop a clock (said of an ugly face)
stop, look, and listen
stop the rot
stop and start
a storming performance
it’s my story and I’m sticking to it
the straight and narrow
strange to say
stranger-danger
streak of luck
street cred
street smart
strength and stay
from strength to strength
a stress test (for banks in time of financial crisis)
not in my stretch of the beach
stretch one’s legs
strictly business
strike a chord with
Strike a light!
strike it lucky
strike one’s mind
Strike me pink!
strike the right note
strike while the iron is hot
strikebreaker
string along with
string someone along
strivers and battlers
a stroke of luck
strolling players
strong and dominating
strong language
struck dumb
strut one’s stuff
stuck up
stuck/stick in the mud
stuck to one’s guns
stuck in a rut
a stumbling block
stump up support’ (also ‘stump up’ meaning to pay)
You stupid fool!
Stupid is as stupid does
Stupidity Street
            subfusc (academic dress;  from Latin subfuscus, ‘of dusky, dull, sombre hue’)
from the sublime to the gorblimey
in such a state
such and such
Suck it and see
suck up to
a sucker for punishment
a sucker punch
suddenly unemployed
a sugar rush
sugar and spice
a suit with an attitude
suit to a T
suit yourself
suited and booted
sum and substance
sum up
the summer of love
summon up
sun and fun
the sun shines on the righteous
a Sunday driver
Sunday fundays
sunk without trace
Keep your sunny side up / on the sunny side of the street (from popular songs)
sunny spells
the sunny uplands
sunshine and showers / sunshine and shadows
sunstruck
super happy
super spreaders (of viruses)
Super Tuesday (key day for primary elections in the US)
supercool
super-duper
supersize me
super-slim
super-über
a superstate
supersymmetry
the supreme sacrifice
as sure as eggs is eggs (thought originally to have been ‘as x is x’, i.e. the algebraic x)
a surgical strike
a surprise package
Surprise!  Surprise! (sarcastic rejection at imputation of being surprised)
suspended sentence
swallow one’s words
a swan song
sweat equity
sweat shop
sweat it out
sweet sixteen
sweet smell of success
sweet spot
sweep the city
sweep off one’s feet
sweep under the rug
Sweet Fanny Adams (euphemism, meaning nothing)
a sweet spot
the sweet smell of success
‘Sweets to the sweet’ (Shakespeare, Hamlet, V, i)
a sweetheart
a sweet / sweetheart deal
sweetmeats
sweetness and light (Jonathan Swift)
sweet and sour
a swelled head
swiftly and decisively
in the swim
swim with the stream
swim upstream
swimming in molasses
get into the swing of things
the Swinging Sixties
swishy-dishy
sword and shield
swords and sorcery
sworn enemies

 

