as a duck takes to water easily and nat-
urally. (Informal.) She took to singing
just as a duck takes to water. The baby
adapted to bottle-feeding as a duck takes
to water.
as a (general) rule usually; almost always.
He can be found in his office as a gen-
eral rule. As a general rule, Jane plays
golf on Wednesdays. As a rule, things
tend to get less busy after supper time.
as a last resort as the last choice; if every-
thing else fails. Call the doctor at home
only as a last resort. As a last resort, she
will perform surgery.
as alike as (two) peas in a pod very sim-
ilar. (Compare this with like (two) peas
in a pod.) The twins are as alike as two
peas in a pod. These two books are as
alike as peas in a pod.
as a matter of course normally; as a nor-
mal procedure. The nurse takes your
temperature as a matter of course. You
are expected to make your own bed as a
matter of course.
as a matter of fact actually; in addition to
what has been said; in reference to what
has been said. (See also matter-of-fact.)
As a matter of fact, John came into the
room while you were talking about him.
I’m not a poor worker. As a matter of fact,
I’m very efficient.
as an aside as a comment; as a comment
that is not supposed to be heard by every-
one. At the wedding, Tom said as an
aside, “The bride doesn’t look well.” At
the ballet, Billy said as an aside to his
mother, “I hope the dancers fall off the
stage!”
as a result of something because of some-
thing that has happened. As a result of
the accident, Tom couldn’t walk for six
months. We couldn’t afford to borrow
money for a house as a result of the rise
in interest rates.
as a token (of something) symbolic of some-
thing, especially of gratitude; as a me-
mento of something. He gave me a rose
as a token of the time we spent together.
Here, take this $100 as a token of my ap-
preciation. I can’t thank you enough.
Please accept this money as a token.
(as) awkward as a cow on a crutch and
(as) awkward as a cow on roller
skates very awkward. When Lulu was
pregnant, she was awkward as a cow on a
crutch. Tom will never be a gymnast.
He’s as awkward as a cow on roller skates!
(as) awkward as a cow on roller skates
Go to (as) awkward as a cow on a crutch.
(as) bad as all that as bad as reported; as
bad as it seems. (Usually expressed in the
negative.) Come on! Nothing could be
as bad as all that. Stop crying. It can’t
be as bad as all that.
(as) bald as a baby’s backside Go to (as)
bald as a coot.
(as) bald as a coot and (as) bald as a
baby ’s backside completely bald. If
Tom’s hair keeps receding like that, he’ll
be bald as a coot by the time he’s thirty.
FRED: Now, I’ll admit my hair is thin-
ning a little on the top, but— JANE: Thin-
ning? You’re not thinning, you’re as bald as
a baby’s backside!
(as) baleful as death promising evil; very
threatening. The wind’s moan was as
baleful as death. His voice sounded bale-
ful as death.
(as) big as all outdoors very big, usually
referring to a space of some kind.
(Folksy.) You should see Bob’s living
room. It’s as big as all outdoors. The new
movie theater is as big as all outdoors.
(as) big as life and (as) big as life and
twice as ugly an exaggerated way of say-
ing that a person or a thing appeared in
a particular place. (Folksy. The second
phrase is slang.) The little child just
stood there as big as life and laughed very
hard. I opened the door, and there was
Tom as big as life. I came home and
found this cat in my chair, as big as life and
twice as ugly.
(as) big as life and twice as ugly Go to
(as) big as life.
(as) black as a skillet black. I don’t
want to go down to the cellar. It’s as black
as a skillet down there. The bruise
turned black as a skillet.
(as) black as a sweep extremely dirty.
(The sweep is a chimney sweep.) After
playing in the mud all morning, the chil-
dren were as black as sweeps. When Jane
came in from working on her car, Alan told
her, “Wash before you come to the dinner
table. You’re black as a sweep!”
(as) black as coal completely black.
Mark’s eyes were as black as coal. The
stranger’s clothes were all black as coal.
(as) black as night very dark and black.
The ink in this pen is black as night.
During the eclipse, my room was as black
as night.
(as) black as one is painted as evil as de-
scribed. (Usually negative.) The land-
lord is not as black as he is painted. He
seems quite generous. Young people are
rarely black as they are painted in the
media.
(as) black as pitch very black; very dark.
The night was as black as pitch. The
rocks seemed black as pitch against the sil-
ver sand.
(as) black as the ace of spades very
black. (Refers to playing cards.) The
car was long and shiny and black as the ace
of spades. Jill’s shoes are black as the ace
of spades.
