Phrases

Publishers: Brown and Brown,

Keeper's Cottage,
Westward,
Wigton
Cumbria CA7 8NQ
Tel 016973 42915

Copyright Hugh and Margaret Brown 1992

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be photocopied

or reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the
publishers.

First published 1992

Reprinted 1995 & 2002

ISBN 1 870596 34 X

Printed by Reed's Ltd., Penrith, Cum bria on 100%

recycled paper and card.
 Introduction
In everyday speech, we use thousands of common or
garden phrases without which we would often find
ourselves with very little left to say. Most of them do
not say, in so many words, what they mean. People do
not actually put their foot in it or take the bull by the
horns or strike while the iron is hot, but we understand
what is meant when someone uses such a phrase in
conversation, and it is often hard to put it any other way
without losing some shade of meaning.

All of these turns of phrase started somewhere in

particular, often in connection with work, but they have
caught on (hence the term catch phrase) with other
people who have found a use for them in different
situations. Some of them are classics' and have lasted
for hundreds of years, others come and go in a matter of
months.

The phrases included here form only the tip of the

iceberg, so to speak. Most of them are presented as
exercises arranged under rough topic headings. Some
are singled out and their origin explained. Detailed
answers are given in most cases. There is an index of all
the phrases which appear in the book and a list of
helpful reference books is included for readers who
wish to find explanations for other phrases.

s
The Greeks had a wordJbr it!
The word phrase came into English in
the 16th century from the Greek phrasis.
It meant speech or way of speaking.
 Contents
You are what you eat 7
Have a heart! 8
Its a dog's life 10
There's no business like show business! 12
Horses for courses 14
A Question of Sport 15
The Name of the Game 16
On the wild side 18
Heads you win.... 20
Fish and.... 22
Chips 23
as sick as a....? 24
Just good friends 25
After a fashion 26
Money, money, money! 28
To coin a phrase 31
Only fools and horses.... 32
Your number's up 34
Pearls of wisdom 35
Heavy weather 36
Who said? 37
That's before you bought your shovel! 38
Answers 40
Books for further reading 45
Index 46
You are what you eat
The items o f food in these well-known sayings have got
mixed up. Can you put each item into the right place?

* It's the best thing since sliced cheese.

Whatever you do, don't spill the salt

It's not really my cup of fish.

Don't teach your grandmother to suck

hearts.
5 That just about takes the pie.

6 That's easy - it's a piece of bread.

7 That's just cake in the sky.

8 Hard biscuit!

9 This is a pretty kettle of tea,

10 People like her are the eggs of the earth.

I The apple oftme^seye

w

| The pupil of the eye has been known for a long j

| time as the 'apple', because of its round, solid J
| shape. If it were injured it could mean loss of |
| sight and so it needs to be protected. |
H I?
| A person who is the apple o f one's eye is some-
j one we are very fond of and want to protect.

7
Have a heart!
Find the meaning or explanation on the opposite page
which bestfits each of these phrases,

A Eat your heart out

B From the bottom of my heart

C A heart to heart

D Cross my heart

E After my own heart

F Take to heart

G Learn by heart

H Have one's heart in the right place

I Set one's heart on

J Have one's heart in ones mouth

A private chat

Be very frightened

Memorise

Want something very much

Wear yourself out with worry or envy

I'm telling the truth

Very sincerely or gratefully

Just what I like

Be very upset by or learn something from

Be a good person in spite of appearances

It's a dog's life
Underline the 'dog9phrases in this piece , and replace
them with other words which m em the same thing.

Geoige Morning, Fred. You look fed up today.

Fred You can say that again! I'm really in the dog
house this time.

Geoige So what's new? I thought you always led a

dog's life.

Fred Yes, but the whole family's on at me this time.

The youngest lad says I'm a dog in the manger
just because I won't let him have my old motor
bike. My dad won't use the strimmer I bought
him. You cant teach an old dog new tricks,
he says. Hes really gone to the dogs lately.

Geoige Well, you should worry! Yesterday, at long last,

I told my brother-in-law what I thought of him.
If only Id let sleeping dogs lie, but I don't
trust him an inch after that last spot of bother
we had with him. The wifes on his side, of
course. She says its just a case of give a dog
a bad name. It seems to me all shes saying is
'love me, love my dog'.

10
Fred I know just how you feel, mate. Still, at least
you're not dogged by trouble at work too. My
secretary's just tom me off a strip for sending
out a circular she'd already done last week!

Geoige Serves you right! You don't keep a dog and

bark yourself, do you? Never mind, Fred,
every dog has his dLay - and this one's yours.
The boss wants to see you - you've just got a
rise!
There's no business |i i .t
like show business! r f f l f
Most o f the quotations below are regarded as 'classics'
because they have become so widely known and used.
Do you know who said them and where they comefrom ?

