| Question | Answer |
| busman's holiday | holiday spent in an activity the same as, or similar to, one's occupation |
| come home to roost | to have disagreeable repurcussions; to boomerang |
| Dutch treat | meal or entertainment for which each participant pays his or her own share |
| eat crow | to be forced into a humiliating or extremely disagreeable situation |
| fish or cut bait | to proceed wholeheartedly or drop out altogether; to stop procrastinating or temporizing |
| French leave | unauthorized, hasty, or secret departure |
| have an ax to grind | to have a selfish motive or ulterior purpose to promote |
| hold a candle to | to compare favorably with |
| hold water | to remain sound, logical, or consistent; to stand up |
| lame duck | elected official who remains in office for a brief period after a successor has been elected |
| pay the piper | to suffer the unfavorable consequences of one's actions |
| play possum | to pretend to be dead or asleep; to dissemble |
| play the devil's advocate | to uphold the wrong side of a cause for the sake of argument |
| poker face | expressionless face, as that of an experienced poker player |
| red herring | something used to distract attention from the real issue |
| roll out the red carpet | to show impressive courtesy |
| stick in one's craw | to be intolerable and unacceptable to one |
| stick to one's last | to keep to one's own trade or field |
| whistle in the dark | to put on a show of confidence in the face of impending danger or defeat; to try to keep up one's courage |
| white elephant | possession entailing expense and trouble far greater than its usefulness to the owner |
