Idioms, the colorful fragments of language, paint our conversations with vivid imagery and cultural nuance. Often, these peculiar phrases offer more than meets the eye, carrying hidden meanings or historical significance, making language more dynamic and rich. Beginning our journey with the first letter of the alphabet, this article is dedicated to idioms that start with the letter “A”.
From apples to ankles, “A” opens a treasure trove of idiomatic expressions that have seasoned the English language for centuries. Whether you’re an avid linguist, a casual conversationalist, or someone looking to add a sprinkle of flair to their speech, understanding the roots and meanings of these idioms can prove both enlightening and entertaining. As we embark on this alphabetical adventure, anticipate a world of anecdotes, origins, and intriguing insights into the idioms that begin with the letter “A”. So, adjust your reading glasses and let’s animate our understanding of these age-old adages!
Idioms Beginning With Letter A
Language, in its evolution, has given birth to various idiomatic expressions, those phrases where the words together possess a meaning different from their individual literal interpretations. Idioms bring a splash of color to the otherwise black-and-white language canvas. One letter that has its fair share of idiomatic expressions is the letter ‘A’. In this extensive article, we will dive into some of the most intriguing and commonly used idioms that start with the letter ‘A’.
- A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush
- Meaning: It’s better to hold onto something you have than to risk losing it for something better.
- Example: “I could try for that higher-paying job, but I already have a stable position here. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
- A Blessing in Disguise
- Meaning: Something that seems negative on the surface but results in something positive.
- Example: “Losing my job was a blessing in disguise because it led me to find a better one.”
- A Breath of Fresh Air
- Meaning: Someone or something that is refreshing and new.
- Example: “Her innovative approach to the project was a breath of fresh air.”
- A Bull in a China Shop
- Meaning: Someone who is clumsy or tactless in a situation.
- Example: “I felt like a bull in a china shop when I knocked over the vase at the antique store.”
- A Cat Has Nine Lives
- Meaning: Cats can survive situations that might seriously harm other animals.
- Example: “She’s escaped so many close calls, just like a cat has nine lives.”
- A Chip Off the Old Block
- Meaning: Someone who resembles their parent in terms of behavior or appearance.
- Example: “He’s just like his father when he was young, truly a chip off the old block.”
- A Crying Shame
- Meaning: A regrettable or unfortunate situation.
- Example: “It’s a crying shame that the old theater is being torn down.”
- A Drop in the Bucket
- Meaning: A very small part of something much larger.
- Example: “I know my contribution is just a drop in the bucket, but every bit helps.”
- A Hot Potato
- Meaning: A controversial issue or situation which is awkward to deal with.
- Example: “The political scandal became such a hot potato that nobody wanted to comment on it.”
- A Leap in the Dark
- Meaning: To do something without being certain of the outcome.
- Example: “Starting my own business was a leap in the dark, but I’m glad I did it.”
- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
- Meaning: Images can convey complex stories more effectively than words can.
- Example: “When she showed me the photo from her trip, I understood why she loved it so much. Truly, a picture paints a thousand words.”
- A Piece of Cake
- Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
- Example: “The exam was a piece of cake for me.”
- A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
- Meaning: People who keep moving or changing will avoid responsibilities or stagnation.
- Example: “She’s traveled the world without settling down anywhere, just like a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
- A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
- Meaning: Addressing a problem early on will save more work later.
- Example: “Fix that small leak now, or you’ll have bigger problems later. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.”
- A Stone’s Throw Away
- Meaning: A very short distance.
- Example: “The beach is just a stone’s throw away from my house.”
List of idioms Starting with A
Idiom | Meaning |
---|---|
A Barking Dog Never Bites | A Person Who Constantly Threatens Never Acts |
A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush | What You Have Is Worth More Than What You Might Have Later |
A Bit Much | More Than Is Reasonable, A Bit Too Much |
A Bite At The Cherry | A Good Opportunity That Isn’T Available To Everyone |
A Blessing In Disguise | A Good Thing That Seemed Bad At First |
A Breeze | Easy |
A Bull In A China Shop | Someone Who Is Very Clumsy |
A Busy Bee | A Busy, Active Person Who Moves Quickly From Task To Task. |
A Cat Has Nine Lives | Cats Seem To Get Away With Dangerous Things |
A Cat In Gloves Catches No Mice | Being Too Careful Can Result In Failure |
A Cat Nap | A Short Sleep During The Day |
A Cloud On The Horizon | Something That Threatens To Cause Problems In The Future |
A Cold Day In July | Something That Will Never Happen |
A Cold Fish | Someone Who Is Not Often Moved By Emotions, Who Is Regarded As Being Hard And Unfeeling. |
A Cut Above | Slightly Better Than |
A Cut Below | Inferior To, Somewhat Lower In Quality Than |
A Day Late And A Dollar Short | Too Delayed And Insignificant To Have Much Effect |
A Dime A Dozen | Common And Available Anywhere |
A Dog In The Manger | A Person Who Selfishly Prevent Others From Using, Enjoying Or Profiting From Something Even Though He/ She Cannot Use Or Enjoy It Himself. |
A Fabrication | To Tell Lies About Something, Completely Made |
A Few Sandwiches Short Of A Picnic | Abnormally Stupid, Not Really Sane |
A Field Day | A Very Enjoyable Time |
A Good Deal | To A Large Extent, A Lot |
A Great Deal | To A Very Large Extent |
A Grey Area | Something Unclear |
A Guinea Pig | Someone Who Is Part Of An Experiment Or Trial |
A Hair’S Breadth | A Very Small Distance Or Amount |
A Hell Of A Time | A Difficult Or Exciting Experience |
A Home Bird | Somebody Who Prefers To Spend His Social And Free Time At Home. |
A Hundred And Ten Percent | More Than What Seems To Be The Maximum |
A Lame Duck | A Person Or Enterprise Often A Business That Is Not A Success And That Has To Be Helped. |
A Leg Up | An Advantage, A Boost |
A Lemon | A Vehicle That Does Not Work Properly |
A Life Of Its Own | An Indepdendent Existence |
A Little Bird Told Me | I Don’T Wish To Divulge Where I Got The Information |
A Little Birdie Told Me | Someone Told Me A Secret |
A Little From Column | A Course Of Action Drawing On Several Different Ideas Or Possibilities |
A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing | People Who Don’T Understand Something Fully Are Dangerous |
A Lone Wolf | Someone Who Is Not Very Social With Other People |
A Lot On My Plate | Very Busy |
A Lot On One’S Plate | A Lot To Do |
A Matter Of Time | When Something Is Inevitable |
A Million And One | Very Many |
A Mine Of Information | Someone Or Something That Can Provide You With A Lot Of Information Etc. |
A Notch Above | Superior To, Higher In Quality |
A Penny For Your Thoughts | Ask For Advice |
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned | Money You Save Today You Can Spend Later |
A Perfect Storm | The Worst Possible Situation |
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words | A Visual Presentation Can Communicate Something Very Effectively |
A Plum Job | An Easy And Pleasant Job That Also Pays Well |
A Rare Bird | Somebody Or Something Of A Kind That One Seldom Sees. |
A Rip-Off | Too Expensive |
A Scaredy-Cat | Someone Who Is Excessively Scared Or Afraid. |
A Second Bite At The Cherry | A Second Chance To Do Something |
A Sight For Sore Eyes | Someone That You’Re Pleased To See |
A Sitting Duck | A Person Or Object In A Vulnerable Position That Is Easy To Attack Or Injure. |
A Snowball Effect | Events Have Momentum And Build Upon Each Other |
A Snowball’S Chance In Hell | Little To No Likelihood Of Occurrence Or Success |
A Stitch In Time Saves Nine | Fix The Problem Now Because It Will Get Worse Later |
A Stone’S Throw | A Very Short Distance |
A Storm In A Teacup | A Big Fuss About A Small Problem |
A Tall Order | A Difficult Task |
A Tasty Or Juicy Bit Of Gossip | Very Interesting Or Sensational Gossip |
A Very Frosty Reception | To Receive A Greeting That Makes Someone Feel Unwelcome |
A Warm Smile And The Warm Handshake | A Welcoming Smile And Handshake |
A Warm Welcome | A Friendly Welcome |
A Watched Pot Never Boils | Constantly Checking On Something Won’T Make It Happen Faster. Give It Time And Trust The Process |
A Week Is A Long Time In | In The Field Mentioned, The Situation May Change Rapidly |
A Whale Of A Time | An Exciting Experience |
About Time | Far Past The Desired Time |
About To | On The Point Of, Occurring Imminently |
Above And Beyond | More Than Is Expected Or Required |
Above Board | Openly, Without Deceit. Honestly, Reputably. |
