50 Idioms About Roads and Paths

By Mark Nichol

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1. all roads lead to Rome: an expression meaning that many methods will lead to the same result

2. get (back) on track: resume focus

3. get off track: lose focus

4. beat a path to [one’s] door: arrive in great numbers, with the implication that someone who offers a highly desirable good or service will attract much attention

5. blaze a trail: be the first to take a certain approach (from the Native American practice of signaling the course of a trail through a forest with burn marks)

6–7. down the road/track: at a later time

8–9. end of the line/road: a conclusion or outcome

10. fast track: a quick way to accomplish or manage something

11. go down that road: decide to take a particular action, with the implication that the decision starts one on a path that one cannot easily deviate from

12. high road: an easy or sure course to achieve a result

13–14. hit the road/trail: depart, or begin a journey

15. hot on the trail: about to discover something or catch up with someone

16. inside track: an advantage because of circumstances or connections

17. keep on track: maintain focus

18. kick the can down the road: put off a decision or action, with the idea
that the decision or action is being pushed farther along the way but will be encountered again as one continues

19. lead [one] down the garden path: deceive someone

20. let’s get this show on the road: an exhortation to begin something promptly

21. lose track: fail to maintain focus, or become distracted

22. middle of the road: moderate or bland, suggesting that something is not at or near one extreme or the other

23–24. on the beaten path/track: busy, frequented, or well known

25–26. off the beaten path/track: not busy, frequented, or well known

27. on the right track: in progress toward a desired result

28. on the wrong track: misdirected

29. on the road to [blank]: used to indicate that someone is or was starting
to achieve something, as in “on the road to recovery”

30. on the trail of [someone or something]: seeking a person or thing

31. on the warpath: angry, from an association with Native Americans heading for an attack

32. one for the road: a euphemism to refer to a final alcoholic drink consumed before departure

33. one-track mind: having a narrow focus

34. paper trail: documents that lead to a discovery or provide proof

35. path of least resistance: easiest approach or strategy

36. primrose path: a seductively attractive course that leads to disillusionment or a bad outcome

37–40. put/throw [one] off the track/trail: to cause someone’s attention to be misdirected, or to cause someone to lose his or her attention or place

41. road hog: a driver who does not allow other motorists to pass

42. road rash: an injury sustained when a bicyclist or motorcyclist falls on the road while moving and scrapes his or her skin

43. road show: a promotional tour, as for political campaigning; originally referred to traveling theatrical productions and similar entertainments

44. the road to hell is paved with good intentions: a proverb that states that well-meaning people make bad decisions

45. stop [one] dead in [one’s] tracks: halt or surprise someone completely

46. take the low road: do something underhanded or unscrupulous

47. high road: do something ethical or noble

48. there is no royal road to learning: learning takes work (with the implication that no special route exists for privileged people)

49. where the rubber meets the road: the point at which a challenge or problem becomes immediate or acute, from the idea of the point when a vehicle’s tires start rolling on the road beneath them

50. wide place in the road: a small town, with the implication that the increased width of a road as it passes through the town is the only distinguishing feature



1 Response to “50 Idioms About Roads and Paths”

  • Roberta B.

    You forgot: “A long road to hoe.” Just Kidding! I thought I’d tweak venqax…………….just a little bit.

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