To dot your i’s and cross your t’s means — to be very meticulous in your work; to be extremely thorough in what you do or say; to pay great attention to minute details or to take great pains to eliminate all mistakes. The school children are often admonished to…

To take the bull by the horns means — to tackle a difficult problem head-on — with determination and confidence; to confront a problem bravely and with decisiveness. This idiom presumably comes from the sport of bullfighting, where the matador may literally seize a bull by its horns to control…

A bolt from the blue means — an utter surprise; something completely unexpected. ‘Bolt’ in this expression means a stroke of lightning and ‘the blue’ refers to the blue sky. If the weather is cloudy and the sky is dark, you can expect that it might rain, and you may…

Pin money refers to a small amount of money used for incidental or meager expenses; a small amount of money that is used for non-essential items. This expression dates from the 1600s when husbands used to give their wives small amounts of money for their personal expenditures such as pins. …

This phrase seems to have originated about 400 years ago in England. To call someone on the carpet means — to scold, reprimand or rebuke someone; to censure someone severely or angrily. This phrase is typically used when a person of clear superiority (such as a boss) summons his or…

This expression comes from a Royal decree of the King of England. — To read the riot act means — to reprimand someone severely; to scold or berate someone; to give someone a stern warning that they must improve their behavior, otherwise, harsh consequences will follow. This term comes from a British law, the Riot Act of 1714, which was designed to prevent…

This phrase is surprising old — more than two thousand years! — To spill the beans means — to reveal confidential information or secrets; to give away a surprise, unintentionally or by mistake. By most accounts, the source of this phrase is the voting methods adopted in ancient Greece. Voting was conducted using black and white beans — where a white bean…

To cut one’s teeth (on something) means — to gain early experience at a young age doing something; to begin your career on something. This expression is a reference to the painful process when the baby’s teeth first appear. They grow out of gums, often painfully. In the beginning, when…

This phrase has come from an unlikely source — Clouds. — This phrase comes from the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining”. This proverb is used to convey the notion that every bad situation has an element of something good; no matter how bleak or bad a situation might appear, there is always some beneficial aspect to it. …