idiom
combination of words whose meaning cannot be understood by combining the meaning of the component words
silver bullet
idiom
a picture is worth a thousand words
idiom suggesting seeing something is better for learning than having it described
thinking outside the box
metaphor for creative thinking that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective
elephant in the room
obvious major problem that no-one mentions
Tom, Dick and Harry
phrase used to refer to unidentified people
Feet of clay
hidden weak point that could cause the downfall of someone who appears strong or invincible
race card
idiom
apples and oranges
when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared
as easy as pie
idiom
Bob's your uncle
British phrase
damning with faint praise
English idiom
mad as a March hare
English idiomatic phrase
mortal coil
poetic term for the troubles of daily life
sands of time
English idiom
short, sharp shock
severe but brief punishment
The quick and the dead
English phrase
to call a spade a spade
figurative expression
Sovietism
Russian-language words, idioms and phrases that emerged during the communist rule
Starveling
person who is unable to get enough food on a regular basis, so who is constantly or sometimes starving
the empire on which the sun never sets
phrase describing a large empire
rule of thumb
principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation
Pauli effect
supposed tendency of technical equipment to fail in the presence of certain people
reinventing the wheel
unnecessarily duplicating a design when a satisfactory solution already exists
Boat of Saint Peter
Italian Catholic folk tradition
blue blood
(nobility)
does exactly what it says on the tin
English phrase
drumming out
idiom for expulsion in disgrace, especially from the military
eating crow
English-language idiom for humiliatingly admitting being proven wrong
forty winks
English idiom meaning to take a nap
Inside the Beltway
American idiom
silver lining
optimistic idiom
teaching grandmother to suck eggs
English idiom
don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
idiomatic expression advising caution
come stai
Italian idiom, phrase, "how do you do"
Switch off and let's go
Spanish idiom
break the jade
Idiom of Ancient China
Fortress Europe
propaganda
yet another
idiomatic qualifier used in the name of programs
thinking about the immortality of the crab
Spanish idiom about daydreaming
night butterfly
euphemism for prostitute
fly in the ointment
English-language idiomatic expression
speak of the devil
English idiom
turning a blind eye
ignoring of undesirable information
with flying colours
English-language idiom
stalking horse
a figure used to test a concept or mount a challenge on behalf of an anonymous third party