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Popular Idioms and Usages Part S

By VJ
Here comes the Sth part of the popular idioms and usages series.

Sacred Cow: Somebody or something believed to be superior and above blame.

Safe pair of hands: A reliable person.

Safe sex: Sexual intercourse with the protection mechanisms such as condoms used.

Salad days: The days in one’s youth when he could be carefree.

Saved by the bell: Saved by an interruption at the eleventh hour (see Part E).

Savoir faire: Translated from French, meaning the ability to well deal with any situation.

Scot free: Completely free, without any consequences.

Sea change: A mystical change of circumstances. Arises from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Sent to Coventry: To be disregarded and persecuted.

Sex and shopping: A sort of novel or fiction in which the characters make a lot of sexual mating.

Sexton Blake: Fake. Cockney Rhyming slang

Shake a leg: To rise from bed.

Shank’s pony: Your own feet. Comes from the word ‘shank’, which is applied to the lower part of the leg.

Share and share alike: To share equally with all.

Sherman tanks: Yanks. Cockney Rhyming slang

Shit for brains: Stupid.

Shot across the bows: A warning shot

A shot in the arm: a Stimulant.

A shot in the dark: An effort at something

Shoot through: To leave or pass quickly.

Shuffle off this mortal coil: To die.

Shut your cake hole: To be quiet.

Skin and blister: Sister. Cockney rhyming

Sleep tight: Sleep well

Smiling like a Cheshire cat: Broad smile

Smoke and mirrors: Trickery or deception

Sold down the river: Cheated

Sour grapes: Performing meanly after disappointment

Spend a penny: Go to the toilet.

Spill the beans: To divulge a secret.

Spitting image: A dead ringer or exact image.

Square meal: A big meal

Stand and deliver: Stop giving advice

Stand up guy: A reliable friend

Star crossed lovers: Unlucky lovers

Steal a march: To gain an advantage.

Sticky wicket: A difficult situation

A stone’s throw: A short distance

Stool pigeon: A police informer

Straight from the horse’s mouth: From the highest authority

Straining at the leash: To be enthusiastic at something

Strike a deal: To engage in a deal

Stump up: To pay a debt

Stumped: With no way to proceed

Survival of the fittest: The theory that the fittest survive in any area.

Swan song: A final gesture

Syrup of figs: Wig. Cockney Rhyming slang

More of the idioms and usages will be added in the coming days, as the post gets refinement. I am in the process of rewriting and refining some of the old posts in CuteWriting that attract high readership. This is a process in every blog, to deliver the best content and refine the content over time, to include links to any relevant posts made recently and to correct any unforeseen errors.

Copyright © Lenin Nair 2008

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