Browsing
Idioms starting with K
201 expressions
kangaroo court
A judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, or a group of people which conducts such proceedi…
kao peh kao bu
To make a fuss, to complain or whine excessively, to complain to high heaven.
keel over
To collapse in a faint; to black out, to swoon.
keep a civil tongue in one's head
To maintain a polite manner of speaking.
keep a close watch
to pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes …
keep a cool head
To keep one's cool; to stay calm.
keep a lid on
To keep something secret.
keep a low profile
To be discreet and quiet.
keep a weather eye open
to maintain a background awareness of something; to remain alert to changes without it occ…
keep an eye on
To watch and pay attention to, in case of misbehaviour or mishap.
keep an eye open
To remain vigilant for someone or something.
keep an eye out
To watch for or look out for.
keep an eye peeled
To look out (for something) attentively.
keep company
To court.
keep good time
To be punctual.
keep house
To take care of domestic chores; work as a housekeeper.
keep it between the ditches
To stay out of trouble or follow a righteous (God-fearing) path.
keep it in the family
To restrict knowledge or information to only the members of a family or another small, int…
keep it moving
To continue or advance notwithstanding any issue or obstacle.
keep it one hundred
To be authentic, to be true to oneself.
keep it real
In the imperative, an exhortation used as a departing salutation.
keep it together
To maintain composure; to avoid an overly emotional reaction; to suppress an instinct or u…
keep it up
To maintain or continue a positive streak.
keep off the streets
To inspire or cause (someone) to avoid idleness, unemployment, poverty, or antisocial beha…
keep on
To persist or continue.
keep on about
To harp on; to continue to speak or discuss something repeatedly.
keep on truckin'
To continue or persist, regardless of circumstances or setbacks; to keep trying or strivin…
keep one's cards close to one's chest
To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.
keep one's chin up
To remain positive and cheerful.
keep one's cool
To remain composed, calm, and even-tempered, especially in a provocative situation.
keep one's ears open
to listen for important information.
keep one's eye on the ball
To maintain one's concentration fixed on one important theme.
keep one's eyes peeled
To be on the alert, to be watchful.
keep one's fingers crossed
To hope for the best, to show support.
keep one's hair on
To stay calm; to be patient; to calm down.
keep one's head
To remain calm, reasonable, level-headed, especially in a situation likely to cause distre…
keep one's head above water
To survive or endure, especially in a situation in which one is struggling to avoid being …
keep one's head down
To avoid trouble or attention.
keep one's head on a swivel
To be on the alert, to be watchful.
keep one's knickers on
To stay calm; to not get flustered or angry.
keep one's lips sealed
To keep quiet; to keep a secret; to not tell.
keep one's mouth shut
To keep a secret; to refrain from speaking indiscreetly or carelessly; broadly, to refrain…
keep one's nose clean
To stay out of trouble, especially by avoiding unlawful behavior.
keep one's options open
To not commit to a decision, to keep various options available.
keep one's pants on
To stay calm.
keep one's pecker up
To remain cheerful; keep smiling.
keep one's stick on the ice
To remain vigilant and ready for action.
keep one's temper
To remain calm; to avoid becoming angry or annoyed.
keep one's tits on
Synonym of keep one's hair on.
keep one's voice down
To hush or speak; softly or quietly.
keep pace
To run at the same speed as a pacesetter
keep quiet
To refrain from talking about something; to keep a secret.
keep shtum
Not tell anyone; especially, keep silent about something that may be sensitive or secret.
keep someone amused
To give someone entertaining or distracting things to do to prevent them from becoming bor…
keep someone busy
To ensure that someone's attention is occupied, often to prevent them from becoming bored …
keep someone company
To remain with or accompany someone, especially to make them feel more comfortable with a …
keep someone in the loop
To furnish someone with sufficient relevant information and include them in the decision-m…
keep someone on ice
To keep someone uninformed and waiting for a response.
keep someone on their toes
To keep someone attentive, active, busy or alert.
keep someone posted
To inform (someone) regularly of the latest developments.
keep someone sweet
To keep someone friendly or satisfied by complying with their wishes or preferences.
keep straight
To avoid confusing or mixing up something; to keep something clear or organized.
keep tabs on
To monitor; to keep track of; to watch.
keep the ball rolling
To continue an action indicated in the context; to sustain a process.
