(as) warm as toast

Comfortably and cozily warm, especially when the weather outside is very cold. I have such fond childhood memories of wintertime, coming in from the snow and getting warm as toast by the fire. I've got the heater on a timer, so the house should be as warm as toast by the time we get home. A: "The cat must be warm as toast curled up next to that heating vent." B: "She's no dummy!"

See also: toast, warm

be the toast of (some place)

To be someone who is especially well liked, regarded, or admired in a certain place. The young entrepreneur has been the toast of Silicon Valley ever since his revolutionary tech innovation went public. I hope you enjoy being the toast of London now, because such fame is always fleeting. Dad likes to remind us of the time he rescued those kids from the lake and was, however briefly, the toast of our small town.

be the toast of the town

To be someone who is especially well-liked, regarded, or admired in a certain place. The young entrepreneur has been the toast of the town ever since his revolutionary tech innovation went public. I hope you enjoy being the toast of London now, because such fame is always fleeting. Dad likes to remind us of the time he rescued those kids from the lake and was, however briefly, the toast of the town.

be toast

1. To be in serious trouble; to be ruined, finished, or defeated. If Mom and Dad find out we took their car out last night, we're toast! Down by 45 points with only two minutes left in the game, it's pretty safe to say that the home team is toast at this point. If the teacher figures out that you cheated on your exam, you're toast! Why would you do something like that?

2. To be completely broken, wrecked, or destroyed. A: "Is there any way we can salvage the machine?" B: "No way, the whole motherboard is toast." I had planned to make a smoothie, but it seems the blender is toast. Dude, that car of yours is toast. Frankly, I'm amazed you made it this far down the street before the engine started smoking!

See also: toast

have (one) on toast

To have power over one. Primarily heard in UK. Of course they'll heed our demands—we have them on toast. A: "If there's already multiple offers on the house, we'll have to offer more than we budgeted." B: "I know, the seller has us on toast." Once the gangsters were able to blackmail Susan, they had her on toast.

milktoast

1. adjective Extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual. A reference to H. T. Webster's comic strip character Caspar Milquetoast, who exhibited such traits. We're going to be the laughingstock of the world after such a milktoast response from our government. We can't afford some milktoast plan that just keeps the status quo—we need something drastic and daring that might really improve our sales. In the play, the hero returns to drive the milktoast suitor from his home and reclaim his rightful place by his wife's side.

2. noun An extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual man. We need a president who's going to lead the nation with strength and resolve, not some milktoast who'll just kowtow to every foreign leader who raises his voice. I swear, I don't know why I ever married a milktoast like you. You can't even defend your own wife when she's been insulted!

milquetoast

1. adjective Extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual. A reference to H. T. Webster's comic strip character Caspar Milquetoast, who exhibited such traits. We're going to be the laughingstock of the world after such a milquetoast response from our government. We can't afford some milquetoast plan that just keeps the status quo—we need something drastic and daring that might really improve our sales. In the play, the hero returns to drive the milquetoast suitor from his home and reclaim his rightful place by his wife's side.

2. noun An extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual man. We need a president who's going to lead the nation with strength and resolve, not some milquetoast who'll just kowtow to every foreign leader who raises his voice. I swear, I don't know why I ever married a milquetoast like you. You can't even defend your own wife when she's been insulted!

propose a toast

To request that those present raise their glasses in honor of or tribute to someone or something. Before we all sit down to our meal, I just want to propose a toast to my mother. Mom, we all love you so much, and we hope your retirement marks the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in your life.

the toast of (some place)

Someone who is especially well liked, regarded, or admired in a certain place The young entrepreneur's new tech innovation has made him the toast of Silicon Valley. I hope you enjoy being the toast of London now, because such fame is always fleeting.

the toast of (the town)

Someone who is especially well-liked, regarded, or admired in a certain place. The young entrepreneur's new tech innovation has made him the toast of the town in Silicon Valley. I hope you enjoy being the toast of London now, because such fame is always fleeting.

