Showing 50 of 1,235 (page 20).
law of the jungle
The idea that only the strong survive
“It's THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE in this business”
learn by heart
To memorize something perfectly
“You need to LEARN this poem BY HEART”
learn the ropes
To understand the basics of a new task or job
“You need to LEARN THE ROPES”
leave no stone unturned
To do everything possible
“I'll LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED”
lend a hand
To help someone
“Can you LEND A HAND with this?”
lend an ear
To listen to someone, especially sympathetically
“Can you LEND me AN EAR for a moment?”
let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid interfering in a situation that is currently causing no problems but might do so if you disturb it
“I'd rather LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE.”
let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret, often accidentally
“I LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG about the surprise”
let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret, often by accident
“Don't LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG about the surprise party”
level playing field
A fair situation where everyone has an equal chance
“We need a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD”
lie through your teeth
To boldly lie
“He's LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH”
light at the end of the tunnel
Signs that a difficult period will end
“I can finally see THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.”
like a hermit
Living alone and avoiding other people
“He's been living LIKE A HERMIT since his wife died”
like beating a dead horse
A waste of time; continuing to discuss something that is already decided or settled
“Discussing this further is LIKE BEATING A DEAD HORSE.”
like gold dust
Something that is very difficult to get because a lot of people want it
“Tickets are LIKE GOLD DUST”
like pulling teeth
Very difficult; requiring a lot of effort to get something done
“Getting information from him is LIKE PULLING TEETH”
like talking to a brick wall
Trying to communicate with someone who won't listen or understand; a waste of time
“Talking to him is LIKE TALKING TO A BRICK WALL”
like two peas in a pod
Very similar; very much alike
“They're LIKE TWO PEAS IN A POD”
live and let live
To accept other people as they are
“I believe in LIVE AND LET LIVE, generally.”
look before you leap
Think before you act
“You should LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP”
lose the plot
To become confused, crazy, or no longer understand what's happening
“I think he's LOSING THE PLOT”
lose touch
To stop communicating with someone
“We LOST TOUCH after college”
lose track
To forget or lose awareness of something
“I LOST TRACK of time completely.”
lose your head
To become upset or confused
“Don't LOSE YOUR HEAD”
lose your train of thought
To forget what you were saying or thinking about
“I lost my TRAIN OF THOUGHT when the phone rang”
low hanging fruit
Easy targets or accomplishments
“Let's go after THE LOW HANGING FRUIT first”
make a long story short
To summarize something briefly; to get to the point
“TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, we lost.”
make ends meet
To earn just enough money to live on
“We struggle to MAKE ENDS MEET, frankly.”
make my day
To make someone very happy
“That would really MAKE MY DAY”
many hands make light work
Jobs are easier when many people help
“MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK, apparently.”
memory like a sieve
A very bad memory; to forget things easily
“I have A MEMORY LIKE A SIEVE”
method to my madness
Despite one's approach seeming random, there is actually structure to it
“There's A METHOD TO MY MADNESS”
middle of nowhere
A remote place
“We got stuck IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”
miles away
Not paying attention; daydreaming
“You were MILES AWAY during the meeting”
mind your own business
Don't ask about other people's affairs
“MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS”
miss the boat
To be too late to take advantage of an opportunity
“I MISSED THE BOAT on that investment opportunity”
miss the point
To not understand the main idea or meaning of something
“You're MISSING THE POINT”
money doesn't grow on trees
A reminder that money is limited and hard to get
“MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES”
music to my ears
Something very pleasant to hear
“That was MUSIC TO MY EARS”
my cup of tea
Something I enjoy
“That's not MY CUP OF TEA”
my head is killing me
To have a very bad headache
“I can't come - MY HEAD IS KILLING ME”
nail your colours to the mast
To make it obvious what your opinions or plans are
“He NAILED HIS COLOURS TO THE MAST on this issue”
neck of the woods
A particular region or neighborhood
“In this NECK OF THE WOODS”
needle in a haystack
Something impossible to find
“It's like looking for A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK”
neither here nor there
Not relevant to the topic
“That argument is NEITHER HERE NOR THERE”
nervous wreck
Someone who is extremely nervous
“I was A NERVOUS WRECK before the interview.”
never say never
Anything is possible
“NEVER SAY NEVER”
new kid on the block
A newcomer to a place or situation
“He's THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK at work”
night owl
Someone who stays up late
“I'm a NIGHT OWL”
nip something in the bud
To stop something before it develops further
“We need to NIP THIS IN THE BUD immediately.”