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add (one's) two penn'orth

To share one's opinion, idea, or point of view, regardless of whether or not others want to hear it. ("Penn'orth" is a contraction of "pennies' worth.") Primarily heard in UK. I find Jeff's husband a bit trying at times. He always has to add his two penn'orth, even when it's clear he knows nothing about what's being discussed. If I can just add my two penn'orth, I think the staff would really appreciate a bump in their pay, and productivity would increase as a result.

add (something) into (something)

To mix or place something into something else. Make sure you add milk into the brownie mix before putting the pan in the oven. Can we add some more herbs into the sauce? It's pretty bland.

See also: add

add (something) together

To calculate the sum or total of multiple items. Can you take these receipts and add the totals together for me?

add a new wrinkle

To bring or contribute a new and often unexpected aspect, dimension, innovation, development, or stratagem (to something). If proven to be true, the discovery could add a new wrinkle to the way we think about the evolutionary process. Their new, and unorthodox, pitcher has added a new wrinkle to the team's offensive game.

add another string to (one's) bow

To gain another skill, ability, or offering. Luckily, I had added another string to my bow with my degree in graphic design, so I was able to pick up some freelance work when my hours were cut back at the office. A: "I'm thinking of taking up French." B: "Go for it! It's always good to add another string to your bow."

add fuel to the fire

To do or say something to make an argument, problem, or bad situation worse; to further incense an already angry person or group of people. The debate was going poorly for the senatorial candidate, and his strikingly uncouth comments simply added fuel to the fire. Revelations of the CEO's massive retirement package added fuel to the fire for consumers already furious over the company's dubious financial dealings.

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add fuel to the flame(s)

To do or say something to make an argument, problem, or bad situation worse; to further incense an already angry person or group of people. The debate was going poorly for the senatorial candidate, and his strikingly uncouth comments simply added fuel to the flames. Revelations of the CEO's massive retirement package added fuel to the flame for consumers already furious over the company's dubious financial dealings.

add in

To include, mix, or combine something into something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "add" and "in." I hope you added in the milk before putting the brownie mix in the oven. Can we add some more herbs in? The sauce is pretty bland.

See also: add

add insult to injury

To exacerbate an already problematic situation in a way that is humiliating; to make someone who has just experienced injury or defeat feel worse about the situation with one's words. A: "Well, it's not like you were having a great season before you broke your leg." B: "Thanks for adding insult to injury." I was already late for work and, to add insult to injury, I spilled coffee all over myself.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add oil

To put forth more effort. Often said as encouragement. Commonly used in Hong Kong by people who are bilingual, the phrase is a loan translation (calque) of the Cantonese phrase ?? (Jiayóu). We could hear the fans screaming at us to add oil as the time on the clock dwindled. Add oil, go, go! Yay! Good job!

add on

1. verb To add something to something else; to include something with something else. I think we can add one more room on to the downstairs. Can we add on another day if we want to extend our trip?

2. noun Something that has been attached to or joined with something else. In this usage, the phrase is typically hyphenated. This room is clearly just an add-on—it doesn't match the rest of the house at all.

add to (something)

1. To combine something with something else. The thing being added can be named between "add" and "to." Did I add too much salt to the recipe?

2. To increase something in some way. The power outage simply added to our woes.

See also: add, to

add up

1. To calculate the sum or total of multiple items. Can you add up these numbers? I'm worried I made an error in my calculations.

2. To equal the expected or presumed amount. These numbers just aren't adding up—I think I made a mistake somewhere.

3. To be logical or believable. I listened to Jill's explanation, but I'm still skeptical—something just doesn't add up.

4. To become a significant amount. Usually used in reference to increasing expenses. With all of the driving I do for work, the cost of gas and maintenance really starts to add up. It will take a while for you to become a master, but all this practice really does add up.

5. To judge someone or something As I waited for my interview to start, I studied the other candidates and added up my competition.

