Game of telephone
A situation where information gets distorted as it is passed along
A phrase originating from early parlor games in Victorian England where whispers changed meanings
A strategy game
Playing with a real telephone
Walking a tightrope
Balancing on a rope
Taking extreme risks with little room for error
A circus performance
A phrase from 19th-century politics about leaders making careful decisions under scrutiny
A feather in one’s cap
A symbol of rank in 16th-century European duels
A sign of weakness
A hat decoration
An achievement to be proud of
A stitch in time saves nine
A reference to 18th-century tailoring where one missed stitch could ruin an entire garment
Fixing a small problem early prevents a bigger issue
Making a strong knot
One person can save a lot of lives if they work hard
To read between the lines
Skipping words while reading
A phrase from secret wartime messages where hidden instructions were written in faint ink
Writing in invisible ink
To understand a hidden meaning
On tenterhooks
Sitting uncomfortably
Hanging on hooks
In suspense or anxiety
A term from fabric-making, where cloth was stretched tightly to dry
To get your wires crossed
To fix electrical wires
To be shocked by electricity
A phrase from early telephone switchboards where misconnected wires led to crossed conversations
To misunderstand something
Barking up the wrong tree
An old hunting term for dogs misidentifying prey
Talking too loudly
Pursuing the wrong course of action
Chasing animals up trees
To hit the nail on the head
To hit something hard
To build something
To describe something exactly right
A phrase from medieval carpentry where precise hammering was crucial for strong wooden joints
Skating on thin ice
Taking a risky action
A phrase from Dutch winters when frozen canals became unstable
Learning to ice skate
Moving very carefully
To look down on someone
To stand on a tall object
To be physically taller
To think someone is inferior
A phrase from aristocratic Europe where nobility literally stood above peasants on raised platforms
Like riding a bicycle
A reference to early circus performers balancing on tightropes
A skill that, once learned, is never forgotten
Cycling effortlessly
Moving very quickly
A fly on the wall
Someone who watches without being noticed
A medieval punishment for nosy eavesdroppers
An insect stuck to a window
A hidden spy camera
To get the ball rolling
To start an activity
A phrase from 18th-century bowling games where the first roll determined the rest of the match
To play sports
To throw something
To take after someone
To resemble a relative in looks or behavior
A phrase from genetics studies where traits were observed in successive generations
To copy another’s work
To chase someone
Heard on the grapevine
Buying fruit at a market
Listening to plants
A term from the American Civil War when messages were spread via an informal telegraph system
Learning something through gossip or rumors
Burning the candle at both ends
A phrase from the 17th century referring to people who used expensive candles excessively
A wasteful way to light a room
Overworking yourself
Holding something dangerously
To bite the bullet
Fighting aggressively
A term from battlefield medicine where soldiers would bite on a bullet to endure surgery without anesthesia
To endure a painful situation bravely
Eating metal
Out of the woods
Lost in the forest
No longer in trouble
A reference to medieval travelers who feared robbers in forests
Unable to see trees
To miss the boat
To lose an opportunity
A reference to 19th-century steamboats where missing departure meant waiting hours for the next ride
To fail at swimming
To be late for a trip
A flash in the pan
A sudden explosion
A chef's technique for igniting alcohol in a dish
Something that starts well but fails quickly
A small but bright light
Dead in the water
A floating corpse
A sailing term for ships stuck without wind
No longer able to succeed
A fish that has stopped swimming
Phone tag
A situation where two people keep missing each other’s calls
A phrase originating from corporate offices in the 1980s, where executives would leave messages without ever directly speaking
A game played on the phone
A way to label phone numbers
Down to the wire
A close horse race
A situation decided at the last moment
A dangerous electrical job
A term from 19th-century telegraph messages arriving late
Kicking the can down the road
Playing with trash
A phrase from World War II where soldiers would kick empty food cans to avoid carrying them
Delaying a problem instead of solving it
Making a loud noise
Mickey Mouse show
A phrase used by World War II soldiers to mock poorly planned military operations
A Disney performance
Something poorly organized or unprofessional
A children's cartoon marathon
To make up for something
To compensate for a mistake
To tell a story
A term from medieval contracts where debts had to be "made up" with alternative payments
To create something
Thrown in at the deep end
A phrase from swimming lessons where beginners were tested by being thrown into deep water
Given a difficult task with no help
Being trapped underwater
Falling into a pool
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
A very confused person
A leader in disguise
Someone who pretends to be good but is bad
A reference to an ancient Norse folktale about Loki
To be in the same boat
To be in the same difficult situation as others
A term from ancient seafaring where passengers relied on each other for survival
To go sailing together
To share something
In a pickle
In a difficult situation
Feeling sour
Holding too many pickles
A reference to sailors preserving food in brine for long voyages
Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic
A phrase derived from reports of stewards tidying furniture as the ship sank
A pointless cleaning task
Making small changes while ignoring a big disaster
Organizing furniture
The apple of one’s eye
An old belief that the pupil of the eye was a solid apple-like object
Someone cherished above all
A sign of intelligence
A favorite fruit
To play it by ear
To play music loudly
To cover one’s ears
A phrase from classical music where skilled musicians could perform without reading sheet music
To do something without a fixed plan