save (redirected from saves bacon)

can't do something to save your life (informal)

if you say that someone can't do something to save their life, you mean that they are extremely bad at that thing. I can't draw to save my life.

See also: can't, life

A penny saved is a penny earned.

something that you say which means it is wise to save money. I'd advise anyone to put aside a proportion of their earnings - a penny saved is a penny earned.

See also: earn, penny

save someone's bacon (mainly British, informal)

to save someone from failure or difficulties. You saved my bacon there. I'd probably have lost my job if you hadn't been ready with an explanation.

See also: bacon

save face

to do something so that people will continue to respect you. Are the ministers involved more interested in saving face than telling the truth?

See also: face

save (something) for a rainy day

to keep an amount of money for a time in the future when it might be needed. She has a couple of thousand pounds kept aside which she's saving for a rainy day.

See also: day, rainy

save someone's neck

to prevent something bad from happening to someone. You really saved my neck. I'd have been in so much trouble if you'd told him the truth.

See also: neck

save your own skin

to protect yourself from danger or difficulties, without worrying about other people. He saved his own skin by telling them his partner had taken the money.

See also: skin

save someone's skin

to save someone from failure or difficulties. You saved my skin telling my parents I stayed with you last night.

See also: skin

save the day

to do something that solves a serious problem. Schwarzenegger saves the day by arriving just in time to shoot the kidnappers and rescue the hostages.

See also: day

save/spare someone's blushes (British & Australian)

to do something to prevent someone feeling embarrassed. Granger saved the team's blushes by scoring the only goal in the last five minutes of the game. The audience's blushes were spared because the censors had removed all the explicit sex scenes from the film.

See also: blush, spare

Saved by the bell.

something that you say when a difficult situation is ended suddenly before you have to do or say something that you do not want to. Luckily, my bus arrived before I had time to reply. Saved by the bell.

See also: bell

scrimp and save

to spend very little money, especially because you are saving it to buy something expensive. We had to scrimp and save to buy our first house. (often + to do something)

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save your bacon

to prevent something very bad from happening to you. It's a short book but it could save your bacon when you're traveling overseas.

See also: bacon

save your breath

to not say anything. She figured that they might as well save their breath — her mind was made up.

See also: breath

save face

to keep your reputation and the respect of other people. The school board needs to reach an agreement that allows both sides to save face.

lose face

See also: face

save (something) for a rainy day

to keep something, esp. money, for a time in the future when it might be needed. It looks like people may be saving a little more for a rainy day.

Usage notes: sometimes used with verbs other than save: They made little effort to put anything aside for a rainy day. You're going to need that money for a rainy day.

See also: day, rainy

save the day

to do something that solves a serious problem. Naturally, the hero saves the day by shooting the kidnappers and rescuing the hostages just in the nick of time.

See also: day