Idioms T	Back to Vocabulary..
Tables are turned When the tables are turned, the situation has changed giving the advantage to the party who had previously been at a disadvantage
Take a hike This is a way of telling someone to get out
take a leaf out of someone's book If you take a leaf out of someone's book, you copy something they do because it will help you
Take a nose dive When things take a nose dive, they decline very quickly and head towards disaster
Take a rain check If you take a rain check, you decline an offer now, suggesting you will accept it later
Take by the scruff of the neck If you take something by the scruff on the neck, you take complete control of it
Take for granted If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it because you assume you will always have it.  If you take someone for granted, you don't show your appreciation to them
Take forty winks If you take forty winks, you have a short sleep
Take something in your stride If you take something in your stride, you deal with it even though it is difficult or unpleasant without letting it bother or upset you
Take it on the chin If you take something on the chin, something bad has happened to you and you take it directly without fuss
Take no prisoners If people take no prisoners, they do things in a very aggressive way, without considering any harm they might do to achieve their objectives
Take coal to Newcastle Doing something that is completely pointless or unnecessary is like taking coal to Newcastle
Take someone down a peg If someone is taken down a peg (or taken down a peg or two), they lose status in the eyes of others because of something they have done wrong or badly
Take someone for a ride If you are taken for a ride, you are deceived by someone
Take someone to task If you take someone to task, you scold them for something they have done wrong
Take someone under your wing If you take someone under your wing, you look after them while they are learning something
Take stock To assess a situation, to conduct a personal inventory of ones beliefs and values, etc
Take the biscuit If something takes the biscuit, it is the absolute limit
Take the bull by the horns When we use the phrase in everyday talk, we mean that the person we are talking about tackles their problems directly and is not worried about any risks involved
Take the chair If you take the chair, your become the chairman or chairwoman of a committee, etc
Take the fall If you tall the fall, you accept the blame and possibly the punishment for another's wrongdoing
Take the flak If you take the flak, you are strongly criticised for something
Take the heat If you take the heat, you take the criticism or blame for something you didn't do, normally to protect the guilty person
Take the plunge If you take the plunge, you decide to do something or commit yourself even though you know there is an element of risk involved
Take the rough with the smooth People say that you have to take the rough with the smooth, meaning that you have to be prepared to accept the disadvantages as well of the advantages of something
Take your hat off to someone If you take your hat off to someone, you acknowledge that they have done something exceptional and deserve your respect
Taken as read If something can be taken as read, it is so definite that it's not necessary to talk about it
Talk nineteen to the dozen If someone talks very quickly, they talk nineteen to the dozen
Talk out of the back of your head If someone is talking out of the back of their head, they are talking rubbish
Talk turkey When people talk turkey, they discuss something frankly
Tall order Something that is likely to be hard to achieve or fulfill is a tall order
Tall story A tall story is one that is untrue and unbelievable
Tarred with the same brush If people are tarred with the same brush, they are said to have the same set of attributes or faults as someone they are associated with
Taste of your own medicine If you give someone a taste of their own medicine, you do something bad to someone that they have done to you to teach them a lesson
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs When people say 'don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs', they mean that people shouldn't try to teach someone who has experience or is an expert in that area
Teachers pet The teacher's favorite pupil is the teacher's pet, especially if disliked by the other pupils
Teething problems The problems that a project has when it is starting are the teething problems
Tempt providence If you tempt providence, you take a risk that may well have unpleasant consequences
The balls in your court If somebody says this to you, they mean that it's up to you to decide or take the next step
The be all and end all The phrase 'The be all and end all' means that a something is the final, or ultimate outcome or result of a situation or event
The bigger they are the harder they fall This idiom means that the more powerful have more to lose, so when they suffer something bad, it is worse for them
The grass is greener on the other side This idiom means that what other people have or do looks preferable to our life
The penny drops When the penny drops, someone belatedly understands something that everyone else has long since understood
The plot thickens When the plot thickens, a situation becomes more complicated and difficult
The sands of time The sands of time is an idiom meaning that time runs out either through something reaching an end or through a person's death
The short straw If you take the short straw, you lose a selection process, which means that you have to do something unpleasant
The whole shooting match Everything, the entire object, or all the related parts
The world and his wife If the world and his wife were somewhere, then huge numbers of people were present
Their bark is worse that their bite If someone's bark is worse than their bite, they get angry and shout and make threats, but don't actually do anything
There are many ways to skin a cat This is an expression meaning there are many different ways of doing the same thing
There's no such thing as a free lunch This idiom means that you don't get things for free, so if something appears to be free, there's a catch and you'll have to pay in some way
Thick as thieves If people are thick as thieves, they are very close friends who have no secrets from each other
Thick skinned If a person is thick-skinned, they are not affected by criticism
Thin blue line The thin blue line is a term for the police, suggesting that they stand between an ordered society and potential chaos
Thin edge of the wedge The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly unimportant that will lead to something much bigger and more serious
Think outside of the box If you think outside the box, you think in an imaginative and creative way
Third degree If someone is given the third degree, they are put under a great deal of pressure and intimidation to force them to tell the truth about something
Thorn in your side A thorn in your side is someone or something that causes trouble or makes life difficult for you
Those who live by the sword die by the sword This means that violent people will be treated violently themselves
Three sheets to the wind Someone who is three sheets in the wind is very drunk
Through gritted teeth If you do something through gritted teeth, you accept or agree with it against your will and it is obvious to others how you really feel
Through thick and thin If someone supports you through thick and thin, they support you during good times and bad
Throw a spanner in the works If you throw a spanner into the works, you ensure that something fails
Throw caution to the wind When people throw caution to the wind, they take a great risk
Throw down the gauntlet Throw down the gauntlet is to issue a challenge to somebody
Throw in the towel If you throw in the towel, you admit that you are defeated or cannot do something
Throw someone in at the deep end If you are thrown in at the deep end, you have to deal with serious issues the moment you start something like a job, instead of having time to acquire experience
Throw someone to the wolves If someone is thrown to the wolves, they are abandoned and have to face trouble without any support
Throw the baby out with the bath water If you get rid of useful things when discarding inessential things, you throw the baby out with the bath water
Throw the book at someone If you throw the book at someone, you punish them as severely as possible
Throw your toys out of the pram To make an angry protest against a relatively minor problem, in the process embarrassing the protester
Thow your weight around If someone throws their weight around, they use their authority or force of personality to get what they want in the face of opposition
Thumb your nose at If you thumb your nose at something, you reject it or scorn it
Tickle your fancy If something tickles your fancy, it appeals to you and you want to try it or have it
Tickled pink If you are very pleased about something, you are tickled pink
Tie the knot When people tie the knot, they get married
Tight rein If things or people are kept on a tight rein, they are given very little freedom or controlled carefully
Tight ship If you run a tight ship, you control something strictly and don't allow people much freedom of action
Tighten your belt If you have to tighten your belt, you have to economise
'Till the cows come home This idioms means 'for a very long time'. (Until the cows come home' is also used.)
