IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

out of the woods

Meaning: Out of danger; out of a very difficult situation.

Example: “The surgery went well, but she's not out of the woods yet.”

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Origin: The image is of travelers emerging from a dark, dangerous forest. A Roman proverb warned not to shout before being out of the woods, and in English the phrase is recorded from the late 18th century; Abigail Adams used a version in 1776.

More English idioms

  • over the top Beyond expectations; outside normal or accepted boundaries; exaggerated.
  • the patience of Job Unlimited patience; the willingness to endure hardship patiently.
  • pay the piper To pay for one's mistakes; to live with the consequences of one's (wrong) actions.
  • pencil pusher An office worker; a bureaucrat who routinely does his or her paperwork job without any de…
  • penny pincher A person that doesn't like to spend money.
  • peter out To disappear gradually.

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