Idiom

A Aboveandbeyondthecallofduty

Haveanaceupyoursleeve.
Holdalltheaces

Acidtest

ActofGod

Getyouracttogether!

Addfueltotheflames

Muchadoaboutnothing.
Afraidofone'sownshadow

Allears

Allhellbrokeloose

All(other)thingsbeingequal

Allthumbs/allfingersandthumbs

Ambulancechaser

Ambulancechaser

Answerfor

Antsinone'spants

Anyportinastorm

Theappleofyoureye.

Toupsettheapplecart

Apronstrings

Arguethetoss

Armofthelaw

Giveyourrightarm

Costanarmandaleg
Tobeupinarms
Keepsomeoneatarm'slength

Armchaircritic

Askingfortrouble

Ofnoavail

Arudeawakening

Haveanaxetogrind

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idioms_proverbs.html
http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/alphabetical-list.htm

Meaning
Ifapersondoessomethingwhichisaboveandbeyondthe
callofduty,theyshowagreaterdegreeofcourageoreffort
thanisusuallyrequiredorexpectedintheirjob.
"Thefire-fighterreceivedamedalforhisactionwhichwent
aboveandbeyondthecallofduty
Ifyouhaveanaceupyoursleeve,itmeansthatyouhave
somethinginreservewithwhichyoucangainanadvantage.
Apersonwhoholdsalltheacesisinaverystrongposition
becausetheyhavemoreadvantagesthananyoneelse.
"Giventhehighunemploymentfiguresinsomecountries,
employersholdalltheaces."
Torefertosomethingastheacidtestmeansthatitwillprove
howeffectiveorusefulsomethingis.
"Thetrainingcoursewasveryinterestingbuttheacidtestwillcome
whenIstartmynewjob."
Thistermreferstoanaturaleventoraccident,forwhichnopersonis
responsible(suchasanearthquake,lightningandsimilaractsofnature).
"Theinsurancecompanyrefusedtopayforthedamagebecause
itwascausedbyanactofGod."
Ifyoutellsomeonetogettheiracttogether,youmean
thattheyneedtoorganizetheiraffairsmoreeffectively
inordertobemoresuccessful.
Ifyouaddfueltotheflames,yousaysomethingthatmakesa
difficultsituationworse.
"Heforgottheirweddinganniversary,andhisapologiesonly
addedfueltotheflames."
Ifpeoplemake"muchadoaboutnothing",theymake
alotoffussaboutsomethingwhichisnotimportant.
Apersonwhoisafraidoftheirownshadowisverynervous
oreasilyfrightened.
"I'veneverseenanyonesoeasilyscared-she'safraidofher
ownshadow."
Tosaythatyouareallearsmeansthatyouarelisteningvery
attentively.
"OfcourseIwanttoknow-I'mallears!"
Tosaythatallhellbrokeloosemeansthattherewasasudden
angry,noisyreactiontosomething.
"Allhellbrokeloosewhenitwasannouncedthattheplantwasgoing
toclosedown."
Thisexpressionreferstoaprobablesituationifinallotherways
theconditionsremainunchangedorequal.
"All(other)thingsbeingequal,areductioninthecostof
transportshouldenableustolowerourprices."
Ifyouareallfingersandthumbs,youareawkwardandclumsyand
dothingsincorrectly.
"Wouldyoumindwrappingthisforme?I'mallfingersandthumbs!"
Thistermsreferstoalawyerwhofindsworkbypersuadingpeople
injuredinaccidentstoclaimmoneyfromthepersonwhocaused

theaccident.
"Peterson&Scottarewell-knownambulancechasers-that'show
theymaketheirmoney!"
Ifsomeonehastoanswerforsomething,theyhavetoaccept
responsibilityfortheiractions.
"Hewillhavetoanswerforhisdishonesty."
Peoplewhohaveantsintheirpantsareveryrestlessorexcitedabout
something
"Iwishhe'drelax.He'sgotantsinhispantsaboutsomethingtoday!"
Whenyouhavenochoice,anyportinastormreferstoasolution
youaccept,whichinnormalcircumstancesyouwouldfindunacceptable.
"Thehotelwassubstandard,butitwasacaseofanyportinastorm;
alltheotherswerefull."
Ifsomebodyistheappleofyoureye,thismeansthatyoulike
themverymuch:
"Mygrandsonistheappleofmyeye".
Toupset(ortooverturn)theapplecartmeanstospoilasatisfactory
planorsituation
"IhopeJuliedoesn'tattendthemeeting;shecouldupsettheapplecart!"
Ifonepersonistiedtoanother'sapronstrings,theyremaindependent
atanagewhentheyshouldbeindependent.
"Allhisdecisionsareinfluencedbyhismother.He'sstilltiedtoher
apronstrings."
Ifyouarguethetoss,youdisputeadecisionorchoicewhichhas
alreadybeenmade.
"Thefinalchoicewasmadeyesterday,sodon'targuethetossnow!"
Thisexpressionreferstotheextenttowhichtheauthorityorpowerof
thelawextends.
"HefledtoSouthAmericahopingtoescapethearmofthelaw."
Ifyousay"I'dgivemyrightarmforthat",youmeanthatyou
wantitalotandwoulddoalmostanythingtoobtainit.
"I'dgivemyrightarmtohaveaapartmentonCentralPark."
Ifsomethingcostsanarmandaleg,itisveryexpensive!
"Thehousecostusanarmandaleg,butwehavenoregrets."
Ifyouareupinarmsaboutsomething,youareveryangry.
"Thepopulationwasupinarmsoverthedemolitionoftheoldtheatre."
Ifyoukeepsomeoneatarm'slength,youdonotallowyourself
tobecometoofriendlywiththem.
"It'snoteasytobecomefriendswithSophie;shetendstokeep
everyoneatarm'slength."
Anarmchaircriticissomeonewhogivesadvicebasedontheory
ratherthanpractice.
"Thatguyissuchanarmchaircritic,noexperiencebutplentyofadvice!"
Someonewhoisaskingfortroubleisbehavingstupidlyandislikely
tohaveproblems.
"Drivingfastontheseroadsisreallyaskingfortrouble!"
Somethingwhichisofnoavailisnotatallhelpfuloruseful.
"Thecoffeemachinewouldn'tworkandtheinstructionleafletwas
ofnoavail."
Ifyougetarudeawakening,youareforcedtoaccept
theunpleasanttruth.

Ifyouhaveanaxetogrind,youhavepersonalreasonsfor
becominginvolvedinsomethingoradoptingaparticularattitude.
"Itwasdecidedthatthebestcandidateswouldbeselectedby
arecruitmentagencywhohadnoaxetogrindwithinthecompany."

y.com/idioms/idioms_proverbs.html
y.com/idioms/idiom-categories/alphabetical-list.htm

Idiom
B Leavesomebodyholdingthebaby

Backorbetonthewronghorse

Getoffmyback!
Inthebackofbeyond

Onthebackburner

Backtosquareone

Backhandedcompliment

Back-of-the-envelopecalculation

Back-roomboys

Backseatdriver

Abadegg

Badgersomeoneintodoing
something
Bagofbones

(Whole)bagoftricks

Inthebag

Baitandswitch

Inthebalance

Beontheball
Haveaball
Ontheball

Starttheballrolling

Theballisinyourcourt

Jumponthebandwagon

Baneofone'slife

Bangyourheadagainstabrickwall

Barfly

Bareone'sheart(orsoul)

Barefacedliar

Barefacedliar

Hisbarkisworsethanhisbite

Barkupthewrongtree
Batedbreath

Havebatsinthebelfry
Thebattlelinesaredrawn

Battleofwills

(Notthe)be-allandend-all

Befullofbeans
Bethatasitmay

Bearthebrunt(ofsomething)

Bearsomethinginmind

Likeabearwithasorehead

Beardthelion(orsomeone)inhis
den
Beat/flogadeadhorse

Beat/knockthelivingdaylights
outofsomeone
Itbeatsme!

Itbeatsme!

Atsomeone'sbeckandcall

Haveabeeinone'sbonnet

Thebee'sknees

Beenthere,donethat

Beggarscan'tbechoosers.

Ringabell.

Withbellson

Belowthebelt

Tightenyourbelt

Bendoverbackwards

Bendthetruth

Thebenefitofthedoubt

Besideyourself(withsomething)

Thebestofbothworlds

Thebestofbothworlds

Betyourbottomdollar

Betonthewronghorse

Bettersafethansorry
Thinkbetterofsomething

Betweenthedevilandthedeepblue
sea

It'sbeyondme

Beyondanyreasonabledoubt

Beyondone'swildestdreams

Beyondredemption

Bideyourtime

Bigcheese

Bigfishinasmallpond

Bigpicture

Cleanbillofhealth
Forthebirds

Forthebirds

Killtwobirdswithonestone.
Birdsofafeather.
In/wearingone'sbirthdaysuit
Biteoffmorethanyoucanchew

Bitesomeone'sheadoff

Bitethehandthatfeedsyou
Biteyourtongue

Oncebitten,twiceshy.

Abitterpilltoswallow

Blackmood

Blacktieevent

Inblackandwhite

Intheblack

Blackgold
Blackmarket
Blackout
Blacksheep
Blamestorming

Ablankcheque

Ablankcheque

Awetblanket

Ablessingindisguise

Asblindasabat

(upa)blindalley

Theblindleadingtheblind

Blindyouwithscience

Intheblinkofaneye

Blockbuster

Makeyourbloodboil
Makeyourbloodruncold

Blood,sweatandtears

Blotone'scopybook

Blowafuse

Blowhotandcold

Blowhotandcold

Blowthewhistle

Blowupinsomeone'sface

Bluearoundthegills
(alsogreenorpalearoundthegills)
Bluechipcompany

Blueintheface

Feelblue
Aboltfromtheblue

Blue-eyedboy
Outoftheblue
Aboveboard

Themindboggles
Boldasbrass

Boneofcontention

Haveabonetopickwithsomeone
Makenobonesaboutsomething
Insomebody'sgood/badbooks

Licksomeone'sboots

Licksomeone'sboots

Gettoobigforyourboots(or
britches)

Iwasn'tbornyesterday

Onthebottle

Bowandscrape

Brainlikeasieve

Havesomethingonthebrain

Getdowntobrasstacks

Takethebreadoutofsomebody's
mouth

Onthebreadline

Breakthebackofthebeast

Breakfreshground

Breakaleg!

Breakthemould

Breakeveryruleinthebook.

Breakoutinacoldsweat

Breathedownsomeone'sneck

Bricksandmortar/bricksandclicks

Bright-eyedandbushy-tailed

Bringthehousedown

Bringnothingtothetable

Bringuptherear

It'sasbroadasit'slong

Broadstrokes

Brownasaberry
Browned-off
Thebubblehasburst

Passthebuck

Kickthebucket.
Tonipsomethinginthebud

Tonipsomethinginthebud

Buildbridges
Takethebullbythehorns
Bulldozesomebody(intodoing
something)
Bundleofnerves

Burdenofproof

Burnthecandleatbothends

Burnyourfingers

Don'tbeataroundthebush
Busman'sholiday

Buttersomeoneup

Butterwouldn'tmeltinyourmouth

Meaning
Ifsomeoneisleftholdingthebaby,theyaremaderesponsiblefor
aproblemthatothersdon'twanttodealwith.
"Whentheangrycustomerstartedtocomplain,
mycolleaguedisappearedandleftmeholdingthebaby."
Ifyoubackorbetonthewronghorse,forexampletheloserin
acontest,matchorelection,yousupportthewrongperson.
"WhenIvotedforhim,Iwasconvincedhewouldwin,butIbacked
thewronghorse!"
Ifyoutellsomebodytogetoffyourback,youaskthemtostop
findingfaultsorcriticizingyou.
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribeanisolatedplacelocated
farfromanytown.
"IttookushourstofindJack'shouse.
Helivesinthebackofbeyond!"
Ifyouputaprojectorissueonthebackburner,youdecide
todealwithitatalaterdatebecauseyoudonotconsiderit
tobethaturgentorimportant.
"WhenJuliewasofferedapromotion,sheputherMBAplans
onthebackburner."
Tosaythatsomeoneisbacktosquareone,meansthattheyhave
notsucceeded
inwhattheyweretryingtodo,andsotheyhavetostartagain.
"Whentheplanswererefused,itwasbacktosquareoneforthe
architect."
Aremarkthatappearstoexpressadmirationbutcouldalsobe
interpretedasaninsultiscalledabackhandedcompliment.
"Hesaidmypresentationwas'surprisinglyclear'how'sthatforabackhandedcompliment!"
Thisexpressionreferstoquickapproximatecalculationdone
informally,asonthebackofanenvelope.
"Idon'tneedtheexactamount.
Justgivemeaback-of-the-envelopecalculation."
Thistermreferstopeoplewhodoimportantworkbuthavenocontact
withthepublic.
"Back-roomboysdon'talwaysreceivethecredittheydeservefortheir
work."
Abackseatdriverisapassengerinacarwhogivesunwanted
advicetothedriver.
"Ican'tstandbackseatdriverslikemymother-in-law!"
Torefertosomeoneasabadeggmeansthattheycannotbetrusted.
"Idon'twantmysontobefriendswithBobbySmith.
Bobby'sabadegg."
Ifyoubadgersomeoneintodoingsomething,youpersistently
nagorpesterthemuntilyouobtainwhatyouwant.
"Sophiebadgeredherparentsintobuyingheranewcomputer."
Tosaythatsomeoneisabagofbonesmeansthattheyare
extremelythin.
"Whenhecamehomefromthewarhewasabagofbones."

Ifyouuseyour(whole)bagoftrickstodosomething,youtry
(all)theclevermethodsyouknowinordertosucceed.
"Let'scallonGeorgeandhisbagoftricks;maybehecanhelpus
solvetheproblem."
Ifyouthinksomethingisinthebag,youarealmostcertain
itwillbeachieved.
"Anhourbeforethepollingstationsclosed,victoryseemedinthebag
fortheConservativecandidate."
Thistermreferstoadeceptivecommercialpracticeofadvertisinga
low-priceditemtoattractcustomers,thentellingthemthattheproduct
isoutofstockandpersuadingthemtobuyamoreexpensivearticle.
"Thisstoreisfamousforitsbaitandswitchtactics."
Ifsomethingisinthebalance,itmeansthesituationisuncertain
anditisnotclearwhatisgoingtohappen.
"Thefutureofthecompanyisinthebalancewhilethetakeoverbid
isbeingexamined."
Ifyouareontheball,youareawareofwhatishappening
andareabletoreacttothesituationquickly.
Ifyouhaveaball,youenjoyyourself.
"Thepartywasgreat.Wehadaball."
Ifyouareontheball,youareawareofwhatishappening
andareabletodealwiththingsquicklyandintelligently.
"Weneedsomeonewho'sreallyontheballtoheadthefund-raising
campaign."
Ifyoustarttheballrolling,youstartanactivityinwhich
otherpeoplewilljoin.
"Let'sstarttheballrollingbycallingonourfirstspeaker."
Iftheballisinyourcourt,itisyourturntospeakoractnext.
"Wegavethemanageralistofcomplaints,sotheballisin
hiscourtnow."
Ifapersonororganizationjumpsonthebandwagon,
theydecidetodosomethingwhenitisalreadysuccessfulor
fashionable.
"Whenorganicfoodbecamepopular,certainstoreswerequick
tojumponthebandwagonandpromoteit."
Tosaythatsomethingisthebaneofyourlifemeansthatitis
thecauseofyourproblemsoryourunhappiness.
"Theheatingsystemisalwaysbreakingdown.It'sthebaneof
mylife!"
Ifyoubangyourheadagainstabrickwall,youcontinuevainlyto
tryandachievesomethinginspiteofseveralunsuccessfulattempts.
"I'vebeenbangingmyheadagainstabrickwalltryingtoexplainthe
internettomygrandmother."
Abarflyreferstosomeonewhospendsalotoftimedrinkingin
barsandpubs.
"You'llfindJohnnydownatthepub-he'sarealbarfly!"
Ifyoubareyourheartorsoultosomeone,yourevealyour
innermostthoughtsandfeelingstothem.
"Johncouldn'tkeepthingstohimselfanylonger.Hedecidedto
barehissoultohisbestfriend."
Someonewholieseasily,withatotallackofshame,iscalleda

barefacedliar.
"Thatbarefacedliarstolemywatchandsaidhe'dfoundit!"
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertoapersonwhosoundsmuch
moresevereorangrythantheyreallyare.
"Don'tbeafraidofhim-hisbarkisworsethanhisbite."
Apersonwhobarksupthewrongtreeisdoingthewrongthing,
becausetheirbeliefsorideasareincorrectormistaken.
Ifyouwaitforsomethingwithbatedbreath,youarebothanxious
andexcitedaboutanimminentevent.
"Wewaitedwithbatedbreathforthewinnertobeannounced."
Ifyousaythatsomebodyhasbatsinthebelfry,youaresayingthat
theirideasarecompletelymad.
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythatopposinggroupsarereadyto
defendthereasonbehindtheconflict.
"Thebattlelineshavebeendrawnbetweenthosewhoacceptthe
changesandthosewhoareagainsttheproposedreforms."
Aconflict,argumentorstrugglewherebothsidesaredeterminedtowin
isdescribedasabattleofwills.
"Whentheyseparated,neitherpartywouldmakeconcessions-itwas
abattleofwills."
Tosaythatsomethingisnotthebe-allandend-allmeansthatitis
notwhatmattersmost.
"Goodschoolresultsarenotthebe-allandend-allofeducatingachild."
Apersonwhoisfullofbeansislively,activeandhealthy.
Thisexpressionmeansthatwhatthespeakersaysmaybetruebut
itwillnotchangethesituation.
"OK.Fewerpeoplemaycomebecauseofthebadweather,butbe
thatasitmay,it'stoolatetocanceltheshow."
Apersonwhobearsthebruntofsomethingistheonewhosuffers
themostwhensomethingbadorunpleasanthappens.
"Whenthingsgowrong,hisassistantalwayshastobearthebrunt
ofhisanger."
Ifsomeoneasksyoutobearsomethinginmind,theyaretelling
youtorememberitbecauseitisimportant.
"YoumustbearinmindthatthecostoflivingishigherinNewYork."
Ifsomeoneisbehavinglikeabearwithasorehead,theyare
veryirritableandbad-tempered.
"Whenhisteamlostthematch,Bradwaslikeabearwithasorehead."
Ifyouvisitsomeoneimportantintheplacewheretheywork,inorderto
challengehim/herorobtainsomething,youbeardthelioninhisden.
"Ifhecontinuestorefusemycalls,I'llhavetobeardhiminhisden."
Tosaythatsomeoneisbeatingadeadhorsemeansthatthey
arewastingtimeandefforttryingtodoorachievesomethingthatis
notpossible.
"Markisbeatingadeadhorsetryingtogethismoneyreimbursed.
Thecompanyhasgonebankrupt!"
Ifsomeonebeatsthedaylightsoutofanother,theyhitthemveryhard
andrepeatedly.
"IfIcatchyoustealingagain,I'llbeatthedaylightsoutofyou!"
Thisexpressionisusedtoexpresssurpriseatsomethingthatyoufind

difficulttounderstand,
"Itbeatsmehowhecanliveinthathorribleapartment!"
Ifapersonisatsomebody'sbeckandcall,theyarealways
readytodothingsforthemorobeyorderstopleasethem.
"Parentsshouldnotbeatthebeckandcalloftheirchildren."
Apersonwhohasabeeintheirbonnethasanidea
whichconstantlyoccupiestheirthoughts.
"She'sgotabeeinherbonnetaboutmovingtoNewYork."
Ifyousaythatsomeone/somethingisthebee'sknees,
youthinktheyareexceptionallygood.
Ifyousay"Juliethinksshe'sthebee'sknees",itmeansthat
Juliehasahighopinionofherself!
Thisexpressionisusedtoindicatethatthespeakerisfamiliarwith
thesituationmentioned.Itcanalsorefertoanattitudewhichreflects
acertainboredomattheideaofrepeatinganexperiencethathaslost
itsnovelty.
"Hissuggestionsproduceda'beenthere,donethat'attitudewhich
underminedhisenthusiasm."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoushouldnotrejectanoffer
ifitistheonlypossibilityyouhave.Youhavenochoice.
"Beggarscan'tbechoosers"!
Ifsomethingringsabell,itisvaguelyfamiliartoyou,
butyoucan'tremembertheexactdetails.
"JohnBentley?ThenameringsabellbutIdon'trememberhim."
Ifyougosomewherewithbellson,youaredelightedandeager
togothere.
"OfcourseI'llbethere-withbellson!"
Anactionorremarkdescribedasbelowthebeltmeansthat
itisconsideredunfairorcruel.
"Politicianssometimesusepersonalinformationtohittheirrivals
belowthebelt.'
Ifyouneedtotightenyourbelt,youmustspendyourmoney
carefully.
"Anotherbill?I'llhavetotightenmybeltthismonth!"
Ifyoubendoverbackwards,youtryveryhardtodosomething,
especiallytopleasesomebody.
"ThemanagerbentoverbackwardstotrytomakeJackstay,
butJackwouldn'tchangehismind."
Ifyoubendthetruth,yousaysomethingthatisnotentirelytrue.
"OK,Ibentthetruthabit;Itoldhimitwasmynaturalcolour,
butIdidn'tsaythatmyhairdresserhelpedmetokeepitnatural!"
Ifyougivesomebodythebenefitofthedoubt,youchooseto
believethatthatpersonisinnocent,honestortellingthetruth,
becausethereisnoevidencetothecontrary.
"AlthoughhefoundithardtobelieveTom'sexplanation,theteacher
decidedtogivehimthebenefitofthedoubt."
Ifyouarebesideyourself(withanemotion),youloseyour
self-controlbecauseoftheintensityoftheemotionyouarefeeling.
"Hewasbesidehimselfwithgriefwhenhelosthisson."
Ifapersonhasthebestofbothworlds,theyhavethebenefitsand
advantagesoftwodifferentthings.

"Weliveinthecentreoftown,butonly5minutesfromthebeach.
Wehavethebestofbothworlds."
Ifyoubetyourbottomdollaronsomething,youareabsolutely
certainofit.
"Jackisverypunctual.Youcanbetyourbottomdollarhe'llbehere
at9o'clockonthedot."
Ifyoubackorbetonthewronghorse,forexampletheloserina
contest,matchorelection,yousupportthewrongperson.
"WhenIvotedforhim,Iwasconvincedhewouldwin,butIbacked
thewronghorse!"
It'sbettertobetoocautiousthantobecarelessandhaveregretslater.
"Let'sbookticketsinadvance-bettersafethansorry!"
Ifyouthinkbetterofsomething,youdecidenottodosomething
thatyouintendeddoing.
"Iwantedtogoshopping,butwhenIsawthecrowdedcarpark,
Ithoughtbetterofit."
Ifyouarebetweenthedevilandthedeepbluesea,youare
inasituationwheretherearetwoequallyunpleasantalternatives.
"Whenthenewproductdidn'ttakeoff,themanagementwascaught
betweenthedevilandthedeepbluesea:developanewmarketing
campaignordroptheproduct."
Theexpression"it'sbeyondme"means:"it'simpossibleformeto
understand"
"It'sbeyondmewhyMarywantstomarryJohn."
Thisisalegalexpressionwhichmeansthatsomethingiscertain.
"Thecourtestablished,beyondanyreasonabledoubt,thattheman
wasinnocent."
Ifsomethingisbeyondyourwildestdreams,itisbetterthanyou
imaginedorhopedfor.
"Theresearchteamreceivedagrantfromthegovernmentthatwas
beyondtheirwildestdreams."
Ifsomethingisbeyondredemption,itisinsuchapoorstatethat
thereisnohopeofimprovementorrecovery.
"Withthelatestscandal,hisreputationisnowbeyondredemption."
Ifyoubideyourtime,youwaitforagoodopportunitytodosomething.
"He'snothesitating,he'sjustbidinghistime.
He'swaitingforthepricetodrop."
Thisexpressionreferstoapersonwhohasalotofpowerandinfluence
inanorganization.
"Tom'sfatherisabigcheeseintheoilindustry."
Thistermisusedtorefertoanimportantorhighly-rankedperson
inasmallgroupororganization.
"Hecouldgetajobwithabigcompanybutheenjoysbeingabigfish
inasmallpond."
Torefertothebigpicturemeanstheoverallsituation,ortheproject
asawhole,ratherthanthedetails.
"Whileeachaspectisimportant,trynottoforgetthebigpicture.
Ifapersonhasacleanbillofhealth,theyhaveareportorcertificate
declaringthattheirhealthissatisfactory.
Ifyouthinksomethingisforthebirds,youconsiderittobe
uninteresting,useless,ornottobetakenseriously.

"AsfarasI'mconcerned,histheoryisforthebirds!"
Ifyoukilltwobirdswithonestone,yousucceedindoing
twothingsatthesametime.
Tosaythattwopeoplearebirdsofafeathermeansthatthey
areverysimilarinmanyways.
Thishumorousexpressionmeansthatyouarewearingnothing!
"Thebathroomdoorblewopen,andthereIwasinmybirthdaysuit!"
Ifyoubiteoffmorethanyoucanchew,youtrytodosomething
thatistoodifficultforyou,ormorethanyoucanmanage.
"AssoonasIstartedtotranslatethereport,Irealizedthat
IhadbittenoffmorethanIcouldchew."
Ifyoubitesomeone'sheadoff,youcriticizethemstrongly
(andperhapsunfairly).
"Iworked10hoursadayallweekandmybossbitmyheadoff
fornotdoingmyshareofthework!"
Ifyoubitethehandthatfeedsyou,youareunfriendlyordoharm
tosomeonewhoiskindtoyou.
Ifyoubiteyourtongue,youtrynottosaywhatyoureallythinkor
feel.
"Itwasdifficultformenottoreact;Ihadtobitemytongue."
Thisissaidbyapersonwhohashadanunpleasantexperience
whichhasmadethemcautious.
"I'mnevergoingtogetmarriedagain.Oncebitten,twiceshy."
Abitterpilltoswallowissomethingverydifficultorunpleasant
toaccept.
"Losinghisjobafterorganizingthemergerwasabitterpilltoswallow."
Tobeinablackmoodmeanstobeirritable,angryoreven
depressed.
Also:tobeinabadmood.
Thisexpressionreferstoaformaleventatwhichmenarerequired
towearadinnerjacket,ortuxedo,andablackbowtie.
"Ineedtoknowifit'sgoingtobeacasualget-togetherorablacktie
event."
Tosaythatsomethingisinblackandwhitemeansthatthereis
writtenproofofit.
"It'sanobligation.It'swritteninblackandwhiteinyourcontract."
Tosaythatapersonororganizationisintheblackmeansthat
theyarefinanciallysound,haveapositivebalanceontheiraccount,
andthattheyowenomoney.
Blackgoldreferstotheblackcolourandhighvalueofoil.
Theblackmarketreferstotheillegalbuyingandselling
ofgoodsorcurrencies.
Ifyoublackout,youloseconsciousness.
Theblacksheepofthefamilyisonewhoisverydifferentfromthe
others,andleastrespectedbytheothermembersofthefamily,
Adiscussionamongagroupofpeople,whotrytodeterminewhoor
whatistoblameforaparticularmistake,failureorwrongdoing,is
called'blamestorming'.
"Ablamestormingsessiontookplacefollowingtheunfavourable
reviewsinthepress."
Ifyougivesomeoneablankcheque,youauthorizethemtodo

whattheythinkisbestinadifficultsituation.
"Tomwasgivenablankchequeandtoldtonegotiatethe
bestdealpossible."
Torefertosomeoneasawetblanketmeansthattheyspoil
otherpeople'sfun,
ormakeaneventlessenjoyablethatitcouldhavebeen
"Comeon,Mike!Don'tbesuchawetblanket.
You'respoilingtheparty!"
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertosomethingwhichisunpleasantat
firstbutlaterturnsouttohaveadvantages.
"Missingtheplanewasablessingindisguise-that'showhemet
hiswife.Shewasahostessonthenextflight!"
(as)blindasabat
Someonewhosevisionisverypoor,orwhoisunabletoseeanything,
is(as)blindasabat.
"Withouthisglassestheoldmanisasblindasabat."
Ifyougoupablindalley,youfollowanineffectivecourseofaction
whichleadsnowhereorproducesnoresults.
"Therevelationspromisedbythesuspectleadthepoliceupablindalley."
Thisexpressionreferstoapersonwithverylittleabilitytryingtohelp
orguideapersonwithnoability.
"Don'taskSofiatotranslateit.ShehardlyspeaksawordofEnglish
herself.Itwouldbetheblindleadingtheblind".
Ifsomeonetriestoblindyouwithscience,theyconfuseyouwith
theirknowledgebyusingdifficultortechnicalwords.
"IfyouaskTimforasimpleexplanation,hetriestoblindyouwith
science."
Ifsomethinghappensintheblinkofaneye,ithappensnearly
instantaneously,withhardlyenoughtimetonoticeit.
"Thepickpocketdisappearedintheblinkofaneye."
Somethingthatisoutstanding,impressiveorparticularlysuccessful,
suchasafilmorabook,iscalledablockbuster.
"TheTVserieswasablockbuster."
Ifsomethingmakesyourbloodboil,itmakesyoureallyangry.
"Hiscondescendingattitudemademybloodboil!"
Ifsomethingmakesyourbloodruncold,itshocksorscares
youalot.
"Thelookintheprisoner'seyesmademybloodruncold."
Aprojectoractionwhichinvolvesblood,sweatandtearsrequires
alotofeffortandhardwork.
"Hissuccesswasn'tduetoluck;itwasblood,sweatandtears
alltheway."
Someonewhoblotstheircopy-bookdoessomethingtospoiltheir
goodrecordorreputation.
"Heblottedhiscopy-bookwhenhewasarrestedforspeeding."
Ifyoublowafuse,yousuddenlyloseyourtemperandbecome
veryangry.
"Charlieblewafuseyesterdaywhenhediscoveredthathisipod
hadbeenstolen."
Ifyoublowhotandcoldaboutsomething,youconstantlychange

youropinionaboutit.
"Thebosskeepsblowinghotandcoldaboutthemarketingcampaignonedayhefindsitexcellent,thenextdayhewantstomakechanges."
Ifyoureportanillegalorsocially-harmfulactivitytotheauthorities,
andgiveinformationaboutthoseresponsibleforit,youblowthe
whistleoryouareawhistle-blower.
"Herefusedtoblowthewhistleonhisbossforfearoflosinghisjob."
Whenworkingonaplanorproject,ifitsuddenlygoeswrongorfails,
itblowsupinyourface.
"Thetripwasdifficulttoorganize,butitblewupinhisfacewhenthe
airlinecompanywentonstrike."
Ifapersonlooksbluearoundthegills,theylookunwellorsick.
"Youshouldsitdown.Youlookabitbluearoundthegills."
Thistermreferstoacompanywithasolidreputationforthequalityof
itsproductsandthestabilityofitsgrowthandearnings.
"It'susuallysafetoinvestinablue-chipcompany.
Ifyoudosomethinguntilyou'reblueintheface,youtry
unsuccessfullytodosomethingforaverylongtime.
"IexplainedthesituationuntilIwasblueinthefacebutshewouldn't
changehermind."
Tofeelbluemeanstohavefeelingsofdeepsadnessordepression.
Torefertosomethingasaboltfromthebluemeans
thatithappenedcompletelyunexpectedly.
"Thechairman'sresignationcameasaboltfromtheblue!"
Ablue-eyedboyissomebody'sfavourite.
"He'sthedirector'sblue-eyedboy!"
Ifsomethinghappensoutoftheblue,ithappensunexpectedly.
Ifasituationorbusinessisdescribedasaboveboard,itisopen,
honestandlegal.
"Therearenosecretnegotiations.Ourdealingshavealwaysbeen
aboveboard."
Theexpression"themindboggles"isusedasareactionto
somethingyoufindamazingordifficulttounderstand.
Someonewhoisboldasbrassbehaveswithoutshameor
embarrassment.
"Boldasbrass,herefusedthegiftandhandeditbackto
hismother-in-law."
Aboneofcontentionisamatterorsubjectaboutwhichthereis
alotofdisagreement.
"Thesalarieshavebeenagreedon,butopeningonSundaysremains
aboneofcontention."
Tosaythatyouhaveabonetopickwithsomebodymeansthat
youareannoyedwiththemandwanttotalktothemaboutit.
Ifyoumakenobonesaboutsomething,youdonothesitateto
expressyourthoughtsorfeelingsaboutit,evenifitisembarrassing.
Ifyouareinsomebody'sgoodorbadbooks,youhavetheir
approvalordisapproval.
"I'minmywife'sbadbooksatthemomentbecauseIforgotour
weddinganniversary!"
Tosaythatonepersonlicksanotherperson'sbootsmeansthat
theyaretryingtopleasethatperson,ofteninordertoobtain

something.
Tosaythatapersonisgettingtoobigfortheirbootsmeansthat
youthinktheyarebehavingasiftheyweremoreimportantthatthey
reallyare.
"Tom'sreallygettingtoobigforhisbootssincehegotapromotionhehardlysayshelloanymore!"
Thisexpressionisusedtoindicatethatyouarenotasfoolishoras
easilydeceivedassomepeopleseemtothink.
"Stopinventingsillyexcuses.Iwasn'tbornyesterdayyouknow!"
Apersonwhodrinksalcoholicdrinksoftenandregularlyis
onthebottle.
"Joewentonthebottlewhenhelosthisjob."
Tosaythatsomeoneisbowingandscrapingmeansthattheyare
beingexcessivelypoliteorservile.
"ThePresidentwasgreetedwithmuchbowingandscraping."
Someonewhohasabrainlikeasievehasaverybadmemoryand
forgetsthingseasily.
"Oh,Iforgottobuybread-I'vegotabrainlikeasievethesedays!"
Ifyouhavesomethingonthebrain,youthinkortalkaboutit
constantly.
"Stoptalkingaboutgolf.You'vegotgolfonthebrain!"
Peoplewhogetdowntobrasstacksstarttodiscussanddealwith
thepracticaldetailsofsomething
"Itwasdecidedtogetdowntobrasstacksanddiscussthecostof
theproject."
Ifyoutakethebreadoutofsomebody'smouth,youtakeaway
theirmeansofearningaliving.
"Thedecisiontobanstreetvendorstookthebreadoutofthemouths
ofmanypeople."
Peoplewholiveonthebreadlinehaveaverylowincomeorbarely
enoughmoneytosurvive.
"Duetotherecentcrisis,therearemorepeopleonthebreadlinethan
everbefore."
Ifsomeonebreaksthebackofthebeast,theysucceedinovercoming
amajordifficulty.
"Afterhoursofeffort,thetechniciansfinallybrokethebackofthebeast
andturnedtheelectricitybackonagain."
Ifyoubreakfreshground,youinnovatebyintroducingordeveloping
anewmethodorsystem.
"Scientistshavebrokenfreshgroundintheirexplorationofouterspace."
Thisisahumorouswayofwishingsomebodygoodluck,especially
amongstageperformers.
"Sotonight'stheopeningnight?Breakaleg!"
Ifyouchangewhatpeopleexpectfromasituation,especiallyby
doingsomethingoriginal,youbreakthemould.
"Aftergenerationsofdoctorsinthefamily,hebrokethemouldby
becomingafashiondesigner."
Ifyoubehaveinacompletelyunacceptableway,youbreakevery
ruleinthebook.
"Ourcompetitorsobtainedthecontractbybreakingeveryruleinthe
book."