the toast of Broadway

An extremely successful and popular show or performer on Broadway, the theater sector of New York City. The actor had humble beginnings in amateur theater clubs in rural Arkansas. Never did she believe that she would one day be the toast of Broadway. The musical was adapted from the extremely popular film of the same name, and it very quickly became the toast of Broadway.

the toast of Hollywood

An extremely popular, successful, and well-regarded film or actor in the American film industry. The actor had humble beginnings in amateur theater clubs in rural Arkansas. Never did she believe that she would one day be the toast of Hollywood. The film was adapted from the extremely popular Broadway musical of the same name, and it very quickly became the toast of Hollywood.

toasted

slang Drunk. We were a little toasted after all the wine we had with lunch.

See also: toast

propose a toast

to make a toast before a celebratory drink. I'd like to propose a toast in honor of your birthday. At the wedding reception, the bride's father proposed a toast to the new couple.

*warm as toast

very warm and cozy. (*Also: as ~.) The baby will be warm as toast in that blanket. We were as warm as toast by the side of the fire.

See also: toast, warm

warm as toast

Comfortably warm, as in It was freezing outside, but we were warm as toast in front of the fire. Despite the British custom of serving toasted bread in a rack that rapidly cools it, this idiom originated in England, at first as hot as toast (c. 1430) and by the mid-1800s in its present form.

See also: toast, warm

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.

be toast

INFORMAL

If someone is toast, they are about to lose their job or position or are about to be punished or killed. Her only comment on his dismissal was: `I told you he was toast.' If you don't do what they say, you're toast.

See also: toast

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

be toast

be or be likely to become finished, defunct, or dead. informal, chiefly North American

1998 Times A new star has entered the financial firmament. Look to your laurels, George Soros , Warren Buffett , you're toast.

See also: toast

have someone on toast

be in a position to deal with someone as you wish. British informal

1993 Esquire The more he thought, the more I knew I had him on toast.

warm as toast

pleasantly warm.

1991 W. P. Kinsella Box Socials Scrunched down, warm as toast, between the cookstove and the woodbox, I couldn't see that getting something for nothing could be all that bad.

See also: toast, warm

propose a ˈtoast (to somebody)

ask people to wish somebody health, happiness and success by raising their glasses and drinking: I’d like to propose a toast to the bride and groom.In the past, the name of a lady who was being wished health and happiness was supposed to improve the flavour of the wine like the pieces of spiced toast that people put in their wine.

be ˈtoast

(slang) be in very serious trouble: If Dad finds out about this, we’re toast!This probably comes from the US film Ghostbusters.

See also: toast

be the toast of...

be somebody who is praised by a lot of people in a particular place because of something that they have done well: Eddie was the toast of Hollywood yesterday after winning three awards for his latest film.

See also: toast

(as) warm as ˈtoast

pleasantly warm compared to the cold air outside etc: I’ll light the fire and we’ll soon be as warm as toast in here.

See also: toast, warm

milquetoast

(ˈmɪlktost)

n. an ineffectual man; a shy coward; an effeminate male. This little milquetoast goes up to the biker, looks at him sort of sad like, and then karate chops him into a quivering pulp.

toast

1. n. a drunkard. The old toast stumbled in front of a car.

2. mod. excellent. This stuff is so toast!

3. mod. burned; done for. If you don’t get here in twenty minutes, you’re toast.

toasted

mod. alcohol intoxicated. The chick got toasted on two glasses of cheap white wine.

See also: toast

toast, to be

To be doomed or unworthy of further consideration. This slangy usage dates from the twentieth century. It can be applied to a person, a group, an idea, a project, and so on. It must be distinguished from being the toast of something, such as “the toast of the Academy Awards,” which means a person receiving much acclaim. In contrast, “With so many injured players, our team is toast this year” means the team cannot win. According to Bob Woodward’s book Plan of Attack (2004), Vice President Dick Cheney said, before the invasion of Iraq, “Prince Bandar, once we start, Saddam is toast.”