cry at the drop of a hat
Meaning: To burst into tears very easily.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Since the baby was born, she cries at the drop of a hat.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Dropping a hat was once a signal to start a race or a fight, so "at the drop of a hat" means instantly. The phrase is American from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: nah am Wasser gebaut — literally: built close to water
More idioms — Daily Life
- been there, done that — Said of an experience one already knows well, often with a shrug.
- not get off the ground — To fail to make any progress at all.
- do nothing by halves — To commit fully to whatever one does.
- shut someone up — To force someone to stop talking.
- a pack of lies — A story that is entirely untrue.
- be pocket change — To be a trivial amount of money for the person paying.
More English idioms
- think outside the box — To find an unconventional solution.
- green with envy — Extremely jealous.
- keep someone on a short leash — To keep someone under close control.
- not for all the tea in China — Under no circumstances.
- rein someone in — To bring someone under control.
- keep one's feet on the ground — To stay realistic and unaffected by success.
From our tongue twisters
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? — A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. — Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. — A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.