Clues To Use

Please read this section "Clues To Use" at least once before you start using the list of English idioms and expressions on this site. It includes pointers on how to get the best out of this website.

Also:
Means the following idiom or expression has the same meaning, or is very similar, BUT is not necessarily included on this site.

Also see:
Means the following idiom or expression has the same meaning, or is very similar, AND is listed on this site.

Compare to:
Means the following idiom or expression has a somewhat different meaning, AND is listed on this site.

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The hidden meanings of English idioms and expressions or phrases are provided, but the more obvious (literal) meanings are not.

Example 1:
In defining Coming from behind, we don’t mention Approaching from behind, which is the obvious meaning.

Example 2:
In defining Hot potato, we don’t say A potato that is hot.

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The entries in The List have been tabulated alphabetically in their most common form.

Example:
If you’re looking for the meaning of: It was raining cats and dogs, you should look under "R" for: Raining cats and dogs.
Or, you could use the "Find" feature of the PDF file to look for one of these keywords: Rain, Raining, Cat, or Dog.

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And finally:

Single words that are defined in dictionaries are not included here, unless they have unique applications.

Example
An actual example from the list of idioms follows. In this example, the expression is: By a long shot, which is then described, and then used in examples.

By a long shot

By a large margin.
By a large amount.

When you say: Our team won the game by a long shot, you mean something like: When we won, our team was ahead by many points.

When you say: We’re not out of trouble by a long shot, you mean something like: We’re not out of trouble at all. We have a long way to go.

Also:

It’s a long shot, means: It’s unlikely, as in:
Q. Do you think they can win?
A. No, it’s a long shot.

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Well, that's it. We hope you will enjoy using our list!

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