Little Devil!
Meaning: An exclamation of surprise and annoyance, directed at someone who has behaved badly or performed some kind of prank. Often applied to children.
Use in #sentence: Do you know what those little devils from next door have done now? They've tied the doorknob to the gatepost and I can't get out.

Little Fish In A Big Pond
Meaning: Someone considered unimportant compared to their more significant peers.
Use in #sentence: Jimmy's first school only had seven pupils and he was the star, but when he got to high school he was a little fish in a big pond.

Loaf Of Bread
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for head.
Use in #sentence: Betting your wages on the toss of a coin isn't the best way to get out of debt use your loaf mate.

Long In The Tooth
Meaning: Old.
Use in #sentence: They say sixty is the new forty, but it still sounds pretty long in the tooth to me.

Loose Cannon
Meaning: Someone who is unpredictable and can cause damage by being reckless.
Use in #sentence: These negotiations with the Chinese are at a critical stage. Keep Jack out of it, he's just the sort of loose Cannon that would say the wrong thing and upset them.

Lose Your Head
Meaning: Overcome by emotion and out of control.
Use in #sentence: When the traffic warden had his car towed, Jack lost his head and hit him.

Lose Your Touch
Meaning: Lose an ability that you used to possess.
Use in #sentence: Henry used to be sure to hit any number on the dartboard. Since his back operation he couldn't hit a barn door he's really lost his touch.

Magic Mushroom
Meaning: A type of mushroom with hallucinogenic properties sometimes known as 'shrooms'.
Use in #sentence: Henry's turned into a real dope head stoned every night. If it's not the wacky backy it's the magic mushrooms.

Make A Scene
Meaning: Cause a disturbance.
Use in #sentence: I know your ex wife is here with her lover but don't make a scene, that will just make you feel worse.

Make No Bones About
Meaning: To state a fact so there are no doubts about it.
Use in #sentence: I'll make no bones about it Pol Pot was a murdering dictator.

Man Cave
Meaning: A shed or some other retreat that men decorate in the way they choose (with or without their male friends) and use to relax in traditional male pursuIt's.
Use in #sentence: After I retired Sheila was getting so fed up with me being around the house that she made me turn the outhouse into a man cave. Now the guys come round each afternoon to play cards and watch tv and I've made a sculpture out of beer cans.

Many Happy Returns
Meaning: A toast given to someone on their birthday.
Use in #sentence: The old fella is 80 today many happy returns Grandad.

MateS Rates
Meaning: A discount price offered to friends.
Use in #sentence: I can't really afford to get the roof fixed but my pal Jim is a builder, maybe hell give me mates rates.

Mea Culpa
Meaning: I'm to blame.
Use in #sentence: The white washing came out pink again. Sorry, mea culpa, my red socks got mixed in with the sheets.

Mellow Yellow
Meaning: Dried banana peel, used as an intoxicant.
Use in #sentence: He's tried everything else grass, acid, speed, magic mushrooms. Now he's started on mellow yellow.

Men In SuIt's
Meaning: Conventionally minded and dressed men who hold positions of authority. Also called just 'suIt's'.
Use in #sentence: Everyone in the office wanted a Santas and Elves party on Christmas Eve, but the suit's said no.

Method To My Madness
Meaning: Odd actions that appear meaningless but are done for a good reason.
Use in #sentence: Mixing cooking oil with the petrol might seem a little odd, but just wait, you'll see there's method in my madness.

Mince Pies
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for eyes.
Use in #sentence: If that traffic warden comes back let me know keep your minces open will you?

Mind Your Language
Meaning: An admonition not to swear.
Use in #sentence: Hey kids, I'm on speakerphone to Granny so mind your language.

Miss The Boat
Meaning: Missed the chance to take an opportunity.
Use in #sentence: I should have asked him for that loan when he was in a good mood. Now he's fed up because he's lost at golf and I've missed the boat.

Mrs Mop
Meaning: traditional English name for a cleaning woman.
Use in #sentence: I just don't have time to work full time, look after the kids and keep the house clean perhaps I should get a Mrs. Mop.

Mumbo Jumbo
Meaning: Nonsense or meaningless speech.
Use in #sentence: His speech about magical phenomenology seemed to make sense at the time but now I realise it was just mumbo jumbo.

MumS The Word
Meaning: Keep quiet. Say nothing.
Use in #sentence: I'm telling you this in confidence remember, mums the word.

Mutt And Jeff
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for deaf.
Use in #sentence: You have to shout he's almost completely mutton.

My Old China
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for mate.
Use in #sentence: We've been best pals since schooldays. He's my best china plate.

My Old Dutch
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for Duchess.
Use in #sentence: This year will be our silver wedding, the old dutch and me.

Nail It
Meaning: To perform something particularly well.
Use in #sentence: India needed 15 of the last over and they hit the last three balls for six. They really nailed it.

