have someone's guts for garters
Meaning: To punish someone severely, especially with angry or violent reprimand.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: A grotesque image of internal organs being removed and used as garters (leg bands); the phrase expresses extreme rage and the desire to inflict graphic harm.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- wet one's whistle — To have a drink.
- bad blood — Persistent hostility or deep resentment between people.
- pull teeth — To accomplish something with great difficulty, requiring much effort and persistence.
- feet first — Dead, or in the manner of a corpse.
- ne pas fermer l’œil de la nuit — To be unable to sleep; to stay awake all night.
- prendre à la gorge — To seize someone or something forcefully; to make breathing or speech difficult; to trigg…
More English idioms
- spin one's wheels — To work hard without making any real progress toward a goal.
- Lord willing and the creek don't rise — Used to express contingency on circumstances beyond one's control, especially minor natur…
- until the cows come home — For an indefinitely long time; forever or seemingly forever.
- land in someone's lap — Something desirable comes to someone without effort or expectation on their part.
- out of spoons — Exhausted of energy or resources, usually mental or emotional.
- bad apple — A person of bad character whose presence corrupts or damages others or a group.
Loading the full interactive collection…