a bit on the side
Meaning: A secret lover; an affair.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The novel's plot turns on the husband's bit on the side.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: "On the side" means extra, as with a side dish ordered apart from the main course. The British phrase is recorded from the mid-20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Spanish: lío de faldas — literally: a tangle of skirts
More idioms — Daily Life
- look out for number one — To put one's own interests first.
- with only the clothes on one's back — With no possessions at all.
- well, I never! — An exclamation of surprise or disbelief.
- luck out — To have unexpected good luck.
- put in one's two cents — To give one's opinion, whether or not it was asked for.
- crunch time — The decisive moment, when there is no more time left.
More English idioms
- use someone as a cat's paw — To get someone else to do one's dirty work.
- lose one's marbles — To go crazy.
- the heart of the matter — The most important part of an issue.
- play cat and mouse — To toy with someone one has power over.
- blow me down — An exclamation of complete surprise.
- get things back on track — To bring a situation back under control after it has gone wrong.
From our compliments & insults
- حمار (ḥimār) — A stubborn fool — the donkey being the universal symbol of obstinacy in Arabic culture.
- Je bent een kanjer — You're a star — a champ and a wonderful person.
- Золотые руки (Zolotye ruki) — You're wonderfully skilled with your hands — a true master at making and fixing things.