teeth

be armed to the teeth

if a person or a country is armed to the teeth, they have many weapons. We walked past a group of soldiers, armed to the teeth.

See also: arm

be as scarce as hen's teeth (American & Australian)

to be very difficult or impossible to find. It was the President's inauguration and hotel rooms in Washington were as scarce as hen's teeth.

See also: scarce

be fed up/sick to the back teeth (British & Australian, informal)

to be bored or angry because a bad situation has continued for too long or a subject has been discussed too much. He's been treating me badly for two years and, basically, I'm fed up to the back teeth with it. (often + with) You're probably sick to the back teeth of hearing about my problems! (often + of)

See also: back, fed, sick

by the skin of your teeth (informal)

if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it. We escaped by the skin of our teeth. England held on by the skin of their teeth to win 1-0.

See also: skin

cut your teeth (British, American & Australian, American)

to get your first experience of a particular type of work and learn the basic skills. She cut her teeth on a local newspaper before landing a job on a national daily. (often + on)

See also: cut

get/sink your teeth into something

to start to do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Up till then she'd only had small parts in films and nothing she could get her teeth into. It's a really exciting project - I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

See also: sink

get/take the bit between your teeth (British, American & Australian, American)

to start doing something in a very keen way. When the team really gets the bit between their teeth, they are almost impossible to beat.

See also: between, bit, take

give your eye teeth for something (informal, informal)

if you would give your eye teeth for something, you would very much like to have or be that thing. I'd give my eye teeth for a house like that. Most women would give their eye teeth to be tall and thin like you.

See also: eye, give

gnashing of teeth (humorous)

angry complaining. There was much gnashing of teeth over his omission in the England squad.

See also: gnash

grit your teeth

to accept a difficult situation and deal with it in a determined way. I can't do anything to change the situation so I'll just have to grit my teeth and put up with it.

have teeth

if a law or organization has teeth, it has the power to make people obey it. The committee can make recommendations but it has no real teeth.

have the bit between your teeth (British, American & Australian)

get/take the bit between your teeth - to start doing something in a very keen way. Caroline had the bit between her teeth and nothing would stop her from finding out the truth.

See also: between, bit

in the teeth of something

if something happens or is done in the teeth of difficulties, the difficulties cause problems but do not stop it. The road was built in the teeth of fierce opposition from environmentalists.

It's no skin off my nose. (British, American & Australian, informal, American, informal)

something that you say which means you do not care about something because it will not affect you. We can go in his car if he prefers. It's no skin off my nose.

See also: it's, nose, skin

a kick in the teeth

if you describe the way someone treats you as a kick in the teeth, you mean that they treat you badly and unfairly, especially at a time when you need their support. She was refused promotion which was a real kick in the teeth after all the extra work she'd done.

See also: kick

kick someone in the teeth

a kick in the teeth - if you describe the way someone treats you as a kick in the teeth, you mean that they treat you badly and unfairly, especially at a time when you need their support. She'd only been trying to help him and she felt that she'd been kicked in the teeth.

See also: kick

lie through your teeth

to tell someone something that you know is completely false. The man's lying through his teeth. He never said anything of the sort.

See also: lie, through

show your teeth

to show that you are angry and prepared to defend yourself. Come on, let him know you're angry - show your teeth!

See also: show

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armed to the teeth

having many and powerful weapons. Some of these gangs are armed to the teeth.

See also: arm

cut your teeth in something

to get your first experience doing a particular kind of work or using a particular skill. He cut his teeth in politics as a campaign manager for a small-town mayor. They had just graduated from law school and were anxious to cut their teeth on a case.

See also: cut

gnash your teeth

to show you are angry or annoyed about something bad that you cannot do anything to stop. His advisers are gnashing their teeth in frustration because he refuses to attack his opponent on foreign policy issues.

Usage notes: also used in the form gnashing of teeth: The first test-tube baby was born in 1978, to considerable gnashing of teeth.Because we do not have a HW "gnashing," it makes sense to include it here under the verb, even tho it is slightly more common; there is often a slightly humorous tone to this use, but not enough, I think, to label--SL, 2/03

See also: gnash

grit your teeth

1. to decide to deal with an unpleasant or difficult situation. You may as well grit your teeth and accept that air travel is going to get worse before it gets better.

2. to deal with something in a determined way. When a test came along, I just gritted my teeth and studied harder because I knew I had to improve my grades.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of grit your teeth (= to press your teeth tightly together)

in the teeth of something

while experiencing something difficult. The road was built in the teeth of fierce opposition from environmentalists.

lie through your teeth

to say things that are not true in a way that seems sincere. Slater wasn't a doctor, he had never been to medical school, he just lied through his teeth and we believed him.

See also: lie, through

like pulling teeth

extremely difficult. Getting our kids dressed and off to school in winter is like pulling teeth.

See also: like, pull

put teeth into something

to make a law or rule effective. The threat of fines and jail put real teeth into the laws regulating how and where children can work.

set your teeth on edge

to annoy you or make you feel nervous or uncomfortable. Jason used his knife to scratch our initials into the wall, which was nice to do but made a noise that set my teeth on edge.

on edge

See also: edge, set

sink your teeth into something

to start to do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. She'd only had small parts in films and was hoping for a bigger, more interesting part, something she could sink her teeth into. It's a really exciting project – I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

See also: sink