Make a mountain out of a molehill: attribute great importance to something, esp. a difficulty or grievance, which is really insignificant. (Oxford Dictionary).

• one in a million; also, one in a thousand, or, one in a billion (idiom): extraordinary, rare, as in; [e.g.]: “She’s the kindest soul—she’s one in a million”, or “This ring is one in a billion”. [note: all these terms are hyperbolic]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• be one in a million (idiom): to be regarded as very rare and excellent or spectacular; [e.g.]: “Your new boyfriend is one in a million; I can’t believe he spent the weekend with your entire family and actually enjoyed himself”; “This opportunity is one in a million—you have to take it!” ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• one in a million (idiom): if somebody says someone or something is one in a million, they mean they are very special or the best of their kind; [e.g.]: “At twenty-five, Bernstein was a star—one in a million”; (note): one can replaced with other nouns; [e.g.]: “He’ll be a horse in a million if he wins”; (note): one-in-a-million can also be used before a noun; [e.g.]: “We still want love and the unique experience of a close, lasting partnership with that one-in-a-million man”. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• one in a million (idiom): exceptionally uncommon or unusually excellent; hyphenated if used before a noun; [e.g.]: “This is a one-in-a-million opportunity for us—we’d be fools not to seize it while we have the chance!”; “My grandmother really was one in a million, and we’re all very blessed to have had the opportunity to know her”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• overegg (tr.v.): to exaggerate (a feature of something) to the point of unreasonableness (esp. in the phrase ‘overegg the pudding’). ~ (Collins English Dictionary).

• over-egg (tr.v.): to embellish too much, to exaggerate; (synonym): gild the lily; [e.g.]: “The toast was drunk with tremendous applause, Mr. Jorrocks acting as fugleman (i.e., a leader, organiser and spokesman; esp. a political leader)—‘but as we mustn’t over-egg the pudding’, as the Yorkshire farmers say, we will reserve the other proceedings of the evening for another chapter”. (page 161, Chapter Sixteen, in “Hillingdon Hall”, 1845, by Robert Smith Surtees, published 1888); “Our established Press bosses are no fools. They know the risks, and they will be careful not to over-egg the pudding”. (from “The Newspapers”, The Earl of Arran, in House of Lords parliamentary debates; Column 471; June 22, 1960); “If you really want to over-egg the pudding, you can, a month or so after the funeral, organise a memorial service”. (from “The Virginia Monologues”, by Virginia Ironside; 2009, Penguin UK); “Adverbs too (‘she remarked, tersely’) seem to over-egg the pudding or else acquire undue weight in the mouth of a supposedly artless narrator”. (page 32, ‘Introduction’, by Alan Bennett, in “The Complete Talking Heads”; 2010, Picador). [origin & history: English origin, mid-nineteenth century]. ~ (Word-Sense Online Dictionary).

• over-egg (idiom): 1. to make something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is; [e.g.]: “We all know insurance claimants who have over-egged the pudding to increase their payouts”; “It would be overegging the pudding to describe the system as universally popular”; (synonyms): exaggerate, gild the lily; 2. to spoil something by trying too hard to improve it; [e.g.]: “There are some great moments, but the writer tends to over-egg the pudding with metaphors and similes when all she’s describing is a group of women getting through the day”; (more examples): “Yes, there is a risk that the deal won’t complete, but the market is over-egging it”; “This further investigation could over-egg issues and cause discontent in the industry”; “Let your staff know you’re with them, but don’t over-egg the sentiment”. ~ (Cambridge English Dictionary).

