Places Idioms | Part 2
meet your Waterloo = to be defeated or meet their death. Origins from a battle in Waterloo, in present-day Belgium on June 18th, 1815, which Napoleon lost.
have more front than Brighton = to be very self-confident, possibly excessively so
Kieron’s girlfriend Patricia is self-assured and has more front than Brighton.
in a New York minute = very fast
The crowd turned on him in a New York minute, and Djokovic seemed to grow more surly from the experience.
on Carey Street = to be heavily in debt or have gone bankrupt
If you keep wasting money like this, you’ll end up on Carey Street.
road to Damascus = when someone has a great and sudden change in their ideas or beliefs. Origins from the conversion of Saint Paul to Christianity while heading to Damascus to persecute Christians.
Was it a road to Damascus moment, or a gradually dawning realisation?
Saigon moment = when people realise that something has gone wrong and that they will lose or fail
The company’s Saigon moment came when the investors pulled out due to the financial risks
set the Thames on fire = to do something remarkable (sometimes in the negative meaning)
Her speech was well-delivered, but it didn’t exactly set the Thames on fire.
be Shipshape and Bristol fashion = to be in perfect working order
The event organizers worked hard to ensure that everything was shipshape and Bristol fashion before the guests arrived.
Himalayan blunder = a very serious mistake or error
His decision to ignore the warnings turned out to be a Himalayan blunder, leading to the project's failure.
man on the Clapham omnibus = the ordinary person in the street
The judge explained the law in simple terms so that the man on the Clapham omnibus could understand it.
See also
Places Idioms | Part 1