Idioms about Geographical Features: The world is a beautiful place filled with unique geographical features, and these features can be used as a figure of speech. We know how fundamental idioms can be in our daily language; hence we’ll discover some geographic idioms today.
Getting a grip over common idioms about geographical features will better your grip. In this article, we have added a list of idioms about geographical features, which will give you a better understanding of the language and its uses.
Enrich your Vocabulary by practicing the English Idioms that are commonly used in everyday conversations and understand their actual meaning.
Name of Geographical Features Idioms
List of Geographical Features Idioms
- (On) cloud nine
- Dig deep
- Dirt cheap
- Down to earth
- Fair-weather friend
- Go downhill
- Go with the flow
- Hit the hay
- Hit the road
- Keep one’s head above water
- Know which way the wind blows
- Make a mountain out of a molehill
- Out of the woods
- Over the hill
- Rain on someone else’s parade
- Stick-in-the-mud
- (As) quick as lightning
- The tip of the iceberg
- Take a rain check
- Under the weather
- Up the creek
- Win by a landslide
- (Get) wind of something
- (It’s a) Small World!
- (The) Grass Is (Always) Greener in the Next Pasture (on the Other Side)
- Across The Pond
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place
- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
- Back Forty
- Back Of Beyond
- Beyond the Pale
- King of the Hill
- Out in the Sticks
- Over the Hill
- Over the Moon
- Living Under a Rock
- Man Cave
- Set the Thames on Fire
- Slippery Slope
- Stem the Tide
- The Coast Is Clear
- Too Busy Fighting Alligators to Drain the Swamp
- Virgin Territory
- Swim Against the Tide
- Test the Waters
- Water Under the Bridge
- In hot water
- Take to (an activity) like a duck to water
- Feel like a fish out of water
- Blood is thicker than water
- To muddy the waters
- Pour cold water on something
- Pour oil on troubled water
- Doesn’t hold water
- Dead in the water
- To be like oil and water
- Dip your toe in the water
- Water something down
- Spend money like water
- Still water runs deep
- Aim for the sky
- Castles in the sky
- Eye-in-the-sky
- The sky’s the limit
- No trees grow to the sky
- Pie in the sky
Meaning And Examples Of Some Commonly Used Geographical Features Idioms
(On) cloud nine
Meaning: Someone who is extremely happy.
Example: Hayley was on cloud nine when she finally brought her first house.
Dig deep
Meaning: Someone looking hard for information about someone or something.
Example: The detective had to dig deep to find information about the criminal and his past.
Dirt cheap
Meaning: very inexpensive
Example: The clothes at the new store are dirt cheap.
Down to earth
Meaning: Someone who is natural or has a real personality.
Example: Marie is really down to earth for a woman with so many achievements.
Fair-weather friend
Example: An individual who is only a friend during good times.
Meaning: I can’t talk to Matt about my boyfriend problems. He’s only a fair-weather friend.
Go downhill
Meaning: Something that gets progressively worse.
Example: My performance started going downhill when I started the part-time job.
Go with the flow
Meaning: To continue in the same way as others or continue with how things are going.
Example: I didn’t have any preparation for the presentation, so I just went with the flow.
Hit the hay
Meaning: Going to sleep
Example: She was feeling exhausted, so she hit the hay early tonight.
Hit the road
Meaning: To leave.
Example: It’s getting pretty late. We should better hit the road, or else we will miss the flight.
Keep one’s head above water.
Meaning: Someone having just enough money to live.
Example: It’s challenging to keep my head above water with all of these loans.
Know which way the wind blows
Meaning: Know how things are going to turn out.
Example: No one knows which way the wind will blow – I just hope Jesse makes it in time into the airport.
Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning: Making a small problem seem big.
Example: It’s a small problem, and it can be solved quickly. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
Out of the woods
Meaning: Staying clear of danger.
Example: The doctor said mom’s liver is doing better, but she is not out of the woods yet.
Over the hill
Meaning: Someone who is past middle age.
Example: She knew she was over the hill when she started needing glasses to read.
Rain on someone else’s parade
Meaning: Ruining someone else’s happiness.
Example: Whenever my sister had a dance recital, my brother always rained on her parade.
Stick-in-the-mud
Meaning: A person or loner who won’t join in.
Example: They didn’t bother inviting Jamie to the party because she’s always a stick-in-the-mud.
(As) quick as lightning
Meaning: Something or something that is very fast.
Example: Wow! The drive was as quick as lightning.
The tip of the iceberg
Meaning: The small part of a significant problem
Example: The lost match was just the tip of the iceberg.
Take a rain check
Meaning: Accepting at a later date
Example: I’d love to go out on a date, but can I take a rain check?
Under the weather
Meaning: Someone who is ill
Example: She was feeling under the weather, so she went back to bed early last night.
Up the creek
Meaning: Someone who is in trouble
Example: If my parents find out I had a party, I’ll be up the creek.
Win by a landslide
Meaning: Wining by a lot of points
Example: The Man in the brown coat won by a landslide.
(Get) wind of something
Meaning: Overhear something regarding someone or something (often gossip)
Example: My brother has a new girlfriend. I got wind of it over lunch yesterday.
(It’s a) Small World!
Meaning: Used for showing surprise when an individual meets someone they know at an unexpected place.
Example: I never thought I’d run into the Thames at the dry-cleaners; it’s a small world.
(The) Grass Is (Always) Greener in the Next Pasture (on the Other Side)
Meaning: Other people’s situations or lives always seem better than your own.
Example: Don’t compare yourself to Katherine; the gas is always greener on the other side.
Across The Pond
Meaning: Used to refer to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean (the US or the UK, depending on the location of the speaker).
Example: The Salvatore’s family has moved across the pond.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Meaning: When someone is faced with two equally undesirable alternatives.
Example: She couldn’t make up her mind – she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Meaning: A problematic scenario where there are two equally unpleasant choices.
Example: If I go on the trip, I will lose my job, and if I don’t, I’ll not be able to see my family. I’m stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Back Forty
Meaning: It is an uncultivated and remote or undeveloped land of indefinite sizes.
Example: They couldn’t reach the farmer easily because he was ploughing the back forty.
Back Of Beyond
Meaning: A place that is extremely far from other people and places.
Example: The Kapoor’s have moved somewhere at the back of beyond.
Beyond the Pale
Meaning: Something that is outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour.
Example: Nobody will talk to you at school if you are considered beyond the pale by your own classmates.
King of the Hill
Meaning: An individual who is very successful or is in control.
Example: David made all the boys on the football team meet in the locker room – he was the king of the hill.
Out in the Sticks
Meaning: If any individual lives a long way away from the metropolitan area.
Example: It is very difficult to visit grandma – she lives out in the sticks.
Over the Hill
Meaning: Saying rudely that someone is old and no longer attractive, fit or capable of doing useful work.
Example: Rishi has gone over the hill as a professional athlete.
Over the Moon
Meaning: Implying that someone is very pleased about something.
Example: She was over the moon with her daughter’s final result.
Living Under a Rock
Meaning: Being ignorant or oblivious to what is happening in the outside world.
Example: This girl is living under a rock – she doesn’t even know that Barrack Obama is no longer the United States President.
Man Cave
Meaning: A room in the house where one or more male family members (and sometimes their male friends) do whatever they enjoy doing.
Example: You need to get out here and help me with the chores. You have been in your man cave since morning.
Set the Thames on Fire
Meaning: For causing a lot of excitement or strong feelings.
Example: The contest of becoming the prime minister is setting the Thames on Fire.
Slippery Slope
Meaning: A dangerous path, one leading quickly to catastrophe.
Example: Her behaviour will lead her down a slippery slope and ruin her career.
Stem the Tide
Meaning: To attempt to stop a prevailing trend.
Example: The report stemmed the tide of concerned calls; however, it didn’t stop them altogether.
The Coast Is Clear
Meaning: Someone could go somewhere or could do something without being seen or caught.
Example: As soon as the coast was cleared, he went out in his car.
Too Busy Fighting Alligators to Drain the Swamp
Meaning: Someone who is highly occupied with multiple challenges which one can’t keep the bigger picture in mind.
Example: Lately, there have been many issues in my family, which is why I haven’t been able to work on my project – I’m too busy fighting alligators to drain the swamp.
