Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: ordinary people Page #3

Yee yee! We've found 518 phrases and idioms matching ordinary people.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
turn to stoneTo become completely still, not moving. The phrase "turn to stone" typically means to become motionless, rigid, or unresponsive. It can also refer to becoming emotionally numb or unfeeling. The phrase has its origins in Greek mythology, where the Gorgon Medusa was said to have the power to turn anyone who looked at her into stone. In this context, "turning to stone" meant to become petrified, frozen, and unable to move. In a more metaphorical sense, "turning to stone" can refer to becoming emotionally or mentally rigid, closed off, or unresponsive. For example, a person might be said to have "turned to stone" if they have experienced trauma or emotional distress that has left them numb or unfeeling. The phrase can also be used to describe a situation where a person or group of people becomes unresponsive or unwilling to change their views or actions. For example, a team that is stuck in their ways and resistant to change might be said to have "turned to stone" in terms of their ability to adapt and evolve. Overall, the phrase "turn to stone" implies a sense of rigidity, immobility, and unresponsiveness. It can refer to becoming physically or emotionally petrified, and it can also describe a situation where a person or group is unwilling or unable to change or adapt.Rate it:

(3.86 / 7 votes)
run around afterTo spend a lot of time doing things for another person or group of people. Often used when that person could reasonably do the things for themselves.Rate it:

(3.75 / 4 votes)
stiff upper lipThe quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, associated with stereotypical British people.Rate it:

(3.75 / 4 votes)
johned upTo write or say something that doesn't make much sense to other people; inside joke.Rate it:

(3.67 / 3 votes)
there are plenty more fish in the seaThere are many more potential opportunities available; often said meaning that there are many more people in whom to find love; said when consoling someone who just came out of a relationshipRate it:

(3.67 / 3 votes)
Blind Leading the BlindUninformed people, who try to lead or inform others, or it is about someone, who is not well equipped but wants to educate othersRate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
familiarity breeds contemptThe more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.Rate it:

(3.50 / 4 votes)
the more the merrierIt is more fun with more people.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
get a lifeUsed sarcastically to tell someone who keeps meddling in other people's business, or gossiping about others, to stop obsessing over other people's lives and to concentrate on themselves and do something useful.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
Out of Sight, Out of MindYou forget people that are no longer visible, if you don’t see someone for a while, you tend to forgetRate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
ask aroundTo enquire about something to different people.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
bones to the late comersIf you are invited to a party (marriage /dinner /lunch) and you happen to reach there late, only the bones that are left by the people who arrived earlier than you, will be waiting for you.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
bring inTo introduce a person or group of people to an organisation.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
clout listA usually secret list containing the names of people who are to be given special access, benefits, or influence in a political or social situation, especially as a result of having personal, professional, or financial relationships with those in authority.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
get one's voice heardIt often requires much energy and persistence to get people to listen to your strongly held views.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
hair-splittingThe act of finding exceedingly small differences which are probably neither important nor noticeable to most people.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
it's not all it's cracked up to beFailing to meet expectations; not being as good as people say.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
John Q. PublicA generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
moral compassThe full range of virtues, vices, or actions which may affect others and which are available as choices (like the directions on the face of a compass) to a person, to a group, or to people in general.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
nice guys finish lastPeople who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed by others who are not so decent, friendly, or agreeable.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
rules okTo be popularly accepted, or supported by the general majority of people.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
rush hourThe times of the day when traffic jams are commonplace, due mainly to people commuting to or from work.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
sam is not bonded to share his meat with you!Who is SAM? representative of hardworking, righteous, law abiding and peace loving people. What is bonded? Mutilated and/or loyal & liable. What does meat mean here? Empirically meat had been the symbol of wealth and prosperity. What is the narrator telling ? SAM is not to give up his share & rights of peace and progress to the may be a rent seeking person!Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
sell ice to eskimosTo persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
take out the trashTo forcefully remove people from a place.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
there's no such thing as a stupid questionUsed to encourage people to seek knowledge by asking questions, no matter how silly the questions may appear to be.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
throw dirt enough, and some will stickIf enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
one man's meat is another man's poisonPeople have differing tastes; what pleases one person may displease another.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
Tom, Dick or HarryAnybody or everybody; random or unknown people.Rate it:

(2.33 / 3 votes)
empty vessels make the most soundnoisy, opinionated people are often stupid.Rate it:

(2.25 / 4 votes)
bring up the rearTo be last in a moving line of people, to walk or go behind others in a line.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
don't bite the newbieBe patient and friendly toward people who are learning a new technology.Rate it:

(2.00 / 3 votes)
in living memoryIn recent history, in recorded history amongst the lifespan of extant people; events or situations which can be remembered by people that are still aliveRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
make up the numbersTo provide sufficient people to make an event worthwhile.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
nothing to lose but their h'sDescriptive of people in England whose speech is proper or upper-class, but who are poor.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
one anotherUsed of a reciprocal relationship among a group of more than two people or things; compare each other.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
opposites attractpeople who are completely different make ideal partners.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
rat runA small road that people venture down when they want to sneak off the motorway and take a short cut.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
there's no accounting for tastesDifferent people like different things The world would be incomplete if everyone were alike. Diversity is essential.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
draw inTo attract (groups of people).Rate it:

(1.60 / 5 votes)
keep one's eye on the ballMy ethos has always been to be very straight with people, tell it as it is. It doesn't often make people happy but I found that over a period of time it's better to be that way. So being straight, also being very focused on your objectives, keep your eye on the ball and not get deflected away from it.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
populum liberum esse, libertate uti, sui iuris esse patito grant a people its independence.Rate it:

(1.50 / 2 votes)
black-on-blackInteractions that occur between black people, notably crime that is perpetrated by one black person against another.Rate it:

(1.25 / 4 votes)
beggars cannot be choosersDeserving people cannot put forward their choices. You cannot be concerned about the quality or quantity of certain product or service that you cannot buy or get hold of easily.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
birds and beesInformal sex education, especially describing the sexual activity of animals rather than that of people.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
black manBlack people collectively; black culture.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
dans le siècle où nous sommes, on ne donne rien pour rienAt the present day people give nothing for nothing, and precious little for sixpence.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
deliver the message to garciaWhat we need is people who get the job done, no matter how. We don't want pickers who'll only learn if we use their preferred learning method. Have you read "A Message to Garcia" ? That's what we need today - young people who can deliver the message to Garcia.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
do a giga group of people performing the same dance movement to celebrate their success or achievement.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Dog-Eat-Dog WorldTo live a life associated by severe competition wherein people struggle ruthlessly to live or attain successRate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)

We need you!

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

Alternative searches for ordinary people:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Here's my two __________.
A words
B thoughts
C pence
D cents

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