List of Phrases and Idioms 801-900 (rough – state)

  • Rough around the edges: Not perfectly refined, somewhat crude or coarse.
  • Rough diamond: Someone who might be a little gruff or uncouth, but is ultimately good-natured or possesses some redeeming quality.
  • Round the bend: Insane, mad.
  • Run of the mill: Average, ordinary, or standard.
  • Run off one's feet: Extremely busy or overworked.
  • Run out of steam: To lose energy or enthusiasm.
  • Salt of the earth: A person who is thoroughly decent, honest and reliable.
  • Save face: To preserve one's honor, dignity, or good reputation.
  • Saved by the bell: Rescued from a difficult situation at the last moment.
  • Scared stiff: Extremely frightened
  • See eye to eye: To agree fully; to have the same opinion or view.
  • See the light: To find the truth or to come to a realization.
  • Sell like hotcakes: To sell quickly or in large quantities.
  • Set in stone: Fixed or immutable; not subject to any alteration.
  • Set the world on fire: To greatly impress or have a huge impact.
  • Sit tight: To remain in the same place or condition; to wait patiently or calmly.
  • Skeleton in the closet: A hidden shame or secret crime.
  • Sleep with one eye open: To remain wary; to not fully trust.
  • Slip of the tongue: An error in speaking in which a word is pronounced incorrectly, or in which something is said unintentionally.
  • Small fry: Someone or something insignificant or unimportant.
  • Smell a rat: To suspect trickery or deception.
  • Smooth sailing: Progress without difficulty or effort.
  • Snow under: To overwhelm, typically with work or information.
  • Spick and span: Very clean and tidy.
  • Spill the beans: Reveal a secret.
  • Split hairs: To argue about inconsequential and trivial matters.
  • Stab in the back: To betray someone.
  • Stand one's ground: To not change one's position or opinion.
  • Steal someone's thunder: To take the attention or praise for oneself that one's peer would have otherwise received.
  • Stick to one's guns: To stay in a fixed or immovable position, even when faced with opposition.
  • Stonewall: to obstruct or hinder any discussion.
  • Straight from the horse's mouth: From an authoritative or reliable source.
  • Straighten up and fly right: To begin behaving correctly or responsibly.
  • Take a back seat: To assume a lesser role; to become less proactive or less critical in a situation.
  • Take by storm: To captivate completely or take by surprise.
  • Take the bull by the horns: To confront a problem head-on and deal with it openly.
  • Take the cake: To stand out as the best or worst; to surpass all others.
  • Throw in the towel: To give up; to admit defeat.
  • Thumbs down: A sign of disapproval or rejection.
  • Thumbs up: A sign of approval or agreement.
  • Tight-lipped: Silent; unwilling to speak or express one's feelings or intentions.
  • Till the cows come home: For a very long time, quite indefinitely.
  • Tip of the iceberg: Small evident part or aspect of something largely hidden.
  • Top dog: A person who is dominant or at the top in a situation or group.
  • Turn over a new leaf: To make a fresh start; to reform oneself.
  • Under one's belt: Already achieved or secured.
  • Under the table: Illegally, or secretively.
  • Up in arms: Extremely upset or angry; ready to protest vigorously.
  • Vale of tears: A trying or miserable state or condition.
  • Walk on eggshells: To be extremely cautious about one's words or actions.
  • Waste not, want not: If one is not wasteful then one will not be in need.
  • What's done is done: There's no changing the past; past events cannot be altered.
  • When in Rome, do as the Romans do: One should adopt the customs of the place to which one has moved.
  • Whistle in the dark: To attempt to stay cheerful in difficult times.
  • Wild goose chase: A hopeless quest or pursuit of something unattainable.
  • With bells on: With enthusiasm; ready or eager to participate.
  • With flying colors: With great or total success.
  • With open arms: Warmly; with enthusiasm; with a warm welcome.
  • Worth one's salt: Competent, skilled, especially in relation to one's job or task.
  • X marks the spot: Used to indicate a precise location.
  • Year in, year out: Year after year, consistency over time.
  • Zero in on: To direct all of one's attention or focus on a particular object or activity.
  • Zip one's lip: Keep quiet, withhold comment.

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