English idioms

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Hit the books - to study!

Learn something by heart - to memorize something
Once in a blue moon - something that happens rarely
Adding insult to injury - to worsen a situation that was already bad
Cutting corners - doing something badly to save time or money

Twist someone's arm - Someone has done a great job of convincing you to do something you might not have wanted to to do.

Pull my leg - confuse me because it's funny.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

By the skin of your teeth - You only just succeed/ nearly fail.

Yeah that one's been scattering my marbles lately.

I wonder if people loose their marbles in quarries...

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Lose (all) one's marbles - Go crazy; go out of one's mind.

"Swings and roundabouts" - Apparently it's in reference to playground stuff. I always thought it was "Swings in Circles" but I was wrong. Most people I know use it to mean "what goes around comes around", but that isn't its true meaning. It means that there are as many advantages as disadvantages, so no loss or gain from a situation.

Idioms have always fascinated me, because I take everything literally first. So whenever I hear people use them, or if I hear a new one, it's a silver lining to my day, and a reminder of my autism. I like to query them, and ask people about them, but I'm always met with strange looks as people think "why is it such a big deal?".

Not playing with a full deck/have a screw loose = crazy/out of your mind

Cup of tea - Something one likes or excels in.

Tea party - a party of those amenable to the benefits of tea.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Rubber stamp - Approve automatically without proper consideration.

What's the thing about turning round when you have something to say that might be unexpected?

as in 'He turned round and said...'

thereby compelling you to go to the foot of your stairs, so surprised are you at the turning round.

Many games and sports generate English idioms.

From pool/billiards we get "long shot", "calling the shots", and "behind the eight ball". I suspect that the musician slang of "in the pocket", and the PR term "spin control" both may also come from pool.

From card games we get the metaphor of being "dealt a winning hand", and from poker we get "calling someone's bluff", and having a "poker face". And countless military, and geopolitical, idioms come from the game of chess.

Rabbit Hole -
Metaphor for the conceptual path which is thought to lead to the true nature of reality. Infinitesimally deep and complex, venturing too far down is probably not that great of an idea.

Whole rabbit: an entire bunny!

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos