Tales told through time, tracing traditions and touching upon the tenets of cultural tapestry—idioms are truly timeless treasures of the tongue. Treading forward in our thematic tour of the alphabet, we touch base with the tantalizing and teeming letter “T”, a titan of textual turns and twists in the terrain of idiomatic expressions.
From “take with a grain of salt” to “throw in the towel”, the letter “T” teems with a trove of terms, each telling a tale, tinged with tradition and tinted by time’s touch. Tailored for thinkers, thespians, and those with a thirst for the theatrical thrills of language, this text is a tribute to the transformative power of words. Traverse this terrain with us as we track down the “T” idioms, unveiling their tales, teachings, and the timeless truths that have tethered them to our talk.
Idioms Beginning With Letter T
Trekking tenaciously through the terrain of English idioms, we touch base with the tantalizing tapestry threaded by the letter ‘T’. Teeming with tradition, tales, and truths, ‘T’ tenders a treasury of terms that titillate the tongue and tease the mind. In this treatise, let’s traverse the territory of ‘T’ to tally up its trove of timeless turns of phrase.
- Turn Over a New Leaf
- Meaning: To make a fresh start; to change one’s behavior or attitude.
- Example: “After years of procrastination, he decided to turn over a new leaf and complete his projects on time.”
- The Ball is in Your Court
- Meaning: It’s now up to you to take action; the next move is yours.
- Example: “I’ve done all I can; the ball is in your court now.”
- Throw in the Towel
- Meaning: To admit defeat; to give up.
- Example: “After several failed attempts, he decided to throw in the towel.”
- Take With a Grain of Salt
- Meaning: To consider something to be not completely true or right; to view skeptically.
- Example: “You should take those rumors with a grain of salt; they might not be entirely accurate.”
- Test the Waters
- Meaning: To try something out to see if it will be successful or acceptable.
- Example: “Before launching the new product nationally, the company decided to test the waters with a regional release.”
- Twist Someone’s Arm
- Meaning: To persuade or force someone to do something.
- Example: “I didn’t want to go to the party, but she twisted my arm.”
- Tip of the Iceberg
- Meaning: A small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater.
- Example: “The issues we see now are just the tip of the iceberg; there are deeper problems at play.”
- Two Peas in a Pod
- Meaning: Two people who are very similar in interests or behaviors.
- Example: “My sister and I are like two peas in a pod; we think and act alike.”
- Tie the Knot
- Meaning: To get married.
- Example: “After dating for five years, they finally decided to tie the knot.”
- Take It on the Chin
- Meaning: To bravely endure hardship, criticism, or adversity.
- Example: “Despite the media backlash, the actress took it on the chin and continued with her charity work.”
- Throw Someone Under the Bus
- Meaning: To betray or sacrifice someone for one’s personal gain.
- Example: “In an attempt to save his own job, he threw his colleague under the bus.”
- Turn a Blind Eye
- Meaning: To deliberately ignore or overlook something, often wrong or problematic.
- Example: “You can’t just turn a blind eye to corruption within the organization.”
- The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall
- Meaning: Powerful or influential people suffer more heavily when they fail.
- Example: “He was the most influential man in the industry, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
- The Sky’s the Limit
- Meaning: There’s no limit to the possibilities.
- Example: “With your talent and determination, the sky’s the limit.”
- Throw Caution to the Wind
- Meaning: To behave or act recklessly.
- Example: “On vacation, she threw caution to the wind and tried skydiving.”
