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 7 of 47: from “bust ass” to “catch on”.
- bust ass verb To work hard, especially when trying to achieve a goal.
- bust on verb To make a joke concerning; to ridicule or make fun of.
- busted flush noun Anything which ends up worthless despite great potential.
- busy work noun Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine…
- butcher's thumb noun A dishonest practice in which a butcher uses their thumb to add extra weight to a scale when weighing meat.
- butt heads verb To argue uncompromisingly.
- butt in verb To join a conversation or situation in which one is not welcome or invited; to interject (connotes a rude or discourteous interruption).
- butt out verb To tell someone rudely to leave them alone or not get involved in what they're doing.
- butt up verb To touch closely, to scrape (against); to press firmly (against).
- butter face noun Alternative form of butterface.
- butter one's bread on both sides verb To profit from two things at the same time, especially when those things seem contradictory or incompatible.
- butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth phrase The identified person appears to be benign, mild-mannered, or calm (but with an integral suggestion that, to the contrary, they really are…
- butterfingers noun Someone who tends to drop things; (more generally) someone who is clumsy or uncoordinated; a klutz.
- button nose noun A nose with a small size and a relatively flat, round shape, usually considered to be dainty or cute in appearance.
- button pusher noun Someone who pushes someone else's buttons: someone who goads, annoys, provokes, etc.
- button-down adj Serious; staid; businesslike.
- buy and hold phrase A passive investment strategy where an investor purchases an asset and retains it for many years, rather than trading it frequently.
- buy into verb To believe (something, especially something implausible); to accept (a craze, fad, or notion) as valid.
- buy it verb To believe any particular assertion or idea; to support it.
- buy out verb to purchase the entire stock or extent of something
- buy the rights verb To acquire the legal rights to a work, property, story, or intellectual creation, especially for purposes such as publication, adaptation…
- buy the rumor verb To purchase an asset based on positive speculation or unconfirmed reports, anticipating a price rise before the positive development…
- buy to let verb To purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it
- buy up verb To buy the whole of; to purchase the entire stock of something.
- buzz off intj go away.
- buzzkill noun Something that or someone who spoils an otherwise enjoyable event.
- by a long way prep_phrase To a considerably large extent, easily. Typically used in the negative to indicate something far removed and not easily altered.
- by all accounts prep_phrase According to everything that people have said.
- by and large adv Mostly; generally; all things considered.
- by any means prep_phrase In any manner whatsoever; at all.
- by hand prep_phrase Manually; without the use of automation or machines.
- by no stretch of the imagination prep_phrase Synonym of by no means: certainly not, definitely not, not by any means.
- by right prep_phrase According to what is right, or what one is legally or morally entitled to; justly, properly, rightfully.
- by the book prep_phrase In a manner which strictly adheres to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.
- by the moment prep_phrase Very quickly as time passes; progressively.
- by the numbers adj Done in a predictable manner; formulaic.
- by the same token prep_phrase For a similar reason; in a similar manner; by virtue of the selfsame phenomenon, through its various aspects.
- by the way prep_phrase Incidentally; used in referencing a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by…
- cake crumbs noun Hardly anything.
- cake walk noun Something extremely easy.
- cakes and ale noun The simple material pleasures of life.
- cakewalk noun Something that is easy or simple, or that does not present a great challenge.
- call an audible verb To change plans at the last minute in response to new information.
- call it verb To call it a day
- call it a day verb To cease an activity.
- call it a night verb To go to bed to sleep.
- call off the dogs verb To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.
- call on verb To visit (a person); to pay a call to.
- call out verb To specify, especially in detail.
- call someone's number verb To focus on someone, asking them to prove themselves.
- call to the bar noun Admission to practice in the courts.
- call up verb To call on the telephone.
- callout noun A form of verbal abuse with the intention of making the victim feel guilty.
- camel's nose noun A situation where the permitting of some small act will lead to a larger undesirable act or circumstance.
- camp out verb To wait or queue for something expected to occur, often overnight.
- can of worms noun A complex, troublesome situation, which produces (or whose resolution will produce) many problems.
- can't wait verb To eagerly anticipate; to find it hard to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.
- canary in a coal mine noun Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming…
- candle noun Indicates how high or low church something is by height on the candle.
- cannot make it verb Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.
- cap it all off verb To finish or complete something; to add a finishing touch.
- carbon burning noun The nucleosynthesis process, in stars of greater than 8 solar mass that have exhausted their helium supply, in which carbon is converted to…
- carbonated water noun Water that contains carbon dioxide dissolved in it under pressure and is intended for drinking.
- carriage trade noun Wealthy or upper-class people in general.
- carry away verb To be so excited that one is no longer in control of one's actions or behavior.
- carry forward verb To transfer to a new page, column, ledger, or similar entity.
- carry off verb To act convincingly; to succeed at giving the impression of (e.g.) knowledge, confidence, or familiarity.
- carry on verb To continue or proceed as before.
- carry oneself verb To move, especially emphasizing the manner in which one moves.
- carry out verb To fulfill.
- carry over verb To transfer (something) to a later point in time.
- carry through verb To manage to execute; to perform successfully, all the way to the end.
- carry water for verb To perform menial tasks for; to serve; to assist; to be forced by politics or pragmatism to endorse or promote a belief, individual, or…
- case the joint verb To thoroughly observe or examine a place, in order to familiarize oneself with its workings in preparation for criminal activity, often…
- cash in one's chips verb To discontinue an activity, accepting whatever gains or losses one has incurred; to give up.
- cash on the barrelhead noun Money in the form of paper currency or coins, paid immediately at the time and place of a transaction: cash only (no credit), and at the…
- cash up verb to count the money taken by a business at the end of the day.
- cast a shadow verb To dampen future events.
- cast in someone's teeth verb To accuse someone of something, or reproach them for it.
- cast one's bread upon the waters verb To perform a kind deed or favor without the motivation of any immediate reward or benefit to oneself, though with the possibility of…
- cast over verb To ponder; to consider or think about.
- cast up one's accounts verb To vomit.
- castle in the air noun A desire, idea, or plan that is unlikely to ever be realized; a visionary project or scheme; a daydream, an idle fancy, a near…
- cat and mouse adj suspenseful, involving alternating roles of attack and defence.
- cat piss noun Any beverage of low quality.
- cat that ate the canary noun A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.
- cat's cradle noun Any complicated structure that appears to be without purpose.
- cat's meow noun A self-satisfied person.
- cat-footed adj Soft-footed like a cat; quiet or stealthy while walking.
- catch a case verb To be infected with a disease; used with of.
- catch a cold verb To contract a cold.
- catch a falling knife verb To buy a financial instrument whose price is falling rapidly.
- catch a wave verb To derive benefit from a fortunate opportunity; to experience a sudden increase in energy or luck.
- catch as catch can adj Only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself; intermittent.
- catch fire verb To become engulfed in flames, to combust.
- catch flies verb To have one's mouth wide open for a prolonged period.
- catch hell verb To be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.
- catch it verb To be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.
- catch of the day noun A person who is a popular or desirable choice to be a partner in a prospective marital or romantic relationship.
- catch on verb Chiefly in the form catch oneself on: to cause (oneself) to get or regain a proper appreciation of a situation; to behave in the expected…