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Word/Phrase | Definition | Fauna/Flora | Category | Grammatical Subcategory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Now don’t upset the applecart | spoil carefully laid plans; throw a monkey wrench into something. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be a vegetable | totally incapacitated, even brain-dead. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a sweet pea | beloved. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a cornball | country bumpkin, unsophisticated, a goofy jokester; pejorative term | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To feel your oats | frisky, full of beans, energetic, in your salad days maybe | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a string bean | tall and skinny, usually referring to a young male | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a carrot top | nickname for a redhead. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be in a pickle | a fine mess, dilemma. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be small potatoes | insignificant; inconsequential | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To glean | gather, extract, collect gradually; …information from an encyclopedia. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To spill the beans | let the cat out of the bag, perhaps inadvertently; to rat on someone; reveal a secret. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To dangle a carrot | entice, encourage; the other half of the classic carrot-and-stick approach. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To corn | to form hard particles, granulate, or become grainy; melting snow often corns up at night. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Peanut gallery | final theater balcony; often loud and rawkish, hence the source of any know-it-all heckling or sniping from folks of limited knowledge or expertise. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Onion sentence | linguists’ term for a sentence with many dangling phrases that need to be peeled off in order to get the gist | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Pickled | embalmed. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Maize | light to orange yellow color, similar to corn. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. | low compensation attracts less than competent workers. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be like (two) peas in a pod | identical, indistinguishable, or nearly so; very closely linked to one another, usually referring to two close friends or associates. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Cool as a cucumber | unruffled; serene. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To have skin like a onion | overly sensitive, easily peeled away. | floramorph | VEGETABLES/GRAINS/LEGUMES/TUBERS/OTHER EDIBLES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be a mossback | provincial or conservative person; a reactionary, die-hard, stick-in-the-mud; comes from an old shellfish or turtle by the same name. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To smoke grass | weed; slang for marijuana. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To notice a straw in the wind | a slight hint, indication, or sign of something to come. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be involved in a turf battle | struggling over jurisdiction, territory, etc.. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To draw straws | decides who gets a turn or an object | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be the straw that breaks the camel’s back | the last straw; an action that finally causes a reaction, and not a positive one | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a mossback | provincial or conservative person; a reactionary, die-hard, stick-in-the-mud; comes from an old shellfish or turtle by the same name. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a snake in the grass | devious, sneaky, surreptitiously predatory. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To grow/sprout like crabgrass | rapidly and relentlessly, usually unwelcomed. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To let the grass grow under your feet | delay action, hesitate, goof around | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To grasp the nettle | boldly face a challenge or confront a problem. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be put out to pasture | retired, usually against one’s will | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To grasp at straws | act in desperation; cling to hope. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Mossy | resembling moss; old-fashioned, antiquated, dated, archaic, or extremely conservative. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Bamboo spine | condition in which the bones of the spine are immobile due to being fused together. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Straw bid | a worthless bid; a bid for a contract that the bidder is unable or unwilling to fulfill | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
To make hay while the sun shines | take full advantage of an opportune moment; seize the moment – grass/legumes for making hay needs to be fully dried after cutting, before wetness from rain causes it to rot. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be between hay and grass | neither a child nor an adult. | floramorph | GRASSES/WEEDS/HERBS/MOSSES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be the seeds of change/hatred/revolt etc. | source, beginning, germ. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
A leaflet | A page of paper with information on it. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a grass | someone who tells the police or other authorities about criminal activities that they know about. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a burr under someone’s saddle | source of aggravation; pain in the butt. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To plant an idea. | To put something in someone's mind with the intention that it later develops. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To stem from something | originate, flow forth from. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To turn over a new leaf. | reform oneself, begin anew, change one’s attitude or behavior. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Prickly | To be overly sensitive or reactive | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Syrupy | excessively sweet in temperament, personality, or behavior. | floramorph | SEEDS/ROOTS/LEAVES/OTHER PLANT ELEMENTS OR PRODUCTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