Ifyoubreakoutinacoldsweat,youstarttoperspirealot,usually
fromanxiety.
"Igetnervousatthedentist'sandusuallybreakoutinacoldsweat."
Ifsomebodyisbreathingdownyourneck,theyarewatchingyou
toocloselyandmakingyoufeeluncomfortable.
"Theatmosphereatworkisn'tgreat;thebosskeepsbreathing
downournecksallthetime."
Anestablishedtradingcompany(office/shop)isreferredtoasa
'brick-and-mortar'business.
'Clickcompanies'refertoInternet-basedoperations.
Companieswhichdobotharecalled'bricksandclicks'.
"Clickbusinessesareusuallymoreflexiblethanbrick-and-mortar
operations."
Apersonwhoisbright-eyedandbushy-tailedisveryenthusiastic
andfullofenergy.
"Garywasfantastic!Hearrivedbright-eyedandbush-tailedat7am
andworkedwithusallday."
Ifyoubringthehousedown,yougiveaverysuccessful
performance.
"IfhesingslikethatonSaturday,he'llbringthehousedown."
Ifyouparticipateinnegotiationsandbringnothingtothetable,
youhavenothingofinteresttooffertheotherside.
"We'llneverreachanagreementifwedon'tallbringsomethingto
thetable."
Someonewhobringsuptherearisthelastpersoninagroupof
peoplewhoarewalkingorrunning.
"Thepupilswalkedcalmlydownthecorridor,withtheteacherbringing
uptherear."
Thisexpressionmeansthatitmakesnorealdifferencewhich
alternativeischosen.
"Takethehigh-speedtrainorflyandtakeataxi?
It'sasbroadasit'slong."
Ifsomethingisdescribedordefinedwith/inbroadstokes,itis
outlinedinaverygeneralway,withoutanydetails.
"Inafewbroadstrokeshesummedupthesituation."
Tosaythatsomeoneisbrownasaberrymeansthattheyare
verytanned.
Tobebrownedoffmeanstobebored,fedupordisheartened.
"Tomisbrownedoffwithhisjob."
Tosaythatthebubblehasburstmeansthatthesuccessofan
idea,aproductorasituationhassuddenlystopped.
"Thevideogamewasaphenomenalsuccessbutthebubble
hasburst."
Ifyousaythatsomeoneispassingthebuck,youareaccusing
themofnottakingresponsibilityforaproblemandexpecting
someoneelsetohandleit.
Tokickthebucketisalight-heartedwayoftalkingaboutdeath.
"Hewillinheritwhenhisgrandfatherkicksthebucket."
Ifyounipaproblemorabadsituationinthebud,youstopit
atanearlystage,beforeitbecomesworse.
"Hewantedtobeaclown,buthisparentssoonnippedthatidea

inthebud."
Ifapersonbuildsbridgesbetweenopposinggroups,theyhelp
themtocooperateandunderstandeachotherbetter.
Totakethebullbythehornsmeansthatapersondecidesto
actdecisivelyinordertodealwithadifficultsituationorproblem.
Apersonwhoisbulldozedintodoingsomethingisforcedto
doit,especiallybybeingbulliedorintimidated.
"Theimmigrantswerebulldozedintoacceptingthework"
Ifyoudescribesomebodyasabundleofnerves,youmeanthat
theyareverynervous,tenseorworried.
"Mysonisdoinghisdrivingtesttoday.Needlesstosayhe'sabundle
ofnerves!"
Theburdenofproofisthenecessityimposedbylawtoprovethat
whatonesaysistrue.
"Theburdenofprooflieswiththeclaimant."
Ifyouburnthecandleatbothends,youexhaustyourselfbydoing
toomuch,especiallygoingtobedlateandgettingupearly.
"Scottlooksexhausted-I'llbethe'sbeenburningthecandleatboth
endslately."
Ifyouburnyourfingers(orgetyourfingersburnt),yousufferfinancially
asaresultoffoolishbehaviour.
"Jackgothisfingersburntplayingonthestockmarket."
Thisexpressionisusedtotellsomebodytosaywhattheyhave
tosay,clearlyanddirectly,evenifit'sunpleasant.
Abusman'sholidayiswhenyouspendyoursparetimeoryour
holidaysdoingthesamesortofactivityasyoudoinyourjob.
"Myhusband'sachef,soforhimtimeoffwiththefamilyisoften
abusman'sholiday!"
Whenbuttersomeoneup,youflatterthemoryouareverynicetothem,
especiallyifyouwanttoobtainsomething.
"Hewassokeentogetthejobthathespenthistimebutteringuptheboss."
Ifyousaythatsomebodylooksasifbutterwouldn'tmeltin
theirmouth,youaresayingthattheylookcompletelyinnocent,
butthattheyarecapableofdoingunpleasantthings.

Idiom
C Apieceofcake

Haveyourcakeandeatit

Selllikehotcakes
Thecake/thegameisnotworth
thecandle

Calculatedrisk

Callsomeone'sbluff

Callitquits

Callaspadeaspade

Callthetune

Canofworms

Burnthecandleatbothends

Paddleone'sowncanoe

Can'tseethewoodforthetrees

Putonyourthinkingcap

Putonyourthinkingcap

Ifthecapfits,wearit!

Playyourcardsright
Put/layone'scardsonthetable

Carrotandstick

Carrythetorch

Carryweight

Putthecartbeforethehorse

Carveoutaniche

Caseinpoint

Acashcow

Cashinyourchips

Castawidenet

Acatinglovescatchesnomice

Acatcanlookataking.

Afatcat
Letthecatoutofthebag.
Cat'swhiskers

Cat-and-doglife

Playcatandmouse
Catch-as-catch-can

Catch22

Catchsomebody'seye
Catchsomebodyred-handed

Causeastir

Throwcautiontothewind

Likechalkandcheese
(asdifferentaschalkandcheese)
Chanceinamillion
Changeofheart

Chaserainbows

Cheesedoff

Oldchestnut

Oldchestnut

Chewthefat

Chickenoutofsomething

Toomanychiefs,notenoughIndians.

Chimein

Achinkinsomeone'sarmour

Achipofftheoldblock

Achiponyourshoulder

Havehadone'schips

Whenthechipsaredown

Usefulasachocolateteapot

Chopandchange

Offsomeone'sChristmascardlist

Youcan'tfightthecityhall

Clawone'swayback

Clawone'swayback

Cleanslate

Cleartheair

Clinchadeal

Clipsomeone'swings
Likeclockwork

Closebutnocigar

Closetohome

Acloseshave

Beoncloudnine

Nothaveaclue

Offcolour
Coldcalls

Collectone'sthoughts

Comeapartattheseams

Comeclean</B.<FONT>
Cometogrief

Cometogrief

Comeinhandy

Comeintoone'sown

Comeoutinthewash

Comeoutofthewoodwork

Comerainorshine

Cometoabadend

Cometoblows
Cometothecrunch

Cometoahead

Cometoyoursenses

Cometogripswithsomething

Come/turnuptrumps

Comewiththeterritory

Comewhatmay

Commonknowledge

Cookthebooks

Cooksomebody'sgoose

That'sthewaythecookiecrumbles!

Coolasacucumber
Coolone'sheels

Copper-bottomed

Corksomethingup

Corneramarket

Thecorridorsofpower

Acouchpotato

Coughup

Takeyourcourageinbothhands

Takeyourcourageinbothhands

Oncourse(forsomething)
Cover/hideamultitudeofsins

Tillthecowscomehome

Crackthewhip

Crackdownonsomething

Crampsomeone'sstyle

Thecreamofthecrop

Creaturecomforts

Onthecrestofawave

Crocodiletears

Crookedasadog'shindleg

Crossthatbridgewhenwecometoit

Atcrosspurposes

Asthecrowflies

Crywolf

Afarcryfromsomething
Forcryingoutloud
Oncue

Offthecuff

Acutabove

Cutanddried

Cutcorners
Cutthegroundfromunder
somebody'sfeet

Cutit/thingsfine

Cutitout!

Notcutoutforsomething

Cutsomeonesomeslack

Cuttingedge

Meaning
Torefertosomethingasapieceofcakemeansthatyouconsiderit
tobeveryeasy.
"TheEnglishtestwasapieceofcake!"
Tosaythatsomeonewantstohavetheircakeandeatitmeans
thattheywanttheadvantagesoftwoalternativesituationswhenonly
oneispossible.
"Jackenjoyshiscomfortbutisalwayscomplainingaboutthecost
ofthings.Hecan'thavehiscakeandeatit!"
Thingsthatselllikehotcakessellquicklyorinlargequantities.
Tosaythatthecake(orthegame)isnotworththecandlemeans
thattheadvantagestobegainedfromdoingsomethingarenotworth
theeffortinvolved.
"Herecordedanalbumbutsoldveryfewcopies;thecakewasn'tworth
thecandle!"
Acalculatedriskisarisktakenwithfullknowledgeofthedangers
involved.
"ThecompanytookacalculatedriskwhentheyhiredSeanstraight
outofcollege."
Ifyoucallsomeone'sbluff,youchallengethemtodowhatthey
threatentodo(whilebelievingthattheywillnotdaretodoit).
"Aftertheneighbour'sthreatstodemolishthefence,whenJack
decidedtocallhisbluff,therewerenomorecomplaints."
Whenpeopletemporarilystopdoingsomethingorputanendto
anactivity,theycallitquits.
"OK.We'reallexhausted,solet'scallitquitsfortoday."
Apersonwhocallsaspadeaspadespeaksopenlyandtruthfully
aboutsomething,especiallydifficultmatters.
"WhatIlikeaboutthenewmanageristhathecallsaspadeaspadeitmakesthingssomucheasierforeveryone."
Thepersonwhocallsthetuneistheonewhomakesalltheimportant
decisionsandisincontrolofthesituation.
"Heshowsalotofauthoritybutinfactit'shiswifewhocallsthetune."
Todescribeasituationasacanofwormsmeansthatitis
complicated,unpleasantanddifficulttodealwith.
"Thediscoveryofthetransferoffundsturnedouttobeareal
canofworms."
Tosaythatsomeisburningthecandleatbothendsmeans
thattheyaretryingtodotoomuchandthattheygotobed
verylateandgetupveryearly.
Ifyoupaddleyourowncanoe,youdowhatyouwanttodo
withouthelporinterferencefromanyone.
"Hedecidedtopaddlehisowncanoeandsetuphisowncompany."
Ifsomeonecan'tseethewoodforthetrees,theyareso
concentratedonthedetailsthattheycan'tseethesituation
asawhole.
"Thenewmanagerfoundthesituationsocomplicatedthat
hecouldn'tseethewoodforthetrees."
Ifyoutellsomeonetoputtheirthinkingcapon,youaskthem

tofindanideaorsolveaproblembythinkingaboutit.
"Nowhere'sthisweek'squiz-it'stimetoputyourthinkingcapson!"
Yousay"ifthecapfitswearit"toletsomeoneknowthat
thecriticalremarktheyhavejustheardappliestothem.
"Areyoureferringtome?""Ifthecapfitswearit!"
(US:Iftheshoefits...)
Thismeansthatyoudoallthatisnecessaryinordertosucceed.
"Ifweplayourcardsright,we'llgetthecontract.
Ifyouputyourcardsonthetable,youspeakhonestlyandopenly
aboutyourfeelingsandintentions.
"Let'scleartheairandputourcardsonthetable."
Ifyouuseacarrot-and-stickapproach,youusethepromiseofreward
andthethreatofpunishmenttomakesomebodyworkharder.
"Someparentsuseacarrot-and-stickapproachtoobtaingoodresults
fromtheirchildren."
Ifyoucarrythetorch,youhavestrongfeelingsforsomeonewithwhom
youdonotorcannothavearelationship..
"He'sbeencarryingthetorchforJuliesincetheircollegedays,beforeshe
marriedTed."
Ifapersonororganizationcarriesweight,theyareinfluentialor
important.
"I'mgladshe'sonourside-heropinioncarriesalotofweight."
Apersonwhoputsthecartbeforethehorseisdoingthingsinthe
wrongorder.
"Buildingaschoolbeforeknowingtheageofthepopulation
isputtingthecartbeforethehorse."
Apersonorcompanywhocarvesoutanichefocusesonaparticular
segmentofthemarket,towhichtheysupplyaproductorservice,and
developtheirexpertiseinthatarea.
"Intoday'scompetitivemarketit'sbettertocarveoutanicheandtryto
becomethebestinthatarea."
Thistermreferstoanexamplewhichservestoillustrate,supportorprove
apointwhichiscurrentlyunderdiscussion.
"Thelatestincidentisacaseinpointfortheparents'association."
Aproductorservicewhichisaregularsourceofincomeforacompany
iscalledacashcow.
"Hislatestinventionturnedouttobearealcashcow."
Ifyoucashinyourchips,yousellsomething,especiallyshares,
eitherbecauseyouneedthemoneyorbecauseyouthinkthevalueis
goingtofall.
"Andycashedinhischipsassoonasbusinessstartedtoslowdown."
Whentryingtofindsomething,ifyoucastawidenet,youcoveran
extensiveareaoruseawiderangeofsources.
"Thehospitalwillhavetocastawidenetintheirsearchforcompatible
donors."
Thisexpressionmeansthatifyouaretoocarefulandpolite,
youmaynotobtainwhatyouwant.
"Negotiatecarefully,butremember:acatinglovescatchesnomice!"
Acatcanlookataking.
Thisexpressionmeansthatnobodyissoimportantthatanordinary
personcannotlookatorbecuriousaboutthem.

Torefertoarichandpowerfulpersonasafatcatmeansthat
youdisapproveofthewaytheyusetheirmoneyorpower.
Ifyouletthecatoutofthebag,yourevealasecret,
oftennotintentionally.
Thisexpressionreferstosomeonewhoconsidersthemselves
tobebetterthanothersinaparticulararea-beauty,competence,
intelligence,sport,etc.,
"Eversinceshegotapromotion,shethinksshe'sthecat'swhiskers!"
Thistermreferstoalifeinwhichpartnersareconstantlyorfrequently
quarrelling.
"Theyleadacat-and-doglife.Idon'tknowwhytheystaytogether."
Toplaycatandmousewithsomeonemeanstotreatthem
alternatelycruellyandkindly,sothattheydonotknowwhattoexpect.
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoutrytogetsomethinginanywaypossible
"It'sdifficulttogetmuchsleepwiththenewbaby-it'scatch-as-catch-can
thesedays!"
Acatch22situationreferstoafrustratingsituationwhereyoucannot
doonethingwithoutdoingasecond,andyoucannotdothesecond
beforedoingthefirst.
"Ican'tgetajobwithoutaworkpermit,andIcan'tgetaworkpermit
withoutajob.It'sacatch22situation!"
Ifsomeonecatchesyoureye,youfindthemattractive.
"Theprettygirlnearthedoorcaughthiseye."
Ifapersoniscaughtred-handed,theyarecaughtwhiletheyare
doingsomethingwrongorillegal.
"Thepolicearrivedastheburglarwasleavingthehouse.
Hewascaughtred-handed."
Ifsomethingcausesastir,itcreatesanatmosphereofexcitement
orgreatinterest.
"Thearrivaloftheactresscausedquiteastirinthevillage."
Ifsomeonethrowscautiontothewind,theystopcaringabout
thepossibledangersandstarttakingrisks.
"Theweatherwassogood,hethrewcautiontothewindandwent
sailingalone."
Twopeoplewhoarelikechalkandcheesearecompletely
differentfromeachother.
Achanceinamillionisaverysmallchance,ornochanceatall,
thatsomethingwillhappen.
Ifsomeonehasachangeofheart,theychangetheirattitudeor
feelings,especiallytowardsgreaterfriendlinessorcooperation.
"Hewasagainstcharity,buthehadachangeofheart
whenhesawtheplightofthehomeless."
Someonewhoischasingrainbowsistryingtogetsomethingthey
willneverobtain.
"She'stryingtogetintoHarvardbutIthinkshe'schasingrainbows."
Ifsomeoneischeesedoffwithsomething,theyareannoyed,bored
orfrustrated.
"Julieisabsolutelycheesedoffwithherjob.
Astory,ajokeoranideathathasbeenrepeatedsooftenthat

ithaslostitsnoveltyisreferredtoasanoldchestnut.
"Thestoryabouthisboatcapsizinghasbecomeanoldchestnut!"
Ifyouchewthefatwithsomebody,youchatinaninformalway
aboutunimportantthings.
"It'samazingtheamountoftimemygrandparentscanspend
chewingthefatwiththeirneighbours."
Ifyouchickenoutofsomething,youdecidenottodosomething
becauseyouareafraid.
"Hedecidedtojoinakarateclass,butchickenedoutofitatthelast
minute!"
Thisexpressionreferstoasituationwheretherearetoomanypeople
givinginstructionsandnotenoughpeopledoingthework.
"Thebusinesswasn'tsuccessful.
ThereweretoomanychiefsandnotenoughIndians."
Ifyouchimein,youinterruptorjoinaconversation,especiallyto
repeatoragreewithsomething.
"AsIexplainedtothebusdriverwhathadhappened,theother
passengerschimedinandgavetheirversion."
Ifsomeonehasachinkintheirarmour,theyhaveaweaknessthat
canbetakenadvantageof.
"Thecandidate'sopponentsarebusylookingforchinksinhisarmour."
Ifyourefertoapersonasachipofftheoldblock,youmeanthat
theyresembleoneoftheirparentsinappearance,characteror
behaviour.
"Jamesisachipofftheoldblock-hereactsexactlythesameway
ashisfather."
Ifsomeonehasachipontheirshoulder,theyfeelresentfulbecause
theyfeeltheyarebeingtreatedunfairly,especiallybecauseof
theirbackground,theirsexortheircolour.
Tosaythatsomeonehashadtheirchipsmeansthattheyhave
completelyfailedinwhattheysetouttoachieve.
"Afterthesecondset,itlookedasthoughAgassihadhadhischips."
Thisexpressionreferstopeople'sbehaviourinadifficultordangerous
situationwhenactionmustbetaken.
"It'swhenthechipsaredownthatJackisathisbest."
Somethingwhichisofnopracticaluseatallisaboutasusefulasa
chocolateteapot.
"Whentherearenoroads,acarisaboutasusefulasachocolate
teapot."
Ifyouchopandchange,youconstantlychangeyouropinion,plans
ormethodsandoftencauseconfusion.
"Don'tchopandchangeallthetime-justmakeupyourmind!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouarenolongeronfriendlytermswith
someone.
"I'vebeenoffherChristmascardlistsinceourdogmessedup
hergarden!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatitisuselesstotrytowinabattle
againstapolitician,establishmentorbureaucracyingeneral.
"Tomdecideditwasawasteofenergytryingtoobtainataxrefundyoucan'tfightthecityhall!"
Inasituationwhichhasdeteriorated,ifyouclawyourwayback,

yougraduallyregainyourformerpositionthroughdetermination,
energyandhardwork.
"Afteraseriousaccident,theOlympicgoldmedallistclawedhisway
backtothetop,totheadmirationofall."
Acleanslateisarecordofyourworkoractionsthatdoesnotshow
pastmistakesandallowsyoutomakeafreshstart.
"Hewasabletorebuildhislifewithacleanslate."
Ifyoudecidetocleartheair,youtrytoremovethecausesoffear,
worryorsuspicionbytalkingaboutthemopenly.
"Theatmospherehadbecomesounpleasantthathedecideditwas
timetocleartheair."
Inabusinessrelationship,ifyouclinchadeal,youreachagreement
onaproposaloroffer.
"Tom'sfinalargumentenabledustoclinchthedeal."
Ifyouclipsomeone'swings,youdosomethingtorestricttheirfreedom.
"Takingawayhiscreditcardisasurewaytocliphiswings!"
Tosaythatsomeoneorsomethinggoes,runsorbehaveslike
clockworkmeansthateverythinghappensexactlyasexpected.
"Mealsarealwaysservedontime.Intheirhomeeverythingruns
likeclockwork."
Thisexpressionreferstoanefforttodosomethingwhichwasa
goodattemptbutnotquitegoodenoughtosucceed.
"Theballtouchedthegoalpost-closebutnocigar!"
Ifaremarkorcommentisclosetohome,itissotrue,oritaffects
yousodirectly,thatyoufeeluncomfortable.
"Alanlooksembarrassed.Bob'scommentmusthavebeenclose
tohome!"
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribeasituationwhereanaccidentora
disasternearlyhappened
"Ialmosthitthechildwhoranoutinfrontofmycar.
Itwasacloseshave."
Apersonwhoisoncloudnineisveryhappybecause
somethingwonderfulhashappened.
"Whenthebossannouncedmypromotion,Iwasoncloudnine!"
Ifyoudon'thaveaclueaboutsomething,youdon'tknowanything
aboutit.
"Mywife'sgrandmother'smaidenname?Idon'thaveaclue!"
Ifyouareoffcolour,youarelookingorfeelingill.
Ifyoumakecoldcalls,youtelephonepotentialcustomersfrom
alistofpeopleyoudonotknow.
"InmyfirstjobIhadtomakecoldcallsusingthetelephonedirectory."
Ifyoucollectyourthoughts,youtrytothinkcalmlyandclearly
inordertoprepareyourselfmentallyforsomething.
"Annestoppedtocollectherthoughtsbeforecallingbackthe
customer."
Tosaythatsomeoneiscomingapartattheseamsmeansthat
theyareextremelyupsetorunderseverementalstress.
"Bobhashadsomanyproblemslately,he'scomingapart
attheseams."
Tocomecleanaboutsomethingmeanstotellthetruth.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingcomestogrief,theyhaveanaccident,are

destroyedorendinfailure.
"Theirplansforagolfcoursecametogriefwhenitwasdecidedtobuild
amotorway."
Tosaythatsomethingmaycomeinhandymeansthatitmaybe
usefulsometimeorother.
"Don'tthrowawaythoseoldshelves;theymaycomeinhandy."
Whenyoucomeintoyourown,youreceivethecreditorrecognition
youdeserve.
"It'swhenthere'sanimportantpresentationthatSarahreallycomes
intoherown."
Thisexpressionisusedtotellsomeonenottoworryaboutamistake
orproblembecauseitwon'thaveanyseriouseffectandeverythingwill
workoutallright.
"Yes,hewasfuriouswhenithappened-butdon'tworry-it'llallcome
outinthewash."
Whenthings,orpeople,comeoutofthewoodwork,theyappearor
emergeunexpectedly,asiffromnowhere,andusuallyinlargenumbers.
"Assoonasweaddedtheswimmingpool,ourchildrenhad"friends"
comingoutofthewoodwork."
Ifapersondoessomethingcomerainorshine,theydoitregularly,
whateverthecircumstances.
"Hegoestothegymclubeveryday,comerainorshine."
Ifsomeonecomestoabadend,theiractionsleadtodisastrous
consequenceswhicharesometimesdeservedorpredictable.
"Ifthatboydoesn'tchangehisways,he'llcometoabadend!"
Iftwoormorepeoplecometoblows,theystarttofight.
"Thedebatewassointense,theparticipantsalmostcametoblows."
Totalkaboutwhattodoiforwhenasituationcomestothe
crunch,meanswhenitbecomesdifficultorcriticalandadecision
hastobemade.
"Ifitcomestothecrunch,I'llsellmycar."
Ifaproblemordifficultsituationcomestoahead,itreachesapoint
whereactionhastobetaken.
"Theproblemcametoaheadyesterdaywhenriotingbrokeoutin
thestreets."
Ifyoucometoyoursenses,youstarttothinkclearlyandbehave
sensibly.
"Shefinallycametohersensesandrealizedthatpublictransportwas
fasterthandriving."
Ifyoucometogripswithaproblemorsituation,youstartto
understandordealwithitproperly
"Aftertheinitialshock,thepatientbegantocometogripswith
hisillness."
Tosaythatsomeonehascomeuptrumpsmeansthattheyhave
achievedunexpectedlygoodresults.
"Againstallexpectations,ourteamcameuptrumpsinthecupfinal."
Tosaythatsomethingcomeswiththeterritorymeansthatit
hastobeacceptedaspartofajoborresponsibility,evenifitis
unpleasant.
"Asuccessfulactorhastoexpectintensivemediacoverageitcomeswiththeterritory!"

Tosaythatyouwilldosomethingcomewhatmaymeansthat
youwilldoitwhatevertheconsequencesmaybe.
"Comewhatmay,I'mgoingtotellmymother-in-lawwhatIthinkofher
attitude!"
Wheninformationiswell-knowntoeveryone(particularlyina
communityorgroup),itiscalledcommonknowledge.
"Youdidn'tknowtheinternwasJack'sson?Ithoughtitwas
commonknowledge."
Apersonwhocooksthebooksisonewhochangesthefactsor
figuresintheirfinancialaccounts,ofteninordertostealmoney.
"Theactordiscoveredafterawhilethathisagentwascooking
thebooks."
Tocooksomebody'sgoosemeanstospoilthatperson'schanceof
success.
"Whentheburglarsawthepolicecararriving,herealizedhisgoose
wascooked."
Tosay'that'sthewaythecookiecrumbles'means
thatisthewaythingsareandnothingcanbedoneaboutit'that'slife'!
Apersonwhoisascoolasacucumberisapersonwhois
notanxious,butrelaxedandnon-emotional.
Ifyouarelefttocoolyourheels,someonekeepsyouwaiting.
"Afterrushingtobeontimeformyappointment,Iwaslefttocool
myheelsinthewaitingroomforanhour."
Todescribesomethingsuchasaplan,acontractorafinancial
arrangementas'copper-bottomed'meansthatitiscompletely
safeorreliable.
"Hehassignedacopper-bottomedagreementwithadistributor."
Ifyoucorksomethingup(feelings,emotions),youfailtoshowor
expressthem.
"Itwouldbebetterforherifsheshowedhergriefanddidn'tcorkup
herfeelings."
Ifacompanydominatesanareaofbusiness,andleavesnoroomfor
competition,itissaidtohavecorneredthemarket.
"Byimportinglargequantitiesandsellingatlowprices,theyhave
corneredthemarket."
Thistermreferstothehigherlevelsofgovernmentoradministration
whereimportantdecisionsaremade.
"Thematteristhesubjectofmuchdiscussioninthecorridorsof
poweratthepresenttime."
Ifyourefertosomeoneasacouchpotato,youcriticizethemfor
spendingalotoftimesittingandwatchingtelevision.
"Don'tbesuchacouchpotato.Therearebetterwaysofspending
yourtimethaninfrontoftheTV."
Ifyouhavetocoughupsomething,suchasmoneyorinformation,
yougiveitreluctantlyorunwillingly.
"Herefusedtosaywhoattackedhimuntilhisfathermadehim
coughupthenames."
Ifyoutakeyourcourageinbothhands,youmakeyourselfdo
somethingverybrave.
"WhenIsawthechildintheburninghouse,Itookmycouragein

bothhandsandraninside."
Ifsomeoneisoncourseforsomething,theyarelikelytoachieveit.
"Ourteamisoncourseforavictoryinthenationalchampionship."
Ifsomethingcoversorhidesamultitudeofsins,itpreventspeople
fromseeingthelesspleasantreality.
"Loose-fittingclothescancoveramultitudeofsins!"
Tosaythatapersoncoulddosomethingtillthecowscomehome
meansthattheycoulddoitforalongtime.
"Youcanasktillthecowscomehome,butI'mnotbuyingyou
ascooter!"
Ifyoucrackthewhip,youuseyourauthoritytomakesomeone
obeyyouorworkmoreefficiently,usuallybythreateningthem.
"EverysooftenI'vegottocrackthewhiptomakesurewemeetthe
deadline."
Iftheauthoritiesdecidetocrackdownonsomething,theyenforce
thelawbytakingseveremeasurestorestrictundesirableorcriminal
actions.
"Toreduceroadaccidents,itwasdecidedtocrackdownonspeeding."
Ifyoucrampsomeone'sstyle,youlimitthembypreventingthem
frombehavingorexpressingthemselvesfreely.
"Thedresscodeimposedatschoolcrampedherstyle."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertothebestpeopleorthingsina
particulargroup.
"Asusual,thecreamofthecropofthisyear'sgraduates
wereofferedthebestjobs."
Thisexpressionreferstomodernconveniences(suchashotwater
orcentralheating)thatmakelifecomfortableandpleasant.
"Ineedmycreaturecomforts.Idon'tknowhowI'dsurvivewithout
air-conditioninginthisclimate!"
Ifyouareonthecrestofawave,youareverysuccessfulinwhat
youaredoing.
"Ourcompanyisgoingfromsuccesstosuccess.
We'reonthecrestofawaverightnow."
Toshedcrocodiletearsmeanstoshedfalsetearsorshow
insinceregrief.
"Carolinepretendedtobesadbutweallknewhertearswere
crocodiletears."
Tosaythatsomeoneisascrookedasadog'shindlegmeans
thattheyareverydishonestindeed.
"Hecan'tbetrusted-he'sascrookedasadog'shindleg."
Thisisanotherwayofsaying"wewilldealwiththatproblemwhen
itoccursandnotworryaboutitbefore".
"Whatwillhappenifwecan'trepaytheloan?"
"We'llcrossthatbridgewhenwecometoit."
Iftwopeopleareatcrosspurposes,thereisamisunderstandingas
towhateachoneistalkingabout
"Look,weseemtobeatcrosspurposes:you'retalkingabout
'sailing'boats,butI'mtalkingabout'selling'boats."
Thisexpressionreferstodistancemeasuredinastraightline.
"It'stwomilesfromheretothestationasthecrowflies,
butofcourseit'smuchfurtherbyroad."

Tocrywolfistocallforhelpwhenyouarenotreallyindanger.
Asaresult,nobodybelievesyouwhenyoureallyneedhelp.
"There'sMaryscreamingagain!Doesshereallyhaveaproblemor
isshejustcryingwolfagain?"
Ifonethingisafarcryfromsomethingelse,itmeansthatthey
areverydifferentfromeachother.
Thisexpressionisusedtoshowirritation,exasperationoranger.
"Forcryingoutloud!Turnthattelevisionoff!"
Ifsomethinghappensoncue,ithappensatexactlytheappropriate
orexpectedmoment.
"Mygrandmotherwasblowingoutthecandlesonherbirthdaycake
when,rightoncue,theflowersarrived."
Ifyouspeakoffthecuff,yousaysomethingwithoutanyprevious
thoughtorpreparation.
"Hehandlesoff-the-cuffinterviewsverywell."
Someoneorsomethingwhichisacutabovetheothersisbetteror
ofhigherquality.
"Thearticlesinthismagazineareacutabovetheothers."
Torefertoasituation,aproblemorasolutionascutanddried
meansthatitisconsideredclearandstraightforwardwithnolikely
complications.
"Whenthenewmanagerarrived,hedidn'tfindthesituationas
cutanddriedashehadexpected."
Cuttingcornersmeansnotfollowingthecorrectprocedureinorder
tosavetime,effortormoney(oftenwithunsatisfactoryresults)
Whensomeonecutsthegroundfromunderanother'sfeet,they
dosomethingwhichweakenstheirpositionorspoilstheirplans.
"Whenwelaunchedthenewproduct,wecutthegroundfromunder
ourcompetitors'feet."
Ifyoucutit/thingsfine,youleavebarelyenoughtimetodosomething.
"You'recountingjustanhourbetweentheairportandthetrainstationthat'scuttingthingsabitfineisn'tit?"
Ifyousaycutitouttosomeone,youaretellingthemtostopdoing
something.
"I'vehadenoughofyourinsinuations,sojustcutitout!"
Ifyouarenotcutoutforsomething,youarenotthesortofperson
tosucceedorbehappyinaparticularactivity.
"IstartedstudyingmedicinebutIquicklyrealized
Iwasn'tcutoutforit."
Ifyourelaxarule,treatapersonlessseverelyorallowsomeonetodo
somethingwhichisnormallynotpermitted,youcutthemsomeslack.
"Ourparentsareverystrict;Iwishthey'dcutussomeslacknowandthen."
Thisexpressionreferstothenewest,mostadvancedstageinthethe
developmentofsomething.
"Thecompanyisatthecuttingedgeofaeronautics."

Idiom
D Dabhandatsomething
Danceattendance(onsomebody)

Inthedark

Darkensomeone'sdoor

Callitaday.
Adaylateandadollarshort

Daylightrobbery

Deadasadoornail

Deadduck

Deadloss

Deadsetagainstsomething
Deadwood

Deadtotheworld
Arawdeal
Offthedeepend
Deliverthegoods

Outofyourdepth
Devil'sadvocate

Thedevilisinthedetails

Thedevilmakesworkforidlehands

Thedeviltakethehindmost

Speakofthedevil!

Thediceareloaded

Dicewithdeath

Thedieiscast

Adifferentkettleoffish

Diginyourheels

Digone'sowngrave

Dimview
Washyourdirtylineninpublic.
Dosomeone'sdirtywork
Disappearintothinair

Disappearintothinair

Doadoubletake

Doadisappearingact

Donothingbyhalves

Dosomeoneagoodturn
Dog'slife

Dogeatdog

Adoginthemanger
Everydoghasitsday

Giveadogabadname

Gotothedogs

Letsleepingdogslie
Whykeepadogandbarkyourself?

Dogandponyshow
Inthedoghouse

Inthedoldrums

Adonedeal

Adonedeal

Doneanddusted

Thedonething

Donkeywork
Doomandgloom

Beyondashadowofadoubt

DoubtingThomas
Downatheel

Downinthedumps
Downthedrain

Downinthemouth

Downtoearth

Dragone'sfeet

Drastictimescallfordrastic
measures

Drawablank
Drawtheline

Drawalineinthesand

Dreamticket

Dressedtokill

Dresseduptothenines

Indribsanddrabs

Drinklikeafish

Driveahardbargain

Driveupthewall

Dropabombshell

Droplikeflies

Atthedropofahat

Adropintheocean

Asittingduck
Dullasditchwater(also:dullas
dishwater)
Dumbingdown

Hitthedust

Thedusthassettled

GoDutch
Aboveandbeyondthecallofduty

Dwellonsomething

Dyed-in-the-wool

Tobedyingforsomething

Meaning
Ifyou'readabhandatsomething,you'reverygoodatdoingit.
"Whydon'tyoucallSuzy?She'sadabhandatorganizingbarbecues."
Ifyoudanceattendanceonsomeone,youareconstantlyavailable
forthatpersonandattendtotheirwishes.
"She'srichandfamousandexpectseveryonetodanceattendanceonher."
Ifsomeoneiskeptorleftinthedarkaboutsomething,theyarenot
informedaboutit.
"Thepersonnelwerekeptinthedarkaboutthemergeruntilthelast
minute."
Ifyoudarkensomeone'sdoor,youcomeasanunwantedor
unwelcomevisitor.
"Justgetoutofhere,andneverdarkenmydooragain!"
Apersonwhodecidesto"callitaday"decidestostopdoing
finishdoingsomething,generallybecausetheyaretired.
Ifsomethingisadaylateandadollarshort,itcomestoolateand
isnotgoodenough.
"TheyofferedmeaninternshipwhenI'dalreadyfoundajob-adaylate
andadollarshort!"
Theterm'daylightrobbery'isusedwhenthepriceofsomethingis
thoughttobemuchtoohigh.
"$10foranorangejuice?That'sdaylightrobbery!"
Thisexpressionisusedtostressthatapersonorthingisunquestionably
dead.
"They'vestartedfightingagain,sothepeaceagreementisnowdeadas
adoornail."
Thisexpressionreferstoaprojectorschemewhichhasbeenabandoned
oriscertaintofail.
"Thenewcinemaisgoingtobeadeadduckbecauseit'stoofarawayfrom
thetowncentre."
Someoneorsomethingdescribedasadeadlossisabsolutelyuseless
oracompletefailure.
"Whenitcomestogardening,mybrotherisadeadloss."
Ifyouaredeadsetagainstsomething,youarestronglyopposedtoit.
"Myfatherwantedadog,butmymotherwasdeadsetagainsttheidea."
Thetermdeadwoodreferstopeopleorthingswhicharenolonger
consideredusefulornecessary.
"Thenewmanagerwantstoreducecostsbycuttingoutthedeadwood."
Apersonwhoisdeadtotheworldisfastasleep.
"Don'tworry.Youwon'tdisturbhim.He'sdeadtotheworld!"
Ifyousaythatsomeonehasgotarawdeal,youthinkthey
havebeentreatedunfairlyorbadly.
Apersonwhogoesoffthedeependbecomessuddenly
veryangryoremotional.
Ifapersondeliversthegoods,theydowhatisexpectedofthem
orwhattheyhavepromisedtodo.
"Let'shopethatnewwhiz-kidthebosshiredcandeliverthegoods!"