T

Ta-DA! (mock annunciatory trumpet)
Ta ta!
tag, rag and bobtail/rag, tag and bobtail
the tail wagging the dog
tailgate / tailgater
tailormade
take one aback
take after
take all in all
take into account
Take it away!
take the axe to
take a back seat
take the bait
You can take that to the bank
take the biscuit
not take a blind bit of notice
take a break
take the cake
Take care / Take care ‘cause I care!
take it/that on the chin
take someone to the cleaners
take cover
take a crack at
take the day off
take a dekko
take a dislike to
take effect
take something on faith
take the flak
take a good look
take something with a grain of salt
take for granted
take something to one’s grave
take great pains to do something
take heart
take a hike
take a joke
take kindly to
take a leak
take it or leave it
take it one by one / issue by issue, etc.
take it too far
take liberties
take a licking and keep on ticking
take a liking to
take a look
take the measure of a man
take the mickey out of’ (an unpleasant nationalistic survival since ‘mickey’ is a metonym for Irishman — the common name will do for all of them)
take the money and run
take one for the team
take one’s name in vain
take pains
take part
take a peek
take place
take potluck
take a potshot at
Take a running jump at yourself!
take by the scruff of the neck
take shape
take to the skies
take a step back
take stock
take that tack
take to task
take one for the team
take one’s time
take time off
take up time
take on too much
take up the torch
take in tow
take a trip
take the trouble to do something
take on trust
take a tumble
take turns
take a turn in
take a turn for the worse
take the veil
take a whack at
taken by surprise
takes its toll
takes the worst to bring out the best
take something the wrong way
a take-away
taken aback
takes all kinds to make a world
it takes one to know one
takes its toll
it takes two to tango
talk back to someone
talk behind someone’s back
talk through the back of one’s neck
talk one’s own book
talk like a Dutch uncle
talk nineteen/ten to the dozen
talk off the top of one’s head
talk of the town
talk turkey
a talking-to
like talking to a brick wall
a talking point
on talking terms
a tall order
a tall story
a tall tale
a tanker-yanker (driver of heavy articulated lorry carrying liquids)
task force
a taste of one’s own medicine
taste test
tasted blood
tattoo
tax cuts
tea time
tea for two (from title-song of twenties’ musical comedy)
teach an old dog new tricks
teaching to the test
teacher’s pet
team leader
Teamwork makes the dream work.
tear one’s hair
tears before bedtime
technical expert
teenage tearaways
teenspeak
teensy-weensy / teeny-weeny
teething troubles
teetotal
a teetotum
Teflon president
tell a friend
Tell it like it is
Tell you something for nothing
a tell-tale / telling tales
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
tells its own tale
temper tantrum
temperatures plummet
tempest in a teapot
tempest-tossed
tempt the appetite
ten to one
ten a penny
the terrible twins
test to destruction
test one’s mettle
test the water/s
Testing, testing
a testing time
tête-à-tête
text you later
Thank heaven for small mercies
That bad, eh?
That makes two of us!
That takes the biscuit!
That’s how the cow eats the cabbage
That’s no joke!
That’s that!
That was then:  this is now
That’s the ticket!
That’s the way the cookie crumbles
That’s a wrap!
theatrical viagra
the higher the fewer
from then on in
then and there
There’s gold in them thar hills
There, there!
thick-skinned
the thin end of the wedge
have a thing for bling
a thingamigummy
as things have been, they remain
as things stand
a thingumajig
Think big!
Think bike!
Think globally, act locally
Think on! (Consider carefully!)
think outside the box
a think tank
If you think that, you have another think coming
one’s thinking cap
thinly veiled
the Third World
/x/ was this close
This is it
this and that
This is what it’s all about
this, that, and the other
Those were the days!
Thousand thunders! (obsolete imprecation)
a threat to the environment
three sheets to the wind
a three-pipe problem (Conan Doyle)
the thrill of it all
thrills and chills/spills
thrilled to bits
through and through
through gritted teeth
through the roof
through thick and thin
throw the baby out with the bathwater
throw good money after bad
throw someone a bone
throw one’s hands up in horror
throw overboard
throw up the sponge
