Idioms in Taylor Swift's TTPD

Admit it: how many times have you been listening to Taylor Swift’s new album TTPD? 

As we always say, listening to music in English is one of the best ways to learn new expressions. Taylor’s songs are no exception, as they contain a lot of figures of speech, metaphors and typical English expressions or idioms.

Let’s break down some idioms from her album TTDP. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

To have an edge on 

To be better than someone else; to have an advantage over someone. 

For example: ‘In this competition our team has the edge on the other team.’

Taylor sings in the final verses of the song “Clara Bow”:

‘You look like Taylor Swift

In this light

We’re loving it.

You’ve got the edge she never did

The future’s bright

…Dazzling.’ 

Spread your wings 

This idiom is easily understandable as we can imagine a bird that spreads its wings for the first time to leave the nest. 

It means, in fact, to use your abilities for the first time in order to do something that can be quite scary that requires leaving your comfort zone. 

In her song “The Albatross” Taylor sings:

‘So I crossed my thoughtless heart

Spread my wings like a parachute 

I’m the Albatross

I swept in at the rescue’.

In the blink of an eye

Very quickly, a short time, as the time it takes the eye to blink.

In the love song “So high school” we find this idiom:

‘And in the blink of a crinkling eye 

I’m sinking, our fingers entwined’.

To ring in your head 

If someone’s words still ring in your head it means that they affected you so much that you remember them, as if you can still hear them.

In the song “ThanK you aIMee” Taylor sings:

‘I pushed each boulder up the hill

Your words are still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head’.

With tail between your legs 

To better understand this idiom we can imagine a dog who has been defeated in a fight. Their immediate reaction is to leave with their tail between their legs. That’s exactly what this idiom means: to feel embarrassed and unhappy because you have failed or been defeated. 

That’s a very appropriate idiom to be used in the song called “The Black Dog”:

‘Cause tail between your legs, you’re leaving

I still can’t believe it 

‘Cause old habits die screaming.’

To come around to

To start to accept and support someone’s decisions or points of view after opposing them.

In the painful “But Daddy I Love him” Taylor sings:

‘Went to my parents and they came around 

All the wine moms are still holding out

But it’s over.’ 

Mark my words

You say this when you’re sure that something is going to happen. It’s like saying : ‘Remember my words because it’s going to be as I said’.

In her song “Cassandra” based on the Greek mythology, Taylor sings: 

‘You can mark my words

That I said it first 

In a mourning warning,

No one heard 

No one heard, not a single word was heard’.

To have the time of your life 

If you’re at a party or at the Eras Tour concert you’re certainly having the time of your life, meaning you’re having a lot of fun.

In the very first verses of one of her best songs from the TTDP, in our humble opinion, “I can do it with a broken heart” Taylor says:

‘I can read your mind

She’s having the time of her life’.

In the first verse we find another idiom: to read someone’s mind, or thoughts, meaning to know exactly what someone’s thinking without them telling you.   

Hell on earth 

This idiom is quite self-explanatory as it’s used to describe a situation or a place that’s really unpleasant, to say the least. 

We find this idiomatic expression in the song” Clara Bow”:

‘Do they let you know 

It’s hell on earth to be heavenly’. 

Pull the string 

In order to fully understand this idiom, you should imagine a puppet being moved by someone’s hands holding its strings. 

If someone’s pulling the strings, they are in control of the events or of other people’s actions.

In the song “My boy only breaks his favorite toys” Taylor sings:

‘Put me back on my shelf

But first- Pull the string

And I’ll tell you that he runs

Because he loves me’. 

Play someone for a fool

If someone plays you for a fool, they deceive you to get an advantage for themselves or treat you as if you are stupid. 

In the song with the ambiguous title “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” we find this idiom:

‘As the decade would play us for fools

And you saw my bones out with somebody new.’

To beat the heat

During the dog days, or the hottest days of summer, you try anything just to beat the heat, or to remain cool during those infernal days. 

This idiom has been used properly in the song “Florida”:

‘You can beat the heat if you beat the charges too’.

To do your time 

This idiom is usually used when talking about criminals who serve time required in prison. You can also use it figuratively, for spending time in a terrible situation, like working a low-paying job. 

It’s an appropriate idiom for the song called “Fresh out the slammer” where Taylor sings:

‘But it’s gonna be alright

I did my time’.

At stake

If something’s at stake it’s at risk and could be lost. 

Again in her song “Fresh out the Slammer” Taylor sings:

‘I know what’s at stake.’

Guilty as sin

If you feel guilty as sin, you are completely and extremely guilty.

This idiom is used as the title of the ninth song present on the TTPD album.  

Bone-deep 

Bone-deep means extremely deep or profound. If you have a bone-deep understanding, for example, you understand the topic deeply and thoroughly. 

We find this idiom in the song “Guilty as sin” again:

‘My boredom’s bone deep

This cage was once just fine.’

To throw to the wolves

If you throw someone to the wolves, you sacrifice them in order to save yourself or someone else. 

We find this idiom again in the song “Guilty as sin”:

‘Throwing my life to the wolves 

Or the ocean rocks.’

In the nick of time 

This expression basically means at the last possible moment.

In her heart wrenching song “loml” Taylor sings:

‘In your suit and tie in the nick of time

You lowdown boy, you stand up guy.’

To kill time

When you do something to keep you busy while you’re waiting for something else to happen, you’re killing time.

In “loml” we find this expression:

‘Still alive, killing time at the cemetery 

Never quite buried.’

Can you think of other idioms from TTPD?

Leave a comment below!