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Idiom |
Meaning |
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N |
Nailing jelly to the wall |
To say that something is like nailing jelly to the
wall, you mean
that it is extremely difficult to
do, if not impossible. "Keeping track of his movements is like
nailing jelly to the wall." |
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Your
name
is mud |
To say that a person's name is mud means that they have
acquired
a bad
reputation because of something they have done or said.
"His name is mud now after the revelations in the
newspaper." |
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A pain in the neck |
If you refer to a person as a pain in the neck, you
think they are very irritating or
annoying. |
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Neck
and neck |
In a contest or competition, when two competitors reach the same level,
they are said to be neck and neck, so it is impossible to say who
will win.
"At the moment the two teams are neck and neck for the World Cup." |
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Needs must
(when the devil drives) |
This expression means that you are sometimes forced by circumstances
to do something that you do
not want to do.
"I'd rather stay with you than attend the conference, but needs
must...!" |
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A
needle in a haystack |
To refer to something as a needle in a haystack means that
it is very
difficult or impossible to find.
"Finding a pub in Dublin without knowing its name is like
looking for
a needle in a haystack!" |
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Neither here nor there |
Something which is neither here nor there is
unimportant or irrelevant. "Why the problem wasn't discovered
earlier is neither here nor there. What's important now is to
find a solution." |
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Nerves
of steel |
Someone who has nerves of steel
is not afraid in a difficult or dangerous
situation.
"You need to have nerves of steel to drive on those mountain roads." |
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Nest egg |
If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which
you put aside
for future needs.
"Our parents consider
the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg
for their old age." |
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Never
looked back |
If you say that you have never looked back, you
mean that after an
event which changed your life for the better,
you continue to be happy
with the situation. "Since the day she
decided to work from home, she has never
looked back." |
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Next to nothing |
The term next to
nothing means a very small amount or almost
nothing. "My
boots were a real bargain. I bought them for next to nothing
in the
sales." |
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Nice as
pie |
If a person is nice as pie, they are
surprisingly very kind and friendly "After our
argument, she was nice as pie!" |
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In the nick of
time |
If something happens in the nick of time, it happens
at the last
minute, when it is nearly too late. "The
child was standing in front of the open window. His mother
arrived
in the nick of time." |
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Nine-day
wonder |
An event which is a nine-day wonder causes
interest, surprise or
excitement for a short time, but it doesn't
last. "His sudden departure was a nine-day wonder but he was soon
forgotten." |
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No accounting for
taste |
This expression is used to indicate surprise at
another person's likes
or dislikes "She fell in love with a guy
who's short, fat, bald and poor ...
well, there's no accounting for
taste!" |
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No
fixed abode |
A person of no fixed abode has nowhere permanent to live.
"A 30-year-old man, of no fixed abode, was charged with the
burglary." |
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A no-go area |
A no-go area is an
area, particularly in a city, where it is dangerous
to
go. "Tourists have been advised to avoid parts of the city which
have
become no-go areas." |
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No great
shakes |
To say that something or someone is no great shakes
means that they are useless, ineffective or not very
good. "He's a good actor but his last film was no great
shakes." |
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No hard
feelings |
If you have no hard feelings, you feel no resentment
or bitterness about something. When Jack was promoted
instead of Steve, he said to Steve : "No hard feelings I
hope." |
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No smoke
without fire |
If it is said by many people that something bad is happening,
there must be some truth in it.
"Although no proof was ever found, people say there's
no smoke
without fire." |
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There are no two ways about it |
To say that there are no two ways about it means that there is
only
one suitable way of dealing with something.
"There's no two ways about it. You can't accept the money, so you
must give
it back." |
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Nodding
terms
|
If you are on nodding terms with someone, you don't know them
very well, just well enough to say 'hello' when you meet them.
"We haven't made any friends yet but we're on nodding terms with
out
neighbours." |
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Nose out of joint |
If a person's nose is out of joint, they have been
upset,
embarrassed or offended by somebody or
something. "When he discovered that he wasn't on the invitation
list,
that really put his nose out of joint.' |
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Keep your nose clean |
A person who keeps their nose clean behaves well and
avoids
trouble. |
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Keep your nose to the
grindstone |
A person who keeps their nose to the grindstone is
someone who concentrates on working hard at his
job. |
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Look down your nose |
To look down your nose at a thing or person,
means that you treat that thing or person with contempt, or
consider them inferior. |
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Turn up your nose at
something. |
If you "turn up your nose" at something, you reject it
because it is not good enough for you. |
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Not all there |
Someone who is not all there behaves strangely at times, or
seems
a bit odd.
"Our new neighbour wears a hat and coat even in summer;
I don't think he's quite all there!" |
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Not
for all the tea in China |
To say that you would not do something for all the tea in China
means that you would not do it under any conditions. "I wouldn't
live there for all the tea in China." |
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Not
by a long chalk/a long shot |
This expression means 'not at all' and is used to emphasise a
statement, especially a negative one
"The matter hasn't been settled yet, not by a long chalk!" |
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Nothing
doing! |
This
expression is used to say that
there is no way
you would
accept to do what is proposed.
.
"Work on Sunday? Nothing doing!" |
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Nothing succeeds like success! |
This expression means that success often leads to further successes.
"The success of my first book encouraged me to
continue writing.
Nothing succeeds like success!"
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Nothing to write home about |
If you refer
to something as nothing to write home about,
you mean that it is
not of great interest or importance.
"Okay, she's written a
couple of books, but nothing to write home about." |
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Nothing ventured, nothing gained |
This expression
means that you cannot expect to achieve anything
if you risk
nothing. "He's going to ask his boss for a promotion even though he
has little
chance of obtaining satisfaction - nothing ventured, nothing
gained! " |
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Null and void |
Something which is null and void has no legal force or is invalid.
"The contract was declared null and void." |
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Nurse/bear/hold a grudge |
If
you nurse a grudge against someone or something, you have a
feeling
of resentment or ill-will towards them.
"Ever since I got a
promotion, he's been nursing a grudge against me." |
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Go nuts |
To say that a person has gone nuts means that they
have become
completely foolish, eccentric or
mad. |
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Nuts
and bolts |
The nuts and bolts of something are the detailed facts and
the
practical aspects.
"We need to discuss the nuts and bolts of the proposal before
going
any further." |
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In a nutshell. |
You say in a nutshell when you give a brief summary of
something. "In a nutshell, we disagreed and I left the
company." |