Two left feet: A person who have very clumsy movements and can’t dance well is said to have two left feet.

Two peas in a pod: When two people or things are very similar to each other and are always moving together, they are said to be like ‘two peas in a pod’.

Two sides of the same coin: Two things that are very different, yet closely related to each other as two side of a coin are.

Two-edged sword: If someone uses an argument that could both help them and harm them, then they are using a two-edged sword; it cuts both ways.

Two-faced: A person who acts in a certain way in a certain place with certain people and acts very differently with other people and in other circumstances; a double-dealing person, deceitful.

U-turn: To change one’s position/stance on something radically, such as a change in a government’s policy; a turn by a vehicle that results in a completely reverse direction of travel.

Ugly duckling: Someone, usually a child or young person, who doesn’t seem pretty or a talented, but grows up to be very beautiful, smart or intelligent.

Uncalled for: An act that is unwanted or unjustified, such as ‘uncalled for suggestions’ or ‘uncalled-for rudeness’.

Uncharted waters: An unfamiliar situation where you don’t know what to expect or do.

Uncle Sam: The government of the United States of America.

Under a cloud: To be under suspicion.

Under false colours: To pretend to be what you are not in order to deceive others.

Under fire: If someone is being attacked and cricitised heavily, they are under fire.

Under lock and key: When something is stored or kept very securely.

Under someone’s heel: Under someone’s complete control.

Under the gun: To be forced to do something, as if someone is holding a gun over you and making you do something under pressure.

Under the radar: When something is under the radar, it is unnoticed or undetected.

Under the table: Bribes or illegal payments.

Under the weather: To be feeling sick or tired.

Under your belt: To have something under your belt is to have achieved something and it is of benefit to you in the future.

Under your breath: To say something very softly and quietly.

Under your nose: When something happens right under your nose, it happens right in front of you.

Under your skin: When something or someone gets under your skin, it annoys and irritates you.

Under one's thumb: Someone who is manipulated or controlled by another person is under his or her thumb.

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown: It implies that people who hold responsibilities also are those under great strain and stress.

Up a gum tree: To be up a gum tree is to be in a big mess.

Up a river without a paddle: To be in trouble, without the resources you need to handle a situation.

Up for grabs: Something is available for anyone who comes to get it first or is the first one to successfully get it.

Up in the air: When something is up in the air, it is not finalised and is uncertain.

Up the ante: To raise the stakes or to put more at risk.

Up the creek: To be in big trouble.

Up the spout: When something goes up the spout, it goes wrong or gets ruined.

Up the wall: To be very angry.

Up to scratch: When something isn’t up to scratch, it doesn’t meet the required standards.

Up to speed: To update a person on something.

Up to the eyes: To be up to your eyes in something is to have a lot of work to do or be deeply involved in something.

Up to the neck: To be deeply involved in something, especially something that is bad or wrong.

Up with the lark: To be up with the lark is to get up very early, around or before sunrise.

Upper crust: The upper-class of society or the ruling authority.

Upper hand: To have the upper hand is to have an advantage in a situation.

Upset the apple cart: To cause trouble or upset a situation or people.

Velvet glove: An outwardly gentle or friendly manner of a person who is determined and inflexible; its full form in ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’.

Vent your spleen: To let out your anger and frustration.

Vicious cycle: A cycle of events where the effects of things only make the situation worst.

Volte-face: To have a complete and sudden change in your position or stance on something.

Wag the dog: To deliberately divert the attention of people from an issue that is of importance to something that is of less significance

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Wait for a raindrop in the drought: When someone is waiting for a raindrop in the drought, they are waiting or hoping for something that is extremely unlikely to happen.

Waiting in the wings: If someone is waiting in the wings, or in the wings, they are in the background, but nearby, ready to act on short notice.

Wake-up call: A wake-up call is a warning of a threat or a challenge, especially when it means that people will have to change their behaviour to meet it.

Walk a fine line: If you have to walk a fine line, you have to be very careful not to annoy or anger people or groups that are competing. ('Walk a thin line' is an alternative).

Walk a mile in my shoes: This idiom means that you should try to understand someone before criticizing them.

Walk a tight rope: If you walk a tightrope, you have to be very careful not to annoy or anger people who could become enemies.

Walk in the park: An undertaking that is easy is a walk in the park. The opposite is also true - "no walk in the park".

Walk on eggshells: If you have to walk on eggshells when with someone, you have to be very careful because they get angry or offended very easily.('Walk on eggs' is also used.)

Walk the green mile: Someone or something that is walking the green mile is heading towards the inevitable.

Walk the plank: If someone walks the plank, they are going toward their own destruction or downfall.

Walking encyclopedia: A very knowledgeable person is a walking encyclopedia.

