|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
|
nail biter |
|
|
| nail down |
make certain of |
I want to nail
down the exact time that we will meet tomorrow. |
| named after |
given the name of |
She was named
after one of her cousins. |
| name is mud |
reputation is ruined |
Your name is mud
now that you were caught cheating on the exam. |
| name of the game |
main objective |
The name of the
game is to make money for the company. |
| narrow escape |
barely avoided |
She had a narrow
escape from injury when she fell off her bike. |
| neck and neck |
nearly equal |
The two teams were
neck and neck in the game. |
| NECK OF
THE WOODS |
an area; a place
The expression is often used to describe what part of the
country a person comes from, but it can also be used to
describe unfamiliarity with a part of a city or state. It is
frequently used in a negative structure. |
1. I don’t recognize you and I know just about everyone in
this town. You must not be from this neck of the woods.
2. Excuse me. Can you give me directions? I’m not familiar
with this neck of the woods. |
| needle in a
haystack |
close to impossible |
Finding your earrings in
this field is like a needle in a haystack. |
| NEED
(SOMETHING) LIKE (ONE) NEEDS A HOLE IN THE HEAD |
to have absolutely no need for something
The expression, which comes from Yiddish, is ironic. One
certainly wouldn’t want or need a hole in one’s head, and
one wants or needs the thing in question just as little. |
1. Bonita arrived at work to find a new stack of papers on
her desk. “I need more work like I need a hole in the head,”
she complained.
2. Don’t subscribe to another magazine, since you already
receive more magazines than you can possibly read. You need
a new magazine like you need a hole in the head. |
| neither fish nor
fowl |
not in a definite group |
This report is
neither fish nor fowl and I am not sure where it
should be filed. |
| neither here nor
there |
off the topic |
What he is saying is
neither here nor there. |
| nervous Nellie |
nervous person |
Try not to be such a
nervous Nellie. |
| nest egg |
amount of money saved |
He has a good
nest egg in the bank. |
| never mind |
Do not bother |
Never mind,
I can do the laundry. |
| new blood |
fresh energy |
The new employee sure
has added new blood to this company. |
| new deal |
complete change |
This business plan is
certainly a new deal. |
| new person |
person who has become
better |
Since she lost weight
she is a new person. |
| nice out |
nice weather |
It sure is nice
out today. |
| nick of time |
last possible moment |
He got to work in the
nick of time. |
| night
owl |
|
|
| nip and tuck |
evenly matched |
The two teams were
nip and tuck until the end. |
| NIP
(SOMETHING) IN THE BUD |
to stop something before it becomes big or involved; to stop
something before it gets much of a start
The expression compares stopping a bad situation to cutting
(nipping) a flower before it has a chance to grow (while it
is still a bud). |
1. My three-year-old son has become rude and demanding. I
don’t like his bad behavior and I’m going to nip it in the
bud before it gets any worse.
2. The boss wasn’t happy with a few of his workers who had
begun to leave the office before quitting time. He was
afraid they would fall into the habit of leaving early if he
didn’t nip it in the bud, so he told them they would have to
stop. |
| NITTY
GRITTY, THE |
the heart of the issue; the most important part of the
discussion; the essential points
Compare to: get down to brass tacks; bottom line; long and
short of it |
1. These conferences always begin with introductory speeches
that don’t say much. I’m glad when they’re finished and the
speakers get down to the nitty gritty—that’s when we really
learn something new.
2. Let’s skip the small talk, and go straight to the nitty
gritty: what price do you want for the car, and when will
you be able to part with it? |
| NIX
(SOMETHING) |
to cancel an idea or plan; to reject or forbid something
Synonym: give (something) the thumbs down |
1. I thought it was an excellent idea, but he nixed it. Now
we are back to where we started.
2. Every time I ask my parents if I can visit my cousins,
they nix my request. They think my cousin is a bad influence
on me. |
| no bed of roses |
not easy |
Trying to work at two
jobs is no bed of roses. |
| nobody's home |
the attention is
elsewhere |
If you talk to him you
will realize that nobody's home. |
| nobody's fool |
an intelligent and
independent person |
She is nobody's
fool. |
| no cigar |
not agreed to |
He almost bought the car
but in the end the sale was no cigar. |
| no deal |
not agreed to |
He almost bought the car
but in the end the sale was no deal. |
| no dice |
no |
He wanted to borrow some
money but she said no dice. |
| no doubt |
no uncertainty |
There is no
doubt which team will win this year. |
| no end |
continually |
She cried no end
after she lost her job. |
| no end to |
no finish point |
There appears to be
no end to this project. |
| no go |
not happening |
The plans for this
weekend are no go. |
| no great shakes |
average |
The restaurant was
no great shakes. |
| no love lost |
ill will |
There is no love
lost between them. |
| no matter |
regardless of |
He cannot get good
grades no matter how much he studies. |
| NONE OF
(ONE’S) BUSINESS |
private; not for anybody else to know |
1. You keep asking me how much money I have, but I don’t
want to tell you. It’s none of your business.
