The company offered a free trial with no strings attached—there was no commitment required.
word origin — From the 1800s textile trade — strings attached to fabric noted defects that limited resale, so 'no strings' meant flawless.
no strings attached, give it a shot, face the music, play with a full deck, be water under the bridge: meanings and examples
Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 75. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.
no strings attached · idiom/noʊ strɪŋz əˈtætʃt/
without conditions or obligations
The company offered a free trial with no strings attached—there was no commitment required.
Origin: From the 1800s textile trade — strings attached to fabric noted defects that limited resale, so 'no strings' meant flawless.
give it a shot · idiom/ɡɪv ɪt ə ʃɑt/
to try something to see if it works
I don’t know if I’ll be good at painting, but I’ll give it a shot.
Origin: American slang from the 1900s — 'shot' meant attempt or try, drawn from sports such as golf and basketball.
face the music · idiom/feɪs ðə ˈmjuzɪk/
to accept consequences, especially negative ones
He knew he messed up at work and had to face the music when his boss called him in.
Origin: American 19th-century — disgraced military officers were drummed out of camp, forced to face their regiment's music.
play with a full deck · idiom/pleɪ wɪð ə fʊl dɛk/
to think logically and make good decisions
I don’t think he’s playing with a full deck—his decisions don’t make any sense.
Origin: From card games — a deck missing cards leads to bad decisions, so a 'full deck' represents clear, complete thinking.
be water under the bridge · idiom/bi ˈwɔɾɚr ˈʌndɚ ðə brɪdʒ/
to be a past conflict or issue that is no longer relevant
They had a huge argument last year, but it’s all water under the bridge now.
Origin: From the 1900s — water flowing under a bridge is gone forever, never returning to be a problem again.