(as) blind as a bat with imperfect sight;
blind. My grandmother is as blind as a
bat. I’m getting blind as a bat. I can
hardly read this page.
(as) bold as brass very bold; bold to the
point of rudeness. Lisa marched into
the manager’s office, bold as brass, and
demanded her money back. The tiny
kitten, as bold as brass, began eating the
dog’s food right in front of the dog’s nose.
(as) bright as a button intelligent; quick-
minded. (Usually used to describe chil-
dren.) Why, Mrs. Green, your little girl
is as bright as a button. You can’t fool
Mandy. She may be only six years old, but
she’s bright as a button.
(as) bright as a new pin bright and clean;
shiny. After Nora cleaned the house, it
was as bright as a new pin. My kitchen
f loor is bright as a new pin since I started
using this new f loor wax.
(as) busy as a bee Go to (as) busy as a
beaver.
(as) busy as a cat on a hot tin roof full
of lively activity; very busy. I’m afraid
I can’t go to lunch with you on Saturday;
I’ll be busy as a cat on a hot tin roof, be-
tween working overtime and the two par-
ties I have to go to. Jerry’s three part-
time jobs kept him as busy as a cat on a hot
tin roof.
(as) busy as a hibernating bear not busy
at all. TOM: I can’t go with you. I’m
busy. JANE: Yeah. You’re as busy as a
hibernating bear. He lounged on the sofa
all day, busy as a hibernating bear.
(as) busy as a one-armed paperhanger
very busy. My boss keeps me as busy as
a one-armed paperhanger. I’ve got
plenty of work. I’m busy as a one-armed
paperhanger.
(as) busy as Grand Central Station very
busy; crowded with customers or other
people. (Refers to Grand Central Station
in New York City.) This house is as busy
as Grand Central Station. When the
tourist season starts, this store is busy as
Grand Central Station.
(as) busy as popcorn on a skillet very
active. She rushed around, as busy as
popcorn on a skillet. Prying into other
folks’ business kept him busy as popcorn on
a skillet.
(as) calm as a toad in the sun very calm
and content. She smiled, as calm as a
toad in the sun. Nothing ruff les him.
He’s calm as a toad in the sun.
(as) clear as a bell very clear and easy to
hear. I fixed the radio, so now all the
stations come in clear as a bell. Through
the wall, I could hear the neighbors talk-
ing, just as clear as a bell.
(as) clear as crystal 1. very clear; trans-
parent. The stream was as clear as crys-
tal. She cleaned the windowpane until
it was clear as crystal. 2. very clear; easy
to understand. The explanation was as
clear as crystal. Her lecture was not clear
as crystal, but at least it was not dull.
(as) clear as mud not understandable. (In-
formal.) Your explanation is as clear as
mud. This doesn’t make sense. It’s clear
as mud.
(as) clear as vodka 1. very clear. The
weather is as clear as vodka. The river
wasn’t exactly as clear as vodka because it
had just rained. 2. very understandable.
Everything he said is as clear as vodka.
I understand what John said, but every-
thing you say is clear as vodka.
(as) close as two coats of paint close and
intimate. When Tom and Mary were
kids, they were as close as two coats of
paint. All their lives, the cousins were
close as two coats of paint.
(as) cocky as the king of spades boast-
ful; overly proud. (Refers to playing
cards.) He’d challenge anyone to a fight.
He’s as cocky as the king of spades. She
strutted in, cocky as the king of spades.
(as) cold as a witch’s caress and (as)
cold as a witch’s tit very cold; chilling.
(Use caution with tit.) The wind was as
cold as a witch’s caress. She gave me a
look as cold as a witch’s caress.
(as) crooked as a barrel of fishhooks
and (as) crooked as a fishhook dis-
honest. Don’t play cards with him. He’s
as crooked as a barrel of fishhooks. Af-
ter Jane cheated a few folks, word got
around that she was crooked as a fishhook.
(as) crooked as a dog’s hind leg dishon-
est. Don’t trust John. He’s as crooked as
a dog’s hind leg. Mary says all politi-
cians are crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
(as) crooked as a fishhook Go to (as)
crooked as a barrel of fishhooks.
(as) dead as a dodo dead; no longer in ex-
istence. (Informal.) Yes, Adolf Hitler is
really dead—as dead as a dodo. That
silly old idea is dead as a dodo.
(as) dead as a doornail dead. (Informal.)
This fish is as dead as a doornail.
John kept twisting the chicken’s neck even
though it was dead as a doornail.
(as) deaf as a post very deaf; profoundly
deaf. He can’t hear a thing you say. He’s
as deaf as a post. Our old dog is deaf as
a post and he can’t see much either.
