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AMERICAN IDIOMS (F)

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Idioms starting with F

Here is our list of American idioms that start with "F":



(To) face the music:
To accept the (unpleasant) consequences of what you have done. Example: "After years of bad decision making, the CEO finally had to face the music."

Fair and square: Completely fairly. Example: "He won fair and square."

Fair-weather friend
A person who is only your friend when things are going well for you.

(To) fall flat (on one's face):
To fail. To be unsuccessful. Example: "The initiative fell flat on its face."

Fall for (v.): Believe (in a gullible way). Example: "I'm not going to fall for that old trick."

(To) fall into place:
To become organized; to fit together. Example: "Once I started meditating, everything in my life began to fall into place."

Fall short (v.): To not be enough. Example: "His efforts fell short."

(A) falling out:
A disagreement/break in a friendship. Example: "We had a falling out over what she said."

(A) far cry:
Very different (often in a worse way). Example: "This wine is nice, but it's a far cry from the wine we had yesterday."

(To) feel like a new person:
To feel refreshed, rejuvenated.

(To) feel out of place:
To feel like you don't belong. Example: "We went to Mary's party last night. We didn't really know anyone, so we felt a little out of place."

(A) fifth wheel:
Useless, out of place, unnecessary. Example: "There were only couples there. I felt like a fifth wheel."

(To) fill someone's shoes:
To replace someone. To do something someone else used to do. Example: "Cathy has been working here for 20 years. It's going to be hard to find someone to fill her shoes."

(A) fine line:
Not much difference. Example: "Sometimes there's a fine line between love and infatuation."

First and foremost:
First and most importantly. Example: "First and foremost, you have to treat every customer with respect."

First thing:
Before anything else. Example: "Call me first thing tomorrow morning."

(To) fish for a compliment:
To try very hard to get a compliment from someone. Example: "Stop fishing for a compliment. It's really annoying."

Fishy (adj.): Suspicious. Example: "There's something fishy about the way he's behaving."

(To) fix someone (some food - like cocoa, oatmeal, etc.):
To prepare (some food) for someone. Example: "I'll fix you a cup of cocoa."

Flat broke:
Very poor. Having absolutely no money. Example: "I'm flat broke, but I don't care."

Flip out (v.): To get very upset (to the point of starting to scream, etc.); Freak out.

Flip side: Opposite/other side. Examples: "the flip side of the coin", "the flip side of this argument."

Folks (n.pl.): Parents. Example: "My folks live in Atlanta."

(To) follow one's heart:
To act according to your feelings/ emotions. Example: "I couldn't decide what to do, so I just followed my heart."

Food for thought:
Something to think about.

For what it's worth: This is basically like saying "I don't know whether or not this of any value, but..." Example: "For what it's worth, I never wanted things to end up like this."

(A) fork in the road:
A point when a road splits in two directions. Example: "They came to a fork in the road, and had to decide whether to go left or right."

Freak (n.): Strange person. (*fairly negative/derogatory these days*)

Freebie (n.): Something you get for free, that you don't have to pay for.

Freak out (b.): To get very upset (to the point of starting to scream, etc.) Example: "When he found out that she had sold the furniture, he freaked out."

Free-and-easy:
Casual. Not very serious. Example: "Sarah was looking for a free-and-easy relationship."

(A) fresh pair of eyes:
A new reader, someone who hasn't seen something before. Example: "Hey can you come check out this report? We need a fresh pair of eyes."

(A) full plate:
A busy schedule. Example: "P1: Mark can you help me with this project? P2: Not really, I've got a full plate right now."

Fun and games:
Playing around. Time spent doing worthless things. Example: "OK, Neil, the fun and games are over. It's time to get down to work."





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