Ifyouareoutofyourdepth,itmeansyouareinasituation
whichistoodifficultforyou,orwhichyouknowlittleabout.
Duringadiscussionordebate,ifyouplaydevil'sadvocate,you
pretendtobeagainstanideaorplaninordertodeterminethevalidity
oftheargumentsinfavourofit.
"Shedecidedtoplaydevil'sadvocatejusttoseehowstronglypeople
feltabouttheproject."
Thisexpressionreferstoataskorajobwhichappearssimple
butisinfactmoredifficulttoaccomplish.
"Framingapicturelookseasybutthedevilisinthedetails!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatpeoplewhodonothaveenoughtodo
areoftentemptedtodosomethingwrong.
"It'snotgoodforkidstohavenothingtodoattheweek-endthedevilmakesworkforidlehands!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoushouldthinkofyourselfandnotworry
aboutotherpeople.
"Whentheboatcapsizeditwasacaseof'thedeviltakethehindmost',
butluckilytheyallsurvived."
Thisissaidtorefertoapersonwhoappears
justwhenhis/hernameismentioned.
"Speakofthedevil!Wewerejusttalkingaboutyourinvitation!"
Ifeverythingseemstoworktoyourdisadvantageandyouarenot
likelytosucceed,youcansaythatthediceareloadedagainstyou.
"Iappliedforthejob,butbeingawoman,andoverforty,thedicewere
loadedagainstme."
Ifyouputyourlifeatriskbydoingsomethingverydangerous,
youdicewithdeath.
"Goingmountain-climbingaloneisdicingwithdeath."
Tosaythatthedieiscastmeansthatanirrevocabledecisionhas
beenmadewhichwilldeterminethefuture.
"I'vehandedinmyresignationsonowthedieiscast!"
Todescribeaperson,thingorsituationasadifferentkettleoffish
meansthatitiscompletelydifferentfromwhatwaspreviously
mentioned.
"Youmayhavegoodbusinessrelations,butlivinginthecountryisa
differentkettleoffish."
Ifyoudiginyourheels,yourefusetodosomething,especiallyif
someoneistryingtoconvinceyoutodoso.
"Mygrandfatherduginhisheelsandrefusedtomovetoanapartment."
Apersonwhodigstheirowngravedoessomethingwhichcauses
theirowndownfall.
"Ifyoudropoutofcollegenow,withsuchhighunemployment,you'llbe
diggingyourowngrave!"
Ifyoutakeadimviewofsomething,youdislikeordisapproveofit.
"Mypreviousbosstookadimviewofwearingcasualweartowork."
Towashone'sdirtylineninpublicmeanstotalkabout
unpleasantpersonalmattersinthepresenceofothers.
Todosomeone'sdirtyworkmeanstodotheunpleasantor
difficultworkthattheotherpersondoesnotwanttodo.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingdisappearsintothinair,theyvanishina
mysteriousway.

"Afterbeingaccusedofembezzlement,thedirectordisappeared
intothinair."
Someonewhodoesadoubletakelooksagaininsurpriseat
somethingunexpected.
"Hedidadoubletakewhenhesawhiswifeinarestaurantwith
anotherman."
Ifsomeonedoesadisappearingact,theysimplyvanish,
especiallyiftheyhavedonesomethingwrongordishonest.
"Justbeforethepolicearrived,thesuspectdidadisappearingact."
Whenapersondoeseverythingtheyareengagedincompletelyand
thoroughly,theyaresaidtodonothingbyhalves.
"Whenshecooks,it'safour-coursemeal-shedoesnothingbyhalves!"
Ifyoudosomeoneagoodturn,youactinahelpfulway.
"Mikeisagreatguy-alwaysreadytodoagoodturn."
Peopleusethisexpressionwhencomplainingaboutasituationorjob
whichtheyfindunpleasantorunsatisfactory.
"It'sadog'slifeworkingintheafter-salesdepartment."
Thisexpressionreferstointensecompetitionandrivalryinpursuitof
one'sowninterests,withnoconcernformorality.
"Thebusinessworldistoughtoday.There'sageneraldog-eat-dog
attitude."
Apersonreferredtoasadoginthemangerissomeonewho
stopsothersenjoyingsomethinghe/shecannotuseordoesn'twant.
Thisexpressionmeansthateveryonecanbesuccessfulatsomething
atsometimeintheirlife.
"Ididn'twinthistime,butI'llbeluckyoneday.
Everydoghasitsday!"
Peoplewholosetheirreputationhavedifficultyregainingitbecause
otherscontinuetoblameorsuspectthem.
"Tomwassuspectedasusual.Giveadogabadname!"
Tosaythatacompany,organizationorcountryisgoingtothedogs
meansthatitisbecominglesssuccessfulorefficientthanbefore.
"Somethinkthecompanywillgotothedogsifitisnationalized."
Ifyoutellsomebodytoletsleepingdogslie,youareaskingthemnot
tointerferewithasituationbecausetheycouldcauseproblems.
Thisexpressionmeansthatifsomeonecandoataskforyou,
there'snoreasontodoityourself.
"Theshuttlestopsinfrontofourhousebutmyfathercontinuestodrive
totheairport.Whykeepadogandbarkyourself!"
Adogandponyshowisamarketingeventorpresentationwhichhas
plentyofstylebutnotmuchcontent.
Ifyouareinthedoghouse,somebodyisangrywithyou
becauseyouhavedonesomethingwrong.
"Markisinthedoghousebecausehedamagedhisfather'scar."
Tosaythataperson,abusinessortheeconomyingeneralisinthe
doldrumsmeansthatthesituationisgloomyandthatnothingnewis
happening.
"Despitetherecentmeasures,theeconomyremainsinthedoldrums."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertoanagreementordecisionwhichhas
beenreachedonacertainmatter.

"We'restillconsideringseveralproposals,soit'snotadonedealyet."
Whenaproject,taskoractivityisdoneanddusted,itiscompletely
finishedorready.
"I'venearlyfinishedpreparingthepresentation.Whenit'salldoneand
dustedI'llbeabletorelax."
Thecorrectwaytobehaveinaparticularsocialsituationiscalled
thedonething.
"Wearingjeanstoplaygolfisnotthedonething."
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribetheunpleasant,boringpartsofajob.
"Idothedonkeywork-mybossgetsthecredit!"
Ageneralatmosphereofpessimism,andafeelingthatthesituationis
notgoingtoimprove,isreferredtoasdoomandgloom.
"Fortunatelyit'snotdoomandgloomforallbusinesses,
inspiteoftheeconomicsituation."
Thisexpressionisusedtoexpressabsolutecertaintyaboutsomething.
"Therewasn'tashadowofadoubtinourmindsaboutSusan's
sincerity."
A'doubtingThomas'isaspersonwhowillnotbelievesomethingwithout
proof,orwithoutseeingitforthemselves.
Apersonwhoisdown-at-heelissomeonewhoseappearanceisuntidy
orneglectedbecauseoflackofmoney.
"Thedown-at-heelstudentIfirstmetbecameasuccessfulwriter."
Someonewhoisdowninthedumpsisdepressedorfeelinggloomy.
"Alexhasbeendowninthedumpssincehefailedhisexam."
Tosaythatmoney,timeorefforthasgonedownthedrain,means
thatithasbeenwastedorlost.
"Hisyearsofresearchwentdownthedrainwhenthecompany
wentbankrupt."
Whensomeoneisdowninthemouth,theylookunhappy,discouraged
ordepressed.
"Youlookabitdowninthemouth.What'sthematter?"
Someonewhoisdowntoearthisnotadreamerbutarealisticand
practicalpersonwhohassensiblereactionsandexpectations.
"Don'taskSuzyforhelp.She'sfun,butnotverydowntoearth."
Ifyoudragyourfeet,youdelayadecisionorparticipatewithoutany
realenthusiasm.
"Thegovernmentisdraggingitsfeetonmeasurestoreducepollution."
Whenfacedwithadifficultsituation,itissometimesnecessarytotake
actionswhichinnormalcircumstanceswouldappearextreme.
"AfterJohnny'sthirdaccident,hisfatherconfiscatedhiscar.
Drastictimescallfordrasticmeasures!"
Ifyoulookforortrytoremembersomething,anddrawablank,
youfailtofindwhatyouarelookingfor.
Ifyoudecidetodrawtheline,youdecidewhenanactivityorsituation
becomesunacceptable.
"Whenaperson'sprivatelifeisconcerned,themediashouldknowwhere
todrawtheline."
Ifyoudrawalineinthesand,youestablishalimitbeyondwhicha
certainsituationoractivitywillnotbeaccepted.
"That'sit!We'regoingtodrawalineinthesandandmakethisourfinal
proposal."

Ifyourefertotwopeopleasadreamticket,youthinktheywould
workwelltogetherandbesuccessful.
"ClintonandObamateamingupforthegeneralelectionwouldbea
dreamticketformanyDemocrats."
Whensomeone,especiallyawoman,isdressedtokill,theyare
wearingveryfashionableorglamorousclothesintendedtoattract
attention.
"Shearrivedatthereceptiondressedtokill."
Todescribesomeoneasdresseduptotheninesmeans
thattheyarewearingverysmartorglamorousclothes.
"Carolinemustsbegoingtoaparty-she'sdresseduptothe
nines!"
Ifsomethingcomesindribsanddrabs,itarriveslittlebylittle,insmall
amountsornumbers.
"Insteadofthecrowdthatwasexpected,peoplearrivedindribsanddrabs."
Apersonwhodrinkslikeafishisaheavydrinkeroronewhodrinks
alot.
'I'mnervousifJoedriveswhenwegooutbecausehedrinkslikeafish!"
Apersonwhodrivesahardbargainalwaysmakessuretheygain
advantageinabusinessdeal.
"BepreparedfortoughnegotiationswithStuart-hedrivesabardbargain."
Ifsomebodyorsomethingdrivesyouupthewall,theydosomething
thatgreatlyannoysorirritatesyou.
"Ican'tconcentratewithallthenoise-it'sdrivingmeupthewall!"
Ifyoudropabombshell,youmakeanunexpectedannouncementwhich
willgreatlychangeasituation.
"Thechairmandroppedabombshellwhenheannouncedthemergerwith
thecompany'sbiggestrival."
Ifpeopledroplikeflies,theyfallillordieinlargenumbers.
"There'sanepidemicoffluatthemoment.Seniorcitizensaredropping
likeflies."
Ifyoudosomethingatthedropofahat,youdoitimmediatelyand
withouthesitation
"I'vegotgreatfriends.They'rereadytohelpoutatthedropofahat."
Torefertoanamountasadropintheoceanmeansthatitisvery
smallcomparedtotheamountneededorexpected.
"Therevenuefromtheproposedtaxreformisadropintheocean
comparedtothedeficit."
Asittingduckisaneasytarget,apersonwhoiseasytodeceive.
"Theyounggirlwasasittingduckforthephotographer."
Torefertosomethingasbeingasdullasditchwatermeansthatitis
veryboring.
"Thefilmwasadullatditchwater.Inearlyfellasleep."
Ifsomething,suchasatelevisionprogrammeorafilmproduction,
isdumbeddown,itisdeliberatelymadelessintelligentorless
demanding,inordertoattractalargeraudience.
"SomeTVchannelsaredumbingdowntheirprogrammesinanattempt
toincreasetheiraudienceratings."
Theexpressionhitthedustisahumorouswayofreferringtodeath.

Tosaythatthedusthassettledmeansthatthesituationhasbecome
calmerafteraseriesofunpleasantorchaoticevents.
"Afterherdifficultdivorce,shewaiteduntilthedusthadsettledbefore
makinganyplans."
TogoDutchwithsomebodymeanstosharethecostofsomething
suchasamealoraconcert.
Ifapersondoessomethingwhichisaboveandbeyondthecallof
duty,theyshowagreaterdegreeofcourageoreffortthanisusually
requiredorexpectedintheirjob.
"Thefire-fighterreceivedamedalforhisactionwhichwentabove
andbeyondthecallofduty."
Ifsomeonedwellsonsomething,theythinkortalkaboutitallthetime.
"Mymother-in-lawhashealthproblems,butIwishshewouldn'talways
dwellonthesubject."
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribeapersonwhohasfixed,
uncompromising,deep-feltbeliefstowhichtheyarecommitted.
"BobandJanearedyed-in-the-woolecologistswhouseonly
biodegradableproducts."
Ifyouaredyingforsomething,youhaveastrongdesireforit.
"I'mdyingforacupoftea!"

Idiom
E Aneagerbeaver

Inoneearandouttheother

Keepyoureartotheground
Lendanear
Musictoyourears
Turnadeafear
Playitbyear

Easiersaidthandone

Easyaspie
Eatcrow

Eatone'swords

Economicalwiththetruth

Onedge
Ontheedgeofone'sseat

Abadegg

Eggsomeoneon

Haveallyoureggsinonebasket

Haveallyoureggsinonebasket

Oneovertheeight
Useelbowgrease:

Elbowroom
Inone'selement

Attheeleventhhour

Makeendsmeet

Eventhescore

Everynookandcranny

EveryTom,DickandHarry
Theexceptionprovestherule

Excuse/pardonmyFrench

Exploreallavenues

Theappleofyoureye
Eyesinthebackofone'shead

Eyeslikeahawk

Morethanmeetstheeye

Morethanmeetstheeye

Seeeyetoeyewithsomeone
Turnablindeye
Theeyeofthestorm

Keepone'seyespeeled

Eyeswideopen

Looksomeoneintheeyes

Notbataneyelid

Meaning
Thetermeagerbeaverreferstoapersonwhoishardworkingand
enthusiastic,sometimesconsideredoverzealous.
"Thenewaccountantworksallthetime-firsttoarriveandlasttoleave
-arealeagerbeaver!"
Tosaythatinformationgoesinoneearandouttheothermeans
thatitisimmediatelyforgottenorignored.
"Ikeeptellinghimabouttherisksbutitgoesinoneearandout
theother.Heneverlistenstoanyone!"
Ifyoukeepyoureartotheground,youmakesurethatyou
areawareofallthatishappeningandbeingsaid
Ifyoulendaneartosomeone,youlistencarefullyand
sympathetically.
Tosaythatsomethingismusictoyourears,meansthatthe
informationyoureceivemakesyoufeelveryhappy.
Apersonwhoturnsadeafeartosomethingsuchasarequest
oracomplaintrefusestopayattentiontoit.
Thisexpressionmeanstoimproviseoractwithoutpreparation,
accordingtothedemandsofthesituation.
Music:toplaybyrememberingthetune,withoutprintedmusic.
Tosaythatsomethingiseasiersaidthandonemeansthat
whatissuggestedsoundseasybutitismoredifficulttoactuallydoit.
"PuttheTVaerialontheroof?Easiersaidthandone!"
Tosaythatsomethingiseasyaspiemeansthatitisveryeasytodo.
"HowdidtheEnglishtestgo?-Noproblem-itwaseasyaspie!"
Ifyoueatcrow,youadmitthatyouwerewrongaboutsomethingand
apologize.
"Hehadnooptionbuttoeatcrowandadmitthathisanalysiswaswrong."
Ifyoueatyourwords,youhavetoadmitthatwhatyousaidbefore
waswrong.
"Afterpredictingdisastrousresults,hehadtoeathiswords
withthesuccessofthenewproduct."
Tosaythatapersoniseconomicalwiththetruthmeansthat,without
actuallylying,theyomitimportantfactsorgiveincompleteinformation.
"Thepoliticianwasaccusedofbeingeconomicalwiththetruth."
Apersonwhoisonedgeisanxiousornervous.
Someonewhoisontheedgeoftheirseatisveryinterestedin
somethingandfindsitextremelyexciting.
"LookatBob!He'sontheedgeofhisseatwatchingthatrugbymatch."
Torefertosomeoneasabadeggmeansthattheycannotbetrusted.
"Idon'twantmysontobefriendswithBobbySmith.
Bobby'sabadegg."
Ifyoueggsomebodyon,youurgeorstronglyencouragethem
todosomething.
"Shedidn'treallywanttolearntodrivebutherchildrenkept
eggingheron."
Ifyouhaveallyoureggsinonebasket,youdependononeplan
oronesourceofincome.

"Ifyouinvestyoursavingsinonebank,you'llhaveallyoureggsinone
basket."
Ifapersonhashadoneovertheeight,theyareslightlydrunk.
"Don'tlistentohim.Youcanseehe'shadoneovereight!"
Ifyouuseelbowgrease,youneedenergyandstrengthtodo
physicalworksuchascleaningorpolishing.
"Ittookaconsiderableamountofelbowgreasetorenovatethehouse."
Ifyouneedsomeelbowroom,youneedmorespacetomove.
"Wesharedasmallofficewhereneitherofushadenoughelbowroom."
Whenyouareinyourelement,youaredoingsomethingthatyou
dowellandyouareenjoyingyourself.
"Mybrother,whoisanestateagent,wasinhiselementhousehuntingforourparents."
Ifsomethinghappensattheeleventhhour,
ithappenswhenitisalmosttoolate,oratthelastpossiblemoment.
"Ourteamwonaftertheyscoredagoalattheeleventhhour."
Ifyoufinditdifficulttomakeendsmeet,youfinditdifficulttopay
foryoureverydayneedsbecauseyouhaveverylittlemoney.
"Anne'ssalaryissolowshefindsithardtomakeendsmeet."
Whenapersondecidestoeventhescore,theytrytogettheir
revengeonsomeonewhohascheatedordonethemharm.
"WhenJackdiscoveredthatBobhadcheated,hewasdetermined
toeventhescore."
Everynookandcrannyreferstoeverypossiblepartofaplace.
"Shesearchedeverynookandcrannyoftheoldtownlookingfor
antiques."
Thisexpressionmeanseveryoneoreverybody.
"EveryTom,DickandHarryhasacreditcardthesedays!"
Ifsomethingisdifferentfromageneralbeliefortheory,itshowsthat
thebeliefortheoryistrue.
"Mostteenagerslovefastfood,butBenistheexceptionthat
provestherule-heinsistsonhealthyfood."
Thisexpressionisusedasanapologyforusingcrudeoroffensive
language.
"He'sabloodynuisance,ifyou'llexcusemyFrench."
Ifyouexploreallavenues,youtryouteverypossibilityinorderto
obtainaresultorfindasolution.
"Wecan'tsayit'simpossibleuntilwe'veexploredallavenues."
Ifsomebodyistheappleofyoureye,thismeansthatyoulikethem
verymuch:"Mygrandsonistheappleofmyeye".
Tosaythatsomeonehaseyesinthebackoftheirheadmeans
thattheyareveryobservantandnoticeeverythinghappeningaround
them.
"Youneedeyesinthebackofyourheadtolookafteryoungchildren."
Ifyou'vegoteyeslikeahawk,you'vegotgoodeyesightandnotice
everydetail.
"OfcourseDadwillnoticethescratchonhiscar-he'sgoteyeslike
ahawk!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatsomethingismorecomplicatedor
moreinterestingthatitfirstappears.
"Theysayit'sjustalittledisagreement,butwethinkthere'smore

toitthanmeetstheeye."
Toseeeyetoeyewithsomebodymeansthatyouagreewiththem.
Ifyouturnablindeyetosomething,youignoreitintentionally.
Apersonororganizationwhoisintheeyeofthestormisdeeply
involvedinadifficultsituationwhichaffectsalotofpeople
"Theministerwasoftenintheeyeofthestormduringthedebate
onthewarinIraq."
Tokeepone'seyespeeledmeanstowatchverycarefullyfor
something
"Imislaidmyweddingringathome,soIaskedmychildren
tokeeptheireyespeeled."
Ifyoudosomethingwithyoureyesopen,youarefullyawareof
whatyouaredoing.
"Itookonthejobwithmyeyeswideopen,soI'mnotcomplaining."
Ifyoulooksomeoneintheeye,oreyes,youlookatthemdirectly
soastoconvincethemthatyouaretellingthetruth,eventhough
youmaybelying.
Tosaythatsomebodydoesnotbataneyelidmeansthatthey
donotseemshockedorsurprised,noraretheynervousorworried.
Theyshownoemotion

Idiom
F Facelikethunder
Faceonlyamothercouldlove

Facethemusic

Facevalue

Haveapokerface.

Keepastraightface
Fair-weatherfriend

Faitaccompli

Fallondeafears

Fallatthefirsthurdle

Fallfromgrace

Fallintoone'slap

Falloffthebackofalorry

Fallonone'ssword

Falsemove

Falsepretences

Farbeitfromme(todosomething)

Farmsomethingout

Fastandfurious

Fasttalker

Fasttracksomething

Fatcat
Toafault

Feastone'seyesonsomething

Afeatherinone'scap

Featheryournest

Feelthepinch

Backonyourfeet

Dragone'sfeet
Findyourfeet
Feetofclay

Getcoldfeet
Haveitchyfeet
Keepone'sfeetontheground
Thinkonone'sfeet

Rushedoffyourfeet.

Onthefence

Fenderbender

Feverpitch

Fewandfarbetween

FiddlingwhileRomeburns

Fieldday

Youcan'tfightthecityhall

Fightalosingbattle

Fighttoothandnail

Fightshyofsomething

Afigmentofone'simagination

Fine-toothcomb

Finetuning

Afingerineverypie

Firingline

Firstandforemost

Fishintroubledwaters

Fishoutofwater

Bigfishinasmallpond

Haveotherfishtofry
Neitherfishnorfowl

Fishingexpedition

Fishingexpedition

Fitasafiddle
Fitlikeaglove
Fitthebill

Infitsandstarts

Five-fingerdiscount

Fiveo'clockshadow

Flagofconvenience

Get/takeflak

Fleainone'sear

Therearenofliesonhim!

Flightoffancy

Flingoneselfintosomething

Flogadeadhorse

Flybytheseatofyourpants

Flyintheointment

Flyintheointment

Flyonthewall

Flyoffthehandle
Itwillneverfly

Withflyingcolours

Flyingstart

Foamatthemouth

Followone'snose

Followinsomeone'sfootsteps

Followsuit
Foodforthought

Fool'serrand

Fool'sparadise

Afootinthedoor

Putone'sfootdown

Footlooseandfancy-free

Forthebirds

Forceofhabit

Forcesomeone'shand

Forewarnedisforearmed

Freeasabird

Afree-for-all

Afreehand

There'snosuchthingasafreelunch

Afreeride

Ofyourownfreewill

(As)freshasadaisy

Freudianslip

Haveafroginone'sthroat
Fromthewordgo

Frontrunner

Frontrunner

Outofthefryingpanand
intothefire.

Fullofthejoysofspring

Infullswing

Furcoatandnoknickers

Meaning
Ifsomeonehasafacelikethunder,theylookveryangry.
"WhenDadisreallyangry,hehasafacelikethunder!"
Thisisahumoristicwayofsayingthatsomeoneisuglyor
notattractive.
"Thepoorguyhasafaceonlyamothercouldlove."
Ifyouhavetofacethemusic,youhavetoaccepttheunpleasant
consequencesofyouractions.
"Hewascaughtstealing.Nowhehastofacethemusic!"
Ifyoutakesomethingatitsfacevalue,youassumethatitis
genuinelywhatitappearstobe.
"Thecarseemstobeingoodcondition,butdon'ttakeitatitsface
value;getamechanictocheckitout."
Ifyouhaveapokerface,youshownoemotionatall.
"Inspiteoftherepeateddetailsoftheevents,thecriminalkeptapoker
face."
Ifyoukeepastraightface,youlookseriousalthough
youreallywanttolaugh.
Someonewhoactsasafriendwhentimesaregood,andisnotthere
whenyouareintrouble,iscalledafair-weatherfriend.
"IthoughtIcouldcountonBill,butI'vediscoveredhe'sjust
afair-weatherfriend."
ThisFrenchtermreferstosomethingthathasbeendoneandcannotbe
changed.
"Heusedhissavingstobuyamotorbikeandthenpresentedhisparents
withafaitaccompli."
Ifsomethingsuchasasuggestionorarequestfallsondeafears,
itisignored.
"Itoldhimnottotakerisksbutmyadvicefellondeafears."
Ifyoufallatthefirsthurdle,youfailtoovercomethefirstdifficulty
encountered.
"Scottfellatthefirsthurdle.Hedidn'tstudyenoughandfailedhisfirst
exam."
Tosaythatsomeonehasfallenfromgracemeansthattheyhave
donesomethingwrong,immoralorunacceptable,andasaresult
havelosttheirgoodreputation.
"TheFinanceMinisterfellfromgraceasaresultofasexscandal."
Ifsomethinggoodfallsintoyourlap,ithappenstoyouwithoutany
effortonyourpart.
"She'snotmakingmuchefforttofindwork.Doesshethinkajobwill
fallintoherlap?"
Ifyoubuygoodsthathavefallenoffthebackofalorry,theyare
stolengoods.
"Judgingbythepriceofthatcamera,itmusthavefallenofftheback
ofalorry!"
Ifyoufallonyoursword,youtakeresponsibilityfor,oracceptthe
consequencesofanunsuccessfulorwrongaction.
"Theorganizerofthereferendumresignedwhenthepoorresultswere
announced.Itwassaidthathe'fellonhissword'."

Inadangerousorriskysituation,ifyoumakeafalsemove,youdo
somethingwhichmayhaveunpleasantconsequences.
"Heisunderclosesurveillance.Ifhemakesonefalsemovehe'llbe
arrested."
Ifyouobtainsomethingunderfalsepretences,youdeceiveothers
bylyingaboutyouridentity,qualifications,financialorsocialposition,
inordertoobtainwhatyouwant.
"Sheobtainedtheinterviewunderfalsepretences."
Thisexpressionmeansthatthespeakerdoesnotfeelinaposition
tosayordosomething.
(Usuallysaidbeforegivingadviceorexpressinganopinion).
"Farbeitfrommetochoseyourfriends,butIthinkyoushould
avoidthatman."
Ifsomethingsuchasworkisfarmedout,itissentouttobedoneby
others.
"Wefarmedoutthepackagingtoanothercompany."
Ifanactivityisfastandfurious,itisdonequicklyandwithalotof
energy.
"Eagertowintherace,thecompetitorscamefastandfuriousaround
thebend."
Apersonwhospeaksquicklyandeasilybutcannotalwaysbetrusted
iscalledafasttalker.
"Thesalesmanwasafasttalkerandpersuadedtheoldladytobuy
anewwashingmachine."
Ifyoudecidetofasttracksomething,suchasataskorproject,you
giveithighprioritysothattheobjectiveisreachedasquicklyaspossible.
"Inviewofthenumberofhomeless,itwasdecidedtofasttrackthe
constructionoflow-costhousing."
Torefertoarichandpowerfulpersonasafatcatmeansthat
youdisapproveofthewaytheyusetheirmoneyorpower.
Tosaythatsomebodyhasagoodqualitytoafaultmeansthat
theyhavealot,oreventoomuch,ofthatquality.
"Myauntisgeneroustoafault,readytohelpanyonetoclaims
tobeinneed."
Ifyoufeastyoureyesonsomething,youaredelightedandgratified
bywhatyousee.
"Ashedrovealongthecoast,hefeastedhiseyesonthebeautiful
scenery."
Todescribesomeone'sachievementas"afeatherintheircap"
meansthatitissomethingtheycanbeproudof.
"Theoverwhelmingvictoryoftheteamwasa"featherinthecap"for
thenewmanager."
Tosayofsomeonethattheyarefeatheringtheirnestistosaythat
theyaretakingadvantageoftheirpositioninordertoobtainmoney
soastohaveacomfortablelife.
Whensomeonefeelsthepinch,theybegintosufferfromalackof
money.
"Withthedropintourism,hotelsandrestaurantsarebeginningto
feelthepinch."
Ifyouarebackonyourfeet,afteranillnessoranaccident,
youarephysicallyhealthyagain.

Ifyousaythatapersonisdraggingtheirfeet,youthinktheyare
unnecessarilydelayingadecisionwhichisimportanttoyou.
Tosaythatsomeoneinanewsituationisfindingtheirfeetmeans
thattheyarelearningwhattodoandgainingself-confidence.
Ifsomeonewhoisadmiredisfoundtohaveahiddenweakness,
faultordefectofcharacter,theyaresaidtohavefeetofclay.
"Nooneisperfect.Manysuccessfulpeoplehavefeetofclay."
Ifyougetcoldfeetaboutsomething,youbegintohesitateabout
doingit;youarenolongersurewhetheryouwanttodoitornot.
Apersonwhohasitchyfeetissomeonewhowantstomove
somewherenewordosomethingdifferent.
Apersonwhokeepstheirfeetonthegroundcontinuestoact
inasensibleandpracticalway,eveniftheybecomesuccessful.
Apersonwhothinksontheirfeetiscapableofmakinggood
decisionswithoutpreviousthinkingorplanning.
"Goodlawyersneedtobeabletothinkontheirfeetwhen
pleadingacase."
Ifyourarerushedoffyourfeet,yourareextremelybusy.
"I'dlovetohavelunchwithyoubutwe'rerushedoffourfeetatthe
momentattheoffice."
Whenfacedwithachoice,apersonwhoisonthefencehasnot
yetreachedadecision.
"Thecandidateshavesuchsimilarideasthatmanyelectorsarestill
onthefence."
Thisexpressionreferstoaminorcaraccidentinwhichthereislittle
damageandnoinjuries.
"It'shardtobelievethatasmallfenderbendercancauseamajor
trafficjam!"
Ifasituationorfeelingreachesfeverpitch,itbecomesveryintense
andexciting.
"Reactiontotheaffairhasreachedfeverpitchalloverthecountry."
Items,placesoreventswhicharefewandfarbetweenarerarely
foundordonothappenveryoften.
"Restaurantsinthispartofthecountryarefewandfarbetween."
IfyousaythatsomebodyisfiddlingwhileRomeburns,you
meanthattheyaredoingunimportantthingswhilethereareserious
problemstobedealtwith
"Hisvisittothetradefairwas'fiddlingwhileRomeburns'according
tothestrikers."
Afielddayreferstoaday,periodortimeofgreatexcitementand
activity.
"Journalistswillhaveafielddaywiththelatestpoliticalscandal"
Thisexpressionmeansthatitisuselesstotrytowinabattle
againstapolitician,establishmentorbureaucracyingeneral.
"Tomdecideditwasawasteofenergytryingtoobtainataxrefundyoucan'tfightthecityhall!"
Ifsomeoneisfightingalosingbattle,theyaretryingtodo
somethingevenwhenthereislittlechanceofsucceeding.
"Theheadmasterisfightingalosingbattletryingtobanmobile
phonesatschool."

Ifyoufighttoothandnailforsomething,youfightwithallyour
energy.
"TheTransportMinisterfoughttoothandnailtohavetohavethe
proposedroadsafetylawaccepted."
Ifyoufightshyofsomething,suchasatask,aproblemoraduty,
youwanttoavoiddoingitoryouareunwillingtoconfrontit.
"Hehadmoneyproblemsforyearsbutfoughtshyofaskinghis
childrenforhelp."
Torefertosomethingasafigmentofone'simaginationmeans
thatanappearance,eventorincidentisnotconsideredtobereal
butisonlyimaginary.
"Otherpeoplesawthecar,soit'snotafigmentofTom'simagination!"
Togooversomethingwithafine-toothcombmeanstoexamine
itcloselyandthoroughlysoasnottomissanydetails.
"Thepoliceareexaminingthesceneoftheaccidentwitha
fine-toothcomb."
Smallchangestosomethingtoimproveitormakeitworkbetterare
calledfinetuning.
"Wearestillfinetuningournewwebsiteandappreciateyourpatience."
Ifsomeonehasafingerineverypie,theyareinvolvedinmany
activities
"Forinformationaboutthetowndevelopmentproject,youshould
talktoJohnBrown.Hehasafingerineverypie."
Someonewhoisinthefiringlineisinapositiontobecriticized
becauseoftheirresponsibilitiesorthepositiontheyhold.
"Themanagingdirectorofthebankisinthefiringlinesincethefraud
wasdiscovered."
Thisexpressionisusedtostatewhatyouconsidertobemore
importantthananythingelse.
"FirstandforemostIwanttothankourhostsfortheirwonderful
reception."
Ifyoufishintroubledwaters,youtrytogainadvantagesforyourself
fromadisturbedstateofaffairs.
"Betweenthedeclarationofindependenceandthefirstelections,
somepeoplewereaccusedoffishingintroubledwaters."
Ifyoufeellikeafishoutofwater,youfeeluncomfortable
becauseofanunfamiliarsituationorunfamiliarsurroundings.
"Asanon-golfer,Ifeltlikeafishoutofwaterattheclubhouse."
Thistermisusedtorefertoanimportantorhighly-rankedpersonina
smallgroupororganization.
"Hecouldgetajobwithabigcompanybutheenjoysbeingabigfish
inasmallpond."
Ifyouhaveotherfishtofry,youhavemoreimportantthingstodo.
"Idon'tthinkhe'llattendtheofficeparty;he'sgototherfishtofry."
Thisissaidtodescribepeopleorthingsthataredifficulttoclassify,
thatareneitheronethingnoranother.
"Internsareneitherfishnorfowl.
Theyareneitherstudentsnorfullyqualifiedpractitioners."
Ifsomeoneisonafishingexpedition,theyaretryingtoobtain
informationinanywaypossible.
"Thelunchinvitationwasclearlyafishingexpeditiontoobtain

informationabouthisprivatelife."
Ifyouarefitasafiddle,youareactiveandhealthy.
"Mygrandfatherisstillfitasafiddleattheageof90."
Ifsomethingfitsyoulikeaglove,itfitsyouperfectly.
"Iwaslucky!ThefirstskirtItriedonfittedmelikeaglove!"
Ifsomeoneorsomethingfitsthebill,theyareexactlyrightforfor
aparticularsituation.
"Theywantedaquietplacefortheweek-endandthecountryinnjust
fittedthebill."
Ifyoudosomethinginfitsandstarts,youdoitinanirregularmanner,
oftenstoppingandstartingagain.
"You'llnevermakeprogressinEnglishifyouworkinfitsandstarts."
Ifsomebodygetsafive-fingerdiscount,theytakesomethingwithout
paying.Inotherwords,theysteal.
"Howcouldheaffordthatwatch?"
"Whoknows-perhapswithafive-fingerdiscount!"
Thisexpressionreferstoapatchofstubbleonthefaceofaman
whohasn'tshavedforatleastaday.
"Helookedtiredandhadafiveo'clockshadow."
Ifaship,boatoryachtsailsunderaflagofconvenience,itis
registeredinaforeigncountryinordertoavoidregulationsandtaxes
andreduceoperatingcosts.
Ifyougetortakeflak,youreceiveseverecriticismforsomething
youhavedone.
"Hegotalotofflakforthewayhehandledthesituation."
Afteranattemptatsomething,ifyouaresentawaywithafleain
yourear,youareangrilyreprimandedorhumiliated.
"WhenhetriedtoputtheblameonPete,hewassentaway
withafleainhisear."
Tosaythattherearenofliesonsomeonemeansthat
theyunderstandquicklyandcannotbetrickedordeceivedeasily.
"It'sbettertotellhimallthefacts.Therearenofliesonhim."
Torefertoanideaorplanasaflightoffancymeansthatitisvery
imaginativebutnotatallpracticalorsensible.
"Heoftencomesupwithgoodideasbuthislatestproposalisjust
aflightoffancy!"
Ifyouflingyourselfintoanactivity,youdoitwithalotofenergyand
enthusiasm.
"Eversincesheflungherselfintotheanti-pollutioncampaign,sherarely
hasafreemoment!"
Tosaythatsomeoneisfloggingadeadhorsemeansthatthey
arewastingtimeandefforttryingtodoorachievesomethingthatis
notpossible.
"Markisfloggingadeadhorsetryingtogethismoneyreimbursed.
Thecompanyhasgonebankrupt!"
Ifyouflybytheseatofyourpants,youdosomethingwithout
knowledgeorexperience,usingonlyyourinstinctandhopingthat
youwillsucceed.
"Withoutanyformaltraining,hedecidedtoflybytheseatofhispants
andtryhisluckinNewYork."
Theexpressionaflyintheointmentreferstosomeoneorsomething

thatpreventsasituationfrombeingcompletelysatisfactory.
"Tony'spoorEnglishwasaflyintheointmentwhenheappliedfor
thejob."
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribeapersonwhowatchesasituation
withoutbeingnoticed.
"I'dliketobeaflyonthewallwhenthemanagementdiscusses
myproject."
Apersonwhofliesoffthehandlebecomessuddenlyveryangry.
"DadflewoffthehandlewhenItoldhimIhaddamagedhisnewcar."
Tosaythatsomethingwillneverflymeansthatitwillnotbesuccessful.
"He'sgotincredibleideas,butnonethatwilleverfly!"
Toachievesomethingwithflyingcoloursmeanstodoitvery
successfully.
"Mydaughterpassedtheentranceexamwithflyingcolours.
I'msoproudofher!"
Ifsomethinggetsofftotheflyingstart,itisimmediatelysuccessful.
"Salesofthebookgotofftoaflyingstartandexceededour
expectations."
Someonewhofoamsatthemouthisextremelyangryabout
something.
"Thedirectorwasfoamingatthemouthwhenhesawapictureofhis
childreninthenewspaper."
Ifyoufollowyournose,yougostraightahead.
(Also:followyourinstinctinlife).
"Thestationisattheendoftheroad-justfollowyournose."
Ifyoufollowinsomeone'sfootsteps(forexampleaparent),
youleadasimilarlifeordothesamejob.
"Lilyfollowedinhermother'sfootstepsandbecameateacher."
Ifyoufollowsuit,youdothesameassomebodyelsehasjustdone.
Thefirstrobberhelduphishands.Theothertwofollowedsuit.
Ifsomethinggivesyoufoodforthought,itmakesyouthink
veryhardaboutsomething.
"Thedocumentaryonpovertyintheworldreallygavemefoodfor
thought."
Ifyougoonafool'serrand,youtrytodosomethingwhichisuseless,
unnecessaryorhasnochanceofsuccess.
"Irealizeditwasafool'serrandtolookforabankinsuchanisolated
region."
Ifsomeoneislivinginafool'sparadise,theyareinastateof
contentmentthatwillnotlastbecausetheirhappinessisbasedon
illusionorfalsehope.
"Lisaislivinginafool'sparadiseifshethinksherbossisgoingto
marryher."
Ifyousaythatsomeonehasafootinthedoor,youmeanthatthey
haveasmallbutsuccessfulstartinsomethingandwillpossibly
dowellinthefuture.
"Withtoday'sunemployment,it'sdifficulttogetafootinthedoorinany
profession."
Toputone'sfootdownmeanstoexertauthoritytoprevent
somethingfromhappening.

Apersonwhoisfootlooseandfancy-freehasfewresponsibilities
orcommitmentsofanykindandfeelsfreetodoastheyplease.
"Johnwillnevergetmarried.Hesayshepreferstobefootloose
andfancy-free."
Ifyouthinksomethingisforthebirds,youconsiderittobe
uninteresting,useless,ornottobetakenseriously.
"AsfarasI'mconcerned,histheoryisforthebirds!"
Whensomethingisdoneoutofforceofhabit,ithasbecome
automaticthroughfrequentrepetition.
"WhydoIalwaysparkhere?It'sforceofhabitIsuppose."
Ifyouforcesomeone'shand,youmakethemdosomething
unwillinglyorsoonerthanplanned.
"Theinterviewerforcedhishandandmadehimrevealhisrelocation
plans."
Thisexpressionmeansthatifyouknowsomethingisgoingtohappen,
youcanbepreparedforit.
"TheChairmanisgoingtoattendthemeetingtomorrow.
Yourpresentationhadbetterbegood.Forewarnedisforearmed.!"
Ifsomeoneisfreeasabird,theyarecompletelyfreetodoasthey
please.
"Mydad'sveryhappy-he'sfreeasabirdsinceheretired."
Thistermreferstoanuncontrolledsituationsuchasadiscussion,
argumentorfightwhereeveryonepresentcandoorsaywhattheylike.
"Itstartedasaseriousdebatebutturnedintoafree-for-all."
Ifyouhaveafreehand,youhavepermissiontomakeyourowndecisions,
especiallyinajob.
"Mybosshasgivenmeafreehandinthechoiceofagent."
Thisexpressionmeansthatnothingisfree.Ifsomebodyhelpsyou,they
alwaysexpectsomeformofpayment.
"Ifyouaccepthisoffer,he'llbeforeveraskingyouforafavour.
There'snosuchthingasafreelunch!"
Someonewhogetsafreeridebenefitsfromacollectiveactivitywithout
participatinginit.
"Onlythosewhosharetheworkcansharethebenefits-nobodygets
afreeride!"
Ifyoudosomethingofyourownfreewill,youdoitvoluntarily,
withoutanypressurefromothers.
"Hedecidedtotellthetruth,andhediditofhisownfreewill."
Someonewhoisasfreshasadaisyislivelyandattractive,
inacleanandfreshway.
"ImetMollytheotherday.Shelookedasfreshasadaisy!"
Thisreferstoamistakemadebyaspeakerwhichisconsideredto
revealtheirtruethoughtsorfeelings.
"Soyougotthejob-I'msosad-sorry,Imeanglad!"
Apersonwhohasafrogintheirthroatisunabletospeakclearly
becausetheirthroatissore,orbecausetheywanttocough.
Theexpression'fromthewordgo'meansfromtheverybeginning
ofanactivity.
"Rightfromthewordgohewasrejectedbytherestofthegroup."
Inacontest,raceorelection,thefrontrunneristhepersonwho

seemsmostlikelytosucceedorwin.
"Whoarethefrontrunnersinthecomingelections?"
Thisexpressionmeanstogofromonedifficultsituationtoanother,
usuallyevenworse.
"Theflightwasdelayedbecauseofsnow.Whentheplaneeventually
tookoff,ithadtoturnbackbecauseofenginetrouble-
outofthefryingpanintothefire!"
Ifyouarefullofthejoysofspring,youarehappy,enthusiastic
andfullofenergy.
"Barbaraisfullofthejoysofspringatthemoment!Hasshegotanew
boyfriend?"
Whensomething,suchasanevent,getsintofullswing,itisat
itsbusiestorliveliesttime.
"Whenwegotbacktotheoffice,theChristmaspartywasinfullswing."
Apersonwhotriestoappeardistinguishedbuthasnorealclass
isreferredtoas"furcoatandnoknickers".
"Don'tletherimpressyou.She'swhatwecall'furcoatandnoknickers'!

Idiom
G Thegiftofthegab

Thegame/thecakeisnotworth
thecandle

Gatecrash

Gatherdust

Allhisgeeseareswans

Getone'sacttogether

Getawaywithmurder

Getcracking
Getdowntobrasstacks

Getyourducksinarow

Getyourfingersburnt

Getagriponyourself

Getyourhandsdirty

Getyourhandsdirty

Get/givethelowdown

Getariseoutofsomebody

Getitdowntoafineart.

Getasecondbite/twobitesatthe
cherry

Getthesack

Getsomethingofftheground

Getoffthehook

Getonyourhighhorse

Getthebetterofsomeone

Gettothebottomofsomething

Getamoveon

Getoutofhand

Gettheshowontheroad

Getyourskateson
Getsomeone'sdrift

Getsomeone'sdrift

Get/havesomeonebytheshorthairs
(also:bytheshortandcurlies)

Getsomethingofftheground

Getsomethingoutofyoursystem

Getwisetosomething

Getworkedup(aboutsomething)

Giveasgoodasyouget
Givethegameaway

Givethe(rough)ofone'stongue

Givesomeonearunfortheirmoney

Givesomebodytheslip

Giveuptheghost

Gizmo

Glowingterms

Goagainstthegrain

Goagainstthegrain

Goallout

Goalongfortheride

Gobananas

Godowninhistory

Godownwell

Gotheextramile
Goforasong
Gohaywire

Gointooverdrive

Gooffonatangent

Goofftherails,

Go(off/over)withabang

Gooutofyourway

Gothewholehog

Gothroughthemotions

Gothroughthemotions

Gogreatguns

Gotoextremes

Gotogreatlengths

Goto(great)pains

Gotopieces

Gowiththeflow

Goingplaces

Goldenhandcuffs

Goldenhandshake

Goldenopportunity
Goldenparachute

Goodasgold
Goodriddance!

Agoodturn
Goodwallsmakegoodneighbours
Havegoosepimples

Awildgoosechase

Awildgoosechase

Playgooseberry

Grababitetoeat
Sourgrapes

Graspatstraws

Grassroots
Notletthegrassgrowunderyour
feet

Greasesomebody'spalm

Greenfingers
Greenlight

Greenwithenvy
Greyarea

Greyexistence
Greymatter(U.S.:gray)
Grinandbearit

Grinfromeartoear

Keepyournosetothegrindstone

Grityourteeth

Groaninwardly

Preparetheground
Nurse/bear/holdagrudge

Guineapig
Gutfeeling

Gutterpress

Meaning
Tosaythatsomebodyhasthegiftofthegabmeansthattheyare
abletospeakconfidentlyandclearly.
"Asapolitician,notonlyishecompetent,buthehasthegiftof
thegab!"
Tosaythatthegame(orthecake)isnotworththecandlemeans
thattheadvantagestobegainedfromdoingsomethingarenotworth
theeffortinvolved.
"Herecordedanalbumbutsoldveryfewcopies;thecakewasn'tworth
thecandle!"
Ifsomeonegatecrashes,theyattendaprivatesocialeventwithout
beinginvited.
"Weneedvolunteerstotokeepaneyeoutforgatecrasherstonight."
Anidea,planorprojectwhichgathersdustisinfactstagnatingor
hasnotattractedattentionforsometime.
"Justbeforetheelections,theoutgoingmayorproducedplansfor
anewbridgewhichhadbeengatheringdustforseveralyears."
Thisexpressionreferstosomeonewhoconstantlyexaggeratesthe
importance
ofsomebodyorsomething.
"Don'tlethimimpressyou.Healwaysexaggerates;allhisgeese
areswans!"
Ifyougetyouracttogether,youorganizeyouraffairsbetterthan
youhavedonepreviouslyandmanagetodealwiththingsmore
efficiently.
"Jack'splanwon'tworkunlesshegetshisacttogether."
Tosaythatsomeonegetsawaywithmurdermeansthatyouthink
theycan
dosomethingunacceptablewithoutbeingpunishedorcriticized.
"Shehasnocontroloverherkids.Theygetawaywithmurder!"
Whenyougetcracking,youstartdoingsomethingimmediately.
"I'dbettergetcrackingorI'llnevergetmyhomeworkdone."
Whenpeoplegetdowntobrasstacks,theystarttodiscussthe
essentialaspectsofaproblemorsituation.
"Thesituationwassoseriousthatafterafewpoliteexchanges,
theyimmediatelygotdowntobrasstacks."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouaretryingtogetthingswellorganized.
"Weneedtogetourducksinarowifwewantourprojectto
succeed."
Ifyougetyourfingersburnt,yousufferasaresultofan
unsuccessfulactionandarenervousabouttryingagain.
"Hegothisfingerssobadlyburntinthelastelectionsthathe
decidedtowithdrawfrompolitics."
Ifyougetagriponyourself,youmakeanefforttocontrolyour
feelingssoastobeabletodealwithasituation..
"Aftertheinitialshock,Lisagotagriponherselfandcalledan
ambulance."
Ifyougetyourhandsdirtyinyourjob,youbecomeinvolvedinall
aspectsofit,includingworkthatisphysical,unpleasantorless

interesting.
"Hiswillingnesstogethishandsdirtywontherespectandapproval
ofthewholeteam.
Ifyougetorgivethelow-down,yougetorgivecomplete
informationorfactsaboutsomething.
"I'llcallyouafterthemeetingandgiveyouthelow-down."
Ifyoumakesomeonereactangrilybyjokinglysayingsomething
thatyouknowwillirritatethem,yougetariseoutofthem.
"Hegetsariseoutofhisdaughterbyaskingaboutherlatestdiet."
Whenyoulearntodosomethingperfectly,yougetitdowntoa
fineart.
"Entertainingherhusband'sbusinessassociatesisnotaproblem;
she'sgotthatdowntoafineart!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyougetasecondopportunitytodoor
trysomething.
"Hewaseliminatedinthesemi-finalsbuthe'llgetasecondbite
atthecherrynextyear."
Ifsomeonegetsthesack,theylosetheirjob,usuallybecausethey
havedonesomethingwrong.
"Charliegotthesackwhenhisbosscaughthimstealing."
Ifyougetsomethingofftheground,youputitintooperationafter
havingorganizedit.
"Afteralotofhardwork,wefinallygotthecampaignofftheground.
Ifyoudosomethingwrongandmanagetogetoffthehook,
youavoidpunishmentorblame.
"Barrywasquestionedbythepolicebuthislawyermanaged
togethimoffthehook."
Ifyougetonyourhighhorse,youstartbehavinginahaughty
manner,asthoughyoushouldbetreatedwithmorerespect.
"Hegotonhishighhorsewhenhewasaskedtoshowhis
membershipcard."
Ifsomeoneorsomethinggetsthebetterofyou,theydefeatyou
"Shewentonadietbutitdidn'tlastlong-herloveofchocolate
gotthebetterofher!"
Ifyougettothebottomofaproblemormystery,yousolveitby
findingoutthetruecauseofit.
"Wehaveaproblemofgoodsdisappearingduringtransport.
Hopefullytheinvestigationwillgettothebottomofit."
Ifsomeonetellsyoutogetamoveon,theyareaskingyouto
hurryup.
"You'dbettergetamoveonoryou'llmissthebus!"
Ifapersonorasituationgetsoutofhand,theycannotbe
controlledanylonger.
"Duringthestudentdemonstration,thingsgotoutofhandand
severalshopwindowswerebroken."
Ifyoumanagetoputaplanorideaintoaction,yougettheshow
ontheroad.
"OK!We'vegotallweneed,solet'sgettheshowontheroad!"
Ifyoutellsomeonetogettheirskateson,youwantthemtohurryup.
"You'dbettergetyourskatesonoryou'llbelate!"
Totellsomeonethatyougettheirdriftmeansthatyouunderstand

inageneralwaywhattheyaretryingtosay.
"'Ididn'tunderstandeverywordbutIgotthedrift."
Ifyougetorhavesomeonebytheshorthairs,youputthemina
difficultsituationfromwhichtheycannotescape,soyouhavecomplete
controloverthem.
"Theyareinnopositiontorefuse;we'vegotthembytheshorthairs!"
Ifyougetsomethingofftheground,youputitintooperationafter
havingorganizedit.
"Afteralotofhardwork,wefinallygotthecampaignofftheground.
Thisexpressionmeansthatyougetridofastrongemotionordesire
byexpressingitopenlyortryingtofulfilit.
"Tellyourparentshowyoufeel-it'sbettertogetitoutofyoursystem!"
Ifyougetwisetosomething,youlearnsomethingthatyouwere
unawareofbefore.
"Hefinallygotwisetothefactthatchildrenwerestealingapples
fromhisgarden."
Ifyougetworkedupaboutsomething,youbecomeupset,annoyed
orexcited,oftenunnecessarily.
"It'shisfirstdayatschooltomorrowandhe'sallworkedupaboutit!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouarepreparedtotreatpeopleasbadly
astheytreatyou,andfightforyourbeliefs.
Ifyougivethegameaway,yourevealasecretoraplan,often
unintentionally.
"Hehopednobodyinthehotelwouldrecognizehim,butanemployee
gavethegameaway."
Ifyougivethe(rough)edgeofyourtongue,youscoldsomeone
severelyorspeaktothemveryaggressivelyorrudely.
"MybosswassoangrythatIreallygottheroughedgeofhistongue."
Ifyougivesomeonearunfortheirmoney,youpresentstrong
competitionincircumstanceswheretheotherpersonexpectsto
wineasily.
"Wedidn'twinthematchbutwegavetheotherteamarunfor
theirmoney."
Ifyougivesomebodytheslip,youmanagetohideorgetaway
fromsomeonewhoisfollowingyou.
"Thepolicewereonhistrail,buthemanagedtogivethemtheslip."
Ifsomeoneorsomethinggivesuptheghost,theydieorstop
working.
"Mymother'soldTVsethasfinallygivenuptheghost;
I'mofftobuyheranewone!"
Thetermgizmoreferstoagadgetoranysmalltechnologicalitem
whichisunusualornovel,andforwhichthepropertermisunknown
orforgotten.
Ifyouspeakaboutsomethinginglowingterms,youtalk
aboutitinaverypositiveway.
"Marytalksaboutherhometowninglowingterms;itmustbea
wonderfulplace."
Ifsomethinggoesagainstthegrain,itisdifficulttoaccept
becauseitisverydifferentfromwhatisconsiderednormalornatural.

"Havingtoimportapplesinanapple-growingregionreallygoes
againstthegrain!"
Ifyougoallouttoachieveorobtainsomething,youmakeagreat
effort,usingallpossiblestrengthandresources.
"Thecandidatewentallouttoobtainthenomination.
Ifyoujoinagroupofpeopleyoufindinteresting,withoutwantingto
takeanactivepartintheiraction,yougoalongfortheride.
"Notalltheprotesterswereactiveinthemovement-somejustwent
alongfortheride."
Ifsomeonebecomesveryemotionalandstartsbehavinginacrazyway,
theygobananas.
"Ifyouannouncethatyou'regoingtodropoutofschool,yourparents
willgobananas!
Thisexpressionreferstoaneventthatissoimportantorunusualthat
itwillberecordedinhistory.
"Therecentdiscoverywillgodowninhistory."
Ifsomething,suchanideaoraproposal,goesdownwell,itis
wellaccepted.
"Thenewtimetablewentdownwellwiththeemployees."
Ifyougotheextramile,youdomorethanwhatisexpectedofyou.
"YoucancountonTom;he'salwayswillingtogotheextramile."
Ifsomethinggoesforasong,itissoldatanunexpectedlylowprice.
"Iwasabletobuythecarsimplybecauseitgoingforasong."
Ifsomethinggoeshaywire,itbecomesdisorganizedorgoesoutof
control.
"Thephotocopierhasgonecompletelyhaywire.It'sonlyprintinghalf
ofeachpage!"
Ifsomeoneorsomethinggoesintooverdrive,theybegintowork
veryhardorstarttoperformintensely.
"Atthestartofeverynewcollection,myimaginationgoesinto
overdrive."
Ifsomebodygoesoffonatangent,theychangethesubject
completelyinthemiddleofaspeechorconversation.
"Sometimes,whenhe'steaching,hegoesoffonatangentandstarts
talkingabouthisdog!"
Ifsomeonegoesofftherails,theygooutofcontrolandbeginto
behaveinamannerthatisunacceptabletosociety.
"Giventheunstableenvironment,it'samiraclethatnoneoftheir
childreneverwentofftherails."
Ifsomething,suchasaneventoraperformance,
goes(offorover)withabang,itisverysuccessful.
"Thepartysheorganizedwentoffwithabang-everyoneenjoyedit."
Ifyougooutofyourway,youtakeparticularcareormake
aspecialeffortwhendoingsomething.
"AuntBettywentoutofherwaytomakeusfeelcomfortable."
Whenyougothewholehog,youdosomethingthoroughlyor
completely.
"TheyputupafewdecorationsforChristmas,thentheydecided
togothewholehogandbuyatreeandallthetrimmings."
Ifsomeonegoesthroughthemotions,theydosomething
becausetheyhaveto,butwithoutenthusiasm.

"Afterhiswifedied,hetriedtocontinuelifeasbefore,
buthejustwentthroughthemotions."
Ifsomeoneorsomethingisgoinggreatguns,theyaredoing
verywell.
"Fred'snightclubisgoinggreatguns.It'sbecominghardtogetin!.
Peoplewhogotoextremesbehaveinawaywhichlacksmoderation.
"Myparentstendtogotoextremes.Theyliveonatightbudgetand
thentheygoonexpensiveholidays."
Whentryingtoachievesomething,ifyougotogreatlengths,
youdoeverythingthatispossibleinordertosucceed.
"Thetwopartieswenttogreatlengthstoreachanagreement."
Apersonwhogoestogreatpainstodosomethingmakes
agreatefforttodoitwell.
"Hewenttogreatpainstoexplainthesituationasclearlyas
possible."
Ifyougotopieces,forexampleafteraterribleshock,youareso
upsetordistressedthatyoucannotleadyourlifenormally.
"Jacknearlywenttopieceswhenhissondiedinaplanecrash."
Ifyougowiththeflow,youfollowthegeneraltendencyand
goalongwithwhateverhappens.
"Whenmycolleaguesorganizeanofficeparty,Ijustgowiththeflow
whenitcomestothedetails."
Tosaythatsomeoneisgoingplacesmeansthattheyshowtalent
andabilitythatwillnodoubtleadtoasuccessfulfuture.
"EvenatcollegeitwasobviousthatPaulwasgoingplaces."
Thetermgoldenhandcuffsreferstoalargesumofmoneyora
generousfinancialarrangementgrantedtoanexecutiveasanincentive
tostayintheirjob,ortoensurelong-termcooperationaftertheirdeparture.
Agoldenhandshakeisageneroussumofmoneygiventoaperson
whentheyleaveacompanyorretire(sometimesgiventoencourage
earlyretirement).
Agoldenopportunityisafavourabletimeorexcellentoccasion
whichshouldnotbemissed.
Agoldenparachuteisaclauseinanexecutive'semployment
contractstatingthattheexecutivewillreceivecertainlargebenefits
iftheiremploymentisterminated.
Achildwhoisasgoodasgoldisobedientandwell-behaved.
"YourchildrenarealwaysasgoodasgoldwhenIlookafterthem."
Thisexpressionisusedtoexpressreliefatbecomingfreeofan
unpleasantorunwantedpersonorthing.
"Ourhorribleneighbourhasmovedhouse,andallIcansayis'good
riddance'!"
Ifyoudosomeoneagoodturn,youactinahelpfulway.
"Mikeisagreatguy-alwaysreadytodoagoodturn."
Thisexpressionmeansthatrespectingoneanother'sprivacy
helpscreateagoodrelationshipbetweenneighbours.
Ifyouhavegoosepimples,youaresocoldorsoafraidthat
yourskinistemporarilyraisedintolittlelumps.
"IwassoscaredthatIhadgoosepimplesallthroughthefilm!"
Ifyousaythatyouweresentonawildgoosechase,youmean

thatyouwastedalotoftimelookingforsomethingthattherewas
littlechanceoffinding.
"Theytriedtofindoutwhosenttheanonymouscomplaint,
butitturnedouttobeawildgoosechase."
Ifyouplaygooseberry,youjoinoraccompanytwopeoplewho
havearomanticrelationshipandwanttobealone.
"TheyinvitedmetojointhembutIdidn'twanttoplaygooseberry."
Ifyougrababitetoeat,yougetsomethingtoeatquickly.
"Weshouldhavetimetogrababitetoeatbeforetheshow."
Tosaythatsomeone'sattitudeissourgrapesmeansthat
theyaremakingcomplaintsoraccusationsbecausetheyare
jealous.
Ifyouareinadesperatesituationandyougraspatstraws,
youtryanymethod,evenifithaslittlechanceofsuccess,in
anattempttofindasolution.
"Inhissearchforacure,heturnedtoafaithhealer,knowingthat
hewasclutchingatstraws."
Thetermgrassrootsreferstotheordinarypeoplewhoformthe
mainbodyofanorganization.
Ifsomeonedoesnotletthegrassgrowundertheirfeet,
theydonotdelayingettingsomethingdone.
"Assoonashereceivedthepermit,hestartedtobuild.
Heneverletsthegrassgrowunderhisfeet!"
Ifyouaccusesomeoneofgreasingsomebody'spalm,you
areaccusingthemofgivingmoneytosomeoneinordertogain
anunfairadvantage,
ortoobtainsomethingtheywant.
"Insomecountries,itiscommonpracticetogreasegovernment
officials'palms."
Tohavegreenfingersmeanstobegoodatgardening.
Ifyougiveorgetthegreenlight,yougiveorgetasignalor
permissiontodosomething.
"We'rereadytolaunchthecampaignassoonaswegetthe
greenlight."
Someonewhoisgreenwithenvyisapersonwhoisveryenvious.
Torefertosomethingasagreyareameansthatitisnotclearor
easytodefine,andisthereforedifficulttodealwith.
"Thelawconcerningemailisstillagreyareainsomecountries."
Tohaveagreyexistenceistoleadadull,monotonouslife.
Greymatterreferstothebrain,orthegreycolourofbraintissue.
Whenfacedwithadifficultorunpleasantsituation,ifyousaythat
someonewillhavetogrinandbearit,youmeanthattheywill
havetoacceptitwithoutcomplaining.
"Theonlyseatavailableisonalow-costflight.You'lljusthaveto
grinandbearit!"
Ifsomebodyisgrinningfromeartoear,theylookverysatisfied
andhappy.
"WhenwesawPaulgrinningfromeartoear,weknewhehad
passedtheexam."
Apersonwhokeepstheirnosetothegrindstoneissomeone
whoconcentratesonworkinghardathisjob.

Whenyouaredeterminedtodosomethinginspiteofthedifficulties
involved,yougrityourteeth.
"ToreachsafetyIhadtowadethroughthemud,soIjusthad
togritmyteeth."
Ifyougroaninwardly,youfeellikeexpressingdespair,
disapprovalordistress,butyouremainsilent.
"Onhisreturn,whenPetesawthepileoffilesonhisdesk,
hegroanedinwardly."
Topreparethegroundmeansthatyoutrytomakeiteasier
forafutureeventoractiontohappen.
Ifyounurseagrudgeagainstsomeoneorsomething,youhave
afeelingofresentmentorill-willtowardsthem.
"EversinceIgotapromotion,he'sbeennursingagrudgeagainstme."
Peoplewhoareusedasguineapigsarepeopleonwhom
newmethods,treatmentorideasaretested.
Ifyouhaveagutfeelingaboutsomething,youhaveastrongintuition
whichyoucannotexplain,butyouaresurethatyouareright.
"AsIreadthestory,Ihadagutfeelingthatthepostmanwaslying...
andIwasright!"
Thistermreferstonewspapersthatprintalotofsensationalstories
aboutpeople'sprivatelives.
"Ofcoursethegutterpresswasquicktoprintasensationalversion
oftheincident!"

Idiom
H Oldhabitsdiehard

Halfthebattle

Getinsomeone'shair

Letone'shairdown.

Notahairoutofplace

Byahair'sbreadth

Splithairs

Haleandhearty

Hammer(something)home

Hammerandtongs

Handinglove

Handittosomeone

Onehandwashestheother...
(...andtogethertheywashtheface.)
Theupperhand
Allhandsondeck

Allhandsondeck

Insafe(good)hands

Haveyourhandsfull.
Haveone'shandstied

Ashowofhands

Washyourhandsoffsomething.
Asmuchuseasahandbrakeona
canoe

Handlesomeonewithkidgloves

Getthehangofsomething
Hangonfordearlife

Happy-go-lucky

Hardofhearing
Hardasnails

Tobehardup
Hardandfast

Haulsomeoneoverthecoals

Haveahangover
Haveyourheadintheclouds

Haveyourheadintheclouds

Haveone'sheadscrewedon

Haveone'sheartinone'smouth

Haveone'sheartintherightplace

Haveone'sheartsetonsomething

Havekittens

Haveyourbacktothewall
Haveyougoneoutofyourmind?

Havethemakingsofsomething

Havethenerve(todosomething)

Havesomethingonthebrain

Haveastabatsomething

Haveawhaleofatime

Runwiththehareandhuntwiththe
hounds

Keepsomethingunderone'shat

Keepsomethingunderone'shat

Takeone'shatofftosomebody
Burythehatchet

Makehaywhilethesunshines

Bangyourheadagainstabrickwall

Beheadandshouldersabove

Buryone'sheadinthesand

Oldheadonyoungshoulders

Inoveryourhead

Keepone'sheadabovewater
Offthetopofyourhead

Headoverheelsinlove

Aswelled/swollenhead

Likeaheadlesschicken

Lookthepictureofhealth

Hearapindrop

Hearditthroughthegrapevine

Changeofheart

Heartinone'smouth

Heartmissesabeat

Heartonyoursleeve

Heartsetonsomething

Heartsinks
Heartofstone

Turnon/up(orpileon)theheat

Withaheavyhand

Hedgeyourbets

Allhellbrokeloose

Comehellorhighwater

(goto)Hellinahandcart

(goto)Hellinahandcart

Hell-bentonsomething

Helpalamedogoverstile

Herdingcats

Neitherherenorthere.
Hideone'slightunderabushel

Hideamultitudeofsins

Hiddenagenda

Highanddry

Hittheairwaves

Hitthegroundrunning

Hitthehay

Hittheroad
Hitthesack
Hitchone'swagontoastar

Gothewholehog

Holdyourbreath

Holdyourbreath

Holdyourhorses

Holdone'sown

Holier-than-thou

Onthehomestretch

Hometruths

Byhookorbycrook

Getoffthehook

Hook,lineandsinker

Couldn'tgiveahoot!

Ahop,skipandajump

Hopeagainsthope

Adarkhorse
Icouldeatahorse.
Beat(orflog)adeadhorse

Straightfromthehorse'smouth

Straightfromthehorse'smouth

Hotoffthepress

Hotunderthecollar

Hotpotato

Getonlikeahouseonfire
Onthehouse

Householdname/word

Hueandcry

Hustleandbustle

Meaning
Thisexpressionmeansthatpeopleareoftenreluctanttochangethe
waytheydosomething,especiallyiftheyhavebeendoingitfora
longtime.
"Mygrandfatherrefusestouseamobilephone;oldhabitsdiehard!"
Thisexpressionreferstoasignificantpartoftheeffortorworkneeded
toachievesomething.
"We'vealreadyobtainedaloanfortheproject-that'shalfthebattle."
Ifyouaregettinginsomebody'shair,youareannoyingthemso
muchthattheycan'tgetonwithwhatthey'redoing.
"I'dfinishthereportmorequicklyifmycolleaguewasn'tgettingin
myhairallthetime!"
Ifyousuggestthatsomeoneshouldlettheirhairdown,
youaretellingthemtorelaxandenjoythemselves.
"Comeon!We'renotintheofficenow.Youcanletyourhairdown!"
Tosaythatsomeonedoesnothaveahairoutofplacemeansthat
theirappearanceisperfect.
"Angelaisalwaysimpeccablydressed-neverahairoutofplace!"
Ifyouavoidormisssomethingbyahair'sbreadth,youonlyjust
managetoescapefromadanger.
"Aslatefellofftheroofandmissedthechildbyahair'sbreadth."
Ifyousplithairs,youpaytoomuchattentiontodifferences
thatareverysmallornotimportant.
"Ifwestartsplittinghairs,we'llneverreachanagreement!"
Someone,especiallyanoldperson,whoishaleandheartyisin
excellenthealth
"Mygrandmotherisstillhaleandheartyattheageofninety."
Ifyouhammerhomeapointoranargument,yourepeatitoftento
makesurethatitisfullyunderstood.
"Thepolicemanhammeredhomethedangersofdrinkinganddriving."
Ifpeoplearegoingatithammerandtongs,theyarearguingfiercely,
withalotofenergyandnoise.
"Ourneighboursaregoingatithammerandtongsagain.They're
constantlyarguing!"
Twoormorepeoplewhoareincollusion,orworkincloseassociation,
aresaidtobehandinglove.
"Afterthematch,itwasdiscoveredthathewashandinglovewiththe
referee."
Ifyouhandittosomeone,youadmit,perhapsunwillingly,thatthey
deservecreditorpraisefortheirachievements.
"You'vegottohandittoJulie.Shemaybeasnob,buther
presentationsarealwaysexcellent."
Thisexpressionmeansthatwhenpeoplecooperateandworkwell
together,thereisabetterchanceofachievingresults.
Ifapersonororganizationgetsorgainstheupperhand,they
takecontroloversomething.
Whenthereisaneedforallhandsondeck,everyonemusthelp,
especiallywhenthere'salotofworktobedoneinashortamountoftime.

"Astheopeningdayapproached,itwasallhandsondecktohave
everythingreadyintime."
Ifsomethingisinsafe(orgood)hands,itisbeinglookedafterby
areliablepersonororganization,andisthereforeatnorisk.
"I'lllookafterJamiewhileyougoshopping.Don'tworry-he'llbe
insafehands."
Ifyouhaveyourhandsfull,youareverybusyoryouhavealottodo.
Ifapersonhastheirhandstied,something,suchasanagreement
orarule,ispreventingthemfromdoingwhattheywouldliketodo.
"Markdeservestoearnmore,butthemanager'shandsaretied
bytherecentsalaryagreement."
Ashowofhandsisamethodofvotinginwhichpeoplegivetheir
opinionbyraisingahand.
"Howmanypeopleagree?Couldwehaveashowofhandsplease?"
Ifyouwashyourhandsoffaproblemorsituation,yourefuse
todealwithitanylonger.
Thisexpressionreferstosomethingwhichiscompletelyuseless
orservesnopurpose.
"Withnoelectricity,arefrigeratorwouldbeasmuchuseasa
handbrakeonacanoe."
Ifyouhandlesomeonewithkidgloves,youtreatthemvery
carefullyortactfully,eitherbecausetheyareveryimportantor
becausetheyareeasilyupset.
"Heissodeterminedtoobtainheragreementthatheishandling
herwithkidgloves."
Whenyougetthehangofanactivity,younowknowhowtodoit
correctly.
Ifyouhangonfordearlife,yougripsomethingfirmlysoasnot
tofall.
"Andytookhismotheronthebackofhismotorbikewhereshe
hungonfordearlife!"
Ifyouareahappy-go-luckyperson,youarecheerfulandcarefree
allthetime.
"He'sahappy-go-luckysortofguy-alwaysingoodhumour."
Ifyouarehardofhearing,youcan'thearverywell.
"You'llhavetospeakloudertoMr.Jones.He'sabithardofhearing."
Apersonwhoishard(or'tough')asnailsisunsentimentaland
showsnosympathy.
"Don'texpectanysympathyfromhim.He'sashardashails."
Ifyouarehardup,youhaveverylittlemoney.
"Weweresohardupwehadtosleepinthecar."
Somethingwhichishardandfastcannotbechanged.
"UnfortunatelytherearenohardandfastrulesrelatedtoEnglish
spelling"
Ifyouhaulsomeoneoverthecoals,youreprimandthemharshly
becausetheyhavedonesomethingwrongorincorrectly.
"Hewashauledoverthecoalsforthepoorqualityofhispresentation.
Tohaveahangovermeanstosufferfromtheunpleasant
after-effectsofdrinkingtoomuchalcohol.
Ifyouhaveyourheadintheclouds,youaresoabsorbedbyyour
thoughtsthatyouarenotpayingattentiontowhatishappening

aroundyou.
"He'sdoesn'tlistentotheteacher-he'sgothisheadintheclouds
allthetime!"
Someonewhohastheirheadscrewedonisasensibleand
realisticperson.
"Don'tworryabouthim..He'sadventurousbuthe'sgothishead
screwedon."
Apersonwhohastheirheartintheirmouthfeelsextremely
anxiousornervousfacedwithadangerousorunpleasantsituation.
"Emmahadherheartinhermouthwhenshesawher2year-oldson
standinginfrontoftheopenwindow."
Apersonwhohastheirheartintherightplacehaskindfeelings
andgoodintentions,eveniftheresultsarenottoogood.
"Theoldlady'scakewasn'twonderfulbutshe'sgotherheartinthe
rightplace."
Someonewhohastheirheartsetonsomethingwantsitverymuch.
"FromanearlyageTigerhadhisheartsetonbecomingaprofessional
golfer."
Tosayyou'regoingtohavekittensisadramaticwayofexpressing
worry,anxietyorfear.
"HismothernearlyhadkittenswhenAlexannouncedthathewanted
tobeatrapezeartist."
Ifyouhaveyourbacktothewall,youareinseriousdifficulty.
"Withhisbacktothewall,thesupplierhadtoacceptthedeal."
Ifyouasksomeoneifthey'vegoneoutoftheirmind,
youthinktheyarecrazy,foolishorinsane.
"You'regoingtoaskfora100%increaseinsalary?
Haveyougoneoutofyourmind?"
Apersonwhohasthemakingsofsomethinghasqualitiesand
potentialthatcouldbedeveloped.
"TheteachersaysSarahhasthemakingsofanexcellentjournalist."
Ifyoudosomethingrude,impudentorinappropriate,withoutany
embarrassmentorshyness,itissaidthatyouhavethenervetodoit.
"Shehadthenervetoattendtheceremonywearingjeans!"
Ifyouhavesomethingonthebrain,youthinkortalkaboutit
constantly.
"Stoptalkingaboutgolf.You'vegotgolfonthebrain!"
Ifyouhaveastabatsomething,youtrysomethingthatyounever
hadachancetodobefore.
"IhadastabatsurfingoncebutIdecidednottorenewtheexperience!"
Whenpeoplehaveawhaleofatime,theyenjoythemselves
verymuch.
"Wehadawhaleofatimeatthepartylastnight."
Thisexpressionreferstosomeonewhowantstostayonfriendly
termswithbothsidesinaquarrel.
"Bobalwayswantstokeepeveryonehappy,butI'mafraidhecan't
runwiththehareandhuntwiththehoundsthistimetheissueistooimportant."
Tokeepsomethingunderone'shatmeanstokeepasecret.