1 Im going to make him an offer he cant refuse.

2 Ive started, so Ill finish.

3 And now for something completely different.......

4 Tomorrow is another day.

5 Are you sitting comfortably?

6 A little of what you fancy does you good.

7 Love means never having to say youre sorry.

8 Here's looking at you, kid!

9 Its goodnight from me, and it's goodnight from

him.

10 Come up and see me sometime.

11 Nice to see you, to see you, nice!

12 Gissajob.

Make your own list o f some o f tadtiys popular quotes

from the wrld q f entertainment. Which o f them do
you think will last?

12
 How's-your-father?
This was the punch line in a series of comedy
sketches by the Music Hall comedian, Harry
Tate. It came at the end of a scene in which
Harry was making up to a girl on the sofa in
her home. Just as things were coming to a
head, her father would enter the room and
Harry would hastily ask the girl, as casually
as he could, "...and hows your father?"
Ever since then, a bit of how's-your-father,
a bit of the other and many other variations
of the phrase have been in common use in
conversations about sex.

You cant seen nothin' yet!

Ronald Reagan made this phrase popular again
when he was U.S. President. It is based on a
remark made by A1 Jolson, the star of the first
full-length 'talking' film, The Jazz Singer, in
1927. The original idea was that the film would
be completely silent, with sub-titles, except for
Jolsons songs and a bit of background music.
However, Jolson was a great ad libber and just
before he started singing his first big number,
with the cameras rolling, he burst out, "Wait a
minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin'
yet! You wanna hear Toot Toot Tootsie'? All
right, hold on!", and off he went into the song.
Needless to say, the lines were kept in the film
and the phrase has been the basis of many
variations ever since.

13
H o rses f o r cou rses
Completethis Tiorse-talk':
1 We're flogging a ...................

2 Get offyour_______________ horse!

3 Dont lock the stable door............

\

4 You can take a horse to water, but

5 _____________your horses!

6 I got it straight from th e..............

7 A nod is as good as a wink............

8 Dont put the cart...................

9 We've backed the...................

10 ______ , _____________ , and don't spare the

horses.

| Dont look a gift-horse in the mouth |

| The way to find out the age of a horse is to study J
| its teeth, so the suggestion behind this saying is j
| that if you are given something free you shouldn't I
I ask too many questions about it. |

14
A Question of Sport
back to square one
I| This phrase started life in the 1930s in football j
| commentaries on the radio. A map of the football |
I pitch, divided into numbered squares, was printed |
I in Radio Times each week. Commentators would J
| call out the numbers as the game progressed so
| that listeners could follow the players' moves.
| The idea for this may well have come from the j
| children's board game, Snakes and Ladders.

With which sport do you connect each o f these phrases?

below par

in at the deep end

hit for six

4 a whole new ball game

5 first past the post

6 toe the line

7 saved by the bell

8 the ball's in your court

9 quick off the mark

10 out for the count

What is the more general meaning o f each phrase, when

it is not connected with sport?

15
I
The Name of the Game

Fill in the names o f people or places in each o f these

1 I'm all right, __________ !

2 Nice o n e , ___________!

3 All ship shape and ________ fashion.

4 Keeping up with the ___________.

5 ________ 's your uncle!

6 See ________ and die.

7 Before you could s a y ............ .........

8 Not tonight, __________ .

9 ________ , I presume.

10 ________ was not built in a day.

11 Gone for a __________.

12 Elementary, my dear ___________!

 Gordon Bennett!
There are many stories about the origin of this
expression, but the one below seems the most
likely:
James Gordon Bennett II was editor-in-chief of
the New York Herald. One of the most colourful
international characters at the beginning of this
century, he became famous as the man who sent
Stanley to find Dr. Livingstone in Africa. He was
exiled to Paris after a scandal, but he carried on
running his U.S. newspaper from France. He was
a millionaire and, although much of his money
went to good causes such as his backing for sport
in France, he was also careless with it. One story
claimed that he threw a wad of 1000 franc notes
on the fire because they felt uncomfortable in his
back pocket. Another told how he had tipped a
train guard 14,000 dollars.
It is not surprising that, whenever people heard
of some amazing event, the name Gordon Bennett
came to their lips. It is also thought that his name
lent itself to a politer version of the exclamation
"Oh, Gawd!"

Hobson's Choice
Thomas Hobson kept a stable in Cambridge in the
late 16th century. He hired out horses, but he only
offered each customer the horse nearest to the
stable door. Customers, therefore, had no choice
at all It is unfair that Hobson's name has become
attached to this miserable phrase. In fact, he loved
his horses and his system ensured that no horse
was overworked. He moved the horses round in
strict rotation, so that there was always a fresh
horse next to the stable door for customers to hire.

17
On the wild side
( apig in apoke |
| At old country fairs, a trick was often played 1
| on unsuspecting customers. A sucking-pig I
| was offered for sale and when it was paid for |
| it was put in a sack for the customer to take |
| home. The trick was to replace the pig with
| a cat. If the customer did not discover it, he |
| got home with a pig in a poke (a bad bargain!). 1
| If he opened the bag at once to take a look at
| his purchase, he would let the cat out of the I
| bag (discover the trick). Another saying with |
| the same meaning is to be sold a pup.
What are these?

