LARKING ABOUT PHRASES

When you Hold The Fort it means you keep things running
When you're Back To Square One you're back at the beginning

To go at Full Blast is to go at full speed
To come Within An Ace is to get very close indeed

An Archille's Heel . . . perceived weakness in the strong
And there's Murphy's Law . . . if anything can, it will go wrong

If you get Just Deserts you get just what you deserved
If you get a Square Meal you get a good dinner served

When you're in Seventh Heaven you're in wonder and delight
While if you have A Bone To Pick you're about to start a fight

To go against the natural flow is to Go Against The Grain
When you're Cut To The Quick you suffer deep abiding pain

To have escaped punishment is to get off Scot Free
To any extent possible is To The Nth Degree

A Scallywag is what we call a disruptive young male
If you say you're On The Wagon then you're no longer drinking ale

A final blow or remark is what we term A Parting Shot
While to take quick action means Strike While The Iron Is Hot

To be fixed in ones opinion is to be Dyed In The Wool
While an unlikely story is quite Cock And Bull

By any means would mean By Hook Or By Crook
And to be out of favour is to be in the Black Book

To speak without notes would be to speak Off The Cuff
To be without clothes would be to be In The Buff

Something Up The Spout is gone and lost forever
Bright As A Button means someone smart and clever

A Red Herring is a false misleading clue
When you're Under The Weather, you're unwell and feeling blue

If you're on the verge of destitution then you're On The Breadline
While If you're very happy then you're On Cloud Nine

To wait with Bated Breath, anxiously excited in suspense
To Use Your Loaf would mean please show some common sense

To say you're clean and tidy would mean you're Spick And Span
A bright spark that does not endure would be a Flash In The Pan

If you look just like another, you're known as a Dead Ringer
And an outstanding thing is known as a Humdinger

If you're Eating Humble Pie you admit to being wrong
Hook, Line and Sinker . . . take in the whole gullible song

To have Hobson's Choice is to have no choice at all
If you are Bold As Brass you really have some gall

To Mind Your P's And Q's is to have a polite manner
While a Monkey Wrench is just an adjustable spanner

To take the most direct action is Taking Route One
When you're in shock and disbelief, you'd say, 'Son Of A Gun'

When you really don't care, you Don't Give A Jot
And Willy-Nilly means whether you like it or not

When you're Namby Pamby you behave just like a child
When All Hell Breaks Loose there is mayhem and its wild

The centre of attention means you're In The Limelight
Something Clean As A Whistle is shiny, spotless and bright

Mad As A Hatter shows unpredictable behaviour
When you're Left High And Dry you really need a saviour

When the Penny Finally Drops you finally understand
To take reluctant responsibility is to be Carrying The Can

To put the Kibosh on something is to stop it in its tracks
When you Run The Gauntlet you're at risk of an attack

Larking About is the silly manner in which you play around
At One Fell Swoop, a single movement, it all comes down, down, down

To take uncalculated risks would be to Chance Your Arm
Over The Top excessive behaviour could often lead to harm

To Sleep Tight would mean that one would have a good nights rest
When dressed in your Best Bib and Tucker, wearing your Sunday best

Robyn Toh
11th April 2010

Picture : Outside my friends Martin and Mary's home in Esbo, Finland. The two dogs are Bertie and Peggy. I miss Martin and Mary's brand of humour!
Picture : Taken by Mary