“bed of roses”

a pleasant or easy situation

“a bird in hand is worth two in the bush”

it’s better to have something small and reliable than something risky and big

“a bee in your bonnet”

preoccupied or obsessed with an idea

“dead ringer”

an exact duplicate

“a drop in the bucket”

a small amount of plentiful commodity

“a frog in the throat”

suffering from temporary hoarseness-needing to clear the throat

“a nest egg”

savings, set aside for later use

“absence make the heart grow fonder”

the lack of something increases the desire for it

“an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”

the notion that for every wrong done there should be a compensating measure of justice

“back seat driver”

someone who  criticizes from the sidelines

“the ball is in your court”

the next move is up to you

“barking up the wrong tree”

making a false assumption in something you are trying to achieve

“bet you bottom dollar”

bet your last coin

“face the music”

accept the unpleasant consequences of an action

“foul play”

unfair to treacherous behavior

“get off on the wrong foot”

make a bad start to a project or relationship

“have an axe to grind”

have a complaint

“in the bag”

secured

“in the red”

in debt

“keep your chin up”

remain cheerful in a difficult situation

“know the ropes”

to understand how and organization works

“last but not least”

an introduction indicating the person announced last is not less important than those introduced earlier

“let the cat out of the bag”

tell a secret

“make haste”

be quick

“mind your p’s and q’s”

be on your best behavior

“on a wing and a prayer”

relying on good fortune

“once in a blue moon”

a very rare event

“paddle your own canoe”

act independently and decide your fate

“put a sock on it”

request to be quiet

“raining cat and dogs”

raining very heavily

“take a back seat”

take no active part

“call a spade, a spade”

to speak plainly - to describe something as it really is

“counting sheep”

attempting to get sleep

“early bird catches the worm”

success comes to those who prepare well and put in effort

“a labor of love”

work undertaken for the pleasure of it or for the benefit of a loved one

“a man after my own heart”

a kindred spirit – someone to agree with

“a picture paints a thousand words”

a picture tells a story as well as large amount of descriptive text

“ a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

a suggestion that a thing is what it is, not what it is called

“an act of god”

acts which are outside human control

“an albatross round his neck”

a burden which some unfortunate person has to carry

“as cool as a cucumber”

calm and unruffled

“as old as Methuselah”

very old

“bad egg”

worthless person

“beat around the bush”

to talk around the point and avoid coming to a conclusion

“below the belt”

Unfair

“birds of a feather flock together”

those of similar taste congregate in groups

“big wig”

an important person

“blood is thicker than water”

family can be relied on better than friends

“born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth”

born into a wealthy family

“by the book”

follow the rules