Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: unpleasant

Yee yee! We've found 90 phrases and idioms matching unpleasant.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
a hot potatoa controversial issue or situation that is awkward or unpleasant to deal with.Rate it:

(5.00 / 2 votes)
bad pennyA person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
beat around the bushTo delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
between a rock and a hard placeHaving the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
bite the bulletto force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situationRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
come the acidTo make oneself unpleasant, especially by sarcasm.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
dirty lookAn unpleasant or disdainful look or expression, often directed at someone.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
get one’s jolliesTo get enjoyment or pleasure from an experience or activity, especially if it is in a generally unpleasant or perverse wayRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
hell on earthA very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
smell upto fill up with an unpleasant odourRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
no more Mr. Nice GuyAn implied individual has ceased being pleasant, and will now resort to unpleasant means to get their way.Rate it:

(4.40 / 5 votes)
a bad penny always turns upA person or thing which is unpleasant, dishonorable, or unwanted tends to appear (or reappear), especially at inopportune times.Rate it:

(4.20 / 5 votes)
cut a sorry figureTo be regarded unfavorably by others by making a bad impression E.g. Looking embarrassed or humiliated in an unpleasant situation.Rate it:

(4.17 / 6 votes)
a bed of nailsa problematic, difficult, or uncomfortable situation or circumstance; anything painful, challenging, or unpleasantRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downAn otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.Rate it:

(4.00 / 5 votes)
be in forTo be able to expect or anticipate; to be about to suffer, generally said of something unpleasant.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
horse's assA jerk; an unpleasant, unlikable person; an asshole.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
like a lamb to the slaughterhelplessly and innocently, without knowing the unpleasant consequences.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
turn a blind eyeTo ignore or deliberately overlook, especially with respect to something unpleasant or improper.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
horror storyAn unpleasant or distressing experience told as a story.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
face the musicTo accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.Rate it:

(3.25 / 4 votes)
the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get(vulgar) The sexual satisfactions that one receives from a spouse or romantic partner are not sufficient to compensate for the significant periods of bad faith and unpleasant treatment which such relationships routinely involve.1971, Allen Churchill, The Literary Decade, ISBN 9780135375228:Years later she expressed her disillusionment with sex by saying, "The fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."1999, Ben Sonnenberg, Lost Property: Memoirs and Confessions of a Bad Boy, ISBN 9781582430454, p. 93:Maitland got drunk at his parties and threw his arm around you and pulled you over to his wife and made you look down her dress, saying, "The trouble with marriage is that the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."2008, Joseph Heywood, Blue Wolf In Green Fire, ISBN 9781599213590, p. 63:"I can't believe a little pussy got me into dis mess." "Shit happens," Service said. "Sometimes the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get."Rate it:

(2.26 / 16 votes)
bite the biscuitTo undertake an unpleasant task or to acknowledge an unfavorable situation or responsibility.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
face up toTo confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.Rate it:

(2.00 / 2 votes)
get one's hands dirtyto get involved with the unpleasant parts, or the lowest levels, of a task.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
give the devil his dueTo acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
Get Off the HookTo liberate yourself from a repulsive or unpleasant obligation, to avoid a punishmentRate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
hell to payVery unpleasant consequences; a great deal of trouble.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
acquired tasteSomething that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all's fair in love and warunpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
autant lui en pend à l'oreilleHe may expect the same (something unpleasant). (Compare Nez.)Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bad newsNews of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
been there, though not done thatUsed for expressing that though one may have seen something (unpleasant), he may have not participated in the same.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
between the hammer and the anvilWith the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bite the big oneTo be unpleasant or undesirable.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bite the bulletto force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situationRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bitter pillSomething unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bitter pill to swallowSomething unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
blow chunksTo be very bad, inadequate, unpleasant, or miserable; to thoroughly suck.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
close one's eyes and think of EnglandTo accept (rather than fight)-and distract oneself so as to be able to endure-bad or unwanted sex, or by extension any unpleasant but inevitable experience.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
dirty workOne or more unpleasant tasks, assignments, or employment duties, especially those of a disreputable or illicit nature.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
drag upTo remind people of something, usually unpleasant, from the past.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
every cloud has a silver liningThere is something good in every unpleasant situationRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
face upTo confront an unpleasant situationRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
fazer o quêIndicates that the speaker is passively accepting a situation that is at least a little unpleasant.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
fearA strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
fly in the ointmentSomething which ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
freezing coldextreme and unpleasant coldRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
get it over withTo do or finish, especially said of something unpleasant.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
get over withTo do something quickly and hastily; without procrastination, especially so as to have something unpleasant behind oneself.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for unpleasant:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
She passed that exam by the skin of her ________.
A nails
B teeth
C hair
D feet