Phrases & Expressions

To criticise something strongly and show that you think it is foolish or worthless.

• Several scientists poured scorn on the claim that the supplement could cure memory loss.
• Critics poured scorn on the minister's plan, calling it unrealistic and badly thought out.

A person who always predicts that things will go badly in the future.

• Economic prophets of doom predicted a deep recession, but the economy actually grew last year.
• My uncle is a real prophet of doom and gloom; he's convinced robots will take everyone's jobs.

To limit someone's or something's freedom so much that they cannot act or develop.

• Too many rigid rules can put teachers in a straitjacket and stop them from being creative.
• Business leaders warned that the new regulations would put small firms in a straitjacket.

To regret something very deeply and wish that it had never happened.

• Companies that ignore climate risks today may rue the day they failed to plan ahead.
• Sign a contract without reading the small print, and you might well rue the day you did.

(British, informal) for as long as anyone can remember.

• My dad has supported the same football club since the year dot.
• Families in the village have been holding this summer festival since the year dot.

To insist on formal rules of behaviour; usually used in the negative.

• The wedding was relaxed and nobody stood on ceremony, so guests danced barefoot on the grass.
• The new director doesn't stand on ceremony; she asks everyone to call her by her first name.

To suffer alone the unpleasant results of your own actions, without help from others.

• After he refused all our advice, we decided to leave him to stew in his own juice.
• The landlord ignored every complaint, so the tenants moved out and left him to stew in his own juice.

To expect little good from something, having been let down in similar situations before.

• After three failed reorganisations, the staff take a jaundiced view of the management's latest plan.
• Having been cheated online before, my father takes a jaundiced view of any deal that seems too good to be true.

To tell someone unpleasant facts about themselves or their behaviour that they may not want to hear.

• It was painful, but my best friend told me some home truths about how selfish I had become.
• Sometimes a good manager has to tell staff some home truths about their performance, even if it upsets them.