• over-egg the pudding (idiom; primarily heard in UK): to get something wrong or make something worse by doing too much of something or trying too hard to improve a situation; [e.g.]: “I think we’ve over-egged the pudding with the amount of technology we’ve crammed into our daily lives—no one knows how to have a quiet moment anymore”; “The latest budget over-eggs the pudding yet again, spreading resources across too many sectors without enough funds to actually fix any of them”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• over-egg the pudding (mainly Brit.): if someone over-eggs the pudding, they spoil something by trying too hard to improve it; [e.g.]: “You can buy all sorts of extras for the car, but it’s very easy to over-egg the pudding”; (note): other nouns are sometimes used instead of pudding; [e.g.]: “The band certainly knew how to over-egg the cake, with no song being complete unless it had three tempo changes and a loud finale”. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• over-egg the pudding (or cake): to go too far in embellishing, exaggerating, or doing something; excessive quantities of egg in a pudding could either make it too rich or cause it not to set or cook correctly; [e.g.]: “This is a noble end, but in her eagerness to reach it Duffy somewhat over-eggs the cake”. (1998; Spectator). ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• over-egg the pudding (idiom): used to say somebody has done more than is necessary, or has added unnecessary details to make something seem better or worse than it really is; [e.g.]: “If you’re telling lies, keep it simple—never over-egg the pudding”. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

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• people (who live) in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (proverb): people who are vulnerable to criticism should not criticise others, especially not for the faults which they themselves have (since such criticism will likely be returned); [e.g.]: “He’s been hounding his opponent for dodging taxes, when it’s public knowledge that he still owes the taxation department for years of tax delinquency. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!”; “Person A: ‘She just spends her time complaining about other people. It’s so shallow and annoying!’ Person B: ‘Now, now—people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones’”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (proverb): a person should not criticise other people for having the same faults which they themself have; [e.g.]: “Person A: ‘He sure was drinking a lot at the office party’; Person B: ‘I noticed you had quite a few cocktails yourself. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones’”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (idiom): one who is open to criticism should not criticise others; [e.g.]: “It’s stupid of him to mention his opponent’s accepting donations from lobbyists—people who live in glass houses!”; this proverb is so well known it is often shortened; see also: pot calling the kettle black. [late 1300s]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, or, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (idiom): if someone says people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, they mean that people should not criticise others for faults which they themselves have; [e.g.]: “When will they learn? People in glass houses really shouldn’t throw stones”. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (cliché): those who themselves are open to criticism or vulnerable to attack should not attack others; this proverb dates from the time of Geoffrey Chaucer, who used a version of it in “Troilus and Criseyde (circa 1374); George Herbert wrote: “Whose house is of glass, | From cast of stones must not throw stones at another” (Jacula Prudentum, 1640); see also pot calling the kettle black⁽*⁾. ~ (The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

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• the pot calling the kettle black (saying, informal): used to say that someone should not criticise somebody for a fault which they have themself; [e.g.]: “You haven’t done any work all morning”; “Neither have you! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!”. [when cooking was done over a fire, the smoke made cooking pots turn black]. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• rule the roost (idiom): to be the real boss; to be the person in charge; [e.g.]: “You just need to accept that your daughter is going to rule the roost for most of her childhood”; “For all intents and purposes, it’s the assistant manager who rules the roost”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• rule the roost (figurative): to be the boss or manager, especially at home; [e.g.]: “Who rules the roost at your house?”; “Our new office manager really rules the roost”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• rule the roost (idiom): be in charge, boss others; [e.g.]: “In our division the chairman’s son rules the roost”; this expression originated in the fifteenth century as “rule the roast”, which was either a corruption of ‘rooster’ or alluded to the person who was in charge of the ‘roast’ and thus ran the kitchen; in the barnyard a rooster decides which hen should roost near him; both interpretations persisted for two hundred years; Thomas Heywood (circa 1630) put it as “Her that ruled the roast in the kitchen”, but William Shakespeare had it in “2 Henry VI”; Act 1; Scene 1): “The new-made duke that rules the roast”, which is more ambiguous; in the mid-seventeen-hundreds ‘roost’ began to compete with ‘roast’, and in the nineteen-hundreds ‘roost’ displaced ‘roast’ altogether; see also “run the show”. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• rule the roost (idiom): 1. if someone rules the roost, they are the most powerful and important person in a group; [e.g.]: “In Germany, scientists will be found at the top of many manufacturing companies; in Britain, accountants rule the roost”; “Unfortunately he’s a weak manager who lets the players rule the roost when he’s meant to be in charge”; 2. if something rules the roost it is more powerful or popular than the things that it is being compared to; [e.g.]: “Today, the cartels still rule the roost and the authorities seem as impotent as ever”; (note): this expression seems to refer to the dominant cock in a chicken coop; however, “rule the roost” may have developed from the earlier expression “rule the roast”, which refers to the head of the household who carves and serves the meat. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• rule the roost (idiom): be in complete control; the original expression was “rule the roast”, which was common from the mid-sixteenth century onwards; although none of the early examples of its use shed any light on its source, it can be surmised that it originally referred to someone being the most important person at a banquet or feast; “rule the roost”, found from the mid-eighteenth century, has now replaced the earlier version. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• rule the roost (informal): to be in charge; dominate; [e.g.]: “In this house my parents rule the roost”. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

