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 18 of 47: from “gone fishing” to “hang one's hat”.
- gone fishing adj Unavailable, having taken time off for recreation.
- gone north about verb Dead, of sailor or seaman whose cause of death was anything except by drowning.
- good and adv Very; plenty; exceptionally; quite, utterly.
- good boy intj Well done, to a male.
- good deal noun Large number, amount, or extent.
- good drunk noun A person who is cheerful and companionable when intoxicated, retaining reasonable control of his or her mental and emotional faculties.
- good girl intj Well done, to a female.
- good job intj Well done; congratulations!
- good life noun A life of material comforts and luxuries.
- good times intj Referring to a specific period of time, whether the speaker’s present circumstances or a past era recalled with nostalgia, as agreeable or…
- good value noun Someone who is friendly and easy-going.
- good-for-nothing adj Useless; worthless.
- goon squad noun A group of individuals serving as enforcers, bodyguards, assassins, and the like, especially persons hired for such a purpose and using…
- gooseberry season noun A period, usually during the summertime, when news media tend to place increased emphasis on reporting light-hearted, offbeat, or bizarre…
- gorilla in the room noun A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.
- got it going on verb Be attractive, outgoing (typically of women).
- gouty-handed adj Slow to reward.
- grab and go verb To get something quickly
- grab by the lapels verb To exert control over (something).
- grab the popcorn verb Used to express anticipated enjoyment from watching a conflict or argument developing between other people, as if one were being…
- graceful degradation noun The ability of a system to maintain at least some of its functionality when portions are not working, or when certain features are not…
- grammar Nazi noun A person who habitually criticizes the grammar and (often) usage in others' speech or writing, often in ways that are sometimes not even…
- grammar police noun One or more people who make negative comments, which are usually unsolicited and unwanted, concerning the correctness of someone's English…
- grand passion noun Any overwhelming or intense love for a specific subject, idea, activity, hobby, etc.
- grand poobah noun A person who is important or high-ranking.
- grand scheme noun The totality of the situation approached objectively; the big picture.
- grandstand play noun A successful play or other manoeuvre during a sporting competition in which one or more players shows off unnecessarily in order to…
- grasp at straws verb To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information.
- grass tops adj Of, related to, or involving local influential figures.
- gravity's pull noun Stress or pressure of a situation acting upon a person.
- gravy train noun An occupation or situation that generates considerable income or benefits while requiring little effort and carrying little risk.
- gray hat noun A morally ambiguous character; an antihero.
- grease payment noun A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to…
- greasy spoon noun An inexpensive diner or other informal restaurant, especially one specializing in frying or grilling.
- great deal noun Large number, amount, or extent; profusion.
- great job intj well done; congratulations! (a praise for someone's efforts, possibly to a higher degree than good job!)
- greatest thing since sliced bread noun Something amazing, outstanding or praiseworthy, especially a relatively recent invention likely to improve people's lives.
- green handshake noun A bribe, or a transfer of money that the interested parties represent as a tip but that disinterested third parties are likely to view as a…
- green light noun Approval, or permission to proceed.
- green state noun A U.S. state perceived as environmentally friendly.
- green thumb noun A natural skill for gardening.
- greenlight verb To approve; to permit to proceed.
- grey area noun An area intermediate between two mutually exclusive states or categories, where the border between the two is fuzzy or ill-defined.
- grey matter noun Brains; a person's ability to think.
- grey power noun The collective political, economic, and social influence of senior citizens, especially when they are mobilized by a common interest.
- grind down verb To weaken someone's morale over a long period.
- grinding machine noun A machine tool in which a rotating grinding wheel is moved against the workpiece (or vice versa) in order to cut the latter to a desired…
- grit noun Strength of mind; courage or fearlessness; fortitude.
- grit one's teeth verb To face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation and deal with it.
- ground floor noun The initial stage of a project.
- ground rule noun The basic rules or standards; basic principles.
- ground-breaking adj innovative, different than other things of its type.
- grow a pair verb To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.
- grow a tail verb To defecate; to have a bowel movement.
- grow cold verb To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.
- grow on verb To become more likeable to someone.
- grow out of verb To become too physically large for something, especially clothes.
- grow up verb To stop acting as or like a child (often used as an imperative interjection).
- gruesome twosome noun A pair of people who go together, such as two friends, siblings, a married couple, etc., especially if they are mischievous, cause trouble…
- grunt level noun The lowest, basic, least sophisticated level.
- grunt work noun Work (especially that which is heavy, repetitive or mindless) that is considered undesirable and therefore delegated to underlings.
- guess what phrase Used to introduce a surprising outcome or one that the hearer is not expected to try to guess.
- guilt trip noun A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.
- gum up verb To make non-functional; to interfere with or put into a state of disorder; to ruin.
- gun jumping noun An act or instance of jumping the gun.
- gun to your head phrase Introduces a situation in which the listener is forced to make an immediate choice or state a preference under pressure, especially where…
- gut factor noun The emotional dimension of decision-making. A person's subjective (often almost visceral) feelings about what is right or wrong, good or…
- gut-wrenching adj Sickening.
- hack it verb To cope; to be successful in something despite adversity.
- hair-splitting noun The act of considering or arguing about exceedingly small differences, fine details, and/or edge cases of no seeming importance, worrying…
- hair-splittingly adv In a hair-splitting way, characterized by exceedingly small differences, fine details, or edge cases of no seeming importance.
- hairy molly noun A hairy caterpillar.
- halcyon days noun A period of calm, usually in the past and often nostalgic.
- hale and hearty adj In a state of robust good health.
- half joke noun A statement which contains elements of both jest and seriousness.
- half-naked adv With very few clothes on; revealing lots of one's body.
- half-night stand noun A single sexual encounter between two individuals, lasting for less than an entire night, where at least one of the partners has no…
- halfway decent adj Good - better than expected.
- hammer away verb To continue discussing or trying to solve.
- hammer home verb To repeatedly or continually emphasize (an opinion or idea) until or so that a person or group of people understands it.
- hammer-headed adj Stupid, ignorant.
- hamster wheel verb To cycle fruitlessly.
- hand down verb To donate (as second hand.)
- hand in glove adv In very close cooperation.
- hand off verb To pass or transfer.
- hand over verb To relinquish control or possession of something to someone.
- hand someone their head verb To destroy; to defeat utterly.
- hand waving noun Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.
- hand-sitter noun A person who sits on their hands; one who dawdles or remains idle when action is needed.
- hand-to-hand adj Close together, within arm's reach.
- handbag verb To attack verbally or subject to criticism (typically used of a woman).
- handbags at dawn noun A catty squabble.
- handle oneself verb to behave
- handle with kid gloves verb To treat (a person or a subject) very delicately or carefully, especially so as not to cause offense or controversy.
- hands down adv without much effort; easily
- hands up intj Put your hands up (if you wish to participate).
- hang around verb To stay, linger, or loiter.
- hang heavy verb To seem to pass slowly; to crawl.
- hang on verb To wait a moment.
- hang one's hat verb To reside; to call a place home.