English idioms - Alphabetical list A

	Idiom	Meaning
L	Labour of love	A task that you do for your own pleasure and satisfaction and not for reward or profit is called a labour of love. "Preparing Christmas dinner for the family is what my mother calls a "labour of love".
	Lame excuse	A lame excuse is an explanation which is weak and unconvincing. "If you're scared to do it, just say so. Don't invent some lame excuse."
	Land on your feet	If you land on your feet, you make a quick recovery after a difficulty such as a business failure, an illness, a loss, etc. "Don't worry about Bob. He always lands on his feet!"
	Lash out	If you lash out at somebody, you attack them, usually verbally. "On the ninth hole, Pete suddenly lashed out at Scott and accused him of cheating."
	Laugh all the way to the bank	A person who makes a lot of money easily, especially through someone else's stupidity, is said to laugh all the way to the bank. "If we don't succeed in renewing the contract, our competitors will be laughing all the way to the bank"
	Laugh up your sleeve	If you laugh up your sleeve, you are secretly amused at another person's problems or difficulties. "Tom felt that his explanation was confusing and that his colleague was laughing up his sleeve."
	Lay down the law	Someone who lays down the law tells people very forcefully and firmly what to do. "The volunteers helped in a disorganized way. They needed someone to lay down the law."
	Lead somebody up the garden path	If someone leads you up the garden path, they deceive you by making you believe something which is not true. "I still haven't got a promotion. I think my boss is leading me up the garden path!"
	Lead to a dead end	If a plan or a project leads to a dead end, it develops no further because it has no future. "In spite of the scientists' efforts, the research lead to a dead end."
	Leave no stone unturned	If you try everything possible in order to achieve something or to find something, you leave no stone unturned. "The management left no stone unturned in their efforts to find a solution to the crisis."
	Leave well alone	If you leave well alone, you decide not to interfere with or change something that is acceptable or adequate. "It would be hard to get a better deal. Let's just leave well alone."
	The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing	This expression means that communication within a group or organization is so bad that people don't know what the others are doing.
	Left to your own devices	If you leave someone to their own devices, you let them look after themselves, without any help. "When left to their own devices, many children watch TV and eat junk food."
	Pull somebody's leg	If you pull somebody's leg, you tease them by telling them something that is not true. "Of course I'm not going to buy a sports car. I was just pulling your leg!"
	Not have a leg to stand on	To say that someone doesn't have a leg to stand on means that they can't prove what they say. "Three people testified against him. He didn't have a leg to stand on."
	On your last legs	If you are on your last legs, you are in a very weak condition or about to die.
	Let bygones be bygones	If you let bygones be bygones, you decide to forget about past disagreements. "When Charlie's son was born, he decided to let bygones be bygones and contacted his parents."
	Let me bounce this off you.	You say this when you present an idea or plan to someone in order to test their reaction or obtain feedback. "I think I've found a way of making money. Let me bounce this off you."
	Let the cat out of the bag	If you let the cat out of the bag, you reveal a secret, often not intentionally.
	Licence to print money	This expression refers to an officially authorized activity which enables people to make a lot of money without much effort. "The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to print money."
	Lie in	If you lie in, you stay in bed after the normal time for getting up. "Great! Tomorrow I'm not on duty so I can lie in."
	Tell a white lie	To tell a white lie means to say something which is not true in order to protect someone or to avoid hurting their feelings.
	Life and soul of the party	The life and soul of the party is the most lively and amusing person present at an event. "I'm so glad we invited Caroline. She was the life and soul of the party!"
	Life of Riley	If you live the life of Riley, you have a comfortable and enjoyable life, without having to work too hard. "He married a millionaire, and since then he's been living the life of Riley."
	Light at the end of the tunnel	If you see light at the end of the tunnel, you see signs of hope for the future after a long period of difficulty. "Sales dropped heavily last year but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel."
	Lights are on, but no one is home	A humorous way of referring to a person who is lacking intellect and/or sanity, or to someone who is simply preoccupied and not paying attention. "Forget about Andy today - the lights are on but no one is home!"
	Light work	If a person makes light work of something, they do it very easily or with little effort. "After the party, the boys made light work of the cleaning up. The house was spotless when they left."
	Like a bat out of hell	If something moves like a bat out of hell, it moves very quickly. "He grabbed the envelope and ran like a bat out of hell."
	Like a cat on hot bricks	A person who is like a cat on hot bricks is very nervous or restless. "The week before the results were published, she was like a cat on hot bricks."
	Like death warmed up	If you look like death warmed up, you look very ill or tired. "My boss told me to go home. He said I looked like death warmed up."
	Like a dog with two tails	If somebody is like a dog with two tails, they are extremely happy. "When Paul won the first prize, he was like a dog with two tails."
	Like a headless chicken	If a person rushes about like a headless chicken, they act in a disorderly way, without thinking or analyzing the situation carefully. "As soon as the store opened, my mother started running around like a headless chicken, eager to find bargains."
	Like a moth to a flame	To say that a person is attracted to someone or something like a moth to a flame means that the attraction is so strong they cannot resist. "He's drawn to the casino like a moth to a flame."
