List of idioms in the English language (F)
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[edit] F
Please note that the sub-article listing the idioms starting with the letter (A) has been deleted in accordance with the result of Articles for Deletion debate that took place. All other such articles (like this one) will be deleted in the near future (as of 30 November 2006). Readers interested in idioms are requested and required to look up the individual entry in Wiktionary, or peruse the Wiktionary category and not add to this article, or create new ones on the same topic.
| Idiom | Where Used | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Face the music | AUS, UK, USA | To accept the negative consequences [of your actions] ; to take punishment for something [wrong] that you have been involved with |
| Fall off the wagon | AUS, USA | To return to a previous bad practice one is trying to overcome (usually alcoholism); to revert to undesirable behavior after a period of attempted reform |
| Fall on (one's) sword | Global |
Originated in the Bible: - Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him... 1 Samuel 31:4-5 |
| Fat Cat | AUS, UK, USA | A derogatory term for a person in a position of power/responsibility at a company who earns more money than is reasonable. Often used to describe executives at a company who award themselves large pay rises whilst giving their staff little or no pay rise, or even making staff redundant. |
| Father figure | Global | A person to whom one can turn for advice and support |
| Feather one's nest | AUS, UK | To make a profit only for oneself, especially by taking advantage of others or one's position |
| Fell off a truck | AUS, USA | Something offered for sale that was probably stolen or obtained by questionable methods. |
| Fell off the back of a lorry | AUS, UK | Something offered for sale that was probably stolen or obtained by questionable methods. |
| Fell off the wagon | USA | For an alcoholic who had quit drinking to have started again |
| Fifteen minutes of fame | Global | To be very popular or famous for a short span of time (i.e. a one hit wonder) and then to be forgotten. Based on the 1968 quote by Andy Warhol, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" |
| (a)Few X short of a Y | Global, orig. AUS & NZ | Not possessing all of one's mental faculties; i.e., crazy or stupid. X is a common component of Y. In these phrases, Y represents full mental capacity, and the lack of a few X implies a lack of full mental capacity. Examples:
In the quarterly updates to OED Online (2000– )[1]. |
| Fifth wheel | USA | An unnecessary person or thing (see also third wheel) |
| Fifty-fifty | Refers to a decision between two choices that are essentially equivalent, i.e., the 50% probability of being better off with the chosen option. | |
| (With a) fine-tooth(ed) comb | Global | Very carefully; usually used with a 'searching' or 'looking' verb (e.g. she examined the room with a fine tooth-comb.) It derives from the use of combs with close-set teeth. The Oxford English dictionary dates the figurative usage to 1891 ("...go through this town like a fine-tooth comb..."). |
| First in, best dressed | AUS | The first people to do or ask for something will usually get the thing or will gain an advantage |
| Fish or cut bait (A variation is "shit or get off the pot") | USA? | A pragmatic expression which demands that an indecisive person either do a specific thing immediately, or step aside and let another person attempt it [2] |
| Fish out of water | Global | A person in uncharted territory; in a confused state due to lack of experience with a situation |
| (On a) fishing expedition | AUS, USA | Trying to find some evidence of something, often through improper methods and without a defined target. Sometimes used in court |
| Flash in the pan | Global | A transient happening which results in no long-term effect. From a type of misfire of a flintlock gun; OED cites its usage to 1810: "Flash in the pan, an explosion of gunpowder without any communication beyond the touch-hole."[3] |
| Flat broke | AUS, UK | In the state of having no money |
| Flat out, like a lizard drinking | AUS | Extremely busy |
| Flesh and blood | Global | Blood relatives, especially nuclear family |
| To flip-flop or to be a flip-flopper | AUS, USA | To be inconsistent in views or stances on a subject and to repeatedly go between the two choices. A vacillator. |
| Fly by the seat of one's pants | USA | To decide what to do at the time something happens rather than being prepared for it |
| Fly high | AUS, USA | Very successful. Also: be/come/get off to a flying start |
| Fly off the handle | Global | To react to something with anger or rage |
| Fly on the wall | Global | To see and hear events as they happen |
| Follow in someone's footsteps (tracks) | Global | Follow someone's example or guidance |
| A fool and his money are soon (easily) parted; or </br>A fool and his money are often parted | Global | Someone who recklessly uses money spends it quickly; or </br> in the opinion of the speaker, a person has just spent money unnecessarily and is, therefore, a fool. |
| For crying out loud | Global | An expression of anger or frustration, e.g., "Oh, for crying out loud, why don't these people move when the light turns green..." Apparently akin to "for Christ's sake". |
| For beans | US, possibly elsewhere | Never, under no circumstances, or regardless of the incentive; e.g., "I can't catch for beans." Sometimes "beans" is replaced by a different reward that the speaker is known to like. |
| Fourth estate | Global | The media and newspapers |
| Fox in the henhouse/chickenhouse | USA | Trouble or mischief is apparent |
| French leave | UK | Absent without permission to be so. AWOL |
| (Breath of) fresh air | Global | New and refreshing |
| Freudian slip | Global | Accidental use of the wrong word, especially when the word used implies something that the speaker would not want to admit about his or her true thoughts, e.g. "My mom is here to pick me up," upon the arrival of the speaker's wife. |
| From rags to riches | Global | To start out as poor and a make a fortune later |
| From scratch | Global | To start from the beginning. Often used in cooking and baking, meaning that the dish is made from individual ingredients and not from a box mix. Also used to mean starting with nothing, or no advantage over others. |
| From the bottom of one's heart | Global | To do something with genuine feeling and emotion |
| FUBAR | Global | Old world war expression meaning: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition |
| Fucked six ways to (or from) Sunday | USA | To be utterly ruined in every possible manner; by every imaginable method. |
| Fucking (or screwing) the dog | CAN | Slacking off, being unindustrious. |
| Full fathom five | Global | (From Shakespeare, The Tempest) Lost deep in the sea |
| Full swing | Global | Means that things are going well. From the idea of a factory working in a reduced capacity when first opened, or when an accident occurs, but then later, returning to full production. |
| In the fullness of time | Global | Means that something will happen when the time is right and appropriate. From Galatians 4:4. |
