American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
.pdfshows them what to do. [Late 1400s] Also see STEP INTO.
step in the right direction, a
A move that advances a course of action, as in Asking Bill to resign is a step in the right direction.
This idiom was first recorded in 1871.
step into
Involve oneself or intervene, as in He knew he'd be able to step into a job in his father's firm, or Jane asked Mary to step into the matter and settle it. Also see
step into someone's shoes
Take someone's place, as in He's groomed Harriet to step into his shoes when he resigns. Also see
FILL SOMEONE'S SHOES; IN SOMEONE'S SHOES.
step on it
Hurry up, go faster, as in Step on it or we are going to be late. This idiom alludes to stepping on a vehicle's gas pedal. [Colloquial; c. 1920]
step on someone's toes Also, tread on someone's toes. Hurt or offend someone. For example, Be careful what you say about her losing weight; don't step on her toes, or Would I be stepping on someone's toes if I asked to help out with the party arrangements? This metaphoric idiom transfers physical to emotional pain. [Late 1300s]
step out
1. Walk briskly, as in He stepped out in time to the music. [c. 1800] 2. Also, step outside. Go outside briefly, as in He just stepped out for a cigarette. [First half of 1500s] 3. Go out for an evening of entertainment, as in They're stepping out again tonight. 4. step out with. Accompany or consort with a person as when going on a date, as in She's been stepping out with him for a month. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
step out of line
hand. see OUT OF LINE, def. 1.
step up
1. Increase, especially in stages, as in We've got to step up production. [Early 1900s] Also see
STEP DOWN, def. 2. 2. Come forward, as in Step up to the podium, folks, and I'll show you how it works. [Mid1600s]
stern
hand. see FROM SOUP TO NUTS (STEM TO STERN).
steven
hand. see EVEN STEVEN.
stew
hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with STEW, also see IN A STEW.
stew in one's own juice
Suffer the consequences of one's actions, as in He's run into debt again, but this time we're leaving him to stew in his own juice. This metaphoric term alludes to cooking something in its own liquid. Versions of it, such as fry in one's own grease, date from Chaucer's time, but the present term dates from the second half of the 1800s.
stick
hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with STICK, also see CARROT AND STICK;
GET ON THE STICK; MAKE STICK; MORE THAN ONE CAN SHAKE A STICK AT; SHORT END OF THE STICK; STAND (STICK) UP FOR; WRONG END OF THE STICK. Also see under STUCK.
stick around
Remain, linger, as in I hope you'll stick around till the end. This idiom uses stick in the sense of "stay." [Colloquial; early 1900s]
stick at
Scruple or hesitate, as in She sticks at nothing to gain her ends. This idiom, nearly always used in a negative context, was first recorded in 1525. Also see STOP AT NOTHING.
stick by Also, stick to. Remain loyal to, as in The brothers said they'd stick by one another, no matter what, or Phyllis promised to stick to Bert.
This idiom derives from stick in the sense of "adhere." [Early 1500s] Also see STAND BY, def. 4.
stick in one's craw Also, stick in one's throat. 1. Be unable to say something, as in I meant to apologize but the words stuck in my craw. [Early 1600s] 2. Be so offensive that one can't tolerate it, as in That obscene art exhibit stuck in my throat. [Late 1600s]
stick it
1. Continue what one is doing, endure something to the end, as in I hate large parties but I promised her I'd stick it to the end. [Early 1900s] Also see STICK OUT, def. 2. 2. Also, stick
it or shove it up one's ass. Do whatever you like with it, I don't want it, as in
Do that job all over again? Why don't you stick it?, or Tell the chef he can take this fish and shove it up his ass. This vulgar slangy idiom, which uses stick in the sense of "thrust inward or upward," also functions as a variant of UP YOURS. [Second half of 1800s]
stick it to someone
Treat someone badly or unfairly, as in The head nurse really stuck it to Judy when she made her take all three shifts. This slangy usage may be derived from STICK IT, def. 2.
