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Phrases
Our database is made from Phrases, Idioms and Sayings that are in common use in English. Basically that includes anything that most people will have heard before and will recognise the meaning of.
The many thousands of phrases that are used every day in colloquial speech, like the whole nine yards, go for it and kiss and make up.
Cockney Rhyming Slang like apples and pears and currant bun.
The list is long and comprehensive and currently contains more than 1,000 entries. We continuously add new ones as they become known and as a subscriber you will also have the option of sending them to us.
Whether you want to resolve a friendly argument over how a saying or phrase originated or whether you just enjoy words, you'll probably find something here to interest you. Are you a professional writer? If so, you may find that these Pages could make your life easier.
Have you ever wondered where some of them used in everyday language come from? Many of them common in daily English originate from a wide variety of sources - folklore, history, literature, mythology, language & culture of other countries, old customs & practices, religion, science and superstition. Here you will find the Main Index for alphabetized pages with explanations of their meanings and where they originated. In some instances, we've provided examples. Some are waiting for your feedback!
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with ~ B~.
Baby Blues
Baby Boomer
Baby Father
The Back of Beyond
Back-Seat Driver
Back The Field
Back to Basics
Back to the Drawing Board
Back to Square One
Backroom Boy
In Someone's Bad Books
A Bad Egg
Bad Hair Day
Badgered to death
Bag and Baggage
The Balance of Power
The Balance of Trade
Ball and Chain
Bandy Words With
Bang on about
Baptism of Fire
Back Handed Compliment
Bag Lady
Baker's Dozen
Balls To The Wall
Bandy Words
Barefaced Liar
Barge In
Wouldn't touch with a Barge-Pole
Barking Mad
Basket Case
Barking up the wrong tree
Bated Breath
Bats in the Belfry
Batten down the hatches
Battle Royal
Be Afraid, be very afraid
Be Still, My Beating Heart
Beef and Reef
Make A Bee-line for
On Your Beam Ends
Beast with two backs
Beat about the bush
Beat Swords into Ploughshares
Beat a hasty retreat
Beat The Living Daylights out of someone
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Beauty is only skin deep
A Bed of Roses
A Bee in Your Bonnet
Beelzebub has a devil for a sideboard
Been There, Done That
Life's not all Beer and Skittles
The Bee's Knees
Beetle-Browed
Before you could say Jack Robinson
Beg The Question
Behind every great man there's a great woman
Behind the eight ball
Bell, Book and Candle
Below The Belt
Below The Salt
Belt and Braces
Belt Up
A Wide Berth
Best Bib and Tucker
The Best laid schemes of mice and men
The Bet your bottom dollar
My Better Half
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
Between a rock and a hard place
Between The Devil and the deep blue sea
Between Two Stools
Between You, me and the bed-post
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
Beyond Our Ken
The Big Apple
The Big Cheese
Big Fish in A Small Pond
The Big Easy
Bill Stickers is innocent
Like Billy-O
Billy No-Mates
Binge Drinking
Birds of a feather flock together
Bite The Dust
The Bitter End
As black as a Newgate's knocker
Black-On-Black
Blast from the past
Blaze A Trail
The Blind leading The Blind
Bling-Bling
Blonde Bombshell
Blood and Thunder
Blood is thicker than water
Bloody-Minded
A Blot on the landscape
Blow a raspberry (or) Raspberry Tart
Blow Your Mind
Blow Your Own Trumpet
Blue Blood
Blue-Plate Special
Bodice Ripper
Body Surfing
Bog Standard
A Bolt from the Blue
Bone Dry
Bone Idle
Bone Up On
Booby Prize
Booby Trap
Boogie-Woogie
Booze Cruise
Born Again
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
Born within the sound of Bow Bells
Boss-Eyed
Bottom Drawer
Bottom-Up
Bowl A Maiden Over
In the Box-Seat
Boxing Day
Get down to brass tacks
The Bread of Life
Break A Leg
Break The Ice
Bricks and Clicks
Broad in the Beam
As Brown As A Berry
Brownie Points
Brummagem Screwdriver
Bubble and Squeak
The Buck Stops Here
Buckle Down
Bums on Seats
A Bun in the Oven
A Bunch of Fives
Bunny Boiler
Burn the Candle at both ends
Burning The Midnight Oil
Bury The Hatchet
As Busy As a Bee
Bury Your Head in The Sand
Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth
By and Large
By Hook or By Crook
By Gum
Go By The Board
By The Book
By the short hairs
By The Skin of Your Teeth
Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Baron of Beef
Bat An Eyelid
Battling Windmills
Bean Feast
Bear Garden
Beat Around The Bush
Beat Him By A Long Chalk
Beat The Rap
Beef About Something
Beggars can not be choosers
Best Bib And Tucker
Bet Your Bottom Dollar
Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
Beyond The Pale
Big Cheese
Big Wig
Birds of A Feather Flock Together
Bite The Bullet.
Bite Your Tongue.
Black Ball Someone.
Black Sheep of The Family
Bleed Like A Stuck Pig
Blow Off Some Steam
Blow The Gaff
Blowing Smoke
Blue Moon
Bob is Your Uncle
Bone Up
Boot Camp
Bootleg Liquor
Boot is On The Other Foot
Born With A Silver Spoon in Your Mouth
Botch A Job
Bottom of The Barrel
Bought The Farm
Box and Cox
Box Your Ears
Brand Spanking New
Break A Leg
Brown Nosing
Brownie Points
Burn The Candle At Both Ends
Bury The Hatchet
Bust Your Balls
Busting Your Chops
Butt of A Joke
Buy A Pig in A Poke
By George
By Hook or By Crook
By The Short Hairs
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with C.
Called on the carpet
Can It
Can't Get a Word in edgewise
Can't Hold a Candle to
Carry The Can
Cat Bird Seat
Catch 22
Caught Eavesdropping
Caught Red-Handed
Caught with his pants down
Chaise Lounge
Champ at the bit
Chapter and Verse
Charity begins at home
Charm the pants off
Charmed Life
Cheap at half the price
Chew The Fat
Chink in the armor
Chip on his shoulder
Chock Full
Choke Someone Off
Christmas Tree
Clapped Out
Clean as a whistle
Clean Bill of Health
Clear as a bell
Clear The Decks
Climb on the bandwagon
Close but no cigar
Cock-a-Hoop
Cock and Bull Story
Cock Up
Cockles of your heart
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
Cold Turkey
Come a Cropper
Con Artist
Cook one's goose
Cook The Books
Cooking With Gas
Cool as a cucumber
Copper Bottomed Guarantee
Cotton on to someone
Cracker Jack
Credit where credit is due
Criss Cross
Crocodile Tears
Curate' s Egg
Curry Favour
Cut and Run
Cut from the same cloth
Cut No Ice
Cut out for you
Cut The Mustard
Cut to the chase
Cut to the quick
Call A Spade A Spade
The Call of the Wild
The Camera cannot lie
Canteen Culture
Carbon-Copy
Carbon Footprint
Card-Sharp
On Carey Street
Carpe Diem
Carry Coals to Newcastle
Cash on the nail
Put The Cart before The Horse
Carte Blanche
Never Cast a clout till May be out
In the Catbird Seat
Cat's Cradle
Caught by the short hairs
Chalk and Cheese
Channel Surfing
Charley Horse
Charm Offensive
Cherchez la Femme
Chew The Cud
Chick Flick
Chinless Wonder
Chip Off the old block
Chip On his shoulder
Chit-Chat
Chock-a-Block
Chop and Change
Chow Down
A Christmas Box
Christmas Card Verses
Clear Blue Water
Climb On the bandwagon
Clod-Hopper
Close Quarters
Close Your Eyes and Think of England
Cloud-Cuckoo-Land
On Cloud Nine
Don't Have a Clue
A Load of Cobblers
Cock-Sure
Cock a Snook
Cogito, Ergo Sum
Coin A Phrase
Cold As any stone
Cold Comfort
Cold Enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
Cold Feet
Cold Shoulder
Cold Turkey
The Collywobbles
Colour Up
Come A Cropper
Come On Down
Come Up Trumps
Come What May
When It Comes to the crunch
Coming in on a wing and a prayer
Comparisons are odious
Compassion Fatigue
Cooking The Books
As Cool As a Cucumber
Cool Britannia
Cop An Attitude
Copper-Bottomed
Cor Blimey
Cordon Bleu
Cost an arm and a leg
A Countenance more in sorrow than in anger
Counting Sheep
The Course of true love never did run smooth
The Crack of Doom
The Crapper
Crocodile Tears
Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war
A Curate's Egg
Curiosity killed the cat
Curry Favour
The Customer is always right
Cut and Run
Cut of your jib
Cut Off your nose to spite your face
Cut The Mustard
Cut to The Chase
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with ~ D~.
Dance Attendance On
A Daniel come to judgement
Darby and Joan
Dark Horse
The Darling Buds of May
Date Rape
Davy Jones' locker
Daylight Robbery
Dead as a Dodo
Dead as a Doornail
Dead cat bounce
A dead ringer
Deus ex Machina
Designer Stubble
Between The Devil and the deep blue sea
The Devil Incarnate
The Devil takes the hindmost
The Devil to pay
A Diamond in the rough
A Diamond is Forever
Die-Hard
The Die has been cast
Different Kettle of Fish
Differently Abled
Dirt Bag
A Dish fit for the Gods
A Does Not Know shit from Shinola
A Dog Days
Dog in the Manger
Dog's Bollocks
Dog's Breakfast
Dog's Dinner
In the Doldrums
Done a Runner
Done to a turn
Donkey's Years
Do not call us, we will call you
Do not change horses in midstream
Do not count your chickens before they hatch
Do not go there
Do not have a clue
Do not keep a dog and bark yourself
Do not look A Gift Horse In The Mouth
Do not Poke The Bear
Do not pull my leg
Do n't throw the baby out with the bath water
Do not try to teach your Grandma to suck eggs
Double Dutch
Double Whammy
Down at Heel
Down The Pan
Down The Tubes
Draw a Blank
Drink like a fish
Driving while Black
Drop-Dead Gorgeous
Dog Watch
Dot Your I's And Cross Your T's
Doubting Thomas
Down In The Mouth
Down The Hatch
Down To The Gnat's Ass
Down To The Short Strokes
Down To The Wire
Draw The Line
Dressed To A Tea
Dressed To The Nines
Drive Carefully
Drive Someone Doolally
Drop a Dime
A Drop in the Bucket
Dropping like Flies
Drummed out of the Army
Play Ducks and Drakes
Dust Up
Duvet Day
Drop The Hammer
Drum Up Support
Ducks In A Row
Dust to Dust
Dutch Treat
Dyed In The Wool
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with ~ E~.
