Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs - "N" Idioms doc

551

N


nail down (someone or something)

- to make certain/sure of something
I am trying to nail down the exact time that we can meet with our supplier.

a nail in (someone's) coffin

- something that will harm someone
Fighting with his boss was a nail in my friend's coffin. He will not get a promotion
now.

naked eye

- the human eye (with no binoculars etc.)
It was difficult to see the bird with the naked eye.

one's name is mud

- a person`s reputation is bad
His name is mud now that he has been charged by the police with stealing money
from his company.

the name of the game

- the main part of a matter

The name of the game is selling cars and not worrying about other things.

name (someone) after (someone or something)

- to give someone the name of another person/place/thing
My cousin was named after his mother`s grandfather.


552

a narrow escape

- an escape with little chance of error
He had a narrow escape when he almost fell from his bicycle.

near at hand

- to be close or handy (to someone)
I looked for a pair of scissors that were near at hand.

neck and neck

- to be equal or nearly equal in a race or contest
The two teams were neck and neck in the race to win the national championship.

neck of the woods

- an area or part of the country
He has never been to my neck of the woods since he was a child.

need (something) like (one needs) a hole in the head

- to not need something at all
My friend needs a new computer like he needs a hole in the head.

need (something) yesterday

- to need something in a very big hurry
I need a new computer yesterday.

a needle in a haystack

- something that is very hard to find
Looking for the lost receipt among the thousands of other receipts was like looking
for a needle in a haystack.


553

neither fish nor fowl

- something that does not belong to a definite group
The man's opinions were neither fish nor fowl and nobody could put them into an
identifiable category.

neither here nor there

- not relevant to the thing being discussed, to be off the subject
"What you are saying is neither here nor there. We are talking about our plans this
year - not five years in the future."

neither hide nor hair of (someone or something)

- no sign or indication of someone or something
I have seen neither hide nor hair of my friend recently.

a nervous Nellie

- a timid person who lacks determination and courage
He is a nervous Nellie and is afraid of the other students in the school.

a nest egg

- money that someone has saved up
He has a large nest egg and will have no financial problems if he leaves his company.

never fear

- do not worry
"Never fear, I will finish work and meet you in time for the movie."







554

never in one's life

- not in one's experience
I have never in my life seen such a strange person.

never mind

- don`t worry, don`t bother
"If you don`t have time to pick up my laundry today, never mind, I will get it
tomorrow."

never would have guessed

- never would have thought something to be the case
I never would have guessed that the woman on the bicycle was one of the richest
women in the city.


new Idioms


new blood

- fresh energy or power, someone or something that gives new life or vigor to
something
She is a good employee and helped us to inject some new blood into our organization.

a new broom sweeps clean

- a new person makes many changes
A new broom sweeps clean and when our new boss came he changed many things in

our organization.






555

a new deal

- a complete change, a fresh start, another chance
The player was given a new deal by the team although the previous year he had not
played well.

a new hire

- a person who has recently been hired
The man at the gas station is a new hire and is very slow at his job.

a new lease on life

- a renewed outlook on life
I gave my car a new lease on life after I took it to the mechanic for repairs.

a new person

- a person who has become much better
He is a new person now that he has quit smoking and drinking.

.



next-door neighbor

- the person living in the house or apartment next to you
My next-door neighbor often brings over fresh bread that she has baked.

next of kin

- one's closest living relative or relatives
The police notified the dead woman's next of kin after the accident.


556

next to nothing

- hardly anything
I was able to buy a new computer for next to nothing.

nice and (some quality)

- lots of some quality
The bed was nice and warm and I fell asleep immediately.

in the nick of time

- at the very last moment
He was able to board the airplane in the nick of time.

nickel and dime (someone)

- to charge someone many small amounts of money
The constant small repairs to my car are beginning to nickel and dime me.

night on the town

- a night of celebration
We went out for a night on the town when we finished the project.

night owl

- a person who likes to stay up late at night
My friend is a night owl and stays up late every night.

a nine day's wonder

- someone or something that is of interest to people only for a short time
The actor was a nine day's wonder and everyone forgot him after a couple of months.


