ships that pass in the night
Meaning: Two people whose paths cross only briefly.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “We both work shifts, so we're like ships that pass in the night.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The expression is frequently used to describe a romance that is not meant to be because it is the wrong time or the wrong place.
More idioms — Daily Life
- sit tight — To wait quietly and patiently, often in an anxious situation.
- sitting pretty — In a good or advantageous situation; living comfortably.
- let someone or something slip through someone's fingers — To lose something because one takes too much time to consider the situation.
- slow burn — To be quietly angry.
- slow off the mark — Slow to understand or react.
- sour grapes — A situation where a person criticizes something or someone out of jealousy.
More English idioms
- shot in the dark — A guess, often wild or based on little information.
- sleep like a log — To sleep so soundly that noise doesn't wake the person.
- snowball's chance in hell — No chance at all.
- sow one's wild oats — To do foolish or wild things, usually as a youth.
- speak of the devil — An expression used when someone who is being talked about has just appeared.
- speak one's mind — To tell someone how one feels or what one thinks.
From our compliments & insults
- 石頭 (Ishiatama) — A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.
- Tu as du chien — You have a certain irresistible magnetism — a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people in.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules — You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.