Search Results
| Search type | Search syntax |
|---|---|
| Tags | [tag] |
| Exact | "words here" |
| Author |
user:1234 user:me (yours) |
| Score |
score:3 (3+) score:0 (none) |
| Answers |
answers:3 (3+) answers:0 (none) isaccepted:yes hasaccepted:no inquestion:1234 |
| Views | views:250 |
| Code | code:"if (foo != bar)" |
| Sections |
title:apples body:"apples oranges" |
| URL | url:"*.example.com" |
| Saves | in:saves |
| Status |
closed:yes duplicate:no migrated:no wiki:no |
| Types |
is:question is:answer |
| Exclude |
-[tag] -apples |
| For more details on advanced search visit our help page | |
Results tagged with idiom-requests
Search options not deleted
user 319429
This tag is for questions seeking an idiom that fits a certain meaning. If you are asking more generally about a suitable phrase to use in a particular context, see the "phrase-request" tag. If you are seeking only a single word, see the "single-word-requests" tag.
18
votes
Accepted
Idiom for willingly turning your back on the past
burn one's bridges has the sense of making a drastic change so you can't go back. It often implies doing something drastic or so bad you can never go back, but this isn't essential
Farlex Free Diction …
- 10.8k
15
votes
Idiom for when two people agree on an idea for very contrasting reasons
Marriage of convenience is sometimes used in this extended sense. Originally it means two people getting married for a reason other than love, e.g. for immigration status, tax, or to cover up their ho …
- 10.8k
3
votes
Word or idiom for: a sudden but short burst of enthusiasm?
Flurry is another possible word for a brief moment of activity, meaning amongst other things "a brief period of commotion or excitement". There are also related meanings "a sudden occurrence of many t …
- 10.8k
4
votes
Accepted
What will the the idiom or phrase for to cross the river without making feet wet?
They don't want to get their hands dirty.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English gives one meaning of this as "to get involved in the difficult, dishonest, or unpleasant side of something"
Example …
- 10.8k
0
votes
Idiom for mistaking the part for the whole
Can't see the wood for the trees (UK) or Can't see the forest for the trees (US) refers to the situation where you are looking at a small component, such as an individual tree, and can't see the fores …
- 10.8k
0
votes
Suitable phrase for an easy journey?
A walk in the park is "something that is very easy to do, and usually pleasant" according to Cambridge dictionaries.
It's not always used of journeys - Cambridge gives the example sentence "He's used …
- 10.8k
3
votes
A phrase/idiom/expression to say that a problem is not new?
The old fashioned saying 'twas ever thus (it was ever thus - Free Dictionary) and the originally French plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more it changes, the more it's the same thing - Wi …
- 10.8k
0
votes
A less morbid equivalent of the idiom "Giving someone enough rope to hang himself"
Give somebody the freedom to make mistakes or give somebody the space to make mistakes.
These are often used in the context of management and education. It's a bit nicer than talking about hanging (or …
- 10.8k
1
vote
How should I describe text that is inappropriate on Stack Exchange?
To a linguist this is phatic use of language, defined in Lexico as "Denoting or relating to language used for general purposes of social interaction, rather than to convey information or ask questions …
- 10.8k
0
votes
When an African-American hero says 'enough already, you are asking too much of me'
"He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day."
Based on a quote attributed to Demosthenes, whose words are more accurately translated "A man that runs away may fight again." Versions ar …
- 10.8k
-1
votes
Idiom/proverb or phrase about never forgetting wrong doings
You fuck one goat... or you fuck one sheep....
This is based on a well-known joke; here's one version
A big Scot is sitting in a bar, ranting as he downs his pints. He pounds his hand on the bar, say …
- 10.8k
43
votes
English equivalent of the Farsi expression "if it is decided to get the drunks, they will ha...
English doesn't have a specific phrase like this, but there are many variations of
phrases like "if you do X, the jails would be full by noon" or "...the jails would be full by nightfall", emphasising …
- 10.8k
2
votes
What is a phrase for being stuck at a job because of unwillingness to take a risk?
To tread water is literally to swim in place moving your legs and not going anywhere. But it has a common figurative meaning: as Collins Cobuild says, "If you say that someone is treading water, you m …
- 10.8k
12
votes
What is the English equivalent to the proverb "Somebody finds his soup not thick enough, and...
Perhaps the nearest is Chandler's sarcastic complaint in Friends season 2: "My wallet is too small for my fifties and my diamond shoes are too tight." This, and particularly the last 6 words, are wide …
- 10.8k
0
votes
Is there a better word for 'anonymity' here?
The idea of a city as providing anonymity is a common one, so that's probably as good a word as any. Some examples follow.
In 2017, the BBC quoted Peter Swire, professor of law and ethics at Georgia I …
- 10.8k