cheat the worms To recover from a serious illness. The expression food for worms is used to describe a dead, decaying body. Thus, when someone recovers from a potentially fatal illness, these worms have been cheated.
eat snakes To recover one’s youth and vigor, to be rejuvenated. This obsolete expression dates from at least 1603. It is perhaps an allusion to the snake’s seasonal shedding of its old skin. The phrase appeared in John Fletcher’s The Elder Brother (1625):
That you have eat a snake, and are grown young, gamesome, and rampant.
get out from under To recoup one’s financial losses, to settle one’s debts; to remove one-self from a negative situation; to get back on one’s feet. This common expression implies the removal of an oppressive financial or personal burden, allowing one to lead a freer, more comfortable life.
Indian summer See WEATHER.
out of the woods Having passed through the most difficult or dangerous aspect of any ordeal or endeavor; on the road to recovery; with success assured; safe, secure.
When a patient reaches this stage [of convalescence], he is out of the woods. (Wister, The Virginian, 1902)
This expression, dating from the late 18th century, may be a shortened version of the older proverb don’t shout until you’re out of the woods, although the literal wood or forest has symbolized danger, confusion, and evil for centuries.
second wind A renewed source of energy, inspiration, drive, will power, etc.; a second life, a second chance. Wind in this phrase means ‘breath’ both literally (air inhaled and exhaled) and figuratively (the life force or vitality). Second wind remains current on both literal and figurative levels: the former refers to an actual physiological phenomenon in which an athlete, after reaching a point of near exhaustion, regains even breathing and has a second burst of energy; the latter denotes renewed “life” where life has an unlimited range of possible meanings. The following appeared as an advertisement for the second edition of Thomas Hood’s Epping Hunt (1830):
I am much gratified to learn from you, that the Epping Hunt has had such a run, that it is quite exhausted, and that you intend therefore to give the work what may be called “second wind,” by a new impression.
a shot in the arm A stimulant, incentive, or inducement; anything that causes renewed vitality, confidence, or determination; anything that helps a person toward success; an infusion of money or other form of assistance that gives new life to a foundering project or other matter. This expression alludes to the revitalizing effect of taking a shot ‘a small amount of liquor’ or ‘a hypodermic injection of some drug.’ In its contemporary usage, however, the expression is usually figurative.
The United States Olympic Shooting Team received an $80,000 shot in the arm Thursday afternoon. (Tom Yantz in The Hartford Courant, March 9, 1979)
Noun | 1. | ![]() |
2. | recovery - gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury healing - the natural process by which the body repairs itself lysis - recuperation in which the symptoms of an acute disease gradually subside rally - a marked recovery of strength or spirits during an illness | |
3. | recovery - the act of regaining or saving something lost (or in danger of becoming lost) repossession - the action of regaining possession (especially the seizure of collateral securing a loan that is in default) reclamation - the recovery of useful substances from waste products deliverance, rescue, saving, delivery - recovery or preservation from loss or danger; "work is the deliverance of mankind"; "a surgeon's job is the saving of lives" ransom - the act of freeing from captivity or punishment |