Idioms for daily use (E)

Eat someone alive
If you eat someone alive, you defeat or beat them comprehensively.
 

Eat your heart out
If someone tells you to eat your heart out, they are saying they are better than
you at something.
 

Eat your words
If you eat your words, you accept publicly that you were wrong about something
you said.
 

Economical with the truth
(UK) If someone, especially a politician, is economical with the truth, they leave
out information in order to create a false picture of a situation, without actually
lying.
 

Egg on your face
If someone has egg on their face, they are made to look foolish or embarrassed.
 

Elbow grease
If something requires elbow grease, it involves a lot of hard physical work.
 

Elbow room
If you haven't got enough elbow room, you haven't got enough space.
 

Elephant in the room
An elephant in the room is a problem that everyone knows very well but no one
talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.
 

Eleventh hour
If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens right at the last minute.
 

Empty vessels make the most noise
The thoughtless often speak the most.
 

End in smoke
If something ends in smoke, it produces no concrete or positive result. This
expression refers to the boasting by a person, of having put in a lot of efforts by
him, for a particular cause or to attain a result which is very difficult to be done
by any person. (This mainly refers to an investigation of a crime or solving a
serious offence or a mystery). But at the end, when the desired result is not
obtained, his claims are found to be false and not worth mentioning. So, he
looses his credibility.
 

Etched in stone
Something, especially rules and customs, that cannot be changed at all is said
to be etched in stone.
 

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while
This expression means that even if people are ineffective or misguided,
sometimes they can still be correct just by being lucky.
 

Even a broken clock is right twice a day
This is used when people get lucky and are undeservedly successful.('Even a
stopped clock is right twice a day' is also used.)
 

Even keel
If something is on an even keel, it is balanced.

Every dog has its day
This idiom means that everyone gets their moment to shine.
 

Every man and his dog
A lot of people - as in sending out invitations to a large number of people
 

Every man for himself
If it's every man for himself, then people are trying to save themselves from a
difficult situation without trying to help anyone else.
 

Every man has his price
Anyone's opinion or support can be bought, everyone's principles have a limit.
 

Every man jack
If every man jack was involved in something, it is an emphatic way of saying that
absolutely everybody was involved.
 

Every nook and cranny
If you search every nook and cranny, you look everywhere for something.
 

Every Tom, Dick and Harry
If every Tom, Dick and Harry knows about something, then it is common
knowledge.
 

Every trick in the book
If you try every trick in the book, you try every possible way, including
dishonesty and deceit, to get what you want.
 

Everybody and their uncle
This basically means a lot of people or too many people; everybody and their
uncle was there.
 

Everything but the kitchen sink
If people include everything but the kitchen sink, they include every possibility,
regardless of whether they are useful.
 

Exception that proves the rule
This expression is used by many to indicate that an exception in some way
confirms a rule. Others say that the exception tests the rule. In its original legal
sense, it meant that a rule could sometimes be inferred from an exemption or
exception. In general use, the first meaning predominates nowadays, much to
the annoyance of some pedants.
 

Explore all avenues
If all avenues are being explored, then every conceivable approach is being tried
that could possibly get the desired result.