be lost for words
Meaning: To be so surprised or moved that one cannot speak.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “When they brought out the cake, she was lost for words.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The words one needs have gone missing. The phrase, and "at a loss for words," are common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Dutch: Met de mond vol tanden staan — literally: To stand with your mouth full of teeth
More idioms — Daily Life
- know the score — To understand the real situation, including its less pleasant facts.
- go down the drain — To be wasted or lost, or to fail completely.
- of the old school — Holding traditional values or ways of doing things.
- keep one's eye on the ball — To stay focused on what matters.
- be cut out for something — To have the right qualities for something.
- go to bat for someone — To support or defend someone.
More English idioms
- cherry-pick — To choose only the best or most convenient items.
- pull the plug — To put a stop to something, especially by cutting off its support.
- clean house — To get rid of unwanted people or practices in an organization.
- kick it up a notch — To increase effort, intensity or excitement.
- take matters into one's own hands — To act oneself because others have failed to.
- fight fire with fire — To respond to an attack with the same methods.
From our untranslatable words
- Torschlusspanik — The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life…
- Kummerspeck — The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…
- Fremdschämen — The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…