Till your blue in the face If you do something till you're blue in the face, you do it repeatedly without achieving the desired result until you're incredibly frustrated
Tide and tide waits for no man This is used as a way of suggestion that people should act without delay
Time is on your side If time is on your side, you have the luxury of not having to worry about how long something will take
Time honoured practice A time-honoured practice is a traditional way of doing something that has become almost universally accepted as the most appropriate or suitable way
Tip of the iceberg The tip of the iceberg is the part of a problem that can be seen, with far more serious problems lying underneath
Tit for tat If someone responds to an insult by being rude back, it's tit for tat- repaying something negative the same way
To a T If something is done to a T, it is done perfectly
To err is human to forgive divine This idiom is used when someone has done something wrong, suggesting that they should be forgiven
To have the courage of your convictions If you have the courage of your convictions, you are brave enough to do what you feel is right, despite any pressure for you to do something different
Toe the line If someone toes the line, they follow and respect the rules and regulations
Tomorrow is another day This means that things might turn out better or that there might be another opportunity in the future
Tongue in cheek If something is tongue in cheek, it isn't serious or meant to be taken seriously
Too big for your boots If someone is too big for their boots, they are conceited and have an exaggerated sense of their own importance
Too many cooks spoil the broth This means that where there are too many people trying to do something, they make a mess of it
Too many irons in the fire This means juggling too many projects at once and something's bound to fail
Top dog The most important or influential person is the top dog
Top notch If something is top notch, it's excellent, of the highest quality or standard
Touch and go If something is touch and go, the result is uncertain and could be good or bad
Touch wood This idiom is used to wish for good luck
Tough as old boots Something or someone that is as tough as old boots is strong and resilient
Tough nut to crack If something is a tough nut to crack, it is difficult to find the answer or solution
Train of thought A train of thought is a sequence of thoughts, especially when you are talking to someone and you forget what you were going to say
Tread on someone's toes If you tread on someone's toes, you upset them, especially if you do something that they should be in charge of
Tread water If someone is treading water, they are making no progress
True blue A person who is true blue is loyal and dependable, someone who can be relied on in all circumstances
True colours If someone shows their true colours, they show themselves as they really are
Trump card A trump card is a resource or strategy that is held back for use at a crucial time when it will beat rivals or opponents
Tug at the heartstrings If something tugs at the heartstrings, it makes you feel sad or sympathetic towards it
Turn a blind eye When people turn a blind eye, they deliberately ignore something, especially if people are doing something wrong
Turn a deaf ear If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don't listen to you
Turn over a new leaf If someone turns a new leaf, they change their behaviour and stop doing wrong or bad things
Turn something on it's head If you turn something on its head, you turn it upside down or reverse it
Turn a corner To get over a bad run. When a loss making venture ceases to make losses, it has "turned the corner"
Turn the other cheek If you turn the other cheek, you are humble and do not retaliate or get outwardly angry when someone offends or hurts you
Turn the tables If circumstances change completely, giving an advantage to those who seemed to be losing, the tables are turned
Turn turtle If something turns turtle, it turns upside down
Turn up like a bad penny If someone turns up like a bad penny, they go somewhere where they are not wanted
Turn water into wine If someone turns water into wine, they transform something bad into something excellent
Turn up your nose If someone turns their nose up at something, they reject it or look down on it because they don't think it is good enough for them
Turn up for the books A turn-up for the books is an unexpected or surprising event
Twinkling of an eye If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very quickly
Twist someone's arm If you twist someone's arm, you put pressure on them to try to make them do what you want them to do
Two heads are better than one When two people work together more things get accomplished
Two left feet A person with two left feet can't dance
Two peas in a pod If things or people are like two peas in a pod, they look very similar or are always together
Two sides of the same coin Different but closely related features of one idea, Rewards and punishments, are two sides of the same coin
Two edged sword If someone uses an argument that could both help them and harm them, then they are using a two-edged sword; it cuts both ways
Two faced Someone who is two-faced will say one thing to your face and another when you're not there