100 Idioms Dads Often Use

No.	Item	Definition
1.	A blessing in disguise	A hidden benefit in something bad.
2.	A chip off the old block	Very similar to a parent.
3.	A dime a dozen	Very common and not special.
4.	A drop in the bucket	A very small amount.
5.	A fish out of water	Uncomfortable in a new situation.
6.	A leopard can’t change spots	People don’t change their nature.
7.	A penny for your thoughts	What are you thinking about?
8.	A stitch in time saves nine	Fix problems early to avoid worse.
9.	A watched pot never boils	Waiting makes time feel slower.
10.	Actions speak louder than words	Deeds matter more than talk.
11.	Add fuel to the fire	Make a bad situation worse.
12.	All bark and no bite	Threatening but not dangerous.
13.	All ears	Listening closely and attentively.
14.	All in a day’s work	Normal part of the job.
15.	All talk and no action	Says much, does little.
16.	Back to square one	Return to the beginning.
17.	Backseat driver	Unwanted advice while someone drives.
18.	Barking up the wrong tree	Blaming or pursuing the wrong thing.
19.	Beat around the bush	Avoid saying something directly.
20.	Beggars can’t be choosers	Accept what’s offered when needy.
21.	Bend over backwards	Try extremely hard to help.
22.	Bite off more than you can chew	Take on too much.
23.	Bite the bullet	Face something unpleasant bravely.
24.	Bite your tongue	Stop yourself from speaking.
25.	Blow off steam	Release stress or anger.
26.	Call a spade a spade	Speak plainly and directly.
27.	Call it a day	Stop working for now.
28.	Calm before the storm	Quiet period before trouble.
29.	Can’t judge a book by cover	Appearances can be misleading.
30.	Carry the torch	Keep loving someone from afar.
31.	Catch some Z’s	Get some sleep.
32.	Caught red-handed	Caught in the act.
33.	Change of heart	A shift in opinion or feeling.
34.	Chew the fat	Chat casually.
35.	Devil is in the details	Small details can cause problems.
36.	Don’t count your chickens	Don’t assume success too early.
37.	Don’t put all eggs in one basket	Don’t risk everything on one plan.
38.	Down to earth	Practical and realistic.
39.	Draw the line	Set a limit.
40.	Drive someone up the wall	Annoy someone greatly.
41.	Easy as pie	Very easy.
42.	Eat humble pie	Admit you were wrong.
43.	Eat your words	Take back what you said.
44.	Elephant in the room	Obvious issue everyone avoids.
45.	Every cloud has a silver lining	Good can come from bad.
46.	Face the music	Accept consequences.
47.	Fair and square	Honestly and without cheating.
48.	Fall off the wagon	Return to a bad habit.
49.	Feather in your cap	An achievement to be proud of.
50.	Feel under the weather	Feel slightly ill.
51.	Fish or cut bait	Decide and act now.
52.	Fit as a fiddle	Very healthy.
53.	Fly off the handle	Get angry suddenly.
54.	For the birds	Useless or silly.
55.	From the horse’s mouth	From a reliable source.
56.	Get a grip	Calm down and control yourself.
57.	Get cold feet	Become nervous and back out.
58.	Get off my back	Stop bothering me.
59.	Get the ball rolling	Start something.
60.	Get the hang of it	Learn how to do it.
61.	Get the short end	Receive unfair treatment.
62.	Get your act together	Behave more responsibly.
63.	Give it a rest	Stop talking or complaining.
64.	Hang in there	Keep going despite difficulty.
65.	Hard as nails	Tough and unsentimental.
66.	Have a screw loose	Be a bit crazy.
67.	Have bigger fish to fry	Have more important things to do.
68.	Have your hands full	Be very busy.
69.	Hit the books	Study hard.
70.	Hit the nail on the head	Be exactly right.
71.	Hold your horses	Wait and be patient.
72.	In a nutshell	In brief.
73.	In hot water	In trouble.
74.	In the same boat	In the same situation.
75.	It takes two to tango	Both sides share responsibility.
76.	It’s not rocket science	It’s not that difficult.
77.	Jump the gun	Start too early.
78.	Jump through hoops	Do many difficult requirements.
79.	Keep your chin up	Stay positive.
80.	Keep your eyes peeled	Watch carefully.
81.	Keep your nose clean	Stay out of trouble.
82.	Kick the bucket	Die.
83.	Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two things at once.
84.	Knock it off	Stop doing that.
85.	Knock on wood	Hope for continued good luck.
86.	Know the ropes	Understand how things work.
87.	Let sleeping dogs lie	Don’t revive old problems.
88.	Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret.
89.	Like father, like son	Children resemble their parents.
90.	Like pulling teeth	Very hard to get cooperation.
91.	Lion’s share	The largest portion.
92.	Live and learn	Learn from experience.
93.	Look before you leap	Think before acting.
94.	Loose cannon	Unpredictable person who causes trouble.
95.	Make a long story short	Summarize briefly.
96.	Make a mountain out of molehill	Exaggerate a small problem.
97.	Make ends meet	Manage financially.
98.	Make hay while sun shines	Act while conditions are good.
99.	Make up for lost time	Do extra to catch up.
100.	Miss the boat	Lose an opportunity.