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 40 of 47: from “sticks and stones” to “sword and sorcery”.
- sticks and stones phrase Ellipsis of sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
- sticky fingers noun An inclination to steal.
- sticky-finger verb To steal, to pilfer; to make off with (something).
- sticky-fingered adj Of a person, inclined or prone to steal, especially of engaging in petty theft while handling money or goods.
- stiff upper lip noun The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, stereotypically associated with the British; especially as keep a stiff upper lip.
- stock phrase noun A phrase frequently or habitually used by a person or group, and thus associated with them.
- stock-still adv Without motion.
- stone cold adj Very cold (literally); lacking any semblance of warmth.
- stone deaf adj Utterly deaf.
- stonewall noun An obstruction.
- stop at nothing verb To take any measures to do or achieve something, especially if it involves great risk or danger; to do everything in one's power.
- stop press verb Used to grab attention, implying importance, news-worthiness, etc.
- stop someone in their tracks verb To prevent someone from continuing along a path or way, literal or figurative, he has begun going along.
- stop the bleeding verb To recover by interrupting a string of losses, disappointments, etc.
- stormy weather noun Used to describe a period of troubles and difficulties, especially in terms of relationships.
- story intj Used as a greeting, short for what's the story?
- storybook adj As in a story for children; pleasant and idealized, or having a happy conclusion.
- stovepipe verb To collect or store (information) in a compartmentalized manner, so that some parties who might be interested in its use or able to make…
- stovepipe hat noun A type of top hat worn mainly in the 19th century, made of silk or other materials and having a very tall, cylindrical, flat-topped crown.
- straight from the horse's mouth adv Directly from the source; firsthand.
- straight from the shoulder adj Done in a direct manner; blunt.
- straight goods noun The truth; the facts.
- straight man noun A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through…
- straight shooter noun A person who is honest and forthright.
- straight-face test noun A tongue-in-cheek test of the merits of an argument which asks whether it can be made with a straight face (without laughing).
- straight-shooting adj Of a person: blunt, sometimes to the point of being harsh or offensive.
- straighten out verb To correct or rectify.
- straighten up verb To start living a reformed life; to adopt a more honest and respectable course of behavior.
- strain a point verb To make a special effort; especially, to do a degree of violence to some principle or to one's own feelings.
- strange bird noun An unusual person, especially one with an idiosyncratic personality or peculiar behavioral characteristics.
- straw verb To scatter or to spread loosely.
- straw that stirs the drink noun The person who stimulates or inspires a group; the major factor affecting a trend or set of developments.
- street appeal noun Synonym of curb appeal (“the visual attractiveness of a property, typically a house, as viewed from the street”)
- stress out verb To become stressed.
- stretch noun A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary belief or exaggeration.
- strike a blow verb To hit; to successfully land a hit.
- strike a chord verb To elicit a significant reaction, especially one which is favorable or sympathetic.
- strike a light verb To create a flame (using a match, flint, etc.).
- strike oil verb To have sudden good fortune, especially financially.
- strike one's flag verb To yield, give up, or surrender.
- strike someone when they are down verb Synonym of kick someone when they are down (“make things worse for someone in a difficult position”).
- strike the tent verb To yield, give up, or surrender.
- strike up verb To start something with somebody else, such as a conversation or relationship.
- strike while the iron is hot verb To act on an opportunity promptly while favorable conditions exist; to avoid waiting.
- string out verb To prolong or extend in an unnecessary, contrived or time-filling manner.
- string to one's bow noun A skill, ability or resource.
- string up verb To kill (a person) by hanging, especially to lynch.
- strip off verb To remove all of one's clothes (or sometimes to remove all except underclothes, or figuratively).
- strung out adj Prolonged in an unnecessary or time-filling manner.
- stub out verb To eradicate.
- stuck in the mud adj Stuck, unable to progress.
- stuck in the Stone Age adj Out of touch with the modern world.
- stuck on adj Infatuated with; romantically attracted to; in love with.
- stuck up adj Snobbish, conceited; believing oneself to be better than others, usually because of abundant success; haughty, arrogant or egotistical.
- student union politics noun Political actions seen as being unprofessional or childish; resembling those of the students' union.
- stuff it intj An expression of indifference or nonchalance.
- stuff the ballot box verb To commit fraud in an election by depositing extra or otherwise illegitimate ballots into the container holding the ballots of voters, in…
- stuffed shirt noun One who is pompous or self-important, especially one who is either officious or punctilious in a position of authority.
- stump it verb To go on foot; hence, to run away; to escape.
- success story noun Anecdotal evidence for the benefits of some product or policy.
- suck down verb To drink (or, more rarely, eat) all of something quickly.
- suck dry verb To exhaust all the resources of someone or something.
- suck hind tit verb To feed from an inferior source of food.
- suck in verb To cause (someone) to become slowly more and more involved in some business or situation that may not be to their advantage.
- suck on that phrase Used to express contempt after a victory, a refuted argument or the sharing of undesirable information.
- suck the mop verb To be left in a disadvantageous position.
- sugar and spice noun Two things that are fundamentally different from each other.
- sugar-plum verb to daydream
- sugarcoated adj Made superficially more attractive, possibly to conceal flaws or faults.
- summer and winter verb To spend extended periods of time with; to test.
- sun worshipper noun A person who enjoys exposure to sunlight; an avid sunbather.
- Sunday driver noun One who drives slowly or inexpertly, as for leisure or sightseeing.
- sunrise verb To awake.
- supposed adj Only used in supposed to
- sure enough adv Just as one would expect.
- surf's up phrase It's time (to do something).
- swaddling clothes noun An early period in development, infancy, the beginnings of something; inception.
- swallow whole verb To believe (a lie, excuse, story etc.) in its entirety and without question.
- swear by verb To trust wholeheartedly.
- sweat equity noun An investment of labour, typically by the owner and often his or her family, usually in a small business or personal residence that…
- sweep aside verb To overcome an obstacle with little effort.
- sweep away verb To overwhelm someone emotionally; sweep someone off their feet.
- sweep out verb to remove someone from a place (where they are not wanted)
- sweep someone off their feet verb To seduce someone romantically.
- sweep something under the rug verb To conceal a problem (usually an embarrassing or illegal one) expediently, rather than remedy it thoroughly.
- sweep the board verb To win all the prizes in a competition.
- sweet fuck all noun Fuck all.
- sweet stuff noun A romantic partner.
- sweet talk verb To influence or urge by gentle caressing or flattering.
- sweet tooth noun A liking for foods that are sweet; a weakness for sweets.
- sweet young thing noun An attractive young woman.
- sweeten the pot verb To increase a wager.
- sweetheart deal noun A transaction, contract, or other agreement in which one party provides particularly favorable terms to the other, especially in suspicious…
- swift-handed adj Quick to respond or react.
- swim upstream verb To opt for a difficult course of action when a simpler or safer alternative is available; to make an unwise decision against sound advice.
- swing back verb To return to a previous position.
- swing for the fences verb To do something extremely ambitious, especially rashly.
- switch off verb To lose interest, and start thinking about something else.
- switch on verb To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.
- sword and sorcery adj Of or pertaining to a genre of narratives—including short stories, novels, television shows, films, and computer games—which combines…