• to rule the roost (cliché): to be the boss. This term originated as “rule the roast” in the fifteenth century. Possibly it even then referred to the rooster, who decides which hen should roost near him. On the other hand, Thomas Heywood, in his “History of Women” (circa 1630), stated, “Her that ruled the roast in the kitchen”, so perhaps it did mean whoever held sway over the kitchen, the heart of a household. William Shakespeare used it more broadly, however. In “Henry VI”, Part 2; Act 1; Scene 1) he refers to “the new-made duke that rules the roast”. In any event, it has been used for bossing anything from a family to an entire nation. ~ (The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

• a snowball’s chance in hell (idiom): no chance at all, as in; [e.g.]: “He hasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of getting there in two hours”. [late 1800s; this idiom, nearly always used negatively, alludes to the traditional view of eternal damnation as an otherworldly domain of fiery heat which would, of course, cause an instantaneous melting of snow]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms; Edited Version).

• a snowball’s chance in hell (idiom): an infinitely small possibility, chance, or likelihood, to the point of being impossible; usually used in the phrase ‘not have a snowball’s chance in hell’; [e.g.]: “That candidate doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning an election in this part of the state”; “We haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell if we have to compete against some mega corporation like that!”; “I knew I wouldn’t have more than a snowball’s chance in hell of getting in, but I sent in my application anyway”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• not have a snowball’s chance in hell, or, not a hope in hell (informal): a very poor chance (usually in the negative); [e.g.]: “She doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting it done on time”; “I know I don’t have a hope in hell, but I’ll try anyway”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• not have a snowball’s chance in hell (informal): have no chance at all of doing something; [e.g.]: “Look at this traffic! I’m afraid we haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting to the airport in time”; (opposite): a sporting chance; (viz.: a reasonable chance of success; [e.g.]: “I know it’s going to be tough, but I think I’m in with a sporting chance of winning”). [this idiom refers to a belief in hell as being a place of eternal fire]. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• not a snowball’s chance in hell, or, not a cat in hell’s chance (spoken; common; Brit.): if there is not a snowball’s chance in hell, or not a cat in hell’s chance, of someone doing something or of something happening, there is no chance at all they will do it or it will happen; [e.g.]: “Do you seriously think he has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning this election?”; “We haven’t a cat in hell’s chance of raising the money by the Friday deadline; (note): it can also be said someone doesn’t have a chance in hell of doing something; [e.g.]: “They don’t have a chance in hell of privatising the economy as they have no idea how a free market works”. [note: the original expression was “as much chance as a cat in hell without claws”]. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• no more than/not a snowball’s chance in hell (cliché): no chance at all; the hell in question is, of course, the fabulously hot place of tradition; this term appears to have replaced the earlier “no more chance than a cat in hell without claws”, an eighteenth-century locution, which, according to Grose’s Dictionary, was applied to a person quarrelling with or fighting against a much stronger opponent; the current cliché comes from late nineteenth-century America; in Britain and other English-speaking countries it is sometimes put as “a snowflake’s chance in hell”; see also “Chinaman’s Chance”⁽⁰¹⁾. ~ (The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