Virgin Territory
Meaning: Someone who has no experience of it and it is completely new to them.
Example: Saturday is going to be virgin territory for the team – they have never played in the finals before.
Swim Against the Tide
Meaning: To behave or think in a way that agrees or disagrees with how most other people act or think.
Example: Politically, he has always been against the tide on his college campus.
Test the Waters
Meaning: To be able to gauge the success of something by drying it out a little bit.
Example: Before you start the business, I would suggest you test the waters with one or two customers.
Water Under the Bridge
Meaning: Something that has happened in the past and is no longer essential or worth arguing about.
Example: Yes, Edward and I did have our disagreements, but that’s water under the bridge now.
In hot water
Meaning: In trouble as someone has done something wrong.
Example: In case if you don’t finish the assignment on time, you are going to land in hot water with your teacher.
Take to (an activity) like a duck to water.
Meaning: To adapt or learn something new very quickly.
Example: Even though she had never used acrylic colours before, Ana took it like a duck to water and was soon making beautiful artworks.
Feel like a fish out of water
Meaning: To feel uncomfortable as one feels like they don’t belong in the situation or place.
Example: Akash felt like a fish out of water surrounded by all the experienced football players.
Blood is thicker than water.
Meaning: Family relations are above all other ties.
Example: Even though my sister and I are not on the best terms, I will always defend him as blood is thicker than water.
To muddy the waters
Meaning: Making any situation more complicated or confusing than it already is.
Example: The new statement from the eyewitness has muddied the waters; the lawyers and judge have no idea who the actual criminal is.
Pour cold water on something.
Meaning: Criticising someone’s plan or idea so much that they no longer feel excited about it.
Example: I know you had no interest in the trip, but there was no need to pour cold water on Jay’s suggestion. He had been planning it for months.
Pour oil on troubled water.
Meaning: Trying to stop an argument by calming people down.
Example: The teachers tried to pour oil on troubled waters when the students got in a fight in the school auditorium.
Doesn’t hold water
Meaning: When a theory, statement or argument doesn’t hold water, one cannot believe it.
Example: Nina told her mother that the school had not given the report card yet. But her mother knew that didn’t hold water.
Dead in the water
Meaning: Describing an idea or plan that is unlikely to be successful.
Example: I think Jenny idea to run for school president against Nina is dead in the water.
To be like oil and water.
Meaning: Describing things that do not work well together.
Example: The plan was a disaster – my friends from school and my friends from college were like oil and water.
Dip your toe in the water
Meaning: Trying any activity for a short span of time to see if one likes it or if it is going to be successful.
Example: The great thing about internships is that you can dip your toe in the water with many new experiences.
Water something down
Meaning: Make a plan or statement less forceful by changing it or removing the parts that may upset or offend people.
Example: She watered down her statement because she has a bad habit of pleasing people.
Spend money like water
Meaning: Spending lots of money (especially when it must be saved)
Example: She got her first job, so now she has been spending money like water.
Still water runs deep.
Meaning: An individual who is quiet might have very strong thoughts or feelings.
Example: Sana never speaks much, so when she gave the speech on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, it showed that still waters run deep.
Aim for the sky
Meaning: Setting one’s ambitions or goals very high.
Example: My mother always taught me to aim for the sky – she told me that I could achieve anything if I worked hard.
Castles in the sky
Meaning: Hopes, dreams or plans that are unrealistic or impossible or have a tiny chance of succeeding.
Example: She keeps talking about buying her dream house, but those are all castles in the sky until and unless she starts working for it.
Eye-in-the-sky
Meaning: Overhead surveillance of some type – like police helicopter or camera
Example: The eye-in-the-sky is going to make the case easier for the cops.
The sky’s the limit
Meaning: Anything is possible.
Example: If you work hard for your dreams, the sky is your limit.
No trees grow to the sky
Meaning: Growth cannot go unchecked forever.
Example: I know the stocks are booming at the moment, but eventually, there will be a price correction – no tree grows to the sky.
Pie in the sky
Meaning: An unlikely, impossible or fanciful plan or idea.
Example: He keeps talking about becoming a doctor, but it’s a pie in the sky with this kind of preparation.