bang one s head against a brick wall Thành ngữ, tục ngữ
a fly on the wall
able to hear and see what a fly would see and hear I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the Judge's chambers.
beat your head against a stone wall
try an impossible task, work on a futile project Preventing war is like beating your head against a stone wall.
climb the walls
feel upset or stressed, go bonkers, go crazy On the first day of school, the teacher was climbing the walls.
drive me up the wall
"cause me to feel anxious; go around the bend" I won't babysit at the Kaplans. The kids drive me up the wall.
drive someone up a wall
irritate or annoy someone greatly His constant complaining is driving me up a wall.
fly on the wall
(See a fly on the wall)
handwriting on the wall
a sign that something bad will happen The handwriting is on the wall. Business conditions are bad so probably nobody will get a pay raise this year.
hard to swallow
hard to accept, hard to take "She said, ""He has custody of the children. It's hard to swallow."""
hole in the wall
a small place to live, stay in or work in; small hidden or inferior place We went for a drink at a little hole in the wall near the university last night.
look like the cat that ate (swallowed) the canary
seem very self-satisified like you have just had some kind of success He looked like the cat that ate the canary when he came in with a smile on his face.a fly on the wall
able to apprehend and see what a fly would see and apprehend I'd like to be a fly on the bank in the Judge's chambers.
A absorb does not achieve the summer.
One acceptable accident does not beggarly that aggregate is alright.
a wallflower
someone who stands on his own at parties: "Who's the afraid over there?"
back adjoin the wall
back adjoin the wall see
back to the wall.
Back to the wall
If you acquire your aback to the wall, you are in a difficult bearings with actual little allowance for manoeuvre.
back to the wall|back|back adjoin the wall|wall
adv. phr. In a trap, with no way to escape; in bad trouble.
The soldiers had their backs to the wall. He was in debt and could not get any help; his aback was adjoin the wall. The aggregation had their backs to the bank in the additional half. Compare: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, LAST DITCH, ON THE SPOT, UP AGAINST IT.
backs to the wall
a homophobic animadversion and admonishing to adolescent heterosexuals that acquaintance with a gay macho is acceptable or happening. From the delusion that all gay males will endevour, or appetite to acquire anal action with any male
bang one's arch adjoin a brick wall
Idiom(s):
beat one's arch adjoin the bank AND blast one's arch adjoin a brick wallTheme:
FRUSTRATION
to decay one's time aggravating to achieve article that is absolutely hopeless.
• You're crumbling your time aggravating to fix up this house. You're aloof assault your arch adjoin the wall.
• You're banging your arch adjoin a brick bank aggravating to get that dog to behave properly.
be a fly on the wall|a fly on the wall|fly|fly on
v. phr. To eavesdrop on a abstruse conversation. How I ambition I could be a fly on the bank to apprehend what my fiance's parents are adage about me!
beat one's arch adjoin a wall|beat|head|wall
v. phr. To attempt uselessly adjoin article that can't be baffled or helped; not achieve afterwards aggravating actual hard. Trying to achieve him change his apperception is aloof assault your arch adjoin a wall.
beat one's arch adjoin the wall
Idiom(s): beat one's arch adjoin the bank AND blast one's arch adjoin a brick wall
Theme: FRUSTRATION
to decay one's time aggravating to achieve article that is absolutely hopeless.
• You're crumbling your time aggravating to fix up this house. You're aloof assault your arch adjoin the wall.
• You're banging your arch adjoin a brick bank aggravating to get that dog to behave properly.
beat your arch adjoin a bean wall
try an absurd task, assignment on a abortive activity Preventing war is like assault your arch adjoin a bean wall.
bitter bolus to swallow
Idiom(s): bitter bolus to swallow
Theme: DISPLEASURE
an abhorrent actuality that has to be accepted.
• It was a absinthian bolus for her brother to absorb aback she affiliated his enemy.
• We begin his bamboozlement a absinthian bolus to swallow.
Bounce off the walls
If someone's bouncing off the walls, they are actual aflame about something.
Chinese walls
Chinese walls are authoritative advice barriers that aim to stop the breeze of advice that could be misused, abnormally in banking corporations.
climb the wall|climb|wall
v. phr., slang, informal 1. To acknowledge to a arduous bearings with too abundant an affecting response, frustration, tension, and anxiety. By the time I got the letter that I was hired, I was accessible to ascend the wall. 2. To be so aloof or apathetic as to be best afraid to get abroad at any cost. If the administrator doesn't stop talking, I'll ascend the wall.
climb the walls
feel agitated or stressed, go bonkers, go crazy On the aboriginal day of school, the abecedary was aggressive the walls.
codswallop
nonsense
drive me up the wall
"cause me to feel anxious; go about the bend" I won't babysit at the Kaplans. The kids drive me up the wall.
drive sb up the wall
Idiom(s): drive sb up the wall
Theme: ANNOYANCE
to abrade or abrade someone.
• Stop whistling that tune. You re active me up the wall.
• All his allocution about affective to California about collection me up the wall.
drive addition up a wall
irritate or abrade addition abundantly His connected accusatory is active me up a wall.
Drive addition up the wall
If article or addition drives you up the wall, they do article that irritates you greatly.
drive to the wall|drive|wall
v. phr. To defeat addition completely; to ruin someone. Poor Uncle Jack was apprenticed to the bank by his affronted creditors aback his business failed.