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⁽⁰¹⁾he hasn’t a/not a Chinaman’s chance (cliché): no chance whatever; the term dates from the latter half of the nineteenth century, when Chinese immigrants came to California to help build railroads; their presence was sharply opposed because they would work for far less than white workers; “We are ruined by cheap labour”, wrote Bret Harte in his poem “Plain Language from Truthful James”; according to some authorities, the term applied to those Chinese who tried to supplement their earnings by working claims and streams abandoned by gold prospectors, a virtually hopeless undertaking; other people, poet John Ciardi among them, believe it derives from the way they were regarded as virtually sub-human and had no legal recourse if, for example, they were robbed, attacked, or otherwise abused; it largely replaced the older “not a dog’s chance”, at least in America, but is now considered offensive; also see “fat chance”⁽⁰²⁾. ~ (The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).>

• shoot from the lip (informal): react suddenly or without careful consideration of one’s words or actions. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• shoot from the lip (idiom): to speak rashly, recklessly, or bluntly, without consideration of potential consequences; [e.g.]: “The country’s prime minister has gained a reputation for shooting from the lip, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament”; “The boss tends to shoot from the lip, so don’t take what he says too personally”. [a play on the phrase ‘shoot from the hip’, meaning the same; an allusion to firing a handgun immediately upon drawing it from its holster without taking time to aim]. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• shoot from the hip (n.): 1. lit. to fire a gun which is held at one’s side, beside one’s hip (this increases one’s speed in firing a gun but is much less accurate); [e.g.]: “When I lived at home on the farm, my father taught me to shoot from the hip with accuracy”; “As I quickly shot the snake before it bit my horse I’m glad I learned to shoot from the hip at an early age”; 2. (fig.): to speak directly and frankly (alluding to the rapidness of firing a gun from the hip); [e.g.]: “John has a tendency to shoot from the hip, but he generally speaks the truth”; “Don’t pay any attention to him; it’s just his nature to shoot from the hip but he means no harm”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• shoot from the hip (idiom): if someone shoots from the hip, they react to situations very quickly and forcefully, without thinking about the consequences; [e.g.]: “They criticised his readiness to shoot from the hip so much”; “She claimed she did not shoot from the hip as she liked to think long and hard before taking decisions”; (note): it can also be said someone fires from the hip with the same meaning; [e.g.]: “He certainly has a tendency to fire from the hip—to be impulsive—as he was quick-tempered by nature”. [note: the image here is of a gunslinger removing his gun from its holster and firing immediately, without raising it to take aim]. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• shoot from the hip (idiom): react quickly without thinking carefully first; [e.g.]: “As a manager, he was sometimes accused of shooting from the hip but he was always popular with his colleagues”. [this refers to firing a shot from a handgun immediately after taking it from its belt holster, without taking proper aim]. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• shoot from the hip (slang): to act or speak on a matter without forethought. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

• shoot from the hip (idiom): to speak quickly and without thinking; [e.g.]: “She has a tendency to shoot from the hip but it’s not really a problem once you know”. [see also “hip-shooter” below]. ~ (McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions).

• hip-shooter (n.): someone who talks without thinking; someone who speaks very frankly; [e.g.]: “Pay no attention to him—he’s just a loudmouthed hip-shooter—as he means no harm”. [see also “shoot from the hip” above]. ~ (McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions).

