be strange bedfellows
Of a pair of people, things, or groups paired together in a certain situation or activity, to be extremely different in overall characteristics, opinions, ideologies, lifestyles, behaviors, etc. The liberal comedian and the conservative pundit may be strange bedfellows, but the two are coming together all this month to bring a spotlight to suicide awareness. I thought that the two writers would be strange bedfellows, given the drastically different nature of their writing, but their books actually have a lot of parallels in terms of themes and constructs. A: "Wait, you're working with Ken on this? But he's so uptight, and you're so… not." B: "I know, we're strange bedfellows, but things have been going shockingly well so far."
duck
informal
1. An odd, peculiar, or eccentric person. Usually used after modifiers indicating such characteristics. His new girlfriend is nice enough, but she's a bit of an odd duck, don't you think? Most of my family thinks I'm something of a strange duck. I just like doing things my own unique way, I guess. A: "She's something of an odd duck, living in total solitude and rarely making public appearances." B: "She's an artist, though. Maybe that's normal."
2. A term of endearment, especially for a loved one. Primarily heard in UK. A: "Hello, my little duck. How are you?" B: "Hi, Grandad. I'm fine." Good morning, my duck! What would you like for breakfast? Look at you precious little ducks in your matching tuxedos! I've never seen cuter ring bearers in all my life.
feel strange
To feel uneasy or unwell. If you're feeling strange, why don't you sit down? I'm starting to feel strange after being out in the heat for so long. It's not like I felt strange the whole time I was sitting there—it came over me all of a sudden, and that's when I threw up.
How (something) is that?
That is very (something). Adjectives commonly used in this construction include "strange," "cool," and "awesome," among others. Did you know that hummingbirds can fly backwards? How cool is that? A: "Frank spent prom night home alone playing video games. How sad is that?" B: "Actually, that sounds pretty great." And now Todd's giving me the silent treatment. Come on, how childish is that?
keep (some kind of) hours
1. To maintain a particular pattern or schedule of being awake and asleep. Because of the huge time difference, Sam has kept really strange hours since coming back from Japan. It's important that the kids start keeping regular hours when they are young, since having unpredictable bedtimes can cause a lot of problems with sleep.
2. To maintain particular business hours. The local doctor has always kept rather irregular hours. Sometimes it just comes down to luck whether he'll be there at all on a given day.
like a cat in a strange garret
Very wary or timid. Of course he's acting like a cat in a strange garret—he's never been to the big city before!
make strange (with one)
To become shy or upset in the presence of one. Typically said of babies or young children. I can't believe he's not crying while you hold him—he usually makes strange with everyone! Don't make strange, go say hi to your Aunt Josephine!
make strange bedfellows
Of a pair of people, things, or groups paired together in a certain situation or activity, to be extremely different in overall characteristics, opinions, ideologies, lifestyles, behaviors, etc. The liberal comedian and the conservative pundit may make strange bedfellows, but the two are coming together all this month to bring a spotlight to suicide awareness. I thought that the two writers would make strange bedfellows, given the drastically different nature of their writing, but their books actually have a lot of parallels in terms of themes and constructs.
odd bird
A rather unusual, strange, eccentric, or peculiar person. His new girlfriend is nice enough, but she's a bit of an odd bird, don't you think?
politics makes strange bedfellows
proverb The pursuit of a political agenda or advantage often results in people working together who would not otherwise normally socialize with one another. A prominent gun-rights advocate and a famous animal welfare activist have come together to champion the new legislation. Politics makes strange bedfellows.
strange bedfellows
A pair of people, things, or groups connected in a certain situation or activity but extremely different in overall characteristics, opinions, ideologies, lifestyles, behaviors, etc. A notorious playboy musician and an ultra-conservative media pundit may be strange bedfellows, but the two are coming together all this month to bring a spotlight to suicide awareness. I thought that the two writers would make strange bedfellows, given the drastically different nature of their writing, but the books they've co-written actually work really well.
strange bird
A rather unusual, strange, eccentric, or peculiar person. His new girlfriend is nice enough, but she's a bit of a strange bird, don't you think?
strange duck
A rather unusual, strange, eccentric, or peculiar person. His new girlfriend is nice enough, but she's a bit of a strange duck, don't you think?
strange to say
Bafflingly; surprisingly; atypically. Strange to say, it turned out that we both knew John, but had met him in two different parts of the world. He seemed happy that the police caught him, strange to say. Their newest device, is strange to say, a slight step back when it comes to performance and design.
strangely enough
Bafflingly; surprisingly; atypically. Strangely enough, it turned out that we both knew John, but had met him in two different parts of the world. He seems, strangely enough, happy that the police caught him. Their newest device is strangely enough a slight step back when it comes to performance and design.
stranger in a strange land
cliché One who is new to a particular country or culture that one finds unfamiliar and unusual or peculiar. When I was just 12 years old, I took a ferry across the English Channel to live with my relatives in France. I felt totally lost in that world, a stranger in a strange land.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
strange bedfellows
A peculiar alliance or combination, as in George and Arthur really are strange bedfellows, sharing the same job but totally different in their views . Although strictly speaking bedfellows are persons who share a bed, like husband and wife, the term has been used figuratively since the late 1400s. This particular idiom may have been invented by Shakespeare in The Tempest (2:2), "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Today a common extension is politics makes strange bedfellows, meaning that politicians form peculiar associations so as to win more votes. A similar term is odd couple, a pair who share either housing or a business but are very different in most ways. This term gained currency with Neil Simon's Broadway play The Odd Couple and, even more, with the motion picture (1968) and subsequent television series based on it, contrasting housemates Felix and Oscar, one meticulously neat and obsessively punctual, the other extremely messy and casual.
strange to say
Also, strangely enough. Surprisingly, curiously, unaccountably, as in Strange to say, all the boys in his class are six feet tall or taller, or I've never been to the circus, strangely enough. This idiom was first recorded in 1697 as strange to relate.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.