East is East and West is West (and never the twain shall meet)

proverb Said of two things are too different to ever be agreeable or harmonious. The phrase comes from a Rudyard Kipling poem. If you learn young that East is East and West is West, you won't waste time trying to convert people to your views. A: "I just feel so much pressure to be like my perfect sister." B: "Hey, it's OK to be different. East is East and West is West, and there's a certain beauty in that." Can we just agree to disagree on this? What's wrong with "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet"?

See also: and, east, never, shall, twain, west

East or West, home's best

proverb Home is the best or most ideal place to be, regardless of its physical location. No matter how exhilarating my travels are, I'm always thrilled to come home. East or West, home's best. There's nothing better than sinking into your own cozy bed. Truly, East or West, home's best. Trust me, you'll get sick of traveling for work real fast. East or West, home's best.

East, West, home's best

proverb Home is the best or most ideal place to be, regardless of its physical location. No matter how exhilarating my travels are, I'm always thrilled to come home. East, West, home's best. There's nothing better than sinking into your own cozy bed. East, West, home's best—for real. Trust me, you'll get sick of traveling for work real fast. East, West, home's best.

go west

1. Of a person, to die. When I go west, I don't want any elaborate funeral services in my honor, OK? My parents want me to come to the hospital and say goodbye to Uncle Eddie—they think he's about to go west. Darling, have faith—the doctors don't think it's your time to go west. They think you'll make a full recovery.

2. Of a machine, to stop working. Can you get a new coffee pot while you're at the mall? Ours has finally gone west. Unfortunately, I think the motor in your lawn mower has gone west. I was going to make a smoothie, but the blender's not working. I hope it hasn't gone west.

See also: go, west

knock galley-west

slang To put into a state of chaos or unconsciousness. Primarily heard in US. I got knocked galley-west by that last punch—where am I? Any time my mother visits, my life gets knocked galley-west!

Mae West

slang An inflatable life jacket. Refers to 20th-century American actress Mae West, who was well known for her large bosom. Put on your Mae West, quick! The chopper's going down! Thank God I had on my Mae West—it's the only thing that kept me from drowning.

out West

In the western part, portion, or region of a country. I'm going to spend Christmas out West with my parents. With the rents in Dublin getting so high, many people are seeking cheaper accommodation out West.

put on (one's) Mae West

slang To put on an inflatable life jacket. Refers to 20th-century American actress Mae West, who was well known for her large bosom. Put on your Mae West, quick! The chopper's going down! Thank God I put on my Mae West before we hit the water—it's the only thing that kept me from drowning.

the wild and woolly West

The western United States of America as typified during the period of American expansion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This old-timey saloon aims to recreate the authentic atmosphere and aesthetics of the wild and woolly West. This part of the country truly remains the wild and woolly West—dirty, dangerous, and almost completely outside the purview of the law.

the Wild West

1. The western United States of America as typified during the period of American expansion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This old-timey saloon aims to recreate the authentic atmosphere and aesthetics of the Wild West. This part of the country truly remains the Wild West—dirty, dangerous, and almost completely outside the purview of the law.

2. By extension, that which is characterized by a lack of law, order, and regulations; that which is totally untamed and unfettered. Often followed by "of something." The Internet was still the Wild West in those days, back when websites could publish just about whatever they wanted, and the only restriction one faced was the speed of one's dial-up connection. The massive deregulation of the stock market in this country has turned it into something of a Wild West of the financial markets.

the wild west of (something)

That which is characterized by a lack of law, order, and regulations; that which is totally untamed and unfettered. A reference to the American frontier, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often capitalized. Back in the Wild West of the early Internet, websites could publish just about whatever they wanted, and the only restriction one faced was the speed of one's dial-up connection. The massive deregulation of the banking industry in this country has turned it into the wild west of the financial markets.

East is East and West is West (and never the twain shall meet).

Prov. Two things are so different that they can never come together or agree. (From Rud-yard Kipling's poem, "The Ballad of East and West.") I had hoped that Andrew and I could be friends in spite of our political differences. But, in our case, I'm afraid that East is East and West is West.

East, west, home's best.

and East or west, home is best.

Prov. Home is the best place to be no matter where it is. You may think that traveling all the time is fun, but eventually you'll discover that east or west, home is best.

out West

in the western part of the United States. We lived out West for nearly ten years. Do they really ride horses out West?

go west

Die, as in He declared he wasn't ready to go west just yet. This expression has been ascribed to a Native American legend that a dying man goes to meet the setting sun. However, it was first recorded in a poem of the early 1300s: "Women and many a willful man, As wind and water have gone west."

See also: go, west

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.

go west

OLD-FASHIONED

1. When someone goes west, they die. When he went west, he wanted to be remembered.

2. When something goes west, it stops existing or working. His hopes of a professional singing career went west long ago. Note: The sun `goes west' when it sinks below the horizon in the west at the end of the day. The comparison between going west and dying has been used in many different languages and cultures for many centuries. For example, people sometimes associate this expression with Native Americans, who used to say that a dying person went west to meet the sinking sun.

See also: go, west

go west

be killed or lost; meet with disaster. British informal

The image here is of the sun setting in the west at the end of the day.

See also: go, west

go West

in. to die. When I go West, I want flowers, hired mourners, and an enormous performance of Mozart’s “Requiem.”

See also: go, west

wild and woolly (West), the

The untamed, wide open western United States. The term dates from the late nineteenth century, popularized by a book title, Adair Welcker’s Tales of the “Wild and WoollyWest” (1891). A publisher’s note on the book said “wild and woolly” referred to the rough sheepskin coats worn by cowboys and farmers, but Franklin P. Adams said “wild, woolly and full of flies” was a cowboy’s expression for a genuine cowboy. Owen Wister’s The Virginian (1902) stated, “I’m wild, and woolly and full of fleas,” which was later picked up in the cowboy ditty, “Pecos Bill and the Wilful Coyote” (ca. 1932) by W. C. White: “Oh, I’m wild and woolly and full of fleas, Ain’t never been curried below the knees.”