avoid like the plague
Meaning: To stay as far away as possible from someone or something.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Ever since the argument, my brother has avoided his old roommate like the plague.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The comparison is very old: St. Jerome, in the 4th century, advised avoiding certain people as one would the plague. An English form, "eschewed as the plague," is recorded in 1566.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: fuir comme la peste — literally: to flee like the plague
- Portuguese: fugir como o diabo foge da cruz — literally: to flee like the devil flees from the cross
More idioms — Daily Life
- lay it on thick — To exaggerate, especially praise or flattery, far too much.
- stake one's life on it — To be absolutely certain that something is true.
- chase skirts — To pursue women constantly and flirtatiously.
- not know which way to turn — To be so overwhelmed or confused that one does not know what to do.
- watch one's step — To be careful how one behaves, to avoid trouble.
- mend fences — To repair a damaged relationship after a disagreement.
More English idioms
- welcome with open arms — To greet or accept someone with great warmth and enthusiasm.
- count on the fingers of one hand — To be very few in number, five or fewer.
- give someone an earful — To scold someone at length, or tell them angrily what one thinks.
- one's eyes pop out of one's head — To be astonished, often at something striking or desirable.
- turn one's stomach — To make someone feel sick, physically or with disgust.
- have eyes in the back of one's head — To notice everything, even what happens behind one's back.