Dressed to the nines

a change of heart - a change of resolve or opinion
> The assassin had a change of heart when he saw the target nursing a baby.

a chip off the old block - somebody who looks and behaves very much like one of his parents
> Everyone agrees he is a a chip off the old block; he looks every inch like his father.

a chip on one's shoulder - ill will towards another
> From what was merely a chip on his shoulder was spawned an enmity so consuming it resulted in violence.

a closed book- a person or thing of which little is known or understood.
> Many consider the fertilizer scam a closed book, I do not.

a dog in the manger- a scoundrel who, unable to get what he wants, prevents others from getting it
>Beware of him, he can be a dog in the manger.

a dog’s breakfast or dinner - something that is messy, disorganized, or badly done
> No dog's dinner for this fastidious client; why, even the plates have to be bone china.

a dog’s life - a less-than-human existence
> He led a dog's life for so long he was profoundly touched by the kindness of his new-found friends.

a drop in the bucket - a very small and inconsequential part
> A hundred grand is a drop in the bucket for the high rollers in Las Vegas.

a far cry from -- so much different
> The rock star is a far cry from the street urchin that he used to be.

a feather in one’s cap - an achievement
> The rapprochement with China was a feather in Nixon's cap.

a frog in one's throat - to speak in a hoarse, unclear way
> Gloria speaks like there's a frog in her throat.

a hair's breadth - almost didn't make it
> The race driver came to a hair's breadth from sure death when he hit the restraining wall at 220 kph.

a kick in the teeth- a setback
> The loss of its profitable North American division dealt the company a kick in the teeth it never recovered from.

a losing battle - a struggle that's increasingly becoming hopeless
> The opposition is waging a losing battle against corruption.

a monkey on one's back- a drug habit
> Try as he may, he was never able to kick off the money on his back.

a nail in somebody’s coffin- an action that further weakens somebody who's already weak
> The events of July 2005 happened fast: Gloria's "confession," the widespread calls for her
resignation, the resignation of ten of her cabinet members-- each one a nail in her coffin.

a raw deal - a deal where one is shortchanged
> They are looking for the murder suspect who's said to be the victim in a raw deal.

a safe bet - something that's probably true or will likely happen
> It's a safe bet that Britain will go the way of Holland, Belgium, and Spain in approving
same-sex marriages.

a shot in the arm - something that has a sudden good effect on somebody or something
>The US government bailout was a shot in the arm for Chrysler

a shot in the dark - an attempt at something with little chance of success
> In what was basically a shot in the dark, Abscam operatives laid out a sting for congressmen and senators. Quite a few took the bait.

a storm in a teacup- putting too much concern over something unimportant
> The dean dismissed as just a storm in a teacup the brewing unrest in the campus.

a walk in the park - something that's easy to do
> Turning losing companies around is a walk in the park for him.

Achilles' heel - someone's weakness
> Some say his attachment to the bottle is his Achilles' heel.

actions speak louder than words- the real motivation for something can be known more through the things that one does rather than on the words he says
> For some, Garci's actions speak louder than words; indeed why run if you have nothing to hide?

afraid of one's own shadow - to imagine that everyone is plotting all sorts of bad things against one's self
> It came to the point that Howard Hughes became afraid of his own shadow.

after a fashion - somewhat or somehow but not completely
> The prince imagined himself king after a fashion.

all along the line - throughout the whole process
> When the leader is corrupt, you can bet that all along the line everyone is corrupt as well.

all ears- to listen attentively
> The Senate was all ears as the official began weaving his lies.

all in good time- something will definitely happen, but no sooner than it should
> The liars will be exposed and punished, and decency will return to the nation all in good time.

all the time-without ceasing; also used to indicate one is always welcome
> The official was lying through his teeth all the time that he was professing his love for the truth.

all thumbs - clumsy
> He is not only empty between the ears, he is also all thumbs.

an open book - a person or thing of which much is known or understood
> Ideally, the life of a leader must be an open book.

armed to the teeth- fully armed
> At least eight bank robbers -- all armed to the teeth-- staged the daring robbery in broad daylight.

as old as Methuselah - someone very old
> There is this small mountain village in Japan where people normally live to be as old as
Methusela.

as the crow flies- in a straight line
> The next town is ten miles from here as the crow flies.

at any hour - at any time, nobody knows when
> The end will come at any hour.

at bottom (or at heart) - basically; essentially
>Despite having converted to Catholicism to marry his beloved, he remained at bottom a Protestant.

at heart - in essence or reality, and despite contrary appearances
> Despite having converted to Catholicism to marry my mother, my father remained at Protestant at heart.