23-letter words containing t, h

the haves and have-nots — the people who are very wealthy and the people who are very poor
the information highway — the internet
the kingdom of lorraine — an early medieval kingdom on the Meuse, Moselle, and Rhine rivers: later a duchy
the lesser of two evils — If you have two choices, but think that they are both bad, you can describe the one which is less bad as the lesser of two evils, or the lesser evil.
the library of congress — the official library of the United States in Washington, DC. It houses extensive collections in all subject areas and formats, important historical documents, and is also a depository for copyrighted materials.
the metropolitan police — the police organization that is responsible for Greater London, excluding the City of London
the next thing sb knows — You can say the next thing I knew to suggest that a new situation which you are describing was surprising because it happened very suddenly.
the numbers game/racket — If you refer to the numbers game, the numbers racket, or the numbers, you are referring to an illegal lottery or illegal betting.
the royal naval reserve — the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom
the scottish parliament — the devolved national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh
the taming of the shrew — a comedy (1594?) by Shakespeare.
the teaching profession — the profession of a teacher
the thrill of the chase — If you talk about the thrill of the chase, you are referring to the excitement that people feel when they are trying hard to get something.
the whys and wherefores — The whys and wherefores of something are the reasons for it.
the yachting fraternity — the social circle of well-off people who sail yachts
there is no holding him — he is so spirited or resolute that he cannot be restrained
there is nothing for it — If you say that there is nothing for it but to take a particular action, you mean that it is the only possible course of action that you can take, even though it might be unpleasant.
there'll be hell to pay — If you say there'll be hell to pay, you are emphasizing that there will be serious trouble.
there's no need/no need — You can tell someone that there's no need for them to do something as a way of telling them not to do it or of telling them to stop doing it, for example because it is unnecessary.
thompson submachine gun — a portable, .45-caliber, automatic weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder or hip.
thousand and one nights — a collection of Eastern folk tales derived in part from Indian and Persian sources and dating from the 10th century a.d.
throttle-body injection — a fuel-injection system in which an injector (throttle-body injector) delivers fuel to a central location within the intake manifold of the engine. Abbreviation: TBI.
throw down the gauntlet — a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand.
till the cows come home — the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.
to be in short trousers — to be a little boy
to bring the house down — If a person or their performance or speech brings the house down, the audience claps, laughs, or shouts loudly because the performance or speech is very impressive or amusing.
to change for the worse — If a situation changes for the worse, it becomes more unpleasant or more difficult.
to draw the short straw — If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to perform a job or duty that you will not enjoy.
to drive a hard bargain — If people drive a hard bargain, they argue with determination in order to achieve a deal which is favourable to themselves.
to fight fire with fire — If you fight fire with fire, you deal with people attacking or threatening you by using similar methods to the ones that they are using.
to fight tooth and nail — If you fight tooth and nail to do something, you do everything you can in order to achieve it. If you fight something tooth and nail, you do everything you can in order to prevent it.
to force someone's hand — If you force someone's hand, you force them to act sooner than they want to, or to act in public when they would prefer to keep their actions secret.
to get ahold of oneself — to force oneself to become calm and sensible after a shock or in a difficult situation
to get the better of sb — If a feeling such as jealousy, curiosity, or anger gets the better of you, it becomes too strong for you to hide or control.
to have a police record — If you say that somebody has a police record, you mean that they have committed a crime or crimes and the police have a record of this.
to have an axe to grind — If someone has an axe to grind, they are doing something for selfish reasons.
to have feelings for sb — to be emotionally or sexually attracted to
to have your hands full — If you have your hands full with something, you are very busy because of it.
to hell in a handbasket — to one's doom
to keep a straight face — If you manage to keep a straight face, you manage to look serious, although you want to laugh.
to keep a tight rein on — If you keep a tight rein on someone, you control them firmly.
to keep sth to yourself — If you keep something to yourself, you do not tell anyone else about it.
to make the best of sth — If you make the best of something, you accept an unsatisfactory situation cheerfully and try to manage as well as you can. In British English, you can also say that you make the best of a bad job.
to meet someone halfway — If you meet someone halfway, you accept some of the points they are making so that you can come to an agreement with them.
to pass the time of day — If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
to pay through the nose — If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it.
to play for high stakes — to gamble on something very important
to pluck up the courage — If you pluck up the courage to do something that you feel nervous about, you make an effort to be brave enough to do it.
to put your mind to sth — If you put your mind to something, you start making an effort to do it.
to rise to the occasion — If you say that someone rose to the occasion, you mean that they did what was necessary to successfully overcome a difficult situation.

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