List of idioms Starting with T
Idiom | Meaning |
---|---|
Take Someone To The Cleaners | Swindle, Defeat Badly |
Take A Deep Dive Into | Explore Something Extensively |
Take A Flyer | To Take A Rise, Especially To Make A Speculative Investment |
Take A Gander | Go To Take A Look At Something |
Take A Hike | Go Away |
Take A Powder | To Leave, Especially In Order To Avoid A Difficult Situation |
Take A Rain Check | Postpone A Plan |
Take Five | To Take One Brief About Five Minutes Rest Period |
Take Five Ten | Take A Short Break Of Five Ten Minutes |
Take It Easy | Relax, Rest, Calm Down |
Take It On The Chin | Be Attacked, Suffer An Attack |
Take It Or Leave It Command | You Must Decide Now Whether You Will Accept This Proposal |
Take It With A Grain Of Salt | Don’T Take It Too Seriously |
Take Someone To Task | Reprimand Someone Strongly |
Take Someone’S Side | To Support One Person’S Side Of An Argument |
Take Something With A Pinch Grain Of Salt | If You Take What Someone Says With A Pinch Of Salt, You Do Not Completely Believe It. |
Take The Cake | Be The Most Extreme Instance |
Take The Edge Off Of Something | To Slightly Improve Something Negative |
Take The Fifth | Refuse To Answer Because Answering Might Incriminate Or Cause Problems For You |
Take The Gloves Off | Negotiate In A More Aggressive Way |
Take The High Road | Refuse To Descend To Immoral Activities Or Personal Attacks |
Take The Mickey Piss Out Of Someone | Make Fun Of Or Ridicule Someone |
Take The Shine Off Something | To Do Something That Diminishes A Positive Event |
Take The Starch Out Of Someone | Make Someone Less Confident Or Less Arrogant |
Take The Wind Out Of Someone’S Sails | To Reduce Someone’S Confidence, Ofte By Doing Something Unexpected |
Take Your Life In Your Hands | Undergo Extreme Risk |
Take Your Medicine | Accept Something Unpleasant, For Example, Punishment, Without Protesting Or Complaining |
Take Your Time | Don’T Hurry, Work At A Relaxed Pace |
Taste Of Your Own Medicine | The Same Unpleasant Experience Or Treatment That One Has Given To Others |
Teach An Old Dog New Tricks | To Change Someone’S Long-Established Habits. Usually Used In The Negative |
Teacher’S Pet | A Person Who Is Considered The Teacher’S Favorite. This Can Be Used In A Positive Or Negative Way Depending On The Context |
Tear One’S Hair Out | Be Extremely Worried Or Frustrated |
Tear-Jerker | A Film Or Book That Makes You Cry |
Tee Many Martoonies | Too Many Martinis, Scrambled To Suggest Drunkenness |
Tell It To The Marines | I Don’T Believe You, You Must Think I’M Gullible. |
Tempest In A Teapot | A Commotion About Something Unimportant |
Ten A Penny | Ordinary, Inexpensive |
Ten To One | Something Very Likely |
Test The Waters | Experiment With Something Cautiously |
Thank God It’S Friday Tgif | Let’S Be Happy That The Workweek Is Over! |
That Really Knocked My Socks Off | To Be Really Impressed By Something |
That Ship Has Sailed | It’S Too Late |
That’S A Stretch | What You Are Suggesting Is Very Difficult To Believe, I Am Very Skeptical |
That’S All She Wrote | That Was The End Of The Story. |
That’S Music To My Ears | I Am Very Happy To Hear This. |
That’S The Last Straw | My Patience Has Run Out |
The Apple Never Falls Far From The Tree | Family Characteristics Are Usually Inherited |
The Ball Is In Your Court | It’S Your Decision |
The Best Of Both Worlds | An Ideal Situation |
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread | A Really Good Invention |
The Birds And The Bees | Human Sexuality And Reproduction |
The Cat Is Out Of The Bag | The Secret Has Been Revealed. |
The Cherry On The Cake | The Final Thing That Makes Something Perfect |
The Coast Is Clear | We Are Unobserved, It Is Safe To Proceed. |
The Cold Shoulder | An Unfriendly Welcome |
The Cold War | War Without Active Fighting Between Nations |
The Deck Is The Cards Are | Stacked Against You Unfavorable Conditions Exist. |
The Devil Is In The Details | It Looks Good From A Distance, But When You Look Closer, There Are Problems |
The Early Bird Catches The Worm | The One Who Takes The Earliest Opportunity To Do Something Will Have An Advantage Over Others |
The Early Bird Gets The Worm | The First People Who Arrive Will Get The Best Stuff |
The Elephant In The Room | The Big Issue, The Problem People Are Avoiding |
The Icing On The Cake | Something Additional That Turns Good Into Great |