• shoot from the hip (slang): speak or act recklessly or impulsively, as in; [e.g.]: “Indeed, he’s known for shooting from the hip as he isn’t very tactful”. [slang; mid-1900s; this expression transfers the fast shooting accomplished, of drawing a gun from a holster and shooting without raising it, to quick speaking or acting; for a similar transfer, see “shoot off one’s mouth”]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• shoot off (one’s) mouth (idiom): 1. to speak without discretion; to speak too loudly or freely, especially about sensitive topics or information; [e.g.]: “We would have gotten away with our plan if your dumb cousin hadn’t started shooting off his mouth all over town”; “I figured it went without saying that I didn’t want to talk about my divorce at Daniel’s wedding, but you just had to go and shoot off your mouth like that!”; 2. to be annoyingly or overbearingly talkative, especially in a bragging or boastful manner; [e.g.]: “There’s some guy at the other end of the bar shooting off his mouth about how far he can throw a football”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• much sought after (idiom): in demand; very popular with or desired by a lot of people; [e.g.]: “To the surprise of some, the product has been greatly sought after since it was first released”; “Retailers have struggled to maintain stock of the much sought after toy”; “Now the property market has begun to boom, construction workers are much sought after once again”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• much sought after (cliché): wanted or desired very much; [e.g.]: “This kind of crystal is much sought after as it’s very rare”; “She is a great singer and is much sought after”. [typically, ‘be much sought after’ or ‘become much sought after’]. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• sought after; also, much sought after (idiom): very popular, in demand; [e.g.]: “He was much sought after as a throat specialist, particularly by singers”. [late 1800s; this expression uses the past participle of “seek” in the sense of ‘desired’ or ‘searched for’]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• sought after, or, seek after (idiom): to endeavour to locate or obtain someone or something; often used in passive constructions; [e.g.]: “The political party has sought after control of parliament for years”; “We’ve been seeking after a new human resources manager, but none of the candidates have been a good fit so far”; “The new toy is expected to be heavily sought after this holiday season”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• seek after someone or something (cliché): to keep looking for someone or something; [e.g.]: “I will continue to seek after the robber who stole my jewellery”; “The thief was seeking after a late-model sedan”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• seek someone or something out (cliché): to search for and find someone or something; [e.g.]: “We will seek someone out to do the work for us”; “She sought out a helper for her aged mother”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• straw man (n.): an argument or opponent set up so as to be easily refuted or defeated. [from the making of sham human figures out of bundles of straw, as for use as scarecrows or practice targets]. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

• straw man (n.): a conveniently weak or innocuous person, object, or issue used as a seeming adversary or argument. [1895-1900]. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

• straw man (n.): a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted; (synonym): strawman; (related words): specious argument (an argument that appears good at first view but is really fallacious). ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).

• straw man (idiom): some argument or position set up as an easy object of criticism, derision, or refutation; [e.g.]: “He spent the whole debate setting up and knocking down straw men about his opponent’s supposed support of the terrorist groups in the Middle East”; “Come on—that’s just a ridiculous straw man, and you know it! If you want to argue with me, then argue with what I’m actually saying”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• straw man (idiom): a weak proposition posited only to be demolished by a simple countering argument; [e.g.]: “So you can knock down your own straw man! Big deal. The question is how can you deal with real problems”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• a straw man (sometimes written as “strawman”) is a form of argument and an informal fallacy of having the impression of refuting an argument, whereas the proper idea of argument under discussion was not addressed or properly refuted. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be “attacking a straw man”. The typical straw man argument creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponent’s proposition through the covert replacement of it with a different proposition (i.e., “stand up a straw man”) and the subsequent refutation of that false argument (“knock down a straw man”) instead of the opponent’s proposition. Straw man arguments have been used throughout history in polemical debate, particularly regarding highly charged emotional subjects. Straw man tactics in the United Kingdom may also be known as an “Aunt Sally”, after a pub game of the same name, where patrons throw sticks or battens at a post to knock off a skittle balanced on top.