557

a nine-to-five-job

- a job with regular and normal hours
Many people like the regular hours of a nine-to-five job.

nip and tuck

- evenly matched, almost even
They were running nip and tuck but he finally won the race in the end.

nip (something) in the bud

- to stop something at the start
They found out about the computer problem but were able to nip the problem in the
bud.

no Idioms
no bed of roses

- a difficult or bad situation
It is no bed of roses to have no job and a large family to support.

no cigar

- not agreed to, no, certainly not
I almost got the job but in the end it was no cigar.

no deal

- not agreed to, no, certainly not
It was no deal when my plan was rejected at the meeting.

558

no dice

- no, certainly not
"No dice. I will never lend you that much money."

no doubt

- without doubt, surely, certainly
No doubt he will be the one to win the contest again this year.

no end

- almost without stopping, continually
The little girl cried no end when she couldn't find her favorite doll.

no end of/to (something)

- seeming almost endless, very many/much of something
He had no end of problems when he lived overseas for a year.

no go

- not agreed to, no, certainly not
It is no go for our plan to have three games this weekend. We can only have two
games.

no great shakes

- to be mediocre, to be unimportant
The hotel was no great shakes and I wouldn`t recommend that you stay there.








559

no hard feelings

- no anger or resentment
There were no hard feelings between the two women after they got into a fight at
work.

no holds barred

- with no restraints
There were no holds barred during the debate between the politicians.

no ifs, ands, or buts about it

- absolutely no discussion or doubts about something
"You are going to bed now - no ifs, ands, or buts about it," said the mother to her
child.

no joke

- a serious matter
The mistake with the meeting time was no joke. It caused many of us very serious
problems.

no kidding

- honestly, really
"No kidding, are you really going to buy a house."

no laughing matter

- a serious matter
The incident was no laughing matter and was taken very seriously by the police.






560

no love lost between (two people/groups)

- bad feelings or ill will between two people or groups
There is no love lost between my father and our neighbor.

no matter

- regardless
No matter how hard that I try, my piano teacher is never satisfied.

no matter what happens

- in any event, without regard to what happens
No matter what happens I plan to go swimming on Saturday.

no picnic

- not pleasant, difficult
It was no picnic trying to drive to the lake during the storm.

no point in (something)

- no purpose in doing something
There is no point in talking to my supervisor. He never listens to what I am saying.

a no-show

- a person who makes a reservation for something and then neither comes nor cancels
it
There were many no-shows at the concert last night.

no skin off (someone's) teeth/nose

- no difficulty for someone
It will be no skin off my teeth if the meeting is not held.

561

no sooner said than done

- something that can be done quickly
My request for some repairs to the bathroom sink were no sooner said than done.

no spring chicken

- not young anymore
My aunt is no spring chicken but she always has lots of energy.

no sweat

- easily accomplished, uncomplicated
Finishing the job was no sweat. I finished it in about two hours.

no sweat

- no problem
"No sweat. I will help you all day tomorrow if you need me."

no trespassing

- no entry to a place
There was no trespassing on the field next to the large oil tanks.

no two ways about it

- no choice about it
"No two ways about it, you must do your homework and go to bed now."

a no-win situation

- a situation where there is no satisfactory solution
It was a no-win situation for the school when they had to deal with the problem
student.


562

no wonder

- not surprising
No wonder he is so tired after staying up all night.


.



nobody`s fool

- a smart person, a person who can take care of himself or herself
She is nobody`s fool. You will not have to worry about her at all when she starts her
new job.

nobody's home

- one`s attention is somewhere else, one has a simple mind
It seems like nobody`s home I thought, as I tried to have a conversation with the
strange man.

nod off

- to fall asleep (usually while sitting or driving etc.)
I nodded off last night while I was watching television.

none of (someone's) business/beeswax

- to be not of someone's concern
My personal financial situation is none of my friend's business.

none other than (someone)

- the very person (that one may be talking/thinking about)
I went to the airport and I saw none other than the president of our company.


563

none the wiser

- not knowing any more
We put all of the old magazines in the garbage and my sister was none the wiser.

none the worse for wear

- no worse because of use or effort

We were none the worse for wear after our long trip through the mountains.

none too (something)

- not very something, not at all something
The boy was none too smart to try and steal the CDs from the store.

nose around/about

- to look for something kept private or secret, to pry into something
The secretary nosed around her boss's desk to try and discover what was happening in
the company.

to nose down

- to head down, to bring down the nose of something
The pilot began to nose down the plane as it approached the airport.

have one`s nose in (something)

- to have unwelcome interest in something, to have impolite curiosity about
something
He often has his nose in other people`s private business where it does not belong.

