Going to the Dogs

Meaning:
Becoming ruined

Origin:
The figurative meaning must have been preceded by the literal meaning of giving food that wasn't fit for humans to dogs - anything decayed and worthless that wasn't fit for humans.
The phrase could also come from the story of Jezebel in the Bible:
1 Kgs. 21: 23 "And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The ^adogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/go-to-the-dogs.html

In The Long Run

It will pay off in the long run.

Meaning:
In the final analysis or outcome.
After a very lengthy period of time; "she will succeed in the long run"
In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually.

Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/in+the+long+run
http://dictionary.die.net/in%20the%20long%20run

Moving on to Greener Pastures

Meaning:
a better or more exciting job or place
a better situation
a better or more promising situation
any place or condition that is more favorable or beneficial

Sources:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/greener+pastures
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greener%20pastures
http://www.allwords.com/word-greener+pastures.html
Good definition resource! http://www.scribd.com/doc/18584432/English-Idioms-Book-1

By the Skin of My Teeth

Meaning:
Narrowly; barely. Usually used in regard to a narrow escape from a disaster.

Origin:
The phrase first appears in English in the Geneva Bible, 1560, in Job 19:20.
Teeth don't have skin, of course, so the writer may have been alluding to the teeth's surface or simply to a notional minute measure.
The expression could be derived from the fact that there is no skin on the teeth and so 'Escape by the skin of one's teeth' means to avoid a catastrophy by the very smallest margin.
Or it could be that Job was referring to his gums because that was the only part of his body that was not covered with painful boils.

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/83000.html
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question18459.html

You're the bee's knees!

Meaning:
You're the best; THE COOLEST



Origin:
The exact origin of "bee's knees" remains a topic of debate, but there is wide-spread agreement that the phrase first appeared in North America during the 1920s. Some interesting theories are listed below.

1. Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. The allusion is to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee's knee. (extract from the Phrase Finder).

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2. The expression was coined in the 1920s by an American cartoonist named Tad Dorgan, who also graced the language with such corny superlatives as "the cat's pajamas" and less durable ones such as the "the flea's eyebrows" and - a real clunker - "the canary's tusks." Dorgan also came up with: "Yes, we have no bananas." I've long been puzzled why, to this day, the bee's knees expression has maintained a certain currency in Britain, something it has not had for decades in the United States. The thought occurs that perhaps, more than half a century on, it's a still lingering cultural artifact from the American occupation of the south of England in the lead-up to D-Day. (extract from the Guardian's Notes and Queries site, article by Dave Todd)

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3. It's one of a set of nonsense catchphrases that originated in North America in the 1920s, the period of the flappers, nearly all of which compared some thing of excellent quality to a part of an animal. (extract from Michael Quinon's World Wide Words).

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4. I think the idea is that on a bee, knees are strictly a luxury. The phrase originated in 1920s U.S. slang, which had a whole slue of such phrases: "the eel's ankle", "the flea's eyebrows", "the clam's garter", "the snake's hips", "the elephant's instep", "the kipper's knickers", "the cat's pyjamas", "the canary's tusks", "the sardine's whiskers". The fact that "the bee's knees" rhymes may have assisted its survival. (extract from the aue archives, article by Mark Israel)original article

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5. The bee's knees is actually a development from something that was originally stated as "The be all and the end all of everything." this being rather long, was shortened to "the B's and E's" which eventually became "the bee's knees" (extract from the Guardian's Notes and Queries site, article by "Ogins")

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6. My _Dictionary of American Slang_ says "bee's knees" was a fad started c1924. Like some Chinese menus, pick one from column A and one from column B... (extract from the aue archives, article by Robert Keller)original article

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7. ...[the] _bee's knees_ may be a humorous pronunciation of _business_. I have seen this offered as a genuine derivation and it seems as plausible as the current favourite for _OK_. (from the aue archives, article by S. Z. Hanley)original article

See also "You're the cat's meow!"

Sources:
http://www.yaelf.com/questions.shtml
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/definition+of/bee%27s+knees,+the

Two heads are better than one.

Meaning:
Some problems may be solved more easily by two people working together than by one working alone.

Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/two_heads_are_better_than_one

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Meaning:
Don't put yourself in a situation where a single failure has catastrophic consequences. Spread your risk. Have a plan B. Don't pin all your hopes on one possibility.

Origin:
Eggs, for those of you completely divorced from the rural milieu that gave rise to to this metaphor, are fragile and easily broken if their container is bumped or falls.

Dare to Be Stupid - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Reasons to Keep All Your Eggs in One Basket

Sources:
http://everything2.com/title/don%2527t+put+all+your+eggs+in+one+basket

A good beginning makes a good ending.

Meaning:
Good beginnings promise a good end. Start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.
Planning is the key to success.





Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_good_beginning_makes_a_good_ending
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_proverbs

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Meaning:
It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.

Sources:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rome_wasn%27t_built_in_a_day

Many hands make light work.

Meaning:
More helpers make a task easier.

Origin:
This proverb was first recorded in English in the early 1300s in a knightly romance known as Sir Bevis of Hampton.

Sources:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/idioms/many-hands-make-light-work

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Meaning:
Be grateful for your good fortune and don't look for more by examining it to assess its value.

Origin:
As horses age their teeth begin to project further forward each year and so their age can be estimated by checking how prominent the teeth are.

Sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/117000.html