1 a swan song

2 a bull in a china shop

3 a wild goose chase

4 a red herring

5 a dead duck

6 a cock and bull story

7 a wolf in sheep's clothing

8 a cat o' nine tails

9 the hair of the dog

10 the lions share

11 a fish out of water

12 a snake in the grass

13 a dark horse

14 a frog in the throat

15 toad-in-the-hole
Heads you win....
The meanings o f som e well-known sayings are given
below. Choose the sayingfrom the opposite page which
fits each one best.

A Keep calm in an emergency

B Make an angry reply to a casual remark

C Mad or deranged

D Avoid facing unpleasant problems

E Get something exactly right

F Completely; wholly; utterly

G Make useless attempts to do something

difficult

H Allow someone complete freedom

I Avoid being overcome by life's problems

J Not able to understand something

20

1 Hit the nail on the head

2 Off ones head

3 Keep ones head above water

4 Can't make head or tail of it

5 Bite someones head off

6 Bury ones head in the sand

7 Keep ones head

8 Give someone their head

9 Head over heels

10 Bang ones head against a brick wall

21
Fish and
| a load ofcodswallop
| In 1875, a man called Hiram Codd patented |
| a bottle with a marble stopper for mineral |
| water. WaUop, in this phrase, is a slang |
| term for beer. It is said that Codd's wallop |
| became a term of abuse used by beer drinkers |
I for weak or non-alcoholic drinks. |
1 1
| The phrase, in time, came to have the more |
| general meaning of rubbish. It has nothing j
| to do with fish at all - although the phrase
| in the drink is sailor's slang for 'in the sea'. |
!v !v

| A load of old cobblers, another 'rubbish' phrase, 1

| also has nothing to do with fish. The complete j
| phrase is a load of cobblers awls, which makes |
| use of Cockney rhyming slang. The rhyme
1 needs no explanation!

Make up a conversation or a short story using as many o f

these fish'phrases as you can, and any others you know.

there's other fish in the sea

a sprat to catch a mackerel

a queer fish

drinks like a fish

fish for compliments

Ihave other fish to fry

make fish of one and flesh of the other

22
Chips
What sort o f chips appear in each o f these phrases?

I A chip on his shoulder

2 The chips are down

3 A Chip of the Old block (see note below)

4 He's had his chips

5 To chip in

6 Chips with everything

Put each o f the phrases in a sentence which explains

its meaning.

Note : The word of is correct, although many people do say off.

23
as sick as a 9

Finish the title, thenfill in the blanks in the

phrases below using wordsfrom the box

fiddle ice toast ninepence

pancake silk gold cucumber
button feather nails mustard

1 as hard as __

2 as cool as a

3 as fit as a ___

4 as warm as

5 as light as a

6 as good as _

7 as bright as a

8 ' as nice as __

9 as smooth as

10 as flat as a _

11 as cold as ___

12 as keen as _

Add some more 'a s........ as' phrases q f your own

Just good friends
In conversation, words or topics considered
distasteful or embarrassing to mention are
often avoided by using other words which
seem less unpleasant or unkind. This sort
of phrase is known as a euphemism.

e.g. When talking about someone who is

regarded as too old or 'past it', we use
phrases such as
over the hill
a bit long in the tooth
getting on a bit
one foot in the grave

How many phrases can you think o f to describe these?

1 someone who has died

2 someone who is pregnant

3 asking to go to the lavatory

4 someone who is incompetent / not a good

organiser

5 being drunk

6 a sexual relationship

7 someone who is not very bright / not quite in

their right mind

8 someone who is clumsy

25
After a fashion
Fill in the blanks with items o f clothing.

1 If the fits, wear it.

2 He's a real stuffed

3 It fits like a _____

4 She wears her heart on her

5 It's time you pulled y o u r__ up.

6 He's too big for h is ________

7 Theyre living on a

8 You have to cut your according to

your cloth.

9 Don't get y o u r_____ in a twist

10 I wouldn't like to be in her

| at the drop of a hot

The American frontier custom of dropping
a hat as the signal for a fight to begin was
taken up by many other sports. Even today,
some races are still started by the downward
sweep of a hat or, more often, a flag.
&

26
as mad as a hatter
When hats were made by hand a substance
called mercurous nitrate was used to treat
the felt. Hatters who inhaled the fumes
got sore eyes, shaking limbs and often had
sudden changes of mood which resulted in
severe bad temper.
It is said that the original 'mad' hatter was
Robert Crab, from Chesham in Buckingham
shire in the 17th century. He became so
eccentric that he gave away all he owned to
the poor and lived on grass and dock leaves.

a hat-trick.
In the early days of cricket, when a bowler
took 3 wickets with 3 successive balls, he
was given a new hat at his club's expense.
The idea of the hat-trick has caught on and
it now appears in many other sports, but
the free hat has been dropped!
Moneyt money, money!
There are many sayings, old and new, to do with money.
It is often coupled with love as one of the two most
important things in life!

