medieval

• Caught red-handed

  To be discovered in the very act of committing a crime or doing something wrong.

• In hot water

  To be in a difficult, embarrassing, or troublesome situation, often due to having done something wrong.

• Blood is thicker than water

  Family relationships and loyalties are stronger and more important than those with friends or others outside the family.

• By hook or by crook

  To achieve a goal by any possible means, whether fair or foul.

• By word of mouth

  Information or a message that is communicated orally from person to person rather than through written or digital means.

• Crocodile tears

  Insincere displays of sorrow or remorse, often used to manipulate or deceive others.

• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

  Do not be ungrateful or critical when you receive a gift, especially if it is free or unexpected.

• Heart on your sleeve

  To openly and visibly display one's emotions or feelings for all to see.

• Nothing ventured nothing gained

  One cannot achieve success or benefit without taking risks or making an effort.

• Pay through the nose

  To pay an excessively high price for something, often unwillingly or under duress.

• Safe and sound

  To be completely unharmed, well, and free from danger or injury.

• The proof is in the pudding

  The true value or success of something can only be determined by testing it or experiencing its outcome.

• Wear your heart on your sleeve

  To openly display one's emotions and feelings for everyone to see.

• On one's high horse

  To behave in a superior, arrogant, or self-righteous manner, often implying moral or intellectual superiority.

• Busy as a bee

  To be extremely industrious, active, and engaged in many tasks or continuous work.

• A cat has nine lives

  Cats are exceptionally resilient creatures capable of surviving perilous situations that would typically prove fatal to others.

• Lead by the nose

  To completely control or manipulate someone, making them do exactly what you want without resistance.

• Build castles in the air

  To dream or plan fanciful, unrealistic schemes that are unlikely to ever come true.

• At sixes and sevens

  To be in a state of confusion, disorder, or disagreement.

• Curry favour

  To seek to gain approval or special treatment from someone, especially a person in authority, through flattery, subservience, or insincere praise.

• Dead as a doornail

  To be completely and utterly lifeless, defunct, or beyond repair.

• From pillar to post

  To be moved or sent from one place or person to another repeatedly and often without making any progress.

• Cast a spell

  To use magic, often through words or rituals, to influence or control someone or something.

• Witch hunt

  A campaign directed against a particular group of people, often those holding unorthodox views, who are accused of subversion or disloyalty, with insufficient evidence.

• Black cat crossing your path

  An omen of impending misfortune or bad luck, traditionally believed to bring adverse events.

• Walk under a ladder

  To pass directly beneath a leaning ladder, an action widely regarded as a superstitious act that invites misfortune or bad luck.

• Buy a pig in a poke

  To purchase something without first inspecting it, often leading to a poor or undesirable acquisition.

• Have a frog in one's throat

  To have a hoarse voice or difficulty speaking clearly due to dryness or a sore throat.

• To mend one's ways

  To improve one's behavior or habits, especially after having behaved badly.

• Pay the piper

  To face the unavoidable and often negative consequences of one's past actions or decisions.

• Tie the knot

  To get married or enter into a marital union.

• The moon is made of green cheese

  It refers to an absurd, easily disproven, or naive belief.

• Heaven forbid

  Used to express a fervent wish that a particular undesirable event should not occur.

• Balance the books

  To ensure that the total debits and credits in an account or financial record are equal, verifying financial accuracy.

• Bell the cat

  To undertake a dangerous or seemingly impossible task for the common good, especially one involving confronting a powerful or threatening individual, where no one wants to be the first to act.

• Pig in a poke

  Something accepted or bought without prior inspection, which may turn out to be worthless or problematic.

• Blue blood

  A blue blood is a person who belongs to a noble, aristocratic, or upper-class family.

• White knight

  A white knight is a person who comes to the rescue, often unexpectedly, to help someone in a difficult situation, especially when their intervention seems selfless.

• Throw down the gauntlet

  To issue a direct challenge or invitation to a conflict, debate, or competition.

• Under the cloak of

  To do something secretly or surreptitiously, often using a pretense to hide the true nature of an action.

• Take up the gauntlet

  To accept a challenge or a dare.

• Learn by heart

  To learn something by heart means to commit it to memory completely, so it can be recalled without prompting.

• Stab someone in the back

  To betray someone in a deceitful or treacherous manner, especially when they least expect it.

• Make no bones about it

  To speak very directly and frankly about something, without hesitation or concealment.

• Beyond the pale

  Something is beyond the pale if it is considered unacceptable or outside the bounds of conventional morality or good taste.

• On your high horse

  To be on your high horse means to act arrogantly or superiorly, often criticizing others from a position of perceived moral or intellectual superiority.

• Heartfelt

  Heartfelt describes something that is deeply and sincerely felt, expressed, or coming from one's innermost being.

