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Shortened Sayings and Idioms

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  • To be caught between a rock...
    and a hard place. [Used to say that a person is caught between two difficult choices, for example ones which will make two parties angry at them]
  • Actions speak louder...
    than words. [Used to say that it's more important to demonstrate your beliefs or morals with actions than to only pay lip service to them and do nothing]
  • If the cap fits...
    wear it. [If a particular description fits you, accept it]
  • Great minds...
    think alike.[When someone has had the same idea as you independently from you].
  • It takes two...
    to tango. [When a task needs two people or two people should accept the blame or responsibility for something bad they took part in, like a quarrel]
  • Bite more...
    than you/he/she/they can/could chew. [Committing to do something that you don’t really have the time, resources or ability to do]
  • A fool and his money...
    are soon parted. [Said to convince people who are not wise with their money not to spend it on worthless things or a gullible one not to be scammed]
  • It's too late to whet the sword...
    when the trumpet blows. [To mean that you should always prepare things in advance and not procrastinate or delay things until the last moment]
  • Speak of the devil...
    and here he/she is. [You were just talking about someone and they appear as if summoned by your conversation]
  • It's always darkest...
    before the dawn. [Used to console a person, meaning that although things may be going bad for them now, there's hope that good things are around the corner]
  • Getting a taste...
    of your/his/her/their own medicine. [Being treated the same bad way that someone has been treating others]
  • Every cloud...
    has its silver lining. [Even bad things have a positive side]
  • What goes around...
    comes around. [It means that you should not treat others badly, or else you will be treated badly. Instant karma as they say nowadays]
  • The more things change...
    the more they stay the same. [It looks like things are changing but actually nothing important has changed]
  • Easy come,...
    easy go. [To say that something that was achieved easily and without effort is also lost as easily]
  • A man's meat...
    is another man's poison. [Things a person may like may be distasteful for others and viceversa]
  • All's well...
    that ends well. [It means that a person can forget about how unpleasant or difficult something was if everything ended in a good way]
  • Birds of a feather...
    flock together. [People who are similar in personality, tastes or morals you disapprove of tend to get together or spend time with each other]
  • The grass is always greener...
    on the other side [We tend to think (mistakenly) we are the only ones having problems and that others have easier, better lives than us]
  • Accidents will happen...
    in the best regulated families [Not every accident can be prevented]
  • When in Rome,...
    do as the Romans do. [When visiting a place or being in a particular setting, you should act like the rest or follow the customs so as not to stick out]
  • Don't count your chickens...
    before they hatch. [Don't anticipate success too early before something is finished = Don't sell the bear's skin before you've caught it - Lorenzo Astenio]
  • When the going gets tough,...
    the tough gets going. [To say that when there are problems, strong people work hard to solve them]
  • The nail that sticks out...
    gets hammered down. [Those who are different or stand out from the crowd, often get unfairly criticised or attacked]
  • All is fair...
    in love and war. [When describing a situation in which people do not follow the usual rules of behaviour and do things normally considered unfair]
  • Out of the frying pan...
    into the fire. [To say that someone has moved from a bad or difficult situation into an even worse one].
  • Easier said...
    than done. [It may sound like a simple problem on paper, but in practice it's much more difficult than it appears at first sight]
  • All roads...
    lead to Rome. [It means that all choices, methods, or actions eventually lead to the same result]