Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: wood grain

Yee yee! We've found 46 phrases and idioms matching wood grain.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?a tongue twister; if spoken over and over this phrase is hard to say without making a mistakeRate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
touch woodTo make contact with wood to avert bad luck, in accordance with a folk practice.Rate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
babes in the woodCriminals in the stocks, or pillory.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
dead woodPersonnel no longer contributing to an organization.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
dead woodDead limbs and branches still attached to a living tree.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Knock on WoodThose having superstitious beliefs such as knocking on wood save them to have a bad luckRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
knock on woodHave not had a misfortune yet.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
knock on woodTo take a customary action to ward off some misfortune that is believed to be attracted my a presumptuous statement.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
knock on woodA self-directive to undertake the customary action to ward off bad luck.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
saw woodTo snore loudly.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
touch woodHopefully; said while touching something wooden, to avert superstitious bad luck from what has just been said.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
with a grain of saltWith a bit of common sense and skepticism. Generally used in some form of to take with a grain of salt.Rate it:

(4.67 / 6 votes)
grain of saltA bit of common sense and skepticism. Generally used in some form of to take with a grain of salt.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
against the grainTo sand or plane a piece of wood parallel or nearly parallel to the fibers such that splinters forming ahead of the tool originate below the cutting surface.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
Take With a Grain of SaltTo be in a doubt about something; not to believe entirelyRate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
against the grainContrary to what is expected; especially, of behavior different from what society expects.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
"a grain of sand is only noticed inside the shoe."ShoeRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
against the grainUnwillingly, reluctantly. It went much against the grain with him, i.e. it was much against his inclination, or against his pluck.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
avoir un grainto be crazy, to be strangely behavedRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
avoir un grain de folieTo be a little cracked.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
east of the grainMaking a big deal out of something little.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Go Against the GrainAnnoying people by saying or doing something in an unusual way, to arouse anger in someone by going against his willRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
go against the grainTo defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
tel grain, tel painWhat you sow, you must mow.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
there's a grain of truth in every jokeWhenever a person is joking, he/she is actually disguising thoughts and emotions, either subconsciously or deliberately.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
veillez au grainKeep a sharp look-out.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Quaker gunA nonfunctional imitation of a gun or of a piece of artillery, typically made of wood and usually intended to deceive enemy forces into overestimating one's available firepower.Rate it:

(3.20 / 5 votes)
saddleA block of wood, usually fastened to one spar and shaped to receive the end of another.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
throw dirt enough, and some will stickIf enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
measure twice and cut once(literally, carpentry) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.1872, "Dressmaking," Hall's Journal of Health, vol. 19, no. 12, p. 280:Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.2008, Hilary Johnson, "Mergers rattle bank relations," Financial Week, 9 Nov. (retrieved 9 Nov. 2008):Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasnRate it:

(2.00 / 4 votes)
chestnutThe wood of a chestnut tree.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
cum grano salisWith a grain of salt; with a bit of common sense and skepticism.Rate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
à contre-courantagainst the grainRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
à rebrousse poilAgainst the grain; (To rub) the wrong way.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
adversante et repugnante natura or invitā Minervā (ut aiunt) aliquid facere (Off. 1. 31. 110)to do a thing which is not one's vocation, which goes against the grain.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
aliquid a sensibus meis abhorretsomething offends my instincts, goes against the grain.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
granaryA fertile, grain-growing region.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
granaryA storage facility for grain or sometimes animal feed.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
hatchet manSomeone who carries out brutal and unpleasant duties on behalf of another, such as firing dead wood employees.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
il ne faut pas se moquer des chiens (or, du loup) avant qu'on ne soit hors du boisDo not holloa before you are out of the wood.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
lignatum, aquatum ireto go to fetch wood, water.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
toda brincadeira tem um fundo de verdadethere's a grain of truth in every jokeRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
White Lightnin,Illegally Brewed, High-Percentage/Grain Alcohol Spirits, Whiskey, Moonshine Liquor, Surrepticously Distributed by 'BootleggersRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
wooden spoonA spoon made from wood.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
не по нутруagainst the grainRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
大吉利市touch woodRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for wood grain:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Time will ________ if he's the right one for you.
A tell
B double
C fly

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