Idioms in To Kill A mockingbird - created from Mind Map

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acid tongue in her head: Acid is very bitter in taste. Someone with an acid tongue is someone who tends to speak bitterly or sharply

get Miss Maudie's goat: To get one's goat is to make a person disgusted or angry

as sure as eggs: Something that is as sure as eggs is a sure thing; it's bound to happen; just as chickens are sure to lay eggs

bowed to the inevitable: An event or occurrence that is inevitable is one that cannot be stopped from occurring. To bow to the inevitable is to realize this fact and resist fighting it. Atticus realizes that, sooner or later, Scout and Jem would be given guns and be taught how to shoot, so he doesn't try to fight it

drew a bead on him: To draw a bead on someone is to aim at or focus on that person. on tenterhooks: To be on tenterhooks is to be filed with suspense or anxiety

set my teeth permanently on edge: To set one's teeth on edge is to annoy someone or make them feel nervous the way in which Aunt Alexandra tends to annoy Scout

break camp: pack up; move on. In Scout's case, Atticus is telling her to put her gun away and quit her game

stood as much guff: Guff is foolish or brash talk. Jem has had enough of all the foolish, rude talk about Atticus. when the chips are down: at the most important time. [In gambling games, a person puts chips or money down in front of him to show that he is willing to risk an amount in a bet.]

to scrape a few barnacles off the ship of state: Barnacles are a form of shellfish that attach themselves to stationery items such as ships that have been standing still in the water for a long time. In order to maintain a boat or a ship, the barnacles must be scraped off. The ship of state, in this case, refers to the state government. The governor is saying that it is necessary to maintain and update (scrape a few barnacles off) the workings of the government (the ship of state).

traveled in state: To travel in state is to do so in the position of a person of great wealth and rank

blind spots: a prejudice or area of ignorance that someone has but is unaware of. Mr. Cunningham's blind spot is his prejudice against Tom Robinson

counting his chickens: Scout is referring to the first half of the proverb: "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, " which means "don't be too sure that something will happen before it does." Although Jem seems to be certain that Atticus has won his case, Scout thinks he is counting his chickens, that is, he is too sure of something that may not happen.

guests of the county: on public assistance or welfare

give the lie: To give the lie to something is to prove that thing to be false or untrue. Scout is saying that the way in which Miss Stephanie and Miss Rachel are acting proves that Dill's statements about them are not untrue

runner: chicken leg