an accident waiting to happen
Meaning: Someone or something very likely to cause trouble or harm.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “That loose stair carpet is an accident waiting to happen.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The phrase comes from safety reports and journalism of the 20th century, where a known hazard was described this way before it caused injury.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: горе луковое (gore lukovoye) — literally: onion grief
More idioms — Daily Life
- on a wing and a prayer — Only just managing, with luck rather than means.
- welcome to the club — Said to someone who has just joined you in a shared situation, usually an unwelcome one.
- tell me another one — Said to someone whose story is obviously untrue.
- go off the rails — To lose control of one's life or behavior.
- there's nothing for it — There is no other choice.
- on the back of an envelope — Roughly worked out, without proper tools or care.
More English idioms
- a scapegoat — Someone blamed for others' faults.
- truth be told — To be honest about it.
- for the life of me — However hard I try.
- kick the can down the road — To put off dealing with a problem, leaving it for later.
- away with the fairies — Daydreaming, or not quite in touch with reality.
- drop the ball — To make a mistake, especially by failing to do something one was responsible for.
From our tongue twisters
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- Unique New York. — Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…