Idioms for daily use (F)

Feel free
If you ask for permission to do something and are told to feel free, the other
person means that there is absolutely no problem

Feel like a million
If you feel like a million, you are feeling very well (healthy) and happy.

Feel the pinch
If someone is short of money or feeling restricted in some other way, they are
feeling the pinch.

Feeling blue
If you feel blue, you are feeling unwell, mainly associated with depression or
unhappiness.

Feet of clay
If someone has feet of clay, they have flaws that make them seem more human
and like normal people.

Feet on the ground
A practical and realistic person has their feet on the ground.

Fence sitter
Someone that try to support both side of an argument without committing to
either is a fence sitter.

Few and far between
If things are few and far between, they happen very occasionally.

Fiddle while Rome burns
If people are fiddling while Rome burns, they are wasting their time on futile
things while problems threaten to destroy them.

Fifth columnist
(UK) A fifth columnist is a member of a subversive organisation who tries to help
an enemy invade.

Fifth wheel
(USA) A fifth wheel is something unnecessary or useless.

Fight an uphill battle
When you fight an uphill battle, you have to struggle against very unfavourable
circumstances.

Fight tooth and nail
If someone will fight tooth and nail for something, they will not stop at anything
to get what they want. ('Fight tooth and claw' is an alternative.)

Fighting chance
If you have a fighting chance, you have a reasonable possibility of success.

Find your feet
When you are finding your feet, you are in the process of gaining confidence and
experience in something.

Fine and dandy
(UK) If thing's are fine and dandy, then everything is going well.

Fine tuning
Small adjustments to improve something or to get it working are called fine
tuning.

Fine words butter no parsnips
This idiom means that it's easy to talk, but talk is not action.

For kicks
If you do something for kicks, or just for kicks, you do it purely for fun or thrills.

For my money
This idiom means 'in my opinion'.

For Pete's sake
This is used as an exclamation to show exasperation or irritation.

For the birds
If something is worthless or ridiculous, it is for the birds.

For the love of Pete
Usually used in exasperation, as in 'Oh, for the love of Pete!'

For the time being
For the time being indicates that an action or state will continue into the future,
but is temporary. I'm sharing an office for the time being.

Forbidden fruit
Something enjoyable that is illegal or immoral is forbidden fruit.

Foregone conclusion
If the result of, say, a football match is a foregone conclusion, then the result is
obvious before the game has even begun.

Forest for the trees
(USA) If someone can't see the forest for the trees, they get so caught up in
small details that they fail to understand the bigger picture.

Fortune knocks once at every man's door
Everyone gets one good chance in a lifetime.

Foul play
If the police suspect foul play, they think a crime was committed.