throw something together
thumbs up
a thumping great profit
a thunderbolt from the blue
thunderstruck
thus and so
tick every box/ticks all the boxes
tick-box justice
a ticking timebomb
tick-tock
That’s the attitude!
That’s the ticket!
tickety-boo
tickled pink
ticky-tacky
tiddlywinks
tide tables
The tide has turned
a tidy body
tidy desk, tidy mind
tie the knot
the ties that bind
have a tiger by the tail
a tigerish grin
a tight fit
a tight spot
tighten one’s belt
till the cows come home
to tilt at windmills
time of arrival
time after time
Time flies / when you’re having fun
a time frame
from time immemorial
to have the time of one’s life
time out of mind
time is money
the time is ripe
time on one’s side
Time will tell
time and time again
time ticking away
from time to time
time and tide
a time or two
timeline
in times gone by
time travel
in times of trouble
timing is everything
tin lizzie (old Ford car)
Tin Pan Alley
Tinkety tonk (John Betjeman’s informal substitute for ‘Goodbye’)
Tinseltown (Hollywood)
tintinnabulation
from tip to toe
on the tip of one’s tongue
tip someone the wink
on tiptoe
tiptoe through the tulips
tiptop
tipping point
tired to death
a tiswas
tit for tat
titbits
tittle-tattle
in a tizzy
TLC (for ‘tender loving care’)
to boot
to the manner born
to a T
the Tobin Tax
toddle along
toddle off
toe to toe
a toe-hold
to-ing and fro-ing
Told you so!
toiler of the soil
tom-tom                                                                                                                        
Tommyrot!
a tongue with a tang
tongues are wagging
tongue-tied
a tongue-twister
Tonight’s the night!
too bad, so sad
too far, too fast
too good to be true
too hot to handle
too little, too late
too male and pale
too much, too soon
too right
too true
Too-whit too-whoo!
Toodle-oo!
tools of the trade
tootie-frootie
from top to bottom / the top and bottom of it
top to toe
top dog
top dollar
topnotch
on top of the heap/tree
top it off
top ten
a top-top /x/
the top of his/her sport
on top of trends
topnotch
topsy-turvy
torture porn
toss off something
toss and tumble
toss and turn
toss-pot
total control
totting up the losses
touch up something
wouldn’t touch someone with a ten-foot pole
tough day at the office
a tough customer
tough it out
tough love
a tough nut
a tough row to hoe
tough times
tough tough
touchy-feely
tourist orientated
a tourist trap
the tourist trail
town and gown
townhouse
a toxic cocktail
toyboy
track record
trade ties
trading places
traditional heartlands
Traduttore, traditore (To translate is to betray)
tra-la-la
to trail along (for the ride)
a trail-blazer
trailer trash
train of thought
travel light
a travesty of justice
to tread on someone’s toes
treading on eggshells
treadmill diplomacy
treasure in the memory
national treasure
treasure trove
to tremble in the balance
trendsetter
a trial balloon
trial and error
trial by fire
trials and tribulations
Trick or treat?
trick cyclist (slang for ‘psychiatrist’, based on mispronunciation)
the tricks of the trade
tricky-sticky
tried and tested
tried and true
tried and trusted
trip over your tongue
trip upon the trot
triple-dip recession
triple piffle (traceable to the detective novelist Ngaio Marsh)
triumph or tragedy
a trophy wife
I’ll be trotting along
troubled times
true blue
truth-teller / tell the truth
trump up something
trust one’s judgement
trust to luck
if truth be told
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
Try it for size
Try, try, try again!
tub of guts (James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
tub-thumping/a tub-thumper
tuft-hunter
to the tune of
It’s tuppence to talk to her
turn and turn about
turn a blind eye to
turn the clock back
turn down
turn somebody in
turn someone on
turn the tables on
turn tail
turn the tide
turn up the heat
turn up one’s toes / turn one’s toes up (i.e. to die)
turn up trumps
turn and turn about
turn turtle
turn on the waterworks
a turn for the worse
a turning point
tutti-frutti
TV
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
twelve good men and true
24/7
Twenty’s plenty! (road-safety sign)
twenty-twenty vision
twiddling one’s fingers
twig it
twilight
twist in the wind
twists and turns
It’s twitchville out there
the twitterati
two peas in a pod
in two shakes of a lamb’s tail
two sides to every story
Two wrongs don’t make a right
Two’s company, three’s a crowd
a two-timer

 

U

an ugly customer
an ugly duckling
an ugly mug
the uncanny valley (in computer simulation)
uncharted waters
under a cloud
under compulsion
under construction
under the counter
under cover
under less pressure
under lock and key
under the radar
under the sun
under one’s thumb
under the weather
underfunding
underhanded
undervalued
unfinished business
an unforgiving minute
the most unkindest cut of all (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, III, ii, 183;  sometimes ‘cruellest cut’))
an unknown quantity
the Unknown Soldier
unlucky for some
until the cows come home
unwritten rules
on the up and up
up, close, and personal
up the creek without a paddle
Up for the Cup
up for discussion
up front
up for grabs
up a gum tree
up the pole
up and running
up to snuff
up to speed
up the spout
up, up and away
up with which I will not put (Winston Churchill’s exception to the rule ‘Never end a clause with a preposition’)
up-and-coming
upfront
uphill struggle / battle
upper crust
ups and downs
upset the applecart
upstairs and downstairs
use one’s noodle
use every trick in the book
Use it or lose it
useful as a chocolate teapot
unsung heroes

 

V

Va-va-voom! (originally from a Renault advertisement)
value-added
vanish into thin air
vanity and vexation
Variety is the spice of  life
V for Victory!
a velvet revolution
vent your spleen
venture a guess
very well
vested interest
vice versa
vicious circle
Victorian values
a village idiot
vim and vigour
in vino veritas
Virgin most Merciful
virtue and vice
vis-à-vis
viva voce
vodka and tonic
voice in the wilderness
voiceover
voodoo
vote with one’s feet
Vox populi, vox Dei / vox pop
vulture funds (Stock Exchange term for firms taking advantage of financial disaster)