Earmark Something
Earn One's Stripes
Easy as pie
Eat one's words
Eat your heart out
Eating Crow
Eating Humble Pie
Egg on your face
Eleventh Hour
Even Steven
Everything but the kitchen sink
Everything's Jake
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry
The Early Bird catches the worm
Extraordinary Rendition
Excuse my French
Excuse me while I kiss this guy
Ear Candy
I'll Eat My Hat
Eaten out of house and home
Economical with the truth
Egg On
Eighty Six
Elementary my dear Watson
The Elephant in The Room
Elvis has left the building
Et Tu Brute
Ethnic Cleansing
Even at the turning of the tide
Everybody Out
Exceedingly Well Read
The Exception that proves the rule
Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with F.
The face that launched a thousand ships
Face The Music
Face The Music : 2
Fair and Square
Fair Play
Fair to Middling
Fait Accompli
Faith Will Move Mountains
Fall From Grace
Fall Guy
Fall off the back of a lorry
Fall on your sword
Famous for fifteen minutes
Fancy Free
Fancy-Pants
Far be it from me
Far From The Madding Crowd
Farmers
Fashion Victim
Play Fast and Loose
Fat City
Living Off the fat of the land
A fate worse than death
A Feather in one's cap
Feather in your cap
Feeding Frenzy
Fellow Traveller
The Female of the species is more deadly
than the male
Fiddling while Rome burns
Fie, foh, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman
Field Day
Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Fifth Beatle
Fifth Column
Fight Fire with Fire
Fight Fire with Fire : 2
Fight The Good Fight
Filthy Rich
Finagle's Law ( or ) Murphy's Law
Find The Pony
As fine as frog's hair
Finger-Lickin' Good
All Fingers and Thumbs
First Rate
Of The First Water
First World
Fish or cut bait
Fish or cut bait : 2
A fish out of water
Fit as a butcher's dog
Fit as a fiddle
Fit as a fiddle : 2
Fit to be tied
Fits and Starts
Flag Something Down
Flash in the pan
Flash in the pan : 2
Flat Out
Flavor of the month
Flesh and Blood
The floozie in the jacuzzi
Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam and Jetsam : 2
Fly By the seat of one's pants
A fly in the ointment
Fly in the face of
Fly Off the handle
Fly Off the handle : 2
Fly on The Wall
Flying by the seat of your pants
Flying Colours
Foam at The Mouth
Fob Off
Fools' Gold
A Fool's Paradise
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Foot in The Door
Foot The Bill
For crying out loud
For ever and a day
For every thing there is a season
For Keeps
For The Birds
For The Birds : 2
For The Love of Pete
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Forbidden Fruit
Forgive them for they know not what they do
A Foregone Conclusion
Foul Play
Four by Two
Four corners of the earth
Frailty, Thy Name is Woman
Friday Afternoon Car
A Friend in need is a friend indeed
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears
Frog in one's throat
A Frog in one's throat : 2
From sea to shining sea
From Soup to Nuts
From Stem to Stern
From Strength to Strength
Fruit of Your Loins
Fuddy-Duddy
Full as a tick
Full of Piss and Vinegar
The Full Monty
Full Tilt
Funny Farm
Fuzzy Wuzzy
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with G.
Gadzooks
The game is afoot
The game is up
A game of two halves
Gee Whiz
Generation X
Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration
Get A Leg Up
Get down to brass tacks
Get off on the wrong foot
Get one's goat
Get over it
Get The Gist
Get The Sack
Get The Kinks Out Of
Get thee behind me Satan
Get Underway
Get used to it
Get Your Dander Up
Get Your Dander Up : 2
Get your goat
Get Your Sea Legs
My giddy aunt
Act the giddy goat
Gift of the gab
Gild The Lily
Ginger
Ginger Up
Ginned Up
Give A Wide Berth
Give someone a break
Give up the ghost
Giving someone the bird
Glass Ceiling
Gloom and Doom
Go and boil your head
Go Berserk
Go By The Board
Go By The Board : 2
Go By The Book
Go Dolally
Go-Faster
Go Fly A Kite
Go Haywire
Go like the clappers
Go off at half-cock
Go out on a limb
Go Postal
Go pound sand
Go over like a lead balloon
Go to pot
Go to the dogs
Go to the mattresses
God is Dead
God rot Them
Godfrey Daniel
Going nineteen to the dozen
Going South
Going to hell in a handbasket
GOLF - Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden
Gone for a burton
Gone to the dogs
As Good As Gold
Good Bye
Good in Parts
Good Men and True
A good man is hard to find
Good Riddance
Good Samaritan
Goody Two-Shoes
Gordon Bennett
Got my mojo working
Grace of God
Grain of Salt
Grand Slam
Grandfather Clock
Granny Dumping
Grasp The Nettle
Grass Up
Graveyard Shift
Greased Lightning
The Great Unwashed
Green-Eyed Monster
Gregory Peck
Grin like a Cheshire cat
Grinning like a Cheshire Cat
Words ending in GRY
Guinea Pig
Gum up the works
Gung Ho
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with H.
Had Your Chips
Hair of the dog
The Hairy Eyeball
Halcyon Days
Go off at Half-Cock
Half Cocked
Half Inch
Ham Actor
Hand Over Fist
Handbags at Ten Paces
Win Hands Down
Hang by a thread
Hanky Panky
Hanky Panky : 2
As Happy as a clam
As Happy as a clam : 2
As Happy as a sandboy
As Happy as Larry
Happy-Clappy
Happy Slapping
Hard and Fast
Hard Cheese
A hard man is good to find
Hard Lines
Hard Up
Hark, hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings
Harp On
Hasta La Vista
Hat Trick
Haul someone over the coals
Have a Captain Cook
Have A Screw Loose
Have an axe to grind
I have not got a clue
Heath Robinson Solution
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches
He will give the Devil his due
Head Over Heels
Heads Up
Hear Hear
Heard it through the grapevine
Heart's Content
Heavens to Betsy
Heavens to Murgatroyd
Heavy Metal
Heebie-Jeebies
Hedge Your Bets
Hell bent for leather
Hell has no fury like a woman scorned
Hell in a handbasket
Hell or high water
Hell's Half Acre
Helter-Skelter
Hem and Haw
Hep-Cat
Here lies one whose name was writ in water
Here I raise My Ebenezer
Here Today : Gone Tomorrow
Het Up
On a hiding to nothing
High and dry
High Five
High-Flyer
High on the hog
High, wide and handsome
High on the Hog
High Time
Hissy Fit
History is Bunk
Hit The Books
Hit the ground running
Hit The Hay
Hit The Nail on The Head
Hit The Nail on The Head : 2
Hit The Sack
Hob-Nob
Hobson's Choice
Hobson's Choice : 2
Hocus-Pocus
Hog Wash
Hoi Polloi
Hoist by your own petard
Hoity-Toity
Hold A Candle to The Devil
Hold A Candle : 2
Hold Your Feet to The Fire
Hold your horses
Holding a Wake
Hooray Henry
A Horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse
Horse and Cart
Horse Feathers
Horse of a different colour
Horse Play
Horse Sense
Straight from the horse's mouth
Hot off the press
Hot on the heels
A house divided against itself cannot stand
Houston, we have a problem
How are the mighty fallen
How Now brown cow?
How Sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child
Hugger-Mugger
Hung, drawn and quartered
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory : 2
Hurts Like The Dickens
Hush Puppies
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with I.
I Bear A Charmed Life
I don't give a fig
I don't give a jot
I have not slept one wink
I have nothing to declare but my genius
I have nothing to offer
but blood, toil, tears and sweat
I have not got a clue
I See You stand like greyhounds in the slips
I spy with my little eye
I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
Icing on the cake
Identity Theft
If I had my druthers
If Music Be the food of love, play on
If the shoe fits, wear it
If You can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
If you think that, you have another think coming
I am stumped
I'll be there with bells on
I will give you that to boot
I will go to the foot of our stairs
An ill wind
In a Nutshell
In a Pig's Eye
In A Pickle
In a quandary
In A Trice
In an interesting condition
In Cahoots With
In Fine Fettle
In High Cotton
In Hock
In Jug
In Like Flynn
In Like Flynn : 2
In Limbo
In my mind's eye
In Someone's Bad Books
In Stitches
In The Bag
In The Bag : 2
In The Black
In The Box-Seat
In The Buff
In The Cart
In The Cart : 2
In The Catbird Seat
In The Club
In The Doghouse
In The Doldrums
In The Doldrums : 2
In The Limelight
In The Limelight : 2
In The Nick of Time
In The Offing
In The Pink
In The Pink : 2
In The Red
In The Red : 2
In Trouble
In Your Face
In The Twinkling of An Eye
Indian Giver
Indian Summer
Infra Dig
Iron Hoof
Irons in the fire
Is The Pope Catholic?
Is The Pope Polish?
Is this a Dagger which I see before me?
It came like A Bolt from the blue
It is all grist to the mill
It is better to give than to receive
It is Better to light a candle than curse the darkness
It is Meat and Drink to me
It is that man again
It never rains but it pours
It takes two fools to argue
It's a Doozy
It is a long road without a turn
It's All Fiddlesticks
Ivory Tower
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with K.
Kangaroo Court
Kangaroo Court : 2
Katy Bar The Door
Katy Bar The Door : 2
As Keen as mustard
Keep a stiff upper lip
Keep a wide berth
Keep body and soul together
Keep Danger at Bay
Keep It under your hat
Keep It under your hat : 2
Keep It Up
Keep Schtum
Keep the ball rolling
Keep up with the Joneses
Keep your chin up
Keep your nose to the grindstone
Keep Your Pants On
Keep your pecker up
Keep your powder dry
Keep Your Shirt On
Keeping Up with the Jones's
Keepy-Uppy
Kettle of Fish
Khyber Pass
Kick The Bucket
Kick The Bucket : 2
Kick your heels
Kilroy was here
King of the hill
Kiss and Tell
Kiss Me Hardy
Kiss of Death
Kit and Caboodle
The whole Kit and Caboodle : 2
Kitchen Cabinet
Knee-jerk reaction
Knick-Knack
A knight in shining armour
A knock-back
Knock Off
Knock Off Work
Knock On Wood
Knock On Wood : 2
Knocked into a cocked hat
Knows which side of her bread is buttered
Know the ropes
Know your onions
Know which way the wind blows
Knuckle Down
Knuckle Down : 2
Knuckle Under
Knuckle Under : 2
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with L.
