English idioms - Alphabetical list A

	Idiom	Meaning
A	Above and beyond the call of duty	If a person does something which is above and beyond the call of duty, they show a greater degree of courage or effort than is usually required or expected in their job. "The fire-fighter received a medal for his action which went above and beyond the call of duty
	Have an ace up your sleeve.	If you have an ace up your sleeve, it means that you have something in reserve with which you can gain an advantage.
	Hold all the aces	A person who holds all the aces is in a very strong position because they have more advantages than anyone else. "Given the high unemployment figures in some countries, employers hold all the aces."
	Acid test	To refer to something as the acid test means that it will prove how effective or useful something is. "The training course was very interesting but the acid test will come when I start my new job."
	Get your act together!	If you tell someone to get their act together, you mean that they need to organize their affairs more effectively in order to be more successful.
	Add fuel to the flames	If you add fuel to the flames, you say something that makes a difficult situation worse. "He forgot their wedding anniversary, and his apologies only added fuel to the flames."
	Much ado about nothing.	If people make "much ado about nothing", they make a lot of fuss about something which is not important.
	Afraid of one's own shadow	A person who is afraid of their own shadow is very nervous or easily frightened. "I've never seen anyone so easily scared - she's afraid of her own shadow."
	All ears	To say that you are all ears means that you are listening very attentively. "Of course I want to know - I'm all ears!"
	All hell broke loose	To say that all hell broke loose means that there was a sudden angry, noisy reaction to something. "All hell broke loose when it was announced that the plant was going to close down."
	All thumbs/all fingers and thumbs	If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are awkward and clumsy and do things incorrectly. "Would you mind wrapping this for me? I'm all fingers and thumbs!"
	Ambulance chaser	This terms refers to a lawyer who finds work by persuading people injured in accidents to claim money from the person who caused the accident. "Peterson & Scott are well-known ambulance chasers - that's how they make their money!"
	Ants in one's pants	People who have ants in their pants are very restless or excited about something "I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something today!"
	Any port in a storm	When you have no choice, any port in a storm refers to a solution you accept, which in normal circumstances you would find unacceptable. "The hotel was substandard, but it was a case of any port in a storm; all the others were full."
	The apple of your eye.	If somebody is the apple of your eye, this means that you like them very much : "My grandson is the apple of my eye".
	To upset the applecart	To upset (or to overturn) the applecart means to spoil a satisfactory plan or situation "I hope Julie doesn't attend the meeting; she could upset the applecart!"
	Apron strings	If one person is tied to another's apron strings, they remain dependent at an age when they should be independent. "All his decisions are influenced by his mother. He's still tied to her apron strings."
	Give your right arm	If you say "I'd give my right arm for that", you mean that you want it a lot and would do almost anything to obtain it. "I'd give my right arm to have a apartment on Central Park."
	Cost an arm and a leg	If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive! "The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets."
	To be up in arms	If you are up in arms about something, you are very angry. "The population was up in arms over the demolition of the old theatre."
	Keep someone at arm's length	If you keep someone at arm's length, you do not allow yourself to become too friendly with them. "It's not easy to become friends with Sophie; she tends to keep everyone at arm's length."
	Asking for trouble	Someone who is asking for trouble is behaving stupidly and is likely to have problems. "Driving fast on these roads is really asking for trouble!"
	Of no avail	Something which is of no avail is not at all helpful or useful. "The coffee machine wouldn't work and the instruction leaflet was of no avail."
	A rude awakening	If you get a rude awakening, you are forced to accept the unpleasant truth.
	Have an axe to grind	If you have an axe to grind, you have personal reasons for becoming involved in something or adopting a particular attitude. "It was decided that the best candidates would be selected by a recruitment agency who had no axe to grind within the company."