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Idioms starting with E
135 expressions
E ticket
Something very thrilling or exciting.
eager beaver
One (especially a child) who is very excited or enthusiastic to begin a task; a person who…
eagle eye
Good eyesight.
eagle out
To leave a scouting troop because one has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
eagle up
To reach the rank of Eagle Scout in Scouts BSA.
ear to the ground
The practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of a…
ear tunnel
A round piece of jewelry with a hole in the middle, which fits into a stretched earlobe.
early bath
The condition of being shown a red card in soccer.
early bird
A person who wakes early or arrives early, typically before most others.
earn one's crust
To earn money, to do something as a job.
earn one's keep
To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for r…
ears are burning
Being the topic of discussion in another place; or sensing that this is happening.
easier said than done
Easy to propose, but difficult to accomplish.
easy come, easy go
Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in …
easy does it
Relax; do something gently, lightly or carefully; slow down; calm down.
easy mark
Someone who is easily fooled or victimized.
easy money
Money that is easily acquired.
easy on the eye
Alternative form of easy on the eyes.
easy on the eyes
Physically attractive; beautiful.
easy pickings
Something easily acquired or stolen.
easy street
Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle, especially as a result of becoming wealthy, …
eat an elephant one bite at a time
To do something one step at a time; to do something in steps rather than all at once.
eat and leave no crumbs
Synonym of eat (“to be very good at something; to rule; to rock”).
eat away
To physically corrode or erode (something) gradually.
eat crow
To recognize that one has been shown to be mistaken or outdone, especially by admitting th…
eat dirt
To eat humble pie.
eat for two
To be pregnant
eat humble pie
To admit one's faults; to make a humiliating apology.
eat it
used to taunt or end discussion with a conversation partner
eat my shorts
An irreverent rebuke or dismissal.
eat one's cake and have it too
Alternative form of have one's cake and eat it too.
eat one's feelings
To turn to comfort food in order to deal with one's emotional problems.
eat one's gun
To commit suicide, especially by use of a firearm discharged into the victim's mouth.
eat one's hat
Used in a result clause to express disbelief in a proposition expressed in a conditional c…
eat one's head off
Of an animal: to cost more to feed than it is worth.
eat one's heart out
To feel overwhelming sorrow, jealousy, or longing; to grieve.
eat one's own
To turn on and attack members of one's own group or clique.
eat one's own dog food
To use or consume the economic goods or services that one is producing; to be part of a cl…
eat one's seed corn
To consume what is meant for investment instead.
eat one's Wheaties
To prepare or fortify oneself for an activity requiring exertion.
eat out of someone's hand
To behave in a docile, submissive way towards someone.
eat shit
An expression of discontent or aggravation to another party.
eat someone out of house and home
To consume so much of someone's store of food that little or none is left for the owner.
eat someone's dust
To be outrun.
eat someone's lunch
To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of.
eat the mic
To speak or sing with one's mouth close to, or in contact with, a microphone.
eat the onion
To unwittingly and erroneously interpret a work of satire as literal fact, particularly a …
eat the rich
An expression of contempt towards capitalism and the rich, demanding an equitable redistri…
eat up with a spoon
To accept (something) very eagerly.
eat, breathe, and sleep
To devote one's time obsessively to.
economical with the truth
Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; …
edge of the earth
A very remote place.
edge of the world
A very remote place.
edge out
To defeat in a contest or a game by a narrow margin of victory.
effluxion of time
The determination of a term of years due to the passage of time, rather than the occurrenc…
egg on
To encourage or coax (a person) to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckles…
eggs in moonshine
A fanciful notion; an unrealistic or ludicrous concept.
either do or die
To act with sufficient urgency to result in either immediate success or immediate failure.
elbow grease
Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, su…
elbow mentality
An attitude characterized by self-interest and a willingness to prioritize personal benefi…
electronic superhighway
the internet
element of surprise
The strategic advantage afforded to a party when its opposition may be caught by surprise.
elephant in the room
A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or c…
eleventh hour
A point in time which is nearly too late; the last minute.