keep the bones green
To maintain good health and vitality.
keep the home fires burning
To maintain daily routine and provide the necessities of life in a home or community.
keep the peace
To maintain order and peace in a volatile situation.
keep the pot boiling
To maintain one's livelihood; to continue to procure the necessities of living.
keep the show on the road
To be able to proceed with a plan or project, often in the face of difficult circumstances…
keep the wolf from the door
To ward off poverty or hunger.
keep up
To continue with (work, etc).
keep up appearances
To artificially maintain an outward sign of normality; to maintain an appearance of wealth…
keep up with the Joneses
To act or make purchases for status or image rather than out of need, especially for the p…
keep up with the times
To change one's ideas, views or way of living in order to stay current or modern.
keep watch
To guard; to watch over someone or something.
kernel of truth
A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictit…
kettle of fish
An awkward situation.
keys to the kingdom
A resource, usually information or knowledge, the possession of which gives the possessor …
kick a dog when it's down
To make things worse for someone in an adverse situation.
kick ass
To win decisively.
kick ass and take names
To beat someone in a competition, fight, or other situation.
kick at an open door
To carry out a redundant activity.
kick at the can
To make an attempt; to try.
kick back
To relax; to laze.
kick bollocks scramble
A free for all or panic situation.
kick butt
To be impressive; to be decisively good or pleasant.
kick in
To begin, contribute or join in on.
kick in the teeth
A humiliating insult or instance of bad treatment, especially when one is expecting friend…
kick into the long grass
An instance of kicking into the long grass.
kick into touch
To evade an issue; to stop from happening.
kick it
To casually spend time relaxing; to hang out.
kick loose
to give someone the freedom to do what they want
kick off
To start; to launch; to set in motion.
kick one's heels
To wait; to wait impatiently or restlessly.
kick out
To eject, dismiss, expel, or forcefully remove (someone or something).
kick rocks
To leave or run away; to skedaddle; to waste one's own time (with some other meaningless t…
kick some tail
To be authoritative and assertive in order to achieve or accomplish something.
kick some tires
To shop for a vehicle or other item to purchase or in which to invest.
kick someone when they are down
To make things worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.
kick someone's ass
To clobber someone; to beat someone severely.
kick the beam
To lack in weight, importance, or strength compared to another.
kick the bucket
To die.
kick the can down the road
To avoid or postpone a decision or action; to procrastinate.
kick the habit
To recover from or quit an addiction or habit.
kick the tires
To inspect something to ensure it meets expected standards or has favored characteristics,…
kick the tyres
Alternative form of kick the tires.
kick to the curb
To dismiss or reject in a humiliating manner.
kick up a fuss
To show annoyance, or to complain loudly about something, often when it is of little impor…
kick up one's heels
To relax; to enjoy oneself; to do as one pleases.
kick upstairs
To promote (an employee considered troublesome) to a position of lesser influence, but of …
kick with the other foot
To belong to a different religion.
kicking boots
Ability to kick well.
kicks and giggles
Amusement without any serious purpose; fun.
kid around
To engage in playful fun.
kiddie table
The gathering place, forum, or venue assigned to less prominent or less capable participan…
kill me
Alternative form of shoot me.
kill one's darlings
To destroy things or characters, particularly in art, of which one is fond, often reluctan…
kill the fatted calf
To begin a festive celebration and rejoice for someone's long-awaited return.
kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
To seek short-term gain at the sacrifice of long-term profit.
kill trees
To use paper.
kill two birds with one stone
To solve two problems with one single action.
killer instinct
The natural inclination to aggressively achieve dominance or success in a particular endea…
kind of
Slightly; somewhat; sort of.
kind regards
Used as a polite closing of a letter.
kindest regards
Used as a polite closing of a letter
kindred soul
Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself; kindred spirit.
kindred spirit
Someone with the same feelings or attitudes as oneself.
king of all one surveys
Possessing governing authority over a range of territory; having decisive control or overs…
king of beasts
The lion.
king of birds
The eagle.
king of the castle
A person who assumes a position of greater importance, authority, or prominence than other…
king of the hill
A person who is meanwhile in leading position in an ongoing competition.
King of the Jungle
The lion; Panthera leo.