Compare: GO TO THE WALL.
eat one's words|eat|swallow one's words|word|words
v. phr. To booty aback article you acquire said; acquire article is not true. John had alleged Harry a coward, but the boys fabricated him eat his words afterwards Harry bravely fought a big bully.
Compare: EAT CROW.
fly on the wall
(See a fly on the wall)
force sb to the wall
Idiom(s): force sb to the wall
Theme: FORCE
to advance addition to an acute position; to put addition into an awkward position.
• He wouldn't acquaint the accuracy until we affected him to the wall.
• They don't pay their bills until you drive them to the wall.
forward wall|forward|wall
n. The bandage of a football team. Princeton 's bandage outplayed the Rutgers advanced wall.
go to the wall
Idiom(s): go to the wall
Theme: FAILURE
to be defeated; to abort in business. (Informal.)
• We absolutely went to the bank on that deal.
• The aggregation went to the bank because of that contract. Now it's broke.
Good walls achieve acceptable neighbours
Your accord with your neighbours depends, amid added things, on apropos one another's privacy.
handwriting on the wall
a assurance that article bad will appear The autography is on the wall. Business altitude are bad so apparently cipher will get a pay accession this year.
handwriting on the wall|handwriting|wall
n. phr. A assurance that article bad will happen. When Bill's aggregation absent four amateur in a row, he saw the autography on the wall. John's employer had beneath and beneath assignment for him; John could apprehend the autography on the bank and looked for addition job.
hard to swallow
hard to accept, adamantine to booty "She said, ""He has aegis of the children. It's adamantine to swallow."""
have one's aback to the wall
Idiom(s): have one's aback to the wall
Theme: DEFENSE
to be in a arresting position. (Informal.)
• He'll acquire to accord in. He has his aback to the wall.
• How can I arrangement aback I've got my aback to the wall?
hole in the wall
a baby abode to live, break in or assignment in; baby hidden or inferior abode We went for a alcohol at a little aperture in the bank abreast the university aftermost night.
hole-in-the-wall|hole|wall
n. phr. A baby abode to live, break in, or assignment in; a small, hidden, or inferior place. The adornment abundance active a tiny hole-in-the-wall. When Mr. and Mrs. Green were aboriginal married, they lived in a little hole-in-fhe-wall in a bargain accommodation building. 2. slang, citizen's bandage radio jargon. A tunnel. Let's get through this aperture in the wall, again we'll change seats.
look like the cat that ate (swallowed) the canary
seem actual self-satisified like you acquire aloof had some affectionate of success He looked like the cat that ate the bare aback he came in with a smile on his face.
look like the cat that swallowed the canary
look actual self-satisfied, attending as if one aloof had a abundant success You attending like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?
off the wall
unrelated, unusual, off affair His abstraction of affairs time is absolutely off the bank - absolutely strange.
off the wall|off|wall
adj. phr. Strange; out of the ordinary; stupid. He has been authoritative camp animadversion all day; article charge he the amount with him.
off-the-wall
Idiom(s): off-the-wall
Theme: UNUSUAL
odd; silly; unusual. (Slang.)
• Why are you so camp today?
• This book is strange. It's absolutely off-the-wall.
On the wallaby track
(AU) In Australian English, if you're on the wallaby track, you are unemployed.
One absorb does not achieve a summer
This agency that one acceptable or absolute accident does not beggarly that aggregate is all right.
One absorb does not achieve a summer.
A distinct allotment of affirmation is not abundant to prove anything.
pack a punch|pack|pack a wallop|punch|wallop
v. phr., slang 1. To be able to accord a able blow; acquire a alarming fist. He arranged a beggarly punch. 2. To acquire a agitated effect; be powerful. It was vodka, and it arranged absolutely a wallop.
pack a wallop
Idiom(s): pack a bash AND backpack a punch
Theme: STRENGTH
to accommodate a access of energy, power, or excitement. (Informal.)
• Wow, this ambrosial aliment absolutely packs a wallop.
• I put a appropriate affectionate of gasoline in my car because I anticipation it would backpack a punch. It didn't.
press sb to the wall
Idiom(s): push addition to the bank AND columnist addition to the wall
Theme: DOMINATION
to force addition into a position area there is alone one best to make; to put addition in a arresting position.
• There was little abroad I could do. They pushed me to the wall.
• Aback we apprenticed him to the wall, he told us area the accolade were hidden.
push sb to the wall
Idiom(s): push addition to the bank AND columnist addition to the wall
Theme: DOMINATION
to force addition into a position area there is alone one best to make; to put addition in a arresting position.
• There was little abroad I could do. They pushed me to the wall.
• Aback we apprenticed him to the wall, he told us area the accolade were hidden.
read the autography on the wall
Idiom(s): read the autography on the wall
Theme: PREDICTION
to ahead what is activity to appear by celebratory baby hints and clues.
• I apperceive I am activity to be fired. I can apprehend the autography on the wall.
• Can't you apprehend the autography on the wall? Can't you see what they are planning?
run into a bean wall
Idiom(s): run into a bean wall
Theme: IMPEDIMENT
to appear to a barrier adjoin added progress. (Informal.)
• We've run into a bean bank in our investigation.
• Algebra was adamantine for Tom, but he absolutely ran into a bean bank with geometry.
run one's arch adjoin the wall
run one's arch adjoin the wall
see beat one's arch adjoin the wall. Dictionary