Idioms

Fixed expressions whose meaning is not the sum of their parts.

• Four-character idioms
• Proverbs
• Idioms

1,283 results

• バスに乗り遅れるバスにのりおくれるto fall behind the times, to miss out (on an opportunity), to miss the boat
• フットライトを浴びるフットライトをあびるto appear on the stage, to be in the limelight
• ブレーキを掛けるブレーキをかけるto put on the brakes, to put a stop to
• ベンチを温めるベンチをあたためるto warm the bench, to stay on the bench (as a substitute)
• 飴と鞭アメとムチcarrot and stick
• 茨の道いばらのみちthorny path
• 花も実も有るはなもみもあるto have both the looks and the substance, to be a compassionate and just person, to be interesting and instructive
• 怪我の功名けがのこうみょうfortunate error, lucky break, fluke失敗、災難だと思っていたことが却って良い結果をもたらすこと。
• 海の物とも山の物とも判らないうみのものともやまのものともわからないneither fish nor fowl, hard-to-predict
• 海老で鯛を釣るえびでたいをつるto throw in a shrimp and pull out a whale, to use a sprat to catch a mackerel（高価なタイを安いエビで釣るところから）少量の元手やわずかな労力で大きな利益を得ること。
• 蛙の面に水かえるのつらにみずlike water off a duck's back
• ああ言えばこう言うああいえばこういうto have a comeback for every remark, to be always ready with excuses, to contradict everything人の言うことに対して、いろいろと理由や理屈をつけて従わない。屁理屈ばかりを言って人の話を素直に聞かない。
• 尻馬に乗るしりうまにのるto follow suit, to imitate or follow someone blindly, to ride on someone's back, to ride someone's coattails
• まな板の鯉まないたのこいsomeone doomed to their fate
• 棚からぼた餅たなからぼたもちsudden windfall, unexpected piece of good luck
• 海の藻屑うみのもくずwatery grave
• 昔取った杵柄むかしとったきねづかskill learned in one's former days, using one's experience from the past過去に覚えた技能が現在でも衰えていないこと。
• 思う壺にはまるおもうつぼにはまるto turn out just as one wished, to come up to one's expectations, to play into the hands (of)
• 寝耳に水ねみみにみずbolt from the blue, great surprise予想もしていなかったことが起きること。
• 水の泡みずのあわbubble on the surface of water, (coming to) nothing, naught, something short-lived
• 踏んだり蹴ったりふんだりけったりhaving one misfortune after another, insult to injury
• 背水の陣はいすいのじんfighting with one's back to the wall, having burnt one's bridges, last stand, last-ditch effortこれ以上下がれない状態で、必死に物事を行うこと。 後がない状態に身を置く、置かれること。
• さじを投げるさじをなげるto give up (something as hopeless), to throw in the towel
• 木に縁って魚を求むきによってうおをもとむto be unable to accomplish something because one has chosen the wrong method, to ask for the impossible
• ケリが付くケリがつくto be settled, to be brought to an end
• 畳の上で死ぬたたみのうえでしぬto die a natural death, to die in one's own bed
• 目に入れても痛くないめにいれてもいたくないthinking so highly of someone that you are blind to their faults, thinking the sun shines out of someone's eyes, being the apple of one's eye, loving someone dearly
• 白い目で見るしろいめでみるto look coldly at, to turn a cold shoulder
• 大きな顔をするおおきなかおをするto look as if one is important, to swagger around
• 顔が利くかおがきくto have a lot of influence (in), to have clout (with), to be influential, to have contacts (in)
• 手を焼くてをやくto not know what to do with, to be at a loss with, to have difficulty with, to be put out処理や対策の仕方が分からず困る。
• 喉から手が出るのどからてがでる(wanting something so badly that) one can almost taste itある物が欲しくて堪らないこと。
• 足元を見るあしもとをみるto take advantage (e.g. of a weak situation), to size up (e.g. customer when setting a high price)相手の弱みを見つけ、それにつけこむこと。
• 心を砕くこころをくだくto take great pains, to make every effort, to rack one's brains, to be concerned
• しのぎを削るしのぎをけずるto compete ruthlessly
• 耳にタコができるみみにたこができるto be told or made to hear something so often that you (metaphorically) get calluses on your ears
• 気が荒いきがあらいbad-tempered, aggressive, quarrelsome
• 気が散るきがちるto get distracted, to jump off the track他のことに注意が奪われて集中できない。
• 臍を噛むほぞをかむto regret bitterly, to be very sorry (for)
• 水をあけるみずをあけるto open up a lead (over one's opponent)
• 清水の舞台から飛び降りるきよみずのぶたいからとびおりるto make a leap into the dark, to take the plunge, to jump in at the deep end
• 闇夜の烏やみよのからすsomething indistinct
• 闇夜に烏やみよにからすsomething indistinct
• 目から鱗が落ちるめからうろこがおちるto see the light, to be awakened to the truth, to have the scales fall from one's eyes
• 目をつけるめをつけるto have an eye on, to zero in on
• 音を上げるねをあげるto give up, to admit defeat, to throw in the towel苦しさにこらえきれず弱音をはく。すっかり困ってしまう。降参する。
• 歯に衣を着せぬはにきぬをきせぬoutspoken, forthright, frank, direct
• 羽目を外すはめをはずすto go over the top, to act without restraint, to cut loose
• 敷居が高いしきいがたかいhaving a high threshold (for entry), difficult to approach, feeling awkward to go to (of someone's home)（家や集団などに）心情的に入りづらい。訪れるのがためらわれる。
• 蚊帳の外かやのそとbeing excluded, being ignored, being kept in the dark (about), being kept out of the loop話題となっている対象とは無縁であること。また、そのさま。
• 手のひらを返すてのひらをかえすto flip-flop, to do an about-face, to do something easy
• 閑古鳥が鳴くかんこどりがなくto be quiet (due to lack of activity), to be in a slump (of a business)（閑古鳥の鳴く声しか聞こえないほど）ひっそりしていて寂しいさま。 商売が流行らず寂しいさま。
• 耳を傾けるみみをかたむけるto lend an ear, to hearken, to give an ear to, to listen carefully注意して聞くこと。
• 眉を開くまゆをひらくto feel relieved, to forget about one's troubles, to settle into peace of mind
• 同じ穴のムジナおなじあなのむじな(villains) of the same stripe, birds of a feather
• 草木も眠る丑三つ時くさきもねむるうしみつどきdead of night (when even the trees and plants sleep)
• 木を見て森を見ずきをみてもりをみずto not see the forest for the trees, to not see the wood for the trees, to be caught up with trivial matters and lose sight of the big picture
• 袂を分かつたもとをわかつto part (from), to part company (with), to split (with), to break off relations (with)
• 苦虫を噛み潰したようにがむしをかみつぶしたようsour (expression)
• 賽は投げられたさいはなげられたthe die is cast, there is no going back, alea iacta estもはや引き返せなくなる状態で、決断を促すもの。