Go up in Smoke Go up in smoke (idiom) to be burnt and destroyed completely, to be a complete failure, burst into flames, burn to the ground, catch fire, collapse, go wrong, go awry: My computer suddenly crashed and all my 4-hour work went up in smoke. Antonyms come to fruition, come into bloom, develop, …
Carry the day Carry the day to be successful and victorious, to succeed, to win the approval of the majority, to triumph, overcome, conquer, get the better of, triumph over, defeat: In the presidential campaign, the Democratic Party could eventually carry the day. Antonyms fail
Crocodile Tears 1100 Words You Need Crocodile Tears 1100 Words You Need insincere tears, false show of grief, false tears, false sadness, pretended sadness: The wicked stepfather started to shed crocodile tears when the anxious mother noticed he had punished her little son physically. Antonyms sorrow, sorrowfulness, grief, mourning
Beard the lion in his den Beard the lion in his den to have this courage to visit and oppose a person in authority on his own grounds, to confront risk and danger by accosting someone in power, challenge someone, oppose, accost, detain, defy, face up to, object to, dispute: Discontented with her low salary, …
Wet Blanket 1100 Words You Need Wet Blanket 1100 Words You Need someone who kills or spoils other people’s joy or fun, killjoy, spoilsport, party pooper, stick-in-the-mud, stuffed shirt, misery: I wish we hadn’t invited Kim to the party. He just turned the party into total melancholy. Such a wet blanket! Antonyms sanguine, cheerful, upbeat
Pyrrhic Victory 1100 Words You Need /ˌpɪr.ɪkˈvɪk.tər.i/ (idiom) Definition a victory that is too costly and therefore not worth winning, bitter victory, a victory in which the winner suffers so much that it is tantamount to defeat: Example The camp could finally reach for the summit of Mount Everest. However, they lost 3 of their …
Sword of Damocles Sword of Damocles If you have a sword of Damocles hanging over you/your head, something bad seems very likely to happen to you, something that threatens to cause imminent disaster, a bad and disastrous event that might occur anytime: The treaty hung like a sword of Damocles over the French politics. Antonyms …
Pour Oil on Troubled Waters Pour Oil on Troubled Waters to make peace among people or stop a quarrel, reconcile, put people back on friendly terms, end conflict between people, calm someone down, settle down, quiet down, conciliate, pacify, appease, mollify, placate, soothe, resolve: There was such hostility between the two political parties that no …
A Flash in the Pan A Flash in the Pan a sudden success which is not lasting and ends quickly, a success that will never happen again, short-lived success: Mr. Anderson’s second book, which was a big failure, proved that his first book was just a flash in the pan. Antonyms crowning achievement, tour de …
A pig in a poke A pig in a poke an item that you purchase without checking or seeing it first and turns out to be a disappointment, unchecked bought item: I bought that digital camera online, but unfortunately, it just appeared to be such a pig in a poke.