Idioms with 'Under'

English has many idioms with the word 'Under'. Here are some of the most common ones:

Under Idioms

under a cloud

- depressed, sad
The woman has been under a cloud of depression since her cat died.

under a cloud (of suspicion)

- not trusted, suspected of doing something wrong
The politician is under a cloud of suspicion over the possibility of taking bribes.

under arrest

- arrested by the police before being charged with a crime
The three men were under arrest for robbing a bank.

under attack

- being shot at or attacked physically, being attacked verbally
The company president is under attack because of the scandal.
The soldiers were under attack during the battle.

under certain circumstances

- depending on or influenced by specific circumstances
Under certain circumstances the children can practice in the indoor stadium.

under certain conditions

- depending on or influenced by specific conditions
The mountain road is closed under certain conditions.

under (close) scrutiny

- being watched or examined closely
The business owner was under scrutiny after the accounting scandal.
The results of the election are under close scrutiny.

under construction

- being built or repaired
The hotel was still under construction, two years after it began.

under control

- not out of control, manageable
The fire was under control after the fire department arrived.

under cover

- hidden, concealed
The police officer was under cover during the robbery.

under fire

- being shot at or attacked physically, being attacked verbally
The soldiers were under fire during the battle.
The owner of the company is under fire for not paying his employees a fair salary.

under oath

- having taken a formal oath (solemn promise)
The man was under oath when he spoke before the judge.

under one`s belt

- something you have learned or experienced or mastered or achieved
When my friend has more experience as a cook under his belt he will look for a new job.

under one`s belt

- in one`s stomach
After I had a big breakfast under my belt I was ready for work.

under one`s breath

- in a whisper, with a low voice
The man was talking under his breath in the movie theater and somebody complained.

under one`s nose

- within sight of someone, easily seen or found
My father found his driver`s license right under his nose where he had left it.

under one`s own steam

- by one`s own efforts, without help
The man was able to go home under his own steam even though he was feeling very sick.

under one`s thumb

- obedient to someone, controlled by someone
The man is only an assistant salesman but he has his boss under his thumb.

under one`s wing

- under the care or protection of (someone)
Our supervisor took the new employee under his wing to help him in the new job.

under orders

- caused by law or rules to follow a certain course of action
The soldier said that he was under orders to shoot the rifle.

under pressure

- experiencing something that causes stress or anxiety
The boy's father is always under pressure at work.

under (someone's) feet

- to annoy or interrupt someone when he or she is working
The children were under their mother's feet while she was cooking dinner.

under the circumstances

- because of the circumstances
The girl was very sick and under the circumstances did not have to take the exam.

under the counter

- secretly bought or sold
The new drug is being sold under the counter although the government has not approved it.

under the hammer

- for sale at an auction
The painting went under the hammer and it sold for a very high price.

under the influence of (someone or something)

- experiencing the effects of alcohol or drugs or a controlling power or person
The driver was under the influence of alcohol when he hit the young child.
The woman is under the influence of her boss.

under the sun

- anywhere on earth, everywhere
We looked for my wallet everywhere under the sun.

under the table

- in secret and usually illegal
The businessman paid some money under the table in order to get his product imported into the country.

under the weather

- feeling ill (but not seriously ill)
I am feeling under the weather so I am going to bed early tonight.

under the wire

- just barely in time
We sent in our payment for the school fees just under the wire.

under wraps

- not allowed to be seen until the right time, in secrecy
The new car was still under wraps when the car show started.

Source: http://www.idiomconnection.com/uquiz.html

Not all 'Under' idioms begin with that word. For example: