grass

It is so still or quiet that one would be able to hear even the tiniest, imperceptible sounds. I reckon you could hear the grass growing in the awkward silence that followed that dreadful performance.

Unable to be easily categorized. Our inventory is between hay and grass—it will take weeks to summarize everything in the warehouse. Bill's interest in the position is between hay and grass—I still can't figure out what his motive is.

The leaders of a group or community (in contrast to the "grassroots"—the common people). A: "If we really want to enact change in our neighborhood, we need to get the support of the grasstops." B: "Well then, let's go present our proposal at tonight's town meeting." The grasstops have totally ignored our petition—now what should we do?

vulgar slang Once one has pubic hair, it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity with that person.

vulgar slang Once one has pubic hair, it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity with that person.

A type of grass typically found in wetlands. Luckily, I saw the snake slithering toward us through the marsh grass before it was too late!

One who feigns friendship with the intent to deceive. Did you hear that Daria's best friend stole money from her bank account? What a snake in the grass.

To be very dull or boring. Everyone loves that period drama, but, to me, it's like watching grass grow. Rachel fell asleep during the big game because she thinks that watching sports is like watching grass grow.

Prov. People always think they would be happier in a different set of circumstances. (Usually implies that the other circumstances really are not any better.) Jill: My job is so tedious. I wish I had my own business, like Beatrice does. Jane: Beatrice probably wishes she had the security of her old job. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

a woman abandoned by her husband. (The origin of this is not clear.) Jane's husband isn't dead, but she's a widow just the same—a grass widow. Bill ran off and left Mary a grass widow.

very green. (*Also: as ∼.) His face turned as green as grass just before he vomited.

Fig. to do nothing; to stand still. Mary doesn't let the grass grow under her feet. She's always busy. Bob is too lazy. He's letting the grass grow under his feet.

Fig. not to stay in one place for a long time; to be always on the move. He is always doing something. He never lets the grass grow under his feet. I have always thought that I ought not to let the grass grow under my feet. Jane: Last night I told Alan that we needed a new bookshelf, and he had built one by the time I got home today. Jill: Boy, he doesn't let the grass grow under his feet.

a sneaky and despised person. How could I ever have trusted that snake in the grass? John is such a snake in the grass.

a woman who spends a lot of time apart from her husband, often because he is working in another place 'I hear Steve's in Florida again.' 'Yes, I've become a grass widow ever since he's had this new job.'

something that you say which means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be And when I haven't been out for a while I start to envy Miriam with her great social life. Oh well, the grass is always greener.

the ordinary people in a society or political organization and not the leaders (often + of ) The feeling among the grass roots of the party is that the leaders aren't radical enough.

to not waste time by delaying doing something We can't let the grass grow under our feet - we've really got to get going with this project.

someone who pretends to be your friend while secretly doing things to harm you It's upsetting to learn that someone you once viewed as a good colleague is in fact a snake in the grass.

if you say that watching an activity is like watching grass grow, you mean that it is very boring To watch somebody fly-fishing is like watching grass grow.

Act now, don't delay. For example, Write your applications today; don't let the grass grow under your feet. This expression alludes to waiting so long that grass can grow. [c. 1600]

A different situation always seems better than one's own. For example, Bob always thinks the grass is greener elsewhere, which accounts for his constant job changes . This expression, an ancient proverb cited by Erasmus in the 15th century, is so well known that it is often shortened.

A woman who is separated from her husband, either by divorce or temporary absence. For example, She's a grass widow these days, with Herb traveling to golf tournaments all over the country . The expression dates from the 16th century, when it referred to the mother of an illegitimate child, grass presumably alluding to the open-air setting of the child's conception.

Also, put out to pasture. Cause to retire, as in With mandatory retirement they put you out to grass at age 65, or She's not all that busy now that she's been put out to pasture. These idioms refer to farm animals sent to graze when they are no longer useful for other work.

A treacherous person, as in Ben secretly applied for the same job as his best friend; no one knew he was such a snake in the grass . This metaphor for treachery, alluding to a poisonous snake concealed in tall grass, was used in 37 b.c. by the Roman poet Virgil ( latet anguis in herba). It was first recorded in English in 1696 as the title of a book by Charles Leslie.

A woman temporarily or permanently separated from her husband. Many times during and after the American West was settled, farmers decided that they had enough of such a bleak life, whereupon they left their wives and children. These abandoned women were known as grass widows, left out to grass on the Great Plains. (The phrase is, however, much older. It was first used in 16th-century England to describe women of easy virtue who “slept” on beds of grass instead of mattresses and bed linen.) “Grass widow” came to be applied to the wives of traveling salesmen, professional athletes, and other men who spent much of their year on the road. As that usage became obsolete, similar phrases appeared: golf widow, fishing or hunting widow, and any other sport that claimed their hubby's attention.