To be a force of nature | a natural phenom | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To live by the Law of the Jungle | basic survivalism or Darwinian supremacy, translating into “everyone for him/herself” or “survival of the fittest” and/or the most cunning in business, sports, international relations, and so on; come to be seen as battlefields or replicas of the old “king of the mountain” game that we, boys of course, used to play | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To live in a concrete jungle | a big, bad city full of big, bad buildings | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To study in a blackboard jungle | an undisciplined, scary school system full of delinquents and bullies | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be/go higher up/lower down on the food chain | often referring to politics or bureaucracy, comparing the hierarchies of modern life to those of natural ecosystems | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be fair game | open season on a particular victim or prey, using any “widely sanctioned” weapon or tactic | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be (one of) a dying breed | to be one of the last of a particular dwindling group (species, generation, movement, etc.) | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To look like/end up as road kill | dead, flattened, often unrecognizable animal – in other words, you don’t look too good! | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a different kind of animal/totally different animal/very different animal | a way of emphasizing that A is really of a different order when compared to B | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a party animal | wild and crazy person at a social gathering; one who can’t stay away from a good time | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a political animal | someone who is near-obsessed with the complex, perpetual drama of politics | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a teacher’s pet | to be a favorite; in some cases a disparaging epithet tossed out by envious classmates, though in other cases it can be deserved | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To take the kids to a musical instrument petting zoo | or a truck petting zoo, or whatever | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a breed apart | different, not the usual or ordinary | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a real beast | bad guy; or in an ironic sense, one heckuva guy, as in "Oh you’re just a/such a beast!" | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be in the nature of the beast | just the way things go | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To grasp/confront the beast | amorphous object or concept | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To feed the beast | refers to trying to meet the needs of something insatiable | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To ride in the Beast | Secret Service agents’ name for the official armored limo used by POTUS | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To detect the beast in someone | their savage nature | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a victim or perpetrator of wilding | savage attack by an out-of-control group | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be the alpha male/alpha female | dominant animal in a group; hence, when referring to humans, the top dog or most dominant figure | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be the omega male/omega female | the lowest ranking member of a group, often the scapegoat; when referring to humans, an independent individual who succeeds outside of social hierarchies, or a weak, ineffective loser | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be roadkill | victim of intense competition; "ran over" by competitiors in a metaphorical sense | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a greenhorn | an inexperienced or gullible person; a newcomer or immigrant | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a bloodsucker | an extortionist, usurer, sponger | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To gain pelts on the belt | victories, accomplishments, not always earned in a modest or a savory manner | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To make tracks | leave, run off, perhaps even vanishing down a rabbit hole | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To not have seen hide nor hair of someone or something | Not having seen a trace of them or it | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be an old fossil | a person of great age (and often wisdom), having seen many things come and go | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be put out to pasture | retired, usually against one's will | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To hang out at the local watering hole | tavern; as if one were a warthog or a gazelle, maybe even a wolf or a bird | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To retreat to ones lair | to return to one's abode, perhaps sheepishly or in shame | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To hang out in the family den | the common room where family often gathers, both human and non-human | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a Den Mother | in Cub Scouts, the leader who provides guidance and support to her young charges | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To employ a holding pen | commonly used for an enclosure where livestock is temporarily confined, but also descriptive of a place to provisionally keep people such as prisoners, immigrants, reporters, etc. | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To have the Mark of the Beast | 666; according to the Scriptures – see Revelations 13:16-18 and 14:9-12 – received on the right hand or forehead by those who worship the devil ("the beast") or his image, presumably non-Christians | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To possess a soft underside | vulnerable, like downed prey | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be bare bones | very basic, no meat on it | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be dead meat | to have the vultures circling; already doomed | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To create a meat puppet | fictional person meant to pass as an actual human on the Internet, to obtain information or other goals, for marketing or crime | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To fatten someone up for the kill | to lead a lamb to slaughter, setting them up for failure | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To snack on rock tripe | a hardy, edible lichen – thrives in the arctic and can survive more than a year of drought | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To growl | a guttural aggressive warning | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To feel nature calling | urge to purge, or excrete waste if you're a scientist | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be driven by animal spirits | natural exuberance, not rationale or reason | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To act like a caged animal | antsy; on edge and feeling backed into a corner | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To animalize | …someone, usually a woman | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To make the beast with two backs | have sexual relations; comes from Othello | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To go wild | …on; go ape, go berserk, lose it completely | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To run wild | to grow up or develop without restraint and/or discipline | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To blow wild | to spout in an uncontrolled manner | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To drive someone wild | romantically or sexually, to make them lose control | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be wild about you… | head-over-heels in love | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To take a walk on the wild side | cross over from the straight-laced way of things | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To jungle-up | camp outside; a hobo or drifter term | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To follow the herd | to go with the flow and allow others to make decisions for you, like a sheep in a herd | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To prey on/upon | stalk, hunt, or attack someone | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To crawl out of one’s lair | typically done with malicious intent | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To claw | …one’s way to the top of the heap; …back up; …one’s way in or out; with great effort and perseverence | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be made to jump through hoops like a circus animal | ususally metaphorically, like the bureaucratic hoops at a DMV or similar government office. | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To get one’s hide nailed to the shed | to be caught, found guilty, and punished | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To let someone stew in their own juice | they made the problem; let them suffer the consequences and ruminate | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To throw red meat | …to your radical wing | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To lick ones wounds | sometimes sulking, sometimes scheming; animals do this because of healing elements in their saliva – humans do it to display their perceived animal natures | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To lick ones chops | either in enjoyment of a meal, or to display threat | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To have something gnaw on you | constantly aggravate, at least somewhat; a thorn in your side | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To sink ones teeth into something | to find satisfaction in a book, an activity, etc. | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To butt in | force your way into a gathering, conversation, etc, presumably by metaphorically using the top of your head, oomph! | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To nose around/stick your nose into | attempt to ferret or sniff out some information; snooping or prying | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To sniff out | …someone; …something | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To have a nose for ____ | to be a natural at puns, thought-provoking facts, etc. | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To prick up your ears | when you think you hear something | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To prowl/be on the prowl | move stealthily as if in search of prey; pursue the opposite sex; participate in petty crime | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To pounce on/to get pounced on | jumped, caught; quite likely by a feline | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To fight tooth and nail/ tooth and claw | to battle like a beast | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To encroach on someone’s turf | to invade someone's territory or area of expertise | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To get your/someone’s hackles/back up | arouse anger, alarm, irritate, infuriate; hackles are the erectile hairs or feathers along the back of the neck of an animal, especially a canine or fowl | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To crawl on one’s belly | to cower or beg; refers to canine behaviour of submission when seeking forgiveness | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To snarl | …at another; with ire | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To make/let the fur fly/be there when the fur starts to fly | to get into a cat fight | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To stick ones neck out | like a turtle, but also like a camel, giraffe, and so on, meaning risking something for another's gain | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To go back to/be back in your old stomping grounds | to return home or a familiar environment | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be down at the mouth | not in the best state | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To shed | …hair; …layers of stone, like a cliff; …clothing or an identity, like a snakeskin | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To take the bait | to react in the manner intended by whoever laid the bait | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To tail someone/put a tail on someone | follow them, like a tail; spy on them; often refers to law enforcement or a private eye | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To come up tails | as opposed to heads, when flipping a coin | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To tuck in your shirt tail | …or let it all hang out, if you're a cool cat | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To pad | …along/down a path – refers to the fleshy cushion on the bottoms of toed animals’ feet | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To lope | run with a smooth three-beat gait, between a trot and a gallop | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To tan someone’s hide | to spank or beat them, in reference to how tough animal hide is roughly treated when being turned into supple leather | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To nest/feel the urge to nest | make a home; sometimes follows petting | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To nest | …one item inside another, such as close fitting boxes, cookware, or dolls – eg, the gaily painted, Russian Matryoshka dolls | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To soil your own nest | foul it up | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To leave/fly/be pushed out of the nest | to leave home as a young adult, either willingly or with chagrin | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To stay close to the nest | to never stray far from one's childhood home | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To nestle | snuggle, cuddle; …down/in or with another in a comforting manner | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be kept in a golden cage | to lead a trapped and restricted life, even in luxury | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be cold blooded | heartless, fearless, lacking in compassion; presumably like stereotypes about non-mammals | faunamorph | THE NATURAL WORLD | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
As American as apple pie | associated with motherhood and traditional family values. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Like a lump on a log | immobile. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Like nailing jelly to a tree | trying to solve a messy problem or conundrum. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To sit/stand there like a bump on a log | non-participant in activities, lazy. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
To be a real fruitcake | nutty, crazy | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be the fruit of one’s loins | offspring. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be peaches and cream | easy, delightful. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be the top banana | originally, the leading or star comedian in a burlesque or vaudeville show; the most powerful or important person in a group or organization; British slang for great, cool, nice, fun, easy-going. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a tough/hard nut to crack | a person or problematic situation that presents significant difficulties in dealing with or challenges in resolving. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To be a nutcase | loony, nutty. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To describe something in a nutshell | succinctly; getting right to the kernel of it. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To bear fruit | come to fruition; produce results. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be fully ripened | ready to be put to use, as in a plan or idea. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To not give a fig | not care/worry; not give a hoot!. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To upset the apple cart | mess up a plan/situation, causing time-consuming cleanup; throw a monkey wrench into things. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To shell out | to pay, especially reluctantly; it can be hard to get a nut out of its shell, and it can be hard to get some people who owe you money to shell out. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Cherry angioma/hemangioma | a cherry red bump on the skin, containing a cluster of blood vessels. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Peachy | terrific, very acceptable; usually refers to a situation or place; …keen. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Peach fuzz | emerging, downy whiskers on the face of a greenhorn adolescent. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Apple cheeks | refers to a red hue | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Apple-pie | adjective: typically American in character; …values, …patriotism | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Banana seat | long bicycle seat. | floramorph | FRUITS ‘N NUTS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Shake like a leaf | frightened, excited, or chilled. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Shrinking violet | over there with the other wallflowers; shy, retiring, modest. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
Rosacea | a skin condition characterized by reddening of the nose, forehead, and cheeks; from the Latin for rose-colored. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To sprout like dandelions | proliferate; the plant world equivalent of multiplying like rabbits. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To flourish | thrive, blossom; comes from the Latin florere --flower. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To see the world through rose-tinted/colored glasses | be overly optimistic, or naïve. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Flowerlike | resembles a flower or parts thereof. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Florid | ornate, flowery, as in florid prose style; bright red or ruddy, when referring to the skin, especially a skin rash or lesion. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
A rose by any other name… | a paraphrasing – now in common parlance – from Romeo and Juliet, by W. Shakespeare. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Hat tree | tall, tree-shaped coat rack. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To offer/extend an olive branch | peace offering. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
Driftwood | random objects or persons, metaphorically washed up on shore, often in a faded or weathered state. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To bark up the wrong tree | To search for something in the wrong place | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To branch out | diversify; split in two or more directions, as with a river or road. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be involved in log rolling | political bartering or deal-making. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To be sapped | drained, tuckered out, a pooped puppy. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Wooden | stiff, unmoving, characteristic of wood; …expression; …sounding noise. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Deep-rooted | firmly embedded and therefore Influential; …concern. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Rootless | itinerant, roving; moving from here to there; …person | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Sappy | overly sentimental; silly. | floramorph | TREES AND BUSHES | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Earbuds | electronic listening devices inserted just inside the ear canal. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
To go green | pursue knowledge and practices, leading to more environmentally friendly and ecologically sound decisions, actions, and lifestyles. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To greenwash | disseminate a positive public image or spin regarding environmentally unsound practices. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
To wither | become diminished. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Verbs: Actions/States of Being |
Ripe for the picking | ready to use or enjoy. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Jungle juice | an adolescent-favored cocktail made of grain alcohol and Hawaiian Punch. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Modifiers: Adjectives/Adverbs |
Prairie oysters | deep-fried, breaded, and sometimes flattened testicles of a bull or calf; a.k.a. Rocky Mountain oysters in Canada, or dusted nuts in the U.S.. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Prairie dew | booze, in cowboy slang. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Sayings/Similes/Aphorisms/Proverbs |
Wallflower | opposite of a social butterfly; shy, unpopular. | floramorph | FLOWERS | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
Greenhorn | Newbie, maybe with peach fuzz on their cheeks. | floramorph | PLANT WORLD – GENERAL | Nouns: Things/Terms/Labels |
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