See also: add, up

add up to (something)

To equal or amount to something. The cash in the drawer doesn't add up to the amount of sales we made today. These new details do not add up to the story the witnesses told us.

add up to the same thing

To be essentially the same. The phrase usually implies that the difference between two things has no significant consequence. I don't care who started the fight, it adds up to the same thing—you getting suspended from school. These different expenses all add up to the same thing—money coming out of my bank account.

amount to the same thing

To be essentially the same. The phrase usually implies that the difference between two things has no significant consequence. I don't care who started the fight, it all amounts to the same thing: you getting suspended from school. These different expenses all amount to the same thing: money coming out of my bank account.

add fuel to the fire

and add fuel to the flame

Fig. to make a problem worse; to say or do something that makes a bad situation worse; to make an angry person get even angrier. (Alludes to causing a flame to grow larger someone or something to move forward when fuel is added.) Shouting at a crying child just adds fuel to the fire.

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add insult to injury

Fig. Cliché to make a bad situation worse; to hurt the feelings of a person who has already been hurt. First, the basement flooded, and then, to add insult to injury, a pipe burst in the kitchen. My car barely started this morning, and to add insult to injury, I got a flat tire in the driveway.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add something into something

and add

(something) in to introduce something into something else. Now, add the eggs into the mixture. Add in some more eggs.

See also: add

add (something) to something

to increase the intensity or amount of something by giving more (of something) to it. You added too much sugar to my coffee.

See also: add, to

add (something) to something

to increase the intensity or amount of something by giving more (of something) to it. You added too much sugar to my coffee.

See also: add, to

add something together

to sum or total two or more things. Add these two together and tell me what you get.

add something up

to sum or total a set of figures. (See also add up (to something).) Please add these figures up again. I didn't add up these figures!

See also: add, up

add up

(to something)

1. Lit. [for a set of figures] to equal a total. These figures don't add up to the right total!

2. Fig. [for facts or explanations] to make sense. (Considering facts as if they were figures.) Your explanation just doesn't add up!

See also: add, up

amount to the same thing

and come to the same thing; add up to the same thing

Fig. to be the same [as something]. Borrowing can be the same as stealing. If the owner does not know what you have borrowed, it amounts to the same thing. With cars—whether they're red or blue—it comes to the same thing.

tack something onto something

and tack something on

to add something onto something. The waiter kept tacking charges onto my bill. He tacked on charge after charge.

add fuel to the fire

Also, add fuel to the flames. Worsen an already bad situation, as by increasing anger, hostility, or passion, as in Bill was upset, and your making fun of his mishap just added fuel to the fire. This metaphor dates from Roman times-Livy used it in his history of Rome-and it remains in common use. For similar metaphors, see add insult to injury; fan the flames.

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add insult to injury

Hurt a person's feelings after doing him or her harm; also, make a bad situation worse. For example, Not only did the club refuse him, but it published a list of the rejected applicants-that's adding insult to injury , or The nearest parking space was half a mile away, and then, to add insult to injury, it began to pour : The phrase is an ancient one, even older than its often cited use in the Roman writer Phaedrus's fable of the bald man and the fly. A fly bit the head of a bald man, who, trying to crush it, gave himself a heavy blow. The fly then jeered, "You want to avenge an insect's sting with death; what will you do to yourself, who have added insult to injury?" In English it was first recorded in 1748.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add up

1. Amount to an expected or correct total, as in These figures don't add up, meaning they are not correct. [Mid-1800s]

2. Be consistent, make sense, as in I'm not sure that all this testimony will add up. [First half of 1900s]

3. Assess, form an opinion of, as in He looked across the track and added up the competition. Also see add up to.

See also: add, up

add up to

Amount to, signify, as in The smooth airline connections, luxury hotel, and fine weather added up to the best vacation we'd ever had . [Early 1900s] Also see add up.

amount to the same thing

Also, come to the same thing. Make no difference, be the same, as in Since it's supposed to rain all day, whether I go outdoors now or later will amount to the same thing , or Paying in cash or with a credit card, it comes to the same thing.

add fuel to the fire

add fuel to the flames

COMMON If something that someone says or does adds fuel to the fire or adds fuel to the flames, it makes a bad situation worse. You must not try to borrow more money to get yourself out of trouble. This really would be adding fuel to the fire. Her resignation is only likely to add fuel to the flames. Note: These expressions are very variable. For example, you can say that something fuels the fire or fuels the flames, or just that it adds fuel. I'm not going to fuel the fire here: people are perfectly entitled to their own opinion. His comments are bound to add fuel to the debate already taking place within the party about the Greens' public image.