"Mybosshaspromisedmeapromotion,butit'snotofficialyet,
sokeepitunderyourhat."
Yousaythistoexpressadmirationforsomethingsomeonehasdone.
"Itakemyhatofftothechef.Themealwaswonderful."
Theexpression"burythehatchet"isusedwhenpeoplewhohave
hadadisagreementdecidetoforgettheirquarrelandbecomefriends
again.
"Idon'tgetonwellwithmymother-in-law,buttokeepmywifehappy,
Idecidedtoburythehatchet."
Thisexpressionisusedasanencouragementtotakeadvantage
ofagoodsituationwhichmaynotlast.
Successfulsportsmenareadvisedtomakehaywhilethesun
shines.
Ifyoubangyourheadagainstabrickwall,youcontinuevainlyto
tryandachievesomethinginspiteofseveralunsuccessfulattempts.
"I'vebeenbangingmyheadagainstabrickwalltryingtoexplainthe
internettomygrandmother."
Tosaythatapersonorthingisheadandshouldersabovethe
othersmeansthattheyaremuchbetterthattherestoftheirkind.
"Theaward-winnerwasheadandshouldersabovetheothers."
Ifyouburyyourheadinthesand,yourefusetofacethe
unpleasantrealitybypretendingthatitdoesn'texist.
"It'snogoodburyingyourheadinthesand.We'vegotaproblem
onourhands."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertoachildoryoungpersonwho
thinksandexpressesthemselveslikeanoldermore-experienced
person.
"WhensheheardEmilywarningherlittlebrothertostayoutoftrouble,
hermumthought:"That'sanoldheadonyoungshoulders".
Ifyouareinoveryourhead,youareinvolvedinsomething
thatistoodifficultforyoutohandle.
"Iacceptedtoorganizethefestival,butIquicklyrealizedthat
Iwasinovermyhead."
Tokeepone'sheadabovewatermeanstotrytosurvive
bystayingoutofdebt,forexampleasmallbusiness.
Tosaysomethingoffthetopofyourheadmeansthatyouare
givinganimmediatereactionandnotacarefullyconsideredopinion,
andsoitmightnotbecorrect.
Whenapersonfallspassionatelyinlovewithanother,theyaresaid
tobeheadoverheelsinlove.
"Tony'sonlyinterestatthemomentisMaria.He'sheadoverheels
inlovewithher!"
Someonewhohasaswelled/swollenheadhasbecomeproudor
conceited,usuallybecauseofrecentsuccess.
"Larry'spromotionhasgivenhimaswelledhead!"
Ifapersonrushesaboutlikeaheadlesschicken,theyactina
disorderlyway,withoutthinkingoranalyzingthesituationcarefully.
"Assoonasthestoreopened,mymotherstartedrunningaround
likeaheadlesschicken,eagertofindbargains."
Tolookthepictureofhealthmeanstolookcompletelyorextremely
healthy.

Tosaythatyoucouldhearapindropmeansthatitissosilent
youcouldheartheslightestnoise.
"Peoplewerelisteningsointently,youcouldhearapindrop."
Ifyouhearofsomethingthroughthegrapevine,youlearnaboutit
informally,forexamplethroughfriends,colleaguesoracquaintances.
"Howdidyouhearthat?Oh,throughthegrapevineasusual!"
Ifsomeonehasachangeofheart,theychangetheirattitudeor
feelings,especiallytowardsgreaterfriendlinessorcooperation.
"Hewasagainstcharity,buthehadachangeofheart
whenhesawtheplightofthehomeless."
Apersonwhohastheirheartintheirmouthfeelsextremely
anxiousornervousfacedwithadangerousorunpleasantsituation.
"Emmahadherheartinhermouthwhenshesawher2year-old
sonstandinginfrontoftheopenwindow."
Ifyourheartmissesabeat,youhaveasuddenfeelingoffearor
excitement.
"Whenthelightssuddenlywentout,herheartmissedabeat."
Ifyouwearyourheartonyoursleeve,youallowothers
toseeyouremotionsorfeelings.
"Youcouldseeshewashurt-shewearsherheartonhersleeve."
Someonewhohastheirheartsetonsomethingwantsitvery
much.
"FromanearlyageTigerhadhisheartsetonbecominga
professionalgolfer."
Ifyourheartsinks,youfeelveryunhappyanddespondent
"MyheartsankwhenIsawtheamountofworkwaitingforme."
Someonewhohasaheartofstoneisacoldpersonwhoshows
othersnounderstanding,sympathyorpity.
"She'snotthepersontogotoifyou'vegotproblemsshe'sgotaheartofstone!"
Ifyouturnon/uptheheatonapersonororganization,
youputpressureontheminordertoobtainwhatyouwant.
"Ifthegoodsarenotdeliveredthisweek,we'llhavetoturnon
theheat."
Dealingwithortreatingpeoplewithaheavyhandmeansactingwith
disciplineandseverity,withlittleornosensitivity.
"Heranthejuveniledelinquentcentrewithaheavyhand."
Ifyouhedgeyourbets,youchoosetwoormorecoursesofaction
inordertoreducetheriskoflossorerror.
"Thecompanyhedgeditsbetsbydevelopingasecondline
ofproducts."
Tosaythatallhellbrokeloosemeansthattherewasasudden
angry,noisyreactiontosomething.
"Allhellbrokeloosewhenitwasannouncedthattheplantwasgoing
toclosedown."
Tosaythatyouwilldodosomethingcomehellorhighwater
meansthatyouwilldoitinspiteofdifficultiesinvolved.
"Comehellorhighwater,I'vegottobeontimefortheinterview."
Ifsomeoneorsomethingisgoingtohellinahandcart,itisin
abadstateandcontinuestodeteriorate.
"Thisusedtobeaniceplacetolivebutnowtheareaisgoingtohell

inahandcart."
Ifyouarehell-bentondoingsomething,youarerecklessly
determinedtodoit,evenifit'sdangerousorstupid.
"Althoughheisstillweak,he'shell-bentonplayingthematch."
Ifyouhelpalamedogoverstile,youhelpsomeonewhoisin
difficultyortrouble.
"Youcantrusthim-healwayshelpsalamedogoverastile."
Thisexpressionreferstothedifficultyofcoordinatingasituation
whichinvolvespeoplewhoallwanttoactindependently.
"Organizinganoutingforagroupofpeoplefromdifferentcountries
islikeherdingcats!
Somethingwhichisneitherherenorthereisconsidered
hasnoeffectonthesituation.
Ifyouhideyourlightunderabushel,youaremodestordonot
revealatalent,qualityorskillyoupossess.
"SoyouplaythesaxophoneinaclubonSaturdaynights-youreally
hideyourlightunderabushel,don'tyou!"
Ifsomethingcoversorhidesamultitudeofsins,itpreventspeople
fromseeingthelesspleasantreality.
"Loose-fittingclothescancoveramultitudeofsins!"
Ifapersonororganizationhasahiddenagenda,theyhavehidden
interestsorulteriormotives.
"Icanguaranteethatwehavenohiddenagenda.Ourintentionshave
alwaysbeenclear."
Ifyouarelefthighanddry,youfindyourselfinadifficultsituation
withouthelporresources
"Whenherhusbandwalkedoutonher,Amandawaslefthighanddry
withtwokidstoraise."
Whensomeonehitstheairwaves,theygoonradioand/orTV
tobeinterviewedortopromotesomething.
"Thehospitalwasembarrassedwhenthepatienthittheairways
withhissideofthestory."
Ifsomeonehitsthegroundrunning,theyarereadytostartwork
immediatelyonanewactivity.
"Heintendstohitthegroundrunningwhenhestartshisnewjob."
Whenyouhitthehay,yougotobed.
"Theboysweresoexhaustedthattheyhitthehayassoonasthey
reachedthecampsite."
Whenyouhittheroad,youbeginajourney.
"It'sgettinglateandwe'vegotalongwaytogo.Let'shittheroad."
Tohitthesack(alsohitthehay)meanstogotobed.
Someonewhohitchestheirwagontoastarhasgreatambitions
andisverydeterminedtoreachtheirgoal.
"Atanearlyageshedecidedtohitchherwagontoastarand
becomerichandfamous."
Whenyougothewholehog,youdosomethingthoroughlyor
completely.
"TheyputupafewdecorationsforChristmas,thentheydecided
togothewholehogandbuyatreeandallthetrimmings."
Ifsomeoneisholdingtheirbreath,theyarewaitingexcitedlyor
anxiouslyforsomethingtohappen.

"Iwentforsecondinterviewtoday-nowI'mholdingmybreath!"
Ifyoutellsomeonetoholdtheirhorses,youthinktheyaredoing
somethingtoofastandshouldslowdownandnotrushintofurtheraction.
"Holdyourhorses!Don'trushintothiswithoutgivingitcarefulthought."
Ifyoucanholdyourown,youarewellabletodefendyourself
whenunderattack.
"WeshouldaskJanetorepresentus;shecanholdherownin
anyargument."
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribetheattitudeofpeoplewho
considerthemselvestobemorevirtuousormorallysuperiortoothers.
"Ican'tstandtheholier-then-thouattitudeofsomecandidates."
Tosaythatyou'reonthehomestretchmeansthatyouare
approachingtheendofsomethingsuchasatask,araceorajourney.
"Don'tgiveup-we'reonthethehomestretchnow."
Ifyoutellsomebodysomehometruths,youtellthemsome
unpleasantfactsaboutthemselveswhichareoftendifficulttoaccept.
"Davidneedstobetoldafewhometruths,whetherhelikesitornot!"
Ifyousaythatyouwilldosomethingbyhookorbycrook,you
meanthatyouwillsucceedindoingitinwhateverwayisnecessary,
whetheritishonestornot.
"I'llgetmyrevenge,byhookorbycrook!"
Ifyoudosomethingwrongandmanagetogetoffthehook,youavoid
punishmentorblame.
"Barrywasquestionedbythepolicebuthislawyermanagedtogethim
offthehook."
Ifyoufallforastoryoranexplanationhook,lineandsinker,you
completelybelieveit.
"Ididn'tthinkhe'dbelievemystory,buthefellforithook,lineandsinker."
Tosaythatyoudon'torcouldn'tgiveahoot,meansthat
youdon'tcareatallaboutsomething.
"Shewearseccentricclothesbutshe'scouldn'tgiveahoot
aboutwhatothersthink."
Tosaythatathingorplaceisonlyahop,skipandajumpaway
fromanothermeansthattheyareveryclosetoeachother.
"Theschool'sjustahop,skipandajumpfromournewhouse."
Ifyouhopeagainsthope,youcontinuetohopeevenwhenthe
situationlooksbad
"Thewholebuildingwasdestroyedbyfire.John'sparentsarehoping
againsthopethatheescapedintime."
Ifyourefertoapersonasadarkhorse,youmeanthatthey
aresecretive,orthatlittleisknownaboutthem.
Tosaythatyoucouldeatahorsemeansthatyouareveryhungry.
"Let'sgetsomethingtoeat.I'mstarving.Icouldeatahorse!"
Tosaythatsomeoneisbeatingadeadhorse,youmeanthat
theyarewastingtimeandefforttryingtodoorachievesomething
thatisnotpossible..
"Markisbeatingadeadhorsetryingtogethismoneyreimbursed.
Thecompanyhasgonebankrupt!"
Ifyoulearnsomethingstraightfromthehorse'smouth,youhear
aboutitdirectlyfromapersoncloselyconnectedwiththesourceof
theinformation.

"HowdoyouknowJackhasresigned?"
"Igotitstraightfromthehorse'smouth-hetoldmehimself!"
Ifanewsarticle,forexample,ishotoffthepress,ithasjustbeen
publishedandcontainsthemostrecentinformationonthesubject.
"Ijustgotithotoffthepress;anotherbankhasgonebankrupt!"
Ifyougethotunderthecollar,youfeelannoyed,indignantor
embarrassed.
"Ifanyonecriticizeshisproposals,Joeimmediatelygetshot
underthecollar."
Torefertoasubjectasahotpotatomeansthatitis
averysensitiveandcontroversialmatterwhichisdifficultto
dealwith.
"ThenewPrimeMinisterhasn'tbeenconfrontedwithany
hotpotatoesyet."
Twopeoplewhogetonlikeahouseonfirehavesimilarinterests
andquicklybecomegoodfriends.
Somethingwhichis"onthehouse"isofferedfreeofcharge,
usuallyinabarorrestaurant.
"Thenewownerofferedusadrinkonthehouse."
Whenthenameofsomeoneorsomethingbecomesveryfamiliar
becauseitissooftenused,itiscalledahouseholdnameorword.
"Theproductwassosuccessfulthatitsnamebecameahousehold
wordinnotime."
Ifthereisahueandcryaboutsomething,thereisloudoppositiontoit.
"Therewillnodoubtbeagreathueandcrywhenthereorganizationis
announced."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertobusyenergeticactivityinan
atmosphereofgeneralexcitement.
"Iprefertoliveinthecountry.Ihatethehustleandbustleofcitylife."

Idiom
K Keepbodyandsoultogether

Keepyourfingeronthepulse

Keepyourfingerscrossed

Keepthelidonsomething

Keepalowprofile
Keepyournosetothegrindstone
Keepyouroptionsopen

Keepsomethinginproportion

Keepastiffupperlip

Keepsomethingunderwraps

Keepsomeoneposted

Keeptabsonsomething

Keepupappearances

KeepupwiththeJoneses

KeepupwiththeJoneses

Keep the wolf from the door

Kickyourself

Getakickoutofsomething

Kickback

Killtwobirdswithonestone

Onitsknees

Knee-hightoagrasshopper

Getyourknickersinatwist.

Cuttheatmospherewithaknife
Undertheknife
Knocksomebodydownwitha
feather

Knowwhichsideyourbreadis
buttered

Knuckledowntosomething

Meaning
Ifsomeoneisabletokeepbodyandsoultogether,theymanage
tosurvive.
"Hewasunemployedandhomeless,buthesomehowmanagedto
keepbodyandsoultogether."
Ifyoukeepyourfingeronthepulse,youareconstantlyawareof
themostrecenteventsordevelopments.
"Asuccessfulinvestorkeepshisfingeronthepulseofinternational
business."
Ifyoukeepyourfingerscrossed,youhopethatsomethingwillbe
successful.
"I'mdoingmydrivingtesttomorrow.Keepyourfingerscrossedforme."
Ifyoukeepthelidonsomething,youhideitorcontrolittoprevent
peoplefromfindingoutaboutit.
"Thecompanytriedtokeepalidonthenegotiationsbutwordgotout
tothePress."
Apersonwhokeepsalowprofiletriesnottoattractpublicattention.
"Theinventorisadiscreetmanwhokeepsalowprofile."
Apersonwhokeepstheirnosetothegrindstoneissomeonewho
concentratesonworkinghardathisjob.
Whenyoukeepyouroptionsopen,youpostponemakingadecision
sothatyoucanchoseamongseveralpossiblecoursesofaction.
"Theoffersoundsgood,butkeepyouroptionsopenuntilyou'resure
it'sthebestchoice."
Ifyoureacttoasituationinasensibleway,withoutexaggeratingthe
importanceorseriousnessofthefacts,youkeepthingsin
proportion.
"Yes,we'vegotaproblem,butlet'strytokeepthingsinproportion."
Ifapersonkeepsastiffupperlip,theycontaintheiremotion
anddonotletotherpeopleseetheirfeelings.
"Whensheheardthebadnews,shekeptastiffupperlip."
Ifsomethingiskeptunderwraps,itisheldsecretandnotrevealed
toanyone.
"Theplanwaskeptunderwrapsuntilthecontractwasofficiallysigned."
Ifapersonasksyoutokeepthemposted,theywantyoutokeep
theminformedaboutasituation
"Ouragentpromisedtokeepuspostedondevelopmentsinthe
negotiations."
Ifyoukeeptabsonsomething,youkeepitundercarefulobservation.
"Withtherisingcostofpetrol,we'dbetterkeeptabsonourtravelexpenses."
Apersonwhokeepsupappearancesmaintainsanoutwardshowof
prosperityorwell-beinginordertohidetheirdifficultiesfromothers.
"Hecontinuedtokeepupappearancesevenwhenbusinesswasbad."
TosaythatsomebodyistryingtokeepupwiththeJoneses
meansthattheyaretryingtohavethesamepossessionsorsocial
achievementsassomeoneelse.
"FirsttheBrownsmovedtheirchildrentoanexpensiveschool.
NowtheSmithshavedonethesame.It'ssillyhowsomepeoplefeel

theyhavetokeepupwiththeJoneses!"
Inordertokeepthewolffromthedoor,youneedtohaveenough
moneytobuyfoodandotheressentials.
"Mygrandparentsearnedbarelyenoughtokeepthewolffromthedoor."
Ifyoufeellikekickingyourself,youareangrywithyourselffor
somethingyouhavedoneornotdone.
"IcouldhavekickedmyselfforforgettingJulie'sbirthday."
Ifyougetakickoutofsomething,yougetafeelingofenjoyment
orexcitementfromsomething.
"Taniaisabitstrange-shegetsakickoutoflistening
tootherpeople'sphonemessages."
Thistermreferstomoneypaidillegallyforfavourabletreatment.
"Thepropertydeveloperswereaccusedofgivingkickbackstothelocal
authorities."
Ifyoukilltwobirdswithonestone,yousucceedindoingtwo
thingsatthesametime.
"Bystudyingonthetrainonthewayhomeeveryweek-end,
Clairekillstwobirdswithonestone."
Whensomethingsuchasacountryororganizationisonitskneesor
broughttoitsknees,itisinaveryweaksituation.
"Thecivilwarbroughtthecountrytoitsknees."
Thistermreferstoaveryyoungandsmallchild
"Lookhowtallyouare!LasttimeIsawyou,youwereknee-high
toagrasshopper!
Ifyougetyourknickersintwist,youareangry,nervousorupset
facedwithadifficultsituation
"Don'tgetyourknickersinatwist!Everythingisundercontrol."
Tosaythatyoucouldcuttheatmospherewithaknife
meansthattheatmosphereisextremelytenseorunfriendly.
Ifapersongoesundertheknife,theyhavesurgery.
Tosay"youcouldhaveknockedmedownwithafeather"
emphasizesthefactthatyouwereextremelysurprised.
"WhenIheardthenameofthewinner,youcouldhaveknocked
medownwithafeather!"
Ifyouknowwhichsideyourbreadisbuttered,youknow
whereyourinterestslie,orwhatwillbetoyouradvantage.
"Jackneverargueswithhisfather-in-law.Heknowswhich
sidehisbreadisbuttered."
Ifsomeoneknucklesdowntosomething,theystarttowork
onitseriously.
"Ifyouwanttosucceed,you'llhavetoknuckledowntosome
seriouswork."

Idiom
L Labouroflove

Lameduck

Lameexcuse
Landoftheliving
Landonyourfeet

Lashout

Lastresort

That'sthelaststraw!
Lastword

Laughallthewaytothebank

Laughupyoursleeve

Laughingstock

Laydownthelaw

Leadsomebodyupthegarden
path

Leadtoadeadend

Leadtoadeadend

Leapsandbounds

Learnthehardway

Learningcurve

Leavethedooropen

Leavenostoneunturned

Leavewellalone

Thelefthanddoesn'tknowwhat
therighthandisdoing
Lefthangingintheair
(orinmid-air)

Lefttoyourowndevices

Pullsomebody'sleg

Nothavealegtostandon

Onyourlastlegs
Lesseroftwoevils

Letbygonesbebygones

Letmebouncethisoffyou.

Letthecatoutofthebag
Totheletter

Barefacedliar

Licencetoprintmoney

Alickandapromise

Keepthelidonsomething

Liein
Tellawhitelie
(Risk)lifeandlimb

Lifeandsouloftheparty

Lifeisjustabowlofcherries!

LifeofRiley

Lightattheendofthetunnel

Lightyearsahead

Lightyearsahead

Lightsareon,butnooneishome

Lightwork

Likethebackofone'shand

Likeabatoutofhell
Likebringingaknifetoagunfight

Likeacatonhotbricks

Likeascaldedcat

Likethecatthatatethecanary

Likedeathwarmedup

Likeadogwithtwotails

Likeaheadlesschicken

Likeitorlumpit!

Likethere'snotomorrow.
(also:asiftherewerenotomorrow)

Likeamothtoaflame

Likeamothtoaflame

Likearedflagtoabull

Likesomethingthecat
draggedin
Likeathiefinthenight

Likeatonofbricks

Likewateroffaduck'sback

Likelystory

Bottomline
Crosstheline.
Lineofleastresistance

Readbetweenthelines.
Lion'sden
Lion'sshare

Lipservice

Keepastiffupperlip

Lick/smackone'slips

Lipsaresealed

Lipstickonapig

Livebeyondone'smeans

Livefromhandtomouth

Livehighoffthehog

Liveinanivorytower.

Liveoutofasuitcase

LivethelifeofRiley

Livetotellthetale
Liveuptoone's/itsreputation

Livingonborrowedtime

Lockhorns

Lock,stockandbarrel

Atloggerheads

Atloggerheads

Lookdaggersatsomeone
Lookdownyournose

Lookonthebrightside

Longinthetooth
Loosecannon

Beatalooseend

Loseone'smarbles

Loseyourshirt

Loseone'stouch

Losethethread

Loseyourtrainofthought

Ataloss

Nolovelost

Atalowebb

Luckofthedraw

Thelullbeforethestorm

Alumpinyourthroat

Inthelurch

Meaning
Ataskthatyoudoforyourownpleasureandsatisfactionandnotfor
rewardorprofitiscalledalabouroflove.
"PreparingChristmasdinnerforthefamilyiswhatmymothercalls
a"labouroflove".
Apersonororganizationthatisindifficultyandunabletomanage
withouthelpiscalledalameduck.
"Somebankshavebecomelameducksrecently."
Alameexcuseisanexplanationwhichisweakandunconvincing.
"Ifyou'rescaredtodoit,justsayso.Don'tinventsomelameexcuse."
Thisisahumorouswayofsayingthatsomeoneisstillalive.
"Hithere!It'sgoodtoseeyou'restillinthelandoftheliving!"
Ifyoulandonyourfeet,youmakeaquickrecoveryafteradifficulty
suchasabusinessfailure,anillness,aloss,etc.
"Don'tworryaboutBob.Healwayslandsonhisfeet!"
Ifyoulashoutatsomebody,youattackthem,usuallyverbally.
"Ontheninthhole,PetesuddenlylashedoutatScottand
accusedhimofcheating."
Ifyousaythatyouwoulddosomethingasalastresort,itisthelast
thingyouwoulddoifyouweredesperateandallothercoursesof
actionhadfailed.
"Istillhaven'tfoundahotelfortonight;Icanalwayssleepinthecar
asalastresort!"
Theexpressionmeansthatthisisthelatestunpleasantevent,
andthatyoucannottoleratethesituationanylonger.
Somethingdescribedasthelastwordisthemostrecentormost
fashionableinitscategory.
"Steve'snewcomputeristhelastwordintechnology."
Apersonwhomakesalotofmoneyeasily,especiallythrough
someoneelse'sstupidity,issaidtolaughallthewaytothebank.
"Ifwedon'tsucceedinrenewingthecontract,ourcompetitorswillbe
laughingallthewaytothebank"
Ifyoulaughupyoursleeve,youaresecretlyamusedatanother
person'sproblemsordifficulties.
"Tomfeltthathisexplanationwasconfusingandthathiscolleague
waslaughinguphissleeve."
Thisexpressionreferstoapersonorgroupthateveryonelaughsat
becausetheydosomethingstupidorridiculous.
"Ifyouwearthattoschoolyou'llbethelaughingstockoftheclass!"
Someonewholaysdownthelawtellspeopleveryforcefullyand
firmlywhattodo.
"Thevolunteershelpedinadisorganizedway.
Theyneededsomeonetolaydownthelaw."
Ifsomeoneleadsyouupthegardenpath,theydeceiveyou
bymakingyoubelievesomethingwhichisnottrue.
"Istillhaven'tgotapromotion.Ithinkmybossis
leadingmeupthegardenpath!"
Ifaplanoraprojectleadstoadeadend,itdevelopsnofurther
becauseithasnofuture.

"Inspiteofthescientists'efforts,theresearchleadtoadeadend."
Ifyoudosomethingin/byleapsandbounds,youmakerapidor
spectacularprogressorgrowth.
"Thenumberofsubscriberstothereviewhasgrowninleapsand
bounds."
Ifyoulearnthehardway,youlearnthroughyourownexperience,
goodandbad,ratherthanfromtheadviceorguidanceofothers.
"Hisrefusaltoacceptanyhelpmeantthathehadtolearnthehard
way."
Thisexpressionreferstothelengthoftimeneededtolearnsomething
new.
"Thenewsystemhasalonglearningcurvesowe'llhavetogivethe
stafftimetogetusedtoit."
Ifyouleavethedooropen,youbehaveinsuchawayastoallow
thepossibilityoffurtheraction.
"Bothpartiesleftthedooropenforfurthernegotiations."
Ifyoutryeverythingpossibleinordertoachievesomethingortofind
something,youleavenostoneunturned.
"Themanagementleftnostoneunturnedintheireffortstofind
asolutiontothecrisis."
Ifyouleavewellalone,youdecidenottointerferewithor
changesomethingthatisacceptableoradequate.
"Itwouldbehardtogetabetterdeal.Let'sjustleavewellalone."
Thisexpressionmeansthatcommunicationwithinagroupor
organizationissobadthatpeopledon'tknowwhattheothers
aredoing.
Ifaproblemorissueislefthangingintheair,nodecisionhas
beentakensoitremainswithoutasolution.
"Nosolutionwasproposedduringthemeetingsothequestionwas
lefthangingintheair."
Ifyouleavesomeonetotheirowndevices,youletthem
lookafterthemselves,withoutanyhelp.
"Whenlefttotheirowndevices,manychildrenwatchTV
andeatjunkfood."
Ifyoupullsomebody'sleg,youteasethembytellingthem
somethingthatisnottrue.
"OfcourseI'mnotgoingtobuyasportscar.Iwasjust
pullingyourleg!"
Tosaythatsomeonedoesn'thavealegtostandonmeans
thattheycan'tprovewhattheysay.
"Threepeopletestifiedagainsthim.Hedidn'thavealegtostandon."
Ifyouareonyourlastlegs,youareinaveryweakconditionor
abouttodie.
Ifyouchoosethelesseroftwoevils,youoptfortheless
unpleasantoftwopooroptions.
"Ididn'twanttogo.Choosingthetraininsteadofdrivingwasthe
lesseroftwoevils;atleastIcouldrelaxontheway."
Ifyouletbygonesbebygones,youdecidetoforgetaboutpast
disagreements.
"WhenCharlie'ssonwasborn,hedecidedtoletbygonesbe
bygonesandcontactedhisparents."

Yousaythiswhenyoupresentanideaorplantosomeoneinorder
totesttheirreactionorobtainfeedback.
"IthinkI'vefoundawayofmakingmoney.
Letmebouncethisoffyou."
Ifyouletthecatoutofthebag,yourevealasecret,
oftennotintentionally.
Ifyoufollowinstructionsordirectionstotheletter,youdoexactly
asistoldorwritten.
"Althoughshefollowedtheinstructionstotheletter,shecouldn'tget
theDVDplayertowork."
Someonewholieseasily,withatotallackofshame,iscalleda
barefacedliar.
"Thatbarefacedliarstolemywatchandsaidhe'dfoundit!"
Thisexpressionreferstoanofficiallyauthorizedactivitywhichenables
peopletomakealotofmoneywithoutmucheffort.
"Thecontracttosupplycomputerstoschoolswasalicencetoprint
money."
Ifyougivesomethingalickandapromise,youmakeaquickand
carelessattempttocleansomething,withtheintentionofdoingit
morethoroughlylater.
"Shegavethekitchenalickandapromisebeforesherantocatch
thebus"
Ifyoukeepthelidonsomething,youhideit
orcontrolittopreventpeoplefromfindingoutaboutit.
"Thecompanytriedtokeepalidonthenegotiationsbutwordgotout
tothePress."
Ifyouliein,youstayinbedafterthenormaltimeforgettingup.
"Great!TomorrowI'mnotondutysoIcanliein."
Totellawhiteliemeanstosaysomethingwhichisnottrue
inordertoprotectsomeoneortoavoidhurtingtheirfeelings.
Ifyourisklifeandlimb,youareindangerofdeathorserious
injury.
"Theroadsareicytoday;you'llrisklifeandlimbifyougobycar."
Thelifeandsoulofthepartyisthemostlivelyandamusing
personpresentatanevent.
"I'msogladweinvitedCaroline.Shewasthelifeandsouloftheparty!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatlifeispleasantanduncomplicated.
"Nowthathe'sretired,mygrandfatheroftensays
"lifeisjustabowlofcherries".
IfyoulivethelifeofRiley,youhaveacomfortableandenjoyable
life,withouthavingtoworktoohard.
"Hemarriedamillionaire,andsincethenhe'sbeenlivingthelifeof
Riley."
Ifyouseelightattheendofthetunnel,youseesignsofhope
forthefutureafteralongperiodofdifficulty.
"Salesdroppedheavilylastyearbutwe'rebeginningtoseelight
attheendofthetunnel."
Ifsomeoneorsomethingislightyearsahead,theyarefarahead
intermsofdevelopmentorprogress.
"We'vegottoinvestmoreinresearch-ourcompetitorsarelightyears

ahead!"
Ahumorouswayofreferringtoapersonwhoislackingintellect
and/orsanity,ortosomeonewhoissimplypreoccupiedandnot
payingattention.
"ForgetaboutAndytoday-thelightsareonbutnooneishome!"
Ifapersonmakeslightworkofsomething,theydoitveryeasilyor
withlittleeffort.
"Aftertheparty,theboysmadelightworkofthecleaningup.
Thehousewasspotlesswhentheyleft."
Ifyouknowsomethinglikethebackofyourhand,youarevery
familiarwithitandknowitindetail.
"OfcourseIwon'tgetlost.IknowLondonlikethebackofmyhand!"
Ifsomethingmoveslikeabatoutofhell,itmovesveryquickly.
"Hegrabbedtheenvelopeandranlikeabatoutofhell."
Tosaythatanactionwaslikebringingaknifetoagunfight
meansthattherewasatotallackofpreparation.
"Askinganinexperiencedlawyertodefendsuchadifficultcase
waslikebringingaknifetoagunfight.
Apersonwhoislikeacatonhotbricksisverynervousor
restless.
"Theweekbeforetheresultswerepublished,shewaslike
acatonhotbricks."
Ifsomeoneorsomethingmoveslikeascaldedcat,theymove
veryfast,usuallybecausetheyarefrightenedorshocked.
"Assoonashesawthepoliceman,heranofflikeascaldedcat."
If,afteranachievementorsuccess,apersonappearsvery
self-satisfiedorpleasedwiththemselves,youcansaythatthey
looklikethecatthatatethecanary.
"Whenthebosscomplimentedhimonhiswork,Stevelooked
likethecatthatatethecanary."
Ifyoulooklikedeathwarmedup,youlookveryillortired.
"Mybosstoldmetogohome.HesaidIlookedlikedeath
warmedup."
Ifsomebodyislikeadogwithtwotails,theyareextremely
happy.
"WhenPaulwonthefirstprize,hewaslikeadogwithtwotails."
Ifapersonrushesaboutlikeaheadlesschicken,theyactina
disorderlyway,withoutthinkingoranalyzingthesituationcarefully.
"Assoonasthestoreopened,mymotherstartedrunningaround
likeaheadlesschicken,eagertofindbargains."
Ifyoutellsomeonetolikeitorlumpit,youmeanthattheywill
havetoacceptsomethingeveniftheydon'tlikeit,becausethe
situationisnotgoingtochange.
"We'respendingaweekthissummerwithyourgrandparentslikeitorlumpit!"
Ifsomeonedoessomethinglikethere'snotomorrow,theydoit
fastandeagerly,andirregardlessofthefuture,asifthiscouldbe
theirlastopportunitytodoit.
"Idon'tunderstandhim;he'sspendingmoneylikethere'sno
tomorrow."
Tosaythatapersonisattractedtosomeoneorsomething

likeamothtoaflamemeansthattheattractionissostrong
theycannotresist.
"He'sdrawntothecasinolikeamothtoaflame."
Tosaythatastatementoractionislikearedflagtoabullmeans
thatitissuretomakesomeoneveryangryorupset.
"Don'tmentionTom'spromotiontoMike.Itwouldbelikearedflag
toabull!"
Ifyoucompareapersonorthingtosomethingthecatdragged
in,youthinktheylookdirty,untidyorgenerallyunappealing.
"Myteenagesonoftenlookslikesomethingthecatdraggedin."
Someonewhoactslikeathiefinthenightdoessomething
secretlyorinanunexpectedmanner.
"Heleftthecompanylikeathiefinthenight,withouttellinghis
colleaguesorsayinggoodbye."
Ifsomebodycomesdownonyoulikeatonofbricks,
theycriticizeyouseverelybecauseyouhavedonesomething
wrong.
Tosaythatsomething,suchascriticismoradvice,islikewater
offaduck'sbackmeansthatithasnoeffectatall.
"He'swarnedofthedangersofsmokingbutit'slikewateroffa
duck'sback."
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythatyoudonotbelievewhathas
justbeensaid.
"Hesaidhe'dfoundthemoneyonthestreet-that'salikelystory!"
Ifyouusethetermbottomlineinanexplanationordiscussion,
yourefertothemostimportantorfundamentalpoint.
Tocrossthelinemeanstogobeyondtheauthorizedlimits
bydoingsomethingunacceptable.
Ifyouoptforthelineofleastresistance,youchoosetheeasiest
wayofdoingsomething.
"Tomakesurethechildrenwouldstayinside,hechosethelineof
leastresistanceandrentedafilm."
Toreadbetweenthelinesmeanstounderstandasituation
withoutaclearexplanationorfulldetails.
Ifyouwalkintothelion'sden,youfindyourselfinadifficultsituation
inwhichyouhavetofaceunfriendlyoraggressivepeople.
Thelion'sshareofsomethingisthelargestportion,orthebestpart.
"Heleftverylittlemoneytohischildren;thelion'ssharewasdonated
tocharity."
Ifyoupaylipservicetoanideaorcause,yougiveverbalsupport
orapprovalbutfailtoactuallydoanything.
"Inspiteofpromisingequalpayforwomen,themanagementis
suspectedofpayinglipservicetothepromotionofwomen'srights."
Ifapersonkeepsastiffupperlip,theycontaintheiremotion
anddonotletotherpeopleseetheirfeelings.
"Whensheheardthebadnews,shekeptastiffupperlip."
Tosaythatapersonislickingorsmackingtheirlipsmeansthat
theyareshowingthattheyareexcitedaboutsomethingandare
eagerforittohappen.
"Theyweresmackingtheirlipsattheideaofthemoneytheywere
goingtomake."

