Hair idioms
Here are some idiomatic expressions involving the word hair.
Bad hair day
When your hair is unmanageable, it is quite natural to have a bad hair day. Over the years, however, this expression has broadened its scope. Today it is used to refer to a wide variety of situations when everything seems to go wrong.
What is wrong with her? She has such a long face. Is she having a bad hair day?
Hair of the dog
Sometimes a small amount of something that made you ill can be used to make you feel better. For example, someone recovering from drinking too much might benefit from a drop of alcohol.
- Here, have a drop of this. It’s a hair of the dog that bit you!
Hair’s breadth
When you escape from something by a hair’s breadth, you escape narrowly.
- A stone fell off the roof and missed the worker by a hair’s breadth.
Get in someone’s hair
When someone gets in your hair, they keep annoying you.
- If my children weren’t getting in my hair, I would finish this job more quickly.
Let your hair down
To let your hair down is to relax and enjoy yourselves.
- I desperately needed a holiday and when I finally had one, I let my hair down.
Make hair stand on end
Your hair stands on end when you are absolutely terrified of something.
- Just the thought of being alone in that big home makes my hair stand on end.
Not a hair out of place
When you don’t have a hair out of place, you look perfect.
- She is always impeccably dressed. You will never find a hair out of place.
Tear one’s hair out
When you tear your hair out, you are extremely agitated about something.
- I have been tearing my hair out all day trying to fix my bike.
Not turn a hair
When you don’t turn a hair you don’t show any emotions in situations where you are expected to react.
- When income tax officials came to raid his home, he didn’t turn a hair.
Split hairs
To split hairs is to pay too much attention to small differences.
- Don’t waste time splitting hairs. Accept things the way they are.
