添加到百度搜藏
~ N ~
Nail in the coffin
A nail in someone or something's coffin is a problem or event that is a clear step towards an inevitable failure.
Nail-biter
If a game, election, contest, etc, is a nail-biter, it is exciting because the competitors are so close that it is impossible to predict the result.
Nature abhors a vacuum
This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics.
Neck and neck
If two competitors or candidates, etc, are neck and neck, then they are very close and neither is clearly winning.
Neck of the woods
If someone talks about their neck of the woods, they mean the area where they live.
Needle in a haystack
If trying to find something is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it means that it is very difficult, if not impossible to find among everything around it.
Neither fish nor fowl
Something or someone that is neither fish nor fowl doesn't really fit into any one group.
Neither use nor ornament
Something that serves no purpose and is not aesthetically pleasing is neither use nor ornament.
Nerves of steel
If someone has nerves of steel, they don't get frightened when other people do.
Nest egg
If you have some money saved for the future, it is a nest egg.
Never a rose without the prick
This means that good things always have something bad as well; like the thorns on the stem of a rose.
Never darken my door again
This is a way of telling someone never to visit you again.
New blood
If something needs new blood, it has become stale and needs new ideas or people to invigorate it.
New brush sweeps clean
'A new brush sweeps clean' means that someone with a new perspective can make great changes. However, the full version is 'a new brush sweeps clean, but an old brush knows the corners', which warns that experience is also a valuable thing. Sometimes 'broom' is used instead of 'brush'.
New kid on the block
A new kid on the block is a person who has recently joined a company, organisation, team, etc, and does not know how things work yet.
New lease of life
If someone finds new enthusiasm and energy for something, they have a new lease of life.
New man
(UK) A New man is a man who believes in complete equality of the sexes and shares domestic work equally.
New York minute
(USA) If something happens in a New York minute, it happens very fast.
Newfangled
People who don't like new methods, technologies, etc, describe them as newfangled, which means new but not as good or nice as the old ones.
Nick of time
If you do something in the nick of time, you do it at the very last minute or second.
Nickel tour
(USA) If someone gives you a nickel tour, they show you around a place. ('Fifty-cent tour' is also used.)
Night owl
A night owl is someone who goes to bed very late.
Ninth circle of hell
In Dante's Inferno, the ninth circle of hell is the centre where the worst punishments are found, so it is used idiomatically for something that couldn't get worse.
Nip it in the bud
If you nip something in the bud, you deal with a problem when it is still small, before it can grow into something serious.
Nitty gritty
If people get down to the nitty gritty, they concentrate on the most important and serious issues.
No bed of roses
If something isn't a bed of roses, it is difficult.
No can do
No can do means that the speaker can't do whatever it is that has been asked of him or her.
No great shakes
If someone is no great shakes at something, they are not very good at it.
No holds barred
If there are no holds barred, there are no rules of conduct; you can do anything.
No ifs or buts
Ifs and Buts is a term used to describe the reasons people give for not wanting to do something. To show that you don't wish to accept any excuses, you can tell somebody that you wish to hear no ifs or buts Here IF & BUT have become nouns
No love lost
If there is no love lost between two people they have a strong enmity towards or hate for the other and make no effort to conceal it.
No quarter
This means without mercy. We can say no quarter given or asked.
No question
This idiom means that something is certain or definite.
No questions asked
If something is to be done and no questions asked, then it doesn't matter what methods are used or what rules are broken to ensure that it gets done.
No skin off my nose
If something's no skin off your nose, it doesn't affect or bother you at all.
No smoke without fire
This idiom means that when people suspect something, there is normally a good reason for the suspicion, even if there is no concrete evidence.('Where's there's smoke, there's fire' is also used.)
No spine
If someone has no spine, they lack courage or are cowardly.
No spring chicken
If someone is no spring chicken, they are not young.
No time for
If you have no time for an activity, you have absolutely no desire to spend or waste any time doing it. You can have no time for people, too.
No time like the present
If people say that there's no time like the present , they believe that it is far better to do something now than to leave it for later, in which case it might never get done.
No time to lose
If there's no time to lose, then it's time to get started otherwise it won't be finished on time.
No use to man or beast
If something or someone is no use to man or beast, they it or they are utterly useless.
Nod's as good as a wink
(UK) 'A nod's as good as a wink' is a way of saying you have understood somethin that someone has said, even though it was not said directly.
None so blind as those who will not see
This idiom is used when people refuse to accept facts presented to them. ('None so deaf as those who will not hear' is an alternative.)
Nose in the air
If someone has their nose in the air, they behave in a way that is meant to show that they are superior to others.
Nosy parker
(UK) A nosy parker is someone who is excessively interested in other people's lives. ('Nosey parker' is an alternative spelling.)
Not all there
If someone isn't all there, they are a little bit stupid or crazy.
Not bat an eye
If someone doesn't bat an eye, they do not react when other people normally would.
Not born yesterday
When someone says that they weren't born yesterday, they mean that they are not naive or easily fooled.
Not cricket
(UK) If something is not cricket, it is unfair.
Not enough room to swing a cat
If a room is very small, you can say that there isn't enough room to swing a cat in it.
Not give a monkey's
(UK) If you couldn't give a monkey's about something, you don't care at all about it.
Not have the heart
If you don't have the heart to do something, you don't have the strength or courage to do something. (Usually used in the negative)
Not have two pennies to rub together
If someone hasn't got two pennies to rub together, they are very poor indeed.
Not know beans about
(USA) If someone doesn't know beans about something, they know nothing about it.
Not much cop
Describing a film or something as not much cop is a way of saying that you didn't think much of it.
Not my cup of tea
If something is not your cup of tea, you don't like it very much.
Not the only pebble on the beach
If something is not the only pebble on the beach, there are other possibilities or alternatives.
Not to be sneezed at
If something is not to be sneezed at, it should be taken seriously.
Not wash
If a story or explanation will not wash, it is not credible.
Notch on your belt
A success or achievement that might help you in the future is a notch on your belt.
Nothing to crow about
If something's nothing to crow about, it's not particularly good or special.
Now and then
This idiom means 'occasionally'.
Null and void
If something's null and void, it is invalid or is no longer applicable.
Number cruncher
A number cruncher is an accountant or someone who is very good at dealing with numbers and calculations.
Nuts and bolts
The nuts and bolts are the most essential components of something.
Nutty as a fruitcake
Someone who's nutty as a fruitcake is irrational or crazy. (This can be shortened to 'a fruitcake'.)