The straw man fallacy occurs in the following pattern of argument:
• Person 1 asserts proposition X.
• Person 2 argues against a superficially similar proposition Y, falsely, as if an argument against Y were an argument against X.

This reasoning is a fallacy of relevance: it fails to address the proposition in question by misrepresenting the opposing position. For example:
• Quoting an opponent’s words out of context—i.e., choosing quotations which misrepresent the opponent’s intentions (see “fallacy of quoting out of context”).
• Presenting someone who defends a position poorly as the defender, then denying this person’s arguments—thus giving the appearance that every upholder of such a position (and thus the position itself) has been defeated.
• Oversimplifying an opponent’s argument, then attacking this oversimplified version.
• Exaggerating (sometimes grossly exaggerating) an opponent’s argument, then attacking this exaggerated version.

Examples: Straw man arguments often arise in public debates such as a (hypothetical) prohibition debate:
• A: “We should relax the laws on beer”.
• B: “No, any society with unrestricted access to intoxicants loses its work ethic and goes only for immediate gratification”.

The original proposal was to relax laws on beer. Person B has misconstrued and/or misrepresented this proposal by responding to it as if it had been “unrestricted access to intoxicants”. It is a logical fallacy because Person A never advocated allowing said unrestricted access to intoxicants (this is also a “slippery slope” argument). ~ (2012 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).

• a man of straw (idiom): a weak person; [e.g.]: “She thought he was strong and honest, but he turned out to be a man of straw and nothing more”. [note: “a straw man” is sometimes used as a variant]. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• a man of straw or a straw man (idiom): a man of straw is a man whose character is weak and who lacks definite beliefs; [e.g.]: “The party is run by men of straw without guts and without principles”; (note): in journalism, people also talk about straw men; this form of the expression is used in both British and American English; [e.g.]: “These are the responses of straw men with straw policies”. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• if the truth be known (idiom): to be honest; we must admit; in actuality; [e.g.]: “Truth be known, even though I majored in English literature, I’ve never read anything by Hemingway!”; “I know I said I wanted to go out to the bars tonight, but if the truth be known, I’d rather just stay home and watch a movie”; “Person A: ‘Truth be known, I was never very good at maths when I was in school’; Person B: ‘Wait, but you’re an accountant now!’”.~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• if truth be told (cliché): to be perfectly honest, to present all the facts of a case; James Patterson used it in his novel, ‘Roses Are Red’ (2000): “I am a little scared, truth be told”; see also ‘truth to tell’ and ‘fact of the matter’. ~ (Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

• truth to tell (cliché): speaking frankly and honestly; this phrase is another version of ‘to tell the truth’ and dates from the mid-1300s; both phrases are used to emphasise a statement, such as “Truth to tell, I hated the play”. ~ (Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

• the fact of the matter (cliché): the truth; this rather empty phrase, for which plain and simple ‘fact’ would do just as well, is somewhat newer than its turnaround companion, ‘as a matter of fact’, which means “in truth”, and, as Eric Partridge pointed out years ago, often precedes a lie; both have been clichés since the nineteenth century; two closely related locutions are ‘the truth of the matter’ and ‘if truth be known’, which generally precede an emphatic statement of how the speaker sees a situation; on the other hand, ‘matter-of-fact’ used as an adjective has a quite different meaning, that is, straightforward and commonplace, and ‘a matter of fact’ without ‘as’ has meant, since the sixteenth century, something of an actually factual nature. ~ (Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

