Cliche
A bigger bang for your buck
Meaning
Better value for your money.
Examples
Those Chinese fireworks are so cheap. We literally get a bigger bang for our buck.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but overused to the point of cliche.
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A piece of cake
Meaning
A task that can be accomplished very easily.
Examples
Jumping that two-foot fence? No problem – a piece of cake.
Where did it originate?
Where is it used?
Very widely and commonly used, to the point of being considered a cliche.
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As high as a kite
Meaning
1. Very high up in the sky. 2. High on drugs or excitement.
Examples
1. The Petronas Tower is as high as a kite. 2. She was ecstatic that she won the gold medal. She was high as a kite afterwards.
Where did it originate?
1. Britain – 17th century. It probably refers to Red Kites, birds that were common in the UK in the 17th century, rather than children’s kites. 2. USA.
Where is it used?
1. In the UK. 2. Worldwide.
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Back to the drawing board
Meaning
Said when a plan fails and it’s time to start again and make a new plan.
Examples
That battery hovercraft was a nice idea but it just didn’t work. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.
Where did it originate?
USA, 20th century.
Where is it used?
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Between a rock and a hard place
Meaning
Between two unwelcome options.
Examples
The only choices I have are poverty or a boring job – I’m between a rock and a hard place.
Where did it originate?
USA, 20th century. Sometimes mistakenly thought to come from Homer’s Odyssey.
Where is it used?
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Bite the dust
Meaning
Die, especially in a violent or sudden way.
Examples
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid bit the dust at the end of the movie.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 18th century. Probably influenced by a biblical passage.
Where is it used?
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Cross that bridge when you come to it
Meaning
Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.
Examples
My pension might not be enough to live on when I’m retired, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Where is it used?
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Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning
Being inquisitive can lead you into a dangerous situation.
Examples
I heard a noise outside and went to have a look. It turns out I should have ignored it, it was a bear. Curiosity killed the cat they say.
Where did it originate?
USA, late 19th century. Probably deriving from a much older British phrase – ‘care killed the cat’.
Where is it used?
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Dead ringer
Meaning
An exact duplicate.
Examples
I can’t tell the twins apart. They’re dead ringers of each other.
Where did it originate?
American, late 19th century.
Where is it used?
Most common in the USA, but used worldwide too.
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Don't cry over spilt milk
Meaning
Don’t fret pointlessly about some mistake or loss when it can’t be remedied.
Examples
Well, the vase is smashed. There’s no point crying over spilt milk.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 17th century proverb.
Where is it used?
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Every cloud has a silver lining
Meaning
An encouragement to be optimistic. Even bad events have a good side to them.
Examples
Okay he wasn’t faithful but at least you found out now rather than after the wedding – every cloud has a silver lining.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 17th century. From a poem by John Milton.
Where is it used?
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Go out on a limb
Meaning
Take a risk to support someone or something.
Examples
He knew his boss was an army man, so saying that he was against the war was really going out on a limb.
Where did it originate?
USA, 19th century.
Where is it used?
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In the bag
Meaning
Something that is secured.
Examples
I knew when they sent all the other interviewees home that my job application was in the bag.
Where did it originate?
USA,, early 20th century.
Where is it used?
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Know the ropes
Meaning
To understand how to do something.
Examples
I’m being supervised by Jim for now, but as soon as I know the ropes I’ll be working on my own.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 19th century. Possibly of nautical origin.
Where is it used?
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Practice makes perfect
Meaning
Diligent practice leads to expertise.
Examples
10,000 hours needed to make a top class pianist. Keep going – practice makes perfect.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 18th century proverb.
Where is it used?
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Saved by the bell
Meaning
Saved by a last minute intervention.
Examples
That solar panel scheme was just about to be cancelled, then an environmentalist minister came in and it was saved by the bell.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 18th century. Not connected, as is often thought, to bells attatched to coffins.
Where is it used?
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The apple of my eye
Meaning
Someone who is cherished above all others.
Examples
She’s my only child – the apple of my eye.
Where did it originate?
Britain, 9th century – making it one of the oldest phrases in the language that is still in regular use in its original form.
Where is it used?
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Zip your lip
Meaning
Say nothing; keep your mouth shut. Often shortened to ‘zip it’.
Examples
I saw Kevin put sneezing powder in the staff room but he told me to zip my lip about it or it would spoil the joke.
Where did it originate?
USA, 1940s. Deriving from the allusion to closing a garment with a zipper.
Where is it used?
Worldwide, but most common in the USA.
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