Idioms Beginning With F

Idioms Beginning With F

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

List of Idioms Beginning With F

Idioms Beginning With F with Meaning and Example

Here’s a list of “Idioms Beginning With F” in English:

Face the music

• Meaning: Confront the consequences of one’s actions.
• Example: He broke the rules, and now he has to face the music.

Fair and square

• Meaning: Honest and straightforward.
• Example: They won the game fair and square.

Fall apart

• Meaning: To break down emotionally or physically.
• Example: She began to fall apart after her mother’s death.

Fall for

• Meaning: To be deceived by something or to fall in love with someone.
• Example: He fell for the scam and lost a lot of money. / She fell for him instantly.

Fall on deaf ears

• Meaning: Be ignored or disregarded.
• Example: His advice fell on deaf ears.

Fall short

• Meaning: To fail to reach a desired or expected level.
• Example: The results fell short of our expectations.

Far cry from

• Meaning: Very different from.
• Example: This place is a far cry from the bustling city we used to live in.

Fast track

• Meaning: A rapid path to success.
• Example: She got on the fast track to promotion.

Feather in one’s cap

• Meaning: An achievement to be proud of.
• Example: Winning the award was a real feather in her cap.

Feel blue

• Meaning: To feel sad or depressed.
• Example: He’s been feeling blue since his friend moved away.

Feel like a million dollars

• Meaning: To feel very good or well.
• Example: After a good night’s sleep, I feel like a million dollars.

Field day

• Meaning: A day of excitement or successful activity.
• Example: The media had a field day with the scandal.

Fifth wheel

• Meaning: An unnecessary or unwanted person or thing.
• Example: I felt like a fifth wheel at the party.

Fight fire with fire

• Meaning: To respond to an attack with a similar form of attack.
• Example: When dealing with aggressive competition, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

Fight tooth and nail

• Meaning: To fight very fiercely.
• Example: She fought tooth and nail to get the promotion.

Fill in the blanks

• Meaning: To provide missing information.
• Example: Can you fill in the blanks on this report?

Find one’s feet

• Meaning: To become confident or successful in a particular field or situation.
• Example: It took a few months, but I’ve finally found my feet in the new job.

Fish out of water

• Meaning: Someone who is out of their usual environment.
• Example: He felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.

Fit as a fiddle

• Meaning: To be in good health.
• Example: At 70, she’s still as fit as a fiddle.

Flash in the pan

• Meaning: Something or someone that initially shows promise but fails to deliver.
• Example: His early success was just a flash in the pan.

Flat out

• Meaning: To work as hard or fast as possible.
• Example: We’re working flat out to meet the deadline.

Flip the script

• Meaning: To reverse the usual or expected outcome in a surprising way.
• Example: The underdog team flipped the script and won the championship.

Fly by the seat of one’s pants

• Meaning: To do something without planning or preparation.
• Example: He had no formal training and was just flying by the seat of his pants.

Fly off the handle

• Meaning: To suddenly become very angry.
• Example: He flew off the handle when he heard about the mistake.

Follow suit

• Meaning: To do the same thing as someone else.
• Example: When she quit her job, the rest of the team followed suit.

Fool around

• Meaning: To waste time or not be serious.
• Example: Stop fooling around and get to work.

Foot in the door

• Meaning: To take a first step towards a goal or opportunity.
• Example: An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door of a big company.

For a song

• Meaning: Very cheaply.
• Example: I bought this car for a song at the auction.

Fork in the road

• Meaning: A point where a decision must be made.
• Example: We’re at a fork in the road; we need to decide which direction to take.

From the horse’s mouth

• Meaning: Information directly from the source.
• Example: I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Full of hot air

• Meaning: Talking a lot without saying anything of value.
• Example: Don’t listen to him; he’s full of hot air.

Full of oneself

• Meaning: To be very self-centered or arrogant.
• Example: He’s so full of himself, always bragging about his achievements.

Full steam ahead

• Meaning: To proceed with maximum effort.
• Example: With the new funding, it’s full steam ahead on the project.

