Meaning: abashing

ə'bæʃv.
cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious

hin Idiom, Proverb

a bull in a China shop

"a big, reckless person in a room full of fragile things; cramp your style" Imagine a 300-pound football player at a tea party, and you have a bull in a China shop.

a chin wag

a conversation, a visit The grandmothers were talking happily - having a chin wag.

a sure thing

a predictable result, sure to happen For them, success is a sure thing. They plan for success.

a tongue-lashing

a scolding, a lecture, a talking to When Sis came home drunk, Dad gave her a tongue-lashing.

a wolf in sheep's clothing

an evil person who looks innocent The priest looked harmless, but he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

about to do something

on the point of doing something She was about to leave when the phone rang.

all the tea in China

(See not for all the tea in China)

all things being equal

if things remain the same, if no surprises occur All things being equal, we should sell all our bicycles by October.

all things to all people

satisfy everyone, live up to Be yourself. Stop trying to be all things to all people.

any old thing

any word, any answer When the teacher asks him a question, he says any old thing.

anything goes

"there are no rules; expect anything to happen" Anything goes during Stampede week. People do crazy things!

bail someone or something out

help or rescue The government has decided to bail out the troubled bank.

be fed up with (with someone or something)

be out of patience (with someone

behind bars

in jail, in prison, in the slammer Behind bars, she didn't have much of a social life.

behind one

when one is absent or without one's knowledge, secretly He doesn't like people who talk behind his back.

behind the eight ball

behind schedule, not coping very well, not up to par I'm behind the eight ball in my computer course. I need to study and practise.

behind the scenes

out of sight, unnoticed, unsung hero This organization has many people who work behind the scenes helping us to succeed.

behind the times

old fashioned My aunt is a little behind the times.

behind your back

where you cannot see, when you are not here He says nice things to you, but criticizes you behind your back.

bend over backwards to do something

try very hard If I can, I will bend over backwards to help you get a promotion in the company.

blow it (something)

fail at something I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the final math exam last week.

bring home the importance of something to someone

make someone fully realize something He was unable to bring home the importance of arriving early for the meeting.

bring something on

cause to develop rapidly I don

brush up on something

review something one has already learned I

bull in a China shop

(See a bull in a China shop)

can't make heads or tails of something

" can't understand something at all;"

chin wag

(See a chin wag)

chintzy

unwilling to spend, cheap, tight Don't be so chintzy with your time. Volunteer to visit seniors.

come to think of it

now that I remember it, a thought has just come Come to think of it, I was the one who suggested marriage.

dead set against something

determined not to do something They are dead set against their son going to Europe for a year.

do something rash

take drastic action (usually without thinking) She is extremely angry so I hope that she doesn

do your own thing

do it your own way, do what you feel, let it all hang out I like managers who let me do my own thing - who respect my way of doing things.

don't know the first thing about it

do not know anything about it I can't fix a transmission. I don't know the first thing about it.

don't think so

do not believe it is so, think not """Do you have dandruff?"" ""I don't think so."""

double or nothing

double the first bet and if I win, I owe nothing "After losing the first bet, I said, ""Double or nothing this time?"""

drop a hint

suggest, give a sign When he was hungry, he'd drop a hint, like point at the fridge.

drop behind

run further behind, lose ground Our party has dropped behind in the polls. We're in second place.

everything but the kitchen sink

almost everything, the whole works We put everything in his truck, everything but the kitchen sink!

everything from soup to nuts

a lot of food or things, a variety of groceries His shopping cart was full. He had everything from soup to nuts.

everything old is new again

fashions and trends are repeated or revived Hey, if miniskirts are back, everything old is new again!

fall back on something/someone

turn to for help when something else has failed She had to fall back on her father

fall behind

be unable to run as fast, drop behind You will fall behind in your work if you miss a day of school.

feel up to (do something)

feel able (healthy enough or rested enough) to do something I don

fill (something) in

write words needed in blanks Please fill in this form and give it to the receptionist.

finishing touch

the final move, the act that completes the task As a finishing touch, the baker added a maraschino cherry.

for all the tea in China