• toll the death knell (idiom): to cause or signal the impending end or ruin of something, especially a business, organisation, or activity; refers to the sound of a bell ringing (the knell) from a church to indicate someone has died; [e.g.]: “The geometric expansion of the internet and digital media has tolled the death knell for countless print-based businesses around the world”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• sound the death knell (idiom): if something sounds the death knell for an activity or organisation, it causes the activity or organisation to end or fail; [e.g.]: “The announcement that the mine would close in March with the loss of more than nine-hundred-and-eighty jobs sounded the death knell for the village”; “Some people fear that the decision to allow women to become priests sounds the death knell of the Church of England”; (note): this expression has many variations; for example, other verbs can be used instead of sound, or simply use the death knell to describe something which causes something else to end or fail; [e.g.]: “The present system of industrialisation marked the death knell of traditional art”; “A new supermarket in the area would be the death knell for many small, independent food shops”. [note: a death knell is the ringing of a church bell at a funeral or to announce someone’s death]. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• sound the death knell of something (idiom): be the reason why something ends, goes out of fashion, or is replaced; [e.g.]: “The arrival of large supermarkets sounded the death knell of many small local shops”. [the death knell is the ringing of a bell to announce a person’s death]. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• death knell (idiom): something which indicates impending failure, as in; [e.g.]: “His low scores sounded the death knell for his ambitions”. [the noun knell, used for the ringing of a bell since at least the eleventh century, is rarely heard today except in this figurative phrase]. ~ (The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms).

• ring the knell of something (old-fashioned idiom): to foreshadow, signal, announce, or proclaim the end or ruin of something; it refers to the sound of a bell ringing (the knell) from a church to indicate someone has died; [e.g.]: “An uproarious applause strained the very timbers of the chamber, and rang the knell of slavery in this country forever”. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary)

• verbum sat sapienti est (Latin phrase): a word to the wise is sufficient. ~ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

• verbum sap (Latin phrase): enough said—used to indicate how something left unsaid may or should be inferred. [etymology: short for New Latin “verbum sapientī (sat est)”, ‘a word to the wise (is sufficient)’, after Latin dictum “sapientī sat est” (Plautus); first known use: 1818, in the meaning defined above]. ~ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

• verbum sat (phrase): used to bring something to a conclusion, implying that further comment is unneeded or inadvisable; see also: “nullius in verba”; (viz.: take nobody’s word for it; see also “res, non verba”; viz.: actions speak louder than words; see also: “a word to the wise”; (viz.: used to emphasis what follows as a piece of significant advice; [e.g.]: “Well have fun, but, a word to the wise, don’t let your sister take control”; see also “a nod is as good as a wink”; viz.: the hint, suggestion etc., can be understood without further explanation). [etymology: a shortening of Latin “verbum sapienti sat est”, ‘a word is enough (to a wise man)’; sometimes further shortened to “verbum sap”]. ~ (Wiktionary English Dictionary).

• verbum sap (phrase): a word to the wise is sufficient; no more need be said; also: “verb. sap.” and “verbum sat. [origin: 1640-50; short for Latin verbum sapientī sat est]. ~ (Random House Dictionary).

• verb. sap., or, verbum sap. (Latin phrase): a word to the wise (is sufficient); a phrase denoting that the listener can fill in the omitted remainder, or, enough is said. [the phrase is a truncation of “verbum sapienti sat(is) est”]. ~ (2012 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).

• verbum sapienti sat est (idiom; dated, from Latin): literally, ‘a word to the wise (is sufficient)’, meaning a wise or prudent person does not or should not require any further explanation; typically used to emphasise the advice implied by one’s statement; [e.g.]: “Sir, verbum sapienti. Your efforts in the senate would be better served were you to focus on issues directly pertaining to your field of expertise”; “Repeating the same weak, debunked arguments won’t make them true, you know. Verbum sapienti sat est”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• verbum sat sap (idiom): a shortening of the Latin phrase verbum sat sapienti est, literally, ‘a word to the wise is sufficient’, meaning a wise or prudent person does not or should not require any further explanation; typically used to emphasise the advice implied by one’s statement; [e.g.]: “I fear Mr. Thompson’s involvement with this scandal threatens our entire enterprise. We should re-evaluate our relationship with him—verbum sat sap”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• a word to the wise (is enough), and, a word to the wise is sufficient (prov.): you only have to hint something to wise people in order to get them to understand it; wise people do not need long explanations (often used to signal you are hinting something); [e.g.]: “John’s a pleasant man, but I wouldn’t trust him with money. A word to the wise, eh?”; “Donna hinted about Lisa’s drinking problem to Lisa’s fiancé, hoping that a word to the wise would be enough”. ~ (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs).

