Can You Guess What Letters Are Missing From These Phrases?

To “bite off more than you can chew” means that you have taken on something gargantuan that you can’t handle, but you learned that a bit too late. It can pertain to making a promise you can’t easily keep, or maybe accepting a huge assignment that you can’t finish before the deadline.

To “cut to the chase” simply means to be direct and not to tell any more details than necessary. But saying this to someone may appear rude, so assess who you are talking to first, before uttering this phrase. It helps if you're tactful, too.

“Food for thought” is something that should be mulled over very carefully. The "food" is actually new information.

To be as “cool as a cucumber” means that you are very relaxed, calm and collected. The comparison to the cucumber is just about right, because it’s a very cool, juicy and refreshing vegetable that’s also used in the beauty industry.

To “hear it straight from the horse’s mouth” means that you are hearing something directly from the original source of the news or information. There's no danger that words have been twisted, as in a game of Telephone.

To “cross the bridge when you get there” means waiting to make certain decisions when necessary, and not before. Don't worry about things before they happen.

If you were “born with a silver spoon in your mouth,” you were fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family. Sometimes, though, this phrase has a negative connotation, depending on the context, because someone who was born wealthy could turn out to be spoiled or bratty.

To say that “your guess is as good as mine” means that you have absolutely no clue as to what’s happening, and that you are in the same boat as your colleague or friend who has no knowledge either. So in short, it means both of you are clueless, and you both have to guess what’s up.

To “go with the flow” means to basically follow what the others are doing or to just go where the crowd is taking you. It could be taken in a literal sense or a figurative sense.

The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” means that if someone is nosey about something that isn't their concern, they could be hurt somehow. Well, we know that cats have nine lives, so to speak, but don’t take any chances!

When we say that “a picture paints a thousand words,” we're saying that a single image can sometimes express more than many words could say. We tend to understand many things just by looking at a visual image.

“The devil is in the details,” means that people should be careful enough to scrutinize every small action or bit of information. When you’re pitching to a client, for example, and you accidentally reveal facts or images that they should not see, then that’s letting the devil win over you!

To “spill the beans” means to "let the cat out of the bag," to use another idiomatic expression. They both mean you're telling your secret to someone or confessing something. It's a mess that can't be easily cleaned up or undone.

If someone says that you are “off your rocker," be insulted! That phrase means that you’re crazy, confused, senile or even demented.

When someone says they have a method to their madness, they have some sort of organizing style or plan that’s not obvious to other people. It's up to everyone else to decide whether or not to trust them.

If someone has the “best of both worlds,” that means they are very much enjoying extra privileges that others do not have. Usually, we can only enjoy one side of things, or one part of the world, so to speak, and those who enjoy more than this are somehow tipping the scale of inequality. Someone who has both beauty and brains enjoys the best of both worlds, for example.

To “stab [someone] in the back” means to betray them, whether they are your friend or not. Karma has its kickback, of course, so if you do this to someone, expect that you will also get stabbed in the back later, and not necessarily by the one you stabbed.

Someone who is “in the heat of the moment” is getting carried away, so their movements, actions and thoughts are not well planned out. They may make very impulsive decisions right then and there, just because they are overwhelmed by a certain situation at a given time - decisions that they may regret later.

When someone says, “drastic times call for drastic measures,” they mean that their situation is very desperate already, so they are open to doing something far beyond their comfort zone or perhaps even their moral boundaries. Of course, the person will still be accountable for what happens through their actions.

The phrase “let sleeping dogs lie” means that one should be smart enough not to disturb a situation that doesn’t really need rousing up. So that means keeping the peace, lest you want the proverbial dog to wake up and wreak havoc!

To merely “break even” from an investment or financial venture means that you didn’t lose any money, yet you also didn’t earn any profit. Basically, you just earned back what you put out there, and that’s why things are just even.

To be “in the red” means that your financial standing is critically low, perhaps to the point of bankruptcy. The opposite thought of this, though, is to be “in the black” – and that’s what we ought to aim for, always.

To “spice things up” means to do something more exciting, or to make something more interesting. This comes from the concept of adding herbs and spices to food, to make it tastier.

To “have a sweet tooth” means that someone likes eating many sweet things, such as desserts and candy. Usually, this sweet tooth feeling is connected to craving a sugar high, so be careful not to eat sweets in excess.

To do something “rain or shine” means that the show must go on, no matter the circumstances. It’s not limited to adverse weather conditions only, as the problems could also be human-made.

To “butter them up” means that you are flattering someone in order to get your way. This often involves excessive or false praise.

To “bury your head in the sand” means that you are ignoring an issue. This comes from the false belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger.

For something to occur “once in a blue moon” means that it is a rare happening or event. An actual blue moon - a second full moon in the same calendar month - is a rare occurrence that has nothing to do with color.

To “let the dust settle” means that you recently got into a tense or exciting situation and emotions are still running high, so ample time should be allotted to let those feelings and emotions subdue. The dust pertains to the chaos that ensued, negative or positive, and everyone needs to wait until the dust cloud dissipates.

To be “in hot water” means you’re in definite trouble or you’re in a very precarious situation that could still get worse. When you’re literally in hot water the heat will scald your skin, and the idiomatic expression also foretells of such an event, philosophically speaking.

To say that “every cloud has a silver lining” means that there is always something positive hidden in the negative things that are happening. It’s like saying that the sun is still there behind that cloud, and it will shine once again when the clouds dissipate.

To “beat around the bush” means to speak indirectly or stall for time. Meanwhile, everyone else wants the speaker to get to the point.

When someone says, “blessing in disguise,” they mean that an unfortunate event or incident could actually bear something positive later on. For example, if someone lost their job and then finds a better one, the unemployment was a blessing in disguise.

Someone who is the “salt of the Earth” is honest and reliable. This phrase has a biblical origin.

The phrase ”Elvis has left the building” means that an event is officially over. Elvis here refers to the late Elvis Presley, of course - the ultimate performer and the King of Rock and Roll.