La-di-da
La dolce vita
A Labour of Love
Lager Frenzy
Laid out in lavender
Lamb to the slaughter
Lame Duck : 1
Lame Duck
Lardy-Dardy
Lark About
Last but not least
The last straw
Laugh like a drain
Laughing-Stock
Lay An Egg
Lay it on with a trowel
Lay it out in lavender
Lead-pipe cinch
Learn the ropes
The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
Left in the lurch
A Legend in one's own lifetime
A leopard cannot change its spots
Less is More
Let a thousand flowers bloom
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let The Cat out of The Bag
Let The Cat out of The Bag : 2
Let Them Eat Cake
Let Them Eat Cake : 2
Let there be light
Let Your Hair Down
Let Your Hair Down : 2
Level playing field
A lick and a promise
Lick into shape
Lickety-Split
Lie Low
Life in the 1500s - folk etymologies
Life of Riley
Life is not all beer and skittles
Life is too short
Like a chicken with its head cut off
Go over like a Lead Balloon
Like a moth to a flame
As alike as two peas in a pod
Like being savaged by a dead sheep
Like billy-o
Go Like the clappers
Like The Dickens
Lily Bellied
Lily-Livered
Lions led by donkeys
A little bird told me
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
Live long and prosper
The living daylights
Living Hand to Mouth
Living off the fat of the land
Living on borrowed time
Living The Life of Riley
Lo and Behold
Lo and Behold : 2
Load of Cobblers
Load of Cobblers : 2
Load of Codswallop
Load of Codswallop : 2
Loaded for Bear
Loaf of bread
Local Derby
Lock and Load
Lock, Stock and Barrel
Lock, Stock and Barrel : 2
Long in The Tooth
Long in The Tooth : 2
Look a gift horse in the mouth
Loose Cannon
Loose Cannon : 2
Loose Lips sink ships
Loose Lips sink ships : 2
Lord Willing and the creek don't rise
Lose face-Save face
Lose your marbles
The love that dare not speak its name
Loved-Up
Low Man on the totem pole
Lucky Stiff
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with M.
As mad as a March hare
As mad as a hatter
Mad as a hatter : 2
Magical Realism
Main Chance
Make a bee-line for
Make a virtue of necessity
Make Both Ends Meet
Make Haste
Make Him an offer he can't refuse
Make Money hand over fist
Make My Day
Make No Bones About It
Make No Bones About It : 2
Makes your hair stand on end
Making Hay
Mal de mer
A man after my own heart
Many are called but few are chosen
Man does not live by bread alone
Man Up
Man's Inhumanity to Man
Many a true word is spoken in jest
Many Happy Returns
Marital Aid
Mark My Words
Market Forces
Marry in Haste, repent at leisure
May you live in interesting times
The Real McCoy
Mea Culpa
It is Meat and Drink to me
Meat and Two Vegetables
Meet Your Waterloo
Men in Suits
Ménage à trois
Mend Fences
Men's Evil Manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water
Merry Christmas
A Mickey Finn
A Mexican Wave
Middle of The Road
Might and Main
The Pen is mightier than the sword
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Milk of human kindness
Minced Oath
Mind your own Beeswax
Mind your P's and Q's
Mind your P's and Q's : 2
A Ministering Angel shall my sister be
Misery Acquaints a man with strange bedfellows
Well-Known Misquotations
Moaning Minnie
Mondegreens
Monkey Business
Monkey's Uncle
Montezuma's Revenge
The Full Monty
Moot Point
Morbid Obesity
More honoured in the breach than in the observance
More Fool You
Morning Person
Mother Country
Mouth-Watering
A Moveable Feast
The Moving Finger Writes
Moving The Goalposts
Much ado about nothing
Much of a muchness
Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
Your Name is Mud
A Multitude of Sins
Mumbo Jumbo
Mum's The Word
Mutt and Jeff
The Mutt's Nuts
My Bad
My Better Half
My cup runneth over
My Husband and I
My Giddy Aunt
My Giddy Aunt : 2
My Mind's Eye
My Old China
My Old Dutch
My Salad Days
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with ~N~.
Nail Your Colours to the mast
The Naked Truth
Namby-Pamby
Name and Shame
Your Name is Mud
Name will be Mudd
Nasty, Brutish and Short
A Nation of Shopkeepers
Ne'er Cast A Clout till May be out
Needs Must
Neither a borrower nor a lender be
Neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring
Neither Here nor There
A Nest-Egg
Never Knowingly Undersold
Never give a Sucker an even break
Never-Never Land
Never The Twain shall meet
New Kid on the block
Nice as Ninepence
Nice Kettle of Fish
Nickel-and-Dime
Nine days' wonder
Nine Days' Wonder : 2
Nip and Tuck
Nip in the bud
Nitty-Gritty
A No-Brainer
No Dice
No Holds Barred
No Man is an island
No more cakes and ale?
No Names, No Pack-Drill
No Rest for The Wicked
No Room to swing a cat
No Way, Jose
Not All it's cracked up to be
Not Enough Room to Swing A Cat
Not Fit to hold a candle
Not for all the tea in China
Not playing with a full deck
Not Tonight Joséphine
Not Up To Scratch
Not Worth A Plugged Nickel
Not Worth A Whistle
Not Worth The Candle
Not Worth The Candle : 2
Nothing is certain but death and taxes
Nothing succeeds like success
Now is the winter of our discontent
To The Nth Degree
Nul Points
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with O.
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
O Ye, of Little Faith
Odds Bodkins
Off The Record
Off With His Head
Oh, they have slain the Earl of Moray and
Lady Mondegreen
Okay
Okey-Dokey
As Old As Methuselah
As Old As The Hills
Old Fogey
Old Lang Syne
On a Good Footing
On A Hiding to Nothing
On a Lark
On A Wing and A Prayer
On Carey Street
On Cloud 9
On Cloud 9 : 2
On Queer Street
On The Ball
On The Bubble
On The Dole
On The Dot
On The Fiddle
On The Fly
On The Grapevine
On The Lam
On The Level
On The QT
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
On The Wagon
On The Wagon : 2
On The Warpath
On With The Motley
On Your Beam Ends
On Your Beam Ends : 2
On Your Tod
Once in a blue moon
Once in A Blue Moon : 2
Once More unto the breach, dear friends, once more
One for the road
One for the road : 2
One-Hit Wonder
One Red Cent
One Sandwich short of a picnic
One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind
One Stop Shop
One Over The Eight
One's Heart's Content
Oops-a-daisy
Open Season
The Order of The Boot
Out like a light
Out of Sight : Out of Mind
Out of Sorts
Out of The Jaws of Death
Out of The Mouths of babes and sucklings
Over A Barrel
Over A Barrel : 2
Oversexed, overpaid and over here
Over The Hill
Over The Moon
Over The Top
Over The Top : 2
Oxo Cube
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with P.
