Classic Americana

Traditional American idioms and expressions rooted in American history

はじめに

アメリカの表現の中には、野球、ビジネス、アメリカの経験に根ざした何十年もの歴史を持つものがあります。「ballpark figure」「touch base」「Monday morning quarterback」——これらのクラシックなアメリカ表現はアメリカの文化的DNAを映し出しています。

この章では、伝統的なアメリカのイディオムと表現を紹介します。世代を超えてアメリカ英語を形作ってきた定番フレーズです。

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この章のアメリカ英語スラング一覧（90）

• The American Dream The ideal that every person has the opportunity to achieve success and prospe...
• Pull yourself up by your bootstraps To improve your situation through your own effort, without help from others.
• Keeping up with the Joneses Trying to match the lifestyle and possessions of your neighbors or peers to m...
• As American as apple pie Something that is quintessentially American or represents core American value...
• Hit it out of the park To do something exceptionally well; to greatly exceed expectations.
• A penny for your thoughts A way of asking someone what they are thinking about, especially when they se...
• The real McCoy The genuine article; the authentic or original version of something.
• Neck of the woods A particular area or neighborhood; the region where someone lives.
• Bite the bullet To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage; to just do something...
• Jump the shark The moment when something that was once popular begins an irreversible declin...
• Buy the farm To die, especially in a sudden or unexpected way.
• Barking up the wrong tree Pursuing the wrong course of action; making a false assumption about something.
• Cold turkey To abruptly stop a habit or addiction without gradually reducing it.
• John Hancock Your signature; to sign your name on a document.
• Have a dog in this fight To have a personal stake or interest in the outcome of a dispute.
• Knee-jerk reaction An automatic, unthinking response to something; an instinctive reaction.
• Jump on the bandwagon To join or support something only because it's popular or successful.
• Behind the eight ball In a difficult or disadvantageous position; in trouble.
• Not my cup of tea Not something one enjoys or is interested in; not to one's taste.
• Raining cats and dogs Raining very heavily; a torrential downpour.
• When pigs fly Something that will never happen; an impossibility.
• Close, but no cigar Nearly successful but ultimately falling short; almost but not quite.
• Shoot from the hip To speak or act impulsively without careful thought; to be direct and spontan...
• Burning the midnight oil Working or studying very late into the night.
• Straight from the horse's mouth Information from the most reliable or authoritative source.
• Fly by the seat of your pants To improvise; to do something without a plan, relying on instinct.
• Steal someone's thunder To take credit for someone else's idea or to overshadow their moment.
• Wild goose chase A pointless, hopeless pursuit; a search that leads nowhere.
• Beat around the bush To avoid talking about the main point; to be indirect or evasive.
• Jump the gun To act too soon or before the right time; to be premature.
• Blessing in disguise Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be beneficial.
• Catch-22 A paradoxical situation where you're trapped by contradictory rules or condit...
• A tough row to hoe A difficult task or challenging situation to deal with.
• The whole enchilada Everything; the entirety of something.
• Open a can of worms To create a complicated situation or bring up a problem that leads to many mo...
• Silver lining A positive aspect found in an otherwise bad situation.
• Rule of thumb A general guideline or practical principle based on experience rather than ex...
• Play it by ear To decide how to handle a situation as it unfolds rather than making plans in...
• Read between the lines To understand the hidden or implied meaning of something, not just the litera...
• Read someone the riot act To severely scold or reprimand someone for their behavior.
• Cut the mustard To meet expectations; to be good enough or capable enough.
• Go the extra mile To make more effort than expected; to do more than what is required.
• The bottom line The most important point; the final result or conclusion.
• Bite off more than you can chew To take on more responsibility or work than you can handle.
• Cut to the chase To get to the point immediately; to skip the unnecessary details.
• Moving the goalposts Changing the rules or criteria after someone has already met the original req...
• Back to square one Starting over from the beginning after a setback.
• Once in a blue moon A well-known idiom meaning very rarely or almost never, used in all registers.
• Fly off the handle To suddenly become very angry; to lose your temper unexpectedly.
• The last straw The final problem or annoyance that makes a situation unbearable.
• Get off scot-free To escape punishment or consequences entirely.
• Spill the beans To reveal a secret or share confidential information.
• Get your ducks in a row To get organized; to prepare and arrange things properly before taking action.
• In a pickle In a difficult or awkward situation; in trouble.
• Take it with a grain of salt To be skeptical about something; to not take it too seriously.
• Under the weather A polite, well-known idiom meaning feeling sick or unwell, used in all regist...
• Red tape Excessive bureaucracy and rigid official rules that slow things down.
• Hit the nail on the head To be exactly right about something; to identify the precise point.
• Add insult to injury To make a bad situation even worse, often by being disrespectful on top of ca...
• At the drop of a hat Immediately and without hesitation; willing to do something at a moment's not...
• Big picture The overall perspective; the most important aspects of a situation rather tha...
• Run-of-the-mill Ordinary; nothing special or exceptional.
• The proof is in the pudding The value or quality of something can only be judged by trying it or seeing t...
• Skeleton in the closet A shameful or embarrassing secret from someone's past.
• A chip on your shoulder A persistent attitude of resentment or defiance, often stemming from a percei...
• Cost an arm and a leg Extremely expensive; costing far more than expected or desired.
• Let the cat out of the bag To accidentally reveal a secret.
• Put all your eggs in one basket To risk everything on a single plan or investment.
• Actions speak louder than words What you do matters more than what you say; deeds are more meaningful than pr...
• The whole ball of wax Everything; the entire thing or situation.
• Back to the drawing board To start planning something again because the previous attempt failed.
• Ace in the hole A hidden advantage or secret resource kept in reserve.
• Throw a curveball To surprise someone with something unexpected and difficult to handle.
• Give the cold shoulder To deliberately ignore or be unfriendly toward someone.
• Up the ante To raise the stakes; to increase what's at risk or demanded.
• Raise the bar To set a higher standard of quality or performance.
• Take the cake To be the most remarkable, outrageous, or extreme example of something.
• Miss the boat To miss an opportunity by being too slow or late.
• A dime a dozen Very common and therefore not valuable; easily available.
• In the same boat In the same difficult situation as someone else.
• Run it up the flagpole To present an idea to see how people react; to test public response.
• Bet your bottom dollar To be absolutely certain about something; to guarantee it.
• Knock on wood A superstitious gesture or phrase used to avoid jinxing something good you ju...
• Ring a bell To sound familiar; to vaguely recognize something.
• On the back burner Given low priority; postponed to deal with later.
• Cross that bridge when you come to it To deal with a problem only when it actually arises, not beforehand.
• Sell like hotcakes To sell quickly and in large quantities.
• The elephant in the room An obvious problem or uncomfortable truth that everyone is aware of but nobod...
• Throw your hat in the ring To announce your candidacy or willingness to compete.
• Burning bridges Destroying relationships or connections in a way that can't be undone.