Olde Idioms/Sayings Worth Hanging Onto

Achilles’ heel
Across the board
Albatross around one’s neck
Alive and kicking
All dressed up and nowhere to go
(It was) all Greek to me.
All in the same boat
All systems go
All that glistens is not gold
Angry young man
Apple of the eye
Armed to the teeth
At each other’s throats
Avoid like the plague

Babe in the woods
Back to the drawing board
Back to the wall
Bad hair day
Baptism by fire
Bark is worse than his bite
Beating about the bush
Beauty is only skin deep.
Below the belt
Beside oneself
Bite the bullet
(To the) bitter end
Blessing in disguise
Blow by blow account
Bone to pick
Boondoggle
Brass tacks
Break a leg
Break the ice
Bring the house down
Bring home the bacon
Buck the system
Burning bridges
Bury the hatchet
By and large

Call it a day
Call a spade a spade
Carte blanche
Catch 22
Caught red-handed
Chip off the old block
Chip on his shoulder
Clear the decks
Cold shoulder
Credibility gap
Crocodile tears
Curiosity killed the cat
Cut the mustard
Cutting edge

Dark horse
Dead heat
Dead ringer
Devil’s advocate
Dog days
Don’t give a fig
Don’t count your chickens
Don’t shoot the messenger
Double cross
Down in the dumps
Draconian measures
Drop of a hat

(The) Eagle has landed
Easy as ABC
(Don’t put all your) eggs in one basket
Every dog shall have his day
Eye for eye
Eye of the needle

Fall on your sword
Fifth column
Final straw
Fingers crossed
(At) first blush
Fit as a fiddle
Flash in the pan
Flotsam and jetsam
(Go) fly a kite
Fly off the handle
Freudian slip
Full of beans

Get one’s goat
(Don’t look a) gift horse in the mouth
Gone to pot

Halcyon days
Ham actor
Hang fire (Hold tight)
Hard-up
High and dry
(On his) high horse
Hoist by one’s own petard
Hold the fort (Hold the phone)
(Eating) humble pie

In the groove
Inside track
Irons in the fire

Jam session
Je ne sais quoi
Jog the memory
Jump the gun

Kangaroo court
Keep it mum
Keep your shirt on
Killing with kindness
Kiss of death
Know the ropes

Lay an egg
Learn by heart
Leave no stone unturned
Let the cat out of the bag
Let her rip
Lock, stock, and barrel

(In the) long run
Loose cannon
Luck of the Irish

Mad as a hatter (Mad as a March hare)
Make the grade
Make no bones about it
Make one’s mark
Mending fences
Method in his madness
Midas touch

Naked truth
Nest egg
Nick of time
Nipped in the bud
No great shakes
No such thing as a free lunch
Nodding acquaintance
(Keep your) nose to the grindstone
(It’s) not over till the fat lady sings

Off the wall
Old boys’ network
On the back burner
On the level
On the wagon
Over a barrel
Over the moon

Pan out
Paper tiger
Pass the buck
Pay the piper
Pecking order
Pipe dream
Poetic justice
Point blank
Pot calling the kettle black
Potluck
Pound of flesh
Pull one’s leg
Pull one’s weight
Put a sock in it

Rack one’s brains
Rain check
Raining cats and dogs
Rat race
Read between the lines
Real McCoy
Red herring
Red letter day
Red tape
(It’s not) rocket science
Rope them in
Rotten apple
Rule of thumb
Run amuck
Run the gauntlet
Run of the mill

Salad days
Scraping the bottom of the barrel
Scot-free
Seat of the pants
Seventh heaven
Shilly-shallying
Shindig
(With a) silver spoon in his mouth
Sit on one’s hands
Skin of our teeth
(Nothing to) sneeze at
Spick and span
Spruce up
Steal one’s thunder
Stomping ground

Take a back seat
Take the cake
Take a gander
(Now you’re) talking turkey
Third degree
Thrown in the towel
Tip of the iceberg
Touch and go
Trump card

(Taking) umbrage
Under the weather
Upper crust
Upset the apple cart
Upstage

Vote with your feet

Wash one’s hands of
Washout
(Don’t be a) wet blanket
Whatever floats your boat
Whipping boy
White elephant
White feather
Wide berth
Wild goose chase
Wing and a prayer
Worth his salt
Writing is on the wall.