Nest Egg
Meaning: Savings set aside for future use.
Use in #sentence: That pension will keep building until I'm 65. It's a good little nest egg.

Never Never Land
Meaning: A utopian dreamland.
Use in #sentence: Sonya says she's going to get a part in Jonny Depp's new movie. She needs to stop living in never never land.

New Arrival
Meaning: Colloquial term for a new born baby.
Use in #sentence: Jill's gone into labour. When it comes the new arrival will be her third child.

New Kid On The Block
Meaning: Someone new to the group or area.
Use in #sentence: Let's go and play with him. It's hard being the new kid on the block.

New York Minute
Meaning: A short space of time.
Use in #sentence: I know we need to leave soon, but I can get ready really quickly. I'll be with you in a New York minute.

Nine To Five
Meaning: A standard office day, between 9am and 5pm. Often used to denote the boring nature of the weekly working routine.
Use in #sentence: This 9 to 5 slog really gets me down by about wednesday I'm waiting for the weekend to come.

Nip Slip
Meaning: The inadvertent exposure of a womans nipple.
Use in #sentence: Wearing a low cut dress like that, a nip slip was almost inevitable.

Nitty Gritty
Meaning: The important aspects of a situation; the heart of the matter.
Use in #sentence: The solicitor spent ages listing the business details of Grandad's will. We were all waiting for him to get to the nitty gritty when we found out how much money we would inherit.

No Dice
Meaning: A refusal to accept a proposition.
Use in #sentence: You want me to work all weekend for no extra pay? Sorry, no dice.

No Room To Swing A Cat
Meaning: An awkward or confined space.
Use in #sentence: This hotels room is supposed to be for two people! Hardly, there's not room to swing a cat in here.

No Rush
Meaning: Said to someone to indicate that you aren't in a hurry for them to complete their task.
Use in #sentence: You can finish your tea before you start on my photocopying. I've got to wait here for Jim anyway, so there's no rush.

No Saint
Meaning: Someone who might claim to be of good behaviour but has in fact a sordid past.
Use in #sentence: She was critical of those girls in short skirts but she's no saint herself I can tell you.

No Spring Chicken
Meaning: Said of people who are no longer young but may behave as though they were.
Use in #sentence: Dad's marrying again, to a woman in her 60s. Mind you, he's no spring chicken either.

Nose Around
Meaning: Investigate in an off hand manner.
Use in #sentence: She claimed that her purse was stolen somewhere near here. I suppose we ought to have a nose around before we go back to the station.

North And South
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for mouth.
Use in #sentence: No, it's true! I heard it straight from her own north and south.

Not All There
Meaning: Not in possession of one's mental faculties.
Use in #sentence: He's a bit slow to learn. Some say he's not quite all there.

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Meaning: Someone who lacks intelligence.
Use in #sentence: I asked him to meet me in Derby and he went to Denby. Sometimes I don't think he's playing with a full deck.

Off OneS Rocker
Meaning: Crazy; out of one's mind.
Use in #sentence: Ozzy Osbourne he's a rocker who is off his rocker!

Off The Hook
Meaning: No longer having to deal with something.
Use in #sentence: I know it's your turn to organise the Christmas party but you're off the hook, Judy volunteered to take over.

Off The Record
Meaning: Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn't want repeated.
Use in #sentence: The minister won't talk to reporters since his last off the record briefing got into the papers.

Old Chestnut
Meaning: A story that has been told repeatedly and which has lost any originality.
Use in #sentence: Grandma brings out that story about her meeting the Queen every Christmas. It really is a Hoary old Chestnut.

On A Hiding To Nothing
Meaning: Faced with a hopeless situation, even after making one's best efforts.
Use in #sentence: We knew that our trip to Australia was a hiding to nothing. We had to play with jet lag and they had a much stronger team anyway.

On A Wing And A Prayer
Meaning: In a difficult situation and reliant on luck to get out of it.
Use in #sentence: Jean was out on her feet after two miles. She was on a wing and a prayer to get to the end of the marathon.

On Cloud Nine
Meaning: Blissfully happy.
Use in #sentence: The day after George proposed to her, Mildred won the lottery. She's on cloud nine.

On The Fence
Meaning: Unwilling to give one's view about which side you support.
Use in #sentence: Increase taxes or reduce spending. Who knows? I'm sitting on the fence on that one.

On The Record
Meaning: Something said in confidence that the one speaking is happy to have repeated.
Use in #sentence: As finance minister I'm on the record as supporting increased spending on welfare, and you can quote me on that.

On The Same Page
Meaning: Several people agreeing.
Use in #sentence: Isis has to be dealt with. All European leaders are on the same page about that, right?

On Your Tod
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for alone.
Use in #sentence: The others have all gone out I'm on my tod.

Once In A Blue Moon
Meaning: A rare occurrence.
Use in #sentence: West Bromwich Albion have won the cup. but only every once in a blue moon.