	Like a red flag to a bull	To say that a statement or action is like a red flag to a bull means that it is sure to make someone very angry or upset. "Don't mention Tom's promotion to Mike. It would be like a red flag to a bull!"
	Like something the cat dragged in	If you compare a person or thing to something the cat dragged in, you think they look dirty, untidy or generally unappealing. "My teenage son often looks like something the cat dragged in."
	Like a thief in the night	Someone who acts like a thief in the night does something secretly or in an unexpected manner. "He left the company like a thief in the night, without telling his colleagues or saying goodbye."
	Like a ton of bricks	If somebody comes down on you like a ton of bricks, they criticize you severely because you have done something wrong.
	Like water off a duck's back	To say that something, such as criticism or advice, is like water off a duck's back means that it has no effect at all. "He's warned of the dangers of smoking but it's like water off a duck's back."
	Bottom line	If you use the term bottom line in an explanation or discussion, you refer to the most important or fundamental point.
	Cross the line.	To cross the line means to go beyond the authorized limits by doing something unacceptable.
	Line of least resistance	If you opt for the line of least resistance, you choose the easiest way of doing something. "To make sure the children would stay inside, he chose the line of least resistance and rented a film."
	Read between the lines.	To read between the lines means to understand a situation without a clear explanation or full details.
	Lip service	If you pay lip service to an idea or cause, you give verbal support or approval but fail to actually do anything. "In spite of promising equal pay for women, the management is suspected of paying lip service to the promotion of women's rights."
	Keep a stiff upper lip	If a person keeps a stiff upper lip, they contain their emotion and do not let other people see their feelings. "When she heard the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip."
	Live beyond one's means	If someone lives beyond their means, they spend more money than they earn or can afford. "The cost of living was so much higher in New York that he was soon living beyond his means."
	Live out of a suitcase	Someone who lives out of a suitcase travels a lot, moving from place to place, and is therefore restricted to the contents of their suitcase. "Sarah's new job involves so much travelling that she lives out of a suitcase most of the time."
	Live the life of Riley	If you live the life of Riley, you have a comfortable and enjoyable life, without having to work too hard. "He married a millionaire, and since then he's been living the life of Riley."
	Live to tell the tale	Someone who lives to tell the tale survives a terrible experience. "Only two members of the expedition lived to tell the tale."
	Live up to one's/its reputation	If someone or something lives up to its reputation, it's as good, or as bad, as people say. "The guesthouse lived up to its reputation; the owners were as friendly and hospitable as we had been told."
	Living on borrowed time	This expression refers to a period of time after an illness or accident which could have caused death. "After heart surgery, some patients say they're living on borrowed time."
	Lock horns	If you lock horns with somebody, you argue or fight with them about something. "If there is another incident like that in the building, the occupants will be locking horns!"
	Lock, stock and barrel	This expression means 'everything'. "Julie found the apartment empty. David had taken everything - lock, stock and barrel!"
	At loggerheads	If you are at loggerheads with a person or organization, you disagree very strongly with them. "Management and trade unions are at loggerheads over the decision to close down the plant."
	Look daggers at someone	Someone who looks daggers at another looks at them very angrily. "David looked daggers at Paul when he invited his new girlfriend to dance."
	Look down your nose	If someone looks down their nose at a person or thing, they consider that person or thing as inferior. "Intellectuals often look down their noses at amusement parks and such."
	Long in the tooth	A person who is long in the tooth is a bit too old to do something. "She's a bit long in the tooth for a cabaret dancer isn't she?"
	Lose one's marbles	If someone loses their marbles, they become mentally confused, or no longer behave sensibly or rationally. "The old man is acting very strangely. He seems to have lost his marbles."
	Lose one's touch	If you lose your touch, you no longer have the ability to do something. "I used to be good at organizing trips but I've lost my touch!"
	Lose your train of thought	If you forget what you were saying, for example after a disturbance or interruption, you lose your train of thought. "Where was I? I'm afraid I've lost my train of thought!"
	At a loss	If a person is at a loss, they don't know what to say or do in a particular situation. "Teachers are at a loss to know how to deal with the increase in violence in schools."
	No love lost	To say that there is no love lost between two people means that they do not like each other at all. "There is no love lost between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party."
	At a low ebb	A person or organization at a low ebb is not as strong or successful as usual. "The recent political crisis has left the country at a low ebb."
	Luck of the draw	To refer to something that happens as the luck of the draw means that it is the result of pure chance, with no possibility of choice. "The samples distributed varied in size and value; it was the luck of the draw!"
	The lull before the storm	This expression refers to a period of unnatural calm before a difficult time or violent activity. "The sales start on January 1st. The quiet period before that is just the lull before the storm."
	A lump in your throat	If you have a lump in your throat, you have a tight feeling in your throat because of a strong emotion such as sadness or gratitude. "The speech was so touching that I had a lump in my throat."
	In the lurch	If you leave someone in the lurch, you leave them in a difficult or embarrassing situation. "When Paul missed the last bus, he was left in the lurch."