Idioms (3 of 6)

Idioms are fixed expressions with nonliteral meaning; a natural way of using a language; or a stylistic expressions of person or group.

Here are some examples of Idiomatic Expressions (3 of 6):

• have the cards stacked against you- to be in a situation that is extremely disadvantageous to you and that may prevent you from achieving your goals (informal)
• hold all the cards- to be in complete control of a situation (informal)
• in the cards- likely to happen (informal), Ex: The stock market took the collapse of the banking giant in its stride, as it had been in the cards for some time.
• play your cards right- to take the fullest possible advantage of your chances of success (informal)
• put or lay your cards on the table- to reveal openly what your intentions and plans are (informal)
• a fly in the ointment- a problem that spoils a good situation
• there are no flies on somebody- used to say that somebody is not lacking in intelligence or understanding
• drag your feet- to move or do something slowly and reluctantly on purpose (informal)
• fall or land on your feet- to end up healthy or in a good position, especially after having been sick or in a difficult situation
• find your feet- to become accustomed to a new situation and able to cope with it; to manage to stand up, especially after having fallen
• a foot in the door- the first stage toward a goal, especially when this is difficult to achieve
• foot it- to walk rather than ride in a vehicle or on a horse; Ex: We had to foot it all the way home.
• get off on the wrong foot- to begin something badly, such as a new relationship or job
• have somebody or something at your feet- to be the object of enormous admiration and devotion from somebody or something
• have feet of clay- to have a weakness or flaw that is not obvious at first
• have or keep both or your feet on the ground- to act and think sensibly and realistically
• put your best foot forward- to try as hard as you can to impress or please somebody
• put your feet up- to stop working and relax
• put your foot down- to be firm about something and make sure your wishes are obeyed or respected
• put your foot in your mouth- to make an embarrassing mistake, especially by being tactless (informal)
• shoot yourself in the foot- to do something that unexpectedly turns out to be disadvantageous or harmful to your own interests
• sweep somebody off his or her feet- to charm somebody completely or make somebody fall in love with you in a very short time
• a free hand- opportunity
• a gleam in somebody’s eye- something at the very earliest stage of planning or development
• a hard or tough act to follow- somebody or something that sets a standard difficult to reach by others who come later
• catch somebody in the act- to see or meet somebody just as he or she is doing something, especially something wrong
• clean up your act- to improve your behavior
• get in on the act- to join in something in order to share in its success or profit (informal)
• get your act together- to do something to become more organized (informal)
  a tough or hard row to hoe- something that is difficult to do