A day late and a dollar short If something is a day late and a dollar short, it is too little, too late. All bets are off If all bets are off, then agreements that have been made no longer apply. All hat, no cattle When someone talks big, but cannot back it up, they are all hat, no cattle.('Big hat, no cattle' is also used.) All over the map If something like a discussion is all over the map, it doesn't stick to the main topic and goes off on tangents. As mad as a wrongly shot hog If someone is as mad as a wrongly shot hog, they are very angry. (Same as, Angry as a bear or Angry as a bull). At a drop of a dime If someone will do something at the drop of a dime, they will do it instantly, without hesitation. At loose ends If you are at a loose end, you have spare time but don't know what to do with it. At the bottom of the totem pole If someone is at the bottom of the totem pole, they are unimportant. Opposite is at the top of the totem pole. At the end of your rope If you are at the end of your rope, you are at the limit of your patience or endurance. Baby boomer A baby boomer is someone born in the years after the end of the Second World War, a period when the population was growing very fast. Be out in left field To be out in left field is not to know what's going on. Taken from baseball, when youngsters assign less capable players to the outfield where the ball is less likely to be hit by a young player. In business, one might say, 'Don't ask the new manager; he's out in left field and doesn't know any answers yet.' Beat someone to the draw If you beat someone to the draw, you do something before they do. Beating a dead horse If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they're beating a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore; beating a dead horse will not make it do any more work. Bells on To be somewhere with bells on means to arrive there happy and delighted to attend. Belt and suspenders Someone who wears belt and suspenders is very cautious and takes no risks. Bet your bottom dollar If you can bet your bottom dollar on something, you can be absolutely sure about it. Big Apple The Big Apple is New York. Big Easy The Big Easy is New Orleans, Louisiana Blow off steam If you blow off steam, you express your anger or frustration. Blow smoke If people blow smoke, they exaggerate or say things that are not true, usually to make themselves look better. Can't dance and it's too wet to plow When you can't dance and it's too wet to plow, you may as well do something because you can't or don't have the opportunity to do anything else. Cat fur and kitty britches When I used to ask my grandma what was for dinner, she would say 'cat fur and kitty britches'. This was her Ozark way of telling me that I would get what she cooked. (Ozark is a region in the center of the United States) Cat's pajamas Something that is the cat's pajamas is excellent. Caught with your hand in the cookie jar If someone is caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar, he or she is caught doing something wrong. Circle the wagons If you circle the wagons, you stop communicating with people who don't think the same way as you to avoid their ideas.  It can also mean to bring everyone together to defend a group against an attack.