This page gathers the 4,686 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Idiomatic” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 13 of 47: from “everybody who is anybody” to “fight for one's life”.
- everybody who is anybody noun All of the people who are well-known or important, especially those who have prominent social standing.
- evil twin noun A duplicate or counterpart that acts in a contrary, nefarious, or insidious manner.
- excess baggage noun Something or someone not needed or not wanted; something or someone of little use or importance; something or someone considered burdensome.
- exchange contracts verb To formally contract to purchase, sell or otherwise be party to a disposition of an estate in land; usually requiring the payment of a…
- exchange of contracts noun The point or stage at which a conveyancing contract comes into existence between negotiating parties for the carrying out of a disposition…
- execution-style adj Resembling an execution; with the victim aware, but unable to defend themselves or resist.
- exit stage left noun An orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.
- expose oneself verb To display one's genitalia or female nipples in a public place or in other inappropriate circumstances.
- express elevator noun Something that gets a person somewhere fast
- extend one's hand verb To make a gesture of welcome or cordiality.
- eye for an eye noun Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting an identical injury on that person.
- eye of the storm noun A period of calm in a tumultuous time.
- eye up verb To examine closely something coveted.
- eye-catching adj Visually attractive.
- eye-opener noun A startling or shocking revelation.
- eyeblink noun A moment (a very short period of time).
- eyebrow-raising adj That causes surprise, wonder or disbelief.
- eyes on the ground noun One or more observers in an area of interest.
- eyeshot noun A range of vision, a distance in which something is visible.
- face down verb To confront; to abash by stern looks.
- face that would stop a clock noun A shockingly unattractive face.
- face value noun No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.
- faceless adj Having or revealing no individual identity or character; anonymous.
- faceless man noun Someone who is not elected to political office, but exerts power over political affairs from behind the scenes.
- factor space noun A space obtained from another by identification of points that are equivalent to one another in some equivalence relation.
- facts on the ground noun The situation in reality as opposed to in the abstract.
- fade out verb To slowly disappear; to wither away.
- fail at life verb To do anything disappointing; to fail significantly.
- fair coin noun A sequence of independent Bernoulli trials (a Bernoulli process) with probability 1/2 of success on each trial.
- fair crack of the whip intj Let's have an equitable attempt, match, or process. Used as an appeal for reasonableness.
- fair enough phrase An expression used to concede a point, but suggesting that the broader argument is incorrect.
- fair game noun Actions permissible by the rules.
- fair share noun A significant amount, often implied to be excessive or inordinate; a great deal of something.
- fairy money noun Any money or treasure that a person discovers unexpectedly.
- fall apart verb To be emotionally in crisis.
- fall asleep verb To be affected by paresthesia; to go numb.
- fall behind verb To be late (for a regular event)
- fall between the cracks verb To wind up in an unexpected situation which is, inadvertently, invisible to or not handled by whatever process one had hoped to be subject…
- fall between two stools verb To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail.
- fall for verb To be fooled by; to walk into (a trap) or respond to (a scam or trick).
- fall foul verb To collide; to conflict with; to attack (+ on, of, upon)
- fall from grace verb To fall from one's current social position to something lower, to lose one's prestige, status or power.
- fall in line verb To submit to the rules of a higher authority; obey; conform.
- fall into verb To enter something (especially a profession) without having planned it.
- fall into a trap verb To make a mistake, a bad decision or act senselessly and get into an extremely difficult situation.
- fall into place verb To assume a clear and complete form when separate elements come together; to be fully realized at last.
- fall off a truck verb Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally; to have been stolen.
- fall off one's perch verb To die.
- fall off the back of a lorry verb Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.
- fall off the back of a truck verb Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession through illegal or otherwise dubious means.
- fall off the wagon verb To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.
- fall on one's sword verb To resign from a job or other position of responsibility, especially when pressured to do so.
- fall out verb To cease to be on friendly terms.
- fall over verb To fall from an upright or standing position to a horizontal or prone position.
- fall through verb To be unsuccessful, come to nothing; to be cancelled; not to proceed.
- falling out noun A rift between people or groups, often following a disagreement or quarrel
- false alarm noun A thing or occurrence which initially causes fear, distress, etc. but which is subsequently recognized as being no cause for concern.
- false light noun A point of view resulting in a misleading or inaccurate representation of a person, situation, or fact.
- false note noun Of a remark or narrative, an indication (as discerned by the listener or reader) of untruth, insincerity, or inconsistency.
- family jewels noun The testicles.
- fan dance noun The incremental disclosure of tantalizing bits of information.
- fangful adj Cruel or venomous.
- far be it phrase A disclaimer stating that something should not come to pass, or that a person would never do or think a certain thing.
- far cry noun A long distance, in terms of dissimilarity or difference.
- fare thee well noun The greatest extent; completion; a state of refinement or perfection.
- farm nigger noun A supposedly inferior black person whose intellect is compared to that of a field hand.
- farm out verb To subcontract (a task, responsibility, etc.) to another; to outsource.
- fast times noun A period of time characterized by quickly-paced activity, especially involving extravagant or risky conduct, sexual behavior, or other…
- fat finger noun A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen…
- fat of the land noun The greatest part of anything; the finest and most abundant share of resources; the cream of the crop.
- Faustian bargain noun An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other…
- Faustian dilemma noun Having to choose between an option that promises short-term gain with foreseeable adverse long-term consequences, and an alternative option…
- favorite person noun A person on whom someone with borderline personality disorder is intensely emotionally dependent.
- feather in one's cap noun An accomplishment; particularly one that is flaunted or boasted of.
- feather one's nest verb To achieve benefits, especially financial ones, by taking advantage of the opportunities with which one is presented; to amass a…
- fed up adj Frustrated, annoyed, or tired, to the limit of one's endurance, especially by something that one has experienced for too long.
- federal case noun An exaggerated ordeal; excessive fuss or indignation about some situation.
- feed off verb To get stimulus from (an external object).
- feed the dragon verb To outsource (jobs) to the People's Republic of China.
- feed the troll verb To respond to a troll (“person who makes or posts inflammatory statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”)…
- feeding frenzy noun A voracious competition among would-be purchasers, etc. for limited resources.
- feel around verb To gather information sneakily; to seek out information without revealing that one is actively searching for it.
- feel for verb To experience sympathy for, to sympathise with.
- feel free verb To feel able without giving offense.
- feel like verb To have a desire for something, or to do something.
- feel one's way verb To do by guesswork, erring on the side of caution.
- feel oneself verb To feel comfortable or normal; to be in one's usual mood or state of health; to feel like oneself.
- feel out verb To attempt to ascertain a person's point of view, or the nature of a situation, by cautious and subtle means.
- feet first adv In the manner of a deceased person (i.e., dead).
- fence in verb To restrict freedom.
- fence the tables verb To make a solemn address to those who present themselves to commune at the Lord's Supper, on the feelings appropriate to the service, in…
- fetch and carry verb To serve obsequiously.
- fiddle while Rome burns verb To neglect helping when one’s time is needed most; to ignore the major problem at hand (whilst doing something less important); to be idle…
- field day noun A great time or a great deal to do; a period of bustling activity.
- fifth wheel noun Anything superfluous or unnecessary.
- fifth-rate adj Terrible, awful; less than fourth-rate.
- fight a losing battle verb To attempt a task or other endeavor in which there is no chance that it will succeed.
- fight fire with fire verb To respond to an attack with a similar or identical counter-attack (e.g. to respond to gunfire with reciprocal gunfire).
- fight fires verb To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.
- fight for one's life verb To be in danger of dying (as a result of injury, illness etc.).