Figurative Language Examples
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“hold one’s tongue” |
keep quiet |
|
“knock it off”
|
stop |
|
“it figures”
|
seems likely |
|
“not my bag”
|
not what I like to do |
|
“stick around”
|
Stay |
|
“search me”
|
I don’t know |
|
“at the end of his rope”
|
pushed to the limit |
|
“lose one’s cool”
|
get mad |
|
“miss the boat”
|
miss an opportunity/chance |
|
“make waves” |
cause trouble |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“throw the book at” |
give a harsh judgment |
|
“pull one’s weight”
|
doing your part or job |
|
“big deal”
|
unimportant |
|
“dish it out” |
give trouble |
|
“give a big hand”
|
clap/applaud |
|
“play by ear”
|
play instrument without music/wait and see |
|
“push on”
|
don’t give up |
|
“keep an eye on”
|
watch carefully |
|
“in tears”
|
crying/sobbing |
|
“grow out of one’s clothes”
|
get too large for clothes to fit |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“give a ring” |
make a phone call |
|
“look down upon”
|
being negative |
|
“get on one’s nerves”
|
annoying |
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“drop in on”
|
visit without notice |
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“blow one’s stack”
|
become very angry |
|
“fool around”
|
play and joke |
|
“stir up”
|
making trouble/causing problems |
|
“put his foot in his mouth”
|
say something you shouldn’t say |
|
“kept his head”
|
remained calm |
|
“cut in”
|
interrupted |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“make room for” |
create a space |
|
“blow one’s top”
|
become enraged |
|
“brush up on”
|
review studies |
|
“blue in the face”
|
no more to say |
|
“go Dutch”
|
each pays own way |
|
“be bent on doing something”
|
strong desire to do |
|
“firsthand”
|
involving yourself |
|
“see eye to eye”
|
agree |
|
“put a word in for”
|
say something nice |
|
“rub the wrong way” |
annoy someone |
|
“grow on someone” |
increase likeness of |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“looking high and low” |
looking everywhere |
|
“bite off more than one can chew”
|
do more than one is able |
|
“get on one’s high horse”
|
become angry/show off |
|
“hold your horses”
|
wait patiently |
|
“take with a grain of salt”
|
believe only some of what is said |
|
“pull the wool over one’s eyes”
|
trick |
|
“beat one’s head against the wall”
|
frustrate |
|
“drop like a hot potato”
|
stop friendship immediately |
|
“cut short”
|
over/finish |
|
“two strikes against”
|
at a disadvantage |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“pull one’s punches” |
pretend to fight |
|
“a steal”
|
a bargain |
|
“on the double”
|
in a hurry |
|
“get on the ball”
|
get busy |
|
“add fuel to the flame”
|
make a bad matter worse |
|
“go against the grain”
|
annoy or trouble |
|
“around the clock”
|
twenty-fours continuously |
|
“at wit’s end”
|
unable to solve problem |
|
“big frog in a small pond’
|
important person in a small position |
|
“babe in the woods”
|
inexperienced person |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“born yesterday” |
easily fooled |
|
“burn the midnight oil”
|
study late at night |
|
“paddle one’s own canoe”
|
do by one’s self |
|
“put the cart before the horse”
|
do in the wrong order |
|
“climb on the bandwagon”
|
join something because others do |
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“eyes pop out”
|
look very surprised |
|
“feel like a million”
|
to be in good spirits or health |
|
“go to bed with the chickens”
|
go to bed early in the evening |
|
“grease monkey”
|
mechanic at a gas station or garage |
|
“handwriting on the wall” |
a forecast that something bad will happen |
|
Figurative Language Phrases |
Meaning |
|
“see neither hide or hair” |
miss something |
|
“just what the doctor ordered”
|
exactly what is needed |
|
“walk the line”
|
obey |
|
“with bells on”
|
arrive with enthusiasm |
|
“pull one’s leg”
|
tell a lie |
|
“bury the hatchet”
|
forgive each other |
|
“chew the fat”
|
talk together |
|
“toot one’s horn”
|
brag |
|
“kick the bucket”
|
die |
|
“sleep like a log”
|
sleep soundly |