Funny business

• Meaning: Dishonest or suspicious behavior.
• Example: There’s some funny business going on with the accounts.

Fussy eater

• Meaning: Someone who is very picky about what they eat.
• Example: My son is such a fussy eater; he won’t touch vegetables.

Fuzzy logic

• Meaning: A way of reasoning that is not precise or clear.
• Example: His argument is based on fuzzy logic.

Face the Music

• Meaning: Confront the consequences of one’s actions.
• Example: After breaking the window, he had to face the music when his parents got home.

Fall for Something

• Meaning: To be deceived by something.
• Example: He fell for the scam and lost all his savings.

Fall in Love with Somebody

• Meaning: To begin to love someone.
• Example: She fell in love with him at first sight.

Fall Off the Wagon

• Meaning: To return to an addictive behavior.
• Example: After years of sobriety, he fell off the wagon and started drinking again.

Fall on One’s Sword

• Meaning: To take responsibility for a failure.
• Example: The CEO fell on his sword and resigned after the scandal.

Fall Prey to

• Meaning: To be harmed or affected by something bad.
• Example: Many people fall prey to online fraud.

Fancy Someone

• Meaning: To be attracted to someone.
• Example: I think he fancies her.

Farther

• Meaning: At a greater distance.
• Example: The store is farther down the road.

Fashion-Forward

• Meaning: Very fashionable and ahead of current trends.
• Example: Her fashion-forward style always gets noticed.

Fat Cat

• Meaning: A wealthy and powerful person.
• Example: The fat cats in the industry often get what they want.

Father Figure

• Meaning: A man who is regarded as a father-like role model.
• Example: He was a father figure to many of the young athletes.

Feast Your Eyes On

• Meaning: To look at something with pleasure.
• Example: Feast your eyes on this beautiful view.

Feather in One’s Cap

• Meaning: An achievement to be proud of.
• Example: Winning the competition was a feather in his cap.

Feather One’s Nest

• Meaning: To enrich oneself at someone else’s expense.
• Example: The manager was accused of feathering his nest with company funds.

Fed Up With

• Meaning: To be annoyed or tired of something.
• Example: I’m fed up with the constant noise in my neighborhood.

Feel Like a Million Dollars

• Meaning: To feel very good or well.
• Example: After the spa treatment, I felt like a million dollars.

Feel On Top of The World

• Meaning: To feel very happy and healthy.
• Example: She felt on top of the world after receiving her promotion.

Fell off a Truck

• Meaning: An item obtained in a suspicious manner.
• Example: These designer bags must have fallen off a truck; they’re so cheap.

Fell off the Back of a Lorry

• Meaning: Something acquired illegally or through dubious means.
• Example: He offered to sell me a laptop that had “fallen off the back of a lorry.”

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

• Meaning: A brief period of fame.
• Example: She had her fifteen minutes of fame after appearing on the reality show.

Fifth Wheel

• Meaning: An unnecessary or extra person.
• Example: I felt like a fifth wheel during their date.

Fight Fire with Fire

• Meaning: To respond to an attack with a similar form of attack.
• Example: Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire in business.

Fight Like Cat and Dog

• Meaning: To argue or fight persistently.
• Example: Those two fight like cat and dog over everything.

Find One’s Voice

• Meaning: To gain confidence in expressing oneself.
• Example: She found her voice in the new role at the company.

Find Your Feet

• Meaning: To become comfortable in a new situation.
• Example: It took a while, but I’ve finally found my feet in this city.

Finger-Pointing

• Meaning: Accusing others of wrongdoing.
• Example: The meeting devolved into finger-pointing and blame.

Fire in the Belly

• Meaning: Passion and determination.
• Example: He has the fire in the belly to become a great entrepreneur.

First In, Best Dressed

• Meaning: Those who arrive or act first will have an advantage.
• Example: At the sale, it was first in, best dressed for the best deals.

Fish for Compliments

• Meaning: To try to get others to compliment oneself.
• Example: She was obviously fishing for compliments when she talked about her new dress.