Money makes the world go (a)round

This phrase became very popular as the title of
a hit song from the musical Cabaret. It had been
a well-known proverb on the continent since the
17th century, but it is thought that the English
version is based on the more romantic saying,
Tis love that makes the world go round".

Write a short story using one o f these sayings as the

title and/or the last line.

You pays your money and you takes your choice

Put your money where your mouth is

He who pays the piper calls the tune

In for a penny, in for a pound

Money is the root of all evil

A penny for your thoughts

Money doesn't grow on trees

 pay through the nose
There are two explanations for this phrase, which
means to pay heavily for something'.
The first comes from the 9th century when the
s Vikings imposed a poll tax on the Irish. It was
known as the nose tax' because people who failed
to pay had their noses slit.
The second suggests that a slang word for money
is 'rhino. Rhinos is the Greek word for nose. This
also leads to the possibility that being 'bled dry of
money has something to do with nosebleeds.

pay (cash) on the nail

In medieval markets a system was needed to ensure
that prompt payment was made for goods and that
neither seller nor buyer was cheated. Wooden posts
were set up with a shallow metal bowl fixed to the
top of each. These were known as nails. Payments
were placed in the bowl in full view of everyone, so
that every deal was witnessed. Nowadays,
the phrase is usually used as a demand
for immediate cash payment.
It is thought that the phrase to stump up
may also come from that same practice.

29
M oney , m oney, m oney! continued

^mssssssmsssssmmm
I pin money
Pins were once very expensive.
They were a luxury and not for
common use. For many years,
the makers were only allowed
to sell them to the general public on two days of
the year, in January. It became the custom for
husbands to give their wives a special allowance
at the beginning of each year just to buy pins.
Pin money has gradually come to be regarded as
money which a married woman can keep to
spend entirely on herself.

I
where there's muck there's brass
This is a well-known Northern saying
which suggests that money can always
be made from hard, dirty work.
At the end of the 17th century,
pennies, halfpennies and farthings
began to be made in brass because
it was cheaper than gold or silver.
As a result, a farthing was worth
nothing and this led to the saying,
its not worth a brass farthing.
Brass has since become a slang word
for money.

30
To coin a phrase
A clich is a phrase which catches on when it is first
used but ends up being almost meaningless because it is
used too much.

Some o f today's; clichs are given below. F ill in the

blanks using words from the box, then try to put each
phrase into a sentence.

1 at the of the day

2 up and

3 give it a start

4 set out your

5 user-

6 at this moment in

7 -front

8 hands-

9 level field

10 to the wire

pull the on it

12 chalice

on down poisoned up
time plug playing kick
stall end running friendly

31
Onlyfools and horses

to get down to brass tacks

Today, this phrase means 'to come straight to
the point' or 'to get down to the nitty gritty'.
Despite the fact that brass tacks is Cockney
rhyming slang for facts, the real origin of the
phrase lies in the old-fashioned drapers shop.
Brass-headed nails were evenly spaced along
the counter of the shop. When the customer
had chosen the cloth they wanted, the shop
assistant would 'get down to brass tacks and
measure the length of cloth required against
the tacks. The tacks were later replaced by
a brass rule, usually 3 feet (1 yard) long, which
can still be seen today on the counters of some
drapers' shops.

All these phrases werefirst used in connection with

jobs and work. Match each phrase with the correct
explanationfrom the opposite page.

1 by hook or by crook

2 to get the sack

3 to fly off the handle

4 spinning a yam

5 sowing wild oats

Do you think any o f the modem uses o f these phrases

still have any connection with the original meaning?

32
Farmers regard wild grain as a weed
and of poorer quality than cultivated
grain. In their eyes, to sow wild grain
would be a waste of time and could
produce unwanted results.

One of the routine tasks for a blacksmith

was to soak his hammers in water so that the
wooden hafts would swell and fit the hammer
head more tightly. Failure to do this could
result in the handle flying off and causing a
serious accident to anyone standing by.

A workman used to carry his tools round with

him in a bag which he would leave with his
employer. When he was no longer needed,
he was given the bag back. In French, the word
for bag is sa c. The words bag and sac probably
got mixed up when the French conquered
England in 1066 and brought many of their
words into the English language.

Sailors used to while away the time when

mending nets and making rope by telling
stories. Weavers in cottage industries used
to do the same thing, with the stories going
to and fro like the shuttles on their looms.

It used to be strictly against the law to remove

any wood from forests, except dead branches
lying beneath trees. So a custom grew up on
large estates that tenants were allowed to take
free as much firewood as they could cut down
with a bill-hook or reach with a shepherd's
crook.
Your number's up
Complete the phrases by filling the blanks with
numbers.