(as) different as night and day com-
pletely different. Although Bobby and
Billy are twins, they are as different as
night and day. Birds and bats appear
to be similar, but they are different as night
and day.
(as) drunk as a lord and (as) drunk as
a skunk very drunk. He came home
drunk as a lord again. She was as drunk
as a lord by the time they left here.
(as) easy as falling off a log and (as)
easy as rolling off a log very easy.
(Folksy.) Passing that exam was as easy
as falling off a log. Getting out of jail
was easy as rolling off a log.
(as) easy as rolling off a log Go to (as)
easy as falling off a log.
(as) exciting as watching (the) paint dry
very, very dull. This book is about as ex-
citing as watching paint dry. Listening
to you is exciting as watching the paint dry.
(as) far as anyone knows and so far as
anyone knows to the limits of anyone’s
knowledge. (Informal. The anyone can be
replaced with a more specific noun or
pronoun.) As far as anyone knows, this
is the last of the great herds of buffalo.
Far as I know, this is the best one. These
are the only keys to the house so far as any-
one knows.
as far as it goes as much as something
does, covers, or accomplishes. (Usually
said of something that is inadequate.)
Your plan is fine as far as it goes. It doesn’t
seem to take care of everything, though.
As far as it goes, this law is a good one.
It should require stiffer penalties, however.
(as) fat as a pig exceptionally fat;
grotesquely fat. If I don’t stop eating
this cake, I’ll be fat as a pig! You really
ought to go on a diet; you’re as fat as a pig.
(as) fit as a fiddle healthy and physically
fit. Mary is as fit as a fiddle. Tom
used to be fit as a fiddle. Look at him now!
(as) flat as a board very flat. (Also used
to describe someone’s chest or abdomen,
referring to well-developed abdominal
muscles or to small or absent breasts or
pectoral development—in either sex.)
Jane was f lat as a board until she was six-
teen, when she suddenly blossomed. The
terrain in that part of the country is as f lat
as a board.
(as) flat as a pancake very flat. (Infor-
mal.) The punctured tire was as f lat as
a pancake. Bobby squashed the ant f lat
as a pancake.
as for someone or something 1. and as to some-
one or something regarding someone or
something. As for the mayor, he can pay
for his own dinner. As for you, Bobby,
there will be no dessert tonight. As for
this chair, there is nothing to do but throw
it away. As to your idea about building
a new house, forget it. 2. [with someone]
quoting someone; speaking for someone.
As for me, I prefer vegetables to meat.
As for Tom, he refuses to attend the
concert.
(as) free as a bird carefree; completely
free. Jane is always happy and free as a
bird. The convict escaped from jail and
was as free as a bird for two days. In
the summer I feel free as a bird.
(as) free as (the) air completely free;
without obligations or responsibilities.
The day I got out of the army, I felt as free
as air. No, I’m not married. I don’t even
have a girlfriend. I’m free as the air.
(as) fresh as a daisy very fresh; fresh and
alert. The morning dew was as fresh as
a daisy. Sally was fresh as a daisy and
cheerful as could be.
(as) full as a tick and (as) tight as a tick
very full of food or drink. (Informal.
Refers to a tick that has filled itself full
of blood.) Little Billy ate and ate until
he was as tight as a tick. Our cat drank
the cream until he became full as a tick.
(as) funny as a barrel of monkeys and
more fun than a barrel of monkeys
very funny. (Almost the same as as much
fun as a barrel of monkeys.) Todd was
as funny as a barrel of monkeys. The en-
tire evening was funny as a barrel of mon-
keys. The party was more fun than a
barrel of monkeys.
(as) funny as a crutch not funny at all.
Your trick is about as funny as a crutch.
Nobody thought it was funny. The well-
dressed lady slipped and fell in the gutter,
which was funny as a crutch.
(as) gaudy as a butterfly gaudy; color-
ful. Marie looked as gaudy as a butter-
f ly in her new dress. Michael’s scarf is
gaudy as a butterf ly.
(as) gentle as a lamb very gentle. (Used
to describe people.) Don’t be afraid of
Mr. Smith. He may look fierce, but he’s as
gentle as a lamb. Lisa was gentle as a
lamb when dealing with children.
(as) good as done the same as being done;
almost done. (Other past participles can
replace done in this phrase: cooked, dead,
finished, painted, typed, etc.) This job
is as good as done. It’ll just take another
second. Yes, sir, if you hire me to paint
your house, it’s as good as painted.
When I hand my secretary a letter to be
typed, I know that it’s as good as typed
right then and there.
(as) good as gold genuine; authentic.
