Popular American English Idioms
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• "A day late and a dollar short." If something is a day late and a dollar short, it is too little, too late.

• "A little bird told me." When someone says "a little bird told me" it means they don't want you to know who told them. 

• "All bets are off." If all bets are off, then agreements that have been made no longer apply.

• "All over the map." If something like a discussion is all over the map, it doesn't stick to the main topic and goes off on tangents.

• "Armchair quarterback." An armchair quarterback is someone who offers advice, especially about football, but never shows that they could actually do any better.

• "As rare as hen's teeth."Something that is rare as hen's teeth is very rare or non-existent.

"At a drop of a dime." If someone will do something at the drop of a dime, they will do it instantly, without hesitation.

"At the bottom of the totem pole." If someone is at the bottom of the totem pole, they are unimportant. Opposite is at the top of the totem pole.
"Beating a dead horse." If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they're beating a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore; beating a dead horse will not make it do any more work.

"Beat someone to the draw." If you beat someone to the draw, you do something before they do.

"Bet the ranch." If you bet the ranch, you risk everything on something you think will succeed.

"Caught with your hand in the cookie jar." If someone is caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar, he or she is caught doing something wrong.

• "Close but no cigar." If you are close but no cigar, you are close to success or the truth, but have not got there.

• "Cooking with gas." If you're cooking with gas, you're working very efficiently
 

• "Different ropes for different folks." This idiom means that different people do things in different ways that suit them.

• "Don't stop and kick at every dog that barks at you." If we stop to kick at every dog that barks at us we will never arrive at our destination in life, because we are obsessed with righting insignifigant wrongs that should have no more effect on us then a dog that barks as we walk by.

• "Don't sweat the small stuff." This is used to tell people not to worry about trivial or unimportant issues.

• "From Missouri." If someone is from Missouri, then they require clear proof before they will believe something.

• "Go fry an egg." This is used to tell someone to go away and leave you alone.

• "Hold the bag." If someone is responsible for something, they are holding the bag.

• "In high gear." If something is in high gear, it is in a quick-paced mode. If someone is in high gear, they are feverishly on the fast track.

• "Little pitchers have big ears." This means that children hear more and understand the world around them better than many adults realize.
 

• "Mad as a hornet." If someone is as mad as a hornet, they are very angry indeed.

• "Mom and pop." A mom and pop business is a small business, especially if it is run by members of a family. It can used in a wider sense to mean that something is small scale.

• "Not worth a red cent."If something is not worth a red cent, it has no value.

• "Paddle your own canoe." If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself without outside help.

• "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered." This idiom is used to express being satisfied with enough, that being greedy or too ambitious will be your ruin.

• "Tell them where the dog died." If you tell them where the dog died, you strongly and sharply correct someone.
 

• "Uncle Sam." Uncle Sam is the government of the USA.

• "Until the last dog is shot." It means until the very last possible moment or until every possibility is exausted: You boys always stay until the last dog is shotI will stay until the last dog is shot to complete this project by deadline (Expression my mom who was born in 1917 in Wisconson always used.)  
 

• "Water over the dam." If something has happened and cannot be changed, it is water over the dam.

• "Where the rubber meets the road." Where the rubber meets the road is the most important point for something, the moment of truth. An athlete can train all day, but the race is where the rubber meets the road and they'll know how good they really are.
 

• "Who wears the pants?" The person who wears the pants in a relationship is the dominant person who controls things.

• "Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole." If you wouldn't touch something with a ten-foot pole, you would not consider being involved under any circumstances. (In British English, people say they wouldn't touch it with a bargepole).

• "You've got rocks in your head." Someone who has acted with a lack of intelligence has rocks in their head.