1 There's __________ bom every minute.

2 It takes __________ to tango.

3 _________ o f _________, half a dozen of the other.

4 _______ _ over the _________.

5 As thick as ________ short planks.

6 Dressed up to the _________.

7 _________ sheets to the wind.

8 _________ green bottles, hanging on the wall.

9 _________'s company, ________ 's a crowd.

10 It takes _________ to know _________.

C? C>
Pearls of wisdom
Uryumble these well-known sayings and say what they
mean.

1 many the broth spoil cooks too

2 contempt breeds familiarity

3 present like no theres the time

4 fonder the absence heart makes grow

5 another one is mans meat mans poison

6 a bush in the hand worth is bird in the two

7 nine a time saves in stitch

8 work many light make hands

Do you agree or disagree with each o f these sayings?

35
Heavy weather
cloud nine
If someone is on cloud nine (or in seventh heaven)
they are in very high spirits - a state of bliss.
The term cloud nine is used in American Weather
forecasts to describe the cumulonimbus cloud,
which can reach a height of 30-40,000 feet.

A Put each o f these phrases into a sentence or

two to show what they mean,

1 under the weather

2 the tip of the iceberg

3 under a cloud

4 over the moon

5 got the wind up

B Explain these sayings.

1 Every cloud has a silver lining.

2 Red sky at night, shepherds delight.

3 It never rains but it pours.

4 It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

5 Still waters run deep.

36 .
Who said?
Match the people to the quotations.

1 I have a dream

2 We are not amused

3 The lady's not for turning

4 Read my lips

5 Get on your bike

6 My husband and I

7 A short, sharp shock

8 Youve never had it so good

9 That's one small step for a man, one giant leap

for mankind

Harold Macmillan William Whitelaw

Norman Tebbit George Bush

Neil Armstrong Queen Elizabeth II

Margaret Thatcher Martin Luther King

Queen Victoria

37
That's before you bought
your shovel!
Every family has its own private sayings which only
make sense to those 'in the know'. Some of them are
adapted from popular phrases, others are funny quotes
from children or other members of the family which are
remembered and become stock phrases over the years.
Here are some from our family:

A rolling sausage gathers no gravy.

(From: A rolling stone gathers no moss )
Proverbs like this one have always been a fair target for
adaptation, often by adding an extra piece on the end.
In Surrey and Sussex, farmers are reputed to say:
A rolling stone gathers no moss, and a sitting hen never
grows fat.

"So there's the door!" cried Netley.

(The butler's big moment in some long-forgotten
melodrama)
Quotes from the world of entertainment and the media
often slip into everyday speech. Some are better known
than others! This one usually crops up at moments of
high drama, of which there are many in every family,
and often breaks the tension by reducing everyone to
giggles.

'Thank youfo r your hostility.n

(Parting remark of a Dutch aunt after a visit)
Mistakes made in a foreign language are often funny and
sometimes embarrassing. This one never fails to raise a
laugh, however many times it is repeated.

38
"We always put our suns in the top Itft-hand comer "
(Remark made by a niece when showing us her latest
picture)
Whenever there is a call for some sort of change in our
household, this quote comes up. In fact, nowadays, it
rarely gets beyond the first few words - but,we always ....

Now it's your turn. What are yourfavouritefam ily

sayings?
Answers
You are what you eat fp.7)
1. bread 2. beans 3. tea 4. eggs 5. biscuit 6. cake 7. pie
8. cheese 9. fish 10. salt

Have a heart! (p. 8/9)

A5 B 7 Cl D 6 E 8 F 9 G3 H 10 I 4 J 2

Its a dog's life (p.10/11)

Meanings: >
in the doghouse in disgrace
a dog's Ufe always nagged; never left in peace
a dog in the manger a mean person who wont let others use
things he is not using himself
you can't teach an old dog new tricks elderly people do not
easily adapt to new ways
gone to the dogs gone downhill; taken a turn for the
worse
let sleeping dogs lie let well alone; dont stir up trouble
give a dog a bad name if you slander someone, they will never
(and hang him) recover their good reputation
love me, love my dog if you love a person you are obliged to
love everything to do with them
dogged by followed by; (often) troubled by
you don't keep a dog and bark yourself you don't employ some
one, then do their work yourself
every dog has his day you may be in trouble now, but your turn
for good hick will come

Thereto no business tike show business! (p. 12/13)

1. Marlon Brando; from the film The Godfather
2. Magnus Magnusson; BBC TVs Mastermind
3. Various announcers; BBC TVs Monty Python's Flying
Circus
4. Vivien Leigh; last words of the film Gone with the Wind

40
 5. Julia Lang and others; BBC Radio's Listen with Mother
6. Marie Lloyd; Music Hall song
7. Ryan ONeal; in the last moments of the film Love Story
8. Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman; In the film
Casablanca
9. Ronnie Barker & Ronnie Corbett; at the end of their TV
show The Two Ronnies
10. Mae West; first used in the play Diamond Ul (filmed as
She Done Him Wrong). It became her personal catch
phrase.
11. Bruce Forsyth; TVs The Generation Game
12. Bernard Hill as Yosser Hughes; in Alan Bleasdale's
TV play The Boys from the Blackstuff