stick one's neck out
Make oneself vulnerable, take a risk, as in I'm going to stick my neck out and ask for a raise. This expression probably alludes to a chicken extending its neck before being slaughtered. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
stick out
1. Also, stick out a mile or like a sore thumb. Be very prominent or conspicuous, as in Dad's funny hat made him stick out in the crowd, or That purple house sticks out a mile, or John's lie sticks out like a sore thumb. The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variants from the first half of the 1900s. The variant using thumb alludes to the propensity for holding an injured thumb stiffly, making it stand out (and thereby risking further injury). 2. Continue doing something, endure something, as in I know you don't like it but you have to stick out the job for another month. [Late 1600s] A variant is stick it out, as in His new play's boring, but since he's my cousin we'd better stick it out. [Late 1800s] Also see STICK IT, def. 1.
stick to
I. Remain loyal; see STICK BY. 2. Persist in or continue applying oneself to, as in I'm sticking to my opinion that he's basically honest, or The music teacher told John to stick to the clarinet, at least until the end of the year. [First half of 1500s] Also see STICK TO ONE'S GUNS; STICK TO ONE'S LAST.
stick together
Remain united, as in It's important that we stick together on this issue. [Mid-1500s]
stick to one's guns
Hold fast to a statement, opinion, or course of action, as in The witness stuck to her guns about the exact time she was there. This expression, originally put as stand to one's guns, alluded to a gunner remaining by his post. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.
stick to one's last
Keep to what you know and don't interfere out of your province, as in Let me handle the defense in this suit; you stick to your last and track down more eyewitnesses. This adage comes from an ancient story about a shoemaker criticizing a work by a Greek painter named Apelles, saying that the shoe in the picture was not correctly portrayed. After the painter corrected it, the shoemaker pointed out an error in the leg, whereupon the painter said, "Shoemaker, do not go above your last." Over the centuries the story was repeated, and the expression still is sometimes put as cobbler, stick to your last, even though cobblers are nearly obsolete.
stick to the ribs
Nevertheless, all the same, as in But still and all, trekking in Nepal is an expensive undertaking.
Although critics believe this idiom is an unnecessarily long form of the adverb still, it has been used since the early 1800s and remains current.
still small voice
One's conscience, as in I'd love to go but a still small voice tells me I really have to stay home and work. The term comes from the Bible (I Kings 19:12), where Elijah hears his own inner voice: "And after the earthquake a fire . . . and after the fire a still small voice."
still waters run deep
A quiet person may be very profound, as in Susie rarely says much, but still waters run deep. The physical observation in this term dates from ancient times, but it has been used figuratively since about 1400. Anthony Trollope amplified it in He Knew He Was Right (1869): "That's what I call still water. She runs deep enough. . . . So quiet, but so?
clever."
sting
hand. see TAKE THE STING OUT OF.
stink
hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with STINK, also see BIG STINK; MAKE A
STINK; SMELL (STINK) UP.
stink to high heaven Also, smell to high heaven. Be of very poor quality; also, be suspect or in bad repute. For example, This plan of yours stinks to high heaven, or His financial schemes smell to high heaven; I'm sure they're dishonest. This expression alludes to something so rank that it can be smelled from a great distance. [c. 1600]
stir
hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with STIR, also see CAUSE A COMMOTION
(STIR).
stir up
1. Mix together the ingredients or parts, as in He stirred up some pancake batter, or Will you stir up the fire? [Mid-1300s] 2. Rouse to action, incite, provoke, as in He's always stirring up trouble among the campers, or If the strikers aren't careful they'll stir up a riot. [First half of 1500s] Also
see STIR UP A HORNETS' NEST.
stir up a hornets' nest
Make trouble, cause a commotion, as in Asking for an audit of the treasurer's books stirred up a hornets' nest in the association. This metaphoric term, likening hornets to angry humans, dates from the first half of the 1700s.
stitch
hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with STITCH, also see IN STITCHES;
WITHOUT A STITCH ON.
stitch in time, a
A prompt action will avert more serious trouble. For example, Changing the car's oil every 7,000 miles is a stitch in time. The complete form of this adage, a stitch in time saves nine, appeared in Thomas Fuller's 1732 proverb collection, Gnomologia, and is so well known that it often is stated in shortened form. Ogden Nash played with it in the title for his verse collection, A Stitch Too Late Is My Fate (1938).