King Shit of Turd Island
An individual with pretensions of great importance.
king's cushion
A four-handed seat made by two people crossing their hands and holding their own wrist wit…
king's ransom
A very large sum of money.
kiss and cry
The publicly viewable enclosure in which figure skaters sit immediately after a performanc…
kiss and make up
To settle one's differences and forgive.
kiss and tell
To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.
kiss arse
Alternative form of kiss ass, to curry favour with the powerful by obsequious flattery.
kiss ass
to flatter or perform favors excessively, especially to receive preferential treatment fro…
kiss my ass
Go away!; an expression of disdain or dismissal.
kiss of death
Something that may seem good and favorable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, …
kiss of life
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
kiss off
to bid goodbye to (someone) with a kiss.
kiss someone's ass
To flatter someone (especially a superior) in an obsequious manner, and to support their e…
kiss someone's ring
To give respect or reverence to someone; to express servitude to someone.
kiss the gunner's daughter
To be flogged or beaten while restrained over a cannon.
kiss up
To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special…
kiss up to
To pay false compliments to; to flatter in excess.
kitchen table software
Especially in the early years of personal computers, a set of computer programs developed …
knee-deep in the Big Muddy
Stuck in a predicament; mired in a difficult situation, especially one resulting from poor…
knee-high to a grasshopper
short; especially relating to when the subject was a small child
knee-jerk reaction
An instantaneous reaction made without thought.
knight of the post
A known perjurer; a professional false witness.
knit one's brows
To scowl, indicating anger, worry, or puzzlement.
knit one's eyebrows
Alternative form of knit one's brows.
knit together
To heal; to reform a single strong bone.
knock down a peg
Synonym of take down a notch.
knock for a loop
To astonish; to stagger or overwhelm; to confuse or disorient.
knock it off
To cease doing something, particularly annoying or unpleasant; to desist.
knock on heaven's door
To die or be close to death.
knock on wood
Hopefully; a self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.
knock oneself out
To go ahead; to do as one pleases; to enjoy oneself; to endeavor very hard at a task.
knock out
To strike or render unconscious
knock out of the box
To cause something to be replaced by something else.
knock some sense into
To reprimand or reform someone vigorously.
knock someone down with a feather
Alternative form of knock someone over with a feather.
knock someone flat
To knock someone down; to hit someone so they fall to the floor.
knock someone into the middle of next week
To thoroughly beat or trounce someone.
knock someone off their perch
To defeat or overcome someone who was in a dominant position.
knock someone over with a feather
To greatly surprise or astonish someone.
knock someone's block off
To strike a person in the head, causing them to fall to the ground, especially in an uncon…
knock someone's socks off
To impress greatly; amaze; stun.
knock the living daylights out of
To beat or strike someone.
knock the stuffing out of
To cause (someone, a team) to lose energy and confidence.
knock together
To assemble something quickly.
knocking on heaven's door
Dying, close to death.
know beans about
To know nothing, or almost nothing, about.
know every trick in the book
To know all there is to be known about a certain discipline.
know from a bar of soap
To know; to be acquainted with (a person).
know inside and out
To know (something or someone) very thoroughly.
know one's ass from a hole in the ground
To have an adequate level of knowledge or skill; to understand what one is doing or talkin…
know one's own mind
To clearly understand one's own feelings, intentions, preferences, etc; to know precisely …
know one's shit
Synonym of know one's stuff, to be knowledgeable about a subject or task.
know one's way around
Synonym of know one's stuff: to be knowledgeable about a subject or task.
know someone
To have personal or social connections.
know someone from a can of paint
Synonym of know someone from Adam.
know someone from Adam
To know or recognize someone at all.
know someone from Eve
To know or recognize someone at all.
know someone in the biblical sense
To have sex with someone.
know the drill
To be acquainted with the normal process or procedure of a given activity or situation; to…
know the score
To be aware of a situation, especially of the consequences of misconduct.
know what is what
To understand the current situation; to know what is going on.
know where the bodies are buried
To possess confidential and incriminating information about a person's or organization's m…
know which end is up
To possess sound judgment or common sense; to have a clear understanding of a situation.
know which side one's bread is buttered on
To be aware of where one's interests lie in a situation.
knuckle down
To get to work; to focus on a task.
knuckle dragger
A large, strong, and rather dimwitted person.
knuckle under
To cooperate or yield when forced or pressured to do so.
Kool-Aid smile
A large, beaming smile.