HorsesJbr courses (p.14)

1. dead horse 2. high 3. after the horse has bolted 4. you
cant make it drink 5. Hold 6. horse's mouth 7. to a blind
horse 8. before the horse 9. wrong horse 10. Home, James,

A Question of Sport (p.15)

1. golf 2. swimming 3. cricket 4. baseball or basketball etc.
(originally a U.S. phrase, hut now common everywhere)
5. horse racing 6. running 7. boxing 8. tennis, volleyball &
others 9. races of all kinds 10. boxing
Meanings:
1. Not well; not up to standard
2. Starting with the most difficult part of a task; being made
to do something which is beyond one's experience
3. Amazed; shocked (bowled over)
4. The situation has entirely changed
5. The winner (in elections, the person with the most votes)
6. Submit to discipline; do what everyone else is doing
7. Saved by a bit of luck or something beyond your control
8. It's up to you to make a decision or take the next step
9. Instantly understands; acts quickly and correctly
10. Knocked out; unconscious

41
The Name q f the Game (p.16/17)
I. Jack 2. Cyril 3. Bristol 4. Joneses 5. Bob 6. Naples
7. Jack Robinson 8. Josephine 9. Dr. Livingstone 10. Rome
II. Burton 12. Watson

On the wild side (p.18/19)

1. It is said that swans sing before they die; in the case of
human beings, this phrase most often refers to the last
appearance or work of an actor, singer, writer etc.
2. A clumsy person.
3. A useless and time-wasting activity.
4. A diversion or distraction from the main point.
5. Something which is no longer of use or interest.
6. A long and totally unbelievable story.
7. An enemy posing as a friend; an imposter.
8. A whip with 9 lashes for punishing offenders.
9. In full - The hair qf the dog that bit you. The idea is
that the thing which caused the sickness is the best
cure (le. another drink is the best cure for a hangover).
10. The largest share.
11. Someone who seems ill at ease when not in his or her
usual surroundings.
12. A hidden enemy; a hypocrite.
13. Someone who keeps their abilities hidden from others.
14. A temporary loss of voice.
15. Sausages baked in batter.

Heads you win. (p.20/21)

A 7 B5 C 2 D6 El F9 G 10 H 8 13 J 4

Chips (p.23)
1. A chip of wood. The phrase comes from a 19th century
American custom in which anyone who was looking for
a fight used to walk round with a chip of wood on his
shoulder, daring others to knock it off. Nowadays, the
phrase is used to describe someone who is resentful or has
a grudge against the world in general.

42
 2. The counters used in betting games like poker. The
phrase describes the moment when the bets are placed
in other words, when the decision has been made and
cannot be reversed.
3. A wooden chip from a bigger block. This phrase has
been used for many years as a way of describing a son
(or daughter) who is veiy like his father (or mother).
4. Betting chips. Probably used in the game of poker and
now used generally to describe someone who is finished,
done for or bound to lose.
5. Betting chips. In betting games players put chips which
represent money into a central pot. In general, the phrase
can either mean to make a contribution' or to interrupt'.
6. Potato chips. The phrase is used to describe people
(especially British tourists abroad) who have a very
narrow view of life. Arnold Wesker used it in the early
1960s, as the title of a play about class attitudes in the
R AF. during National Service.

as side as a fp.24)
(Title: parrot)
1. nails 2. cucumber 3. fiddle 4. toast 5. feather 6. gold
7. button 8. ninepence 9. silk 10. pancake 11. ice
12.mustard

After afashion (p. 26/27)

1. cap 2. shirt 3. glove4. sleeve5. socks 6. boots
7. shoestring 8. coat 9. knickers 10. shoes

Tocoinaphrase (p.31)
1. end 2. running 3. kick 4. stall 5. friendly 6.. time
7. up 8. on 9. playing 10. down 11. plug 12. poisoned

Onlyfools and horses..,. (p32/33)

IE 2 C 3 B 4 D 5 A

Your number's up (p.34)

1. one2. two 3. six, one4. one, eight 5. two 6. nines
7. three 8. ten 9. two, three 10. one, one

43
Pearls of wisdom (p.35)
1. Too many cooks spoil the broth
(Having too many helpers makes ajob harder to do)
2. Familiarity breeds contempt
(Knowing someone too well means you discover their
bad points)
3. There's no time like the present
(If you're thinking of doing something - do it now!)
4. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
(People are often nicer at a distance!)
5. One man's meat is another man's poison
(What one person likes, another may not like at all)
6. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
(Its better to put up with what you've got than to dream
about something you'll never have)
7. A stitch in time saves nine
(Correcting an error at once saves greater trouble later on)
8. Many hands make light work
(A Job gets done more easily with help)

