Keep Something at bay Meaning: Prevent Something or somebody unpleasant from coming too near to one or harming one. Examples: The area was hit by a serious epidemic, but luckily, he could keep himself at bay. She fought to keep her unhappiness at bay Origin: Anyhow, back to the phrase itself. It seems plausible that ‘at bay’ is a nautical phrase and that the allusion is to a ship that is anchored in a bay and waiting to enter a port. ‘In the offing’ has pretty much the same meaning. As it turns out, we only ...

Don’t count your chickens before the eggs have hatched Meaning: Don’t rely on something you are unsure about Making plans based on assumptions can lead to disappointment Examples: Louis was already planning his winning celebration before the race started, but he counted his chickens before they hatched as he ended up receiving last place. You might be able to get a loan from the bank, but don’t count your chickens. Origin: This phrase, for the most part, is seen in a poem called Hudibras. The first two parts of the poem were written by poet Samuel ...

Expression idiomatique en anglais: At the drop of a hat Meaning: at the slightest signalimmediately, without delaywithout any hesitationwithout any planning and for no obvious reason Examples: We now have a situation where laws are bent at the drop of a hat.Dustin was always ready to go fishing at the drop of a hat.If you need help, just call on Mike. He can come at the drop of a hat.I can’t go rushing off to Edinburgh at the drop of a hat.She’d purchase her expensive jewelry at the drop of a hat and worry about how she would pay for it later.We’re expected to just ...