CONTENTS
Introduction—Start from Scratch: Meaning Versus Origin
Chapter 1—As the Crow Flies: The Nautical World
Batten Down the Hatches
Cut and Run
First Rate
Square Meal
Whistle for It
Hunky Dory
Have Someone Over a Barrel
Cut of Your Jib
Three Sheets to the Wind
Footloose and Fancy Free
As the Crow Flies
Tide You Over
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Hard and Fast
Long Shot
Know the Ropes
Touch and Go
By and Large
Bitter End
Show Your True Colors
Dead in the Water
Loose Cannon
In the Offing
Cat Got Your Tongue?
On the Right Track
Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey
Hand over Fist
Turn a Blind Eye
Pass with Flying Colors
Give a Wide Berth
Spick and Span
Flog a Dead Horse
Under the Weather
Turn the Corner
In the Doldrums
Your Ship Has Come In
Taken Aback
Leave High and Dry
Son of a Gun
Money for Old Rope
Nail Your Colors to the Mast
Raining Cats and Dogs
On the Fiddle
Shake a Leg
Slush Fund
You Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours
At a Loose End
Chapter 2—Take a Rain Check: Sports and Games
Knuckle Down
You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide
Knock the Spots Off
Win Hands Down
Above Board
High Jinks
Add Another String to Your Bow
Wild Goose Chase
Hell Bent for Leather
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Upset the Apple Cart
Have the Bit between Your Teeth
Aid and Abet
Below the Belt
Great White Hope
Up the Ante
Take a Rain Check
Upper Hand
Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
Get Someone’s Goat
Down to the Wire
Keep It Up
Start from Scratch
Full Tilt
Turn the Tables
Dead End
Crew Cut
Well Heeled
Pass the Buck
Couldn’t Swing a Cat
Palm Off
Point Blank
Come Up to Scratch
Left in the Lurch
Across the Board
Clapped Out
No Dice
Blue Ribbon Event
At the Drop of a Hat
The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall
Chip on Your Shoulder
Bottle It
Throw Your Hat into the Ring
Battle Royal
Bandied About
Nick of Time
Chapter 3—Carry the Can: Work, Trades, and Money
Get Fired
At Sixes and Sevens
Fly off the Handle
Knock Off Work
Up to the Mark
Against the Grain
Tarred with the Same Brush
Dressed to the Nines
See How It Pans Out
Get Off Scot-Free
Fair to Middling
That’s Just the Ticket
Talking Turkey
Foot the Bill
On the Breadline
Lame Duck
Fly by the Seat of Your Pants
Carry the Can
Mad as a Hatter
Stone Broke
Dead as a Door Nail
Bank on Someone
Filthy Rich
Run of the Mill
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Gone Haywire
Break the Ice
Sold Down the River
On the Level
Peter Out
Barge In
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Our Work Cut Out for Us
Hold a Candle
Make Ends Meet
Hedge Your Bets
Nineteen to the Dozen
Get the Sack
Black Market
In a Shambles
Burn the Candle at Both Ends
At Full Blast
Chapter 4—Bite the Bullet: Military Matters
Back to the Drawing Board
Gung Ho
Wreak Havoc
Face the Music
Last-Ditch Attempt
Hang Fire
Hit the Ground Running
Throw Down the Gauntlet
Rise and Shine
The Whole Nine Yards
Chance Your Arm
Beat a Hasty Retreat
Feather in Your Cap
Bury the Hatchet
On a Wing and a Prayer
Down a Peg or Two
Basket Case
Flash in the Pan
Diehard Supporter
Pyrrhic Victory
Over the Top
On Your High Horse
Hold the Fort
Parting Shot
Ride Roughshod
Bite the Bullet
More Bang for Your Buck
Molotov Cocktail
Chapter 5—On the Bandwagon: The Political Realm
Spin Doctor
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
When It Comes to the Crunch
Bite the Hand that Feeds You
Bob’s Your Uncle
Whistle Stop Tour
In the Bag
Hear, Hear
Nothing Is Certain Except for Death and Taxes
Toe the Line
Off the Cuff
Pie in the Sky
On the Bandwagon
Chapter 6—In the Limelight: That’s Entertainment
Back to Square One
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Ham It Up
Soap Opera
Blonde Bombshell
Fit as a Fiddle
In the Limelight
Steal Your Thunder
Break a Leg
Cut to the Chase
Pull Out All the Stops
It’s a Funny Old World
Put a Sock in It
Pleased as Punch
Egg on Your Face
Old Chestnut
In the Groove
Life of Reilly
Sixty-Four Dollar Question
Put the Dampers On
Chapter 7—Purple Patch: Ancient Times
Two-Faced