Heavy weather (p.36)

Meanings:
A 1. Not well
2. Only a small part of something much bigger
3. Under suspicion; out of favour
4. Very excited; delighted
5. Frightened; worried

B 1. E venif things look bad at the moment, they will get

better (There's light at the end of the tunnel).
2. It's going to be a fine day tomorrow. The rest of this
rhyme is Red sky In the morning, shepherd's warning,
which means the opposite.
3. One stroke of good or bad luck is often followed by
more of the same thing.
4. Some good will come even from the worst disaster.
5. A calm appearance covers more than you think
fThere's more in it than meets the eye).
44
Who said? (p.37)
1. Martin Luther King 2. Queen Victoria 3. Margaret
Thatcher 4. George Bush 5. Norman Tebbit 6. Queen
Elizabeth II 7. William Whitelaw 8. Harold Macmillan
9. Neil Armstrong

Booksforfurther reading
The books listed here are those which were found both useful
and Interesting when compiling this book. All are hardback
unless otherwise stated.

Brewer's Dictionary ofPhrase and Fable

pub. Cassell 1989 (14th edition) ISBN0 304 31835 3
A standard work, regularly revised and re-edited. Also
available in concise and paperback editions.

A Dictionary of Catch Phrases by Eric Partridge

pub. Routledge & Kegan Paul 1985 (2nd edition ed. Paul Beale)
ISBN 0 7102 0495 7
Eric Partridge is well-known for his entertaining dictionaries
on the origins of everyday words and phrases, including ones
on slang and on the language of the 'underworld'.

Dictionary o fPopular Phrases by Nigel Rees

pub. Bloomsbury 1990 ISBN 0 7475 0344 3

Why do we say ? by Nigel Rees

pub. Blandford Press 1987 ISBNO 71371944 3
Nigel Rees has made sayings and quotations his speciality as
presenter of the radio programme Quote...Unquote and author
of many paperback books (including a series on graffiti).

Everyday Phrases by Neil Ewart

pub. Blandford Press 1983 ISBN 0 71371354 2

The Oxford Dictionary ofEnglish Proverbs

pub. Oxford University Press 1970 (3rd edition)
ISBN 19869118 1

The Whole Hog by Oliver Dalton & Gray Jolliffe

pub. Corgi Books 1987 (paperback) ISBN 0 552 99301 8

45
 Index
A
Absence makes the heart grow fonder 35
After a fashion 26
All ship shape and Bristol fashion 16
And now for something completely different 12
The apple of one's eye 7
Are you sitting comfortably? 12
as............as; 24
as bright as a button 24
as cold as ice 24
as cool as a cucumber 24
as fit as a fiddle 24
as flat as a pancake 24
as good as gold 24
as hard as nails 24
as keen as mustard 24
as light as a feather 24
as mad as a hatter 27
as nice as ninepence 24
as sick as a parrot 24
as smooth as silk 24
as thick as two short planks 34
as warm as toast 24
At the end of the day 31
At this moment in time 31

B
Back to square one 15
The ball's in your court 15
Don't spill the beans 7
Before you could say Jack Robinson 16
Below par 15
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush 35
That just about takes the biscuit 7
A bit of hows-your-father 13
A bit of the other 13
Bob's your uncle 16
He's too big for his boots 26
Get down to brass tacks 32
It's not worth a brass farthing 30
Where there's muck there's brass 30
It's the best thing since sliced bread 7
A bull in a china shop 19
By hook or by crook 32,33

46
c
It's a piece of cake 7
If the cap fits, wear it 26
Pay cash on the nail 29
A cat-o-nine-tails 19
Let the cat out of the bag 18
Hard cheese 7
Chips : 23
A chip of the old block
A chip on his shoulder
To chip in
The chips are down
Chips with everything
He's had his chips
Every cloud has a silver lining 36
On cloud nine 36
Under a cloud 36
You have to cut your coat according to your cloth 26
A load of old cobblers 22
A cock and bull story 19
A load of codswallop 22
To coin a phrase 31
Come up and see me sometime 12

D
Dogs : 10,11
A dog in the manger
Dogged by
Don't keep a dog and bark yourself
Every dog has his day
Give a dog a bad name (and hang him)
Gone to the dogs
In the doghouse
It's a dog's life
Let sleeping dogs lie
Love me, love my dog
You cant teach an old dog new tricks
The hair of the dog 19
Down to the wire 31
Dressed up to the nines 34
In the drink 22
Dr. Livingstone, I presume 16
A dead duck 19

E
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs 7
One over the eight 34
Elementary, my dear Watson! 16
Every cloud has a silver lining 36

47
 Familiarity breeds contempt 35
First past the post 15
Fish : 22
A queer fish
Drinks like a fish
Fish for compliments
I have other fish to fry
Make fish of one and flesh of the other
There's other fish in the sea
A fish out of water 19
A pretty kettle ofJish 7
To fly off the handle 32,33
A frog in the throat 19

