Take the Cake
For the last few days (with a break for the Sneak Peek) I’ve been blogging about colloquialisms. It’s amazing just how often they come up in daily conversation. They certainly come up in my writing. If you’re here for the first time, scroll back to previous posts to find Nautical, Biblical, and Shakespearean additions to everyday chats.
Today, in honor of Memorial day, I’ll give you a few Americanisms:
A-D
A shot in the arm * A sledgehammer to crack a nut *Acid test * An arm and a leg * As easy as pie * As happy as a clam * Baby boomer * Back to the drawing board * Back-seat driver * Bad hair day * Barking up the wrong tree * Bats in the belfry * Bee’s knees * Between a rock and a hard place * Big fish in a small pond * Bigger bang for your buck * Birds and the bees * Blast from the past * Blaze a trail * Blonde bombshell * Born again * Break a leg * Bronx cheer * Brownie points * Bury the hatchet * Card-sharp * Catch 22 * Chaise lounge * Chick flick * Climb on the bandwagon * Close, but no cigar * Coin a phrase * Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey * Cold turkey * Colder than a well-digger’s … * Cost an arm and a leg * Customer is always right * Cut to the chase * Dead ringer * Doom and gloom * Double whammy * Down the tubes * Drop-dead gorgeous
E-K
Ethnic cleansing * Face the music * Fancy pants * Fashion victim * Feeding frenzy * Fifteen minutes of fame * Filthy rich * Five o’clock shadow * Flavor of the month * Fly off the handle * Foot in the door * Fuddy-duddy * Funny farm * Generation X * Get down to brass tacks * Get your dander up * Get your goat * Gild the lily * Go haywire * Go whole hog * Go postal * Go to hell in a handbasket * Good riddance to bad rubbish * Goody, goody gumdrops * Gung ho * Have an axe to grind * Heads up * Heavy metal * Heebie-jeebies * High on the hog * High and wide * Hissy fit * Hold your horses * Hunky-dory * Identity theft * I don’t give a rat’s ass * I don’t give a flying… * If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen * In like Flynn * In spades * In the bag * In the sticks * Indian summer * A Job for the boys * Joined at the hip * Jump on the bandwagon * Jump the gun * Jump the shark * Jury is still out * Kangaroo court * Keep the ball rolling * Keep your chin up * Kit and caboodle *
L-Z
Lame duck * Level playing field * Loose cannon * Lose your marbles * Make a bee-line for * Middle of the road * Mother country * My bad * New kid on the block * Nitty-gritty * No dice * No-brainer * Off the record * On cloud nine * On the wagon * On the warpath * Paddle your own canoe * Paint the town red * Pass the buck * Peter out * Pie in the sky * Piece of cake * Pipe dream * Play by ear * Power dressing * P.D.Q. – pretty damn quick * Prime time * Pull the wool over your eyes * Quality time * Red letter day * Rise and shine * Road rage * Run a mile * Run of the mill * Cash cow * Security blanket * Seven-year itch * Skid row * Smart casual * Smoke and mirrors * Sold down the river * Sound bite * Spill the beans * Spin doctor * Spring forward, fall back * Square meal * Stool pigeon *The tail wagging the dog * Take the cake * Talk to the hand * Talk through one’s hat * The Real McCoy * That’s all she wrote * That’s All Folks! * The whole nine yards * The whole shebang * There’s no such thing as a free lunch * Top notch * Tuckered out * Up a gum tree * Up shit creek without a paddle * Wear the trousers * Well heeled * What you see is what you get * What’s not to like? * What the heck? * Whoops-a-daisy *Wild and woolly * Zero tolerance.
What the heck is a Bronx cheer? I’ll have to go look that up. I’ll spill the beans when I find out.
That’s All Folks! 
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Two hops are still running and I’m sharing bits of my novels and offering prizes.
Since I’m doing that there, I can share colloquialisms here! Come see.
The Hot Summer Nights Hop
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
The Hop Against Homophobia
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com
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~ Coming Soon ~
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