6 Terms
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Idioms
For common expressions in the language.
Industry: Language
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Idioms
accident waiting to happen
Language; Idioms
If something is an accident waiting to happen, there's definitely going to be an accident or it's bound to go wrong. ('Disaster waiting to happen' is also used.)
cliffhanger
Language; Idioms
If something like a sports match or an election is a cliffhanger, then the result is so close that it cannot be predicted and will only be known at the very end.
needle in a haystack
Language; Idioms
If trying to find something is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it means that it is very difficult, if not impossible to find among everything around it.
wake up and smell the coffee
Language; Idioms
When someone doesn’t realise what is really happening or is not paying enough attention to events around them, you can tell them to wake up and smell the coffee.
push comes to shove
Language; Idioms
If or when push comes to shove, the situation has become some bad that you are forced to do something: If push comes to shove, we’ll just have to use our savings.
once bitten, twice shy
Language; Idioms
If somebody is said to be once bitten twice shy, it means that someone who has been hurt or who has had something go wrong will be far more careful the next time.
round the bend
Language; Idioms
If someone has gone round the bend, they have stopped being rational about something. If something drives you round the bend, it irritates you or makes you angry.
