IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishset alarm bells ringing
Meaning: To make someone suspect that something is wrong.
Example: “An email asking for my bank password set alarm bells ringing.”
Origin: Bells long warned towns of fire or danger. The figurative sense, something that makes you suspect trouble, is modern; no first use has been traced.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Mettre la puce à l'oreille Literally: To put the flea in the ear
More English idioms
- get back on one's feet To recover after an illness or a setback.
- not sleep a wink To not sleep at all.
- work oneself into a lather To become very agitated, anxious or angry.
- stake one's life on it To be absolutely certain that something is true.
- welcome with open arms To greet or accept someone with great warmth and enthusiasm.
- count on the fingers of one hand To be very few in number, five or fewer.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- 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…
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A relentless 'p' plosive drill; a peck is an old dry measure of about nine litres.
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