Idiomslist

Using this collection

This collection brings together familiar idioms, descriptive phrases and suggested associations around objects. Treat the proposed meanings as possibilities to examine in context. The presence of an object in a description does not establish what a speaker intends, and inclusion here does not by itself establish that a phrase is a conventional idiom.

For close reading, keep the person's complete wording, distinguish the expression from your interpretation, and check a dictionary or examples of actual usage when conventional meaning matters. An invented phrase can be useful for comparison if it is identified as an example.

Compare the invented sentences “She remained on the fence about the proposal” and “She sat on the garden fence to mend it”. The setting changes the reading; the object alone cannot decide it. See Metaphor and Idioms: Motivation, Meaning and Use, Metaphor, Context and Speaker Meaning and the glossary entry on idiom.

Usage labels and sources

The notes at the start of each object group distinguish three kinds of material:

• Established expression: a named idiom, saying or other conventional expression supported by the linked dictionary entry. Some table entries are shortened or adapted forms.
• Descriptive wording: wording that can describe a situation literally. A proposed figurative reading requires context.
• Suggested association: a possible interpretation offered by this collection, not a fixed dictionary definition or a conclusion about a speaker.

These labels apply to the examples specifically discussed in each note. Other entries remain available for comparison but have not all been individually verified. Dictionary recognition of a phrase does not establish that an object has the same meaning whenever it appears. The object groups organise imagery; they do not establish an expression's historical origin.

Various Objects Encountered in Metaphor World and What They Could Mean

Object	Expressions and suggested readings
Playing with a Football	Usage note. Established expressions: Cambridge records kicking ideas around and the ball being in someone's court. Its discussion of ball idioms also covers drop the ball and play ball. The person whose court contains the ball is responsible for the next action. Up in the air does not require a ball. Suggested associations: the readings attached to game of beach ball, kicking dust and kicking up sand need the surrounding account; the actions alone do not establish them. Kicking ideas around – Casually discussing or exploring The ball is in your court – Responsibility lies with you Keep the ball rolling – Maintain momentum Drop the ball – Make a mistake or fail a responsibility Playing ball – Cooperating, going along with something Ball hogs – People who monopolize control and don’t share Keeping the ball in their court – Leaving responsibility for the next action with them Playing power games – Using interaction to assert dominance Up in the air – An outcome remains undecided Kick the can down the road – Delaying a decision Game of beach ball – Light, unserious engagement Moving goalposts – Shifting expectations Kicking dust – Aimless or unfocused movement Playing footsie – Flirtation or subtle signaling Just kicking back – Relaxing, unwinding Kicking it old school – Relaxed, nostalgic behavior Kicking up sand – Stirring things up, causing disturbance
Low Fence	Usage note. Established expressions: On/sitting on the fence concerns indecision, while crossing the line concerns unacceptable behaviour. Descriptive wording: a minor hurdle combines an ordinary modifier with the established obstacle sense of hurdle; a hurdle need not be minor. Suggested association: a low fence being a gentle limit is a proposed reading, not a property of every low fence. On the fence – Indecisive Sit on the fence – Avoiding commitment Hurdle over an obstacle – Overcoming a challenge A minor hurdle – Small issue or obstacle Crossing a line – Going beyond acceptable behavior Step over the line – Violating a rule or boundary Just a boundary, not a barrier – A gentle limit A low bar – Minimal standard Clear the bar easily – Achieving something with ease Testing boundaries – Exploring or pushing limits
House, Hut, Refuge, Hiding Place	Usage note. Established expression: Behind closed doors can mean privately or without a public audience. Descriptive wording: head indoors and duck inside describe movements. Suggested associations: escaping difficulty or avoiding involvement are possible motives supplied here; the movements do not establish those motives by themselves. Take shelter – Seeking protection Run for cover – Avoid confrontation Seek refuge – Find safety Head indoors – Escape difficulty Go into hiding – Withdraw to avoid involvement Duck inside – Quick retreat Behind closed doors – In private Retreat into your shell – Emotional withdrawal Close the door on something – Avoid engagement A roof over your head – Basic shelter or safety Home base – A safe or starting point Shelter from the storm – Refuge from turmoil
Dock (Shipping Metaphor)	Usage note. Different word senses: Cambridge's dock entry distinguishes a shipping dock, the courtroom dock, and the verb meaning to deduct pay. In the dock is the courtroom expression; at the dock can simply locate someone beside a harbour facility. Descriptive wording: leave the dock and on the loading dock can be literal. Suggested associations: new beginnings, security and transition are proposed readings, not meanings supplied by the shipping noun alone. Safe harbor – Calm or protection Docked – Held in place In the dock – On trial; figuratively, being accused or criticised Leave the dock – Begin a journey Docked and ready – Prepared Having pay docked – Having money deducted from wages Docked safely – Security achieved Landed at the dock – Return to solid ground Home at the dock – Return to base Stepping off at the dock – New beginning On the loading dock – In transition
Crops Growing in Fields	Usage note. Established expressions: Bear fruit can describe successful results; sow the seeds of something can describe creating conditions for later events. Descriptive wording: growing, planting and harvesting also have literal uses. Suggested associations: not your crop to harvest and different fields, different harvests are retained here as contextual comparisons; their inclusion does not certify the complete sentences as fixed idioms. What’s planted is growing – Consequences forming This field is bearing fruit – Visible results Not your crop to harvest – Not your reward Don’t trample the crops – Don’t harm what's valuable Walking through someone else’s yield – Passing through others’ efforts Some fields are still sprouting – Not ready yet The seeds are already sown – Consequences underway It’s too late to plant – Missed opportunity Different fields, different harvests – Every area yields differently
Farmland	Usage note. Established expression: Have a field day concerns an opportunity someone enjoys exploiting, including one at another person's expense. Descriptive wording: a patchwork of fields and every field is planted can describe a landscape. Suggested associations: mixed ownership and lack of opportunity do not follow from those descriptions alone. The listed readings are comparisons to consider in context. Spoilt for choice – Many options Have a field day – Make the most of an enjoyable opportunity, sometimes at someone else's expense Each field has its own yield – Different outcomes One field at a time – Step-by-step action Can’t work all the fields – Can’t do everything Choosing your field – Picking focus The grass isn’t greener – Other options aren't better Borders between fields – Defined limits The fields are full – No room for new growth Everything under cultivation – All areas in use A patchwork of fields – Mixed ownership or purposes There’s no open ground – Nothing unclaimed Every field is planted – No new opportunities You're in someone else's field – In someone else’s domain
Path Between Fields or Inside a Farm	Usage note. Descriptive wording: the sentences in this group can describe a real route, its width, its position and adjoining land. Suggested associations: a neutral way through, limited options and careful navigation are interpretations proposed by the collection. A narrow path, for example, does not by itself establish that someone has few options, and a path between fields does not establish rights of access. There's a path between the fields – A neutral way through The path runs along the edge – Skirting territory Stay on the path – Respect boundaries Step off and you’re on someone’s land – Instant transition The path is narrow – Limited options The path divides the fields – Acts as a boundary The path winds between the crops – Careful navigation
Cement/Concrete Garden Path	Usage note. Established expressions: Set in stone concerns resistance to change; a walk in the park can describe an easy undertaking. Descriptive wording: open to the public, for leisure and landscaped, maintained can be literal descriptions. Suggested associations: ease, control and ownership require additional context. A paved route is not necessarily easy, and recreational use does not mean an activity lacks seriousness. It’s a paved path – Prepared and easy A road well-travelled – Common route Set in stone – Fixed or difficult to change A straight road – Clear direction A walk in the park – Easy task Open to the public – Accessible For leisure – Used for recreation Landscaped, maintained – Controlled environment Not wild – someone owns this – Not freeform
Ship (Andrew’s Business Metaphors)	Usage note. Established expression: Plain sailing can describe straightforward progress. Descriptive wording: below deck locates something within a vessel. Suggested association: reading that location as a hidden aspect of a business requires context. Captain Chaos is retained as an illustrative label, not a dictionary classification. Grouping these examples together does not establish a nautical origin for every word or expression in the group. Chart a course Full steam ahead Not changing tack Floating along In deep water Lost at sea Rudderless Captain Chaos Sinking ship Bailing out Business shark Crest of a wave Plain sailing Below deck – Hidden aspects Unfathomable In the doldrums Wind in my sails Making waves Uncharted waters Launch Set sail All hands on deck
Agricultural (Andrew’s Business Metaphors)	Usage note. Established expressions: Sow the seeds of something, put all your eggs in one basket and don't count your chickens before they're hatched are recorded expressions. The last is a warning against assuming an outcome in advance. Suggested association: outstanding in your field can support wordplay between an area of expertise and farmland. Usage/register: funny farm is informal and can be offensive; it refers to a psychiatric hospital, not an agricultural setting. Planning: Sowing seeds of change Cultivating talent Hatching a plan Field of opportunity Harvesting: Reaping what you sow Milking it Lying fallow Needle in a haystack Caution: Horse has bolted Eggs in one basket Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched Identity: Black sheep Bad egg Funny farm Outstanding in your field
Food (Fulfillment Metaphors)	Usage note. Established expressions: Bite off more than you can chew concerns taking on more than one can manage, while food for thought offers material for reflection. The informal difficulty sense of pickle supports that's a pickle. Established word: newsfeed names an updating information display. Suggested association: tasty real estate is retained as a contextual comparison, not a fixed definition of property. Swallowed that – Believed it Appetite for adventure Spice things up No meat on the argument Bite off more than you can chew Bite-size chunks Bad taste in mouth Full of it Newsfeed Something’s cooking That’s a pickle! Food for thought Tasty real estate Hard to digest
Bi-Cycle	Usage note. Established word senses: Backpedal can describe reversing pedal movement or retreating from a stated position. Life cycle names developmental stages and also has established applications to products and processes. Descriptive wording and imagery: sharing the word cycle does not make every entry a bicycle idiom. Read each complete expression in its sentence before choosing a literal or figurative interpretation. Break the cycle Backpedal Get on your bike Freewheel Hit the brakes Full circle Vicious cycle Life cycle Spin one’s wheels Grease the wheels Wheel and deal

Related pages

• Idioms
• Biblical Idioms
• Common Idioms that Originate from the Bible
• Word Play

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