Ifyousaythatyourlipsaresealed,youpromisenottoreveala
secret.
"IpromiseIwon'ttellanyone.Mylipsaresealed!"
Thisexpressionmeansthattryingto'dressup'somethingunappealing
orugly,inavainattempttomakeitlookbetter,islikeputtinglipstick
onapig.
"Flowerswillnotnotimprovethatuglyoldbridge;everyoneagreesthat
it'slipstickonapig."
Ifsomeonelivesbeyondtheirmeans,theyspendmoremoney
thantheyearnorcanafford.
"ThecostoflivingwassomuchhigherinNewYorkthathewassoon
livingbeyondhismeans."
Ifyoulivefromhandtomouth,youdon'thaveenoughmoney
tosave.Whateveryouearnisspentonfoodandotheressentials.
"Mostfamiliesinthatpoorarealivefromhandtomouth."
Someonewholiveshighoffthehoghasalotofmoneyandavery
comfortablelifestyle.
"Nowhe'swealthyandlivinghighoffthehog."
Apersonwholivesinanivorytowerhasalifestylewhich
preservesthemfromtheproblemsanddifficultiesexperiencedby
others.
"You'recompletelyoutoftouch-it'stimetocomeoutofyourivory
towerandseewhat'sgoingon!"
Someonewholivesoutofasuitcasetravelsalot,movingfromplace
toplace,andisthereforerestrictedtothecontentsoftheirsuitcase.
"Sarah'snewjobinvolvessomuchtravellingthatshelivesoutofa
suitcasemostofthetime."
IfyoulivethelifeofRiley,youhaveacomfortableandenjoyable
life,withouthavingtoworktoohard.
"Hemarriedamillionaire,andsincethenhe'sbeenlivingthelifeof
Riley."
Someonewholivestotellthetalesurvivesaterribleexperience.
"Onlytwomembersoftheexpeditionlivedtotellthetale."
Ifsomeoneorsomethinglivesuptoitsreputation,it'sasgood,
orasbad,aspeoplesay.
"Theguesthouseliveduptoitsreputation;theownerswereasfriendly
andhospitableaswehadbeentold."
Thisexpressionreferstoaperiodoftimeafteranillnessoraccident
whichcouldhavecauseddeath.
"Afterheartsurgery,somepatientssaythey'relivingonborrowed
time."
Ifyoulockhornswithsomebody,youargueorfightwiththemabout
something.
"Ifthereisanotherincidentlikethatinthebuilding,theoccupants
willbelockinghorns!"
Thisexpressionmeans'everything'.
"Juliefoundtheapartmentempty.Davidhadtakeneverything
-lock,stockandbarrel!"
Ifyouareatloggerheadswithapersonororganization,you
disagreeverystronglywiththem.
"Managementandtradeunionsareatloggerheadsoverthedecision

toclosedowntheplant."
Someonewholooksdaggersatanotherlooksatthemveryangrily.
"DavidlookeddaggersatPaulwhenheinvitedhisnewgirlfriendtodance."
Ifsomeonelooksdowntheirnoseatapersonorthing,they
considerthatpersonorthingasinferior.
"Intellectualsoftenlookdowntheirnosesatamusementparks
andsuch."
Ifyoulookonthebrightside,youviewamostlyunpleasantsituation
inapositiveandoptimisticwayandseethefavourableaspects.
"OK.Youknownobody,Butthere'sabrightside-you'llmakelotsof
newfriends!"
Apersonwhoislonginthetoothisabittoooldtodosomething.
"She'sabitlonginthetoothforacabaretdancerisn'tshe?"
Someonewhoisreferredtoasaloosecannonisamemberofagroup
whocannotbecompletelytrustedbecauseofunpredictableand
irresponsiblebehaviourwhichcancausetroubleordanger.
"KeepaneyeonJamie.Hetendstoturnintoaloosecannonwhenhe
hasafewdrinks."
Apersonwhoisatalooseendhassomesparetime,andfeelsquite
boredbyhavingnothinginparticulartodo.
"Whenthemeetingwascancelledatthelastminute,Julieunexpectedly
foundherselfatalooseend.
Ifsomeonelosestheirmarbles,theybecomementallyconfused,
ornolongerbehavesensiblyorrationally.
"Theoldmanisactingverystrangely.Heseemstohavelosthismarbles."
Ifyouloseyourshirt,youloseallyourmoneyorpossessions,especially
asaresultofspeculationorgambling.
"Helosthisshirtwhenthebankwentbankrupt."
Ifyouloseyourtouch,younolongerhavetheabilitytodo
something.
"IusedtobegoodatorganizingtripsbutI'velostmytouch!"
Ifyoulosethethreadofsomethingsuchasaconversationorastory,
youareunabletofollowit.
"ThereweresomanyinterruptionsduringthefilmthatIcompletelylost
thethread."
Ifyouforgetwhatyouweresaying,forexampleafteradisturbance
orinterruption,youloseyourtrainofthought.
"WherewasI?I'mafraidI'velostmytrainofthought!"
Ifapersonisataloss,theydon'tknowwhattosayordoin
aparticularsituation.
"Teachersareatalosstoknowhowtodealwiththeincreasein
violenceinschools."
Tosaythatthereisnolovelostbetweentwopeoplemeansthat
theydonotlikeeachotheratall.
"ThereisnolovelostbetweentheConservativePartyandthe
LiberalParty."
Apersonororganizationatalowebbisnotasstrongor
successfulasusual.
"Therecentpoliticalcrisishasleftthecountryatalowebb."

Torefertosomethingthathappensastheluckofthedrawmeans
thatitistheresultofpurechance,withnopossibilityofchoice.
"Thesamplesdistributedvariedinsizeandvalue;itwastheluckof
thedraw!"
Thisexpressionreferstoaperiodofunnaturalcalmbeforea
difficulttimeorviolentactivity.
"ThesalesstartonJanuary1st.Thequietperiodbeforethatis
justthelullbeforethestorm."
Ifyouhavealumpinyourthroat,youhaveatightfeelingin
yourthroatbecauseofastrongemotionsuchassadnessor
gratitude.
"ThespeechwassotouchingthatIhadalumpinmythroat."
Ifyouleavesomeoneinthelurch,youleavetheminadifficultor
embarrassingsituation.
"WhenPaulmissedthelastbus,hewasleftinthelurch."

Idiom
M Makeanassofyourself

Makeabeelineforsomething

Makeabigthing(ofsomething)

Makethebestofthings

Makeyourbloodboil
Makeyourbloodruncold

Makecoldcalls

Makeendsmeet

Makeagoof(something)

Makeheadway

Makeinroads

Makeakilling

Makelightofsomething

Makelightworkofsomething

Makeamonkey(out)ofsomeone

Makeamountainoutofa
molehill
Makeyourmouthwater

Makenothingofsomething
Makeone'sfleshcrawl

Makeone'shacklesrise
Makeorbreak

Maketherightnoises

Makesenseofsomething

Makeshortworkofsomething

Makesomeoneseereason

Makeyourselfscarce

Makeupforlosttime

Tobeoffthemark.
Meansbusiness

Atasteofone'sownmedicine

Meetsomeonehalf-way

Megaphonediplomacy

Methodinone'smadness

Burnthemidnightoil
Achanceinamillion
Feel/looklikeamilliondollars
Neverinamillionyears
Amillstonearoundyourneck

Crossyourmind
Themindboggles.
MindyourP'sandQ's

Notmissatrick

Misstheboat

Mixedblessing

Mixedfeelings

Moneyburnsaholeinyour
pocket

Moneytoburn
Moneydoesn'tgrowontrees!

Moneyforoldrope

Moneylaundering

Moneyspinner

Moneytalks
Putmoneywhereyourmouthis
Rakeinthemoney
Throwmoneyatsomething

Makeamonkey(out)ofsomeone

Monkeybusiness

Onceinabluemoon
Overthemoon

Amootpoint

Morebyaccidentthan(by)design

Moreheatthanlight

Morethanmeetstheeye

Morethanmeetstheeye

Moremoneythansense

Morepowertoyourelbow!

Mousepotato

Allmouthandnotrousers

Butterwouldn'tmeltinyourmouth

Movethegoalposts

Moveheavenandearth

Moveupintheworld

Moversandshakers

Muddythewaters

Mum'stheword

Getawaywithmurder

Murphy'slaw

Murphy'slaw

Musictoyourears.
Muttondressedaslamb

Mywayorthehighway!

Meaning
Ifyoubehavesostupidlythatyouappearridiculous,youmakean
assofyourself.
"TommadeanassofhimselfbysingingalovesongoutsideJulie's
door!"
Ifyoumakeabeelineforsomething,youhurrydirectlytowards
something.
"Theyweresohotandthirstytheymadeabeelineforthecooldrinks
section."
Ifyouattachalotofimportancetosomething,ormakeitaspecial
occasion,youmakeabigthingofit.
"It'sJack'sbirthdaybuthedoesn'twanttomakeabigthingofit,
sopleasedon'tmentionit."
Ifyoumakethebestofthings,youacceptthesituationanddo
whatyoucaninspiteofthedifficultiesordisadvantages.
"Theapartmentwasbadlylocated,buttherentwaslow,sothey
decidedtomakethebestofthings."
Ifsomethingmakesyourbloodboil,itmakesyoureallyangry.
"Hiscondescendingattitudemademybloodboil!"
Ifsomethingmakesyourbloodruncold,itshocksorscares
youalot.
"Thelookintheprisoner'seyesmademybloodruncold."
Ifyoumakecoldcalls,youtelephonepotentialcustomersfrom
alistofpeopleyoudonotknow.
"InmyfirstjobIhadtomakecoldcallsusingthetelephonedirectory."
Ifyoufinditdifficulttomakeendsmeet,youfinditdifficulttopay
foryoureverydayneedsbecauseyouhaveverylittlemoney.
"Anne'ssalaryissolowshefindsithardtomakeendsmeet.
Whenyoumakeagoofsomething,yousucceedinyourenterprise
orproducegoodresults.
"Heopenedarestaurantandworkedhardtomakeagoofit."
Ifyoumakeheadway,youmakeprogressinwhatyouaretrying
toachieve.
"Investigatorshavemadelittleheadwayintheirsearchforthe
causesofthecatastrophe.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingmakesinroads,forexampleinanewfield
orarea,theyadvancesuccessfullyormakeprogress.
"ForeigncarshavemadeinroadsintotheEuropeanmarket."
Ifyousaythatsomeonehasmadeakillingyoumeanthatthey
havehadgreatfinancialsuccess
"Hemadeakillingonthestockmarket."
Ifyoumakelightofsomething,youbehaveasthoughitisless
seriousthanitreallyis.
"Hewonseveralawardsforhisworkbutmadelightofitwhenthe
subjectwasmentioned."
Ifapersonmakeslightworkofsomething,theydoitveryeasilyor
withlittleeffort.
"Aftertheparty,theboysmadelightworkofthecleaningup.
Thehousewasspotlesswhentheyleft."

Ifyouhumiliatesomeonebymakingthemappearridiculousorfoolish,
youmakeamonkeyofthatperson.
"That'senoughteasing.Don'tmakeamonkeyoutofhim!"
Ifsomeonemakesamountainoutofamolehill,theymakea
small,unimportantproblemseemmuchmoreseriousthanitis.
"Stopmakingmountainsoutofmolehills!It'snotamajorproblem."
Foodcanmakeyourmouthwaterwhenitlooksandsmells
extremelygood.
"Thatdelicioussmellfromthekitchenismakingmymouthwater."
Ifyoumakenothingofsomething,youattachnoimportancetoit.
"Ittookhimanhourtowalktothestationbuthemadenothingofit."
Somethingthatmakesyourfleshcrawlfillsyouwithdisgustor
makesyoufeelverynervous.
"Justtalkingaboutsnakesmakesmyfleshcrawl."
Ifsomeonemakesyourhacklesrise,theymakeyouangry.
"Herconstantcriticismreallymakesmyhacklesrise!"
Circumstancesoreventsthatwillmakeorbreaksomeoneor
somethingwillcauseeithertotalsuccessortotalruin.
"Thisassignmentwillmakeorbreakhiscareer."
Ifyoumaketherightnoises,youbehaveasifyousupportor
agreewithsomethingbymakingsuitableorconventionalremarks.
"Jackseemstoapproveoftheidea;hecertainlymadealltheright
noises."
Ifyoumakesenseofsomething,youmanagetounderstand
somethingthatappearscomplicatedorincomprehensible.
"Icouldn'tmakesenseoftheinstructions."
Ifyoumakeshortworkofsomething,youdoorfinishsomething
quickly.
"Theplayersweresohungryafterthematchthattheymadeshort
workofthefoodprovided."
Ifyoumakesomeoneseereason,youpersuadethemtostop
actingfoolishlyandbehavemoresensibly.
"Hewantedtodropoutofmedicalschoolinhisfourthyear.
Hisunclemanagedtomakehimseereason."
Ifyoumakeyourselfscarce,youleaveaplaceinordertoavoid
anembarrassingsituation.
"WhenMarkandSallystartedtoargue,Idecidedtomakemyself
scarce."
Ifyoumakeupforlosttime,youincreaseyoureffortsorwork
hardertocompletesomethingormeetadeadline.
"Progresshasstoppedbecauseofbadweather,butweare
determinedtomakeupforlosttime."
Ifsomethingisoffthemark,itisincorrectorinaccurate.
Ifsomeonemeansbusiness,theyareseriousaboutwhatthey
announce.
"Thebosssaysthatinfutureanymissingmaterialwillbereported
tothepolice,andhelooksasthoughhemeansbusiness."
Ifyougivesomeoneatasteoftheirownmedicine,youtreatthem
inthesameunpleasantwaythattheyhavetreatedyou.
"Peoplewhoalwaysarrivelateshouldbegivenatasteoftheirown
medicine."

Ifyoumeetsomeonehalfway,youaccepttomakeacompromise
andgivethempartofwhattheyaretryingtoobtain.
"Wecan'tagreetoallyourconditionsbutwecouldperhapsagree
tomeethalf-way."
Ifthemedia,throughpressreleases,interviewsandannouncements,
isinstrumentalinfacilitatingdialoguebetweentwoormorecountries,
thisisreferredtoasmegaphonediplomacy.
Thisexpressionmeansthatsomeone'sbehaviourisnotasirrational
asitseems.
"He'sefficientdespitehisstrangewayofworking,sothere's
methodinhismadness!"
Apersonwhoburnsthemidnightoilstaysupverylateatnight
inordertofinishapieceofwork.
Achanceinamillionisaverysmallchance,ornochanceatall,
thatsomethingwillhappen.
Ifyoulook/feellikeamilliondollars,youlook/feelextremelygood.
"Withatanandanewhairstyle,shelookedlikeamilliondollars."
Thisexpressionmeans"absolutelynever"
"IwillneverinamillionyearsunderstandwhyAnnemarriedBob."
Somethingdescribedasamillstonearoundyourneckrefersto
aproblemorresponsibilitythatbecomesaburdenandasourceof
worry.
"Themoneyheborrowedbecameamillstonearoundhisneck"
Ifanideaorthought"crossesyourmind",yousuddenlythinkofit.
"Ithasjustcrossedmymindthattheshopsareclosedtoday."
Theexpression"themindboggles"isusedasareactionto
somethingyoufindamazingordifficulttounderstand.
IfyoutellsomeonetomindtheirP'sandQ's,youareadvising
themtobecarefulabouthowtheybehaveandwhattheysay.
"Politenessisveryimportanttomygrandparents,somindyour
P'sandQ'swhenwegotovisitthem."
Ifapersonnevermissesatrick,theyareveryawareoralert.
"TheoldladynextdoorwillknowifBillisthereornot-shenever
missesatrick!"
Ifyoumisstheboat,youfailtotakeadvantageofanopportunity
becauseyoudon'tactquicklyenough.
"ImanagedtogetmyorderthroughbeforetheendofthespecialofferbutInearlymissedtheboat!"
Somethingpleasantwhichalsohasdisadvantagesiscalledamixed
blessing.
"Heinheritedan18thcenturymansion,butthemaintenancecosts
makeitamixedblessing."
Whenyouhavemixedfeelingsaboutsomething,youreacttoit
withconflictingemotions;youarehappyandunhappyatthesametime.
"Ihadmixedfeelingsaboutleavingthecompany.Iwasexcitedabout
mynewjobbutsadtobeleavingmycolleagues."
Tosaythatmoneyburnsaholeinsomebody'spocketmeansthat
theyareeagertospenditquicklyorextravagantly.
"Assoonasshe'spaidshegoesshopping.Moneyburnsaholein
herpocket!"

Peoplewhohavemoneytoburnhavesomuchmoneythat
theycanspenditonanythingtheywant.
Tosaythatmoneydoesn'tgrowontreesmeansthatitis
notplentifuloreasilyobtained.
"BecarefulhowyouspendyourmoneyDavid.Itdoesn'tgrow
ontreesyouknow!"
Thisexpressionreferstomoneyearnedfromataskthatrequires
verylittleeffort.
"Gettingpaidforwateringthegardenismoneyforoldrope!"
Whenpeoplelaundermoney,theymanagetoconcealthesource
ofillegally-obtainedmoneysothatitisbelievedtobelegitimate.
"Certaincountrieshavebeenaccusedoffacilitatingmoneylaundering."
Ifanactivityisamoneyspinner,itisaverysuccessfulwayof
makingmoney.
"WashingcarswasquiteamoneyspinnerwhenIwasastudent."
Moneytalksmeansthatpeoplewithalotofmoneyhavepower
andinfluence.
Ifyouputmoneywhereyourmouthis,yougivefinancialsupport
toactivitiesandcausesthatyoubelieveareright.
Ifyourakeinthemoney,youmakemoneyinlargequantities.
"Bob'sbusinessissosuccessful,he'srakinginthemoney."
Ifyouthrowmoneyatsomething,youtrytosolveaproblemby
spendingmoneyonit,withoutusinganyothermethods.
"Therefugeeproblemcannotbesolvedjustbythrowingmoneyatit."
Ifyouhumiliatesomeonebymakingthemappearridiculousorfoolish,
youmakeamonkeyofthatperson.
"That'senoughteasing.Don'tmakeamonkeyoutofhim!"
Anactivitywhichisorganizedinadeceitfulordishonestwayis
calledmonkeybusiness.
"Theresultsannouncedseemsuspicious-Ithinkthere'ssome
monkeybusinessgoingon!"
Somethingthathappensonceinabluemoonissomething
thathappensrarelyorhardlyever.
overthemoon
Ifyouareoverthemoonaboutsomething,youareveryhappyaboutit.
"Whensheheardtheresultsoftheexam,Carolinewasoverthemoon.
Asubjectwhichgivesrisetoargumentordebateiscalleda
mootpoint.
"WhetherBachcomposedithimselfornotisamootpointamong
musicians."
Somethingwhichhappensmorebyaccidentthan(by)designis
donewithoutdeliberateintention.
"Ibecameaninterpretermorebyaccidentthandesign;nobodyelse
couldspeakthelanguageoftherefugees."
Ifadiscussionordebategeneratesmoreheatthanlight,itcauses
angerorintensereactionbutdoesn'tclarifyanything.
"Themeetingthatwasheldtodiscusstheproblemgeneratedmore
heatthanlight."
Whensomething(orsomeone)ismorecomplicated,difficultor
interestingthatitappears,itissaidthatthereismorethanmeets
theeye.

"Hesaidhesimplysoldhisshares,butIthinkthere'smoretoitthan
meetstheeye."
Ifyouhavemoremoneythansense,youhavealotofmoneywhich
youwastebyspendingitinafoolishmanner.
"Hecelebratedthebirthofthebabybybuyingasportscar.He'sgot
moremoneythansense!"
Thisissaidtoexpresspraiseorencouragementtosomeonefor
doingsomething.
"I'veleftmyjobandI'mgoingtoworkfree-lancefromnowon."
"Well,morepowertoyourelbow!"
Thistermreferstoapersonwhospendsalotoftimeinfrontofthe
computer.
"Mysonandhisfriendsareallmousepotatoes-constantlygluedto
thecomputer!"
Thisissaidofsomeonewhotalksalotaboutdoingsomething
butneveractuallydoesit.
"Hekeepssayinghe'sgoingtoresignandtravelaroundtheworld,
buthe'sallmouthandnotrousers!"
Ifyousaythatsomebodylooksasifbutterwouldn'tmeltin
theirmouth,
youaresayingthattheylookcompletelyinnocent,butthatthey
arecapableofdoingunpleasantthings.
Duringacourseofaction,ifsomeonemovesthegoalposts,they
changetherulesorconditions.
"We'vedecidedonasalescampaign.
Let'shopethebossdoesn'tmovethegoalpostshalfwaythrough!"
Tosaythatyouwillmoveheavenandearthmeansthatyouare
preparedtodoeverythingthatispossibleinordertoobtainorachieve
something.
"IpromiseIwillmoveheavenandearthtogetaworkpermitforyou."
Apersonwhomovesupintheworldbecomesmoreimportantin
societyormoresuccessfulintheircareer.
"RachelJoneshasmovedupintheworldsincewewerekids."
Thetermmoversandshakersreferstopeopleinpowerwhotake
anactivepartinmakingthingshappen.
"MoversandshakersareassemblinginBrusselsforthesummit."
Ifyoumuddythewaters,youmakesomethinglessclear
bygivingconfusinginformation
"Ihaddifficultyunderstanding,butAlan'sexplanationjust
muddiedthewaters!"
Tosay"Mum'stheword"meansthatthesubjectorplanis
asecretandmustnotberevealed.
"We'reorganizingasurpriseeventonNewYear'sEve,
soMum'stheword-OK?"
Tosaythatsomeonegetsawaywithmurdermeansthat
youthinktheycandosomethingunacceptablewithoutbeing
punishedorcriticized.
"Someparentslettheirkidsgetawaywithmurder!"
ReferringtoMurphy'slawexpressesasentimentofbadluckand
theideathatifanythingcangowrong,itwill.
"We'vetriedtoprepareforeverypossibleincident,butremember

Murphy'slaw..."
Tosaythatsomethingismusictoyourears,meansthatthe
informationyoureceivemakesyoufeelveryhappy.
Thisexpressionreferstoamiddle-agedorolderwomantryingtolook
youngerthanheragebydressinginclothesdesignedforyounger
people.
"Thestyledoesn'tsuitheratall-ithasa'muttondressedaslamb'
effect.
Ifyousaytosomeone"it'smywayorthehighway"youare
tellingthatpersonthateithertheyacceptwhatyoutellthemtodo
ortheyleavetheproject.
"Youdon'thavemuchchoicewhensomeonesays:
"It'smywayorthehighway."

Idiom
N Nailingjellytothewall

Yournameismud

Apainintheneck
Neckandneck

Needsmust
(whenthedevildrives)
Aneedleinahaystack

Neitherherenorthere

Nervesofsteel

Nestegg

Neveradullmoment!

Neverlookedback

Nexttonothing

Newleaseoflife

Niceaspie
Inthenickoftime

Inthenickoftime

Nine-daywonder

Nitty-gritty

Noaccountingfortaste

No-brainer

Nodice!

Nofixedabode
Ano-goarea

Nogreatshakes

Nohardfeelings

Nosmokewithoutfire

Therearenotwowaysaboutit

Noddingterms

Non-sequitur

Non-sequitur

Noseoutofjoint

Keepyournoseclean
Keepyournosetothegrindstone
Lookdownyournose
Turnupyournoseatsomething.
Notahairoutofplace

Notallthere

NotforalltheteainChina

Notbyalongchalk/alongshot

Notinthesameleague

Nothingdoing!

Nothingsucceedslikesuccess!

Nothingtowritehomeabout

Nothingventured,nothinggained

Nullandvoid
Numbercruncher

Nurse/bear/holdagrudge

Nurse/bear/holdagrudge

Gonuts
Nutsandbolts

Inanutshell.

Meaning
Tosaythatsomethingislikenailingjellytothewall,youmean
thatitisextremelydifficulttodo,ifnotimpossible.
"Keepingtrackofhismovementsislikenailingjellytothewall."
Tosaythataperson'snameismudmeansthattheyhaveacquired
abadreputationbecauseofsomethingtheyhavedoneorsaid.
"Hisnameismudnowaftertherevelationsinthenewspaper."
Ifyourefertoapersonasapainintheneck,youthinktheyare
veryirritatingorannoying.
Inacontestorcompetition,whentwocompetitorsreachthesamelevel,
theyaresaidtobeneckandneck,soitisimpossibletosaywhowillwin.
"AtthemomentthetwoteamsareneckandneckfortheWorldCup."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouaresometimesforcedbycircumstances
todosomethingthatyoudonotwanttodo.
"I'dratherstaywithyouthanattendtheconference,butneedsmust...!"
Torefertosomethingasaneedleinahaystackmeansthatitisvery
difficultorimpossibletofind.
"FindingapubinDublinwithoutknowingitsnameislikelookingfor
aneedleinahaystack!"
Somethingwhichisneitherherenorthereisunimportantorirrelevant.
"Whytheproblemwasn'tdiscoveredearlierisneitherherenorthere.
What'simportantnowistofindasolution."
Someonewhohasnervesofsteelisnotafraidinadifficultordangerous
situation.
"Youneedtohavenervesofsteeltodriveonthosemountainroads."
Ifyouhaveanestegg,youhaveareserveofmoneywhichyouputaside
forfutureneeds.
"Ourparentsconsiderthemoneyfromthesaleoftheirhouseasanestegg
fortheiroldage."
Whenthereisneveradullmoment,somethingisalwayschangingor
happening.
"Withfourteenagersathome,there'sneveradullmoment!
Ifyousaythatyouhaveneverlookedback,youmeanthatafteran
eventwhichchangedyourlifeforthebetter,youcontinuetobehappy
withthesituation.
"Sincethedayshedecidedtoworkfromhome,shehasnever
lookedback."
Thetermnexttonothingmeansaverysmallamountoralmost
nothing.
"Mybootswerearealbargain.Iboughtthemfornexttonothing
inthesales."
Apersonwhohasanewleaseoflifehasachancetolivelonger
orwithgreaterenjoymentorsatisfaction.
"Movingclosertohischildrenhasgivenhimanewleaseoflife."
Ifapersonisniceaspie,theyaresurprisinglyverykindandfriendly
"Afterourargument,shewasniceaspie!"
Ifsomethinghappensinthenickoftime,ithappensatthelast

minute,whenitisnearlytoolate.
"Thechildwasstandinginfrontoftheopenwindow.Hismother
arrivedinthenickoftime."
Aneventwhichisanine-daywondercausesinterest,surpriseor
excitement
forashorttime,butitdoesn'tlast.
"Hissuddendeparturewasanine-daywonderbuthewassoon
forgotten."
Whenpeoplegetdowntothenitty-gritty,theybegintodiscussthe
mostimportantpointsorthepracticaldetails.
"Iwasinterestedintheproject,butwedidn'tgetdowntothenitty-gritty
untilhispartnerarrived."
Thisexpressionisusedtoindicatesurpriseatanotherperson'slikes
ordislikes
"Shefellinlovewithaguywho'sshort,fat,baldandpoor...
well,there'snoaccountingfortaste!"
Adecisionorchoicethatrequireslittleornothought,becausethebest
optionissoobvious,iscalledano-brainer.
"Thechoicewasbetweenacashrefundorhavingtheamountcreditedto
myaccount-itwasano-brainer!-Itookthecash!
Ifsomeoneasksyouforsomethingandyoureply"nodice"
youmeanthatitisimpossibleoritcan'tbedone.
"Canyoulendmeyourcar?""Sorry,nodice."
Apersonofnofixedabodehasnowherepermanenttolive.
"A30-year-oldman,ofnofixedabode,waschargedwiththeburglary."
Ano-goareaisanarea,particularlyinacity,whereitisdangerous
togo.
"Touristshavebeenadvisedtoavoidpartsofthecitywhichhave
becomeno-goareas."
Tosaythatsomethingorsomeoneisnogreatshakesmeansthat
theyareuseless,ineffectiveornotverygood.
"He'sagoodactorbuthislastfilmwasnogreatshakes."
Ifyouhavenohardfeelings,youfeelnoresentmentorbitterness
aboutsomething.
WhenJackwaspromotedinsteadofSteve,hesaidtoSteve:
"NohardfeelingsIhope."
Ifitissaidbymanypeoplethatsomethingbadishappening,
theremustbesometruthinit.
"Althoughnoproofwaseverfound,peoplesaythere's
nosmokewithoutfire."
Tosaythattherearenotwowaysaboutitmeansthatthereis
onlyonesuitablewayofdealingwithsomething.
"There'snotwowaysaboutit.Youcan'tacceptthemoney,soyou
mustgiveitback."
Ifyouareonnoddingtermswithsomeone,youdon'tknowthem
verywell,justwellenoughtosay'hello'whenyoumeetthem.
"Wehaven'tmadeanyfriendsyetbutwe'reonnoddingtermswith
outneighbours."
Thislatintermreferstoastatementwhichdoesnotseemtobe
alogicalfollow-uptothepreviousstatementorargument.
"Afterannouncingthemerger,thechairmanbegantalkingabout

globalwarmingwhichseemedacompletenonsequitur."
Ifaperson'snoseisoutofjoint,theyhavebeenupset,
embarrassedoroffendedbysomebodyorsomething.
"Whenhediscoveredthathewasn'tontheinvitationlist,
thatreallyputhisnoseoutofjoint.'
Apersonwhokeepstheirnosecleanbehaveswellandavoids
trouble.
Apersonwhokeepstheirnosetothegrindstoneissomeonewho
concentratesonworkinghardathisjob.
Tolookdownyournoseatathingorperson,meansthatyoutreat
thatthingorpersonwithcontempt,orconsidertheminferior.
Ifyou"turnupyournose"atsomething,yourejectitbecause
itisnotgoodenoughforyou.
Tosaythatsomeonedoesnothaveahairoutofplacemeansthat
theirappearanceisperfect.
"Angelaisalwaysimpeccablydressed-neverahairoutofplace!"
Someonewhoisnotalltherebehavesstrangelyattimes,or
seemsabitodd.
"Ournewneighbourwearsahatandcoateveninsummer;
Idon'tthinkhe'squiteallthere!"
TosaythatyouwouldnotdosomethingforalltheteainChina
meansthatyouwouldnotdoitunderanyconditions.
"Iwouldn'tlivethereforalltheteainChina."
Thisexpressionmeans'notatall'andisusedtoemphasisea
statement,especiallyanegativeone
"Thematterhasn'tbeensettledyet,notbyalongchalk!"
Ifsomethingisnotinthesameleague,itisofamuchlower
standardthatsomethingelse.
"Hehadagoodvoicebuthewasn'tinthesameleagueasPavarotti"
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythatthereisnowayyouwould
accepttodowhatisproposed..
"WorkonSunday?Nothingdoing!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatsuccessoftenleadstofurthersuccesses.
"Thesuccessofmyfirstbookencouragedmetocontinuewriting.
Nothingsucceedslikesuccess!"
Ifyourefertosomethingasnothingtowritehomeabout,
youmeanthatitisnotofgreatinterestorimportance.
"Okay,she'swrittenacoupleofbooks,butnothingtowritehomeabout."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoucannotexpecttoachieveanything
ifyourisknothing.
"He'sgoingtoaskhisbossforapromotioneventhoughhehaslittle
chanceofobtainingsatisfaction-nothingventured,nothinggained!"
Somethingwhichisnullandvoidhasnolegalforceorisinvalid.
"Thecontractwasdeclarednullandvoid."
Thisisahumorouswayofreferringtosomeonewhoisanaccountant
orwhoisverygoodatworkingwithnumbersandcalculations.
"She'sanumbercruncherwhoperfectlyunderstandstheorganization's
financialsituation."
Ifyounurseagrudgeagainstsomeoneorsomething,youhavea
feelingofresentmentorill-willtowardsthem.

"EversinceIgotapromotion,he'sbeennursingagrudgeagainstme."
Tosaythatapersonhasgonenutsmeansthattheyhavebecome
completelyfoolish,eccentricormad.
Thenutsandboltsofsomethingarethedetailedfactsandthe
practicalaspects.
"Weneedtodiscussthenutsandboltsoftheproposalbefore
goinganyfurther."
Yousayinanutshellwhenyougiveabriefsummaryofsomething.
"Inanutshell,wedisagreedandIleftthecompany."

Idiom
O Atodds
Oddsandends

Offcolour
Offthecuff

Offtherecord

Intheoffing
Pouroilontroubledwaters

Oldwives'tale

Oldesttrickinthebook

Olivebranch

Onice

Onthecards.

Onthelevel

Onthemap
Onceinabluemoon

Onefellswoop

Oneovertheeight.

One-horsetown

One-trackmind

One-upmanship

Onlytobeexpected

Openthefloodgates

Openthekimono

Ostrichstrategy/politics

Thereare(plentyof)otherfishin
thesea

Othersideofthecoin

Outofcirculation

Outofyourdepth

Outlikealight

Outonalimb

Outtolunch

Outtolunch

Outofthepicture

Outofthequestion

Outofsorts

Outofthisworld

Over-eggthepudding

Overthehill

Overthemoon
Overmydeadbody

Gooverboard
Overplayyourhand

Meaning
Ifonepersonisatoddswithanother,theydisagree.
Oddsandendsaresmallarticles,orbitsandpiecesofallsorts,
usuallyoflittlevalue.
"Ikeepallmyoddsandendsinthisdrawer."
Ifyouareoffcolour,youlookorfeelill.
"What'sthematterwithyouTom?Youlookabitoffcolourtoday."
Ifyouspeakoffthecuff,yousaysomethingwithoutanyprevious
thoughtorpreparation.
"Hehandlesoff-the-cuffinterviewsverywell."
Ifyousaysomethingofftherecord,youdonotwantanyoneto
repeatitpublicly.
"Mycommentwasmadeofftherecord,andshouldn'thavebeen
published"
Somethingwhichisintheoffingislikelytoappearorhappensoon.
"Apparentlyanewlawonminimumwagesisintheoffing."
Ifapersonpoursoilontroubledwaters,theydoorsaysomething
tocalmatensesituation.
"Jamesisangoodnegotiator,andalwaysmanagestopouroilon
troubledwaters."
Atraditionalbelieforideawhichhasbeenprovedwrongbyscience
iscalledanoldwives'tale.
"Thebeliefthatchocolatecausesacneisanoldwives'tale."

Awell-knownandmuch-usedtrick,whichisstilleffectivetoday,
iscalledtheoldesttrickinthebook.
"Hemadeanoisetoattractmyattentionwhilehisaccomplicestole
mywallet.It'stheoldesttrickinthebook!"
Ifapersonororganizationholdsoutanolivebranchtoanother,
theyshowthattheywanttoendadisagreementandmakepeace.
"Theprotestersfinallyacceptedtheolivebranchextendedtothem."
Tosaythataplanorprojectisputonicemeansthatallfurtheraction
hasbeenpostponedforanindefiniteperiodoftime.
"Plansforanuclearpowerstationhavebeenputonice."
Somethingwhichisonthecardsisverylikelytohappen.
"Acoalitionbetweenthetwopartiesisstillonthecards."
(US:inthecards)
Ifyousaythatsomebodyisonthelevel,youarereferringtoa
truthfulandhonestperson.
"Tellmestraight:Isheonthelevelonnot?"
Ifaplacebecomesverywellknown,itisputonthemap.
"Thepresident'svisitreallyputtherestaurantonthemap."
Ifsomethinghappensonceinabluemoon,itoccursveryrarely.
"Billhasverylittlecontactwithhisbrother.Theyseeeachother
onceinabluemoon."
Ifsomethingisaccomplishedatonefellswoop,itisdoneinasingle
action,usuallyrapidlyandruthlessly.
"Thethreehousesweredemolishedatonefellswoop."
Ifapersonhashadoneovertheeight,theyareslightlydrunk
"Don'tlistentohim.Youcanseehe'shadoneovereight!"