Walking on air: If you are walking on air, you are so happy that you feel as if you could float.

Walking on broken glass: When a person is punished for something. e.g. 'She had me walking on broken glass.'

Walking time-bomb: A person whose behaviour is erratic and totally unpredictable is a walking time-bomb.

War chest: A war chest is a fund that can be used to finance a campaign like and election or for use in emergencies or unexpected times of difficulty.

War of words: A war of words is a bitter argument between people or organisations, etc.

Warm the cockles of your heart: If something warms the cockles of your heart, it makes you feel happy.

Warpath: If someone is on the warpath, they are very angry about something and will do anything to get things sorted the way they want.

Warts and all: If you like someone warts and all, you like them with all their faults.

Wash your hands of something: If you wash your hands of something, you disassociate yourself and accept no responsibility for what will happen.

Waste not, want not: If you don't waste things, you are less likely to end up lacking.

Waste of skin: If a person is referred to as a 'waste of skin', it means he is not worth very much.

Watch your back: If someone is after your job, or wants to harm you in any way, you need to "watch your back" to metaphorically see what is going on behind you.

Watch your six: This idiom means that you should look behind you for dangers coming that you can't see.

Watching paint dry: If something is like watching paint dry, it is really boring.

Water off a duck's back: If criticism or something similar is like water off a duck's back to somebody, they aren't affected by it in the slightest.

Water over the dam: If something has happened and cannot be changed, it is water over the dam.

Water under the bridge: If something belongs to the past and isn't important or troubling any more, it is water under the bridge.

Watery grave: When someone is in a watery grave, they have drowned.

Way to go: Another way of saying well done.

Weak at the knees: To be nervous or so emotional that you start to get shaky and can’t seem to stand on your feet.

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Wear many hats: If someone wears many hats, they have different roles or tasks to perform.

Wear your heart on your sleeve: Someone who wears their heart on their sleeve shows their emotions and feelings publicly.

Weasel words: If somebody uses vaque and unspecific terms to try to avoid being clear about their position or opinion, they are using weasel words.

Wee hours: Wee hours are the first hours after midnight.

Well-heeled: Someone who is well-heeled is rich.

Wet behind the ears: Someone who is wet behind the ears is either very young or inexperienced.

What can sorry do?: This means that it is not enough to apologise.

What goes around comes around: This saying means that of people do bad things to other people, bad things will happen to them.

What will be will be: The expression what will be will be is used to describe the notion that fate will decide the outcome of a course of events, even if action is taken to try to alter it.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander: This idiom means that the sexes should be treated the same way and not be subjected to different standards.

What`s your take on that: Another way of asking someone about their opinion on something.

Whatever floats your boat: It is used to tell someone that do whatever makes you happy or whatever works well for you.

Wheels fall off: It is used when something very wrong happens, just like when the wheels of a car come off it leads to a very serious accident.

When hell freezes over: It means something is as unlikely to happen as hell freezing.

When it rains, it pours: It means that when something wrong happens other things also tend to go wrong at the same time.

When the chickens come home to roost: It is used for a situation when someone is suffering or paying the price of doing something wrong in the past.

When the dust clears: When things settle down a bit after a lot of activity, commotion, or collision, the result become clearer.

Where there`s smoke, there`s fire: It means that when you sense something wrong or bad, or there are signs of something going wrong, there is bound to be something seriously wrong.

Whet your appetite: Something that tempts you and makes you want it more.

While the cat`s away, the mouse will play: It means when those in authority are not around, it gives people under them the chance to do what they want, such as the staff in an office not working when the boss is away or children having fun when the parents are not home.

Whistle down the wind: To abandon or leave something or someone.

Whistle for it: When someone tells you that you can whistle for it, it means they are telling you that you will not get it.

Whistle-stop tour: To visit a number of places without staying long at any of them.

Whistling in the dark: To be hopeful or confident that something good will happen even though there is hardly any chanceof it happening so.

Whistling past the graveyard: To try and remain cheerful and composed in a tense or difficult situation.

White as a sheet: When someone is very shocked and colour is said to drain from their face, it is said that the person has gone `as white as a sheet.

White as snow: This refers to the perfection of a person, more in terms of their personality than looks, that the person is very honest and unspoilt.

White elephant: A very expensive burden, something that costs too much money but is not as useful, like a very large house.

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White feather: If someone shows a white feather, they are cowards.

White lie: If you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone's feelings.

White-bread: If something is white-bread, it is very ordinary, safe and boring.

Who has eaten of the pot knows the taste of the broth: Experience is the best teacher.

Who wears the pants?: The person who wears the pants in a relationship is the dominant person who controls things.

Who will ring the bell?: 'Who will ring the bell?' asks who will assume the responsibility to help us out of a difficult situation.

