unable

able to get a word in edgewise

Able to speak despite other people dominating the conversation (hence the image of squeezing words in "edgewise"—sideways). Usually used negative constructions. When Mary came up for air in her monologue, I was finally able to get a word in edgewise about my own weekend! The third-tier candidate wasn't able to get a word in edgewise at the debate. The date was pretty boring. She just blathered on the whole evening, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

See also: able, edgewise, get, to, word

be unable to hear (oneself) think

To be unable to concentrate on anything due to overwhelming noise. Can you turn down that blaring music? I'm unable hear myself think! There's so much construction going on during the day that you're unable to hear yourself think over the chorus of jackhammers.

See also: hear, think, to, unable

be unable to make head nor tail (out) of (something)

To fail or be unable to understand, decipher, or make sense of something in the slightest. We tried identifying the hieroglyphs on the ancient tablet, but they were so archaic that we were unable to make head nor tail of it. See if you can figure out what this contract is saying—I was unable to make head nor tail out of all that legal mumbo jumbo.

See also: head, make, nor, of, tail, to, unable

be unable to make head or tail (out) of (something)

To fail or be unable to understand, decipher, or make sense of something in the slightest. We tried identifying the hieroglyphs on the ancient tablet, but they were so archaic that we were unable to make head or tail of it. See if you can figure out what this contract is saying—I was unable to make head or tail out of all that legal mumbo jumbo.

See also: head, make, of, tail, to, unable

be unable to make heads nor tails (out) of (something)

To fail or be unable to understand, decipher, or make sense of something in the slightest. We tried identifying the hieroglyphs on the ancient tablet, but they were so archaic that we were unable to make heads nor tails of it. See if you can figure out what this contract is saying—I was unable to make heads nor tails out of all that legal mumbo jumbo.

See also: head, make, nor, of, tail, to, unable

be unable to make heads or tails (out) of (something)

To fail or be unable to understand, decipher, or make sense of something in the slightest. We tried identifying the hieroglyphs on the ancient tablet, but they were so archaic that we were unable to make heads or tails of it. See if you can figure out what this contract is saying—I was unable to make heads or tails out of all that legal mumbo jumbo.

See also: head, make, of, tail, to, unable

unable to go on

Not able to proceed or persist. After I twisted my ankle, I was unable to go on—that's why I didn't finish the race. Our company will be unable to go on for much longer if our sales don't improve.

See also: go, on, to, unable

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

be unable to hear yourself think

be unable to think clearly as a result of an excessive amount of noise. informal

See also: hear, think, to, unable

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

make head or tail of something, to be unable to

To fail to understand something. This term was already used to denote total confusion by Cicero (Nec caput nec pedes, meaning “neither head nor feet”). Whether it refers to beginning or end, or top or bottom, or, as someone suggests, the two sides of a coin, is not known, but to make neither head nor tail of something has been so used ever since, in English from the seventeenth century to the present.

See also: head, make, of, tail, to, unable

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer