out of the woodwork
out of the woodwork
Out of hiding; into view or awareness suddenly and unexpectedly. No one had anything negative to say when I first pitched this idea, but now people are coming out of the woodwork to criticize it. Ever since Liam won the lottery, his so-called relatives have been showing up out of the woodwork.
See also: of, out, woodwork
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
*out of the woodwork
Fig. out into the open from other places or a place of concealment. (*Typically: bring someone or something ~; come ~; creep ~.) When the cake appeared, all the office people suddenly came out of the woodwork.
See also: of, out, woodwork
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
out of the woodwork
Emerging from obscurity or a place of seclusion. It often is put as come (or crawl) out of the woodwork, as in The candidates for this job were coming out of the woodwork. The expression alludes to insects crawling out of the interior wooden fittings of a house, such as baseboards and moldings. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
See also: of, out, woodwork
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
out of the woodwork
Out of obscurity or a place of seclusion: People were coming out of the woodwork to apply for the desirable job.
See also: of, out, woodwork
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
- come out of the woodwork
- come/crawl out of the woodwork
- pull the carpet (out) from under (one's) feet
- pull the carpet/rug out from under somebody's feet
- pull the rug out (from (under) one)
- drop (something) in (someone's) lap
- drop in someone's lap
- drop/dump something in somebody's lap
- dawn (up)on (one)
- dawn on