Mary’s promise is as good as gold. Yes,
this diamond is genuine—good as gold.
as good as one’s word obedient to one’s
promise; dependable in keeping one’s
promises. He was as good as his word.
He lent me the books as promised. She
said she would baby-sit and she was as
good as her word.
(as) graceful as a swan very graceful.
The boat glided out onto the lake as grace-
ful as a swan. Jane is graceful as a swan.
(as) gruff as a bear gruff; curt and unso-
ciable. I hate to ask Erica questions;
she’s always gruff as a bear. I’m always
as gruff as a bear before I’ve had my first
cup of coffee.
(as) happy as a clam happy and content.
(Note the variation in the examples.
Sometimes with additional phrases, such
as in butter sauce or at high tide.) Tom
sat there smiling, as happy as a clam.
There they all sat, eating corn on the cob
and looking happy as clams.
(as) happy as a lark visibly happy and
cheerful. (Note the variation in the ex-
amples.) Sally walked along whistling,
as happy as a lark. The children danced
and sang, happy as larks.
(as) happy as can be very happy. We
are both as happy as can be. Bob was
happy as can be when he won the lottery.
(as) hard as a rock and (as) hard as
stone very hard. This cake is as hard
as a rock! I can’t drive a nail into this
wood. It’s hard as stone.
(as) hard as nails very hard; cold and
cruel. (Refers to the nails that are used
with a hammer.) The old loaf of bread
was dried out and became as hard as nails.
Ann was unpleasant and hard as nails
(as) hard as stone Go to (as) hard as a
rock.
(as) high as a kite and (as) high as the
sky 1. very high. The tree grew as high
as a kite. Our pet bird got outside and
f lew up high as the sky. 2. drunk or
drugged. Bill drank beer until he got as
high as a kite. The thieves were high as
the sky on drugs.
(as) high as the sky Go to (as) high as a
kite.
(as) hoarse as a crow hoarse.
shouting at the team all afternoon, the
coach was as hoarse as a crow. JILL: Has
Bob got a cold? JANE: No, he’s always
hoarse as a crow.
(as) hot as fire very hot; burning hot.
I’m afraid Betsy has a high fever. Her fore-
head is hot as fire. In the summertime,
the concrete sidewalks feel as hot as fire.
(as) hot as hell very hot. (Informal. Use
caution with hell.) It’s as hot as hell out-
side. It must be near 100 degrees. I hate
to get into a car that has been parked in
the sun. It’s hot as hell.
(as) hungry as a bear very hungry. (In-
formal.) I’m as hungry as a bear. I could
eat anything! Whenever I jog, I get hun-
gry as a bear.
(as) hungry as a hunter very hungry.
Is there anything to eat? I’ve been out hoe-
ing my garden all morning, and I’m as
hungry as a hunter! We’d better have a
big meal ready by the time Tommy gets
home; he’s always hungry as a hunter af-
ter soccer practice.
as I expected Go to (just) as I expected.
(as) innocent as a lamb guiltless; naive.
“Hey! You can’t throw me in jail,” cried
the robber. “I’m innocent as a lamb.”
Look at the baby, as innocent as a lamb.
as it were as one might say. (Sometimes
used to qualify an assertion that may not
sound reasonable.) He carefully con-
structed, as it were, a huge sandwich.
The Franklins live in a small, as it were,
exquisite house.
(as) large as life in person; actually, and
sometimes surprisingly, present at a
place. I thought Jack was away, but
there he was as large as life. Jean was not
expected to appear, but she turned up large
as life.
(as) light as a feather of little weight.
Sally dieted until she was as light as a
feather. Of course I can lift the box. It’s
light as a feather.
(as) likely as not probably; with an even
chance either way. He will as likely as
not arrive without warning. Likely as
not, the game will be canceled.
as long as 1. and so long as since; be-
cause. As long as you’re going to the
bakery, please buy some fresh bread. So
long as you’re here, please stay for dinner.
2. and so long as if; only if. You may
have dessert so long as you eat all your veg-
etables. You can go out this evening as
long as you promise to be home by mid-
night. 3. for a specified length of time.
You may stay out as long as you like. I
didn’t go to school as long as Bill did. 4. [in
comparisons] of equal length. Is this
one as long as that one? This snake is
as long as a car!
as luck would have it by good or bad
luck; as it turned out; by chance. As
luck would have it, we had a f lat tire.
As luck would have it, the check came in
the mail today.
(as) mad as a hatter 1. crazy. (From the
crazy character called the Hatter in Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonder-
land.) Poor old John is as mad as a hat-
All these screaming children are
driving me mad as a hatter. 2. angry.
