Friends of Idiomation

Friends of Idiomation are people just like you who have wondered how a word, phrase, expression or cliché first came about and then became part of the English language.

This page is Idiomation’s way of saying “Thank You” to those who help make this site as interesting as it is informative.

Ann Bormett suggested:
* that’s a sack of cold chestnuts! (December 1, 2010)
* the buck stops here (December 2, 2010)
* jailbird (December 3, 2010)
* doughboy (December 6, 2010)
* against the grain (December 7, 2010)
* egghead (December 8, 2010)
* pour salt in an open wound (December 9, 2010)
* Adam’s apple (December 10, 2010)
* landed gentry (December 13, 2010)
* thick as thieves (December 14, 2010)
* King’s ransom (December 15, 2010)
* diamond in the rough (December 16, 2010)
* fit to be tied (December 17, 2010)
* basket case (December 20, 2010)
* bosom buddies (December 21, 2010)
* in a jiffy (December 22, 2010)
* harvest moon (December 23, 2010)
* Sunday driver (December 24, 2010)
* toss your cookies (December 27, 2010)
* swing for that (December 28, 2010)
* shotgun wedding (December 29, 2010)
* helter skelter (December 30, 2010)
* let sleeping dogs lie (December 31, 2010)

Carrie Harris suggested:
* ollie, ollie, oxen free (March 7, 2011)

Danielle Carey Corley suggested:
*  falling asleep (August 16, 2010)
*  hit the sack (October 05, 2010)
*  never look a gift horse in the mouth (April 18, 2011)
*  tuckered out (May 2, 2011)
*  to boot (May 3, 2011)
*  save for a rainy day (May 4, 2011)
*  shake a stick at (May 5, 2011)
*  fly by the seat of your pants (May 10, 2011)
*  my pears are poaching (May 13, 2011)
*  willy nilly (May 24, 2011)

Darlene Stimson suggested:
*  piping hot (March 16, 2010)
*  the cat’s pyjamas (April 6, 2010)
*  beeline (April 7, 2010)
*  if it weren’t for you and big potatoes we’d only have small potatoes (April 8, 2010)
*  Hobson’s choice (May 3, 2010)

Douglas Giesel suggested:
* flying off the handle (June 18, 2010)
* God willing and the creek don’t rise (November 29, 2010)
* alive and kicking (November 30, 2010)
* if my grandmother had wheels (January 3, 2011)
* don’t take any wooden nickels (January 4, 2011)
* more fun than a barrel of monkeys (January 5, 2011)
* slow as molasses in January (January 6, 2011)
* Boxing Day (January 7, 2011)
* cold day in Hell (January 10, 2011)
* snowball’s chance in Hell (January 11, 2011)
* when Hell freezes over (January 12, 2011)
* Hell bent for leather (January 13, 2011)
* road to Hell is paved with good intentions, the (January 14, 2011)
* for the birds (January 17, 2011)
* a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (January 18, 2011)
* don’t count your chickens until your eggs are hatched (January 19, 2011)
* dead duck (January 20, 2011)
* as the crow flies (January 21, 2011)
* in a New York minute (January 24, 2011)
* take my Texas time (January 25, 2011)
* early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise (January 26, 2011)
* red skies at night, sailors delight (January 27, 2011)
* two shakes of a lamb’s tail (January 28, 2011)
* mud in your eye (January 31, 2011)
* the best laid schemes of mice and men (February 2, 2011)
* Murphy’s Law (March 10, 2011)
* between the Devil and the deep blue sea (August 8, 2011)

Gary David Currie suggested:
* dead right (August 17, 2010)
* cop out (August 19, 2010)
* dead ringer (February 3, 2011)
* carry coals to Newcastle (February 4, 2011)
* where there’s muck there’s brass (February 7, 2011)

Greg Trutner suggested:
* watershed moment (February 8, 2013)
* gerrymander (February 25, 2013)
* spitballing (June 10, 2013)

Heather E. Johnson suggested:
*  up in arms (April 29, 2013)

James F. Duggan suggested:
*  you can’t have your cake and eat it, too  (April 9, 2010)

Jeremy Busch suggested:
* muck-a-muck (March 15, 2011)

Julie Stevenson suggested:
*  never cast a clout until May is out  (March 30, 2010)

Karen LaVerne McDade suggested:
*  all dressed up and no place to go (April 6, 2011)
*  putting on the Ritz (April 8, 2011)

Kim Krygowski-Appel suggested:
*  this looks like something Katie shot at and hit! (March 24, 2010)
*  in the closet (April 29, 2010)
*  Yanks and Yankees (July 1, 2010)
*  horse of a different color (April 26, 2011)

Korey Rood-Behlmer suggested:
*  pinch pennies (March 4, 2010)
*  penny pincher (March 5, 2010)
*  bees knees (April 5, 2010)

Leo Corley suggested:
*  the coast is clear (May 9, 2011)

Lewis Schofield suggested:
* shoot the breeze (February 10, 2011)
* stark raving mad (February 28, 2011)
* Finagle’s Law (March 11, 2011)
* brick-and-mortar store (April 12, 2013)
* seven ways to Sunday (April 22, 2013)

Loretta Powell suggested:
*  do as I say and not as I do (April 12, 2010)

Mandy Juby Livings suggested:
*  spic and span (June 14, 2010)

Michele Nichols suggested:
*  the devil is in the details (August 17, 2011)
*  cut from the same cloth (September 12, 2011)
*  cut above (September 13, 2011)
*  cutting edge (September 14, 2011)

Noel A. Rostron suggested:
* strong as an ox (February 8, 2011)
* send shivers down my spine (February 11, 2011)

Thomas Taylor suggested:
*  since Hector was a pup (March 31, 2010)
*  flash in the pan (February 21, 2011)
*  dressed to the nines (April 7, 2011)
*  crisp and clean and no caffeine (May 29, 2013)
*  blue light special (June 5, 2013)