• a word to the wise is sufficient (idiom): someone who is wise heeds a warning or a piece of advice, even if it is very brief; the shorter phrase, “a word to the wise”, is more common; [e.g.]: “I heard about a terrible traffic jam on the news, so I’m avoiding the highway. A word to the wise is sufficient!”; “Person A: ‘Don’t bother trying to sneak out—Mum and Dad will catch you every time. Take it from someone who was grounded a lot!’ Person B: ‘Yeah, I don’t want that. Thanks, a word to the wise is sufficient!’”; “No, I won’t overload the printer anymore—a word to the wise is sufficient”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• a tangled web (idiom): a complex, difficult, and confusing situation or thing; this phrase comes from Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem Marmion (1808); “O what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!”. ~ (Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary).

• a tangled web (idiom): a tangled web is a situation which is very confused and difficult to understand; [e.g.]: “This is only one of a series of troubling questions that are emerging from the tangled web of evidence connected to the case”; “It is sometimes difficult to cut through the tangled web of government information in order to work out the benefits one can claim”. ~ (Collins Co-Build Idioms Dictionary).

• take with a grain or pinch of salt (idiom): to be somewhat sceptical about. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

• with a grain or pinch of salt (fig.): sceptically, suspiciously, cynically, doubtfully, with reservations, disbelievingly, mistrustfully; [e.g.]: “You have to take these findings with a pinch of salt”. ~ (Collins English Thesaurus).

• with a pinch of salt (idiom): with reservations or the understanding that some rumour or piece of information may not be completely true or accurate; possibly a reference to an ancient Roman antidote to poison which included or consisted of a grain of salt; [e.g.]: “He said you can get into the club for free if you wear red, but I always take what he says with a pinch of salt”; “Read whatever that paper publishes with a pinch of salt—it’s really just a trashy tabloid”. ~ (Farlex Dictionary of Idioms).

• with a grain of salt (fig.): with reservations; sceptically; [e.g.]: “Take that advice with a grain of salt”. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

• take with a grain of salt, or, take with a pinch of salt (cliché): not to be believed entirely; to be viewed with scepticism; this term comes from the Latin cum grano salis, which appeared in Pliny’s account of Pompey’s discovery of an antidote against poison which was to be taken with a grain of salt added (‘Naturalis Historia’, circa 77CE); the term was quickly adopted by English writers, among them John Trapp, whose ‘Commentary on Revelations’ (1647) stated, “This is to be taken with a grain of salt”. ~ (The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer).

• with a grain of salt, or, with a pinch of salt (fig.): with reservations; sceptically. ~ (Collins English Dictionary).

• to take something with a “grain of salt” or “pinch of salt” is an English idiom which suggests to view something, specifically claims which may be misleading or unverified, with scepticism or not to interpret something literally. In the old-fashioned English units of weight, a grain weighs approximately sixty-five milligrammes, which is about how much table salt a person might pick up between the fingers as a pinch.

Hypotheses of the phrase’s origin include Pliny the Elder’s “Naturalis Historia”, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison. In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poison were thus to be taken “with a grain of salt”, and therefore less seriously.

The Latin phrase cum grano salis (“with a grain of salt”) is, however, not what Pliny wrote. It is constructed according to the grammar of modern European languages rather than Classical Latin. Pliny’s actual words were addito salis grano (“after having added a grain of salt”).

An alternative account says the Roman general Pompey believed he could make himself immune to poison by ingesting small amounts of various poisons, and he took this treatment with a grain of salt to help him swallow the poison. In this version, the salt is not the antidote. It was taken merely to assist in swallowing the poison.