Example
“With severe storms forecast, the coastal town began to batten down the hatches.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
give someone the slip
CEFR B2to escape or evade someone who is following or pursuing you
open the floodgates
CEFR B2To remove a restraint and allow something to increase rapidly, often beyond control.
out on a limb
CEFR B2in a vulnerable position after taking an unusual or unsupported risk
stop at nothing
CEFR B2to pursue a goal without accepting any moral or practical limit
can of worms
CEFR B1a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched
domino effect
CEFR B1a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.