 

W

the tail wagging the dog
wage slaves
on the wagon
waifs and strays
wait with bated breath
wait tables
a waiting game
waiting in the wings
a wake-up call
Wakey wakey!  Rise and shine!  The morning’s fine, You’ve had your time and I’ve had mine . . . etc.
walk all over someone
walk a fine line
walk away from the negotiating table
walk into the lion’s den
a walk in the park (i.e. ‘very easy’)
walk the plank
walk on rocky socks
walk tall
Walk the walk, not talk the talk
walk on water
a walk on the wit6ldside
a walkie-talkie
a walk-in wardrobe
a walking dictionary
a walking encyclopedia
walking wounded
wall of silence
wall-to-wall
Walls have ears
waltz off with something
want a word with
the war to end wars
a war of the weak
a war of words
warhawk
warlord
warp and weft
a wartime footing
war-weary / war weariness
warts and all
wash one’s hands of the whole matter
a wash-and-brush-up
waste away
Waste not, want not
a waste of space
waste no words
Watch your back, Jack!
watch one’s P’s and Q’s
Watch this space
watch and wait
watch and ward
watching the clock
a watchword
water off a duck’s back
wave the white flag
wave a magic wand
wave after/upon wave
on the same wavelength
the Wavy Navy
wax and wane
way back when
the way the ball bounces
the way the cookie crumbles
way above my pay grade
my way or the highway
way way/back/too much/ etc.
the way we were
a way with words
the way the world wags
ways and means
We can and we must
weak at the knees / weak-kneed
weak as water
the weakest link
the weakest go to the wall
weal or woe
wear away
wear out one’s welcome
wear and tear
weasel your way out of trouble
weasel words
weatherwise
week by week
week in, week out
a weeping willow
weigh one’s words
weighed in the balance and found wanting
carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders
weird and wonderful
Welcome back!
Welcome to my hell!
Welcome to my/our world!
All’s well that ends well
well in contention
well away
Well then!
Well well! / Well well well!
well-heeled
well-read
well-wisher
wend one’s way
went skennin (Lancashire dialect for an unexpected fall)
Were you born in a barn?
a wet blanket
a wet suit
a wet weekend
wet one’s whistle
wet and warm
wet and wearisome
wet and windy
wet wipes
a whale of a game
wham bam / Thank you, ma’am!
What in blue blazes . . .?
What a carry-on!
What d’ya know, Joe? / I don’t know nothin’
What did he know and when did he know it?
What a difference a day makes!
What goes around comes around
What a hoot!
What in the world . . ?
It’s what it’s all about
What a lot of rot!
What one doesn’t know won’t hurt one
What in tarnation!
What a to-do!
what you will
for what it’s worth
What’s cookin’, good-lookin’?
What’s in the wind?
What’s done is done (Shakespeare, Macbeth, II, iv, 13)
That’s what makes this country great
What’s new with you?
What’s not to like?
What’s up, Doc?
know what’s what
what will be will be
not what you know but who you know
whatever floats your boat
whatever it takes
a whatnot
a wheeler-dealer/wheeling and dealing
The wheels are coming off the wagon
wheels within wheels
when all’s said and done
when the cows come home
when it comes to the crunch
when the dust settles down
when one is good and ready
When you get lemons, make lemonade
when it rains, it pours
When will it end?
the wherewithal
whet your appetite
when/while the going is good
Where there’s a will there’s a way
Where in the world is it?
whet someone’s appetite
a question of whether and when
everywhichway
while away the time
whim-wham
whining and whinging
whip into shape
whip up
a whippersnapper
a whirlwind
whisk out of sight
whisky/-a-go-go
whistle for/down the wind
Whistle while you work (song popular in the 1930s, sung by Gracie Fields)
whistling Dixie
a white elephant
a white lie
white lightning (slang for whisky)
white nights
a white van man
a Whitehall warrior
whiter than white
a whitewash
whithersoever
a whiz-kid
Who did/knew what, why, when?
Who’s he when he’s at home?
Who’s who?
the whole show
the whole world and his wife
wholehearted
Why are we waiting? (sung ad inf. by frustrated audience to tune of ‘O come let us adore him’))
Why doesn’t that surprise me?
the why and the wherefore
wibbly-wobbly
a wicked world
widdershins
widdle-waddle
wide awake
the wide blue yonder
wide-eyed
widen your horizons
wife in water-colours (a mistress)
wi-fi
wiggle-waggle
a wild card
a wild child
a wild goose chase
Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away
wild nights
The Wild West
wild and woolly
a wildcat strike
wildfire
wildlife
a will of one’s own
will not wash
will-o’-the-wisp
willy-nilly
win hands down
You win some, you lose some
Win win win win, win win win!  (see ‘Wo’)
a win-win situation
in the wind
wind and weather
window-dressing
window shopping
window on the world
the Windy City (Chicago)
wine and dine
wine, women, and song
wing one’s way to
winged words
a wing-ding
wining and dining
winky-wonky
winners and losers
a winning combination
a win-win situation
winter woollies
wipe the floor with someone
wipe off the map
wipe the smile off someone’s face
wise beyond/for his years
wish fulfilment
a wise guy
a wish list
wish you all the love and luck in the world
wish you well
wishful thinking
a wishing well
wishy-washy
the wit and wisdom of . . .
with it/not with it
with one’s tail between one’s legs
within a whisker of doing something
without fear or favour
without a doubt
witness protection
Wow wo wo wo, wo wo wo! (see ‘Win’)
the woes of the world
a wolf-whistle
a woman of the world
the wooden road to Bedfordshire
wonder of wonders
wonders of the world
our word our bond (Stock Exchange motto)
can’t get a word in edgeways
a word of warning
a word window
a word to the wise
word for word
in words of one syllable
words of wisdom
work around the clock
work the crowd
having one’s work cut out
work down to the wire
work or shirk
work your socks off
work in a vacuum
work one’s way towards/through
work wonders
workers and shirkers / strivers and shirkers
worked a treat
the working week
work-weary
the World, the Flesh and the Devil
a world of good
a world of hurt
an uncertain world
the world is watching
the world and its ways
all the world and his wife (a sexist idiom, as the cognitive linguist Elena Semino points out;  Semino 2009: 33)
worlds within worlds
world-weary
world-wide
worldly wise
the World-Wide-Web
Even a worm will turn
worm one’s way into/out of
the worried well
Worry worry worry!
a worrywart
worse for wear
the worst of all/both worlds
worst case scenario
if the worst comes to the worst
the worst journey in the world (from the title of a book about Antarctica by Apsley Cherry-Gerrard)
worth its weight in gold
worth one’s while
worth the wait / worth waiting for
Would if we could
Would it were!
Woulda coulda shoulda
Wouldn’t say ‘Boo!’ to a goose
wouldn’t want to be anywhere else
Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo! (i.e. Wait a minute!)
wrap it up / Wrap up!
wrapped up in
wreak havoc on
wriggle room
wrong question, wrong answer
for all the wrong reasons
wysiwyg (‘What You See Is What You Get’)

 

X

The x-factor
X marks the spot
Xerox subsidy

 

Y

yackety-yack
yadda yadda
Yeah yeah! (as stating sarcastic disbelief — celebratedly called out by Sidney Morgenbesser at a philosophical lecture by J. L. Austin in New York when Austin, discussing double negatives, had declared that there was no equivalent double positive)
year after year
year by year
year in, year out
year on year
a yellow belly
the Yellow Peril
the yellow press
yellow-bellied
Yes yes / Yes yes yes
yin and yang
Yippee-ki-yay!
Yo-heave-ho!
You are what you eat
You bet your boots!
You don’t know what you don’t know.
You don’t want to know!
You reap what you sow
You too!
You and whose army?
You and your /x/!
young guns (gifted young people in some endeavour)
your good lady (old-fashioned term for one’s wife)
Your guess is as good as mine
Your money or your life!
Your name is mud
You’re only young once
Youth is wasted on the young
YouTube
Yuck yuck!
yummy-mummy
yummy-yummy

 

Z

zero in on
zero-sum game
zero-zippo-zilch
zigged when he should have zagged
zigzag
Zip it!/your lip!
Zipperdee do da, zipper dee ay (refrain of Thirties popular song)
in the zone
a zoot suit