Aplacereferredtoasaone-horsetownisasmall,boringtown
wherenothingmucheverhappens.
"Iwishmygrandparentsdidn'tliveinthatone-horsetown.It'ssuch
aboringplace!"
Ifyouhaveaone-trackmind,youhaveatendencytothinkabout
onlyonesubject.
"Thatboyhasgotaone-trackmind;allhethinksaboutisfootball!"
Thistermreferstotheartofgainingandkeepingtheadvantageover
otherpeople.
"Heisasuccessfulman,buthisone-upmanshiphaslefthimwith
fewfriends."
Ifaneventoroutcomeisonlytobeexpected,itismostlikely
tohappen.
"Theteacherwasangrybecauseyoucheatedattheexam?Thatwasonlytobeexpected!"
Ifsomeoneorsomethingopensthefloodgates,theyrelease
somethingthathadpreviouslybeenheldundercontrol.
"Itisfearedthateasingpricecontrolswillopenthefloodgates
toinflation.
Ifapersonororganizationopensthekimono,theyrevealsomething
previouslyhidden.
"It'stimetoopenthekimonoandexplainthatwecannotmeetthe
deadline.
Thistermreferstothephenomenonofignoringorevadinganobvious
probleminthehopethatitwillresolveitselfordisappear.
"Adoptinganostrichstrategywillonlymakemattersworse-we'vegot
tofindasolution!"
Tosaythismeansthatthattherearemanyotherpeoplejustas
goodastheonesomebodyfailedtoget.
"Thecandidatewechoserefusedthejob?Nevermindthereareotherfishinthesea!
Whenyouwanttomentionadifferentorcontradictoryaspectof
asituation,yourefertotheothersideofthecoin.
"Thehouseislovelyandspacious,buttheothersideofthecoinis
thatitisfarfromshopsandschools."
Ifsomeoneisoutofcirculation,theyareunavailableornotjoining
inactivitieswithothers.
"I'mgoingtodoasummercourseinNewYorksoI'llbeoutofcirculation
forawhile."
Ifyouareoutofyourdepth,youareunabletounderstandasubject
ordealwithasituationbecauseitistoodifficultforyou.
"Theleveloftheclasswastoohighforme,soveryquicklyIfelt
outofmydepth."
Ifapersongoesoutlikealight,theyaresotiredthattheyfallasleep
veryquickly.
"Assoonashisheadtouchedthepillow,hewasoutlikealight."
Ifyougooutonalimb,youdosomethingriskyorunsupportedby
others,whichleavesyouinadifficultposition.
"Jackwasreallyoutonalimbwithhisproposalnobodysupportedhisidea."
Tosaythatsomeoneisouttolunchmeansthattheyseemtobe

eitherunawareofwhat'sgoingonaroundthem,orunabletounderstand
whatishappening.
"He'shopelessasaleader-consideredas'out-to-lunch'bythegroup."
Tosaytheapersonorgroupisoutofthepicturemeansthatthey
havebeeneliminatedinacontestortournament.
"Wewerebeateninthesemi-finals,sothat'susoutofthepicture!"
Somethingwhichisoutofthequestionisimpossibleandistherefore
notworthdiscussing.
"Buyinganewcarisoutofthequestion-wecan'taffordit."
Ifsomeoneisoutofsorts,theyareupsetandirritableandnotfeeling
well.
"Thebabyisoutofsortstoday.Perhapshe'scuttingatooth."
Torefertosomethingasoutofthisworldmeansthatyouthink
itisextremelygoodorimpressive
"Thehotelwasverycomfortableandthefoodwasoutofthisworld!"
Ifyoutrytoimprovesomethingexcessivelybyaddingunnecessary
details,youover-eggthepudding.
"Keepyourreportsimple.Don'tover-eggthepudding."
Ifapersonisoverthehill,theyhavereachedanagewhen
theycannolongerperformaswellasbefore.
"Gran!Yousayyou'reoverthehillbutyou'restillasupercook!"
Ifyouareoverthemoon,youareabsolutelydelighted.
"Wewereoverthemoonwhenweheardthegoodnews."
Thisexpressionisusedwhenyouabsolutelyrefusetoallowsomeone
todosomething.
"Mum,canIgetmynosepierced?""Overmydeadbody!"
Togooverboardmeanstobetooexcitedorenthusiasticabout
something.
Ifyouoverplayyourhand,youareoverconfidentandspoilyour
chancesofsuccessbytryingtoobtaintoomuch.
"Samishopingforabonusforhisgoodresults,buthemaybe
overplayinghishandifheasksforapromotion."

Idiom
P Putthroughtheirpaces

Packoflies
Aheadofthepack

Packsomethingin

Packedlikesardines

Padthebill

Paddleone'sowncanoe

Paidpeanuts

Paintthetownred

Paintoneselfintoacorner

Paperoverthecracks

Passthebuck

Passmuster

Passingfancy

(Nota)patchon

Paydividends

Throwpearlstothepigs
(castpearlsbeforeswine)

Liketwopeasinapod

Asquarepeginaroundhole

Apenpusher

Thepenismightierthanthesword

Thepennydrops

Apennyforyourthoughts
Perishthethought

Pervertthecourseofjustice

Pesterpower

Picksomeone'sbrains

Pickholes

Pickupthepieces

Pickupthepieces

Pickupsteam

Pickupthetab
Inapickle

Pigsmightfly

Makeapigofyourself
Abitterpilltoswallow

Pillartopost

Pinkelephants

Inthepinkofhealth

Tickledpink.
Havepinsandneedles

Inthepinkofhealth

Inthepipeline
Thepits

PlanB

Plainsailing

Plasticsmile

Playwithfire

Playthegame
Playhavoc

Playbytherules

Playintosomeone'shands

Playsecondfiddle
Playfortime

Playtruant
Playawaitinggame

Aspleased(orasproud)aspunch

Plucksomethingoutoftheair

Apluminyourmouth

IsthePopeCatholic?

Thepotcallingthekettleblack

Pourcoldwateronsomething

Pourcoldwateronsomething

Pouryourheartout

Pregnantpause

Press(something)home

Pressedfortime

Prettypenny
Preyonsomeone'smind

Priceoneselfoutofthemarket

Prickupyourears

Prodsomeoneintodoing
something

Keepalowprofile
Prolongtheagony

Theproofofthepuddingisin
theeating.
Proudasapeacock
Pullafastone

Pullnopunches

Pullnopunches

Pulloutallthestops

Pullsomebody'sleg

Pullstrings

Pulltheplug(onsomething)

Pullthrough
Pullyourweight

Pushtheenvelope

Pushone'sluck

If/whenpushcomestoshove.

Pushingupthedaisies

Putitmildly

Putone'sfootinone'smouth

Putone'shouseinorder

Putouttopasture

Putouttopasture

Putthesqueezeonsomeone

Putyourbestfootforward

Putonabraveface

Putadamperonsomething

Putthatinyourpipeandsmokeit!

Putonice

Putoutfeelers

Putone'sfootinone'smouth

Putaspannerintheworks
(Throwa(monkey)wrenchintheworks)

Putyourshouldertothewheel

Putsomebodyonthespot

Meaning
Ifyouputsomeoneorsomethingthroughtheirpaces,youtesttheir
abilitytodosomethingbymakingthemperformcertainactions.
"Duringthepresentation,themachinewasputthroughitspaces."
Alargenumberofuntruthfulstatementsisreferredtoasapackoflies.
"Thestoryaboutherunhappychildhoodturnedouttobeapackoflies."
Ifapersonororganizationisaheadofthepack,theyarebetteror
moresuccessfulthantheirrivals.
"Ourproductswillhavetobemoreinnovativeifwearetostayahead
ofthepack."
Ifyoupacksomethingin,youabandonitorgiveitup.
"Shefoundcitylifesostressful,shedecidedtopackitinandmove
tothecountry."
Ifagroupofpeoplearepackedlikesardines,theyarepressed
togethertightly
anduncomfortablybecausethereisnotenoughspace.
"Thebuswasverycrowded-wewerepackedlikesardines!"
Ifsomeonepadsthebill,theyaddfalseitemstoabillorinvoicein
ordertoincreasethetotalamount.
"Checktheinvoicecarefullybeforepaying-hetendstopadthebill!"
Ifyoupaddleyourowncanoe,youdowhatyouwanttodo
withouthelporinterferencefromanyone.
"Hedecidedtopaddlehisowncanoeandsetuphisowncompany."
Ifyouarepaidpeanuts,youhaveaverylowsalary.
"Annehasaveryinterestingjobbutshe'spaidpeanuts.
Hersalaryisverylow."
Ifyoupaintthetownred,yougooutandenjoyalivelyeveningin
bars,night-clubs,etc.
"Tocelebratethevictory,theteam'ssupporterspaintedthetownred."
Ifyoupaintyourselfintoacorner,yougetyourselfintoabad
situationthatitisdifficultorimpossibletogetoutof.
"Andypaintedhimselfintoacornerbysigningacontractwitha
friendwhoturnedouttobeincompetent."
Tosaythatsomeoneispaperingoverthecracksmeansthat
theyareconcealingaproblemratherthandealingwithiteffectively.
"Themeasurestakentoreduceunemploymentarejustpaperover
thecracks."
Ifyousaythatsomeoneispassingthebuck,youareaccusingthem
ofnottakingresponsibilityforaproblemandlettingothersdealwithit
instead.
"Wheneveracustomercomestocomplain,shealwaysfindsawayof
lookingbusy.Talkaboutpassingthebuck!"
Ifsomeoneorsomethingpassesmuster,theyareconsideredtobe
satisfactoryoracceptable.
"Theinterviewwentwell.IhopeI'llpassmuster."
Ifyouhaveapassingfancyforsomething,youbecomefondofit
forashorttime.
"Myfatherstartedcollectingstampsafewyearsago,butitwas
justapassingfancy."

Ifsomeoneorsomethingisnotapatchonanother,theyarenot
nearlyasgood.
"Hissecondconferencewasn'tapatchonthefirstone.
Somethingwhichpaysdividendsbringsanadvantageorbenefit
atalaterdate.
"MakinganefforttoimproveyourEnglishwillpaydividendslateron."
Thisexpressionmeansthatitisawastetooffersomethingvaluable
orusefultosomeonewhodoesnotunderstandorappreciateit.
"Shehadabeautifullytrainedvoicebuttheaudiencedidn'tlistentalkaboutthrowingpearlstopigs!"
Tosaythattwopeopleareliketwopeasinapodmeansthat
theyareverysimilarinappearance.
"Itwasn'tdifficulttoidentifythebrothers-theywerelike
twopeasinapod!"
Tosaythatapersonisa"squarepeginaroundhole",means
thattheyarenotsuitableforthejobtheyaredoingorthesituation
theyarein.
Torefertosomeoneasa"penpusher"meansyouthinkthatperson
doesworkwhichrequireslittleaction,justofficework,andtheythey
lackoperatingexperience.
Thisexpressionmeansthatwordsandcommunicationhavegreater
effectthanwarandfighting.
"Thetreatyputanendtothehostilities-
thepenismightierthanthesword!"
Whenapersonhasdifficultyunderstandingorrealizingsomething,
andthenthepennydrops,theyfinallyunderstand.
"Theteasingcontinuedforsometimeuntilthepennydroppedand
herealizeditwasajoke!"
Thisphraseisusedtoasksomeonewhattheyarethinkingabout.
"Youlookpensive.Apennyforyourthoughts."
Thisexpressionisusedwhenthespeakerreallyhopesthatsomething
willnothappen.
"IfIlostmyjob,perishthethought,Idon'tknowhowwe'dsurvive."
Ifapersonpervertsthecourseofjustice,theytellalieorprevent
thepolicefromfindingoutthetruthaboutsomething.
"Thesuspectwasaccusedoftryingtopervertthecourseofjustice"
Thisexpressionreferstothepowerchildrenexertovertheirparents
bycontinuallynaggingorpesteringthemuntiltheyaccepttobuy
advertisedtoysorfashionableproducts.
"Pesterpowerleadsbusyparentstobuymoreandmorefor
theirchildren."
Ifyoupicksomeone'sbrains,youaskquestionsaboutaparticular
subjectinordertoobtainadviceorinformation.
"Couldwehavelunchtogether?I'dliketopickyourbrainsabout
something."
Ifsomeonepicksholesinsomethingsuchasaplan,anideaoran
argument,theycriticizeitortrytofindfaultwithit.
"Whydon'tyoumakeasuggestioninsteadofpickingholesinallmy
ideas!"
Aftersomethingdisastroushashappened,ifyoupickupthepieces,
youdowhatyoucantogetthesituationbacktonormalagain.

"Afterfiredestroyedtheirhouse,ittookthemalongtimetopickup
thepieces."
Ifsomethingsuchasaprojectorprocesspicksupsteam,itstarts
todeveloporbecomemoreactive.
"ThecampaignstartedslowlybutitpickedupsteamafterChristmas."
Ifyoupickupthetab,youpaythebillorpaythecostofsomething.
"TherewasacelebrationlunchforthegroupandBillpickedupthetab."
Ifyouareinapickle,youareinadifficultsituationandneedhelp.
"Mycarwon'tstartandthetrainsareonstriketoday-I'minareal
pickle!"
Tosaypigsmightflyexpressesdisbelief,ortheideathatmiracles
mighthappenbutareextremelyunlikely.
"Mygrandmotherbuyingacomputer?...Yeah!...andpigsmightfly!"
Ifyoumakeapigofyourself,youeatanddrinktoomuch.
"Watchwhatyoueat-don'tmakeapigofyourself!"
Abitterpilltoswallowissomethingverydifficultorunpleasant
toaccept.
"Losinghisjobafterorganizingthemergerwasabitterpilltoswallow."
If a person, usually someone in difficulty, goes from pillar to post,
they move constantly from place to place.
"When the factory closed down, Billy moved from pillar to post in
search of a new job."
Thistermreferstohallucinationsorstrangeimaginarythingsseen
bypeopleasaresultofheavydrinkingortheuseofnarcotics.
"Nomoredrinksformeplease,otherwiseI'llbeseeingpink
elephants!"
Ifyouareinthepinkofhealth,youareinexcellentphysical
conditionorextremelyhealthy.
"Carolinelookedinthepinkofhealthafterherholiday."
Ifyousayyouaretickledpink,youareverypleasedabout
something.
Tohavepinsandneedlesistohaveatinglingsensationinapart
ofthebody,forexampleanarmoraleg,whenithasbeeninthe
samepositionforalongtime.
Ifyouareinthepinkofhealth,youareinexcellentphysical
conditionorextremelyhealthy.
"Carolinelookedinthepinkofhealthafterherholiday."
Ifsomethingisinthepipeline,itisinprogressorbeingorganized
atthemoment.
Ifsomethingisreferredtoasthepits,itisconsideredtobe
absolutelytheworst.
"Thatmagazinereallyisthepits!"
PlanBisanalternativesolutiontobeadoptedifone'soriginalplan
doesnotsucceed.
"Theideaistogetacaterertoprovidethefoodifit'snottooexpensive.
Ifit'stoocostly,PlanBistoorganizeabuffetwiththehelpofmy
friends."
Anactivityortaskthatisplainsailingiswithoutdifficultyorfree
fromtrouble.
"Oncetheplanswereaccepted,itwasplainsailingalltheway."

Apersonwithaplasticsmileiswearingaforcedsmilewhich
makesthemappearhappierthantheyreallyare.
"Areceptionistgreetedcustomerswithaplasticsmile."
Peoplewhotakeunnecessaryrisksorbehaveinadangerousway
areplayingwithfire.
"Drivingaloneonisolatedroadsisplayingwithfire."
Ifyouplaythegame,youaccepttodothingsaccordingto
theruleslaiddownbyothers.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingplayshavoc,theycausedisorderand
confusion.
"Thefloodsplayedhavocwiththeconstructionwork."
Ifyouplaybytherules,youbehaveinafairandhonestwaywith
people.
"Youcantrusthim,don'tworry.Healwaysplaysbytherules."
Ifyouplayintosomeone'shands,youdoexactlywhatyour
opponentorenemywantsyoutodo,sothattheygainanadvantage
overyou.
"Whentheleadersoftheprotestmovementbecameviolent,
theyplayedrightintothehandsofthepolice."
Ifyouplaysecondfiddletosomebody,youaccepttobesecond
inimportancetothatperson,orhavealowerposition.
Ifyouplayfortime,youtrytodelayorpreventsomethingfrom
happeninginordertogainanadvantage.
"Hedecidedtoplayfortimeinthehopethatthepricewould
decrease."
Ifyouplaytruant,youstayawayfromschoolwithoutpermission
orexcuse
Ifyouplayawaitinggame,youdeliberatelydelaytakingaction
inordertobeabletoactmoreeffectivelylater.
"Thecatkeptitseyesonthebird,carefullyplayingawaitinggame."
Someonewhoisaspleased(orasproud)aspunchisdelighted
orfeelsverysatisfiedaboutsomething.
"Dannywasasproudaspunchwhenhewonthetennismatch."
Toplucksomethingoutoftheairmeanstosayaname,date,
number,etc.spontaneously,withoutthinkingaboutit.
"Whatarewegoingtocallthecat?"
"Ijustpluckedanameoutoftheairandsaid"HowaboutDaisy?"
Someonewhospeakswithanupperclassaccentissaidtohave
aplumintheirmouth.
"Hespeaksjustlikeanaristocrat-withapluminhismouth!"
Asarcasticwayofansweringaquestionintheaffirmative
whentheanswerisobviously'yes'.
"Dobirdsfly?Ofcoursetheydo!IsthePopecatholic?"
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertoasituationwhere
apersonwithafaultcriticizessomeoneelseforhavingthesamefault.
"Afterbeingdisqualifiedfornotobeyingtherules,theplayer
accusedanothercompetitorofcheating;itwasacaseof
thepotcallingthekettleblack!"
Ifyoupourcoldwateronsomeone'splans,opinionsorideas,you
discouragethembyshowinglittleenthusiasmorexpressingyour
misgivings.

"Thecommitteethrewcoldwaterontheideaofacceptingnew
members."
Ifyoupouryourheartouttosomeone,youexpressyourfeelings
andtroublesfreely.
"Whensheneedstopourherheartouttosomeone,shegoestovisit
hergrandmother."
Apregnantpauseisamomentofsilencefullofunexpressed
meaningorsignificance.
"Therewasapregnantpausebeforethepresidentanswered
thejournalist'squestion."
Ifyoupresssomethinghome,youinsistonapointinadiscussion
orargument.
"Herlawyerkeptpressinghomethefactthatshewasasinglemother."
Ifyou'repressedfortime,youhavehardlyenoughtimetodo
something,soyoumusthurry.
"Sorry.Ican'ttalktoyounow-I'mabitpressedfortime."
Ifsomethingcostsyouaprettypenny,itcostsyoualotofmoney.
"Thatnewcarmusthavecosthimaprettypenny!"
Ifsomethingpreysonyourmind,ittroublesyousomuchthatyou
keepthinkingaboutit.
"Thevisionofthehouseonfirekeptpreyingonhermind."
Ifyoupriceyourselfoutofthemarket,youchargesuchahigh
priceforyourgoodsorservicesthatnobodybuysthem.
"Hewassoeagertomakemoneythathepricedhimselfout
ofthemarket."
Ifyouprickupyourears,yousuddenlypayattentiontowhatis
beingsaid.
"Thechildrenprickeduptheirearswhentheyheardtheword
'cookies'."
Ifyouprodsomeoneintodoingsomething,youmakeaslow
orhesitantpersondosomethingthattheyarereluctanttodo.
"Shewasidealforthejob,butIhadtoprodherintoapplyingfor
theposition."
Peoplewhokeepalowprofileavoiddoingthingsthat
willdrawattentiontothem.
Ifsomeoneprolongstheagony,theymakeanunpleasantor
tensesituationlastlongerthannecessary.
"Pleasedon'tprolongtheagony.JusttellmewhetherI'vebeen
acceptedornot."
Thisexpressionmeansthatsomethingnewcanonlybejudged
afterithasbeentested.
Apersonwhoisasproudasapeacockisextremelyproud.
"Whenhissonwonfirstprize,Billwasasproudasapeacock."
Topullafastonemeanstogainanadvantageoversomeoneby
deceivingthem.
"ThestreetvendorpulledafastoneonTom.Hesoldhimabig
bunchofroses,butwrappedasmallerbunchwhileTomwas
takingouthiswallet."
Whensomeonepullsnopunches,theyspeakopenlyandhonestly,
holdingnothingback.
"Thedoctorpullednopunches.Heexplainedindetailtherisks

oftheoperation.
Ifyoupulloutallthestops,youdoeverythingyoucantomake
somethingsuccessful.
"We'llhavetopulloutallthestopstogetthestorereadyforthe
openingday."
Ifyoupullsomebody'sleg,youteasethembytellingthem
somethingthatisnottrue.
"OfcourseI'mnotgoingtobuyasportscar.Iwasjustpulling
yourleg!"
Ifsomebodypullsstrings,theyuseinfluentialfriendsinorderto
obtainanadvantage.
"Davidfoundajobeasily-hisDadjustpulledafewstrings!"
Ifyoupulltheplugonsomething,youputanendtoitorprovide
nomoresupportforit.
"Thereweresofewenrolmentsthattheschooldecidedtopull
theplugontheyogaclass.
Ifyoupullthrough,yourecoverfromaseriousillness.
Ifyousaythatsomeonepullstheirweight,youmeanthat
theydotheirfairshareofthework.
"It'sgreatworkingwithSandra.Shealwayspullsherweight."
Whenyoupushtheenvelope,youdosomethinginanextreme
way,orexceedthelimitsofwhatisconsideredacceptable.
"SomeTVprogrammesreallypushtheenvelopewhentheyexpose
people'sprivatelives."
Ifyoupushyourluck,youtrytogetmorethanwhatyouhave
alreadyobtained,andriskspoilingthesituation.
"You'vegotyourfather'spermissiontogototheconcert.
Don'tpushyourluckbytryingtoborrowhiscar!"
Youusetheexpressionif,orwhen,pushcomestoshove,
torefertowhatyouwilldoifthesituationbecomescriticaland
youhavetomakeadecisionortakeaction.
"Thereshouldbeenoughroomforeveryone,butifpushcomes
toshovewecangotothehotel."
Ifyousayofsomeonethattheyarepushingupthedaisies,
youmeanthattheyaredead.
"OldJohnnyBarnes?He'sbeenpushingupthedaisiesfor
over10years!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouexpressyouropinionorreaction
inacontrolledway,withoutexaggeration.
"She'sthreeyearsoldandalreadyabletoread.That'spromising,
toputitmildly."
Ifyouputyourfootinyourmouth,youdoorsaysomething
thatoffends,upsetsorembarrassessomeoneelse.
"Shereallyputherfootinhermouthwhenshementionedthe
housewarmingparty-Andyhadn'tbeeninvited!"
Ifyouputyourhouseinorder,yourorganizeyourownaffairs
orimproveyourmethodsbeforecriticizingothers.
"Thegovernmentshouldputitsownaffairsinorderbeforetelling
othercountrieswhattodo."
Tosaythatsomeonehasbeenputouttopasturemeansthat
theyhavebeenforcedtoretireorgiveuptheirresponsibilities.

"He'singoodhealthandfeelsit'stooearlytobeputouttopasture."
Ifyouputthesqueezeonsomebody,youputpressureonthem
toforcethemtoactinaparticularway.
"Bobwasreluctanttoreplacehiscolleagueuntilthebossputthe
squeezeonhim."
Ifsomeoneputstheirbestfootforward,theydosomethingas
fastastheycan.
"It'salongwaytothestation,butifIputmybestfootforward
Ishouldcatchthenexttrain."
Whenconfrontedwithdifficulties,ifyouputonabraveface,youtry
tolookcheerfulandpretendthatthesituationisnotasbadasitis.
"Evenattheworstoftimessheputonabraveface."
Ifsomeoneorsomethingputsadamperonasituationorevent,
theymakeitlesssuccessfulorenjoyable.
"Thepartywasgoinggreatuntiltheneighbour'scomplaintsput
adamperonit."
YouhavetoacceptwhatIsay,whetheryoulikeitornot.
"Iamnotgoingtobuyyouascooter,soputthatinyourpipeand
smokeit!"
Tosaythataplanorprojectisputonicemeansthatallfurtheraction
hasbeenpostponedforanindefiniteperiodoftime.
"Plansforanuclearpowerstationhavebeenputonice."
Ifapersonororganizationputsoutfeelers,theycautiouslycheck
theviewsofothers.
"Thepoliticianputoutfeelerstotestpublicreactiontohisfuture
proposals."
Ifyouputyourfootinyourmouth,youdoorsaysomethingthat
offends,upsetsorembarrassessomeoneelse.
"Shereallyputherfootinhermouthwhenshementionedthe
housewarmingparty-Andyhadn'tbeeninvited!"
Toputaspannerintheworksmeanstocauseproblemsand
preventsomethingfromhappeningasplanned.
(IntheUS,theword'wrench'or'monkeywrench'isusedinsteadof
'spanner'.)
Ifyouputyourshouldertothewheel,youstartputtingalotof
effortintoadifficulttask.
"We'llhavetoputourshoulderstothewheeltogetthestoreready
fortheopeningday."
Ifyouputsomebodyonthespot,youputtheminadifficult
situation,forexamplebyaskingembarrassingordifficultquestions
whichtheycannotavoid.
"Whenthereporterwasaskedtorevealhissource,hewasreally
putonthespot."

Idiom
Q Inaquandary

ontheQT
(no)quickfix

Haveaquicktemper
Quickoffthemark

Quick/slowontheuptake

(as)quietasamouse
Callitquits.
R Araceagainsttime
Rackone'sbrains

Fromragstoriches

Takearaincheck

Itneverrainsbutitpours

Rainingcatsanddogs
Raiseeyebrows

Rakeovertheashes

Rakeovertheashes

Rantandrave

Taketherap

Inraptures

Smellarat
Reachforthemoon
Readyandwaiting

Rechargeyourbatteries

Recipefordisaster

Settherecordstraight
Inthered
Seered
Redcarpet
Red-handed
Redherring

Redtape

Refreshsomeone'smemory

Takesomeoneforaride
Rideroughshodoversomething

Rideroughshodoversomething

Rightasrain

Rightupyouralley

Ringouttheoldyearand
ringinthenew
Rip-off

Rippleeffect

Risetotheoccasion

Risklifeandlimb

Hittheroad.
Roadrage

Roaringtrade
RobPetertopayPaul

Rocktheboat

Rocketscience

Rollupyoursleeves

WheninRome,doastheRomans.
Gothroughtheroof
Learntheropes

Rottenapple

Roughandready

Roughdiamond

Rubsaltintothewound

Rubshoulders

Sweepsomethingundertherug.
Ruletheroost

Runoutofsteam

Runrings/circlesaround

Meaning
Ifyouareinaquandaryaboutsomething,youfinditdifficulttodecide
whattodo.
"Thejobtheyofferislessinterestingbutthesalaryisbetter.I'mina
quandaryaboutwhattodo."
IfsomethingisdoneontheQT,itisdonequietlyordiscreetly.
"TheygotmarriedontheQTlastsummerandtoldnobody."
Tosaythatthereisnoquickfixtoaproblemmeansthatthereis
nosimplesolution.
"Thereisnoquickfixforunemployment;majorreformsarenecessary."
Ifyouhaveaquicktemper,yougetangryveryeasily.
"Hemakesmenervous-he'sgotsuchaquicktemper."
Tosaythatsomeoneisquickoffthemarkmeansthattheyarequick
toreacttoaneventortakeadvantageofanopportunity.
"You'vegottobequickoffthemarktoavailoftheairline'sspecialoffers."
Someonewhoisquickorslowontheuptakeisquickorslowto
understandwhatismeant.
"Pleaseexplaintheprobleminsimplewords-I'mabitslowonthe
uptake."
Whensomeoneisasquietasamouse,theymakenonoiseatall.
"Theburglarwasasquietasamouseashemovedaroundthehouse."
Ifyousay"I'mgoingtocallitquits",thismeansthatyouaregoing
tostopdoingsomething,orendwhatyouaredoing.
Ifsomeoneisinaraceagainsttime,theyhavetoworkveryquickly
inordertodoorfinishsomethingbeforeacertaintime.
Ifyourackyourbrains,youtryveryhardtothinkofsomethingorto
remembersomething.
"Christmasisalwaysahassleforme.Ihavetorackmybrainsevery
yeartofindideasforpresents."
Ifyougofromragstoriches,youstartoffbeingverypoorand
becomeveryrichandsuccessful
"Byrenovatingoldhousesintherightplaces,hewentfromragsto
riches."
Tosaythatyouwilltakearaincheckmeansthatyoucannotaccept
aninvitationoroffernow,butyouwillbehappytoacceptitatalaterdate.
"DoyoumindifItakearaincheckonthatlunchinvitation?I'mgoingto
beawayallweek."
Thisexpressionisusedtocommentonthefactthatwhensomething
badhappens,otherbadthingsoftenhappentoo,andmakethe
situationevenworse.
"Firstheforgothisbriefcase,thenhelosthiswallet,andwhenhe
reachedthecarpark,hiscarhadbeenstolen-
itneverrainsbutitpours!"
Ifit'srainingcatsanddogs,it'srainingveryheavily.
"We'llhavetocancelthepicnicI'mafraid.It'srainingcatsanddogs."
Ifyouraiseyoureyebrowsatsomething,youshowsurpriseor
disapprovalbytheexpressiononyourface.
"Whenthebossarrivedinjeans,therewerealotofraisedeyebrows."
Whenpeoplerakeovertheashes,theydiscussanunpleasantevent

whichtookplaceinthepast.
"Mygrandfather'sbusinesswentbankruptyearsago
buthestillrakesovertheashesfromtimetotime."
Ifyourantandraveaboutsomething,youprotestnoisilyandforcefully.
"Theoldmanrantedandravedaboutthenewwastecollectionsystem,
buthehadtoacceptit."
Ifyoutaketherapforsomething,youacceptblameorpunishmentfor
something,evenifyouhavenotdoneit.
"Thewholeclasshadtothetaketherapforthedisorder."
Ifyouareinrapturesaboutsomething,youaredelightedorvery
enthusiastic.
"Julieisinrapturesabouthernewapartment."
Tosay"Ismellarat"meansthatyoususpectthatsomethingis
wrong,orthatsomeoneisdoingsomethingdishonestorincorrect.
Ifyoureachforthemoon,youareveryambitiousandtrytoachieve
something,evenifit'sdifficult.
Ifsomethingorsomeoneisreadyandwaiting,theyareprepared
andavailableforaparticulartaskoroccasion.
"Therewadavastamountoffoodreadyandwaitingfortheguests."
Whenyourechargeyourbatteries,youtakeabreakfromatiring
orstressfulactivityinordertorelaxandrecoveryourenergy.
"Samiscompletelyover-worked.Heneedsaholidaytorechargehis
batteries."
Ifyourefertoaplanoranideaasarecipefordisaster,youthink
itislikelytoproducebadresults.
"OurtwofamiliestogetherforChristmas?Soundslikearecipefor
disaster!"
Tosettherecordstraightmeanstocorrectamistakeor
misunderstanding.
Ifapersonororganizationisinthered,theyowemoneyorhavea
negativeaccount.
Apersonwhoseesredbecomesveryangryorannoyed.
Torollouttheredcarpetmeanstogivespecialtreatmenttoan
importantorhonouredvisitor.
Ifapersoniscaughtred-handed,theyarecaughtwhiletheyare
doingsomethingwrongorillegal.
Aredherringreferstoafactorargumentintroducedintoadiscussion
whichdrawsattentionawayfromthemainpoint.
"Look,bureaucracyisaredherring.Howtodealwiththeoilcrisisisthe
importantissuetoday."
Thetermredtapereferstoofficialrulesandbureaucraticpaperwork
thatpreventthingsfrombeingdonequickly.
"Iftherewasn'tsomuchredtape,thecompanywouldbeupand
runningalready."
Ifyourefreshsomeone'smemory,youremindthemoffactsthey
seemtohaveforgotten.
"Letmerefreshyourmemory-you'vealreadymissedthreeclasses
thisterm.
Totakesomeoneforaridemeanstocheatordeceivethem.
Ifyourideroughshodoversomething,youbehaveinaharshor
thoughtlessmanner,oryoutreatasituationwithcontempt.

"Thegovernmentroderoughshodoveralloppositiontothenewmeasures."
Ifsomeoneis(as)rightasrain,theyareinexcellenthealthorcondition.
"Icalledtoseemygrandmother,thinkingshewasill,butshewas
(as)rightasrain!"
Ifsomethingisrightupyouralley,itisthesortofthingyoulikeor
haveknowledgeabout.
"Youlikecooking,don'tyou?Thisbookwillberightupyouralley!"
Thisexpressionmeanstoannounceandcelebratetheendofoneyear
andthebeginningofthenext.

HappyNewYear!
Tosaythatsomethingisarip-offmeansthatitcostsmuchmorethan
itshould.
"$10forahamburger?That'sarip-off!"
Whenanactionhasaneffectonsomething,whichinturneffectssomething
else,itissaidtohavearippleeffect.
"Anincreaseinthepriceofoilwillhavearippleeffectontheeconomyasa
whole."
Ifyourisetotheoccasion,youmanagetodosomethingsuccessfully
indifficultcircumstances.
"Whenherbossbrokehisleg,Juliehadtorepresentthecompanyat
thecongress,andsherosetotheoccasionextremelywell."
Ifyourisklifeandlimb,youareindangerofdeathorserious
injury.
"Theroadsareicytoday;you'llrisklifeandlimbifyougobycar."
Tohittheroadmeanstostartajourney.
Aggressivedrivinghabitssometimesresultinginviolenceagainstother
drivers.
"Anumberofcaraccidentstodayarearesultofroadrage."
Ifyoudoaroaringtradeinaparticularfield,youdoexcellentbusiness.
"Thesportsshopisdoingaroaringtradeinbicyclesthesedays."
IfapersonrobsPetertopayPaul,theypayonedebtwithmoney
borrowedfromsomewhereelse,thuscreatinganotherdebt.
"Davidborrowedmoneyfromafriendtocoverhisoverdraft;
atypicalcaseofrobbingPetertopayPaul!"
Ifyoutellsomeonenottorocktheboat,youareaskingthemto
donothingthatmightcausetroubleorupsetastablesituation.
"Aftertherecentriots,itwasdecidednottorocktheboatby
introducingstrictmeasures."
It'snotrocketscience/Youdon'tneedtobearocketscientist
Thisexpressionisusedtoemphasizethatsomethingpresentsno
particulardifficulty.
"Bobwillexplainhowitworks.Don'tworry-it'snotrocketscience!"
Whenyourollupyoursleeves,yougetreadyforhardwork.
"Theliving-roomwasinamessaftertheparty,sowehadtorollup
oursleevesandstartcleaning."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoushouldadoptthecustomsofthe
peopleorcountryyouarevisiting,andbehaveinthesameway.
Ifsomeonegoesthroughtheroof,theybecomeveryangry
"HisfatherwentthroughtheroofwhenPauldamagedhisnewcar."
Ifyoulearntheropes,youlearnhowtoaparticularjobcorrectly.

