All Idioms

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backhanded compliment

Meaning: give ironical praise to someone

Example: The judges loved your performance, but this was a backhanded compliment since they also highlighted it was blunt. Read more ➺


scrape the bottom of the barrel

Meaning: It is a phrase used to describe something you know is not in good condition, but you have to select it since you don't have an option of choosing the better one.

Example: Our school used to admit more than one thousand candidates, but we feel like we have been scraping the bottom of the barrel with the admitted applicants in late admission. Read more ➺


lightning fast

Meaning: extremely quick

Example: At recess, the boys and girls run lightning fast. Read more ➺


word of mouth

Meaning: oral communication

Example: To truly create the right buzz about this movie, we need to get the required word of mouth going in this city. Read more ➺


shoot the breeze

Meaning: spend time chatting, useless talking or chit-chat

Example: They have spent the whole afternoon just shooting the breeze in the office. Read more ➺


big gun

Meaning: a very powerful individual

Example: He is a big gun at the law firm; he has never lost a single court case. Read more ➺


fake it till you make it

Meaning: portray yourself like the person you always wanted to become

Example: I had no idea that her family is so illiterate as she always pretended to be classy. Fake it till you make it. Read more ➺


feather one’s (own) nest

Meaning: If you say that you are feathering your own nest, you mean that you are working so hard to gather resources (money) to live a comfortable life in the future.

Example: John is so much concerned about helping others instead of feathering his own nest. Read more ➺


wane

Meaning: a period of decline or reduction

Example: With his health on the wane, the coal worker had to take better care of himself. Read more ➺


nightmare dressed like a daydream

Meaning: Describes something that seems very pleasant or attractive at first but eventually reveals itself as horrible.

Example: Don't let her beauty fool you. She's just a nightmare dressed like a daydream. Read more ➺


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