A
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
a bitter pill
ace in the hole
a chip off the old block
a day late and a dollar short
about face
ace in the hole
according to Hoyle
Achilles' heel
a dime a dozen
albatross around ones neck
all that glitters isn't gold
An apple a day keep the doctor away.
apple of one's eye
at a loose end
at the drop of a hat
a whip-round

B
bad blood
baker's dozen
banker's hours
basket case
'bated breath
bat shit crazy
be a tall order
beat around the bush
bees knees
between the devil and the deep blue sea
beg the question
better to have loved and lost
bet the farm
birdbrain
birds and the bees
bite off more than one can chew
bite the bullet
bite the dust
black sheep
black market
blood in the water
blood is thicker than water
break a leg
break the bank
break the mold
bucket list
bull in a china shop
bump on a log
bun in the oven
by the seat of one's pants
C
calm before the storm
canary in the coal mine
cat got your tongue
cat's pajamas
caught between a rock and a hard place
caught red handed
c'est la vie
cold turkey
cold shoulder
crocodile tears
cross the line
crying over spilt milk
cry wolf
cut the cheese
cut the mustard

D
dead as a doornail
devil's advocate
diamond in the rough
dickens to pay
doesn't hold a candle to
dog and pony show
don't drink the Kool-Aid
don't change horses in the middle of a stream
don't have a cow
Doubting Thomas
down the tubes
dropping dime
Dutch courage
E
easy does it
eat, drink, and be merry (for tomorrow we die)
eat ones words
eye for an eye
eye of the storm

F
false start
few beers short of a six-pack
fiddle while Rome burns
fight fire with fire
fit as a fiddle
Five-by-Five
five-finger discount
flash in the pan
flight of fancy
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
for a song
fox in the hen house
from scratch / to make from scratch
from A to Z

G
get a grip
get the shaft
get the lead out
get under one's skin
give it a whirl
give them an inch and they'll take a mile
gone south
go for broke
go the distance
go to hell in a handbasket
going to pot
good as gold
got your back
grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
glutton for punishment
H
happy as a clam
hard pill to swallow
have a bone to pick with someone
have no truck (with)
have one's cake and eat it, too
have one's head on backwards
head in the clouds
head and shoulders above
herding cats
his bark is worse than his bite.
hit the nail on the head
hold one's horses
hollow victory
horse sense

I
idle hands are the Devil's playthings
in left field
in like Flynn
in the bag/ in the can
in the cards
in the doghouse
in the limelight
in the nick of time
it ain't over till the fat lady sings
it ain't rocket science
it takes one to know one


J
jack-of-all-trades
jump the shark
jump to conclusions
just desserts

K
Katy, bar the door!
keep it 100
keep your shirt on
kick the bucket
kiss of death
king of the hill

L
last laugh (to have the)
laughing all the way to the bank
let me off the hook
let the cat out of the bag
let the chips fall where they may
like a bat out of hell
like two peas in a pod
lion in winter
lesser of two evils
like moths to a flame
lower the boom

M
make a mountain out of a mole hill
make ends meet
mind one's Ps and Qs
monkey see, monkey do
more than one way to skin a cat
Murphy's law

N
no rest for the wicked
no spring chicken
not playing with a full deck
not the sharpest knife in the drawer (et al)

O
off one's rocker
off the bat
old wives tale
one foot in the grave
on one's last legs
open a can of worms
open a can of whup-ass
one step forward, two steps back
out to lunch
out of my league
over the hill
over the moon
over the top
over your head

P
paint the town red
pales in comparison
paper trail
party pooper
pay the piper
peas in a pod
piece of cake
piss on my foot and tell me it's raining
play possum
politically correct
poster child
practice makes perfect
pull someone's leg/chain
pull the wool over ones eyes
put the cat among the pigeons
put the roses in somebody's cheeks

Q
quiet as a church mouse

R
rabbit hole
raining cats and dogs
raise the bar
read between the lines
red herring
right as rain
rob Peter to pay Paul
rob the cradle
rose-colored glasses
rule of thumb

S
sail under false colors
school of hard knocks
(to have a) screw loose
shake a leg
shoot the moon
shot in the dark
shoulder to cry on
show your true colors
slap on the wrist
sleep on a clothesline
sleep with the fishes
smoke 'em if you got 'em
snake in the grass
speak of the devil
spill the beans
spill the tea
standing on the shoulders of giants
stay out of my hair
stiff upper lip
stop on a dime

T
take a chill pill
take a knee
take it on the chin
take the biscuit
take the cake
take the high road
talk of the town
the devil's in the details
the early bird gets the worm
the oldest trick in the book
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
the pot calling the kettle black
there are plenty of (other) fish in the sea
throw the book at someone
throw under the bus
the best thing since sliced bread
thick as thieves
thief in the night
tilting at windmills
time flies
tongue in cheek
turn the other cheek
turn a blind eye
two left feet

U
under the gun
under the weather
until the cows come home
up in smoke
up the creek (without a paddle)

V
vanilla

W
water off a duck's back
water under the bridge
watch your 6
wear your heart on your sleeve
wet behind the ears
what's good for the goose is good for the gander
wild horses could't drag me away
with a grain of salt
witch hunt
what goes around, comes around
when hell freezes over
when in Rome
when pigs fly
white elephant
white whale
won't bite
work one's fingers to the bone
wound too tight
wolf in sheep's clothing
wrong/other side of the tracks

X
x marks the spot

Y
yank one's chain
you can't polish a turd

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