Welcome to our post about shake idioms! Today, we’re going to explore different phrases that use the word “shake.” These are common expressions you might hear in everyday conversations, and they are fun to learn. Let’s get started!
Shake Idioms
Here are 20 shake idioms in English with meaning and example sentences for each.
Shake a leg
Meaning: Hurry up
Example: Shake a leg! We’re going to be late.
Shake in one’s shoes
Meaning: Be very scared
Example: He was shaking in his shoes during the thunderstorm.
More than one can shake a stick at
Meaning: A large number
Example: She has more toys than you can shake a stick at.
Shake the dust off
Meaning: Leave a place behind
Example: He decided to shake the dust off and move to the city.
Shake up
Meaning: To disturb or upset
Example: The news really shook up the community.
Shake hands on
Meaning: To agree on something
Example: They shook hands on the deal happily.
Shake down
Meaning: To extort or get money
Example: The crooks tried to shake down the store owner.
Shake off
Meaning: Get rid of
Example: He couldn’t shake off his bad mood.
Shake one’s head
Meaning: To express disbelief or disappointment
Example: She just shook her head at the news.
Shake the pagoda tree
Meaning: To acquire wealth quickly
Example: He went abroad to try and shake the pagoda tree.
Shake a cloth
Meaning: To dust or clean
Example: She shook the cloth to clean off the dust.
No great shakes
Meaning: Not very good or significant
Example: His performance was no great shakes.
Shake oneself
Meaning: To become active or alert
Example: He needed to shake himself to finish the task.
Shake to the core
Meaning: Deeply affect or shock
Example: That accident shook me to the core.
Shake the foundations
Meaning: Disturb fundamentally
Example: The scandal shook the foundations of the company.
Shake like a leaf
Meaning: Tremble with fear or nervousness
Example: She was shaking like a leaf during the speech.
Fair shake
Meaning: A fair chance or treatment
Example: Everyone deserves a fair shake in life.
Shake one’s booty
Meaning: Dance energetically
Example: They started to shake their booties at the party.
Shake down to
Meaning: Simplify or reduce to basic elements
Example: The problem shakes down to poor planning.
Shake out
Meaning: Settle into place or relax
Example: Let’s see how things shake out with the new manager.
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