O
Idioms beginning with "O"
Part of speech, explanation, example sentences, pronunciation
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Contents of O:
[open one's eyes] or [open up one's eyes] {v. phr.}
To make a person see or understand the truth; make a person realize; tell a person what is really happening or what really exists.
* /Mary didn't believe that her cousin could be mean until the cousin […]
[open one's heart] {v. phr.}
1. To talk about your feelings honestly; confide in someone.
After going around worrying, Mary opened her heart to her mother.
John felt much better after he opened his heart to Betty.
2. To be sympathetic to; […]
[open onto] {v. phr.}
To have a view of.
Our apartment in Chicago has a set of windows that open onto Lake Michigan.
[open question] {n. phr.}
A debatable issue.
Whether assisted suicide is legal and moral or not is still an open question, recent publicity on the matter notwithstanding.
[open secret] {n.}
Something that is supposed to be a secret but that everyone knows.
It is an open secret that Mary and John are engaged.
Who will be appointed as the next president of the college is an open secret.
[open sesame] {n. phr.}, {literary}
Immediate means of entrance, or unobstructed access to something.
Tom mistakenly believed that his wealth would be an open sesame to the world of creative arts.
[open shop] {n. phr.}
A factory or firm that employs both union and non-union labor.
The firm refuses to adopt an open shop policy.
Contrast: [CLOSED SHOP].
[open the door] {v. phr.}
To allow more action or discussion; give a chance.
Learning to read and write opens the door to a better job and better living conditions.
Raising the tax rates will open the door to more help for older people.
[…]
[open the floodgates] {v. phr.}
To let loose an outburst of human activity or emotion.
It would open the floodgates of anger and discontent if the university raised tuition too soon.