Get on your bike 37

To get the sack 32,33
Getting on a bit 25
Gissa job 12
Give it a kick start 31
It fits like a glove 26
Gone for a Burton 16
A wild goose chase 19
Gordon Bennett! 17
Got the wind up 36

Hands-on 31
A hat-trick 27
At the drop of a hat 26
Heads : 20,21
Bang one's head against a brick wall
Bite someone's head off
Buiy one's head in the sand
Can't make head or tail of it
Give someone their head
Head over heels
Heads you win, (tails you lose)
Hit the nail on the head
Keep one's head
Keep one's head above water
Off one's head
Hearts : 8,9
After my own heart
A heart to heart
Cross my heart
Eat your heart out
From the bottom of my heart
Have a heart!

48
 Have one's heart in one's mouth
Have one's heart in the right place
Learn by heart
Set one's heart on
Take to heart
Heavy weather 36
Here's looking at you, kid! 12
A red herring 19
Hit for six 15
Hobson's choice 17
A dark horse 19
Horses : 14
A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse
Don't lock the stable door after the horse has bolted
Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth
Don't put the cart before the horse
Get off your high horse!
Hold your horses
Home, James, and don't spare the horses
Horses for courses
I got it straight from the horse's mouth
We're flogging a dead horse
Weve backed the wrong horse
You can take a horse to water, but you can't
make it drink

I
I have a dream 37
I'm all right, Jack! 16
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse 12
In at the deep end 15
It's goodnight from me, and it's goodnight from him 12
I've started so I'll finish 12

J
Just good friends 25

K
Keeping up with the Joneses 16
Don't get your knickers in a twist 26

L
The lady's not for turning 37
Let the cat out of the bag 18
Level playing field 31
The lion's share 19
A little of what you fancy does you good 12
A bit long in the tooth 25
Love means never having to say youre sorry 12
Tis love that makes the world go round 28
 M
Many hands make light work 35
Money : 28,29,30
Money doesn't grow on trees
Money is the root of all evil
Money makes the world go (a)round
Pin money
Put your money where your mouth is
You pays your money and you takes your choice
Over the moon 36
My husband and I 37

The name of the game 16

Nice one, Cyril! 16
Nice to see you, to see you, nice! 12
Dressed up to the nines 34
Not tonight, Josephine 16

On cloud nine 36
One foot in the grave 25
One man's meat is another man's poison 35
One over the eight 34
It takes one to know one 34
There's one bom every minute 34
Only fools and horses work 32
Out for the count 15
Over the hill 25
Over the moon 36

P
Pay cash on the nail 29
Pay through the nose 29
He who pays the piper calls the tune 28
You pays your money and you takes your choice 28
Pearls of wisdom 35
A penny for your thoughts 28
In for a penny, in for a pound 28
That's just pie in the sky 7
A pig in a poke 18
A poisoned chalice 31
Pull the plug on it 31
To be sold a pup 18

9
Quick off the mark 15

50
R
It never rains but it pours 36
Read my lips 37
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight 36
A rolling stone gathers no moss 38
Rome was not built in a day 16

S
The salt of the earth 7
Saved by the bell 15
See Naples and die 16
Set out your stall 31
In seventh heaven 36
A wolf in sheep's clothing 19
He's a real stuffed shirt 26
I wouldn't like to be in her shoes 26
They're living on a shoestring 26
A short, sharp shock 37
Six of one, half a dozen of the other 34
She wears her heart on her sleeve 26
A snake in the grass 19
It's time you pulled your socks up 26
Sowing wild oats 32,33
Spinning a yam 32,33
A sprat to catch a mackerel 22
Still waters run deep 36
A stitch in time saves nine 35
To stump up 29
A swan song 19

T
It's not really my cup of tea 7
Ten green bottles, hanging on the wall 34
That's one small step for a man, one giant leap
for mankind 37
Theres light at the end of the tunnel 44
There's more in it than meets the eye 44
There's no business like show business 12
There's no time like the present 35
The tip of the iceberg 36
Three sheets to the wind 34
Toad-in-the-hole 19
Toe the line 15
Tomorrow is another day 12
Too many cooks spoil the broth 35
It takes two to tango 34
Two's company, three's a crowd 34

51
 u
Under a cloud 36
Under the weather 36
Up and running 31
Up-front 31
User-friendly 31

W
(A walk) on the wild side 18
We are not amused 37
Under the weather 36
A whole new ball game 15
Got the wind up 36
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good 36
A w olf in sheep's clothing 19

Y
You ain't seen nothin' yet 13
You are what you eat 7
Your number's up 34
You've never had it so good 37

52
 Phrases is a book of exercises based on phrases
popular in everyday English. It contains over 250
well-known catch phrases, cliches and proverbs,
providing information on sayings such as to get
the sack, Gordon Bennett!, cash on the nail, at the
drop of a hat and many others.

Brown and Brown

Phrases ISBN 1 870596 34 X