Significato: accroaches

v. usurpare

ches Idioma

chestnut

old favorite song, well-known story Moira played the piano, and we sang old songs - old chestnuts.

early bird catches the worm

a person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance of success Let

from rags to riches

from poverty to wealth, from bum to millionaire She went from rags to riches when she gambled in Vegas.

get it off your chest

talk about a problem, complain He can get it off his chest at the meeting. He can complain there.

gotches

men's shorts, men's underwear Uh oh, no clean gotches. It's time to do my laundry.

in stitches

laughing They were in stitches over their teacher

peaches-and-cream

beautiful skin, clear complexion This new lotion will give you a peaches-and-cream complexion.

pull punches

talk nice, ease up, take it easy on you If the service is poor, he doesn't pull punches. He complains.

put the finishing touches on

add the last details or trimmings Lan decorated the the cake - she put the finishing touches on it.

rags to riches

(See from rags to riches)

rodchester

single armrest between two airplane seats The woman beside me rested her arm on the rodchester.

roll with the punches

be a flexible competitor, pick yourself up In politics you learn to roll with the punches and keep going.

too big for his britches

too proud, cocky, swelled head I promise not to get too big for my britches if I win the award.

get off one's chest

release one's true feelings or emotions 倾诉出自己的真实感情
I tried to hold back my real dislike for him，but I finally had to get my true feelings off my chest．我试图掩饰对他的不喜欢，但我最后还是不得不讲出我的真实感情。
When you get very upset，it's good to get it off your chest．当你烦躁不安时，把事情讲出来是有好处的。
If you are worried about some thing，get it off your chest．如果你有心事，就痛痛快快说出来吧。

on sb's chest

feeling worried or upset心中有事；闷闷不乐
Jane looks unhappy because she has the quarrel with Sue on her chest．简显得不高兴，因为她和苏吵了架，心里有些烦闷。

too big for one's britches

Idiom(s): too big for one's britches

Theme: ARROGANCE

too haughty for one's status or age. (Folksy or informal.)
• Bill's getting a little too big for his britches, and somebody's going to straighten him out.
• You're too big for your britches, young man! You had better be more respectful.

pull one's punches

Idiom(s): pull one's punches

Theme: CRITICISM

to hold back in one's criticism. (Usually in the negative. The one's can be replaced with any.)
• I didn't pull any punches. I told her just what I thought of her.
• The teacher doesn't pull any punches when it comes to discipline.

play one's cards close to the chest

Idiom(s): play one's cards close to the chest AND play one's cards close to one's vest

Theme: SECRECY

[for someone] to work or negotiate in a careful and private manner.
• It's hard to figure out what John is up to because he plays his cards close to his chest.
• Don't let them know what you're up to. Play your cards close to your vest.

keep sb in stitches

Idiom(s): keep sb in stitches

Theme: LAUGHTER

to cause someone to laugh loud and hard, over and over. (Informal. Also with have.)
• The comedian kept us in stitches for nearly an hour.
• The teacher kept the class in stitches, but the students didn't learn anything.
• She had us in stitches for ten minutes.

get sth off one's chest

Idiom(s): get sth off one's chest

Theme: CONFESSION

to tell something that has been bothering you.
• I have to get this off my chest. I broke your window with a stone.
• I knew I'd feel better when I had that off my chest.

batten down the hatches

Idiom(s): batten down the hatches

Theme: PREPARATION

to prepare for difficult times. (A nautical expression, meaning, literally, to seal the hatches against the arrival of a storm.)
• Here comes that contentious Mrs. Jones. Batten down the hatches!
• Batten down the hatches, Congress is in session again.

Honey catches more flies than vinegar.

You can obtain more cooperation from others by being nice.

Need teaches a plan.

Necessity will make you find a solution.

The early bird catches the worm.

If you want to do something successfully, you should do it as soon as you can.

Cat fur and kitty britches

(USA) When I used to ask my grandma what was for dinner, she would say 'cat fur and kitty britches'. This was her Ozark way of telling me that I would get what she cooked. (Ozark is a region in the center of the United States)

Colder than a witches tit

If it is colder than a witches tit, it is extremely cold outside.

Grin like a Cheshire cat

If someone has a very wide smile, they have a grin like a Cheshire cat.

Old chestnut

An old chestnut is something that has been repeated so many times that it has lost its impact.

Pull no punches

If you pull no punches, you hold nothing back.