Whole cloth: If something is made out of whole cloth, it is a fabrication and not true.

Whole kit and caboodle: The whole kit and caboodle means 'everything' required or involved in something. ('Kaboodle' is an alternative spelling).

Whole nine yards: The whole nine yards means means everything that is necessary or required for something.

Why keep a dog and bark yourself?: There's no need to do something yourself when you have somebody to do it for you, usually trivial matters.

Wide berth: If you give someone a wide berth, you keep yourself well away from them because they are dangerous.

Wide of the mark: If something is wide of the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect.

Wild goose chase: A wild goose chase is a waste of time- time spent trying to do something unsuccessfully.

Will never fly: If an idea or project, etc, will never fly, it has no chance of succeeding.

Will-o'-the-wisp: Something that deceives by its appearance is a will-o’-the-wisp; it looks good, but turns out to be a disappointment.

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Win by a nose: If somebody wins by a nose, they only just beat the others.

Window dressing: If something is done to pretend to be dealing with an issue or problem, rather than actually dealing with it, it is window dressing.

Window to the soul: Eyes are sometimes referred to as the window to the soul.

Wing and a prayer: If you do something on a wing and a prayer, you try to do something and hope you'll succeed even though you have very little chance of success.

Winner takes all: If everything goes to the winner, as in an election, the winner takes all.

Wipe the floor with: If you wipe the floor with someone, you destroy the arguments or defeat them easily.

Wipe the smile of someone's face: If you wipe the smile of someone's face, you do something to make someone feel less pleased with themselves.

With a heavy hand: If someone does something with a heavy hand, they do it in a strict way, exerting a lot of control.

With flying colours: If you pass something with flying colours (colors), you pass easily, with a very high mark or grade.

With friends like that, who needs enemies?: This expression is used when people behave badly or treat someone badly that they are supposed to be friends with.

Wither on the vine: If something withers on the vine, it fails to get the intended result, doesn't come to fruition.

Within a whisker: If you come within a whisker of doing something, you very nearly manage to do it but don't succeed.

Without a hitch: If something happens without a hitch, nothing at all goes wrong.

Woe is me: This means that you are sad or in a difficult situation. It's archaic, but still used.

Wolf in sheep's clothing: A wolf in sheep's clothing is something dangerous that looks quite safe and innocent.

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Wood for the trees: If someone can't see the wood for the trees, they get so caught up in small details that they fail to understand the bigger picture.

Word of mouth: If something becomes known by word of mouth, it is because people are talking about it, not through publicity, etc.

Word of the law: The word of the law means that the law is interpreted in an absolutely literal way which goes against the ideas that the lawmakers had wished to implement.

Words fail me: If words fail you, you can't find the words to express what you are trying to say.

Work like a charm: If something works like a charm, it works perfectly.

Work your fingers to the bone: If you work your fingers to the bone, you work extremely hard on something.

Work your socks off: If you work your socks off, you work very hard.

World at your feet: If everything is going well and the future looks full of opportunity, you have the world at your feet.

World is your oyster: When the world is your oyster, you are getting everything you want from life.

Worm information: If you worm information out of somebody, you persuade them to tell you something they wanted to keep from you.

Worse for wear: If something's worse for wear, it has been used for a long time and, consequently, isn't in very good condition. A person who's worse for wear is drunk or high on drugs and looking rough.

Worse things happen at sea: This idiomatic expression is used as a way of telling someone not to worry so much about their problems.

Worth a shot: If something is worth a shot, it is worth trying as there is some chance of success.

Worth your salt: Someone who is worth their salt deserves respect.

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Worth your while: If something is worth your while, the benefits to you of doing it are greater than the value of the time or effort that it requires.

Worthy of the name: To be good enough to enjoy a specific name.

Would rather: - Prefer to. In a sentence : I would rather use my computer than watch television.

Wound up: To be very excited, to be nervous or upset

Wrap yourself in the flag: If someone wraps themselves in the flag, they pretend to be doing something for patriotic reasons or out of loyalty, but their real motives are selfish. ('Drape yourself in the flag' is an alternative form of this idiom).

Wrench in the works: (USA) If someone puts or throws a wrench, or monkey wrench, in the works, they ruin a plan. In British English, 'spanner' is used instead of 'wrench'.

Writ large: If something is writ large, it is emphasised or highlighted.

Write your own ticket: If you write your own ticket, you control the terms and conditions for something and have them exactly the way you want.

Written all over your face: If someone has done something wrong or secret, but cannot hide it in their expression, it is written all over their face.

Written in stone: If something is written in stone, it is permanent and cannot be changed.

Wrong end of the stick: If someone has got the wrong end of the stick, they have misunderstood what someone has said to them.

Wrong foot: If you start something on the wrong foot, you start badly.

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