Paddle your own canoe
Paint The Town Red
Paint The Town Red : 2
Pan Out
Paper Tiger
Pardon My French
Parthian Shot
Parting Shot
Pass The Buck
Pass The Buck : 2
Pass with flying colours
P D Q
Pearls Before Swine
Pears for your heirs
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom : 2
Peg Out
Pell-Mell
The Pen is mightier than the sword
The Penny Drops
Pester Power
Peter Out
Physician - Heal Thyself
Pick and Mix
A Picture paints a thousand words
Picture-Perfect
As easy as Pie
Pie in the sky
Piece of Cake
Piece of Cake : 2
Piece of Piss
Pig and Whistle
Pig's Ear
Pig in a poke
A Pig in a poke
Pigeon-Chested
Pin Money
Take with a Pinch of Salt
Pipe Down
Pipe Dream
Piping Hot
Piss like a racehorse
A Place for everything and everything in its place
A Plague on both your houses
Plain Sailing
Plates of Meat
Play by Ear
Play Ducks and Drakes
Play Fast and Loose
Play It again Sam
Play The Giddy Goat
Play The Race Card
As Pleased As Punch
Pleased as Punch
Not Worth A Plugged Nickel
Point Percy at The Porcelain
Point-Blank
Point to Point
Politically Correct
Pommy-Bashing
Pond Life
Pony and Trap
Poor as a Church Mouse
Pop goes The Weasel
POSH - Port out, starboard home
Possession is nine points of the law
Pot calling the kettle black
Take Potluck
The Pot calling the kettle black
Pot To Piss In
Pound of Flesh
Pour Oil on Troubled Waters
Power Corrupts : Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Power Dressing
The Powers That Be
Praying at The Porcelain Altar
Preaching to the choir
Press into Service
Pretty Damn Quick
Pretty Kettle of Fish
Pretty Kettle of Fish : 2
Pretty Much
Prick up your ears
Prime Time
Primrose Path
The Proof of The Pudding
Pull out all the stops
Pull The Wool over one's eyes
Pull The Wool over one's eyes : 2
Pull Your Chain
Pull your finger out
Pull Yourself up by your bootstraps
Pull Up Stakes
Punch above one's weight
Push The Boat Out
Push The Envelope
Pushing The Envelope
Put A Damper On
Put a sock in it
Put a Spanner in the works
Put English on it
Put in the clink
Put my two cents in
Put on The Wooden Overcoat
Put on your thinking cap
Put on your thinking cap : 2
Put Paid To
Put The Cart before the horse
Put the dampers on
Put The Mockers On
Put Through The Hoop
Put The Wood in The Hole
Put Up Your Dukes
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Put Your Back Up
Put Your Nose Out Of Joint
Pyrrhic Victory
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with R.
Rabbit and Pork
Rack and Ruin
Rack Your Brains
Rag, Tag and Bobtail
Raining Cats and Dogs
Raining Stair-Rods
Raise Cain
Raise The Roof
Raspberry Tart
Rat-Arsed
Raze to the ground
Read Between The Lines
Read Between The Lines : 2
Read The Riot Act
Reading the riot act
The Real McCoy
Red Carpet
Caught Red-Handed
Red Herring
Red Herring : 2
Red in Tooth and Claw
Red Letter Day
Red Letter Day : 2
Red Light District
Red Sky at Night
Red Tape
Religion is the opium of the people
Rhyme nor Reason
Richard of York gave battle in vain
Richard The Third
A Riddle wrapped up in an enigma
Riding Shotgun
Right as Rain
Ring A Ring o'roses, a pocketful of posies, atishoo, atishoo, all fall down
Ring Down The Curtain
Ring-Fencing
Ring of Truth
Ring The Changes
Ring The Changes : 2
Rings A Bell
Rinky-Dink
Rise and Shine
Road Apples
The Road Less Travelled
Road Rage
Roll with the punches
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Room to swing a cat
A Rose is a rose is a rose
A Diamond in The Rough
Round Robin
Round Robin : 2
Round The Bend
Route One
Rub It In
Rube Goldberg Contraption
Rule of Thumb
Rule of Thumb : 2
A Rum Do
Run A Mile
Run Amok
Run of The Mill
Run Out of Steam
Run The Gamut
Run The Gauntlet
Run The Gauntlet : 2
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with S.
Sacred Cow
A Safe Pair of Hands
Safe Sex
Salad Days
One Sandwich short of a picnic
Lose Face - Save Face
Saved By The Bell
Savoir Faire
Say Goodnight Gracie
Scape Goat
Scarper
Screw Your Courage to the sticking place
Scuse me while I kiss this guy
Saved by the bell
Scot Free
Screw The Moose
A Sea Change
Sealed with a Loving Kiss
Seamy Side
Season of Mists and mellow fruitfulness
See A Man about a dog
See Red
Sell By The Candle
Sell Yourself Short
Send Packing
Senior Citizen
Sent to Coventry
Separate The Sheep from The Goats
Set one's cap at
Sex and Shopping
Sexton Blake
The Seven-Year Itch
The Whole Shebang
Shake A Leg
Shaggy Dog Story
Shall I Compare thee to a summer's day?
