37
"I have a word right on the tip of my tongue" means I can almost recall it but am not able to do so. So, like in your first example.
If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you know it and that you will be able to remember it very soon. (Cambridge Dictionary)
In your second example, when you intend to say something, but ...
17
I think the closest equivalent in English is the expression:
living beyond [their] means
as in
He should stop living beyond his means and start saving money.
However this is more a warning to live within your means, rather than a statement about someone else's profligate spending habits.
I've never encountered the cultural equivalent of someone ...
14
Be aware that most people would be offended if you used any of these descriptions to them or about them. Non-native speakers are also advised to avoid the ones marked as vulgar unless you are absolutely certain of your audience.
We have in the UK:
He is all show and no substance -- pretty much exactly the meaning you're after
He is all mouth and trousers -...
13
A common slang term in the US is to "front"
To be "fronting"
Urban slang. To put up a facade or make appearances, typically to impress or in some way deceive to maintain an image. From 'to front'.
He is frontin' - that Mercedes is a rental!
In a more formal conversation, I would stick with the other answers given on this post. I would only use this ...
10
To have something on the tip of (one's) tongue is quite aptly described at
the free dictionary as Almost able to be recalled.
and at
the cambridge dictionary as
you think you know it and that you will be able to remember it very soon
So, your assumption 1. would fit.
9
To want one's bread buttered on both sides is a mainly British English idiom meaning to want to benefit or profit from two opposite or contradictory things, or to want to achieve or gain something without payment or effort, e.g. "Young people these days want their bread buttered on both sides - they want high paying jobs, but they aren't prepared to work for ...
3
Something that is very close to this sentiment—although being a proverb, it's not identical—is every dog has its day:
[The Free Dictionary]
Prov. Everyone gets a chance eventually. Don't worry, you'll get chosen for the team. Every dog has its day. You may become famous someday. Every dog has his day.
Although, if interpreted in its usual sense it's ...
3
I have commonly heard:
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
It doesn't have the exact same meaning, but it is similar to what you are looking for. Even if you do not have a use for something, it may have a use to other people. It can therefore also mean that even if you don't obviously have a use for something now, it does not mean that it is ...
3
Burning the midnight oil is still an often-used phrase.
It remains a well understood phrase even though oil lamps are relics of the past.
Just for fun, check your favorite search engine for news articles with this exact phrase. Google News turns up many articles with this phrase in the headline over the past month or so (in 2019).
3
There are loads of ambiguous sentences in English with a duality of meaning, but context nearly always reveals the intended meaning.
For example:
My dad drives to work in a bowler hat.
Does this mean that his vehicle is a bowler hat? Of course not.
I see the duality of meaning in your example sentence too, but I don't think any thinking person would ...
3
"On the tip of the tongue" means you are about to say something but the words have yet to be said. It can be used in multiple ways, including in the sense of both of your examples.
From the Collins dictionary,
"on the tip of someone's tongue" can mean
1. almost said by someone.
2. about to be said, especially because almost but not quite ...
3
I've never seen plural "blacks" or "whites" referred to in chess.
This is typical, with the colours usually capitalised (in the same way as football team names):
Fischer playing Sicilian (B99) as Black
Fischer was Black
Fischer was playing Black
Opening for Black According to Karpov (book title)
Opening repertoire for Black (book title)
"What was Carlsen’s ...
2
"Travel broadens the mind" is a very common idiom/cliche in English.
I have never heard "Much travel is needed to ripen a man's rawness" and it does not sound like natural English.
2
When the soldiers or animals jump out it's to ambush and an ambush.
So you have "waiting in ambush", "lying in ambush" as well as "waiting to ambush"
The cat lay in ambush on the windowsill, and attacked as soon as the prey was within reach.
The platoon waited in ambush behind the barn, but were soon exposed by barking dogs.
The salesman sat in the bar ...
2
He raged to riches.
He came from somebody to nobody.
He came from hero to zero.
These "sentences" above look like machine translation and make no sense at all.
Corrections:
- He went from rags to riches. [idiom]
The idiom could be reversed: He went from riches to rags. It's creative.
