Book-based idioms

turned turtle

turn upside down

ran sb to ground

found sb after a long and tiresome search

have a debt of gratitude

be deeply thankful

pound of flesh

sth you have rights to receive but is unreasonable

take umbrage at

get the hump

go for a burton

be missing/destroyed

rule the roost

be the head honcho

cut the cackle

stop chewing the fat

give short shrift

fall on deaf ears

give sb the elbow

give sb the kiss-off

trim your sails

adapt to the situation

wipe the slate clean

turn over a new leaf in relationship

wipe the floor with sb

make mincemeat of sb

rake over the ashes

rake up embarrasing water under the bridge

spare sb’s blushes

avoid doing sth that make sb feel embarrased

shoot your bolt

too-early attempt at achieving sth

having shot your bolt

cannot progress more because you had all

pull a fast one

steal a march on

give sb a pasting

rake sb over the coals

get it into your thick head

get sth accross many times for a guy to understand

have a thick head

drunk

pick up the threads

start again after interruption

have your fingers in the till

directly steal the money from workplace

be in fine fettle

be full of beans

play the game

behave fairly and honestly

run the show

supervise

be in the club

be in the family way

a fair crack of the whip

an equal opportunity to do sth

be of the first water

be the purest/most quality

cut a fine figure

be admired with your appearance

give sb a piece of your mind

tell sb why you are angry

stretch a/the point

make unsubstantiated claim/ overstep the reasonable mark

take sth on board

accept an idea

go the whole hog

do sth completely

the thin end of the wedge

the beginning of a harmful development

knock sb off their perch

de-position sb to show that they are unimportant

hold no brief

take no sides

lock horns about

never see eyes to eyes

be laughed out of court

to be considered silly

be betwixt and between

chop and change between sides

play fast and loose with sb

treat sb without care and attention

well and truly

completely

rough and ready

churned-out/potboiler

thick and fast

hand over fist

be bright and breezy

be energetic/confident

hot and heavy

full of sexual desires/emotions

be the scum of the earth

the worst type of people

a stream of abuse

series of expletive

a germ of concept

early stage of an idea

a breach of the peace

a roughhousing/unnecessary commotion

have a nice turn of phrase

have an extraordinary way of expressing ideas

be a bundle of laughs

be a funny person/situation

do your level best

put one's best foot forward

sth take leave of your senses

sth cloud your judgement

send sb packing

made sb leave immediately

take a firm line against

assert opinion or support without relenting

it takes all sorts to make a world

accept people’s difference

one good turn deserves another

say this when you help sb back

Needs must when the devil drives

say this when you are forced to do sth unpleasant

fools rush in where the angels fear to tread

dull people will do things even the wise avoid

split your sides

be laughing in the aisles

be riding for a fall

behave in trouble-attracting way

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

try to remain on good terms with 2 conflicting sides

be the straw that broke the camel’s back

the last straw

cook someone's goose

spoil sb’s plan

be a completely different animal

be a different kettle of fish

be as sick as a parrot

extremely dejected and unhappy

be no use to man or beast

be comepletely useless

not have a dog’s chance

have no snowball’s chance in hell

Send someone away with a flea in their ear

sharply rebuke/reprimand sb

bird of passage

a rolling stone

mutton dressed as lamb

middle-aged people dressing younger

Sort out the sheep from the goats

seperate the wheat from the chaff

clever Dick

a smart alec

Bob’s your uncle

say this when sth is completed

Uncle Sam

the US or its government

a plain Jane

an unattractive girl

The real McCoy

on-brand item

The old Bill

the cops

Pandora’s box

the root of all evil

praise sb to the skies

extol excessively

keep a weather eye open

be vigilant

give sb hell

rake sb over the coals

wish the earth would swallow you up

have egg on your face

push the boat out

paint the town red

cast pearls before swine

give valuable things to ungrateful people

wet the baby’s head

celebrate the birth of a baby with alcohol

make a muck of sth

fumble/bungle sth

pass the buck to sb

leave sb holding the baby

have bats in the belfry

be eccentric/crazy

get the chop

be given the sack

clutch at straws

do everything to improve a difficult situation

have a down on sb

dislike sb

have a thin time of it

have unpleasant experiences

go like a bomb

go accordingly/rapidly

Lay it on the line

be very plainspoken/frank

leave sb cold

failed to stir up sb

get a rise out of sb

pull sb’s leg

go to town over sth

sweat blood

a labour of love

sth you do for pleasure