Common, idiomatic and regional sayings that pop up in depositions.
all told (not "tolled") apples and oranges as opposed to (not "oppose") at first blush a ways - "They just live down a ways from me." bated breath (not "baited") behind the 8 ball Benedict Arnold - used as referenced to someone who has betrayed someone else. between a rock and a hard place bird's-eye view Brownie/brownie points chalk it up cherry-pick - being very particular. "I don't want to cherry-pick about this amount." cleanse the soul cookie cutter don't count your chickens before they hatch dadgum/dadgummit - milder, more acceptable way of saying a swear word. diddly squat - very little or nothing. "I got diddly squat when I sold the business." down in the dumps - sad duty bound - feel obligated to do something fair to middlin'/or middling - average. "I'm feeling fair to middlin' today." finagled - free rein - no constraints or limitations. gamut - a range of something. "She had a whole gamut of merchandise, from buttons to tractors." get in a tither - getting all worked up or agitated about something. gist of - the general or central meaning of something. give a wide berth - try to stay away or avoid something. go/get into the weeds - getting very focused on a subject. "I didn't mean to get in the weeds about the election." gully washer - extremely heavy rainfall over short period of time. gung-ho - very enthusiastic about something. "He was gung-ho about joining the expedition." hale and hearty - very good health. has no teeth - has no basis or grounds. "Your grounds for firing him has no teeth." head honcho - boss or leader. heart-wrenching - brings about sadness. hell bent for leather - acting impulsively to achieve a goal. "He was hell bent for leather to catch that fugitive." hop, skip, and a jump - a short distance. "They work just a hop, skip, and a jump from here." in a roundabout way - implying or not stating outright. "He admitted he embezzled, in a roundabout way." in cahoots - working together secretly. "Those two were in cahoots to take over my business." in harm's way - in danger. "You're in harm's way to stand on the beach when a tidal wave is coming." jot and tittle - a really small amount. "That $100 was jot and tittle of what I was owed." jump off the deep end jump the shark kit and kaboodle knee-jerk reaction levelheaded like a duck (or fish) to water lock, stock, and barrel long in the tooth off the cuff one and the same out on a limb part and parcel piece of cake piqued my interest pull the trigger pull the wool over eyes put through the wringer putting lipstick on a pig putting the cart before the horse rigamarole run for their money run/ride roughshod run of the mill ring a bell roundabout way Sam Hill separate wheat from the chaff shoot the breeze short shrift 6 of one, half dozen of another spill the beans spitting into the wind squeaker sticks in my craw stool pigeon take a shot in the dar take a toll take 2 tarnatin tit for tat toss-up up my alley wet blanket what in Sam Hill what in tarnation wild goose chase