(This is a misunderstanding of mad in
the first sense. Folksy. The first as can be
omitted.) You make me so angry! I’m as
mad as a hatter. John can’t control his
temper. He’s always mad as a hatter.
(as) mad as a hornet angry. You make
me so angry. I’m as mad as a hornet.
Jane can get mad as a hornet when some-
body criticizes her.
(as) mad as a wet hen angry. (Folksy.)
Bob was screaming and shouting—as mad
as a wet hen. What you said made Mary
mad as a wet hen.
(as) mad as hell very angry. (Informal.
Use caution with hell.) He made his
wife as mad as hell. Those terrorists
make me mad as hell.
(as) meek as a lamb meek; quiet and
docile. Only an hour after their argu-
ment, Joe went to Elizabeth and, meek as
a lamb, asked her to forgive him. Betsy
terrorizes the other children, but she’s as
meek as a lamb around her elders.
(as) merry as a cricket cheerful. (Old-
fashioned.) Mary is as merry as a
cricket whenever she has company come to
call. George is such a pleasant compan-
ion; he’s usually merry as a cricket.
(as) merry as the day is long very happy
and carefree. The little children are as
merry as the day is long. Only on va-
cation are we merry as the day is long.
as much fun as a barrel of monkeys a
great deal of fun. (Almost the same as
(as) funny as a barrel of monkeys.)
Roger is as much fun as a barrel of mon-
keys. The circus was as much fun as a
barrel of monkeys.
(as) naked as a jaybird naked. “Billy,”
called Mrs. Franklin, “get back in the house
and get some clothes on. You’re as naked as
a jaybird.” Tom had to get naked as a
jaybird for the doctor to examine him.
(as) neat as a pin neat and orderly. Brad
is such a good housekeeper; his apartment
is always as neat as a pin. Joanne cer-
tainly is well-organized. Her desk is neat
as a pin.
as one as if a group were one person. (Es-
pecially with act, move, or speak.) All
the dancers moved as one. The chorus
spoke as one.
(as) pale as a ghost Go to (as) white as
a ghost.
(as) pale as death extremely pale. (The
reference to death gives this phrase omi-
nous connotations.) Rita was as pale as
death when she came out of the doctor’s of-
fice. What’s the matter? You’re pale as
death!
(as) patient as Job very patient. (Refers
to a character in the Bible.) If you want
to teach young children, you must be as pa-
tient as Job. The director who is work-
ing with that temperamental actor must
have the patience of Job.
(as) phony as a three-dollar bill phony;
bogus. This guy’s as phony as a three-
dollar bill. The whole deal stinks. It’s as
phony as a three-dollar bill.
(as) plain as a pikestaff obvious; very
clear. JILL: Why does the Senator al-
ways vote for measures that would help the
tobacco industry? JANE: It’s as plain as a
pikestaff—because there are a lot of to-
bacco growers in his district, and he wants
them to vote for him. FRED: I have a
suspicion that Marcia is upset with me.
ALAN: A suspicion? Come on, Fred, that’s
been plain as a pikestaff for quite some
time!
(as) plain as day 1. very plain and sim-
ple. Although his face was as plain as
day, his smile made him look interesting
and friendly. Our house is plain as day,
but it’s comfortable. 2. clear and under-
standable. The lecture was as plain as
day. No one had to ask questions. His
statement was plain as day.
(as) pleased as punch very pleased; very
pleased with oneself. (Refers to the char-
acter Punch in [English] Punch and Judy
puppet shows. Punch is sometimes capi-
talized.) Wally was as pleased as punch
when he won the prize. She seems
pleased as punch, but she knows she does-
n’t deserve the award.
(as) poor as a church mouse very poor.
My aunt is as poor as a church mouse.
The Browns are poor as church mice.
(as) pretty as a picture very pretty.
Sweet little Mary is as pretty as a picture.
Their new house is pretty as a picture.
(as) proud as a peacock very proud;
haughty. John is so arrogant. He’s as
proud as a peacock. The new father was
proud as a peacock.
(as) pure as the driven snow pure and
virginal. (Often used ironically.) JILL:
Sue must have gone to bed with every man
in town. JANE: And I always thought she
was as pure as the driven snow. Robert
was notoriously promiscuous, but tried to
convince all his girlfriends that he was pure
as the driven snow.
(as) queer as a three-dollar bill very
strange. Today I saw a woman pushing
a lawn mower down the street and singing
to it as she went. I thought she was queer
as a three-dollar bill. JILL: In all the
years I’ve known him, Mike has never had
a suit and he goes barefoot. FRED: That’s
because he’s as queer as a three-dollar bill.
