Russian roulette
Meaning: Any high-risk activity undertaken needlessly, where disaster may strike without warning.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The phrase originates from an actual deadly game played by Russian soldiers in the 19th century, in which a revolver with a single loaded chamber is spun and fired at the head.
More idioms — Daily Life
- pull back the curtain — To expose a hidden truth or reality behind an appearance.
- present company excepted — These remarks do not apply to anyone currently present in this conversation.
- on sufferance — Tolerated reluctantly and only because one has no better choice.
- friend of Bill W. — A recovering alcoholic, especially one in Alcoholics Anonymous.
- wear out one's welcome — To overstay one's time as a guest until one's presence becomes unwelcome or burdensome.
- nothing short of — Absolutely; entirely; completely—nothing less than the full extent of what is stated.
More English idioms
- set in stone — Unchangeable and permanent, fixed beyond modification.
- give up the ghost — To die, or to cease functioning entirely.
- live in the past — To be preoccupied with previous events and unable to move forward in life.
- hammer and tongs — With great vigor and force; in a determined and vigorous manner.
- in black and white — Stated explicitly and in writing; absolutely clear and unambiguous.
- string attached — A hidden condition or requirement that makes something less advantageous than it initiall…
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