come hell or high water
Meaning: no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
Language: English
Literally: come hell or high water
Category: Nature
Origin: American, attested from the late 1800s, and pairing the worst imaginable spiritual outcome with a thoroughly practical one. The high water is the more revealing half: the phrase is commonly linked to cattle driving, where herds had to be pushed across rivers that could rise without warning, and a flooded crossing was the routine disaster standing between a drive and its destination. That association is plausible and often repeated but not firmly documented, and the phrase may simply have been built for its sound — the two stressed h's give it a hammering emphasis that a more literal formulation would lack. Either way the construction is the familiar one of naming two extremes to mean everything in between, and thus refusing every possible excuse in advance.
More idioms — Nature
- up the creek without a paddle — in a difficult situation without means to escape.
- take the plunge — to commit to something risky; to make a decisive move.
- go pear-shaped — to go wrong; to develop badly; to become misshapen.
- be on cloud nine — to be extremely happy; in a state of bliss.
- knock on wood — to seek good fortune; to ward off bad luck.
- Auf dem Holzweg sein — To be on completely the wrong track.
More English idioms
- run rings around someone — to easily surpass someone; to be far superior in ability.
- bury the hatchet — to make peace; to settle a dispute.
- a storm in a teacup — excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot.
- get the ball rolling — to start something; to initiate a process.
- as tough as old boots — very strong; enduring; difficult to break.
- head honcho — the person in charge; the leader.
From our compliments & insults
- Χρυσό μου (Chrysó mou) — My darling — a tender term of endearment.
- Sei un fenomeno — You're amazing — exceptionally good at what you do.
- Eres la leche — You're the best — absolutely fantastic.