(as) quick as a flash Go to (as) quick as
a wink.
(as) quick as a wink and (as) quick as
a flash very quickly. As quick as a
wink, the thief took the lady’s purse. I’ll
finish this work quick as a wink. The
dog grabbed the meat as quick as a f lash.
The summer days went by quick as a
f lash.
(as) quiet as a mouse very quiet; shy and
silent. (Informal. Often used with chil-
dren.) Don’t yell; whisper. Be as quiet
as a mouse. Mary hardly ever says any-
thing. She’s quiet as a mouse.
(as) quiet as the grave very quiet; silent.
The house is as quiet as the grave when
the children are at school. This town is
quiet as the grave now that the offices have
closed.
(as) red as a cherry bright red. (Some-
what old-fashioned.) When the chil-
dren came in from ice-skating, Clara’s nose
was as red as a cherry. When Lester pro-
posed marriage, Nancy blushed as red as
a cherry.
(as) red as a poppy bright red. (Usually
used to describe someone blushing.)
You must be embarrassed—you’re as red
as a poppy! When her boss praised her
in front of the whole office, Emily turned
red as a poppy.
(as) red as a rose intensely red. Bill
blushed as red as a rose when we teased
him.
(as) red as a ruby deep red. (Often used
to describe a person’s lips.) Linda has
a beautiful face, with big blue eyes and lips
as red as rubies.
(as) red as blood completely red; deep
red. (The reference to blood gives this ex-
pression sinister connotations.) The
magician’s cape was lined with satin as red
as blood. I want to have my car painted
red as blood.
(as) regular as clockwork dependably re-
gular. (Informal.) She comes into this
store every day, as regular as clockwork.
Our tulips come up every year, regular
as clockwork.
(as) sharp as a razor 1. very sharp. The
penknife is sharp as a razor. The carv-
ing knife will have to be as sharp as a ra-
zor to cut through this meat. 2. very
sharp-witted or intelligent. The old
man’s senile, but his wife is as sharp as a
razor. Don’t say too much in front of the
child. She’s as sharp as a razor.
(as) sharp as a tack intellectually bright.
Melissa doesn’t say very much, but she’s
sharp as a tack. Sue can figure things
out from even the slightest hint. She’s as
sharp as a tack.
(as) sick as a dog very sick; sick and vom-
iting. We’ve never been so ill. The whole
family was sick as dogs. Sally was as sick
as a dog and couldn’t go to the party.
(as) silent as the dead and (as) silent as
the grave completely silent. (Has omi-
nous connotations because of the refer-
ence to death. Usually used to promise
someone that you will be silent and
therefore not betray a secret.) I knew
something was wrong as soon as I entered
the classroom; everyone was silent as the
dead. Jessica is as silent as the grave on
the subject of her first marriage. If you
tell me what Katy said about me, I promise
to be as silent as the grave.
(as) silent as the grave Go to (as) silent
as the dead.
(as) slick as a whistle quickly and cleanly;
quickly and skillfully. Tom took a
broom and a mop and cleaned the place up
as slick as a whistle. Slick as a whistle,
Sally pulled off the bandage.
(as) slippery as an eel devious; unde-
pendable. Tom can’t be trusted. He’s as
slippery as an eel. It’s hard to catch Joe
in his office because he’s slippery as an eel.
(as) slow as molasses in January and
slower than molasses in January slow.
Can’t you get dressed any faster? I de-
clare, you’re as slow as molasses in Janu-
ary. The traffic on the way to the con-
cert was slower than molasses in January.
(as) sly as a fox smart and clever.
nephew is as sly as a fox. You have to
be sly as a fox to outwit me.
(as) smooth as glass smooth and shiny.
(Often used to describe calm bodies of
water.) The bay is as smooth as glass,
so we should have a pleasant boat trip.
Eugene polished the f loor until it was
smooth as glass.
(as) smooth as silk very smooth. This
pudding is smooth as silk. Your skin is
as smooth as silk.
(as) snug as a bug in a rug cozy and snug.
(Informal. The kind of thing said when
putting a child to bed.) Let’s pull up the
covers. There you are, Bobby, as snug as a
bug in a rug. What a lovely little house!
I know I’ll be snug as a bug in a rug.
(as) soft as a baby’s bottom very soft and
smooth to the touch. This cloth is as
soft as a baby’s bottom. No, Bob does-
n’t shave yet. His cheeks are soft as a baby’s
bottom.
(as) soft as down soft to the touch.