Pull your punches

If you pull your punches, you do not use all the power or authority at your disposal.

Too big for your britches

If someone is too big for their britches, they are conceited and have an exaggerated sense of their own importance.

War chest

A war chest is a fund that can be used to finance a campaign like and election or for use in emergencies or unexpected times of difficulty.

a round of sandwiches

two sandwiches (made from two pieces of bread): "She made a few rounds of cheese sandwiches."

add the finishing touches|finishing|finishing touc

v. phr. To complete; finish. Mary's first novel promised to be excellent; however, her editor suggested that she should add some finishing touches before accepting it.

by inches|inch|inches

adv. phr. By small or slow degrees; little by little; gradually. The river was rising by inches. They got a heavy wooden beam under the barn for a lever, and managed to move it by inches. He was dying by inches.

early bird gets the worm|catch|catches|early|early

A person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance of succeeding; if you arrive early or are quicker, you get ahead of others.

A proverb. When Billy's father woke him up for school he said, "The early bird catches the worm." Charles began looking for a summer job in January; he knows that the early bird gets the worm.
Compare: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.

from rags to riches|from|rags|riches

adv. phr. Suddenly making a fortune; becoming rich overnight. The Smiths went from rags to riches when they unexpectedly won the lottery.

in stitches|stitches

adj. phr., informal Laughing so hard that the sides ache; in a fit of laughing hard. The comedian was so funny that he had everyone who was watching him in stitches.

off one's chest|chest|off

adj. phr., informal Told to someone and so not bothering you anymore; not making you feel worried or upset, because you have talked about it. After Dave told the principal that he had cheated on the test, he was glad because it was off his chest. Father felt that Tom wasn't helping enough around the house, so he got it off his chest by giving Tom a list of things to do.
Compare: MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF.
Antonym: ON ONE'S CHEST.

on one's chest|chest|on

adj. phr., informal Hidden in your thoughts or feelings and bothering you; making you feel worried or upset; that is something you want to talk to someone about. Jane looks unhappy because she has the quarrel with Susan on her chest. "Well, Dave," said the coach, "You look sad what's on your chest?"
Compare: ON ONE'S MIND.
Antonym: OFF ONE'S CHEST

pull one's chestnuts out of the fire|chestnut|ches

To do someone else a great favor which they don't really deserve, doing oneself a disfavor in the process. Small countries often have to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for their more powerful neighbors.

pull one's punches|pull|punch|punches

v. phr., informal 1. Not to hit as hard as you can. Jimmy pulled his punches and let Paul win the boxing match. 2. To hide unpleasant facts or make them seem good.

Usually used in the negative. The mayor spoke bluntly; he didn't pull any punches.
Antonym: STRAIGHT PROM THE SHOULDER.

too big for one's breeches|big|boot|boots|breeches

adj. phr. Too sure of your own importance; feeling more important than you really are. That boy had grown too big for his breeches. I'll have to put him back in his place. When the teacher made Bob a monitor, he got too big for his boots and she had to warn him.

where the shoe pinches|pinches|shoe|where

n. phr., informal Where or what the discomfort or trouble is. Johnny thinks the job is easy, but he will find out where the shoe pinches when he tries it. The coach said he wasn't worried about any position except quarterback; that was where the shoe pinched.

breeches

breeches
too big for one's breeches
Informal too forward, presumptuous, etc. for one's position or status

britches

britches
too big for (one's) britches
Overconfident; cocky.

by inches

by inches
Also, inch by inch. Gradually, bit by bit, as in We found ourselves in rush hour traffic, moving by inches. Shakespeare used this term in Coriolanus (5:4): “They'll give him death by inches.” Despite the increasing use of metric measurements, it survives, often as an exaggeration of the actual circumstance. The phrase to inch along, first recorded in 1812, means “to move bit by bit,” as in There was a long line at the theater, just inching along.

chest

chest
see off one's chest, get; play one's cards close to one's chest.

embarrassment of riches

embarrassment of riches
An overabundance of something, too much of a good thing, as in All four of them have their own cars but there's no room in the driveway—an embarrassment of riches. This term originated in 1738 as John Ozell's translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726).

off one's chest, get

off one's chest, get
Relieve one's mind by confessing or saying something that has been repressed. For example, I've got to get this off my chest—I can't stand his parents, or He admitted taking the dollar and said he was glad to get it off his chest. This expression uses chest for the seat of the emotions. [c. 1900]