English Idioms - Alphabetical list U-Z

	Idiom	Meaning
W	On the wagon	Someone who is on the wagon is no longer drinking alcohol. "No wine for me please. I'm on the wagon."
	Wait for the cat to jump	If you wait for the cat to jump, or to see which way the cat jumps, you delay taking action until you see how events will turn out. "Let's wait for the cat to jump before we decide."
	Waiting game	A person who plays a waiting game delays taking any action or making any decisions because they prefer to wait and see how things develop, usually in the hope that this will put them in a stronger position.
	Waiting in the wings	If someone is waiting in the wings, they are waiting for an opportunity to take action, especially to replace someone else in their job or position. "There are many young actors waiting in the wings, ready to show their talent."
	Walk on eggshells	If you walk on eggshells with someone, you are careful not to hurt or offend them. "She's so sensitive, you have to walk on eggshells with her all the time."
	Walk into the lion's den	If you walk into the lion's den, you find yourself in a difficult situation in which you have to face unfriendly or aggressive people. "After the failure of the negotiations, he had to walk into the lion's den and face the Press."
	Walk a tightrope	If a person is walking a tightrope, they are in a difficult or delicate situation where they must act carefully. "The management is walking a tightrope in their efforts both to keep the costs down and satisfy the trade unions."
	Walking encyclopaedia	This term refers to a person who is very knowledgeable about a particular subject. "The origin of Halloween? Ask Jill - she's a walking encyclopaedia!"
	Walking papers	If you are given your walking papers, your contract or a relationship is ended. "After causing a diplomatic incident, Carter got his walking papers."
	Water off a duck's back	Criticism or comments which have no effect on someone is referred to as being "like water off a duck's back".
	On the same wavelength	To say that two people are on the same wavelength means that they understand each other well because they share the same interests and opinions.
	Weak at the knees	If a person is weak at the knees, they are temporarily barely able to stand because of emotion, fear or illness. "The shock of the announcement made me go weak at the knees."
	Wear your heart on your sleeve	If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you allow others to see your emotions or feelings. "You could see she was hurt - she wears her heart on her sleeve."
	Wear the trousers	The partner in a couple who wears the trousers is the one who makes the important decisions. "The salesman hesitated. It was difficult to see who wore the trousers in the couple.
	Wear out one's welcome	If someone wears out their welcome, they stay too long as a guest, causing inconvenience to their host. "Alan and Sue invited us to stay on for a few days but we didn't want to wear out our welcome."
	Under the weather	If you are under the weather, you are not feeling very well.
	Weather the storm	If you weather the storm, you succeed in surviving a difficult period or situation. "Given the current recession, the company is weathering the storm better than some others."
	Weigh your words	If you weigh your words, you choose your words carefully in order to express exactly what you mean and avoid any misunderstanding. "At the press conference he spoke very clearly, weighing his words."
	Pull your weight	If you pull your weight, you work as hard as everyone else in a team, a group or a company.
	A wet blanket	A person who is a wet blanket is so boring or unenthusiastic that they prevent other people from enjoying themselves. "Come on! Don't be such a wet blanket!"
	A whale of a time	When people have a whale of a time, they enjoy themselves very much. "We had a whale of a time at the party last night."
	What goes around comes around	This expression means that if you do something bad, something bad will happen to you eventually. "He felt guilty about what he did, with a feeling that what goes around comes around."
	Wheeling and dealing	Someone accused of wheeling and dealing is thought to be involved in complicated, if not dishonest, deals in business or politics. "Since the beginning of the election campaign, there's been a lot of wheeling and dealing going on."
	While the going is good	If you take an action while the going is good, you do something before the situation changes and it becomes impossible. "There's a 50% discount on subscriptions this month. I think I'll subscribe while the going is good."
	White Christmas	A white Christmas is when it snows at Christmas and the ground is white. "We haven't had a white Christmas in twenty years."
	White as a ghost	A person who is as white as ghost looks very pale and frightened.
	White lie	To tell a white lie means to tell a harmless lie in order to avoid hurting somebody.
	Whiz-kid	A whiz kid is someone, usually young, who is very talented and successful at doing something. "Apparently the new engineer knows what he's doing - a real whiz-kid from what I've heard."
	Whys and wherefores	To talk about the whys and wherefores means to talk about the reasons. "We need to discuss the whys and wherefores of our failure/success."
	Win-win	The term win-win refers to a situation or proposition where both or all parties benefit from the outcome. "There were smiles all round when the contract was signed - it was a win-win situation."
	Get wind of something	If you get wind of something, you hear about something you were unaware of, usually a private or secret matter. "The chairman didn't want the press to get wind of the takeover before the agreement was signed."
	Wing it	To wing it means to improvise or to deal with a situation without any preparation. "She didn't expect to be interviewed so she just had to wing it."
	Wink of sleep	If someone doesn't get a wink of sleep, they don't sleep at all. "It was so noisy in the hotel, I didn't get a wink of sleep."
	Wipe that smile off your face!	This expression is often used by parents, or people in authority, to indicate that the situation is not considered amusing at all. "This is a very serious matter, so wipe that smile off your face!"
	Get one's wires crossed	If people get their wires crossed, they misunderstand each other or are confused about what was said. "We must have got our wires crossed. I thought we were to meet in front of the station."
	Wither on the vine	If something withers on the vine, it comes to an end or dies because people do nothing to support or encourage it. "Let's hope that the recent efforts towards peace will not wither on the vine."
	At your wits end.	If you are at your wits' end, you are very anxious or worried about something and do not know what to do. "When her son dropped out of school for the second time, Susan was at her wits' end."
	A wolf in sheep's clothing	To describe someone as a wolf in sheep's clothing means that although the person looks harmless, they are really very dangerous.
	Wonders will never cease!	This saying is used to express pleasure or surprise at something. "Idioms are increasingly popular with learners of English. Wonders will never cease!"
	Words of one syllable	If you explain something in words of one syllable, you use very simple language. "No so fast! Tell me in words of one syllable."
	From the word go	From the word go means right from the start of an event or activity.
	(not) get a word in edgeways	During a discussion, if you can't get a word in edgeways, you can't say something because someone else is talking so much. "I tried to give my opinion, but I couldn't get a word in edgeways!"
	Work your fingers to the bone	A person who works their fingers to the bone is extremely hardworking. "He deserves his success; he worked his fingers to the bone when he started the business."
	The world is your oyster	This expression means that you are free and able to enjoy the pleasures and opportunities that life has to offer. "She left college feeling that the world was her oyster."
	Out of this world.	Something that you describe as out of this world is something that you think is extremely good or beyond compare.
	The best of both worlds.	To have the best of both worlds means to have the benefits and advantages of two different things or situations, without the problems.
	Worlds apart	When two people are very different, they are said to be worlds apart. "As regards our political opinions, we're worlds apart."
	Worm's-eye view	To offer a worm's-eye view of a situation is to give your opinion based on what you see at close range from an inferior position, so it is therefore not a general view. "I'm not sure I can be of much help. I can only offer you a worm's-eye view of the situation.
	The worse for wear	If someone or something is the worse for wear, they are in poor condition, either worn, damaged or tired. "He came back from New York rather the worse for wear."
	Worth one's salt	This expression is used to say that a person who does their job well would or would not do certain things. "Any inspector worth his salt would have the checked the papers carefully."
	Worth one's weight in gold	A person who is worth their weight in gold is someone who is extremely helpful and useful, and therefore invaluable.
	Wrap your brain around something	If you concentrate on something so as to try to understand it, you wrap your brain around it. "I need a translation of that report urgently, so wrap you brain round it fast!"
	Wrapped up in something	If you are wrapped up in an activity, you are totally concentrated on it. "Emma was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't realize her colleagues had all left."
	Wrapped up in cotton wool	To say that someone is wrapped up in cotton wool means that they are over-protected from dangers and risks. "Their children are kept wrapped up in cotton wool."
X	Xerox subsidy	This term refers to the habit of using the photocopier at work for personal use. "A certain percentage of photocopies are in fact xerox subsidies."
Y	Your guess is as good as mine	When talking to another person, your guess is as good as mine means that neither of you knows the answer. "What happened between Bill and Harry?" "Your guess is as good as mine!"
	Your wish is my command!	This is a humoristic way of saying that you are willing to do whatever the other person asks. "Breakfast in bed? Your wish is my command!"