stock
hand. see IN STOCK; LOCK, STOCK, AND BARREL; MAKE A LAUGHING STOCK OF; TAKE STOCK; TAKE STOCK IN.
stocking feet
Wearing socks or stockings, but not shoes, as in I got locked out of the house in my stocking feet. [First half of 1800s]
stomach
hand. see BUTTERFLIES IN ONE'S STOMACH; CAN'T STAND (STOMACH) THE SIGHT OF; EYES ARE BIGGER THAN ONE'S STOMACH; NO STOMACH FOR; SICK TO ONE'S STOMACH; TURN ONE'S STOMACH.
stone
hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with STONE, also see CAST IN STONE; CAST
THE FIRST STONE; FLAT (STONE) BROKE; HEART OF STONE; LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED; ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS; RUN INTO A STONE WALL.
stone cold
Unfeeling, insensible, as in That sad story left her stone cold. This analogy was already used by Shakespeare in Henry V (2:3): "Cold as any stone."
stone deaf
Totally unable to hear, as in Poor Grandpa, in the last year he's become stone deaf. [First half of 1800s]
stone's throw, a
A very short distance, as in They live just a stone's throw from us. This
metaphoric term alludes to how far one can toss a stone. [Second half of 1500s]
stood
hand. see SHOULD HAVE STOOD IN BED.
stool
hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with STOOL, also see FALL BETWEEN THE
CRACKS (TWO STOOLS).
stool pigeon
A decoy or informer, especially a police spy. For example, Watch out for Doug; I'm sure he's a stool pigeon for the supervisor. This term alludes to a bird tied to a stool or similar perch in order to attract other birds, which will then be shot. However, one writer believes that stool is a variant for stale or stall, both nouns used for a decoy bird before 1500 or so. [c. 1820]
stoop labor
Back-bending manual work, especially farm work. For example, They had us picking peas all day, and that's too much stoop labor. [First half of 1900s]
stoop to
Condescend to something beneath one's dignity, as in She wouldn't stoop to listening to that obnoxious gossip. [Second half of 1500s]
stop
hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with STOP, also see BUCK STOPS HERE;
PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS; PUT AN END (A STOP) TO.
stop at nothing
Do everything in one's power, be prevented by no obstacle, as in She'll stop at nothing to get her revenge. This expression was first recorded in John Dryden's Aurengzebe (1676): "The World is made for the bold impious man; Who stops at nothing, seizes all he can."
stop by Also, stop in. Pay a brief visit, as in I hope you'll stop by this afternoon, or He stopped in at Martha's whenever he came to New York on business. The first term dates from about 1900, the variant from the mid-1800s.
stop cold Also, stop dead or in one's tracks or on a dime. Halt suddenly, come to a standstill, as in When a thread breaks, the machine just stops cold, or He was so surprised to see them in the audience that he stopped dead in the middle of his speech, or The deer saw the hunter and stopped in its tracks, or An excellent skateboarder, she could stop on a dime. The first term uses cold in the sense "suddenly and completely," a usage dating from the late 1800s. The first variant was first recorded in 1789 and probably was derived from the slightly older, and still current, come to a dead stop, with the same meaning. The second variant uses in one's tracks in the sense of "on the spot" or "where one is at the moment"; it was first recorded in 1824. The third variant alludes to the dime or ten-cent piece, the smallest-size coin.
stop in
hand. see under STOP BY.
stop off Also, stop over. Interrupt a journey for a short stay somewhere, as in When we drove through Massachusetts we stopped off for a few days at Cape Cod, or When you're in the area try to stop over and see our new house. [Mid-1800s]
stop payment
Instruct a bank not to honor a check one has drawn, as in If that check was lost, we'll have to stop payment on it before issuing another. This usage was first recorded in 1722.
stop short
1. Also, stop one short. Check abruptly, as in When we tried to cross the street, the barrier stopped us short. [Early 1300s] 2. Cause someone to stop speaking, as in I was about to tell them the date when my father stopped me short. [Late 1800s] 3. stop short of. Not go so far as to do or say something. For example, He may embroider the truth but he stops short of actually lying.