The Jig Is Up | A Secret Illicit Activity Has Been Exposed, Your Trickery Is Finished |
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same | Although Something May Seem Superficially New, It Has Not Altered The Basic Situation. |
The Only Game In Town | The Sole Option For A Particular Service. |
The Pot Calling The Kettle Black | Someone Criticizing Someone Else He Is Just As Bad |
The Powers That Be | People In Charge, Often Used When The Speaker Does Not Want To Identify Them. |
The Real Mccoy | A Genuine Item |
The Ship Has Sailed | It’S Too Late |
The Story Has Legs | People Are Continuing To Pay Attention To The Story. |
The Time Is Ripe | If You Say That The Time Is Ripe, You Mean That It Is A Suitable Point For A Particular Activity |
The Walls Have Ears | We May Be Overheard, Be Careful What You Say |
The Walls Have Ears We | May Be Overheard, Be Careful What You Say |
The Whole Enchilada | All Of Something. |
The Whole Nine Yards | Everything, All The Way. |
The Whole Shebang | Everything, All The Parts Of Something |
The World Is Your Oyster | You Can Achieve Whatever/Go Wherever You Want |
There Are Clouds On The Horizon | Trouble Is Coming |
There Are Other Fish In The Sea | It’S Ok To Miss This Opportunity. Others Will Arise. |
There But For The Grace Of God Go I | I Could Easily Have Done What That Person Did. |
There’S More Than One Way To Skin A Cat | There’S More Than One Way Of Achieving A Certain Goal. |
There’S No Such Thing As A Free Lunch | Nothing Is Given To You Without Some Expectation Of Something In Return. |
There’S A Method To His Madness | He Seems Crazy But Actually He’S Clever |
Thin On The Ground | Rare, Seldom Encountered |
Think Big | Consider Ambitious Plans, Avoid Becoming Overly Concerned With Details |
Think Outside The Box | Try To Solve A Problem In An Original Way, Think Creatively |
Think Tank | A Group Of Experts Engaged In Ongoing Studies Of A Particular Subject, A Policy Study Group |
Third Rail | A Topic So Sensitive That It Is Dangerous To Raise. This Is Especially Used In Political Contexts |
Third Time’S A Charm | To Describe That The First Two Times Did Not Work, But It Will Work On Your Third Try |
Thirty-Thousand-Foot View | A Very Broad Or General Perspective |
This Has Person X Written All Over It | [Person X] Would Really Like Or Be Well Suited To This. |
This Is Not Your Father’S | This Item Has Been Much Updated From Its Earlier Versions. |
Those Who Live In Glass Houses Shouldn’T Throw Stones | People Who Are Morally Questionable Shouldn’T Criticize Others |
Three Sheets To The Wind | Very Drunk |
Through The Grapevine | Via Gossip |
Through Thick And Thin | In Good Times And In Bad Times |
Throw A Wet Blanket On Something | Discourage Plans For Something |
Throw A Wrench Into | To Sabotage, To Cause To Fail |
Throw Caution To The Wind | Take A Risk |
Throw Down The Gauntlet | To Issue A Challenge |
Throw Elbows | Be Combative, Be Aggressive Physically Or Figuratively |
Throw In The Towel | To Give Up, Admit Defeat |
Throw Light On Something | To Reveal Something About Someone/Something, To Clarify Something |
Throw Someone For A Loop | Deeply Surprise Someone, Catch Someone Off Guard |
Throw Someone Under The Bus | Sacrifice Someone Else’S Interests For Your Own Personal Gain |
Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water | Eliminate Something Good While Discarding The Bad Parts Of Something |
Throw The Book At | Prosecute Legally As Strongly As Possible |
Throw The Fight | Intentionally Lose A Contest, Usually In Collusion With Gamblers |
Throw The Game | Intentionally Lose A Contest, Usually In Collusion With Gamblers |
Throw The Match | Intentionally Lose A Contest, Usually In Collusion With Gamblers |
Thumbs-Up | Approval |
Tie The Knot | Get Married |
Tighten The Screws | Increase Pressure On Someone |
Tight-Lipped | Secretive, Unwilling To Explain Something |
Til The Cows Come Home | For A Very Long Time |
Time Flies | To Express That Time Passes Quickly |
Time Flies When You’Re Having Fun | Time Seems To Move Faster When You’Re Enjoying Something |
Time Is Money | Time Is A Valuable Resource |
Tip Of The Iceberg | A Small, Visible Part Of A Much Larger Problem |
Tip One’S Hand | Reveal One’S Advantages, Reveal Useful Information That One Possesses |
Tlc | Tender Loving Care |
To Add A Pinch Of Salt To Something | To Acknowledge That Someone Exaggerates |
