Measurement Idioms

Idioms about measurement are a fascinating aspect of the English language. They are phrases that use measurements as a metaphorical way to convey a message or an idea. These idioms are commonly used in everyday conversations and can be found in literature, movies, and songs.

List of Idioms about Measurement

Idioms about Measurement
Idioms about Measurement – Created by 7ESL
  • (The) Whole Nine Yards
  • A Bit Much
  • A Cut Above
  • A Cut Below
  • A Good Deal
  • A Great Deal
  • A Hundred And Ten Percent
  • A Notch Above
  • A Stone’s Throw
  • A Tall Order
  • Above And Beyond
  • Along The Lines Of
  • Angle For
  • By a Whisker
  • Cut someone down to size
  • Cut to fit
  • Fit the bill
  • Gauge someone’s reaction
  • I’ve Had It Up to Here
  • Larger Than Life
  • Mark someone’s progress
  • Measure against
  • Measure out
  • Measure twice, cut once
  • Measure up to
  • Move the Needle
  • On the Dot
  • Rule of thumb
  • Size someone up
  • Square up
  • Take someone’s measure
  • Up to standard
  • Vicious Circle
  • Weigh anchor
  • Weigh in the balance
  • Weigh the consequences
  • Weigh the options
  • Weigh the pros and cons

Idioms about Measurement with Meaning 

Idiom Meaning
(The) Whole Nine Yards Everything; all of it; the full extent
A Bit Much More than is reasonable; excessive
A Cut Above Better than average; superior
A Cut Below Inferior; not as good as something else
A Good Deal A significant amount or to a large extent; also a favorable bargain
A Great Deal A lot; much
A Hundred And Ten Percent Giving more effort than is expected; going above and beyond
A Notch Above Slightly better than
A Stone’s Throw A very short distance away
A Tall Order A task or goal that is difficult to achieve
Above And Beyond More than what is required or expected
Along The Lines Of Similar to; in the same vein as
Angle For To try to obtain something indirectly or by manipulation
By a Whisker By a very small margin; barely
Cut someone down to size To deflate someone’s ego or make them realize they are not as important as they think
Cut to fit To alter or tailor something to the required specifications
Fit the bill To be suitable for a particular purpose
Gauge someone’s reaction To assess how someone responds to something
I’ve Had It Up to Here To be fed up or unable to tolerate something any longer
Larger Than Life Seeming to be very important or having a greater impact than is usual
Mark someone’s progress To observe and note the improvement or advancement of someone
Measure against To compare with something else to assess quality, importance, or value
Measure out To carefully allocate or apportion a certain amount
Measure twice, cut once To plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action
Measure up to To be as good as something else; to meet a standard
Move the Needle To make a noticeable difference in something
On the Dot Precisely; exactly at the appointed time
Rule of thumb A general principle based on practice or experience rather than a precise calculation
Size someone up To assess or evaluate someone
Square up To settle a matter or pay debts; to make things correct or equal
Take someone’s measure To assess someone’s capabilities, character, or intentions
Up to standard Meeting the required or expected level of quality
Vicious Circle A complex, self-perpetuating problem where the solution to one issue creates new problems
Weigh anchor To prepare to leave or depart, originally meaning to lift the ship’s anchor
Weigh in the balance To consider or evaluate something carefully
Weigh the consequences To consider the potential outcomes or repercussions of an action
Weigh the options To consider different choices carefully before making a decision
Weigh the pros and cons To evaluate the positive and negative aspects of a situation before making a decision

Idioms about Measurement with Examples

Idiom Example Sentence
(The) Whole Nine Yards She went all out for her birthday party and did the whole nine yards, with a DJ and a gourmet chef.
A Bit Much Asking for a raise on your first day is a bit much, don’t you think?
A Cut Above The quality of their work is a cut above the rest.
A Cut Below The amenities at this hotel are a cut below what we’re used to.
A Good Deal We got a good deal on our new car—it was much cheaper than expected.
A Great Deal She knows a great deal about medieval history.
A Hundred And Ten Percent I’m giving a hundred and ten percent to ensure this project’s success.
A Notch Above Their newest phone model is a notch above its competitors in terms of battery life.
A Stone’s Throw My apartment is just a stone’s throw from the subway station.
A Tall Order Finishing this project by tomorrow is a tall order, but we’ll try our best.
Above And Beyond She always goes above and beyond the call of duty to help her clients.
Along The Lines Of I’m looking for a dress along the lines of what we saw in the boutique.
Angle For He’s been angling for a promotion for months now.
By a Whisker He won the race by a whisker—it was incredibly close.
Cut someone down to size The new manager quickly cut him down to size with some pointed criticisms.
Cut to fit The tailor will cut the suit to fit your exact measurements.
Fit the bill We need a new sofa that’s comfortable and affordable—this one seems to fit the bill.
Gauge someone’s reaction I told a joke to gauge his reaction before I told him the real news.
I’ve Had It Up to Here I’ve had it up to here with your excuses—just do your work!
Larger Than Life The movie star had a larger than life personality that captivated everyone.
Mark someone’s progress The teacher used the chart to mark the student’s progress throughout the semester.
Measure against We will measure the new software’s performance against the old one to see if it’s improved.
Measure out The chef measured out all the spices before starting the cooking demonstration.
Measure twice, cut once It’s important to measure twice, cut once so you don’t waste materials.
Measure up to The sequel didn’t measure up to the original movie in terms of plot and character development.
Move the Needle We need a strong marketing campaign that will really move the needle on sales.
On the Dot The train arrived at 3 PM on the dot, just as scheduled.
Rule of thumb As a rule of thumb, I avoid eating heavy meals before going for a run.
Size someone up The interviewer sized up the candidate as soon as he walked in.
Square up After the game, the two players squared up to each other but were separated by their teammates.
Take someone’s measure The coach took the new player’s measure during the tryouts and decided he was a good fit for the team.
Up to standard The final report was not up to standard, so we had to redo it.
Vicious Circle She’s caught in a vicious circle of working overtime to pay off her debts, which never seem to end.
Weigh anchor After a week in port, the ship weighed anchor and set off on its next voyage.
Weigh in the balance His future with the company is being weighed in the balance as the board reviews his performance.
Weigh the consequences Before you make a hasty decision, you should weigh the consequences.
Weigh the options We need to weigh all our options before we decide on our next move.
Weigh the pros and cons Let’s weigh the pros and cons of each option before we choose the best one.