Idiomatic: words and definitions (4,686) | English Dictionary

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 35 of 47: from “roger that” to “say again”.

roger that intj Used to acknowledge receipt and understanding of a message
rogues' gallery noun Any group of lawbreakers or other disreputable characters.
roguey adj Synonym of roguish (“mischievous and playful”).
roguish adj Mischievous and playful.
roll back the years verb To produce a sense of nostalgia.
roll one's eyes verb To deliberately turn one's eyes upwards, usually to indicate disapproval, indifference or frustration.
roll out the red carpet verb To extend the utmost hospitality; to treat someone as an honored guest; to welcome or host, especially in a showy or extravagant manner.
roll up one's sleeves verb To prepare to work.
rolling in it phrase Having an abundance of money; rich, very prosperous.
rolling stone noun A person who moves around a lot and never settles down; a vagrant.
root cause noun An initiating cause of a chain of events which leads to an outcome or effect of interest.
ropeable adj Angry to the point of needing to be restrained from violent action.
rose garden noun A highly desirable situation.
rose-colored glasses noun A cognitive or perceptual bias where an individual views something in an overly optimistic or positive light, often failing to recognize…
rose-coloured adj Cheerfully optimistic.
rose-tint verb To look through rose-tinted glasses at; to view or describe as better than it actually is or was.
rot in hell verb To suffer a fate worse than death.
rotten egg noun A person who is the latest, the last, or the slowest in a group to arrive somewhere or to perform a certain task.
rough out verb To produce (a plan, diagram etc.) in rough.
rough patch noun A difficult or embattling period of one's life.
roughhouse adj Of behavior, rowdy, boisterous, or fighting.
round the bend prep_phrase Crazy, mad or insane.
round the clock prep_phrase Nonstop, 24 hours per day.
round up verb To collect or gather (something) together.
roving eye noun Wide-ranging observation of one's surroundings.
row back verb To change or revise a previous opinion or decision.
royal bumps noun A ritual of two or more persons holding another person by the arms and legs, face up, while bumping them repeatedly on the floor. In modern…
royally adv Excessively; thoroughly.
rub down verb To rub from top to bottom, e.g. for cleaning, stripping paint or massage.
rub in verb To make a point in an irritatingly emphatic manner.
rub it in verb To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.
rub off verb To be transferred with little or no effort.
rub someone the wrong way verb To cause someone irritation, discomfort or annoyance, often unintentionally, because of one's behavior, manner, attitude or personality.
rubber hose noun A classic animated cartoon style which was first introduced in the early 20th century.
rubber room noun A cell lined with cushions used for confinement of a mentally disturbed person.
ruck up verb To be brave, to show some courage, to keep moving forward in a difficult situation.
rule of thumb noun A general guideline, rather than a strict rule; an approximate measure or means of reckoning based on experience or common knowledge.
rule out verb To reject an option from a list of possibilities.
rule the school verb (of one or a group of students) To socially dominate a school's student population, or a major part of it (such as the girls or the boys).
rumor campaign noun A method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are deliberately spread concerning a person or other target, while the source…
rumor mill noun A process in which a group or network of persons originate or promulgate gossip and other unsubstantiated claims.
run a mile verb To escape, flee, or leave a situation or relationship, usually as a result of a shocking or sudden announcement or revelation.
run about verb To be very busy doing many different things.
run across verb To find or discover by chance; to come across.
run afoul of verb To contravene.
run and gun verb To do something hastily and with great energy.
run around verb To be very busy doing many different things.
run around after verb To spend a lot of time doing things for another person or group of people. Often used when that person could reasonably do the things for…
run around with verb To spend a lot of time with a person or group of people. Often implies disapproval on the part of the speaker.
run away from verb To avoid or shirk a problem or consequences; to rush to back away from or disclaim responsibility for something.
run back verb To take someone home by car; to give someone a lift to their house.
run down the clock verb To waste time at the end of a match such that it is terminated by running out of time, or during a match so a time penalty is made less…
run for one's life verb To attempt to escape an extremely unfavorable or unfortunate situation.
run for one's money noun A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.
run for the roses noun A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.
run high verb Of a river, to experience a strong current and be full and close to overflowing.
run hot and cold verb To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.
run into the ground verb To mismanage to the point of ruin.
run off verb To make photocopies, or print.
run off at the mouth verb To talk excessively.
run off with verb To steal or abscond with.
run on verb To continue without interruption
run one's name verb To input someone’s name in a search engine or other database in order to search for additional information regarding that person.
run out verb To use up or consume all
run out on verb To leave a partner or commitment suddenly and without prior warning.
run over verb To exceed the allotted time.
run past verb To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of (someone) in order to obtain their opinion.
run riot verb To act in an uncontrolled, unbridled manner.
run someone off their feet verb To cause someone to become very busy, especially to an exhausting degree; to make someone work very hard and very quickly.
run through verb To summarise briefly.
run to verb To reach a particular maximum amount, size, value, etc.
run up verb To make something, usually an item of clothing, very quickly.
run wild verb To go unchecked; to be out of control.
run with verb To follow something through to completion or realization.
run with scissors verb To behave recklessly.
runaround noun An evasive explanation in the form of multiple excuses.
runners and riders noun The candidates in a competition or leadership contest.
running start noun An initial advantage at the beginning of some action or pursuit; a head start.
rush hour noun The times of the day when traffic jams are commonplace, due mainly to people commuting to or from work.
rush in verb To act quickly and without due thought
rush one's fences verb To act too hastily or impulsively, often resulting in mistakes or failure.
rush to judgement verb Synonym of jump to conclusions
sabre-rattling noun A flamboyant display of military power as an implied threat that it might be used.
sacred cow noun Something which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry. A person, institution, belief system, etc. which, for no…
sad drunk noun A person who is gloomy or depressed when intoxicated, unable to retain reasonable control of their mental and emotional faculties.
sail the high seas verb To engage in piracy.
salad noun Any varied blend or mixture.
salami slicing noun The achievement of a large change by incrementally asking for small concessions.
salami-slice verb To divide (something) into small groups or portions; specifically, to tackle (a big task, etc.) in incremental steps.
salt away verb To save or preserve (especially money) for future use.
salt of the earth noun A person or group of people considered to represent the most decent and admirable parts of humanity.
salt the earth verb After destroying or devastating something, to do something additional to make sure it is permanently destroyed, as a precaution or out of…
Santa's workshop noun A busy, productive large or small work environment, populated by dedicated workers.
save by the bell verb To rescue or favorably assist (someone) by means of a timely interruption or the sudden termination of difficult circumstances.
save it verb Do not bother with the explanation that you are about to give; be quiet.
save someone's life verb To prevent someone from getting into trouble, or to rescue them from it.
save the furniture verb To salvage something positive from a calamitous situation, especially one involving the reputation or fate of a political party.
saved by the bell adj Rescued or favorably assisted by a timely interruption or by the sudden termination of difficult circumstances.
sawdust trail noun The route followed by an itinerant Christian preacher in the United States.
say again phrase "What did you say?" or "Repeat what you have said." A polite formula used when one has not heard or understood what has been said.

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