To Be A Fly On The Wall | To Wish To Witness What Is Going On Without Anyone Being Aware That You Are There |
To Be A Minefield | When Something Presents Many Possible Dangers |
To Be A Peach | Someone Or Something That Is Extremely Good, Impressive, Or Attractive |
To Be As Right As Rain | To Feel Healthy Or Well Again |
To Be At A Crossroads | When Someone Is At A Point In Life Where Their Decisions Will Have Long Term Consequences |
To Be Left In The Dark | When Someone Doesn’T Receive All The Appropriate Information That Tells The Whole Story |
To Be On Cloud Nine | To Be Extremely Happy |
To Be On Solid Ground | To Be Confident About The Topic You Are Dealing With, Or Because You Are In A Safe Situation |
To Be On Thin Ice | To Be In A Risky Situation |
To Be Smitten With Someone | To Be Completely Captivated By Someone And Feel Immense Joy |
To Be Someone’S One And Only | To Be Unique To The Other Person |
To Be The Apple Of Someone’S Eye | To Be Loved And Treasured By Someone |
To Be Under The Weather | To Feel Sick |
To Bear Fruit | To Develop In A Profitable Or Positive Way |
To Beat Around The Bush | To Avoid Talking About What Is Important |
To Bend Over Backward For Someone | To Go Out Of Your Way To Do Something For Them |
To Bite Off More Than You Can Chew | When Someone Makes A Commitment That They Cannot Keep |
To Bite The Bullet | To Force Yourself To Do Something Unpleasant Or Difficult |
To Break The Ice | To Get The Conversation Going |
To Burn A Bridge | To Ruin A Relationship To The Point That It Cannot Be Repaired |
To Bury The Memory | To Try To Hide Something, Such As A Memory, The Truth Etc. |
To Carpool | To Travel To The Same Place With A Group Of People In One Car. E.G. Work/School |
To Chew Something Over | To Think About Something Before Making A Decision |
To Cut Somebody Some Slack | To Stop Being So Critical Of Them |
To Cutback Something | To Reduce Something, Usually Related To The Amount Of Money Spent |
To Devour Someone Or Something | To Consume Something Very Quickly |
To Dig Deep | To Use A Lot Of Your Physical, Mental Or Financial Resources To Achieve Something |
To Do Something At The Drop Of A Hat | To Do Something At Once, Without Any Delay |
To Each His Own | People Have Different Tastes. |
To Eat Your Wods | When Someone Has To Admit They Were Wrong |
To Get A Taste Of Your Own Medicine | To Be Treated The Way You’Ve Treated Others |
To Get Bent Out Of Shape | To Get Upset |
To Get Cold Feet | To Experience Reluctance Or Fear |
To Get Good Mileage Out Of Something | To Get A Lot Of Benefits From Something |
To Get Off On The Wrong Foot | To Make A Bad First Impression With Someone |
To Get On With Your Life | To Make Progress In Life Goals After A Difficulty |
To Get Out Of Hand | To Lose Control In A Situation |
To Get Wind Of Something | To Hear A Rumor About Something |
To Get Your Wires Crossed | To Misunderstand Another Person Particularly Because You Thought That They Were Talking About One Thing When They Were Actually Talking About Another Thing |
To Give Someone The Benefit Of The Doubt | To Justify Or Excuse Someone’S Actions, And Not Assume Malice |
To Give Someone The Cold Shoulder | To Intentionally Ignore Someone |
To Go Around In Circles | When You Repeat The Same Things Over Again In A Conversation Without Coming To A Conclusion Or Resolution |
To Go Down In Flames | To Fail Miserably At Something |
To Go To Bat | To Speak Out Positively About Someone Or Something With The Intent Of Helping |
To Have A Chip On One’S Shoulder | To Be Combative, To Be Consistently Argumentative |
To Have Bigger Fish To Fry | To Have More Important Things To Do With Your Time |
To Have Butterflies In Your Stomach | To Be Nervous |
To Have One For The Road | To Have One Last Alcoholic Drink Before You Go Home |
To Have Your Head In The Clouds | To Be Daydreaming And/Or Lacking Concentration |
To Have Your Whole Life In Front Of You | To Be Young And Have A Lot Of Years To Live |
To Hear Something Straight From The Horse’S Mouth | To Hear From Someone Who Personally Observed A Certain Event |
To Keep Someone At Arm’S Distance | To Keep Your Distance And Not Get Too Involved With Someone |
To Let Someone Off The Hook | To Not Hold Someone Responsible For Something He/She Has Done Wrong |
To Let The Cat Out Of The Bag | To Reveal A Secret |
To Make Matters Worse | Make A Problem Worse |
