suddenly, without advance warning All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.
hidden agenda
secret plan to control the meeting or decisions The board has a hidden agenda. We don't know their real plans.
hidden talent
a talent or skill you do not show very often Oh, you play the harmonica! Got any more hidden talents?
bladdered
drunk
worship the porcelain goddess
to vomit
kick down the ladder
said of persons who repudiate or ignore the friendship or associations by means of which they have risen in the world忘恩负义；过河拆桥 As soon as Harris became manager of the company he kicked down the ladder and turned his back on his former friends．哈里斯一当上经理就翻脸不认人，不理睬过去的朋友了。
sadder but wiser
Idiom(s): sadder but wiser
Theme: EXPERIENCE
unhappy but educated [about someone or something—after an unpleasant event]. (Fixed order.) • After the accident, I was sadder but wiser, and would never make the same mistake again. • We left the meeting sadder but wiser, knowing that we could not ever come to an agreement with Becky's aunt.
forbidden fruit
Idiom(s): forbidden fruit
Theme: TABOO
someone or something that one finds attractive or desirable partly because having the person or thing is immoral or illegal. (From the apple in the Garden of Eden that was forbidden to Adam by God.) • Jim flirts with his sister-in-law only because she's forbidden fruit. • The boy watches that program only when his parents are out. It's forbidden fruit.
at the bottom of the ladder
Idiom(s): at the bottom of the ladder
Theme: ADVANCEMENT
at the lowest level of pay and status. • Most people start work at the bottom of the ladder. • When Ann got fired, she had to start all over again at the bottom of the ladder.
Kick away the ladder
If someone kicks away the ladder, they remove something that was supporting or helping someone.
Rudderless ship
If an organisation, company, government, etc, is like a rudderless ship, it has no clear direction and drifts about without reaching its goals.
get a foot on the housing ladder
manage to buy your first house so that you can buy a bigger second one later: "It's becoming more difficult for young people to get a foot on the housing ladder."
shudder to think|shudder|think
v. phr. To be afraid; hate to think about something. The professor is so strict I shudder to think what his final exam questions will be like.
bottom of the ladder
bottom of the ladder Lowest or most junior position in a hierarchy. For example, If we hire you, you'll have to begin at the bottom of the ladder. The rungs of a ladder have been likened to a step-wise progression since the 14th century. Also see low man on the totem pole.
An DDE idiom dictionary is a great resource for writers, students, and anyone looking to expand their vocabulary. It contains a list of words with similar meanings with DDE, allowing users to choose the best word for their specific context.
Dictionary of similar words, Different wording, Synonyms, Idioms for Idiom, Proverb DDE