Doubting Thomas | Drive Someone Up The Wall | English Idioms
Doubting Thomas
A doubting Thomas is a person who wouldn’t believe anything until he is given proof. This expression has been in use since 19th century. When Thomas, the apostle, was told that Jesus Christ had resurrected he refused to believe it. He wanted proof. Now this expression is used to refer to all skeptics.
The terms Wavering Thomas and Unbelieving Thomas are variations of this expression.
• Rahul is a real doubting Thomas. He wouldn’t believe that I was married until I showed him my marriage certificate.
Drive a wedge between
To drive a wedge between two people is to do something that would spoil their relationships.
• That argument drove a wedge between the two friends.
• Mrs. Simon doesn’t like her son’s girlfriend so she is trying to drive a wedge between the two.
• Property disputes have driven a wedge between the brothers.
• Their divorce drove a wedge between the two families.
• Rahul’s job required him to travel a lot. In the end it drove a wedge between him and his girlfriend and they decided to part ways.
• In many of our films, you can find a scheming mother who tries to drive a wedge between her son and his wife.
Drive someone up the wall
These idioms or expressions have very similar meanings. To drive someone up the walls is to annoy or irritate them.
• Stop singing that song. You are driving me up the wall.
• Her constant nagging is driving me up the wall.
• All her complaints about her health problems nearly drove me up the wall.
• My son asks me too many questions that I can’t ask. Sometimes he drives me up the wall.
• Her silly questions always drive me up the wall.
Drive someone bonkers /drive someone nuts / drive someone batty
The same ideas can be expressed using the expressions drive someone nuts / batty / bonkers.
• Her silly questions always drive me bonkers.
• All her complaints about her health problems nearly drove me bonkers.
• My son doesn’t keep his room tidy. Sometimes the mess inside drives me nuts.
• Her silly chatter drives me nuts.
• The dogs kept howling all night. They drove me batty.