This usage was first recorded in 1818.
stop someone's clock
Kill someone, as in They threatened to stop his clock if he appeared on the witness stand. This expression transfers the ticking of a clock to the progress of one's life. [Slang; 1940s]
stop the clock
Postpone a deadline by not counting the elapsing hours. For example, Management agreed to stop the clock so that a new contract could be negotiated before the present one expired. [Mid-1900s]
stop up
Fill a hole or gap, block an opening or passage. For example, We need to stop up the chinks in the walls, or The sink is stopped up; it won't drain. This idiom was at first put simply as stop, the adverb up being added only in the early 1700s.
storage
hand. see IN COLD STORAGE.
store
hand. see IN STORE; MIND THE STORE; SET STORE BY; VARIETY STORE.
storm
hand. see ANY PORT IN A STORM; KICK UP A FUSS (STORM); RIDE OUT (THE STORM); TAKE BY STORM; WEATHER THE STORM.
story
hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with STORY, also see COCK AND BULL
STORY; COVER STORY; FISH STORY; HARD LUCK STORY; MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT; OLD STORY; SAME OLD STORY; SHAGGY DOG STORY; SOB STORY; UPPER STORY.
story of my life, the
What typically happens to me, as in I rushed through the meeting to get to the airport, and then the plane was three hours late?
that's the story of my life. This hyperbolic expression is generally used ruefully to describe some mishap or misfortune. [Mid-1900s]
stow away
1. Put aside or store something until needed, as in We generally stow away the lawn furniture in the toolshed. [Late 1700s] 2. Hide oneself aboard ship or in a vehicle in order to get free transportation, as in The youngsters planned to stow away on a freighter but they never even got to the waterfront. This usage gave rise to the noun stowaway. [Mid-1800s] 2. Greedily consume food or drink, as in Bob sure can stow away a lot in a short time. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
straddle the fence
hand. see ON THE FENCE.
straight
hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with STRAIGHT, also see (STRAIGHT) FROM
THE HORSE'S MOUTH; GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT; GIVE IT TO (SOMEONE STRAIGHT); GO STRAIGHT; KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE; RIGHT (STRAIGHT) OUT; SET STRAIGHT; SHOOT STRAIGHT.
straight and narrow, the
The honest and upright way of living, as in He led a wild life when he was young, but he's been on the straight and narrow for some years. This expression is widely thought to come from confusion of straight, "not crooked," with strait, "narrow," owing to a misinterpretation of a passage from the New Testament: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life" (Matthew 7:14). The current phrase dates only from the first half of the 1800s.
straight as an arrow
Honest, genuine, as in You can trust Pat with the money; he's straight as an arrow. This simile alludes to the arrow's undeviating flight through the air. [Second half of 1900s]
straighten out
1. Clear up disorder, a confusion, or a misunderstanding, as in This is an awful mess; I hope you'll straighten it out, or I don't understand; please straighten me out. [Late 1800s] 2. Adopt an honest, upright course, as in He's only sixteen; I'm sure he'll straighten out before long. [First half of
1900s]
straighten up
Make tidy, as in Let's get this room straightened up. [Second half of 1800s]
straight face
hand. see KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE.
straight from the horse's mouth
hand. see FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH.
straight from the shoulder
In a direct, forthright manner, as in I'll tell you, straight from the shoulder, that you'll have to do better or they'll fire you. This expression comes from boxing, where it describes a blow delivered with full force. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.
straight goods
The truth, as in Is that straight goods about how much you still owe? or I'm giving you the straight goods about Monica. [Slang; late 1800s]
straight off Also, straight away. Immediately, as in I knew straight off that he was lying, or I'll get to the dishes straight away. The first term dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the mid-1600s.
straight out
hand. see RIGHT OUT.
straight talk
Plain, honest speaking, as in We have to have some straight talk with Harry before he goes away to college. [Late 1800s]
straight ticket
All the candidates of a single political party, as in Are you going to vote a straight ticket again? [Mid1800s] Also see SPLIT TICKET.
straight up
Served without ice, generally said of an alcoholic drink, as in He ordered a martini straight up. Straight was first recorded with this meaning in 1874.
strange bedfellows
A peculiar alliance or combination, as in George and Arthur really are strange bedfellows, sharing the same job but totally different in their views. Although strictly speaking bedfellows are persons