Idioms

Idioms

For common expressions in the language.

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Idioms

devil finds work for idle hands

Language; Idioms

When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people don't have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality.

mind the gap

Language; Idioms

Mind the gap is an instruction used on the Underground in the UK to warn passengers to be careful when leaving the tube or train as there is quite a distance between the train and the platform.

wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole

Language; Idioms

(UK) If you wouldn’t touch something with a bargepole, you would not consider being involved under any circumstances. (In American English, people say they wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole)

moral fibre

Language; Idioms

Moral fibre is the inner strength to do what you believe to be right in difficult situations Example: He lacked the moral fibre to be leader (In American English the correct spelling is ‘fiber’.)

poacher turned gamekeeper

Language; Idioms

Someone who gets a legitimate job which is the opposite of their previous one. E.G a computer hacker who then helps to catch other hackers or an ex-bank robber who then advises banks on security.

bad workers always blame their tools

Language; Idioms

A bad worker always blames their tools - If somebody does a job badly or loses in a game and claims that they were let down by their equipment, you can use this to imply that this was not the case.

some other time

Language; Idioms

If somebody says they’ll do something some other time, they mean at some indefinite time in the future, possibly never, but they certainly don’t want to feel obliged to fix a specific time or ...