Fish or Cut Bait

• Meaning: Make a decision now or give someone else a chance.
• Example: It’s time to fish or cut bait with this project.

Fish Out of Water

• Meaning: Someone who is out of their usual environment.
• Example: He felt like a fish out of water in the country after living in the city.

Five-Finger Discount

• Meaning: Theft or shoplifting.
• Example: They caught him trying to get a five-finger discount at the store.

Flash in the Pan

• Meaning: Something that shows potential at first but fails to deliver.
• Example: His early success was just a flash in the pan.

Flat Broke

• Meaning: Having no money at all.
• Example: After paying all the bills, I’m flat broke.

Flat Out Like a Lizard

• Meaning: Working very hard.
• Example: I’ve been flat out like a lizard trying to finish this report.

Flesh and Blood

• Meaning: Someone from one’s family.
• Example: I can’t abandon him; he’s my own flesh and blood.

Flew the Coop

• Meaning: To leave suddenly or secretly.
• Example: He flew the coop before the police arrived.

Flip-Flop

• Meaning: To change one’s opinion or position.
• Example: The politician was criticized for his flip-flop on the issue.

Fly by the Seat of One’s Pants

• Meaning: To do something without planning or preparation.
• Example: We had no instructions, so we had to fly by the seat of our pants.

Fly High

• Meaning: To be successful.
• Example: After the product launch, the company was flying high.

Fly Off The Handle

• Meaning: To suddenly become very angry.
• Example: She flew off the handle when she heard about the mistake.

Follow In Someone’s Footsteps

• Meaning: To do the same thing as someone else did previously.
• Example: She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a teacher.

Follow Your Heart

• Meaning: To act according to your feelings.
• Example: Sometimes, you just need to follow your heart when making decisions.

Food for Thought

• Meaning: Something to think about.
• Example: His suggestion gave us a lot of food for thought.

For a Song

• Meaning: Very cheaply.
• Example: I bought this car for a song.

For Crying Out Loud

• Meaning: An expression of frustration.
• Example: For crying out loud, can’t you do anything right?

For Xyz Reasons

• Meaning: For various unspecified reasons.
• Example: We couldn’t attend the meeting for XYZ reasons.

Foul Play

• Meaning: Dishonest or criminal behavior.
• Example: The police suspect foul play in the death.

Fourth Estate

• Meaning: The press or news media.
• Example: The fourth estate plays a crucial role in a democracy.

Fox in the Henhouse

• Meaning: A predator in a vulnerable situation.
• Example: Putting him in charge of security is like letting the fox into the henhouse.

Freak Out

• Meaning: To become very anxious or scared.
• Example: He freaked out when he saw the spider.

French Leave

• Meaning: To leave without saying goodbye.
• Example: He took French leave and left the party early.

Freudian Slip

• Meaning: An unintentional mistake that reveals true thoughts.
• Example: Her Freudian slip revealed more than she intended.

From Pillar to Post

• Meaning: From one place or situation to another in a disorganized manner.
• Example: We’ve been going from pillar to post trying to find a solution.

From Scratch

• Meaning: From the very beginning.
• Example: We built the business from scratch.

From Soup to Nuts

• Meaning: From beginning to end.
• Example: The event was planned from soup to nuts.

From the Bottom of One’s Heart

• Meaning: Sincerely.
• Example: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.

FUBAR

• Meaning: Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition (or a less polite variation).
• Example: The project was FUBAR after the new policy changes.

Full Fathom Five

• Meaning: Completely immersed or involved.
• Example: He was full fathom five into his new project.

Full of the Joys of Spring

• Meaning: Very happy and full of energy.
• Example: She was full of the joys of spring after her vacation.

Funny Business

• Meaning: Dishonest or suspicious behavior.
• Example: There’s some funny business going on with the accounts.

Fussy Eater

• Meaning: Someone who is very picky about what they eat.
• Example: My son is such a fussy eater; he won’t touch vegetables.

Download the Word of the day