leave someone in the lurch, fight tooth and nail, hit the brakes, a square peg in a round hole, not have a leg to stand on: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 93. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. leave someone in the lurch · idiom/liv ˈsʌmwʌn ɪn ðə lɜrtʃ/

   to abandon someone in a difficult situation

   I was counting on him to help, but he left me in the lurch at the last minute.

   Origin: From a 16th-century French card game — being 'in the lurch' meant losing badly with no chance of recovery.

2. fight tooth and nail · idiom/faɪt tuθ ənd neɪl/

   to fight with extreme effort and determination

   She fought tooth and nail to get her company through the financial crisis and saved everyone’s jobs.

   Origin: From the 1500s — animals fighting use every natural weapon available, including teeth and claws, holding nothing back.

3. hit the brakes · idiom/hɪt ðə breɪks/

   to stop or slow down progress or activity

   The company was expanding too fast, so they had to hit the brakes before they lost control.

   Origin: From the early 1900s automobile age — pressing the brake pedal slows or stops a moving vehicle.

4. a square peg in a round hole · idiom/ə skwɛr pɛɡ ɪn ə raʊnd hoʊl/

   to be in a situation where you don’t fit in

   As a quiet artist in a corporate office, he always felt like a square peg in a round hole.

   Origin: From an 1836 essay by Sydney Smith — a square peg simply cannot fit into a round hole, no matter how forced.

5. not have a leg to stand on · idiom/nɑt hæv ə lɛɡ tu stænd ɔn/

   to have no evidence or support for your argument

   Without any witnesses or evidence, his argument didn’t have a leg to stand on in court.

   Origin: From the 1600s — a person with no legs cannot stand, just as an argument with no evidence cannot be defended.