564

nose into (something)

- to move into something, to go front end first
We stopped our car and nosed into the parking space.

nose (someone) out

- to push someone away, to exclude someone
The famous basketball player nosed out the other players to win the award for the best
player in the league.

not Idioms


not a bit

- none at all
I had not a bit of free time last weekend.

not a living soul

- nobody
There was not a living soul at the restaurant when I arrived early last night.

not a moment to spare

- to be just in time, to have no extra time
We arrived at the airport with not a moment to spare.

not able to call one's time one's own

- to be too busy to control one's own schedule
I am not able to call my time my own and I have absolutely no time to relax.


565

not able to go on

- to be unable to continue
I felt that I was not able to go on so I stopped running in the marathon.

not able to see the forest for the trees

- to allow the details of a situation to obscure the situation as a whole
The man is not able to see the forest for the trees and always allows his obsession
with small details to obscure the larger picture of what he is trying to do.

not all (someone or something) is cracked up to be

- to be not as good as someone or something is said to be
The new cook is not all that he is cracked up to be and we have received several
complaints about his food.

not all there

- to be not mentally adequate, to be crazy or silly
The man is not all there and sometimes he does very strange things.

not at all

- certainly not
I am not at all happy with my new computer.

not bat an eye

- to not show any signs of being nervous even when something shocking or bad
happens
The policeman did not bat an eye when the criminal began to reach for his knife.






566

not believe one's eyes

- to not believe what one is seeing
I did not believe my eyes when my father gave me a television set for my birthday.

not born yesterday

- to be experienced in the ways of the world
I was not born yesterday and I do not believe what the woman is saying.

not breathe a word about (someone or something)

- to keep a secret about someone or something
I promised my friend that I would not breathe a word about his plans for the weekend.

not breathe a word of it

- to not tell something (to anyone)
I will not breathe a word of it to my friend.

not buy (something)

- to not accept something to be true
I do not buy the excuse that the man does not have enough money to pay for his
dinner.

not by a long shot

- not at all
Not by a long shot was I able to find enough time to finish reading the book.

not enough room to swing a cat

- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small hotel room.


567

not for a moment

- not at all, never
I did not for a moment believe what the man was saying.

not for anything in the world

- not for anything
I will not for anything in the world go to the restaurant with that woman.

not for hire

- (a taxi is) not available to take new passengers
The first taxi was not for hire so we had to wait for another one.

not for love nor money

- not for anything
I will not for love nor money agree to work weekends starting next month.

not for publication

- to be secret, not to be published
The documents from the court trial are not for publication.

not for the world

- not at any price, not for anything
I would not go on a date with that woman for the world.

not give it another thought

- to not worry/think about something
I did not give it another thought when I agreed to help my friend move from his
apartment.


568

not give (someone) the time of day

- to dislike someone so strongly that you totally ignore him or her
I dislike her and would not give her the time of day.

not give/care two hoots about (someone or something)

- to not care at all about someone or something
I do not give two hoots about what my neighbor thinks about me.

not half bad

- to be okay, to be pretty good
The restaurant meal was not half bad and everybody seemed to like it.

not have a leg to stand on

- to have no good proof or excuse for something, to have no good evidence or defence
to offer someone
"The company does not have a leg to stand on if they refuse to pay the money that
they owe you."

not hold a candle to (someone or something)

- to not be nearly as good as someone or something
The new secretary does not hold a candle to the one who just quit.

not hold water

- to be illogical, to make no sense
The excuses of the young man do not hold water.







569

not hurt a flea

- to not harm anything or anyone (even a tiny insect)
My mother would not hurt a flea and she is very kind to everyone who she meets.

not in the same league with (someone or something)

- to be not anywhere nearly as good as someone or something
The new coach is not in the same league as the coach who we had last season.

not know enough to come in out of the rain

- to be very stupid

The woman is not very smart and does not know enough to come in out of the rain.

not know one's own strength

- to not realize how destructive or harmful one's strength can be
The little boy does not know his own strength and does much damage when he plays.

not know (someone) from Adam

- to not know someone at all
I did not know the man who came to our door from Adam.

not know the first thing about (someone or something)

- to not know anything about someone or something
I do not know the first thing about carpets so we asked a specialist to repair the carpet
in our apartment.

not know where to turn

- to have no idea what to do (about something)
The young woman did not know where to turn when she lost her job.


