Have an ax to grind Have an ax to grind to have a strong opinion about something, which you often try to persuade other people is correct, to have a private reason for doing something, to have a selfish motive in the background: Environmentalists have no political ax to grind – they just want to …
A bitter pill to swallow A bitter pill to swallow something that is very unpleasant but which must be accepted and dealt with: Losing the championship to a younger player was a bitter pill to swallow.
Thumbs Down 1100 Words Thumbs Down 1100 Words used to show disapproval of something, sign of rejection, denial, red light, veto, rebuff, negation: They’ve given our plan the thumbs down (= They have disagreed with our plan). Antonyms thumbs up
Let sleeping dogs lie Let sleeping dogs lie (idiom) said to warn someone that they should not talk about a bad situation that most people have forgotten about, used to say that you should not arouse sources of trouble, to avoid causing any trouble by not mentioning a problematic subject: Our sponsor is not in …
Red-letter Day 1100 Words Red-letter Day 1100 Words /ˌredˈlet.əˌdeɪ/ (idiom) a special, happy and important day that you will always remember, turning point, day to remember, occasion, event: The day I first set foot in America was a red-letter day for me. Antonyms ordinary day
I’m From Missouri 1100 Words I’m From Missouri 1100 Words I’m skeptical and cynic, to have doubt about something, to not be sure about something, doubtful, cynical, doubting, unconvinced, incredulous, uncertain, distrustful, dubious, suspicious, questioning: You might abide by his ideas so easily, but I’m from Missouri. Antonyms convinced, persuaded
Pass the Buck 1100 Words You Need Pass the Buck 1100 Words You Need to make someone else responsible or accountable for something that you’re in charge of, shift the blame, shift responsibility to someone else, evade responsibility, lay something at someone’s door: My older brother always used to pass the buck and blame me …
Take down a peg Take down a peg to make an arrogant and conceited person realize that they are not as important and influential as they think they are, to take the conceit out of a braggart, discourage, humiliate, damage one’s reputation, humble, disparage, demean, put down: That debacle in her presentation was enough to …
Stock-in-Trade 1100 Words Stock-in-Trade 1100 Words all the necessary equipment and tools that you need to have at work, goods and basic resources at work, all the requisites of a profession, staple, commodity, facility, means: As a professional blogger, a high-tech computer, smartphone, and stable internet access are the building blocks of my stock-in-trade. Antonyms …
Rule the Roost 1100 Words Rule the Roost 1100 Words To be the most powerful person in a group, to be in complete control, to be the person who makes all the decisions in a group, to call the shots, be in control, be in charge, be top dog, reign supreme, be in the saddle, …