wall

be banging/hitting your head against a brick wall

to keep asking someone to do something which they never do. I've been trying to get the rules changed for years now but I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. He never listens to me - sometimes I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

See also: against, bang, brick, head, hit

be climbing the walls (informal)

to be extremely nervous, worried, bored, or annoyed. I was practically climbing the walls at her stupidity.

See also: climb

be like talking to a brick wall

if talking to someone is like talking to a brick wall, the person you are speaking to does not listen. I've tried to discuss my feelings with her, but it's like talking to a brick wall.

See also: brick, like, talk

be off the wall (informal)

to be strange or very different from other people or things. Even at school he was considered off the wall by most of the students.

be/come up against a brick wall

to not be able to continue an activity or do something you want to do. I've tried everywhere I can think of for funding but I've come up against a brick wall. My brother wants to leave home but he can't find a job. He's up against a brick wall.

See also: against, brick, come

drive someone up the wall (informal)

to make someone very angry or very bored. I was being driven up the wall by their silly chatter. Working in a factory would have driven me up the wall.

See also: drive

a fly on the wall

if you say you would like to be a fly on the wall in a certain situation, you mean that you would like to be there secretly to see and hear what happens. I'd give anything to be a fly on the wall when she tells him.

See also: fly

fly-on-the-wall

a fly-on-the-wall film or television programme is one where the people involved forget or do not know that they are being filmed. The five-part fly-on-the-wall documentary series focusses on the lives of three student nurses. (always before noun)

go to the wall

if a business or other organization goes to the wall, it fails and cannot continue. After nine months of massive losses, the company finally went to the wall. In theory, good schools will grow and prosper and bad schools will go to the wall.

have your back against/to the wall

to have very serious problems which limit the ways in which you can act. With rising labour costs, industry has its back to the wall. When his back was against the wall he became very aggressive.

See also: against, back

hit a/the (brick) wall (informal)

if you hit the wall when you are trying to achieve something, you reach a situation where you cannot make any more progress. We've just about hit the wall in terms of what we can do to balance the budget. The enquiry hit a brick wall of banking security.

See also: hit

a hole in the wall (American)

a small, dark shop or restaurant. It's just a hole in the wall, but the food is good.

See also: hole

hole-in-the-wall

a hole in the wall - a small, dark shop or restaurant. We spent the day going around hole-in-the-wall antique shops looking for bargains. (always before noun)

nail someone to the wall (informal)

to punish or hurt someone severely because you are very angry with them. I didn't care about why they did it, I just wanted to nail the guys that robbed me to the wall.

See also: nail

off-the-wall (informal)

be off the wall - to be strange or very different from other people or things. She's got a really off-the-wall sense of humour. (always before noun)

read/see the writing on the wall (British, American & Australian, American)

to understand that you are in a dangerous situation and that something unpleasant is likely to happen to you. They saw the writing on the wall and started to behave better. Those who failed to read the handwriting on the wall lost a lot of money.

See also: read, see, writing

wall-to-wall

wall-to-wall things or people exist in a continuous supply or in large amounts. Independent channels are promising wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympics. It was one of those clubs, you know, with wall-to-wall men and lots of heavy dance music.

Walls have ears.

something that you say in order to warn someone to be careful what they say because someone may be listening. Why don't we go and talk about this somewhere quieter? Walls have ears, you know.

See also: ear

the writing is on the wall (British, American & Australian, American)

if the writing is on the wall for a person or an organization, it is clear that they will fail or be unable to continue. The team has lost its last six games and the writing is definitely on the wall for the manager. (often + for)

See also: writing

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climbing the walls

to be extremely nervous or upset. If your kids are climbing the walls, they need to get out and work off some of that excess energy.

See also: climb

drive you up the wall

to make you very unhappy and full of anxiety or anger. Working in front of a computer screen all day drives me up the wall.

drive you to distraction

See also: drive

a fly on the wall

someone who can secretly see and hear what happens. I would love to be a fly on the wall at that meeting.

See also: fly

go to the wall

to be defeated or destroyed. They believe in a completely free market, and would let the weakest groups or individuals go to the wall.

go to the wall (for someone/something)

to do as much as is possible. Friends and colleagues were ready to go to the wall for Hal, but he didn't want anyone's help.

nail someone to the wall

to punish or hurt someone severely. I was so angry, I just wanted to nail the crooks to the wall.

See also: nail

off the wall

strange or very different. Even though many people thought he was off the wall, they also thought he had very interesting ideas.

with your/its back against the wall

in a serious situation with few ways to react to it. Many of these schools find themselves with their backs against the wall, and unless they get more funding, they'll have to fire some teachers.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form have your/its back against the wall: The Mexican team has its back against the wall and must win tonight's game.

See also: against, back

the writing on the wall

the likelihood that something bad will happen. Area residents can see the writing on the wall and realize that if they don't cooperate with the police, these crimes will continue. As leaders, they should have seen the handwriting on the wall and come up with an alternative course of action.

Usage notes: often used with see, as in the examples

Etymology: based on a story in the Bible about Daniel, who reads the handwriting on the wall that predicts the end of the kingdom of Babylon

See also: writing