Idioms List

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point the finger

To accuse; to assign blame

I don't want to point the finger at anybody, but somebody forgot to lock the door, Jim.

pull somebody's leg

To tease someone; to deceive or fool someone

Don't listen to Miguel. He must have been pulling your leg.

pull teeth

To do something very difficult or unpleasant.

Mary says that getting Max to take out the garbage is like pulling teeth.

put a sock in it

To be quiet; to stop talking.

Max went on talking trash about everyone until someone finally told him to put a sock in it.

put one's foot down

To take a firm stand; to insist, demand, or refuse.

Mary finally put her foot down and said that she wouldn't let anyone borrow money from her again.

put one's mind to it

To apply oneself; to channel one's effort toward a particular goal.

If Max put his mind to it, he could achieve anything.

rain cats and dogs

To rain very heavily.

You better bring an umbrella. It's raining cats and dogs out there.

raise a stink

To complain loudly; to make a fuss.

Every time I go to a restaurant with Max, he has to raise a stink about something.

raise the bar

To raise standards or expectations.

It's time for the auto industry to finally raise the bar on fuel efficiency.

read between the lines

To detect a meaning that is not stated explicitly.

He is very cheerful, but if you read between the lines, you'll understand that things aren't going too well.

right on the money

Exact; precise; exactly right.

Your prediction was right on the money.

ring a bell

To seem or sound familiar.

The name rings a bell, but I'm not sure if I know him.

rock bottom

The lowest possible level.

The government's credibility has hit rock bottom.

rock the boat

To go against the status quo; to follow principle rather than go along to get along.

The company's policies are unethical, but if you rock the boat, you'll get fired.

rub the wrong way

To irritate or annoy.

I know you say that Max is a nice guy, but something about him rubs me the wrong way.

scared to death

Extremely frightened

Max is scared to death of being alone with Mary.

scope out

To scout; to investigate; to check out.

We scoped out the perfect location for our beach party.

scratch the surface

To treat superficially; to barely begin.

Finished? We haven't even scratched the surface yet. There is a lot more to do.

see eye to eye

To agree; to have similar views; to get along.

Max and Mary rarely see eye to eye on anything.

see red

To become very angry; to be furious.

Max saw red when he found out that Mary went to Paris with John.

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