He went from being a nobody to being a somebody.
Not an idiom but ...
2
No.
Faraway is an adjective that has a first meaning of literally distant (as in faraway lands), and a second meaning of dreamy or preoccupied (as in faraway look). Neither has to do with subject matter being related to other subject matter.
Looking at your sentence, I would think that you had made a typo, and intended to say "Not far away, her sister..." ...
2
I would suggest: "living within your means"
live within (one's) means
To go through each day, week, month, etc., without exceeding one's budget or without going into debt.
TFD
2
Still waters run deep.
Originally the proverb implied that silent people are dangerous because their motives cannot be read—they may be harboring hostile intentions. Today, however, the proverb is usually understood to mean that silent people have hidden depths of insight and emotion—they should not be dismissed merely because they don't parade ...
2
Sayings like "there is life in the old dog yet", or "there is many a good tune played on an old fiddle" certainly fit, but they can both imply an element of surprise at the old person's ability to keep up with someone younger as if the display of vitality is uncharacteristic.
If instead, you want to portray the older person as fit, strong, and dismissive of ...
2
I know the second one as
There is life in the old dog yet.
As given in The Free Dictionary.
One still has vitality or the ability to perform certain actions despite one's advanced age.
Did you see Grandpa out on the dance floor? There's life in the old dog yet!
2
To answer your questions:
The sentence works, as in it's valid English and it makes sense.
However, I've only ever heard the phrase "daunting task" used when something is seriously challenging. Examples:
To send a rocket to the moon is a daunting task.
Harvesting all these crops by nightfall is going to be a daunting task.
"Daunting" isn't used ...
2
Idiomatically, if you do that, you are blowing it out of proportion:
[The Free Dictionary]
blow (something) out of (all) proportion
To make something seem more important, negative, or significant than it really is; to exaggerate something or focus unnecessary attention on something. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by that comment—don't blow it out of ...
2
To some extent this is a matter of personal opinion. I think "confound it" is just another mild interjection to express frustration, like "darn!" or "drat!" or "rats!" Meanwhile, a euphemism is a "nice" word that is used in place of a "not nice" word, such as saying "darn it!" instead of "damn it!" (which in some social situations would be considered an ...
2
1) As you mentioned, all of these statement are very close in meaning to each other. A slight difference in meaning I see is that while 'putting a spoke in his (or their) wheel' always indicates interfering with the plans of someone else, 'putting a monkey wrench/spanner in the works' means that you are fouling up a particular system but not always the plans ...
2
An expression that comes close to your proverb is:
The devil take the hindmost
defined by phrases.org.uk as:
A proverbial phrase indicating that those who lag behind will receive no aid.
And by Widtionary as:
everyone should look after their own interests, leaving those who cannot cope to whatever fate befalls them.
There is a cycle race - with ...
2
In addition to the above, the expression can be used in the past tense if you were about to say something, but decided not to. For example,
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I decided at the last minute to keep silent.
2
The answer is this:
to mean a lot [to someone]. The idiomatic expression requires the a. It does not mean so much without the a and is also not grammatical.
And to mean a lot to someone means the same thing as to mean so much [to someone].
To mean a lot or so much are adverbs. They modify the verb to mean.
few and a few are adjectives:
Few people [not ...
2
An often used phrase is textbook example or equivalently textbook case:
: a classic, perfect case/example
// The scandal is a textbook case/example of corporate greed.
(source: Merriam-Webster)
Of your other examples, typical is a good solution too, picture less so. I'd rather choose model, or the much more sophisticated word paragon:
A person or ...
2
There doesn't seem to a word which is an exact parallel and addresses all these cases and is in common usage, or even uncommon usage. Your phrase "an obvious example of" may be one of the best ways of conveying your precise meaning, though there are alternatives which would be much more natural in common English but aren't identical in their connotations.
...
2
The idiom I immediately thought of is look up to.
From macmillandictionary.com:
look up to someone
to admire and respect someone
He’s a role model for other players to look up to.
You can also consider, view, see, have someone as a role model, or be a role model for/to someone.
You're a role model someone follows, or copies, or imitates.
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