a fait accompli

FORMAL
This page is about the idiom a fait accompli.
Meaning: If something is a fait accompli, it is certain to happen.
For example:
We know the judge in this case has been paid off by the defendant, so
the verdict is a fait accompli.
People are acting as if the result of tomorrow's election is a fait
accompli, but do you really think it's already decided?

quid pro quo

FORMAL
This page is about the idiom quid pro quo.
Meaning: If you do something as a quid pro quo, you do it on the
understanding that something will be done for you in return.
For example:
I have this quid pro quo with my flatmate where I do his washing for
him and he lets me use his computer for an hour a day.
Let's make it a quid pro quo in which you contribute to our party's
election fund and we give you a big government contract if we win the
election.

vis-a-vis
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom vis-a-vis.
Meaning: You can say vis-a-vis instead of saying "in relation to".
For example:
Did you get my memo on the new laws vis-a-vis gay marriage?

Here's the data I was telling you about vis-a-vis our customers' age
groups and income brackets.

an act of God
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom an act of God.
Meaning: Something like an earthquake or a tornado can be called an
act of God.
For example:
Will your insurance policy pay for the cost of replacing your house if
it's destroyed by an act of God?
My daughter said that if disasters that kill lots of people are acts of
God, why does He do it. I didn't know what to say.

carte blanche
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom carte blanche.
Meaning: If you give someone carte blanche, you give them freedom to
do whatever they want in a situation.
For example:
The boss has given us carte blanche to redecorate the offices.
The president gave his generals carte blanche to fight the war however
they wished.

raison d'tre
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom raison d'tre.
Meaning: Your raison d'tre is your reason for living, or the most
important thing in your life.
For example:

When he was young, Carl's raison d'tre was enjoying life and
exploring its possibilities. But after he got married and had kids, it was
all about his family.
Barbara says her company's raison d'tre has always had as much to do
with serving the community as with generating profits.

a volte-face
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom a volte-face.
Meaning: If you make a volte-face, you change your opinion or your
decision about something to the exact opposite of what it was.
For example:
When Nancy became a born-again Christian, she made a volte-face in
her views on abortion and now she thinks it's wrong.
For some reason the government has done a volte-face on the dam
proposal. They'd rejected it until last week, and then they suddenly
said they'd build it after all.

de rigeur
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom de rigeur.
Meaning: If something is de rigeur, it is necessary to have if you want
to be fashionable or be accepted into a particular social scene.
For example:
For a long time baseball caps, hooded jackets and sneakers were de
rigeur among kids into rap music.
Blue jeans and T-shirts seem to have become de rigeur for male
exectives in the computer industry in California.

esprit de corps
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom esprit de corps.

Meaning: A feeling of pride and comradeship shared by members of a

group such as a military unit or a sports team.
For example:
The new coach is trying to develop a feeling of esprit de corps among
his players.
My father says the best thing about going to fight in a war is the esprit
de corps one feels and the friendships one makes.

above board
This page is about the idiom above board.
Meaning: If something is above board, it's been done in a legal and
honest way.
For example:
I'm sure the deal was completely above board as I know James well and
he'd never do anything illegal or corrupt.
The minister claimed all the appointments were above board and
denied claims that some positions had been given to his friends.

above the law

This page is about the idiom above the law.
Meaning: If someone is above the law, they are not subject to the laws
of a society.
For example:
Just because his father is a rich and powerful man, he seems to think
he's above the law and he can do whatever he likes.
In a democracy, no-one is above the law - not even a president or a
prime-minister.

Achilles' heel
This page is about the idiom Achilles' heel.
Meaning: An Achilles' heel is a weakness that could result in failure.
For example:

He's a good golfer, but his Achilles' heel is his putting and it's often
made him lose matches.
The country's dependence on imported oil could prove to be its
Achilles' heel if prices keep on rising.

across the board

This page is about the idiom across the board.
Meaning: If something is across the board, it relates to all without
exception.
For example:
The company has promised to increase salaries across the board, so
everyone will get a pay rise.
The tax cuts will only apply to low and middle-income families, so they
won't be across the board.

add fuel to the fire

This page is about the idiom add fuel to the fire.
Meaning: If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad
situation even worse.
For example:
People are already unhappy, and if the government allows oil prices to
increase it'll just be adding fuel to the fire.
If Billy's angry, don't say anything. You'll just be adding fuel to the fire.

add insult to injury

This page is about the idiom add insult to injury.
Meaning: Someone adds insult to injury if they say or do something to
upset you a second time, after you've already been upset somehow.
For example:
He said my clothes didn't suit me, and then to add insult to injury he
said I needed to lose some weight!

The bank took back my car, and then added insult to injury by
cancelling my credit cards!

against all odds | against all the odds

This page is about the idiom against all odds | against all the odds.
Meaning: If you do something against all odds, or against all the odds,
you do it even though there were many problems and it didn't seem
possible to do.
For example:
He had a serious accident and was close to death but, against all odds,
he recovered and now he's fine.
No-one thought we could do it but, against all the odds, we won the
Olympic gold medal.

agree to differ | agree to disagree

This page is about the idiom agree to differ | agree to disagree.
Meaning: If two people agree to differ, or agree to disagree, they
accept that they have different opinions about something and stop
trying to change each other's opinion.
For example:
We're never going to think the same way about politics, so let's just
agree to differ and leave it at that.
Why don't they just agree to disagree instead of arguing about it all
the time?

ahead of the game

This page is about the idiom ahead of the game.
Meaning: You are ahead of the game if you have an advantage over
your competitors in any activity in which you try to do better than
others, such as in business, academia, sports, etc.
For example:
We got ahead of the game by employing the best people in our
research laboratories.

You'll be ahead of the game when you start at university if you do a lot
of preparation before the term begins.

all hell broke loose

INFORMAL
This page is about the idiom all hell broke loose.
Meaning: You can say "all hell broke loose" if a situation suddenly
became violent or chaotic.
For example:
I was walking through the station on my way to work when I heard this
huge explosion, and then all hell broke loose.
Everything was fine in the club until someone yelled, "Fire!" and then
all hell broke loose as people started running and screaming and
pushing each other.

all the rage

INFORMAL
This page is about the idiom all the rage.
Meaning: If something is all the rage, it's very popular or it's in fashion
at the moment.
For example:
Can you remember when disco was all the rage and we'd go dancing all
night in the clubs?
When Hans was a kid, skate boards were all the rage.

an acid test
This page is about the idiom an acid test.
Meaning: An acid test is something that shows the true worth or value
of something or someone.
For example:
Our new player has been doing well at training and in practice
matches, but the acid test will come in her first real match.

The new political party is doing better and better in the polls, but the
acid test will be the next election.

an act of God
FORMAL
This page is about the idiom an act of God.
Meaning: Something like an earthquake or a tornado can be called an
act of God.
For example:
Will your insurance policy pay for the cost of replacing your house if
it's destroyed by an act of God?
My daughter said that if disasters that kill lots of people are acts of
God, why does He do it. I didn't know what to say.

an ax to grind (1)

This page is about the idiom an ax to grind (1).

Meaning: If you have an ax to grind with someone, you have a problem
with them, or a complaint against them, which you'd like to discuss.
For example:
I have an ax to grind with Mitch. He owes me money and he's been
avoiding me.
If Larry has an ax to grind with someone, and he meets them after he's
been drinking, he can get violent.

an axe to grind (2)

This page is about the idiom an axe to grind (2).

Meaning: If you have an axe to grind, you have a strong opinion about
something and you express this opinion whenever you can.
For example:

Billy's had this axe to grind about globalisation recently and he's
always going on about it.
These people always seem to have an axe to grind and whenever
someone interviews them they see it as a chance to push their ideas.

another string to your bow

This page is about the idiom another string to your bow.

Meaning: If you have another string to your bow, you have another way
of making a living.
For example:
Lots of people learn to teach English so they'll have another string to
their bow.
I've lost my job and I'll have to retrain for something else. I wish I
already had another string to my bow.

answer the call of nature

This page is about the idiom answer the call of nature.
Meaning: If you answer the call of nature, you go to the toilet.
For example:
Could we stop somewhere? I need to answer the call of nature.
Does anyone need to answer the call of nature before we set off?

around the clock

This page is about the idiom around the clock.
Meaning: If something occurs around the clock, it goes on all day and
all night.
For example:
I have to finish this report by Tuesday, so I'll be working around the
clock until I get it done.

What the young people of this town need is a drop-in centre that's
open around the clock.

as soon as possible | asap

This page is about the idiom as soon as possible | asap.
Meaning: If you do something as soon as possible (sometimes
abbreviated to "asap"), you do it at the first possible opportunity.
For example:
She said she'll be here as soon as possible, so there's no point calling
her again. She's coming as quickly as she can.
I'm in a meeting now, but I'll call you back asap.

asking for trouble

This page is about the idiom asking for trouble.
Meaning: If someone is asking for trouble, they're doing something
risky that could lead to a problem.
For example:
Don't you think that working all day and then partying all night is
asking for trouble?
Running fast without warming up properly is asking for trouble, and
could easily cause a muscle strain.

at a loose end

This page is about the idiom at a loose end.

Meaning: If you're at a loose end, you have nothing to do.
For example:
If I'm ever at a loose end, I look for a good book to read.
Give me a call if you're at a loose end and we'll go and do something.

at cross-purposes
This page is about the idiom at cross-purposes.

Meaning: If you're at cross-purposes with someone, you think you're

both talking about the same thing but you're actually talking about
different things.
For example:
I was talking to Kyle about Georgia, but we were at cross-purposes. I
was talking about Georgia in Russia, and he was talking about Georgia
in the U.S.A. We laughed when we realised we were talking about two
different "Georgias".
Jill and I were at cross-purposes today when we were talking about
John. I was talking about John Smith, my neighbour, but she thought I
was talking John at work!

at loose ends

This page is about the idiom at loose ends.

Meaning: If you're at loose ends, you feel restless and unsettled
because you don't have anything to do.
For example:
Hank's been at loose ends since he lost his job, so I hope he finds
another one soon.
We tried limiting the time Jimmy could play computer games, but he
gets restless and moody whenever he's at loose ends, so we let him
play.

at sea | all at sea

This page is about the idiom at sea | all at sea.
Meaning: If you're at sea, or all at sea, you're confused about
something and not sure what to do.
For example:
I'm all at sea with our new spreadsheet software. I just can't
understand it.
For the first few days in her new job, Gail felt totally at sea. She didn't
know what to do or who to ask for help.

at the drop of a hat

This page is about the idiom at the drop of a hat.
Meaning: If you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it
immediately, without preparation or planning.
For example:
I'd quit my job at the drop of a hat if I didn't have a family to support.
Lee: You can't just go running off to some beach resort at the drop of a
hat whenever you feel like it. Kim: Why not?

at your wits' end

This page is about the idiom at your wits' end.
Meaning: If you're at your wits' end, you're upset and frustrated
because you've tried everything you can think of to solve a problem,
and nothing has worked.
For example:
I'm at my wits' end! I've been trying to solve a problem with some
software all morning and I still haven't got it to work!
Kelvin says he's been trying to get tickets for the game all day, but he's
at his wits' end. Nobody's got any left.