Weka idioms/nahau mbalimbali unazozifahamu katika uzi huu

the be all and end all: the only important thing in someone's life, the only important feature of an activity.
 
keep a straight face: try not to laugh
e.g. I tried to keep a straight face but failed.

hold one's tongue: keep silent; refrain from speaking
e.g. She can't hold her tongue at all.

beat one's brains out: make great efforts, often unsuccessfully.
e.g. He beats his brains out at work, but his boss doesn't even notice his hard work.

a far cry from something: not nearly as good
e.g. His second book wasn't bad, but it was a far cry from his first book.

rest on one's laurels: stop trying because one is satisfied by one's past achievements.
e.g. Despite our success this is not time to get on our laurels

get a grip on oneself: take control of one's feelings
Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself!

fly off the handle: get angry
e.g. He flew off the handle and yelled at me.

be cut out to be someone/be cut out for it: have the ability to do something
e.g. He is cut out to be a leader. She isn't cut out to be a surgeon.

lay one's cards on the table: be frank and open
e.g. Finally, we asked him to lay his cards on the table and tell us about his plans.
 
waste one's breath: speak uselessly, to no purpose
e.g. Don't waste your breath trying to make him do it. He won't change his mind.
 
Sir H said:
(1) All the hell broke loose-the occurance of sudden noises,fighting,arguments,etc

(2)Leave no stone unturned-doing what you can do to achieve something you want

(3) Kick the bucket-die

(4)in the twinkling of an eye-doing something quickly.

(5) hit the nail over one's head-explaining all the truth about something

(6)seek for your fortune-struggle to succeed the worth even fleeing far away from your motherland

(7) twist one's little finger-persuade somebody to do something that one wants.

Let's carry on with other idioms.I prefer them alot!
Click to expand...

Holding your balls= kuomba Mungu tatizo lipite salama
 
wet blanket: a pessimist, a killjoy who dampens enthusiasm and spoils everyone's fun (mtu anayeboa sana kwenye kundi)
e.g. Remember what a wet blanket he was last time? Please don't invite him again.

walk on air: be very happy
He has been offered a great job. He is walking on air now.

up-and-coming: showing promise of future success
e.g. He is an up-and-coming young lawyer who might help you with your case.

the writing on the wall: a sign of future events (usually, trouble)
e.g. The plane crashed. Mwanakulya said he saw the writing on the wall about that flight.
 
rub it in: embarrass even more by reminding repeatedly of some mistake, failure, etc
e.g. I know I shouldn't have done it, and I apologized. There is no need to rub it in.

take a dim view of something: disapprove of something
e.g. My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children.

pull the wool over someone's eyes: deceive, mislead someone
Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It won't do you any good.

stand to reason: be obvious, logical, naturally true
e.g. It stands to reason that studying spelling will let you improve your writing skills.

spill the beans: tell a secret
e.g. Who spilled the beans about our plan?

sleep on it (usually a decision): postpone a decision till next morning
e.g. Don't make a decision now. Sleep on it.

a shot in the dark: a wild guess
e.g. My answer was just a shot in the dark.

scratch the surface: study something superficially
e.g. He examines all the facts closely, he doesn't just scratch the surface.


 
Sir H said:
(1) All the hell broke loose-the occurance of sudden noises,fighting,arguments,etc

(2)Leave no stone unturned-doing what you can do to achieve something you want

(3) Kick the bucket-die

(4)in the twinkling of an eye-doing something quickly.

(5) hit the nail over one's head-explaining all the truth about something

(6)seek for your fortune-struggle to succeed the worth even fleeing far away from your motherland

(7) twist one's little finger-persuade somebody to do something that one wants.

Let's carry on with other idioms.I prefer them alot!
Click to expand...

The red should have been:

To hit the nail on the head (i.e. on the head of the nail, not over one's head).

Twist a person on/around one's little finger.
 
save face: try to change the negative impression produced
e.g. He said a stupid thing, and then he tried to save face by saying he misunderstood me.

see eye to eye: agree with each other
e.g. They see eye to eye on many things. I don't see eye to eye with him.

see red: become very angry
e.g. She sees red every time she remembers how he lied to her about it.

Give me a break!: Stop it! Enough!
e.g. Come on! Give me a break!

get carried away: get too excited and enthusiastic about something
e.g. He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money.
 
get cold feet: be afraid to do something
e.g. He wanted to try it, but he got cold feet at the last moment.
 
Mwanaukweli said:
rub it in: embarrass even more by reminding repeatedly of some mistake, failure, etc
e.g. I know I shouldn't have done it, and I apologized. There is no need to rub it in.

take a dim view of something: disapprove of something
e.g. My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children.

pull the wool over someone's eyes: deceive, mislead someone
Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It won't do you any good.

stand to reason: be obvious, logical, naturally true
e.g. It stands to reason that studying spelling will let you improve your writing skills.

spill the beans: tell a secret
e.g. Who spilled the beans about our plan?

sleep on it (usually a decision): postpone a decision till next morning
e.g. Don't make a decision now. Sleep on it.

a shot in the dark: a wild guess
e.g. My answer was just a shot in the dark.

scratch the surface: study something superficially
e.g. He examines all the facts closely, he doesn't just scratch the surface.
Click to expand...

The shit had hit the fan=mambo yameharibika!
 
Bite your tongue -avoid speaking things that might cause misunderstanding or conflicts
 
To paint the town red-To make everyone know about you because of something.
 
Some idioms from mythologies and history

work like a Trojan: to work very hard.

Trojan Horse: something that is designed to undermine or destroy from within

Achilles' heel: the most vulnerable spot

Pandora's box: a source of various unforeseen troubles and evils

 
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