Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: keep at arm's length Page #5

Yee yee! We've found 364 phrases and idioms matching keep at arm's length.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
deliver the goodsTo keep one's promises.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
hide one's light under a bushelFor a person to keep some talent or skill hidden from other people. The tone is that a person having a talent which they can be proud of ought not hide it.Rate it:

(4.00 / 5 votes)
if at first you don't succeed, try try againdon't quit, keep tryingRate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
shushA nice way of saying shut up, be quiet, lower your voice, keep your mouth shut.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
vowel quantityA vowel's duration of articulation; its length.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
hold onTo keep; to store something for someone.Rate it:

(3.75 / 4 votes)
stop an eight-day clock and throw it into reverseBefore batteries and household electricity were used to power clocks, most clocks had to be wound by hand to keep operating. Eight-day clocks were designed so they only had to be wound every eighth day and the movement only turned in a clockwise direction. Therefore, someone with an appearance objectionable enough to stop the clock and send the movement spinning in the wrong and opposite direction would be ugly indeed.Rate it:

(3.50 / 4 votes)
walk like an EgyptianTo walk with one arm horizontally at the side, with arm bent at the elbow facing up, and the other arm horizontally at the side with arm bent at the elbow facing down.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
button upTo fasten all the buttons on a coat, or similar item of clothing, to keep warm.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
Button Your LipTo be quite, to keep silenceRate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
go back onTo fail to keep; to renege on; as, to go back on one's promises.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
necker's knobA knob attached to the steering wheel of an automobile, especially before the widespread availability of power steering, helping the driver steer with one arm and leaving the other arm free to provide romantic attention to a companion.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
renfermer le loup dans la bergerieTo set the fox to keep the geese.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
spill one's gutsTo confess, or to divulge secrets, typically speaking freely and at length after a change of motive or an incentive.Rate it:

(3.00 / 5 votes)
tie upTo occupy, detain, keep busy, or delay.Rate it:

(3.00 / 2 votes)
grace periodA length of time during which rules or penalties do not take effect or are withheld.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 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:

(2.34 / 15 votes)
Get This Show on the RoadGet something moving, step ahead and keep goingRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
companyKeep the house clean, I have company coming.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
one thousandUsed in a common chronometric counting scheme, in which each iteration is sequentially numbered and supposed to be approximately one second in length.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
talk a blue streakTo talk for a long time, at great length, or to the point of tedium.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
yack onTo talk at length, in an annoying, boring and long-winded way.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
à force de brasBy strength of arm.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
acharnement thérapeutiqueProviding medical care to keep patients alive when there is no hope that it will benefit or cure themRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
alere equos, canesto keep horses, dogs.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aliquem in officio continereto keep some one in subjection.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
animo adesse(1) to be attentive; (2) to keep one's presence of mind.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
as long asThe same length as.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
back burnerA section of a stove used to keep some pots warm while one focuses on others.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
balance the booksTo put or keep any closed or conservative system or its analysis in balance.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
barrelA round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
blindA covering for a window to keep out light. The covering may be made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bottomless pitA person who can keep eating without ever seeming to fill up, or a vessel which never fills however much is added.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bow and scrapeTo make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
bras dessus bras dessousArm in arm.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Buggins's turnThe appointment of a person by rotation or promotion, on the basis of length of service (it being that person's "turn") rather than merit or level of qualification.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
caveat emptorA provision of Roman law which gave the seller of a house the legal right to keep quiet about any defects of the house.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
ces poires sont de bonne gardeThese pears will keep well.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
civitatem servitute oppressam tenere (Dom. 51. 131)to keep the citizens in servile subjection.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
close outOf a wave, to break all at once, instead of progressively along its length.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
come throughNot to let somebody down, keep one's promise.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
consuetudinem suam tenere, retinere, servareto keep up a usage.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
copias castris continereto keep the troops in camp.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
coûter bonbonto be expensive, to cost an arm and a legRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
coûter la peau du culto be expensive, cost an arm and a legRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
coûter la peau du dosto cost an arm and a leg: to cost too much, to be very expensiveRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
coûter les yeux de la têteto cost arm and a leg, to cost the earth: to cost too much, to be very expensiveRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
cuff Jonassaid of one who is knock-kneed, or who beats his sides to keep himself warm in frosty weather.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
custodias agere in valloto keep watch on the rampart.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
dead men tell no talesOnce someone is dead, they can no longer communicate, hence killing someone is the best way to keep him/her quiet.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

We need you!

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

Alternative searches for keep at arm's length:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
You're choosing to sit on the _______ if you don't pick a side.
A horse
B stairs
C fence
D bank

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