Open Warfare
Meaning: Engaged in active fighting or dispute.
Use in #sentence: The folks across the street have taken to hurling abuse whenever they see us, and we are giving it back it's open warfare.

Out Of Sight
Meaning: Still used with It's literal meaning of 'beyond the range of sight' but more commonly used in It's hippie era meaning of 'excellent; extraordinary'.
Use in #sentence: The other runners were good, but Usian Bolt was out of sight.

Out Of The Blue
Meaning: Suddenly and unexpectedly.
Use in #sentence: We were sunbathing and then it just started to hail. It was literally out of the blue.

Out On The Town
Meaning: Out enjoying oneself.
Use in #sentence: Let's go to the pub and then on to a club. It's good to have a night on the town every now and again.

Over My Dead Body
Meaning: Said when you absolutely refuse to allow something to happen.
Use in #sentence: He bullied me at school and now you want to promote him. Over my dead body!

Over The Top
Meaning: Excessive.
Use in #sentence: A fine for my parking offence, that's okay, but crushing the car was over the top.

Paint The Town Red
Meaning: Go on a boisterous or exuberant spree
Use in #sentence: It's the last day of term and everyone wants to party. Why don't we paint the town red?

Partner Up
Meaning: Find a companion.
Use in #sentence: Okay, this next dance is the waltz. If everyone partners up we can get started.

Pass The Buck
Meaning: Avoid responsibility by giving it to someone else.
Use in #sentence: The government has been in power for six years now but every time there's a crisis they pass the buck and blame the previous administration.

Pedal To The Metal
Meaning: To go at full speed, when driving a vehicle.
Use in #sentence: Well never make it to the hospital in time at this speed. Put the pedal to the metal and hurry things up.

Peachy Keen
Meaning: Excellent; wonderful.
Use in #sentence: Wow, that 20 year old whiskey is peachy keen..

Peg Out
Meaning: To die, especially to die of old age. 2. To complete a circuit of the board in the card game cribbage.
Use in #sentence: Gran had been bedridden for months and finally pegged out yesterday.

Pen And Ink
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for stink.
Use in #sentence: That drain cover should be an airtight seal but it's broken. There's a real pen and ink in here.

Perfect Pitch
Meaning: The ability to determine a musical note by ear.
Use in #sentence: He knew that the cars engine was humming a D sharp just by listening he has perfect pitch.

Phone It In
Meaning: Perform an act in an uncommitted disinterested manner.
Use in #sentence: John Goodman was so bored with his lead role in the Flintstones movie he virtually phoned in his performance.

Photo Bomb
Meaning: Spoil a photograph by unexpectedly appearing in the picture and taking the attention away from the intended subject usually as a prank.
Use in #sentence: Jack is so annoying. We were all posed for my graduation picture and he photobombed us wearing a pink cowboy hat.

Pig Out
Meaning: To overeat in a slovenly manner.
Use in #sentence: I told the babysitters not to pig out but when we got back there were nine pizza boxes on the floor.

Pigs Might Fly
Meaning: Said when referring to something that is highly unlikely.
Use in #sentence: I heard that bankers might give their bonuses to the poor this year. Yes, and pigs might fly!

Pipe Down
Meaning: An instruction to shut up or be quiet.
Use in #sentence: Okay kids, the lesson has started. Pipe down and I'll begin.

Plates Of Meat
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for feet.
Use in #sentence: I knew I shouldn't have agreed to help with the Christmas post. Ten miles up and down stairs today my plates are killing me.

Play DevilS Advocate
Meaning: A person who takes a contrary position from the one being presented, either for the sake of argument or to test the validity of the opposing point of view.
Use in #sentence: I didn't really disagree with what he was saying but I decided to play devil's advocate just to get him to try to make a better case for it.

Play Safe
Meaning: Avoid risk.
Use in #sentence: We could have invested in that new stock but we decided to play safe and wait for a more secure place for our money.

Porky Pies
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for lies.
Use in #sentence: You can't trust what he tells you half of his stories are porkies.

Potatoes (Or Taters) In The Mould
Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for cold.
Use in #sentence: Whoa, it's the coldest day of the winter so far really taters.

Potty Mouth
Meaning: A foul mouthed person.
Use in #sentence: I couldn't believe that string of swearwords that Jill gave the teacher she's a real potty mouth.

Practice Makes Perfect
Meaning: Diligent practice leads to expertise.
Use in #sentence: 10,000 hours needed to make a top class pianist. Keep going practice makes perfect.

Prick Up Your Ears
Meaning: Listen very carefully like a dog or horse with erect ears.
Use in #sentence: Prick up your ears folks this is important and I'll only be saying it once.

Pull The Plug
Meaning: Bring something to an end.
Use in #sentence: The new government prefer to spend on defence. They've pulled the plug on all new welfare spending.

Pull The Wool Over SomeoneS Eyes
Meaning: Deceive someone.
Use in #sentence: He convinced us all that he was going straight, then the police found him with ten stolen watches. He really pulled the wool over our eyes.