(Refers to the softness of goose or duck
down.) The kitten’s fur was as soft as
down. The baby’s skin was soft as down.
(as) soft as silk very soft. This fabric is
as soft as silk. Your touch is soft as silk.
(as) soft as velvet very soft to the touch.
The horse’s nose felt as soft as velvet.
This lotion will make your skin soft as
velvet.
(as) solid as a rock very solid; dependable.
Jean has been lifting weights every day,
and her arm muscles are solid as a rock.
This company builds typewriters that
are as solid as a rock.
as soon as at the moment that; at the time
that; when. I fell asleep as soon as I lay
down. John ate dinner as soon as he
came home.
(as) sound as a dollar 1. very secure and
dependable. This investment is as sound
as a dollar. I wouldn’t put my money in
a bank that isn’t sound as a dollar. 2.
sturdy and well-constructed. This
house is as sound as a dollar. The garage
is still sound as a dollar. Why tear it down?
(as) sour as vinegar sour and disagree-
able. The old man greeted us ill-
naturedly, his face as sour as vinegar.
JILL: Is Mary in a bad mood today? JANE:
Yes, sour as vinegar.
(as) steady as a rock very steady and un-
movable; very stable. His hand was
steady as a rock as he pulled the trigger of
the revolver. You must remain as steady
as a rock when you are arguing with your
supervisor.
(as) stiff as a poker rigid and inflexible;
stiff and awkward. (Usually used to de-
scribe people.) This guy’s dead. He’s
cold and as stiff as a poker. John is not
a very good dancer; he’s stiff as a poker.
(as) still as death immobile; completely
still. (The reference to death gives this ex-
pression ominous connotations.)
George sat as still as death all afternoon.
When the storm was over, everything
was suddenly still as death.
(as) strong as a horse [of someone] very
strong. JILL: My car broke down; it’s sit-
ting out on the street. JANE: Get Linda to
help you push it; she’s as strong as a horse.
The athlete was strong as a horse. He
could lift his own weight with just one
hand.
(as) strong as a lion very strong. See if
you can get Melissa to help us move our
furniture. She’s as strong as a lion. The
football player was strong as a lion.
(as) stubborn as a mule very stubborn.
My husband is as stubborn as a mule.
Our cat is stubborn as a mule.
as such the way something is; as someone
or something is. I cannot accept your
manuscript as such. It needs revisions.
You are new here, and as such, I will have
to train you.
(as) sure as death sure; very certain. As
political tension increased, it became more
and more apparent that war was coming,
as sure as death. JILL: Is the company
definitely going to lay people off ? JANE:
Sure as death.
(as) sweet as honey and (as) sweet as
sugar 1. very sweet. These little cakes
are as sweet as honey. This fruit juice is
as sweet as honey. 2. charming; very nice
and friendly. She is as sweet as honey
whenever she talks to me. He seems
sweet as honey, but he is really mean.
(as) sweet as sugar Go to (as) sweet as
honey.
(as) swift as an arrow very fast.
new intercity train is swift as an arrow.
My week of vacation sped by as swift as an
arrow.
(as) swift as thought extremely fast.
Thanks to modern communication de-
vices, news can now travel almost as swift
as thought. You won’t have to wait for
me long; I’ll be there, swift as thought.
as the crow flies straight across the land,
as opposed to distances measured on a
road, river, etc. (Folksy.) It’s twenty
miles to town on the highway, but only ten
miles as the crow flies. Our house is only
a few miles from the lake as the crow f lies.
(as) thick as pea soup [of a liquid or fog]
very thick. (Informal.) This fog is as
thick as pea soup. Wow, this coffee is
strong! It’s thick as pea soup.
(as) thick as thieves very close-knit;
friendly; allied. Mary, Tom, and Sally
are as thick as thieves. They go everywhere
together. Those two families are thick as
thieves.
(as) tight as a drum 1. stretched tight.
Julia stretched the upholstery fabric over
the seat of the chair until it was as tight
as a drum. 2. sealed tight. Now that
I’ve caulked all the windows, the house
should be tight as a drum. 3. very stingy.
was a child she was as ugly as a toad.
The shopkeeper was ugly as a toad, but he
was kind and generous, and everyone loved
(as) ugly as sin very ugly. The new
building is as ugly as sin. The old
woman is ugly as sin, but she dresses
beautifully.
as usual as is the normal or typical situa-
tion. John ordered eggs for breakfast as
usual. He stood quietly as usual, wait-
ing for the bus to come.
(as) warm as toast very warm and cozy.
The baby will be warm as toast in that
blanket. We were as warm as toast by
the side of the fire.