Above The Law | Exempt From The Laws That Apply To Everyone Else. |
Above The Salt | Of High Standing Or Honor |
Above Water | Not In Extreme Difficulty. Especially Said Of Finances |
Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder | When The People We Love Are Not With Us, We Grow Even More In Love |
Accident Of Birth | Luck In Something Due To Family Good Fortune |
Accident Waiting To Happen | A Dangerous Way Of Setting Up Or Organizing Something |
According To Hoyle | Properly, In Accordance With Established Procedures |
Ace In The Hole | A Hidden Advantage |
Ace Up One’S Sleeve | A Surprise Advantage Of Which Others Are Not Aware. |
Achilles Heel | Someone’S Weakness |
Acid Test | A Crucial Event That Determines The Worth Of Something |
Acknowledge The Corn | Admit To A Mistake, Especially A Small One, Point Out One’S Own Shortcomings, Or Another’S |
Acquired Taste | Something One Learns To Appreciate Only After Trying It Repeatedly |
Across The Board | In Relation To All Categories, For Everyone |
Across The Pond | On Or To The Other Side Of The Atlantic Ocean. |
Act High And Mighty | Be Arrogant, Presume That One Is Better Than Others |
Act Of Congress | Hard To Get, Said Of Authorization |
Act One’S Age | To Be Mature, Not Childish |
Actions Speak Louder Than Words | Believe What People Do And Not What They Say |
Add Fuel To The Fire | To Add More To An Existing Problem |
Add Insult To Injury | To Make A Bad Situation Worse |
After One’S Own Heart | Similar In A Pleasing Way |
After The Fact | Too Late, After Something Is Completed Or Finalized |
After The Lord Mayor’S Show | Anticlimactic, Occurring After Something Impressive |
Against The Clock | Forced To Hurry To Meet A Deadline |
Against The Grain | Contrary To One’S Natural Inclinations |
Against The Run Of Play | A Typical Of The Way A Game Has Been Going |
Age Before Beauty | Something Said By A Younger Woman To An Older One, For Instance Allowing Her To Pass Through A Doorway |
Agree To Disagree | Accept Or Set Aside A Disagreement |
Agreement In Principle | In A Negotiation, An Agreement In Which Not All Details Have Been Worked Out |
Aha Moment | Sudden Realization, The Point At Which One Suddenly Understands Something |
Ahead Of One’S Time | Offering Ideas Not Yet In General Circulation, Highly Creative |
Ahead Of The Curve | Innovative, Devising New Ideas In Advance Of Others |
Ahead Of The Game | Making Faster Progress Than Anticipated, Ahead Of Schedule |
Ahead Of Time | Earlier Than The Deadline |
Air Rage | Angry Behavior Inside An Airplane |
Airy Fairy | Whimsical, Nonsensical, Impractical |
Albatross Around One’S Neck | Something From One’S Past That Acts As A Hindrance |
Alive And Kicking | In Good Health Despite Health Problems |
All Along | For The Entire Time Something Has Been Happening |
All And Sundry | EveryoneSeparately Each One. |
All Bark And No Bite | Tending To Make Verbal Threats But Not Deliver On Them |
All Bets Are Off | What Seemed Certain Is Now Unclear |
All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go | Prepared With Clothing Or Otherwise For An Event That Does Not Occur |
All Ears | Listen Carefully |
All Eyes And Ears | Attentive |
All Eyes Are On | Watching Alertly Or Attentively. Having Prominent Eyes. Everyone Is Paying Attention To |
All Fur Coat And No Knickers | Superficially Attractive, Physically Or Otherwise |
All Good Things Come To An End | The Good Times Won’T Last Forever |
All Hands On Deck | Everyone Must Help. |
All Hat And No Cattle | Pretentious, Full Of Bluster |
All Hell Breaks Loose | The Situation Becomes Chaotic. |
All In A Day’S Work | That’S What I’M Here For, Although I Have Accomplished Something, It Is Part Of What I’M Expected To Do |
All In Good Time | Eventually, At A More Favorable Time In The Future. This Phrase Encourages One To Be Patient. |
All In One Piece | Safely |
All It’S Cracked Up To Be | As Good As Claims Or Reputation Would Suggest |
All Mouth And No Trousers | Superficial, Engaging In Empty, Boastful Talk, But Not Of Real Substance |
All Over But The Shouting | Certain To End In A Specific Way |
All Over Hell’S Half Acre | All Over The Place, Everywhere. |
All Over The Board | Everywhere, In Many Different Locations |
All Over The Map | Everywhere, In Many Different Locations |
All Over The Place | Everywhere, In Many Different Locations |
All Rights Reserved | Said Of A Published Work, All Reproduction Rights Are Asserted By The Copyright Holder |
All Roads Lead To Rome | There Is More Than One Effective Way To Do Something, Many Different Methods Will Produce The Same Result |
All Set | Ready, Prepared, Finished |
All Sizzle And No Steak | Failing To Live Up To Advance Promotion Or Reputation |
All Talk And No Trousers | Prone To Empty Boasts |
All That Jazz | Similar Things, Similar Qualities, Et Cetera |
All The Marbles | The Entire Prize Or Reward |
All The Rage | Popular |
All The Same | Anyway, Nevertheless, Nonetheless. |
All The Tea In China | Great Wealth, A Large Payment |
All Things Being Equal | In The Event That All Aspects Of A Situation Remain The Same |
All Things Considered | Taking All Factors Into Consideration |
All Thumbs | Clumsy |
All Told | With Everything Taken Into Consideration |
All Very Well | True To A Certain Extent |
All Wet | Completely Mistaken |
Along The Lines Of | In General Accordance With, In The Same General Direction As |
Amateur Hour | A Display Of Incompetence |
Amber Gambler | Someone Who Accelerates To Try To Cross An Intersection Before A Traffic Light Turns Red |
Amber Nectar | Beer |
American Dream | The Belief Among Americans That Hard Work Leads To Material Success |
An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | Apples Are Good For You |
An Arm And A Leg | Very Expensive |
An Axe | To Grind A Grievance, A Disagreement With Someone That Justifies Confrontation. |
An Early Bird | A Person Who Gets Up Early In The Morning, Or Who Starts Work Earlier Than Others. |
An Eye For An Eye | Justice In Which Reparation Or Vengeance Exactly Matches The Harm Caused To The Victim |
An Offer One Can’T Refuse | An Extremely Attractive Offer |
An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure | You Can Prevent A Problem With Little Effort. Fixing It Later Is Harder. |
Ancient History | Something, Such As A Disagreement, That Happened Long Ago And Ought To Be Forgotten |
And All That | Et Cetera, And So On. |
And Change | And An Additional Amount Of Money That’S Less Than The Next Round Number |
And Counting | And The Number Just Mentioned Is Increasing Or Decreasing |
And His Mother | An Intensifier For An Inclusive Noun Or Phrase Such As Everyone, Everybody |
And So Forth | Indicates That A List Continues In A Similar Manner, Etc. |
And So On | Indicates That A List Continues In A Similar Manner, Etc. |
And The Like | And Other Similar Items, Etc. |
And Then Some | And Even More Than What Has Just Been Mentioned |
Angel’S Advocate | Someone Who Takes A Positive Outlook On An Idea Or Proposal |
Angle For | Aim Toward Something, Try To Obtain Something, Often Indirectly Or Secretly |
Another Nail In One’S Coffin | Something That Leads To Someone’S Death, Literally Or Figuratively. |
Answer Back | Respond Impertinently, To Talk Back. |
Ants In Your Pants | Anxious Or Nervous |
Any Port In A Storm | If You’Re In Trouble, You’Ll Turn To Anything That Improves The Situation. |
Any Tom, Dick Or Harry | Any Ordinary Person |
Apple Of My Eye | An Adored Person |
Apple Of One’S Eye | A Favorite Person Or Thing, A Person Especially Valued By Someone |
Apple Of Someone’S Eye | The Person That Someone Loves Most Of All And Is Very Proud Of |
Apples And Oranges | Of Two Different Classes, Not Comparable |
Apply Some Elbow Grease | Put Some Physical Effort Into What You’Re Doing |
Arm Candy | An Attractive Woman Accompanying A Powerful Or Famous Man At A Social Event |
Armed To The Teeth | Carrying Many Weapons |
Around The Clock | At All Times |
As American As Apple Pie | Very Or Typically American |
As Easy As Abc | Something Is Very Easy |
As Far As I Can Throw | Only Slightly |
As Fit As A Fiddle | To Be Healthy And Physically Fit |
As Pale As A Ghost | Extremely Pale |
As Pale As Death | Extremely Pale |
As Poor As A Church Mouse | Very Poor |
As Red As A Cherry | Very Red |
As Right As Rain | Perfect |
As White As A Sheet | Very Fearful Or Anxious |
Ask Out | Ask Someone On A Date |
Asleep At The Wheel | Not Paying Attention To One’S Work, Not Doing One’S Job Diligently. |
At Death’S Door | Very Near Death |
At Each Other’S Throats | Constantly And Strongly Arguing |
At Loggerheads | In A State Of Persistent Disagreement |
At Sixes And Sevens | Someone Is In A State Of Confusion Or Not Very Well Organized. |
At The Drop Of A Hat | Instantly |
At The Eleventh Hour | When You Complete Something At The Very Last Minute Before It’S Too Late |
At The End Of One’S Rope | Running Out Of Endurance Or Patience |
At The End Of The Day | In The Final Analysis, When All Is Said And Done |
At Wit’S End | Frustrated Because All Measures To Deal With Something Have Failed |
Wrapping Up
Idioms are a fascinating aspect of any language, giving depth, richness, and a touch of cultural flavor to our expressions. Starting with the letter ‘A’, we see a vast array of idioms, each bringing its own unique perspective and story to the table. As with all idioms, context is key. Using them appropriately can make conversations more engaging, colorful, and insightful. Whether you’re looking to enhance your own vocabulary or understand native speakers better, keeping a list of popular idioms can be both fun and educational.
Idioms That Start With
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