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Crossword Phrases

An ever-growing, browsable database of phrases arranged by enumeration (letter pattern) for UK style crosswords. 
Particularly useful for Jumbo and Prize crosswords. Great inspiration for crossword setters!
Crossword solvers might proceed as follows:
 
Anglophobic tigress discovered by the Large Hadron Collider? (5,5,8)
 
...look up the 5,5,8 list on the 18 Letters (Ist word 4 or 5 letters) page. There you find: Higgs Boson Particle. (It's an anagram of 'anglophobic tigress'.)
 
From 3 to 28 letters (so that rules out 'throw out the baby with the bathwater', but you have to stop somewhere!)
Double nouns (including plurals), phrasal verbs (including inflections), proverbs, quotations, mottoes, people and places, literature, the performing arts, sport, common expressions, colloquialisms, idioms ...over 800 categories of information have been mined for this new list, as well as thousands of answers from old crosswords. All phrases have been selected by a human, not computer-generated.  
 
3 - 5 Letters   ALL   11 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   15 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   20 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters
6 Letters  ALL   11 Letters  1st word 4 letters   15 Letters  1st word 4 or 5 letters   20 Letters  1st word 4 or 5 letters
      11 Letters  1st word 5 letters   15 Letters  1st word 6 or 7  letters   20 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters
7 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   11 Letters  1st word 6 letters   15 Letters  1st word 8 or more letters      
7 Letters  1st word 4 or more letters   11 Letters  1st word 7 or more letters         21 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters
            16 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   21 Letters  1st word 4 letters
8 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   12 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   16 Letters  1st word 4, 5 or 6 letters   21 Letters  1st word 5 or more letters
8 Letters  1st word 4 letters   12 Letters  1st word 4 letters   16 Letters  1st word 7 or more letters      
8 Letters  1st word 5 or more letters   12 Letters  1st word 5 letters         22 Letters  1st word 1 - 4 letters
      12 Letters  1st word 6 letters   17 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   22 Letters  1st word 5 or more letters
9 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   12 Letters  1st word 7 or more letters   17 Letters  1st word 4 or 5 letters      
9 Letters  1st word 4 letters         17 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters   23 Letters  1st word 1 - 4 letters
9 Letters  1st word 5 letters   13 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters         23 Letters  1st word 5 or more letters
9 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters   13 Letters  1st word 4 letters   18 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters      
      13 Letters  1st word 5 letters   18 Letters  1st word 4 or 5 letters   24 Letters  ALL
10 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   13 Letters  1st word 6 or 7 letters   18 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters   25 Letters  ALL
10 Letters  1st word 4 letters   13 Letters  1st word 8 or more letters         26 Letters  ALL
10 Letters  1st word 5 letters         19 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   27 Letters  ALL
10 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters   14 Letters  1st word 1, 2 or 3 letters   19 Letters  1st word 4 or 5 letters   28 Letters  ALL
      14 Letters  1st word 4 letters   19 Letters  1st word 6 or more letters      
      14 Letters  1st word 5 or 6  letters            
      14 Letters  1st word 7 or more letters            
 
Hyphens are always treated as spaces (i.e. commas in the enumeration). Apostrophes are omitted.
Last update: 15 May 2012 (800 new entries).
 
You come across some interesting and amusing coincidences while looking through phrases arranged by enumeration. There's a list below where the meanings either complement or contradict each other.  My favourite is under 10,2,10.  4,6,4,6 and 9,2,3,4 are also very topical.  Numerologists might make something of all this!
 
