Category: Idioms

Did your mom or grandma ever tell you ‘an apple a day keeps a doctor away?’ This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression ‘an apple a day keeps a doctor away’ emphasizes the importance of eating healthy. The phrase means you can avoid ill health by managing your diet […]

Are you tired of people comparing your work to someone else’s in a different field? Perhaps your partner keeps suggesting that you act or do something in the same way as someone else. If so, you should tell them to stop comparing apples to oranges. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. […]

Would you like to have a cool, pirate-inspired sentence that shows your astonishment at something, or expresses that you are amazed? The saying 'shiver me timbers' is one that you might have already heard that can be appropriate for this. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The saying 'shiver me […]

Have you seen the phrase 'cutting the rug' and would like to know more about its meaning and context? Saying that someone has 'cut the rug' or is going to, is a compliment as to their past or future dancing skills. The phrase is more popular in some decades than others. This post unpacks the […]

Power and control are important to keep societies in motion, but there must always be a balance. Be it in a small office, a sports team, or in the running of a country, it is important to pay attention to checks and balances. One way to explain the dangers is by saying absolute power corrupts […]

Are you looking for a way to describe the mortal weakness of someone who is all-powerful or perfect in all other ways? The phrase you're looking for is "Achilles' heel". Read on to discover where the phrase came from and how to use it in a sentence. ​​​Meaning The phrase Achilles' heel is also sometimes […]

Would you like to let someone know that it's time to put in some real effort, or tell someone that they have been too relaxed in their efforts and have been slacking off? The term 'resting on your laurels' is a saying that can be used to relate this to someone. This post unpacks the […]

Would you like to indicate to someone that you (or someone else) can be found in an area that's “off the beaten track” and not in the main part of the city? The saying 'in the sticks' can be used to say what you mean, and the colloquial term is popular especially when you're out […]

Would you like to refer to the fact that someone has said or done something to defend someone else, or would you like to make a reference to a robbery where there were guns involved? Hopefully it's the first, and not the second: the term 'sticks up' can be used to apply to both situations! […]

Would you like to let someone know that their insults are powerless to hurt you, and that the only thing you'll flinch for from them is actual, physical injury? The term 'sticks and stones may break my bones' is used to imply that their insults don't matter to you, even though they might. This term […]