(as) weak as a baby [of someone] phys-
ically very weak. Six weeks of illness left
the athlete as weak as a baby. Hot, hu-
mid weather like this always makes me feel
weak as a baby.
(as) weak as a kitten weak; weak and
sickly. John is as weak as a kitten be-
cause he doesn’t eat well. Oh! Suddenly
I feel weak as a kitten.
He won’t contribute a cent. He’s as tight
as a drum.
as well as 1. in addition to someone or
something. Mary and Jane are coming
to the party, as well as Tom. I’m study-
ing biology and chemistry, as well as his-
tory. 2. to the same high degree as some-
one or something; as much as. Mary’s
parents treated me as well as they treated
her. I did as well as you on the test.
(as) white as a ghost and (as) pale as
a ghost [of a person] very pale. His
face is as white as a ghost. He turned
pale as a ghost when he saw his injured leg.
(as) white as a sheet very pale. Jane
was white as a sheet for weeks after her
illness. Mary went as white as a sheet
when she heard the news.
(as) white as the driven snow very white.
I like my bed sheets to be as white as
the driven snow. We have a new kitten
whose fur is white as the driven snow.
(as) wise as an owl very wise.
father is as wise as an owl. My goal is
to be wise as an owl.
(as) wise as Solomon very wise. (Refers
to a character in the Bible.) If you are
in trouble, get Chris to advise you. He’s as
wise as Solomon. This is a difficult prob-
lem. You’d need to be as wise as Solomon
to be able to solve it.
hysically or emotionally cold.) Ray-
mond took Joanna’s hand. It was cold as
marble. No one ever got a smile out of
Caroline, who was as cold as marble.
(as) comfortable as an old shoe very
comfortable; very comforting and famil-
iar. This old house is fine. It’s as com-
fortable as an old shoe. That’s a great
tradition—comfortable as an old shoe.
(as) common as an old shoe low class;
uncouth. That trashy girl is just as com-
mon as an old shoe. Jim may have
money, but he’s common as an old shoe.
(as) common as dirt vulgar; ill-mannered.
FRED: Did you notice Mr. Jones blow-
ing his nose into the linen napkin at din-
ner? ELLEN: I’m not surprised. Everyone
knows that the Joneses are as common as
dirt. Despite Jane’s efforts to imitate the
manners of the upper class, the town’s
leading families still considered her com-
mon as dirt.
(as) conceited as a barber ’s cat very
conceited; vain. Ever since he won that
award, he’s been as conceited as a barber’s
cat. She’s stuck up all right—conceited
as a barber’s cat.
(as) cool as a cucumber calm and not ag-
itated; with one’s wits about one. (Infor-
mal.) The captain remained as cool as
a cucumber as the passengers boarded the
lifeboats. During the fire the home-
owner was cool as a cucumber.
(as) crazy as a betsy bug loony. TOM:
Susan says she’s really the Queen of En-
gland. BILL: She’s crazy as a betsy bug.
Ever since his wife left him, Joe’s been act-
ing as crazy as a betsy bug.
(as) crazy as a loon very silly; completely
insane. (Folksy.) If you think you can
get away with that, you’re as crazy as a
loon. Poor old John is crazy as a loon.
(as) crooked as a barrel of fishhooks
and (as) crooked as a fishhook dis-
honest. Don’t play cards with him. He’s
as crooked as a barrel of fishhooks. Af-
ter Jane cheated a few folks, word got
around that she was crooked as a fishhook.
(as) crooked as a dog’s hind leg dishon-
est. Don’t trust John. He’s as crooked as
a dog’s hind leg. Mary says all politi-
cians are crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
(as) crooked as a fishhook Go to (as)
crooked as a barrel of fishhooks.
(as) dead as a dodo dead; no longer in ex-
istence. (Informal.) Yes, Adolf Hitler is
really dead—as dead as a dodo. That
silly old idea is dead as a dodo.
(as) dead as a doornail dead. (Informal.)
This fish is as dead as a doornail.
John kept twisting the chicken’s neck even
though it was dead as a doornail.
(as) deaf as a post very deaf; profoundly
deaf. He can’t hear a thing you say. He’s
as deaf as a post. Our old dog is deaf as
a post and he can’t see much either.
(as) different as night and day com-
pletely different. Although Bobby and
Billy are twins, they are as different as
night and day. Birds and bats appear
to be similar, but they are different as night
and day.
(as) drunk as a lord and (as) drunk as
a skunk very drunk. He came home
drunk as a lord again. She was as drunk
as a lord by the time they left here.
(as) drunk as a skunk Go to (as) drunk
as a lord.
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