Shanks' Mare
Share and Share Alike
Shilly-Shally
Ship Shape
Ship-Shape and Bristol Fashion
Shit for Brains
Shiver My Timbers
Shoe In
Shoot Through
Short End of the stick
Short Shrift
A Shot Across The Bows
The Shot heard 'round the world
A Shot in The Arm
A Shot in The Dark
Show A Leg
Show Your Mettle
Show your true colours
Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil
Shut Your Cake-Hole
Sick Puppy
A Sight for Sore Eyes
Silence is Golden
Silly Billy
Silver Bullet
Sitting Duck
At Sixes and Sevens
Skeletons in the closet
Skid Row
By The Skin of Your Teeth
The Sky is the limit
Sleep Like A Top
A Sledgehammer to crack a nut
Sleep Tight
Sloane Ranger
Slow Poke
Slush Fund
Sly as a fox
Smart Alec
Smart Casual
Smoke and Mirrors
So Long
So Sue Me
Soap-Dodger
Sold Down The River
Some Are Born Great
Some Men are Born Mediocre
Something Old, something new, something borrowed
Something for The Weekend Sir?
Son of a gun
Son Of A Gun : 2
A Sorry Sight
Sound Bite
Sour Grapes
Space : The Final Frontier
Spaghetti on the wall
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Speak Off The Cuff
Speak of the Devil
Speak of the Devil : 2
Speak Softly and carry a big stick
Special Relationship
Spend A Penny
Spelling-Bee
Spick and Span
Spill The Beans
Spin A Yarn
Spin Doctor
Spitting Image
Spruce-Up
Square Meal
Squeaky Bum Time
Star-Crossed Lovers
Start from Scratch
Stark, Raving Mad
Stave Off
Stand and Deliver
Stand-Up Guy
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Steal A March
Steal One's Thunder
A Sticky Wicket
Stink to high heaven
Keep a Stiff Upper Lip
Stiffen The Sinews
Stone The Crows
Stone The Crows : 2
A Stone's Throw
Stony-Hearted
Stool Pigeon
As Straight As A Die
Straight and Narrow
Straight as an arrow
Straight from the horse's mouth
Straight from the horse's mouth : 2
Strain At The Leash
Strait and Narrow
Stranger Danger
Strike while the iron is hot
Stuff and Nonsense
Stump Someone
Stump Up
Such is Life
Sucking Hind Tit
Surf and Turf
Surfing
Survival of The Fittest
Suspension of Disbelief
Swan Song
Sweet Fanny Adams
Swing The Lead
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with T.
The Tail Wagging The Dog
Take A Back Seat
Take a Dive
Take Down a Peg or Two
Take a Powder
Take Another Tack
Take By Storm
Take Potluck
Take someone down a peg
Take The Bit between your teeth
Take The Day Off
Take the guilt off the gingerbread
Takes The Cake
Take The Cake : 2
Take The Mickey
Take Umbrage
Take With a Grain of Salt
Taken Aback
Talk of The Devil
Talk to The Hand
Tanstaafl
Technicolor Yawn
Teflon President
Tell It to the marines
Test Your Mettle
That is All Folks
That Is one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind
The Apple of My Eye
The Back of Beyond
The Balloon goes up
The Bee's Knees
The Best laid schemes of mice and men
The Big Apple
The Big Easy
The Bitter End
The Blind leading The Blind
The Bottom Line
The Bowels of The Earth
The Bread of Life
The Buck Stops Here
The Buck Stops Here : 2
The Call of The Wild
The Camera Cannot Lie
The Chickens come home to roost
The Cold Shoulder
The Collywobbles
The Course of True Love never did run smooth
The Crack of Doom
The Crapper
The Customer is always right
The Cut of Your Jib
The Darkest Hour is just before the dawn
The Devil Incarnate
The Devil takes the hindmost
The Devil to Pay
The Die has been cast
The Early Bird catches The Worm
The Elephant in The Room
The Exception which proves The Rule
Living Off The fat of the land
The Face that launched a thousand ships
The Female of the species is more deadly than the male
The Fifth Beatle
The Floozie in The Jacuzzi
The Fly in The Ointment
The Full Monty
The Game is Up
The Great Unwashed
The Hairy Eyeball
The Heebie-Jeebies
The Last Straw
The Living Daylights
Gild The Lily
The Love that dare not speak its name
The Moving Finger Writes
The Mutt's Nuts
The Nth Degree
The Pen is mightier than the sword
The Pen is mightier than the sword : 1
The Powers That Be
The Pot calling the kettle black
The Proof is in the pudding
The Proof of The Pudding : 2
The Road less travelled
The Seven-Year Itch
The Shot Heard 'round the world
The Smoking Lamp is Out
The Sky is The Limit
The Third Degree
The Triumph of hope over experience
The Usual Suspects
The Whole Kit and Caboodle
The Whole Nine Yards
The Whole Nine Yards : 2
The Whole Shebang
The World is Your Oyster
The Writing is on the wall
The Writing is on the wall : 2
The Year Dot
The Yellow Peril
There's An R in the month
There are three kinds of lies.