Wrong Side of the Bed
Out of the Blue
Green with Envy
Achilles’ Heel
Call a Spade a Spade
Go with the Flow
Spill the Beans
Purple Patch
It’s All Greek to Me
Ears Are Burning
Right-Hand Man
Rest on One’s Laurels
Lick It into Shape
To Have a Frog in Your Throat
At Bay
Red-Letter Day
Taken with a Pinch of Salt
Hanging by a Thread
Give the Thumbs Up
The Die Is Cast
No Stone Unturned
Not Worth His Salt
Dog Day Afternoon
Lily Livered
Burn Your Bridges
Set Off on the Wrong Foot
Eat Your Heart Out
Fits to a T
The Wrong End of the Stick
Mountain Out of a Molehill
By Heart
Lap of the Gods
Chapter 8—Bold as Brass: People and Names
To Plug Something
Blue Blood
Your Name Is Mud
Bold As Brass
Peeping Tom
The Real McCoy
A Place in the Sun
Cock and Bull Story
Spruce Up
Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Smart Alec
Jack the Lad
Run Amok
Air Your Dirty Laundry in Public
John Hancock
Barking Mad
Nosy Parker
Mickey Finn
Chapter 9—In the Doghouse: Literature
World Is Your Oyster
Add Insult to Injury
Artful Dodger
The Lion’s Share
Clutching at Straws
Ivory Tower
Go the Whole Hog
All Hell Broke Loose
In the Doghouse
Sour Grapes
Blowing Hot and Cold
Cold Feet
Dark Horse
Between You, Me, and the Lamppost
Leap of Faith
Big Brother Is Watching
Eat Me Out of House and Home
As Sure As Eggs
Catch-22
Dropping like Flies
Grinning like a Cheshire Cat
Curry Favor
Ignorance Is Bliss
Go See a Man about a Dog
Goody-Two-Shoes
Chapter 10—Bring Home the Bacon: Culinary Delights
Best Thing since Sliced Bread
Take the Piss
Put through the Mill
Broach a Subject
Take the Cake
Hair of the Dog
Doesn’t Cut the Mustard
Piping Hot
Go Cold Turkey
Propose a Toast
Gone to Pot
Don’t Teach Your Grandmother to Suck Eggs
Bring Home the Bacon
Eat Humble Pie
Give a Cold Shoulder
Mind Your P’s and Q’s
Flavor of the Month
Chapter 11—Apple of Your Eye: Biblical Times
The Eleventh Hour
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Doubting Thomas
Baptism of Fire
Fly in the Ointment
The Writing Is on the Wall
A Little Bird Told Me
Take under Your Wing
Stumbling Block
By the Skin of Your Teeth
Play the Fool
Devil’s Advocate
Makes Your Hair Stand on End
Bless You
Drop in the Ocean
Apple of Your Eye
Wash Your Hands of It
Straight and Narrow
Enter the Lions’ Den
The Powers that Be
Kiss of Death
In Seventh Heaven
Blind Leading the Blind
Chapter 12—Caught Red-Handed: Law and Order
Short Shrift
To Double Cross
Hung, Drawn, and Quartered
By Hook or By Crook
To Be Screwed
Take for a Ride
Laughing Stock
Pull the Wool over Your Eyes
There but for the Grace of God Go I
Read the Riot Act
Pay through the Nose
Paint the Town Red
Rule of Thumb
Haul Someone Over the Coals
Pipe Dreams
Give Someone a Break
Baker’s Dozen
In Cold Blood
Red Tape
Cat and Mouse
Kangaroo Court
Buying Time
Skeleton in the Closet
Have a Beef
Put Your Thinking Cap On
Pillar to Post
Caught Red-Handed
Rings True
Chapter 13—Beat around the Bush: Animals and Nature
Fair Game
Get Your Back Up
Get into a Scrape
Knock on Wood
White Elephant
Pecking Order
Once in a Blue Moon
Swan Song
As Bald as a Badger
To Fly in the Face
Make a Beeline for
Wet behind the Ears
A Cat Has Nine Lives
Beat around the Bush
Red Herring
I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle
Birds and the Bees
Nest Egg
Barking up the Wrong Tree
Booby Prize
Final Straw
Bee’s Knees
Chapter 14—Tie the Knot: Till Death Do Us Part
Saved by the Bell
Kick the Bucket
Tie the Knot
Dead Ringer
Head over Heels
Sleep Tight
Lead up the Garden Path
Chapter 15—In a Nutshell: Miscellaneous Matters
Gone ’round the Bend
Pidgin English
Down in the Dumps
On Skid Row
In a Nutshell
Play Hooky
Wait for the Other Shoe to Drop
The Third Degree
Chop and Change
Blown to Smithereens
Round Robin
Dressed to Kill
Riding Shotgun
In a Jiffy
Mumbo Jumbo
Warm the Cockles of Your Heart
Butter Someone Up
Without Batting an Eyelid
An Ax to Grind
Read between the Lines
To Egg On
Cloud Nine
Spitting Image
On the Grapevine
Warts and All
From the Wrong Side of the Tracks
On the Wagon
Whole Kit and Kaboodle
Close, but No Cigar
Have a Hunch
To Be Blackballed
Artwork Credits
About the Author