What is the meaning of the idiom tooth and nail?

Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.

How do you use tooth and nail in a sentence?

I'll fight tooth and nail to win the finals.

Where does the saying tooth and nail come from?

Origin of Fight Tooth and Nail

This idiom dates back to the 1500s and comes from the idea of fighting like a wild beast. Animals don't have weapons, so they fight with everything that they've got: their teeth and nails. Charles Dickens famously used the phrase in David Copperfield (1850): I got at it tooth and nail.

What does nail mean?

a small, thin piece of metal with one pointed end and one flat end that you hit into something with a hammer, especially in order to fasten or join it to something else: a three-inch nail.

What is the meaning of out of the blue in idioms?

If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected: One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.

Meaning of 'Fight Tooth and Nail' - English Idioms

How do you use kith and kin in a sentence?

: friends and relatives They invited all their kith and kin to their new home.

How do you use Cloud 9 in a sentence?

: very happy He's been on cloud nine ever since she agreed to marry him.

How do you use spill the beans in a sentence?

She tenses with frustration at not being able to spill the beans. I don't have contact with his other staff to spill the beans. Is he going to spill the beans? I ended it but now she's threatening to spill the beans.

What does cloud 7 mean?

"Cloud seven - completely happy, perfectly satisfied; in a euphoric state." This early preference for seven as the significant number may have been influenced by the existing phrase 'seventh heaven'.

What is the sentence of a piece of cake?

The phrase 'Piece of Cake' is used to describe something that is very easy to complete. Example of Use: “The boy found the project to be a piece of cake because it was incredibly easy.”

What is the meaning of this idiom once in a blue moon?

1. Once in a blue moon: This poetic phrase refers to something extremely rare in occurrence. A blue moon is the term commonly used for a second full moon that occasionally appears in a single month of our solar-based calendars.

What is the meaning of bury the hatchet in idioms?

To agree to end a quarrel: “Jerry and Cindy had been avoiding each other since the divorce, but I saw them together this morning, so they must have buried the hatchet.”

What is the meaning of the idiom to end in smoke?

To end in smoke means to ruin self.

What is the meaning of idiom with flying Colours?

with flying colors, with an overwhelming victory, triumph, or success:He passed the test with flying colors.

What is the meaning of the idiom in black and white?

Definition of in black and white

1 : in written or printed form I want to see it in black and white. 2 : in a way that involves a simple choice between two opposite things (such as good and bad or right and wrong) She sees everything in black and white.

What is the meaning of idiom break a leg?

This is an expression used mostly in the world of theatre to mean 'good luck'. Actors and musicians are never wished 'good luck'; before they walk on to the stage, they are usually told 'break a leg'. This form of wishing people is beginning to be used in other contexts as well.

What does spill the beans mean idiom?

Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919, spill means “divulge,” a usage dating from the 1500s.

What is the meaning of the idiom a snake in the grass?

Definition of snake in the grass

: a secretly faithless friend.

What is the meaning of the idiom bread and butter?

Definition of bread-and-butter

(Entry 1 of 2) 1a : being as basic as the earning of one's livelihood bread-and-butter issues. b(1) : reliable our bread-and-butter repertoire. (2) : dependable as a source of income a company's bread-and-butter products. 2 : sent or given as thanks for hospitality a bread-and-butter ...

What is the meaning of idiom piece of cake?

Definition of piece of cake

: something easily done : cinch, breeze.

What is the meaning of the idiom a bed of roses?

Definition of bed of roses

: a place or situation of agreeable ease.

What is the meaning of idiom raining cats and dogs?

to rain very heavily: Don't forget to take your umbrella - it's raining cats and dogs out there.

What is the sentence for bigger fish to fry?

It's really not worth my time. I've got bigger fish to fry! I want Tom to help me with this project, but he claims he has bigger fish to fry right now. So you aren't coming out with us tonight?

How do you use let the cat out of the bag in a sentence?

to allow a secret to be known, usually without intending to: I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Mel went and let the cat out of the bag.