1,4,4,3,4 a bolt from the blue   4,6,4,6 keep within ones budget
  a gift from the gods   live within ones income
1,6,2,1,8 a chance in a thousand   4,7,4 full frontal nude
  a needle in a haystack     give oneself airs
2,1,3,2,6 do a lot of damage   4,7,4,2,4 make someone feel at home
  in a fit of temper     pump someone full of lead
2,2,3,4,3 do it the hard way 4,7,5 anti wrinkle cream
  in at the deep end   full frontal nudes
2,2,7,3 et in Arcadia ego 4,7,9 seek medical attention
  of no earthly use     tilt against windmills
2,3 ex con   4,9,6 self inflicted wounds
  ex cop     semi automatic weapon
2,3,3,3,4,2,3 if its all the same to you   4,11,5 Lady Chatterleys lover
  if its not too much to ask     slow comfortable screw
2,3,4,2,3,3 in the back of the net   5,2,3,4,5 lying to the back teeth
  on the edge of the box     swear on the holy bible
2,4,2,1,4 as slim as a wand   5,2,4,2,3,6 first in line to the throne
  as thin as a rake     suits me down to the ground
2,5,3,8 go forth and multiply   5,3,1,4 going for a song
  up close and personal     taken for a ride
2,6,3,3 ay theres the rub   5,3,4,2,2,6 judge not lest ye be judged
  it drives you mad     rules are made to be broken
3,2,3,4,2,5 all is not what it seems   5,3,4,3,5 every Tom Dick and Harry
  fly in the face of facts     stand out from the crowd
3,2,3,9 out of the spotlight   5,3,5 speak the truth
  sit on the sidelines     spill the beans
3,2,4,8 all on your lonesome   5,3,5,2,3,5 cross the floor of the house
  set up home together     leave the scene of the crime
3,3,2,4 the die is cast   5,3,7,2 extol the virtues of
  the end is nigh     stick two fingers up
3,3,3,5,4 not for the first time   5,4,1,6,2,4 break open a bottle of wine
  the boy who cried wolf     never does a stroke of work
3,3,3,3,3,4 and now for the bad news   5,4,3,3 brush with the law
  rue the day one was born     crime does not pay
3,3,5,2,4 get the shock of ones life     phone nine one one
  see the error of ones ways     under lock and key
3,3,5,2,6 its not going to happen   5,4,6,5 crash bang wallop thump
  put the world to rights     throw ones weight about
3,3,9,3,5 not all sweetness and light   5,5,2,3,7 first thing in the morning
  the end justifies the means     throw light on the subject
3,4,2,1,5 any port in a storm   5,6,8 Large Hadron Collider
  The Lady is a tramp     split second decision
3,4,2,3,5 the sign of the cross   5,7,3 world without end
  the sins of the flesh     worth waiting for
3,4,3,3,3 get what you pay for   5,8 Welsh Assembly
  the rate for the job     white elephant
3,4,3,3,7 not just any old rubbish     windy rhetoric
  The Hunt for Red October   5,9 muddy underfoot
3,4,3,4,4 for ever and ever amen     music festivals
  God does not play dice   6,1,3 caught a bus
3,4,5,2,6 led from start to finish     hailed a cab
  The Pied Piper of Hamlyn   6,1,4,2,6 answer a call of nature
3,4,5,6 get rich quick scheme     heaved a sigh of relief
  one born every minute   6,1,7,4 desert a sinking ship
3,4,6,6 bet your bottom dollar     offers a helping hand
  the last chance saloon   6,2,8,2 refuse to consider it
3,4,8 the cats whiskers     theres no escaping it
  the dogs bollocks   6,2,10 Houses of Parliament
3,4,11 too much information     joined up government
  use your imagination   6,3,5,4 scored the first goal
3,5,2,2 get ready to go     struck the first blow
  the chase is on   6,3,8 effing and blinding
3,5,2,3,4 get ahead of the game     family get together
  rob Peter to pay Paul   6,4,2 gently does it
3,5,2,3,5 the truth is out there     hammer away at
  two sides to the story   6,4,2,4 lowest form of life
3,6,2,2 get around to it     travel back in time
  not enough to do   6,4,3,3 patchy mist and fog
3,6,2,9 the centre of attention     search high and low
  the finger of suspicion   6,4,3,5 turned back the clock
3,6,2,11 The Mother of Parliaments     voices from the grave
  The Palace of Westminster   6,4,4 inject some pace
3,6,3,3 the gloves are off     Kendal mint cake
  the knives are out   6,4,4,5 better late than never