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add insult to injury

COMMON If someone or something adds insult to injury, they make a bad situation worse by doing or causing another bad thing. She stood there and made him wash every part of his body. She then added insult to injury by trimming his hair and making him wear a linen shirt several sizes too big for him. Birth is such a shock, and what usually follows adds insult to injury. The poor little thing is held upside down and slapped. Note: You can use to add insult to injury or adding insult to injury to introduce a further unpleasant thing that has happened and that you are reporting. The driver of the car that killed Simon Collins got away with a £250 fine. To add insult to injury, he drove away from court in his own car.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add fuel to the fire (or flames)

(of a person or circumstance) cause a situation or conflict to become more intense, especially by provocative comments.

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add insult to injury

do or say something that makes a bad or displeasing situation even worse.

This phrase comes from Edward Moore's play The Foundling ( 1748 ): ‘This is adding insult to injuries’.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add (or put in) your twopenn'orth

contribute your opinion. informal

The literal meaning of twopenn'orth is ‘an amount of something that is worth or costs two pence’; by extension it can also be used to mean ‘a small or insignificant amount of something’.

See also: add

add ˌfuel to the ˈfire/ˈflames

do or say something which makes a difficult situation worse, or makes somebody even more angry, etc: She was already furious and his apologies and excuses only added fuel to the flames. OPPOSITE: pour oil on troubled water(s)

add ˌinsult to ˈinjury

make a bad relationship with somebody worse by offending them even more: She forgot to send me an invitation to her party and then added insult to injury by asking to borrow my jacket!

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add on

1. To increase, by some additional amount, a quantity that is associated with something: The waiter added $5 on the bill for the extra pretzels we ordered. That tip is too low for the good service we had, so let's add on another dollar. Last night, the storm added on more than twenty inches to the record snowfall.

2. To attach something in order to extend or enlarge something else: We're adding another room on the back of the house. The guest list is full, so we can't add anybody else on. If there aren't enough logs in the fire, add another one on.

add to

To increase the amount or intensity of something: The increase in fuel prices will add to the cost of living in the city. After I broke my arm, I added to my misery by chipping a tooth.

See also: add, to

add up

1. To calculate a sum by adding some set of numbers: The students added up the numbers they had copied from the blackboard. If you add all the scores up, we'll find out who won.

2. To calculate something, especially by addition: The shopkeeper added up the day's profits.

3. To amount to an expected total: Unfortunately, when we put the numbers into the equation, they did not add up.

4. To be reasonable, plausible, or consistent; make sense: The jury did not believe the witness's testimony because it simply did not add up.

See also: add, up

add up to

To constitute; amount to: The revisions added up to a lot of work.

add fuel to the fire/flames, to

To exacerbate an already inflammatory situation, increasing anger or hostility. The Roman historian Livy used this turn of phrase (in Latin) nearly two thousand years ago, and it was repeated (in English) by numerous writers thereafter, among them John Milton (Samson Agonistes, 1671): “He’s gone, and who knows how he may report thy words by adding fuel to the flame.”

See also: add, fire, fuel, to

add insult to injury, to

To make harm worse by adding humiliation. The phrase has been traced to a Greek fable about a bald man. Trying to kill a fly on his head, he misses and hits himself very hard, and the fly replies, “You wanted to kill me for merely landing on you; what will you do to yourself now that you have added insult to injury?” It has since been applied to countless situations by as many writers, and has long been a cliché.