Without a leg to stand on
With no chance of success, as in He tried to get the town to change the street lights, but because there was no money in the budget he found himself without a leg to stand on. A related idiom is not have a leg to stand on, as in Once the detective exposed his false alibi, he didn’t have a leg to stand on. This metaphoric idiom transfers lack of physical support to arguments or theories. [ Late 1500s ]
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- Without a pot to piss in
not have a pot to piss in not have a pot to piss in with one’s left hand
- Without a stitch on
Naked, as in They let their baby run around outside without a stitch on. A related phrase is not have a stitch on. These expressions use stitch in the sense of “a piece of clothing,” a usage dating from the early 1800s.
- Without batting an eye
Showing no emotion, acting as though nothing were unusual. For example, Richard ate the snails without batting an eye. A related phrase is not bat an eye, as in He didn’t bat an eye when she told him he was being laid off. These expressions, which use bat in the sense of “blink,” date from […]
- Withoutdoors
[with-out-dawrz, -dohrz, with-] /wɪðˈaʊtˌdɔrz, -ˌdoʊrz, wɪθ-/ adverb 1. out of doors. withoutdoors /ˈwɪðaʊtˈdɔːz/ adverb 1. an obsolete word for outdoors
- Without further ado
Also, without more ado. Without more work, ceremony, or fuss. For example, Without further ado they adjourned the meeting and went home, or And now, without more ado, here is our speaker of the day. This idiom has one of the few surviving uses of the noun ado, meaning “what is being done.” (Another is […]