3,7,4 The Selfish Gene     better safe than sorry
  The Missing Link   6,5,6 proven track record
3,7,6 The Mounted Police     silver medal winner
  The Perfect Murder   6,8 French mistress
3,7,6 two pronged attack     frilly knickers
  war against terror   6,10,4 become acquainted with
4,1,4,3,2,2 make a good job of it     social networking site
  make a pigs ear of it   7,3,4,2,7 Against the laws of physics
4,1,5,7 beat a hasty retreat     Nothing can come of nothing
  make a quick getaway   7,3,6 predict the future
4,1,8,4 take a backward step     prepare the ground
  take a downward turn   7,3,6,5 receive the wooden spoon
4,1,8,6 have a criminal record     rewrite the record books
  make a citizens arrest   7,4,1,6 painted into a corner
4,1,9,4 lead a sheltered life     shunted into a siding
  play a dangerous game   7,4,2,6 Newtons Laws of Motion
4,2,1,4,4,7 golf is a good walk spoiled     Nothing left to chance
  when in a hole stop digging   7,5,3 Mexican stand off
4,2,3,4,4 life in the fast lane     penalty shoot out
  make up for lost time   7,5,7 nuclear power station
4,2,3,5 last in the queue     weapons grade uranium
  late to the party   7,6 mammary glands
4,2,3,8 play to the audience     Marilyn Monroe
  rise to the occasion   8,1,4,5 fighting a lost cause
  take up the gauntlet     flogging a dead horse
4,2,5,4,2 come to terms with it   8,2,5 proceeds of crime
  lose no sleep over it     property is theft
4,3,4,2,4 don’t try this at home   8,2,5 schedule of works
  draw the line at that     shortage of staff
4,3,4,2,4 lose the will to live   8,3,5 Scotland the Brave
  make the most of life     scrimped and saved
4,3,5,2,6 body and blood of Christ   8,3,7 battered and bruised
  puts the world to rights     bloodied but unbowed
4,3,5,3,3 give the devil his due   8,4 Immanuel Kant
  take the money and run     immortal soul
  Wham bam thank you mam   8,5,4,5 fiddling while Rome burns
4,3,6,4 kill the fatted calf     whatever takes your fancy
  lean and hungry look   8,6,5 American client state
4,3,6,7 cold and frosty morning     handling stolen goods
  keep the engine running   8,7 credible witness
4,3,8 tout for business     criminal offence
  used car salesman   8,13 auditory hallucination
4,3,8,3 burn the midnight oil     multiple personalities
  make the polluter pay     paranoid schizophrenia
4,4,1,6 back into a corner   9,2,3,4 mortgaged to the hilt
  hold over a barrel     overdrawn at the bank
  make life a misery   9,2,3,5 gentlemen of the press
4,4,2,3,4,4 live life in the fast lane     possessed by the devil
  what time do you call this     preaching to the choir
4,4,3,11 know ones own limitations   9,2,3,5 stretched to the limit
  some room for improvement     teetering on the brink
4,4,4,2,3,6 have both feet on the ground   9,2,3,6 injurious to the health
  have ones head in the clouds     pretender to the throne
4,4,5 cast iron alibi   9,4 pregnancy test
  sure fire thing     premature baby
4,4,5,3,4,4 wipe that smile off your face   9,7 attempted suicide
  wash your mouth out with soap     attention seeking
4,4,8 tall dark stranger   10,2,3 casualties of war
  whet ones appetite     Walmington on Sea
4,5,2,3,4 sail close to the wind   10,2,10 Archbishop of Canterbury
  stay ahead of the game     everything in moderation
4,5,4,8 dont count your chickens   10,3,4 guaranteed for life
  here today gone tomorrow     overegging the cake
4,5,8 calm under pressure   11,2,3 brotherhood of man
  can't think straight     declaration of war
4,6,3,6 Eat Shoots and Leaves   13,8,4 consciousness altering drug
  Here endeth the lesson     International monetary fund
 © Ben Iscatus 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
 
If you're looking at a long list (as for example under 4,4) and you have a letter or two to go on, you may find the answer by using Marengo's nifty little crossword solver at http://www.marengo-ltd.com/crosswords/index.php
 
A real understanding of cryptic crossword-solving can be gained at Big Dave's site:  http://bigdave44.co.uk/
 
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