Elvis has left the building
A phrase used to announce the end of a show, usually one performed by an Elvis impersonato…
Elysian Fields
A place or state of ideal happiness; paradise.
embarrassment of riches
An abundance or overabundance of something; too much of a good thing.
embrace the penguin
To switch one's operating system to Linux.
emotional cripple
A person who has been rendered indecisive, alienated, uncaring, confused, or helpless thro…
emperor's new clothes
Something obvious and embarrassing that is politely ignored or that goes unacknowledged.
employ a steam engine to crack a nut
To carry out a simple task in an overcomplicated manner.
empty suit
An ineffective or incompetent person in a place of authority.
empty the clip
To compete with great vigor, especially by making numerous scoring attempts.
empty the tank
To make the utmost effort; to contribute to the absolute limit of one's energy and abiliti…
empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content b…
end in smoke
To be destroyed or ruined; to go up in smoke.
end in tears
To end badly.
end of
Ellipsis of end of story.
end of the line
The final cessation or discontinuance of a process, institution, lineage, or person, espec…
end of the world
Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.
Energizer bunny
A person who seems to have limitless energy and endurance.
enough to choke a horse
An excessive quantity.
enough to go around
There is an adequate amount or supply of something for all of the people present or involv…
enough to make a cat laugh
Very outlandish or outrageous.
enough to make the angels weep
Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.
enter on the boards
To inscribe the name of (a student) on a board or tablet in a college.
err on the side of
To behave in a manner which favours or which is biased toward.
err on the side of caution
To act in the least risky manner in a situation in which one is uncertain about the conseq…
escape fire
An unconventional or counterintuitive solution to a difficult problem.
esprit de corps
A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a…
eternal sleep
Death
eternal triangle
A relationship involving three persons (usually two women and one man or two men and one w…
eureka moment
The moment of a sudden unexpected discovery.
Evel Knievel
A daredevil.
even keel
Of an emotion or state of mind, the state or characteristic of being under control and bal…
even money
By extension, an event that is somewhat likely to happen, but far from inevitable.
even the score
To seek or obtain revenge against someone.
even then
Regardless of the circumstances (often ones that have just been stated).
ever after
forever, for eternity
everlasting staircase
A prison treadmill.
every bit
Exactly, to its full degree
every inch
Totally, completely.
every last
every; without exception (used for emphasis).
every man has a price
Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.
every man Jack
All the members of a group with no exceptions.
every old nook and cranny
Alternative form of every nook and cranny.
every time
Used to express a strong preference for one thing over another.
every which where
everywhere
every woman Jill
All the female members of a group with no exceptions.
everybody and his brother
Everybody, everyone; also, a large number of people; most people.
everybody and their dog
Synonym of everybody and his brother (“everybody, everyone; also, a large number of people…
everybody who is anybody
All of the people who are well-known or important, especially those who have prominent soc…
everything and the kitchen sink
Alternative form of everything but the kitchen sink.
everything but the kitchen sink
Almost everything, whether needed or not.
everything in the garden is rosy
Things are going well; everything is fine.
everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
evil twin
A duplicate or counterpart that acts in a contrary, nefarious, or insidious manner.
excess baggage
Something or someone not needed or not wanted; something or someone of little use or impor…
exchange contracts
To formally contract to purchase, sell or otherwise be party to a disposition of an estate…
exchange flesh
To engage in sexual intercourse.
exchange of contracts
The point or stage at which a conveyancing contract comes into existence between negotiati…
exit stage left
An orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.
expensive drunk
Someone who must drink a lot of alcohol in order to get intoxicated.
expose oneself
To display one's genitalia in a public place or in other inappropriate circumstances.
express elevator
Something that gets a person somewhere fast
extend one's hand
To make a gesture of welcome or cordiality.
extra pair of hands
The assistance of another person.
extract the urine
to mock, make fun of something
eye for an eye
Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting an identical injury …
eye of the storm
A period of calm in a tumultuous time.
eye sex
A lustful or sexually-charged glance exchanged between two people.
eye up
To examine closely something coveted.
eyes on the ground
One or more observers in an area of interest.
eyes on the prize
Concentration on one's goal; mindfulness of the desired outcome.