2. I wish my sister would stop asking questions about my
personal life. It’s none of her business. |
| no
pain, no gain |
|
|
| no picnic |
difficult |
This new job assignment
is no picnic. |
| no problem |
okay |
It's no problem
if you bring your friend to the party. |
| nose about |
look for something kept
private |
The secretary tries to
nose about his desk when he is out. |
| nose around |
look for something kept
private |
The secretary tries to
nose around his desk when he is out. |
| no show |
absent |
I think that she will be
a no show. |
| no sweat |
okay |
It's no sweat
to finish the report on Monday. |
| no sweat |
easily accomplished |
Installing the new light
in the kitchen was no sweat. |
| |
to be in an indefensible situation or to have no support for
an argument or case
Having a leg to stand on lends support to something, and not
having a leg to stand on means support is lacking. |
1. Some of the workers accused Louis of stealing from the
company, but they didn’t have a leg to stand on. He had
never stolen from the company and they had no proof that he
had.
2. Stop trying to persuade me that you didn’t start the
fight. You don’t have a leg to stand on. All the children
saw the whole thing, and they told me exactly how it
happened. |
| NOT
HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON |
|
|
| NOTHING
TO WRITE HOME ABOUT |
ordinary; so-so; not especially good or important
Antonyms: something to crow about; a feather in one’s cap.
The expression originates from the idea that if one were
writing a letter to one’s family, the person or thing or
event in question is so ordinary or insignificant that one
wouldn’t even mention it in the letter. |
1. Tom’s parents wanted to know how he liked the school. Tom
said the school was all right, but it was nothing to write
home about.
2. When we asked them about their trip, they said they
couldn’t complain about it but the hotel was nothing to
write home about. |
| NOT
(ONE’S) CUP OF TEA |
not to suit someone; not to one’s liking
The expression is usually used in the negative. |
1. I like going to parks and doing things outdoors. Going to
museums and galleries just isn’t my cup of tea.
2. The man JoAnn met at the party was nice, but he wasn’t
her cup of tea. |
| |
NOT WORTH A DIMEworthless
Synonyms: not worth a dime, not worth a hill of beans, not
worth the paper it’s printed on, not worth a plugged nickel
This expression is always used in the negative. |
1. Scott thought that he could sell his collection of comic
books to make some extra money, but then he learned that
everybody else already had the same comic books. His
collection wasn’t worth a dime.
2. Police caught the diamond thief when he tried to sell a
fake diamond. It was not worth a dime. |
| not give someone
the time of day |
not give her any
attention |
I would not give
her the time of day. |
| nothing doing |
not possible |
Nothing doing.
I am not working late tonight. |
| nothing if not |
certainly |
He is nothing if
not punctual. |
| nothing to
sneeze at |
something that should be
taken seriously |
The new business plan is
nothing to sneeze at. |
| not much of a |
not a good |
It is not much
of a car, but it works. |
| not on your life |
definitely not |
You want to borrow the
car. Not on your life. |
| not so hot |
not good |
She has been feeling
not so hot lately. |
| not touch
something with a ten-foot pole |
not want involvement
with that car |
I would not
touch that car with a ten-foot pole. |
| NOT
WORTH A HILL OF BEANS |
worthless
Synonyms: not worth a dime; not worth a red cent; not worth
a plugged nickel; not worth the paper it’s printed on
This expression is always used in the negative. |
1. If you don’t follow through on what you say, your word is
not worth a hill of beans.
2. You should take good care of that car. If it stops
running properly, it’s not worth a hill of beans. |
| NOT
WORTH A PLUGGED NICKEL |
worthless
Synonyms: not worth a dime; not worth a red cent; not worth
a hill of beans; not worth the paper it’s printed on
This expression is always used in the negative. |
1. The millionaire invested in oil wells that proved to be
dry. They weren’t worth a plugged nickel.
2. I bought this house before I knew it was located on a
toxic waste site. Now it isn’t worth a plugged nickel. |
| NOT
WORTH A RED CENT |
worthless
Synonyms: not worth a dime; not worth a plugged nickel; not
worth a hill of beans; not worth the paper it’s printed on
This expression is always used in the negative. |
1. That coupon is expired, so the grocery store won’t accept
it. It’s not worth a red cent.
2. A telephone directory from thirty years ago isn’t going
to help you find what you need. It’s not worth a red cent. |
| NOT
WORTH THE PAPER IT’S PRINTED ON |
worthless
Synonyms: not worth a dime; not worth a plugged nickel; not
worth a hill of beans; not worth a red cent
This expression is always used in the negative and usually
refers to documents or money, i.e., things printed on paper. |
1. If you miss the train, you can’t just go at another time.
Your ticket won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on.
2. Make sure you spend or exchange all of your money before
we leave this country; once we leave, it isn’t worth the
paper it’s printed on. |
| now and then |
occasionally |
She likes to go to that
restaurant now and then. |
| no way |
not possible |
No way
to fit all those things in that purse. |
| no wonder |
not surprising |
Since he stayed up all
night, it is no wonder that he is tired. |
| number cruncher |
person who works with
numbers |
The owner of the company
has always been a good number cruncher. |
| number one |
oneself |
Always looking out for
number one is not the best idea. |
| nurse a grudge |
keep a feeling of
dislike |
She will probably
nurse a grudge towards her old boss for
years. |
| nuts about |
enthusiastic |
She is really
nuts about watching movies. |
| nutty as a
fruitcake |
crazy |
The woman who lives next
door to us is as nutty as a fruitcake. |