570

not know whether/if one is coming or going

- to be very confused
My friend did not know whether he was coming or going after he got off the long

airplane flight.

not let (someone) catch you (doing something)

- to not let someone find you doing something
"Do not let me catch you doing that again or you will be in trouble," said the mother
to her child.

not lift a finger/hand (to help someone)

- to do nothing to help someone
The girl will not lift a finger to help her mother.

not long for this world

- to be about to die
My uncle is very sick and is not long for this world.

not made of money

- to not have a lot of money
My father always says that he is not made of money when I ask him to give me some.

not miss much

- to not miss observing any part of what is going on
Our teacher does not miss much and we must be very careful how we behave in her
class.

571

not move a muscle

- to remain perfectly motionless
I was told to not move a muscle while the dentist was working on my teeth.

not much of (something)

- to be rather bad, to be not so good
It is not much of a hotel but I think that it will be okay for one night.

not on your life

- definitely not
"May I borrow your car?"
"Not on your life."

not one iota

- not even a tiny bit
There is not one iota of truth in what that man is saying about me.

not one's place

- not one's role to do something

It is not my place to tell other people what they should do with their free time.

not see past/farther than the end of one's nose

- to not care about the future or about what is happening elsewhere or to other people
My friend cannot see farther than the end of her nose and is not interested in the lives
of other people.







572

not set foot (somewhere)

- to not go somewhere
We did not set foot in the old factory that we passed on our hike.

not show one's face

- to not appear
We asked the man to not show his face at our restaurant if he was not going to behave
properly.

not sleep a wink

- to not sleep at all

I am tired today because I could not sleep a wink last night.

not so hot

- to be not very good
I have been feeling not so hot lately because I had a cold last week.

not (someone's) cup of tea

- to be not something that one likes
Classical music is not her cup of tea so she did not go the the concert with the others.

not take no for an answer

- to not accept someone's refusal
My aunt would not take no for an answer when I said that I would not eat dinner at
her house.







573

not tell a (living) soul

- to not reveal something to anyone
I did not tell a soul about what happened during the fight with my friend.

not touch (something) with a ten-foot pole

- to consider something completely undesirable or uninteresting
That car is dangerous and I would not touch it with a ten-foot pole.

not up to scratch/snuff

- to be not adequate
My uncle's golf game is not up to scratch and he always gets a bad score.

not with it

- to be not able to think clearly
My grandmother was not with it today and we were not able to have a very good visit.

not worth a dime

- to be worthless
Our old sofa is not worth a dime so we put it in the garbage.

not worth a hill of beans

- to be worthless
Anything that our supervisor says is not worth a hill of beans so nobody trusts him.

not worth a plugged nickel

- to be worthless
His promise to pay back the money is not worth a plugged nickel.

574

not worth mentioning

- to be not important enough to require a comment
The problem that we had with the former manager was not worth mentioning so we
did not say anything to anybody.

not worth one's while

- to be not worth bothering with
It is not worth my while to go downtown if it is only to do one small thing.

not worth the trouble

- to be not important enough to require a comment or to do something
It was not worth the trouble to repair the old stove so we threw it in the garbage.


nothing Idioms


nothing but skin and bones

- to be very thin or emaciated
The young man was nothing but skin and bones when he returned from the camping
trip.

nothing but (something)

- to be only something
There were nothing but people who played wind instruments at the music camp.

nothing doing

- I will not do it, certainly not
"Nothing doing. I am not going to stay and work late again this evening."


575

nothing down

- to not require a down payment
The young couple purchased the house with nothing down.

nothing if not (something)

- without doubt, certainly
He is nothing if not punctual. He has never been late in his seven years with this
company.

nothing of the kind

- to be nothing like that
My boss thought that my comments were complaints but I told him that they were
nothing of the kind.

nothing short of (something)

- to be more or less the same as something
It was nothing short of a miracle that the young man survived the car accident.

nothing to choose from

- no choice
There was nothing to choose from when we went to the shoe sale in the late
afternoon.

nothing to complain about

- everything is all right
I told my boss that I had nothing to complain about regarding my job.