make a fist of
Meaning: To accomplish something with reasonable competence or success.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The phrase pictures clenching one's hand into a fist—a gesture of determination or readiness to tackle a task.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- body English — Subtle body movements a person makes to coax a moving object toward a desired direction,…
- all mouth and trousers — Full of loud boasting and empty talk, lacking substance or follow-through.
- turn on one's heel — To suddenly depart or walk away, often in a dramatic or dismissive manner.
- what's eating you — What is bothering or irritating you?
- old flame — A former romantic partner, especially one whose memory still stirs affection.
- at a pinch — In an urgent or difficult situation, when no better alternative is available or when reso…
More English idioms
- tilt at windmills — To waste effort fighting against imaginary enemies or pursuing hopeless causes.
- welcome to my world — You are now experiencing something unpleasant that the speaker knows well and has dealt w…
- one is a poet and doesn't know it — Someone has unintentionally created a rhyme or spoken in verse without realizing it.
- hash slinger — A cook or server in a cheap restaurant, often regarded as rude or inattentive.
- built different — Uniquely talented or operating by a different standard than ordinary people.
- turn up the heat — To make a situation more intense, uncomfortable, or urgent.
From our tongue twisters
- 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.
- She sells seashells by the seashore. — The definitive 's' versus 'sh' alternation — the tongue has to switch place of articulati…