Phrases and Idioms 201-300 (critical - event)

  Phrases and Idioms Meaning
201. critical  – the critical list A list of hospital patients who are extremely ill or seriously injured and at risk of death
202. cross  - at cross purposes Mutual misunderstanding due to each side referring to a different matter
203. cross  – cross a cheque To draw or print two parallel lines across a cheque so that it can only be paid into a bank account.
204. cross  - cross one’s fingers Cross one finger with another as a sign of hope that a good or the wished-for thing will happen.
205. cross  - cross one’s heart Make a sign of the cross over one’s heart to emphasize what one is saying is true.
206. cross  – cross one’s mind Occur in one’s thought.
207. cross  - cross swords with To have an argument or dispute with someone.
208. cross  - cross the floor Walk over to join the opposing side in Parliament.
209. cruel  - a cruel blow A tragic event that is so unfair and occurs so suddenly.
210. cry  - in full cry In hot pursuit
211. cudgel  – cudgel one’s brain To think very hard about something.
212. cudgel  - take up cudgels To start to fight for or defend something one strongly believes in.
213. curry  - curry favour with To bring oneself into favour with someone by flattering or pleasing them.
214. cut  - a cut above Noticeably better than others.
215. cut  - cut a dash To appear attractive when one puts on particular clothes.
216. cut  - cut and dried (agreement, decision, etc.) reached and cannot be changed.
217. cut  - cut and paste In computing, remove text from one location to place it on another.
218. cut  - cut and run Withdraw from a situation that becomes difficult rather than attempt to cope with it.
219. cut  - cut and thrust Uncontrolled and rough environment.
220. cut  - cut both ways Have both good and bad sides
221. cut  - cut in line To jump queue.
222. cut  - cut it out Used to tell someone to stop saying or doing something.
223. cut  - cut no ice Will not be able to bring about change in someone.
224. cut  - cut somebody free/loose To set someone free by cutting the rope that binds them.
225. cut  - cut somebody short To stop someone from finishing what they are saying.
226. cut  - cut someone dead To deliberately ignore someone.
227. cut  - cut the cord To not continue depending on someone.
228. cut  - cut the crap Used to tell someone to stop wasting time on minor details and concentrate on the important ones.
229. cut  - cut the mustard To be good enough to reach certain standard.
230. cute  - get cute with To be mischievous.
231. dagger  – at daggers drawn With mutual hatred.
232. damnedest  - do one’s damnedest To try extremely hard to succeed or obtain something.
233. damsel  – damsel in distress A young woman who needs to be rescued.
234. dark  – in the  dark In a state of ignorance.
235. day  – day of reckoning The time when someone has to face up to the consequences of their actions.
236. dead  - be dead meat To be in serious trouble.
237. dead  – dead and buried Over and finished, no longer worth considering.
238. dead  – dead man’s shoes Succeeding someone or inheriting his property is only possible on his death.
239. dead  – dead on time At the stated or agreed time.
240. deal  - it’s a deal Used to express one’s agreement to something.
241. deal  - strike a deal Mutually agree to do something for each other.
242. death  – at death’s door So ill that one may die soon.
243. death  - on death row To be kept in the area of a prison where prisoners awaiting execution are confined.
244. declare  – declare an interest To make known publicly that one holds an interest in something.
245. decline  – someone’s declining years Last years of one’s life when one experiences diminishing physical strength and good health.
246. delusion  – delusions of grandeur Possessing a very strong sense of self-importance.
247. dice  – dice with death To place oneself in a rather risky position.
248. dish  – dish the dirt To engage in casual conversation or idle gossip about other people.
249. divide  – divide and rule To maintain control over people, and provoke dissent between them to ensure they do not rise in opposition.
250. do  – do or die To persist in a course of action even if the outcome is death.
251. do  - dos and don’ts The things that one must and must not do in a given situation.
252. do  – that does it! Used to show that one can tolerate no more.
253. dog  - a dog’s age A very long time.
254. dog  - dog eat dog A situation in which people compete ruthlessly.
255. dog  – going to the dogs Deteriorating with no possibility of improving.
256. doing  – take some doing Involving hard work or much effort.
257. domino  - the domino effect A situation in which one event triggers similar events around it to happen successively.
258. done  - a done deal An agreed proposal or a completed business deal.
259. done  - the done thing To be socially acceptable.
260. dot  – on the dot Punctually.
261. dot  – to a dot Exactly; precisely.
262. dotage  –  in one’s dotage In one’s old age.
263. double  - at/on the double Very quickly.
264. drag  – drag one’s feet To be deliberately slow to do something.
265. drain  - down the drain Entirely wasted.
266. draw  - draw a blank To be unsuccessful, especially after searching for something such as evidence, etc.
267. draw  – draw someone’s eye To make someone notice something.
268. dress  – dress a salad Add a mixture of additional ingredients onto a salad.
269. dress  – dressed to kill Quality clothes worn to make a striking impression.
270. drop  – drop a bombshell To suddenly reveal a shocking piece of news.
271. drop  – drop a clanger/brick To pass an embarrassing remark in a social environment.
272. drop  – drop a hint To convey something in an indirect way by what one says or does.
273. drop  – drop one’s guard To cease keeping careful watch for possible danger.
274. drown  – drown one’s sorrows To forget one’s problems by drinking a lot of alcohol.
275. drum  – drum one’s fingers To unconsciously display one’s anxiety.
276. due  – in due course At the appropriate time in the future.
277. due  – pay one’s dues Make regular payments to; fulfil one’s obligations.
278. duff  - up the duff Pregnant.
279. dust  – dust and ashes Something that causes great disappointment.
280. early  - an early grave Dying too soon.
281. early  – it’s early days Early in time for something to happen, etc.
282. earn  – earn one’s keep To do enough work to justify what one receives in return.
283. earth  – go to earth Go into hiding.
284. eat  – eat humble pie Admit one’s mistake and offer an apology.
285. eat  - eat one’s words Retract one’s statement, usually under pressure.
286. economy  – economies of scale To economic benefit of production of an item in large quantities.
287. effect  - to that effect Getting the desired outcome or meaning.
288. empty  – empty your bowels To defecate.
289. end  – be the end Be the limit of what one can tolerate.
290. end  - days on end Lasting many days.
291. end  – end in itself (an) Something that one really wants to do, and not for other reasons.
292. end  – end it all To kill own self; commit suicide.
293. end  – end to end Arrange things in a row with ends touching
294. end  – in the end Eventually; ultimately.
295. end  – make ends meet To live within one’s means.
296. end  - to that end To aim at or achieve something.
297. end  – to this end For this purpose.
298. even  - get even with To inflict harm or insult on someone just as much as they have harmed or insulted you.
299. event  - in any event Used to emphasize that an event will happen besides others that may happen.
300. event  - in the event Used to emphasize what actually happened or might happen in a given situation.