There is no Alternative
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Thick and Thin
A Thing of Beauty is a joy forever
Things that go bump in the night
Put on Your Thinking Cap
Third Time Lucky
A Thorn in The Flesh
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Though this be madness, yet there is method in it
Three Score and Ten
Three Sheets to the wind
Three Squares
Three Strikes and you are out
Through Thick and Thin
Throw a monkey wrench into the works
Throw Someone to the wolves
Throw your hat into the ring
Thumbs Up
Ticked Off
Tickle The Ivories
Tickled Pink
Tie The Knot
Tied to her apron strings
Till the cows come home
Tilting at Windmills
Time and Tide wait for no man
A Tinker's Damn
Tit for Tat
Tits-Up
To a T
To Badger someon
To Be or not to be
To Be beside yourself
To Be fed up
To Boldly Go where no man has gone before
To Boot
To Bring Home The Bacon
To Cast the first stone
To Chance your arm
To Close Ranks
To Egg On
To Fall Foul
To Feather One's Nest
To Fork Out
To Get Fired
To Go Haywire
To Go the whole hog
To Harp On
To Have A Field Day
To Have A Gammy Leg
To Have Cold Feet
To Hedge One's Bets
To Hell in a hand basket
To Knock (or beat) the tar out of
To Know Beans
To Lark About
To Play Hookey
To Run Amok
To Save one's bacon
To Shoot The Crow
To Skin A Cat
To Sleep
To Take Aback
To Talk Gibberish
To The Bitter End
To The Manner Born
To Travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive
To Undermine
To Wreak Havock
Toe-Curling
Toe The Line
Tomorrow is another day
Tongue in Cheek
Toodle-oo
Too Much of a good thing
Top Dog
Top Drawer
Top Notch
Topsy Turvy
Touch and Go
Would Not Touch with a barge-pole
Touchy-Feely
Tout De Suite
Tower of Strength
Train Surfing
Trench Mouth
Trick or Treat
Trip The Light Fantastic
True Blue
Truth Will Out
Tuckered Out
Turkey Shoot
Turn The Tables
Turn Up Trumps
Turn A Blind Eye
Twelve Good Men and True
Twenty Four Seven
Twenty Three Skidoo
Two Cents' Worth
As alike as Two Peas in a pod
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with ~U~.
Under My Wing
Under The Gun
Keep It Under Your Hat
Under The Weather
Get Underway
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
The Unkindest Cut of All
The Great Unwashed
Up A Blind Alley
Up A Gum Tree
Up The Creek without a paddle
Upper Crust
Upper Hand
Upset The Apple Cart
Up The Duff
Up to Snuff
Ups-a-Daisy
Urban Myth
The Usual Suspects
Using A Sledgehammer to crack a nut
This is the largest collection of Phrases beginning with W.
Walk The Plank
Warts and All
Wake Up Living
We are a Grandmother
We are not Amused
Wearing your heart on your sleeve
We Few, we happy few, we band of brothers
We Have Seen Better Days
We Know where you live
Wear The Trousers
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Weasel Words
Wee-Wee
Well-Heeled
Well You're Not Missing Much
Wet behind the ears
What A Piece of work is man
What Are You like?
What God Has joined together let no man put asunder
What is not to like?
What is the skinny?
What is up Doc?
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other...
What Part of no don't you understand?
What You See is what you get
When It Comes to the crunch
When The Chips Are Down
When The Shit hits the fan
Where There is muck there's brass
Whet Your Appetite
While You Live, tell truth and shame the Devil!
Whipping Boy
Whistle down the wind
Whistle For It
As White As Snow
White Bread
White Elephant
The Whole Kit and Caboodle
The Whole Nine Yards
The Whole Shebang
Whoops-a-Daisy
A Wide Berth
Widow's Peak
Wild and Woolly
Wild Goose Chase
Wild Goose Chase : 2
Willy-Nilly
Win Hands Down
Win One for The Gipper
Wing and a prayer
Wing It
Wish You Were Here
With a grain of salt
With Bated Breath
Woe is Me
A Wolf in sheep's clothing
A Woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
Women and Children First
Wool Gathering
Word Association Football
Word for Word
A Word in your shell-like
Words Ending in GRY
Work to a deadline
Worth Its Salt
Would Not Touch with a barge-pole
The Writing is on the wall
Wrong End of the stick
Phrases from Shakespeare
It is Meat and Drink to me
Lay it on with a trowel
Lie LowLike The DickensLove is BlindMakes your hair stand on endMen's Evil Manners live in brass; their virtues we write in waterMilk of Human KindnessMisery acquaints a man with strange bedfellowsMore Fool YouMore honoured in the breach than in the observanceMuch ado about nothingMum is The Word
My Salad DaysNeither a borrower nor a lender beNight OwlNo more cakes and ale?Now is the winter of our discontentO Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?Off With His HeadOh, That Way Madness liesOnce more unto the breach, dear friends, once moreOut of The Jaws of DeathPound of FleshPrimrose PathRhyme nor ReasonSalad DaysSans Teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everythingScrew your courage to the sticking placeSend Him PackingSet One's Teeth on EdgeShall I compare thee to a summer's day?Short ShriftShuffle Off This Mortal CoilSmooth runs the water where the brook is deepSome are born greatSomething is rotten in the state of DenmarkStar-Crossed LoversStiffen The SinewsStony-HeartedSuch stuff as dreams are made onThe bowels of the earthThe Course of True Love never did run smoothThe Crack of DoomThe Devil IncarnateThe game is afootThe Game is UpThe quality of mercy is not strainedThe Queen's EnglishThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortuneThe smallest worm will turn, being trodden onThereby Hangs A TaleThere's Method in My MadnessThis is the short and the long of itThis is very midsummer madnessThis Precious Stone set in the silver sea, this sceptered isleThough This Be madness, yet there is method in itTo be or not To be : That is the questionTo sleep : perchance to dream : ay, there's the rubToo much of a good thingTruth Will OutUnder The Greenwood TreeUneasy lies the head that wears a crownVanish into thin airWe Few, we happy few, we band of brothersWe Have Seen Better DaysWear your heart on your sleeveWhat a piece of work is manWhen sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions
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