Origins of Sayings and Proverbs

List of Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Here is our list of common proverbs, sayings, and idioms.

A

• agog
• as mad as a hatter
• at a loose end

B

• back to square one
• balls against the wall
• batten down the hatches
• balloon has gone up, once the
• beat about the bush
• beat a retreat
• bee's knees, it's the
• berk
• bite the bullet
• bite off more than you can chew
• bitter end
• bog standard
• booby trap
• as bright as a button
• by and large

C

• chance your arm
• cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it's
• carry coals to Newcastle
• caught red-handed, to be
• cock and bull story, a
• crocodile tears, to weep
• cut and run

D

• daylight robbery
• as dead as a dodo
• dead in the water
• dead ringer
• dog's bollocks, the

E

F

• feather in your cap
• flash in the pan
• full nine yards (whole nine yards)

G

• get out of bed on the wrong side
• go with the flow
• good egg / bad egg
• groggy

H

• had your chips
• hand over fist
• hanging by a thread
• hoisted by your own petard

I

• if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours
• ignorance is bliss

J

K

L

• last ditch attempt
• left high and dry
• loose end, at a

M

• make money from old rope
• Mickey Finn
• monkey wrench

N

• nipper
• not enough room to swing a cat, there's

O

• once the balloon has gone up
• the origin of 'OK' (okay)
• on the fiddle
• over the barrel
• over the top

P

• pan out nicely
• pass with flying colours
• piping hot
• plumb the depths
• pull your finger out
• push the boat out

Q

R

• raining cats and dogs

S

• salad days
• sent to Coventry
• skeletons in the cupboard
• sick as a parrot
• sling your hook
• spick and span
• spill the beans
• splice the mainbrace
• strike while the iron is hot
• square meal
• swing the lead

T

• taken aback
• to have someone over the barrel
• throw down the gauntlet
• two-faced

U

• ugly duckling
• under the weather
• use your loaf
V

W

• weep crocodile tears, to
• whistle for it
• whole nine yards (full nine yards)
• wolf in sheep's clothing

X

Y

Z