• ill wind

  A harmful or detrimental influence or event that brings misfortune.

• through thick and thin

  To remain steadfastly loyal and supportive during both good times and difficult periods.

• chickens come home to roost

  Past wrongdoings or mistakes will eventually return to negatively affect the person who committed them.

• Lord of the manor

  Historically, the owner of a large estate in the English feudal system, holding significant power and authority over its residents.

• Unfathomable

  Impossible to understand, comprehend, or measure in extent.

• A harbinger of doom

  Something or someone that signals the imminent arrival of disaster, catastrophe, or a terrible fate.

• Bitter cold

  Extremely and unpleasantly cold, often accompanied by a sharp, biting wind.

• No quarter given

  It signifies that absolutely no mercy, leniency, or terms of surrender will be offered to an opponent; the fight will continue without compromise until total victory or annihilation.

• A chink in the armor

  A small, often hidden, flaw or weakness in something that is otherwise strong or perfect, making it vulnerable.

• An eavesdropper

  A person who secretly listens to the private conversations of others.

• What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

  This proverb signifies that deeply ingrained or inherited characteristics are impossible to hide and will ultimately reveal themselves in a person's actions or demeanor.

• A nuisance

  Something or someone that causes annoyance, inconvenience, or trouble.

• An article of faith

  A core belief or principle that is accepted without question or proof.

• A masterpiece

  A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship that is considered to be the best example of its kind.

• Out of sight, out of mind.

  When something or someone is no longer visible or present, it or they are easily forgotten.

• chink in one's armor

  A chink in one's armor refers to a small but significant flaw or vulnerability that could lead to failure or exposure.

• The proof of the pudding is in the eating

  The true value or quality of something can only be determined by testing or experiencing it.

• Gain an advantage

  To acquire a superior or more favorable position, benefit, or leverage over others.

• Beyond my ken

  Too difficult or impossible for someone to understand or know.

• Many hands make light work

  This proverb signifies that when many people cooperate to complete a task, it becomes easier and quicker to accomplish.

• Abandon all hope

  This phrase conveys the utter futility of expecting a positive outcome, signaling complete despair in a dire situation.

• Gaunt

  Extremely thin and bony in appearance, often due to illness, hunger, or suffering.

• Etcetera

  Used at the end of a list to indicate that other similar items are included or understood, but not explicitly stated.

• Man proposes, God disposes

  While humans can make plans and set goals, the ultimate outcome and resolution of events are subject to a higher power or fate.

• Speechless

  Unable to speak, typically due to intense surprise, shock, awe, or profound emotion.

• Checkmate

  The final, inescapable position in a game of chess where a king is under attack and has no legal move to escape, or more broadly, a situation where an opponent is defeated with no possible recourse.

• A saving grace

  An attribute, event, or person that redeems an otherwise negative, difficult, or undesirable situation or character.

• Just deserts

  This phrase describes the appropriate punishment or reward that a person truly deserves, often implying a negative or unfavorable outcome.

• A master of one's craft

  Someone exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable in their particular profession, art, or area of expertise.

• Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

  This phrase describes taking precautions or attempting to fix a problem only after the damage has already occurred, rendering the efforts futile.

• To dote on someone

  To dote on someone means to show extreme, often uncritical, fondness or love towards them.

• Blind as a mole

  Possessing extremely poor vision or being completely unable to see, often due to darkness or a medical condition.

• To have the gall

  To possess the shocking audacity or impudence to do something that is considered rude, inappropriate, or presumptuous.

• Immaculate

  Something that is perfectly clean, faultless, and without any imperfections or blemishes.

• Ravenous

  Extremely hungry, often to the point of being voracious or insatiable.

• Haughty

  Exhibiting excessive pride and a condescending attitude towards others, often implying a sense of superiority.

• To escape scot-free

  To avoid any punishment, penalty, or negative consequences for an action, especially when one is clearly at fault.

• Red as a rose

  To be extremely and vividly red, often used to describe a person's complexion, lips, or something intensely colored.

• The Grim Reaper is calling

  This phrase indicates that someone is critically ill, facing a life-threatening danger, or nearing the end of their life.

• In jeopardy

  To be in a situation where something is at risk of harm, loss, or failure.

• In peril

  To be in a state of serious danger, at great risk, or facing potential harm.

• Return to the fray

  To re-engage in a challenging or competitive situation after a period of absence or withdrawal.

• Harbinger of doom

  A person or thing that signals the imminent arrival of disaster or misfortune.

• Rescue

  To save someone or something from a dangerous, difficult, or harmful situation.

• Audit the books

  To conduct an official, systematic examination of a company's or individual's financial records to verify their accuracy and compliance with regulations.

• Trial by fire

  A difficult or challenging experience that tests one's ability, resilience, or character under pressure.

• The gist

  The main point, essential substance, or general sense of something.