come out of the woodwork
To appear or emerge unexpectedly or inexplicably, frequently in large numbers or quantity.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Suddenly, old friends come out of the woodwork when you win money.”
“As soon as the company announced the new project, critics came out of the woodwork to complain about the budget.”
“Following the controversial public statement, long-forgotten rivals and anonymous detractors seemed to come out of the woodwork to challenge his leadership.”
From the idea of insects crawling out from inside the woodwork in a house.
- 01
appetite comes with eating
Starting an activity increases one's desire to continue it.
- 02
as they come
As it is possible to be.
- 03
blend into the woodwork
To become unnoticed and seem to disappear.
- 04
blow to kingdom come
To totally destroy (something); to annihilate or wipe out (something).
- 05
burn that bridge when one comes to it
To anticipate dealing with a problem or situation either by acting in a manner that alienates or cuts ties with others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.
- 06
Christmas come early
Something very delightful or fortunate that is happening or has happened, especially earlier than expected.
- 07
come a cropper
To suffer some accident or misfortune; to fail.
- 08
come a long way
To make significant progress.
Last updated August 10, 2026