To Miss The Boat | To Miss An Opportunity |
To Move At A Snail’S Pace | To Move Slowly |
To Not Swallow Something | To Not Accept Something As Fact |
To Pay An Arm And A Leg | A Very High Cost |
To Play The Devil’S Advocate | To Argue Against An Idea For The Sake Of Debate |
To Pop One’S Cherry | To Do Something For The First Time |
To Prune Out | To Clear, Clean Or Groom Something |
To Pull Someone’S Leg | To Say Something That Is Not True As A Way Of Joking |
To Rain On Someone’S Parade | To Ruin One’S Plans Or Temper One’S Excitement |
To Rub Someone The Wrong Way | To Irritate Or Get On Someone’S Nerves |
To Run Hot And Cold | To Be Unable To Make Up One’S Mind |
To Run Interference | To Try To Remove Obstacles That Are In Someone’S Way, Clearing The Way For Someone Else |
To Run Like The Wind | To Run Very Fast |
To See Which Way The Wind Is Blowing | To Try To Discover Information About A Situation Before Taking Action |
To Spill The Beans | To Reveal A Secret |
To Take A Rain Check | To Postpone A Plan |
To Take Sides | To Choose A Team |
To The Letter | Exactly Said Of Instructions Or Procedures |
To Throw Caution To The Wind | To Do Something Without Worrying About The Risk |
To Tread Carefully | To Behave Or Speak Carefully To Avoid Offending Or Causing Problems With Someone Or Something |
To Walk Someone Through Something | To Show Someone How To Do Something |
To Wrap Your Head Around Something | To Understand Something Complicated |
Toe The Line | Accept Authority, Follow The Rules |
Tone-Deaf | Not Good At Perceiving The Impact Of One’S Words, Insensitive |
Tongue-In-Cheek | Said Ironically, Not Meant To Be Taken Seriously |
Too Busy Fighting Alligators To Drain The Swamp | So Occupied With Multiple Challenges That One Can’T Keep The Big Picture In Mind |
Too Many Chiefs And Not Enough Indians | Everyone Wants To Be A Leader, And No One Wants To Do The Actual Work |
Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth | A Project Works Best If There Is Input From A Limited Number Of People |
Too Many To Shake A Stick At | A Large Number |
Toot Your Own Horn | Brag, Emphasize One’S Own Contributions |
Top Banana | The Boss, The Leader |
Top Of The Line | The Best Possible Version Of Something, The Most Luxurious Or Expensive Options |
Toss A Wrench Spanner Into | Sabotage, Cause A Process To Stop |
Touch Base | Meet Briefly With Someone |
Touch One’S Heart | Affect Someone Emotionally, Be Touching |
Touch Water | Be Launched. Said Of A Boat. |
Tough Cookie | A Very Determined Person |
Tough Sledding | Difficult Progress |
Train Wreck | Anything That Develops In A Disastrous Way |
Transparency | Something That Can Be Seen By Everyone/The Public |
Trash Talk | Insults Directed At One’S Opponent In A Sporting Event Or Contest |
Tread Water | Maintain A Current Situation Without Improvement Or Decline |
Trial Balloon | A Test Of Someone’S Or The Public’S Reaction |
Trip The Light Fantastic | Dance Well, Do Ballroom Dancing |
Turn A Blind Eye | To Choose Not To Notice Something |
Turn On A Dime | Quickly Reverse Direction Or Position |
Turn Someone Inside Out | To Cause Strong Emotional Turmoil, To Completely Change Someone |
Turn Something On Its Head | Reverse Something, Cause Something To Be Done In A New Way |
Turn The Corner | To Begin To Improve After A Problem |
Turn The Tables | Reverse A Situation |
Turn Turtle | Capsize, Turn Over |
Turnabout Is Fair Play | If You Suffer From The Same Suffering You Have Inflicted On Others, That’S Only Fair |
Twenty-Four Seven | At Any Time |
Twist The Knife In Deeper | Make Someone’S Suffering Worse |
Two A Penny | Ordinary, Inexpensive |
Two Peas In A Pod | Two People Who Are Very Similar In Appearance |
Two Wrongs Don’T Make A Right | If Someone Has Done Something Bad To You, There’S No Justification To Act In A Similar Way |
In Conclusion
Traversing the tapestry of ‘T’ idioms, one tumbles upon a treasure trove of tales, traditions, and teachings. These thematic tidbits, tied to the tapestry of time, transform the texture of our talk, making it more tantalizing and textured. For those thirsting for a touch of eloquence, these ‘T’ idioms offer a ticket to a more textured terrain of expression. Tarry no longer! Tune into the transformative tones of ‘T’ and tantalize listeners with your tenacity for terrific talk. To the triumphant trailblazers, to ‘T’!
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