bolt イディオム

bolt from the blue

(See like a bolt from the blue)

like a bolt from the blue

like a sign from heaven, like a flash of light Like a bolt from the blue, I got the idea to shave my head.

sit bolt upright

Idiom(s): sit bolt upright

Theme: POSITION

to sit up straight.
• Tony sat bolt upright and listened to what the teacher was saying to him.
• After sitting bolt upright for almost an hour in that crowded airplane, I swore I would never travel again.

nuts and bolts

Idiom(s): nuts and bolts (of sth)

Theme: DETAILS

the basic facts about something; the practical details of something. (Fixed order.)
• Tom knows all about the nuts and bolts of the chemical process.
• Ann is familiar with the nuts and bolts of public relations.

like a bolt out of the blue

Idiom(s): like a bolt out of the blue

Theme: SUDDENNESS

suddenly and without warning. (Refers to a bolt of lightning coming out of a clear blue sky.)
• The news came to us like a bolt out of the blue.
• Like a bolt out of the blue, the boss came and fired us all.

Close the stable door after the horse has bolted

If people try to fix something after the problem has occurred, they are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. 'Close the barn door after the horse has bolted' is alternative, often used in American English.

Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

If someone takes action too late, they do this; there is no reason to lock an empty stable.

bolt from the blue|blue|bolt|from the blue

n. phr. Something sudden and unexpected; an event that you did not see coming; a great and usually unpleasant surprise; shock. We had been sure she was in Chicago, so her sudden appearance was a bolt from the blue. His decision to resign was a bolt from the blue.
Compare: OUT OF THE BLUE.

bucket of bolts|bolts|bucket

n., slang A very old and shaky car that barely goes. When are you going to get rid of that old bucket of bolts?

nuts and bolts of|bolt|bolts|nut|nuts

n. phr. The basic facts or important details of something. "Ted will he an excellent trader," his millionaire grandfather said, "once he learns the nuts and bolts of the profession."

bolt

bolt
In addition to the idioms beginning with bolt, also see nuts and bolts, the; shoot one's bolt.
* * *
- bolt from the blue, a
- bolt upright

bolt from the blue, a

bolt from the blue, a
Also, a bolt out of the blue. A sudden, unexpected event. For example, Bill's dropping his life insurance was a bolt from the blue for his wife. This metaphoric term alludes to totally unforeseen lightning or thunder from a cloudless (blue) sky. [First half of 1800s]

bolt upright

bolt upright
Precisely perpendicular, erect in carriage, as in She sat bolt upright in her pew. This expression was used in slightly different form by Chaucer in the late 1300s: “She was ... long as a mast and upright as a bolt” (The Miller's Tale).

lock the barn door after the horse has bolted

lock the barn door after the horse has bolted
Also, lock the stable door after the horse is stolen. Take precautions after damage has occurred. For example, After the burglary they installed an alarm system, but it's locking the barn door, or Deciding to negotiate now after they've been fired—that's a matter of locking the stable door after the horse is stolen. These expressions of action that is useless because it comes too late have long been proverbs in many languages and first appeared in English in the mid-1300s.

nuts and bolts, the

nuts and bolts, the
The essential or basic aspects of something, as in They have lofty goals but don't specify the nuts and bolts of how to achieve them. This expression alludes to basic working components of machinery. [Mid-1900s]

shoot one's bolt

shoot one's bolt
Also, shoot one's wad. Do all within one's power; exhaust one's resources or capabilities. For example, They were asking for more ideas but Bob had shot his bolt and couldn't come up with any, or Don't shoot your wad with that article or you won't have any material for the sequels. The first expression comes from archery and referred to using up all of one's bolts (short, heavy arrows fired with a crossbow); it was a proverb by the 1200s. The colloquial variant, dating from about 1900, comes from gambling and refers to spending all of a wad of rolled-up banknotes. Also see shoot the works.