Thistermreferstoapersonwhoisconsideredtobedishonestor
immoralandhasabadinfluenceonothersinagroup.
"Itissaidthatinanyprofessionthere'salwaysarottenapple."
Somethingwhichisroughandreadyisadequatebutratherrudimentary
orunrefined.
"Theaccommodationisroughandreadybutthesceneryisfantastic!"
Thisexpressionreferstoapersonwhoisgood-naturedbutwho
lackspolishedmannersand/oreducation.
"He'sagreatguy,butabitofaroughdiamond!"
Ifyouareinadifficultorunpleasantsituation,andsomebody
rubssaltintothewound,theydoorsaysomethingtomake
thingsworse.
"TheseparationwasalreadydifficultforPete.Tom'scomments
aboutJulie'snewboyfriendjustrubbedsaltintothewound."
Ifyourubshoulderswithsomeone,youhaveanopportunityto
meetandtalktoapersonwhoiswealthy,famousordistinguished.
"Inherjobinpublicrelations,shesometimesrubsshoulderswith
famouspeople."
Ifyousweepsomethingundertherug(orcarpet),youtry
tohideitorignoreitbecauseitisembarrassing.
Ifyouruletheroost,youarethemostimportantandpowerful
personinagrouporcommunity.
"OfficiallyDavidrunsthecompany,butit'shisfatherwhoreally
rulestheroost."
Ifyousaythataperson,aprocessoranorganizedeventis
runningoutofsteam,youmeanthatthereisalossofimpetus,
energyorenthusiasm
"Theanti-immigrantmovementseemstoberunningoutofsteam."
Ifyoudosomethingmuchbetterthanyouropponent,byshowingmore
skillorability,yourunrings(orcircles)aroundthem.
"InaquizshowonTVyesterday,ateenagegirlranringsaroundtheother
contestants."
Run
People
roundin whorun
circles
roundin
acircles
have
difficultyin
achieving
things
because
oflackof
organizati
on.

"Running
roundin
circleswill
getus
nowhere-
weneed
tosetup
aplan."

Berun
down

Aperson
whois
rundown
isinpoor
physical
condition.

run-ofthe-mill

Somethin
g
described
asrun-ofthe-millis
considere
dordinary
or

uneventful
.
"I'vegot
nothing
extraordin
arytotell;
itwasa
run-ofthe-mill
sales

meeting."
Itrunsin This
thefamily referstoa
physical
ormoral
characteri
sticthatis
common
to

many
members
ofafamily
"Black
hairand
blueeyes
-the
combinati
onruns
inthe
family."
A
running
battle

Iftwo
peopleor
groups
havea
running
battle
witheach
other,
they
argueor
disagree
about
something
overa
long
periodof
time.
"There's
beena
running
battle
between
thelocal
authorities
and
the
population
overthe
school
bus
route."

Inarut

Ifyou
areina
rut,you
havea
monotono
usand
boring
wayof
life.
"Ifyou
feelyou're
inarut,
whydon't
youlook
foranew
job?"

Idiom
S Getthesack/besacked

Safebet

Insafehands

Onthesafeside

Safetyinnumbers

Sailclosetothewind

Sailthroughsomething
Takethewindoutofsomeone's
sails

Takesomethingwithapinch/grain
ofsalt.
Saltoftheearth
Sameboat

Bythesametoken

What'ssauceforthegooseis
sauceforthegander

Savesomeone'sbacon

Savesomeone'sbacon

Saveyourbreath

Savedbythebell.

Savinggrace

Scalesfallfromyoureyes

Scarceashen'steeth

Scaresomebodyoutoftheirwits

Getoff/goscot-free

Scrapethebottomofthebarrel

Scratchthesurface

Notuptoscratch
Haveascrewloose

Sealegs

Sealofapproval

Playsecondfiddle
Secondnature

Secondnature

Seethecolourofsomebody'smoney

Seered

Seeingisbelieving

Seenbetterdays

Sellsomeonedowntheriver

Sellyoursoul

Sendsomeonepacking

Seniormoment

Separatethesheepfromthegoats

Setyouback

Setinone'sways

Setinstone

Settherecordsstraight

Settherecordsstraight

Setthestage(forsomething)

Settleascore

Shakelikealeaf
Shank'spony

Shapeuporshipout

Inbadshape
Getbackintoshape
Sharpcookie
Shelflife

Comeoutofone'sshell
Shilly-shally

Likeshipsthatpassinthenight

Keepyourshirton!

Shootyourselfinthefoot

Shoparound

Shoptillyoudrop

Shoppingspree

Shoppingspree

Shoppingtherapy
Windowshopping

Shortandsweet

Shortfuse

Shortshrift

Shotinthedark

Shotgunapproach

Shouldersurfing

Achipontheshoulder

Givesomeonethecoldshoulder

Showone'struecolours

Showsomebodytheropes

Shrinkingviolet

Shrugsomethingoff
Shutthestabledoorafter
thehorsehasbolted

Theothersideofthecoin

Asightforsoreeyes
Raise/loweryoursights

Signofthetimes

Signonthedottedline

Signed,sealedanddelivered

Significantother
Silverbullet

Silverlining

Bornwithasilverspooninone's
mouth.
Silversurfer

Singadifferenttune

Sinktheirdifferences

Sinkorswim

Sinkone'steethintosomething

Sitonthefence

Situpandtakenotice

Asittingduck.
Skatingonthinice

Bytheskinofyourteeth
It'snoskinoffmynose

Allskinandbone
Thesky'sthelimit

Slaponthewrist

Asledgehammertocrackanut

Sleeplikealog
Sleeping/silentpartner

Slingmud

Itslippedmymind
Slipperyasaneel

Quick/slowontheuptake

Onthesly

Smalldog,tallweeds

Smartalec

Asmokescreen

Smooththepath/way

Smoothsomebody'sruffledfeathers

Insmoothwaters

Snailmail

Asnakeinthegrass

Snugasabuginarug

Asocialbutterfly

Pullupone'ssocks

Haveasoftspot

Softentheblow

Sound/smellfishy
Soundhollow

Sowone'swildoats

Spare-partsurgery
Sparetyre

Speednetworking

Putaspannerintheworks

Speakillofsomeone

Speakoffthecuff

Speakoutofturn

Speakthesamelanguage

Speakvolumes

Spickandspan

Spillthebeans

Spindoctor

Spinayarn

Spinachcinema

Spinachcinema

Spittingimage

Splashout
Splithairs

Spoton
Spreadlikewildfire

Spreadoneselftoothin

Spurofthemoment

Atstake

Standonceremony

Standonyourowntwofeet

Standone'sground

Standthetestoftime

Starkravingmad

Startermarriage
Starsinone'seyes
Stateoftheart

Stealsomeone'sthunder

Stealtheshow

Letoffsteam

Underyourownsteam

Steamedup

Stemthetide

Stepoutofline

Stewinyourownjuice

Stickoutlikeasorethumb

Sticksomethingout

Stickoutamile
Sticktoone'sguns

Stickyfingers

Onastickywicket

Stinktohighheaven

Stinktohighheaven

Stirupahornet'snest

Stir-crazy

Institches
Astone'sthrowaway

Stopdeadinone'stracks

Stoptherot

Astorminateacup

Theeyeofthestorm
Astormyrelationship

Straightasaramrod

Strangebedfellows

That'sthelaststraw!
Bynostretchoftheimagination

Stringsomeonealong

Withnostringsattached.

Struckdumb

Asstubbornasamule

Stumblingblock

Onthestump

Sublimetoridiculous

Sugarthepill

Sussout

Swallowthebait,

Swallowyourwords

Sweatofyourbrow

Sweetnothings

Sweetheartdeal

Aswelled/swollenhead

Swimagainstthetide

Getintotheswingofthings

Getintotheswingofthings
Infullswing

Swingsandroundabouts

Swishing/swishingparty

Meaning
Ifsomeonegetsthesack,theylosetheirjob,usuallybecausethey
havedonesomethingwrong.
"Charliegotthesackwhenhisbosscaughthimstealing."
Tosaythatsomethingisasafebetmeansthatitisverylikelyto
happen.
"It'sasafebetthatyou'llgetagoodjobifyougraduatefromoneof
thetopuniversities."
Ifsomethingisinsafe(orgood)hands,itisbeinglookedafterby
areliablepersonororganization,andisthereforeatnorisk.
"I'lllookafterJamiewhileyougoshopping.Don'tworry-he'llbe
insafehands."
Ifyoudosomethingtobeonthesafeside,youwanttoavoid
takinganyrisks.
"IthinkIlockedthedoor,butI'llcheckagaintobeonthesafeside."
Thisexpressionmeansthatbeingpartofagroupmakespeoplefeel
moresecureandmoreconfidentwhentakingaction.
"Noneofthegroupwentsightseeingalone,knowingthattherewas
safetyinnumbers."
Ifyousailclosetothewind,youdosomethingdangerousoract
justwithinthelimitsofwhatislegaloracceptable.
"Heseemstoinvesthismoneywellalthoughheoftensailscloseto
thewind."
Ifyousailthroughsomething,forexampleatestoranexam,
yousucceedindoingitwithoutdifficulty.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingtakesthewindoutofyoursails,they
makeyoufeellessconfident,bydoingorsayingsomethingthat
youdonotexpect.
"TheChairman'srejectionofourmarketingstrategyreallytookthewind
outofoursails"
Tosaythatcertaininformationshouldbetakenwithagrainofsalt
meansthatyoudoubttheaccuracyoftheinformation.
Torefertosomeoneasthesaltoftheearthmeansthat
youconsiderthemtobehonestandreliable.
Iftwoormorepartiesinthesameboat,theyareinthesame
unpleasantordifficultsituation.
"Whenthefactorycloseddown,theworkersallfoundthemselves
inthesameboat."
Ifyouapplythesameruletodifferentsituations,youjudgethem
bythesametoken,orinasimilarway.
"Teenagersshouldbelessrebellious,butbythesametoken,parents
shouldbemoreunderstanding."
Thisexpressionmeansthatifsomethingappliestooneperson,
itshouldalsoapplytoothers
"Womenshouldearnthesamesalaryasmenforthesamejob.
What'ssauceforthegooseissauceforthegander!"
Ifyousavesomeone'sbacon,yourescuethemfromadangerous
ordifficultsituation.
"WhenDavewasastudent,findingaroominreturnfordog-sitting

reallysavedhisbacon!"
Ifyoutellsomeonetosavetheirbreath,youtellthemnottowaste
theirtimespeaking,becausetheirwordswillhavenoeffect.
"I'vealreadygivenhimthesameadviceandhewon'tlisten,so
youmightaswellsaveyourbreath."
Ifyouaresavedbythebell,somethinghappensatthelastminute
torescueyoufromadifficultsituation.
"Savedbythebell!AfriendarrivedjustwhenIrealizedIhadnomoney
fortheparkingmetre!"
Apersonwhohasasavinggracehasaqualitywhichpreventsthem
frombeingtotallybad.
"She'sahorriblepersonbutshehasonesavinggrace,herkindnessto
animals."
Whenthescalesfallfromyoureyes,youfinallyunderstandthetruth
aboutsomething.
"Itwasonlywhenmyneighbourwasarrestedfortheftthatthescalesfell
frommyeyesandIrealizedwherehismoneycamefrom."
Tosaythatsomethingisasscarceashen'steethemphasizesthat
itisextremelyrare,tothepointofnon-existence.
"Takeenoughsupplies.Waterisasscarceashen'steethwhereyou're
going!"
Ifsomethingscaresyououtofyourwits,itmakesyouveryfrightened
orworried.
"Thefeelingthattheirhouseishauntedcanscarepeopleoutoftheirwits."
Tosaythatsomeonegotoffscot-freemeansthattheyescapedthe
punishmenttheydeserved.
"WewereallpunishedexceptJameswhomanagedtogetoffscot-free!"
Ifyouscrapethebottomofthebarrel,youusetheworstorthe
leastsatisfactoryideas,thingsorpeoplebecauseyouhavenochoice.
"Whentheystartedtorecruit,theyhadtoscrapethebottomofthe
barrelbecausethebestpeoplehadalreadyfoundjobselsewhere."
Whenyouonlyscratchthesurfaceofaproblemorsubject,you
dealwithonlyasmallpartofit.
"Somecountriesareonlyscratchingthesurfaceoftheirenvironment
problems."
Ifsomethingorsomebodyisnotuptoscratch,theyarenotas
goodastheyshouldbe.
Ifsomeonehasascrewloose,theirbehaviourisstrangeandthey
appearslightlymad.
"Shewearsafurcoatinsummer-shemusthaveascrewloose!"
Apersonwhohassealegsisusedtowalkingonamovingship,
orhastheabilitytoadjusttoanewsituation.
"Ittakesawhileinanewjobtofindyoursealegs."
Ifaprojectorcontractreceivesasealofapproval,itreceivesformal
supportorapprovalfromhigherauthorities.
"Wecan'tconcludethedealwithoutthedirector'ssealofapproval."
Ifyouplaysecondfiddletosomebody,youaccepttobesecond
inimportancetothatperson,orhavealowerposition.
Ifsomethingyoudoissecondnaturetoyou,itissomethingthat
youdoeasilyorautomaticallybecauseyouhavedoneitsooftenor

forsolong.
"SkiingissecondnaturetoHarry.Hegrewupinaskiresort."
Ifyouwanttoseethecolourofsomebody'smoney,youwant
tomakesurethatthepersoninquestionhasenoughmoneytopay
youbeforeyouaccepttodosomething.
"Iwanttoseethecolourofhismoneybeforeshippingthegoods."
Ifsomeoneseesred,theysuddenlybecomeveryangryorannoyed
aboutsomething.
"Discriminationofanykindmakesmeseered!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatwhenyouseesomething,youcanbe
sureitexists,
orthatwhatyouhavebeentoldisreallytrue.
"Marksaysbananasgrowinhisgarden,butseeingisbelieving!"
Ifsomethinghasseenbetterdays,ithasagedvisiblyincomparison
towhenitwasnew.
"Mymuch-travelledsuitcasehasseenbetterdays!"
Ifyousellsomeonedowntheriver,youbetraysomeonewho
trustsyou.
"WhentheTradeUnionsignedthesalaryagreement,theworkersfelt
theyhadbeensolddowntheriver."
Thisisahumorouswayofsayingthatyouwouldbewillingtodo
somethingmorallyorlegallywrongtoobtainwhatyouwant.
"He'dsellhissoultogetaninterview."
Ifyousendsomeonepacking,youtellthemtoleave,inavery
forcefulandunfriendlyway.
"WhenAmandadiscoveredthatJackhadbeenunfaithful,
shesenthimpacking."
Amomentarylapseofmemory,especiallyinolderpeople,oran
absent-mindedactionsuchasputtingthecerealsinthefridge,is
humorouslyreferredtoashavingaseniormoment.
"Ifoundthephoneinthecupboard.Imusthavehadaseniormoment!"
Ifyouseparatethesheepfromthegoats,youexamineagroup
ofpeopleanddecidewhicharegoodandwhicharenotsogood.
"Examiningjobapplicationsisthefirststageinseparatingthe
sheepfromthegoats.
Thesumofmoneysomethingsetsyoubackistheamountit
costsyou.
"Changingtheheatingsystemwouldsetusbackabout$5000."
Apersonwhoissetintheirwaysissomeonewhoisunableor
unwillingtochangetheirideas,habitsormethods,oftenbecause
theyareold
"Mygrandmotherhasthesameroutineeveryday.
She'sverysetinherways."
Whensomethingissetinstone,itispermanentandcannotbe
changedinanyway.
"Theagendaisn'tsetinstone;wecanaddanitemifneedbe."
Ifyousetorputtherecordsstraights,youprovidefactsor
anexplanationofeventsinordertocorrectamistakeor
misunderstanding.
"Aninterviewontelevisionenabledtheactresstosettherecords

straightaboutherhealth."
Ifyousetthestageforaneventoradevelopment,youcreate
conditionsthatallowittohappen.
"Theagreementsetthestagefortheirfutureworkingrelationship."
Tosettleascoremeanstoretaliateagainstsomeoneortakerevenge
forapastwrong.
"Jackhasmadeanappointmentwithhislawyerhehasascoretosettlewithsomeone."
Ifyoushakelikealeaf,youtremblewithfearornervousness.
"AtthebeginningoftheinterviewIwasshakinglikealeaf."
IfyougosomewhereonShank'spony,youhavetowalkratherthan
travelbybus,car,etc.
"Itwasimpossibletofindataxiafterthepartysoitwas
Shank'sponyforus!"
Thisexpressionisusedtowarnsomeonethatiftheydonotimprove,
theywillhavetoleavetheirjob.
"WhenTomstartedneglectingthecustomers,hewastoldto
shapeuporshipout."
Apersonwhoisinbadshapeisinpoorphysicalcondition.
Togetyourselfbackintoshape,youneedtotakeexercise
inordertobecomefitandhealthyagain.
Someonewhoisnoteasilydeceivedorfooledisasharpcookie.
"Youcan'tfoolmygrandmother.She'sasharpcookie!"
Ifsomething,suchasfood,drinkormedicine,hasaparticular
shelflife,itmustbeusedorsoldbeforetheendofthatperiod
oftime.
"Dairyproductshavequiteashortshelflife."
Tocomeoutofone'sshellmeanstobecomelessshy,
moretalkativeandoutgoing.
Ifyoushilly-shally,youhesitatealotaboutsomethingandhave
difficultyreachingadecision.
"Comeon!Don'tshilly-shally-justmakeupyourmind!"
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertopeoplewhomeetbrieflyand
arenotlikelytomeetagain.
"Thetwomenmetonce,likeshipsthatpassinthenight,and
nevermetagain."
Ifyoutellsomebodytokeeptheirshirton,youareaskingthem
tocalmdown.
"KeepyourshirtonBob.Justgiveyourversionofthestory!"
Ifyoushootyourselfinthefoot,youdoorsaysomethingwhich
isagainstyourowninterests.
"WhenJuliewasaskedattheinterviewifshehadanyweaknesses,
shereallyshotherselfinthefootthewaysheanswered."
Ifyoushoparound,youvisitanumberofshopssellingsimilar
articlesinordertocomparetheprices.
"Youcanusuallysavemoneybyshoppingaround."
Ifyoushoptillyoudrop,yougoshoppingforaverylongtime,until
you'reexhausted.
"IfyougotoLondonwithJulieyou'llshoptillyoudrop,sotake
comfortableshoes!"
Ifyougoonashoppingspree,youenjoyalivelyouting,usually

withmuchspendingofmoney.
"Lizaisplanningtogoonashoppingspreeduringthesales."
Thistermreferstotheideathatbuyingthingscanmakeyoufeelbetter.
"Alittleshoppingtherapycanusuallycheerupboredteenagers."
Whenpeoplegowindowshopping,theylookatthingsinshop
windows,withoutactuallypurchasinganything.
"Ihaven'tbeenpaidyet,soIcanonlygowindowshopping."
Somethingthatisshortandsweetisbriefbutpleasant.
"Itdidn'ttakeuslongtoagree.Ourconversationwasshort
andsweet."
Whensomeonehasashortfuse,theyarelikelytobecomeangry
easilyorquickly.
"Becarefulhowyouexplainthesituation.Thebosshasaveryshort
fusethesedays!"
Ifsomeoneorsomethinggetsshortshrift,theyaregivenlittleattention
orsympathy.
"Whenthebossisverybusy,hegivesshortshrifttoanyonewho
bothershim."
Torefertoaquestionorstatementasashotinthedarkmeans
thatitisacompleteguess,butatthesametimeitmightbeclose
tothetruth.
"Hedidn'tknowwhichplayershadbeenselected,somentioning
Carter'snamewasjustashotinthedark."
Ifyouuseashotgunapproach,youcoverawiderangeina
non-selective,haphazardandinefficientmanner.
"Identifyingaspecificsegmentofthemarketasourtargetwillbe
moreeffectivethanashotgunapproach.
Thepracticeoflookingoversomebody'sshoulderwhentheyare
usingacomputer,cashdispenserorotherelectronicdeviceinorder
toobtainpersonalinformation(identification,accountnumber,
password,etc.)iscalledshoulder-surfing.
Ifsomeonehasachipontheirshoulder,theyfeelresentful
becausetheyfeeltheyarebeingtreatedunfairly,especially
becauseoftheirbackground,theirsexortheircolour.
Togivesomeonethecoldshouldermeanstodeliberately
ignoresomeone.
"Aftergivingmyopinion,hegavemethecoldshoulder."
Whenapersonshowstheirtruecolours,theirbehaviourreveals
theirrealnatureandshowstheirqualitiesand/orweaknesses.
"Intimesofcrisispeopleshowtheirtruecolours."
Ifyoushowsomeonetheropes,youteachorexplaintothem
howtodoaparticularjob.
"Themanagerisbusyshowingtheropestotwonewtrainees."
Apersonreferredtoasashrinkingvioletisatimidorshyperson.
"Thewitnesswasnoshrinkingviolet.Shehadnodifficulty
expressingherself!"
Ifyoushrugsomethingoff,youdismissitasbeingunimportant.
"Hewasawareofthedangerbuthejustshruggeditoff."
Ifyoushutthestabledoorafterthehorsehasbolted,youtry
topreventsomethingbadfromhappeningwhenitisalreadytoolate.
"Jackdecidedtoinsurethecontentsofhisapartmentafteritwas

burgled.That'sreallyshuttingthestabledoorafterthehorse
hasbolted!"
Whenyouwanttomentionadifferentorcontradictoryaspectofa
situation,yourefertotheothersideofthecoin.
"Thehouseislovelyandspacious,buttheothersideofthecoinis
thatitisfarfromshopsandschools."
Thisexpressionreferstoapersonorthingyouarehappytosee.
"Sam!You'reasightforsoreeyes!Haven'tseenyouinalongtime."
Ifyouraiseorloweryoursights,youraiseorloweryour
expectations,oryouaremoreorlessambitious.
"Hehadtolowerhissightsandacceptalesswell-paidjobthan
whathehadhopedfor."
Thisexpressionreferstosomethingthatshowsthenatureoftoday's
society.
"Therisinglevelofviolenceisasignofthetimes."
Ifyousignonthedottedline,youformallygiveyourconsent
tosomethingbysigninganofficialdocument.
"Iconsultedmylawyerbeforesigningonthedottedline."
Whenanagreement,contractortreatyissigned,sealed
anddelivered,allthelegaldocumentshavebeensigned.
"Itishopedthattheagreementwillbesigned,sealedanddelivered
beforetheendoftheweek."
Thetermsignificantotherreferstoaperson,suchasaspouse,
partnerorlover,withwhomyouhavealong-termrelationship.
Thistermreferstoanextremelyeffectiveormagicalsolutiontoa
difficultproblem.
"Thereisnosilverbulletthatwillputanendtounemployment."
Asilverliningreferstothegoodorpleasantside-effectsofan
unpleasantsituation.
Everycloudhasasilverliningmeansthatthereisapositive
orhopefulsidetoeveryunpleasantsituation.
Tosaythatsomeonewasbornwithasilverspoonin
theirmouthmeansthattheirfamilyisveryrichandprivileged.
Asilversurferisanelderlypersonwhousestheinternet.
"Afterjustafewlessonsmygrandmotherwasreadytojointhe
silversurfers."
Ifsomebodysingsadifferenttune,theychangetheiropinion
aboutsomethingortheirattitudetowardssomething.
"Hehadnoconsiderationforpeopleoutofworkuntilhelost
hisownjob;nowhe'ssingingadifferenttune!"
Ifpeopleororganizationssinktheirdifferences,theydecidetoforget
theirdisagreements.
"Wemustsinkourdifferencesandbuildapeacefulcommunity."
Ifsomebodyhastosinkorswim,theyhavetodosomethingalone,
andtheirsuccessorfailuredependsentirelyontheirownefforts.
"Thesinkorswimattitudeinthecompanycanbeverydifficultfor
youngrecruits."
Ifyousinkyourteethintosomething,youdoitwithalotofenergy
andenthusiasm.
"WhenJuliegotpromoted,sheimmediatelysankherteethinto
hernewjob."

Ifyousitonthefence,youavoidtakingsidesinadiscussionor
argument.
"It'sanimportantissue.Youcan'tcontinuetositonthefence!"
Apersonwhositsupandtakesnoticebecomesalertand
attentive.
"Theannouncementofthewinnermadeeveryonesitupand
takenotice."
Torefertosomeoneasasittingduckmeansthattheyare
aneasytargettocriticizeorattack.
Ifyouareskatingonthinice,youaredoingorsayingsomething
thatcouldcausedisagreementortrouble.
"Don'tmentionthatsubjectduringthenegotiations
oryoucouldbeskatingonthinice."
Todosomethingbytheskinofyourteethmeansthat
youjustmanagetodoit,butthatyoualmostfail.
Tousethisexpressionmeansthatyoudon'tcareifsomething
happens.
"It'snoskinoffmynoseifhedoesn'taccepttheinvitationIdon'tcareonewayoranother."
Ifsomeoneisallskinandbone,theyareverythin,ortoothin
"AftertrekkingintheHimalayas,hewasallskinandbone."
Tosay"thesky'sthelimit"meansthatthereisnolimittothe
possibility
ofsuccessorprogressforsomeoneorsomething.
"Howsuccessfuldoyouthinktheprojectwillbe?
Whoknows...thesky'sthelimit!"
Ifyougetaslaponthewrist,youreceiveamildpunishmentor
youarereprimandedforsomethingyouhavedone.
"Igotaslaponthewristfrommywifeforleavingthekitcheninamess."
Usingasledgehammertocrackanutmeansusingdisproportionate
forcetosolveaproblemorobtainaresult.
"Hecalledthepolicebecausehisneighbourwasrude?-Nowthat's
usingasledgehammertocrackanut!"
Ifyousleeplikealog,yousleepdeeplyorsoundly.
"Afteradayatthebeach,Iusuallysleeplikealog!"
Thistermreferstoapersonwhoinvestsmoneyinabusinesswithout
takinganactivepartinitsmanagement,andwhoseassociationwith
theenterpriseisnotpublicknowledge.
"Heworksalone,buthisbusinessispartlyfinancedbya
sleepingpartner."
Tosaythatsomeoneisslingingmudatanotherpersonmeans
thattheyaretryingtodamagethatperson'sreputationbysaying
badthingsaboutthem.
"Duringelectioncampaigns,candidatesoftenslingmudateach
other."
Ifsomethinghasslippedyourmind,youhaveforgottenaboutit
"Ohdear!Ithadslippedmymindthatthebankswereclosedtoday."
Tosaythatsomeoneisasslipperyasaneelmeansthattheyare
difficulttocatchandtheymanagetoavoidansweringquestions.
"Thatmanisasslipperyasaneel.Hewasarrestedfortheftseveral
timesbutwasneverconvicted."

Someonewhoisquickorslowontheuptakeisquickorslowto
understandwhatismeant.
"Pleaseexplaintheprobleminsimplewords-I'mabitslowonthe
uptake."
Ifyoudosomethingontheslyyoudoitsecretlyorfurtively.
"Hemadesuchquickprogressthattheotherssuspectedhimof
havingprivatelessonsonthesly."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertosomeoneyouthinkisincapable
ordoesnothavetheresourcestoperformatask.
"Itmaybetoodifficultforthetrainee-smalldog,tallweeds!"
Asmartalecisanannoyingself-assertivepersonwhotriesto
showoffhowclevertheyare.
"Somesmartalecinterruptedthegameclaimingthattheanswers
wereincorrect!"
Asmokescreenisanactionortacticintendedtoconcealordivert
attentionfromyourrealintentionsoractivities.
"Histravelbusinesswasjustasmokescreenforhispoliticalactivities."
Someoneorsomethingthatsmoothesthepathforsomething,
makesprogresseasierorenablesittohappen.
"Speakingthelanguagesmoothedthepathfornegotiations."
Ifyousmoothsomebody'sruffledfeathers,youmakethatperson
feellessangryoroffended.
"Tomtookthecriticismbadly,butJamesmanagedtosmooth
hisruffledfeathers"
Abusinessoroperationwhichisinsmoothwatersismaking
regularandeasyprogress.
"Thecompanyseemstobeinsmoothwatersthesedays."
Thistermreferstothestandardsystemofmaildelivery,orpostal
service,consideredveryslowcomparedtoelectronicmail.
"Moreandmorepeopleareusinge-mailratherthantraditional
deliveryservices,snailmail.'
Thisexpressionreferstosomeonewhopretendstobeyourfriend
whileactuallybetrayingyou.
"IthoughtIcouldtrustmynewcolleaguebutheturnedouttobe
asnakeinthegrass."
Thisisahumorouswayofsayingthatyouarewarmandcomfortable.
"Wrappedupinablanketonthesofa,shelookedassnugasabug
inarug."
Thistermreferstoapersonwhohasalotoffriendsandacquaintances
andlikestoflitfromonesocialeventtoanother.
"Julieisconstantlyoutandabout;she'sarealsocialbutterfly."
Ifyoupullupyoursocks,youworkharderinordertoachieve
something.
"You'llhavetopullupyoursocksifyouwanttopassyourexam."
Ifyouhaveasoftspotforsomeoneorsomething,youparticularly
likethem.
"Mygrandfatherhasalwayshadasoftspotforfastcars."
Whensomeonetriestosoftentheblow,theydosomething
tomakeanunpleasanteventoractioneasiertoaccept.
"Inspiteofthecashpaymentsgiventosoftentheblow,theloss
oftheirjobswasacatastrophefortheminers."

Ifsomethingsoundsorsmellsfishy,youaresuspiciousaboutit.
"Doyoubelievewhatshesaid?Herstorysoundsfishytome."
Ifanexplanation,apologyorpromisesoundshollow,itseemsfalse
orinsincere.
"Idon'tthinkhe'ssorryatall.Hisapologysoundedhollowtome."
Aperson,usuallyaman,whosowstheirwildoatsgoesthrough
aperiodofcarefreepleasure-seekingwhiletheyareyoung.
"Hewasadvisedtosowhiswildoatsbeforehegotmarried."
Thistermreferstosurgeryinwhichadiseasedornon-functioning
organofapersonisreplacedwithatransplantedorartificialorgan.
Ifapersonhasasparetyre,theyhavearollofflesharoundthe
waist.
"I'dbettergoonadiet-I'mgettingasparetyre!"
Thisreferstoarelativelynewurbantrendwhichconsistsin
makingapotentialbusinesscontactbybrieflytalkingtoaseriesof
peopleatanorganisedeventandexchangingcontactdetails.
Toputaspannerintheworksmeanstocauseproblemsand
preventsomethingfromhappeningasplanned.
(IntheUS,theword'wrench'or'monkeywrench'isusedinstead
of'spanner')
Ifyouspeakillofsomeone,yousaybadorunkindthingsabout
them.
"He'sveryloyalandrefusestospeakillofhiscolleagues."
Ifyousaysomethingoffthecuff,yousayitspontaneously,
withoutpreviousthoughtorpreparation.
"Politiciansareusuallycarefulnottospeakoffthecuff."
Ifsomeonespeaksoutofturn,eithertheyinterveneatthewrong
momentortheysaysomethingtactlessorinappropriate.
"Atthefirstmeeting,Iwasafraidofspeakingoutofturn.
Iftwoormorepeoplespeakthesamelanguage,theyhavesimilar
tastesandideas.
"Weworkwelltogetherbecausewespeakthesamelanguage."
Ifsomethingspeaksvolumes,itexpressesareactionoropinion
veryclearly,withnoneedforwords.
"Thehappysmileonthechild'sfacewhenheopenedtheboxspoke
volumesaboutmychoiceofgift."
Torefertosomething,usuallyaplace,asspickandspan,means
thatitisveryclean,neatandtidy.
"Theapartmenthasgottobespickandspanbeforeourguestsarrive."
Ifyouspillthebeans,yourevealasecretortalkaboutsomething
private.
"Comeon!Spillthebeans!Whatdidhesay?"
Aspindoctorisapressagentorpublicrelationsofficeremployed
topromoteafavourableinterpretationofeventsinbusinessorpolitics.
"Foralongtimespindoctorsleadustobelievethatthesituation
wasundercontrol."
Ifyouspinayarn,youtellastory,usuallyalongimprobableone,
withdistortedtruths.
"Hefailedtheexamandspunayarnabouttheexampapersbeing
stolen."
Filmsthatareneitherexcitingnorinterestingbutareconsidered

educationaloruplifting,inthesamewayascertainfoodsaregood
foryourhealth,arereferredtoasspinachcinema.
Ifonepersonisthespittingimageofanother,theylookexactly
likeeachother.
"Sarahisthespittingimageofhermother."
Ifyousplashoutonsomething,youspendalotofmoneyonit.
"Sarah'sparentsreallysplashedoutonherwedding."
Ifyousplithairs,youpaytoomuchattentiontodifferencesthat
areverysmallornotimportant.
"Ifwestartsplittinghairs,we'llneverreachanagreement!"
Tosaythatsomethingisspotonmeansthatitisexactlyright.
"That'sabsolutelycorrect!Youranswerisspoton!
Ifsomethingsuchasnews,rumoursorgossipspreadslikewildfire,
itbecomeswidelyknownveryfast.
"Assoonasthenominationwasannounced,thenewsspreadlike
wildfire."
Ifyouspreadyourselftoothin,youdotoomanythingsatthesametime
andcan'tdoanyofthemwell.
"Don'tspreadyourselftoothinoryou'llgetnowhere!"
Ifyoudosomethingonthespurofthemoment,youdoitassoon
asyouthinkofit,withoutanyplanning.
"Hedecidedonthespurofthemomenttobuyflowersforhiswife."
Someonewhohasalotatstakeisinariskysituation,withalot
tobewonorlost.
"Hewasnervousaboutsigningtheagreementbecausetherewas
alotatstake."
Whenpeoplestandonceremony,theybehaveinaveryformalway.
"We'dbedelightedtocomeandseeyou,butpleasedon'tstandon
ceremonywithus."
Ifyoustandonyourowntwofeet,youareindependentandneed
nohelpfromanyone.
"Whenyoungpeopleleavehome,theylearntostandontheirown
twofeet."
Ifyoustandyourground,youmaintainyourpositionandrefuseto
yieldorgiveway.
"Heclaimedinnocenceandstoodhisgroundinspiteoftherepeated
accusations."
Ifsomethingstandsthetestoftime,peoplecontinuetofinditvaluable
orusefulaftermanyyears.
"Theteachingmethodhasstoodthetestoftime.Itisstillusedin
schoolstoday."
Ifyourefertosomeoneasstarkravingmad,youmeanthatthey
arecompletelycrazy
"You'restarkravingmadtogosailinginthisweather."
Astartermarriageisashort-livedfirstmarriagethatendsindivorce
withnokids,nopropertyandnoregrets.
Ifsomeonehasstarsintheireyes,theyarelookingextremelyhappy.
"Shehadstarsinhereyeswhenshesawthecarshehadwon."
Ifsomethingisdescribedasstate-of-the-art,itisthemostadvanced
modelcurrentlyavailable,incorporatingthelatestandbesttechnology.

Thisexpressionmeanstotakeanotherperson'sideaorplan,and
drawattentionandpraiseawayfromtheoriginatorbypresentingor
usingitfirst.
"Bobhaddevelopedaplantoreduceproductioncosts,buttheplant
managerstolehisthunderbyannouncingBob'sideasattheregional
meeting."
Apersonwhostealstheshowgetsmoreattentionorpraisethan
theotherparticipants.
"TheJapanesecompetitorstoletheshowattheOlympicGames."
Apersonwholetsoffsteamreleasessurplusenergyorstrong
feelingseitherthroughintensephysicalactivityorbytalkingin
anunrestrainedmanner.
"Let'sbringthekidstotheplaygroundsotheycanletoffsteam."
Ifyougosomewhereunderyourownsteam,youdosowithout
anyhelpfromothers.
"There'snoneedtopickusup.We'llgetthereunderourownsteam."
Ifsomeoneisorgetssteamedupaboutsomething,theybecome
veryangry,excitedorenthusiasticaboutit.
"Calmdown-there'snoneedtogetallsteamedupaboutit!"
Ifyoustemthetide(ofevents),youstopthedevelopmentof
somethingbadorundesirable.
"Theauthoritiesseemunabletostemtherisingtideofviolence
inschools."
Ifyoustepoutofline,youbehavebadly,dosomethingunacceptable
orbreaktherules.
"Itwasmadeclearuponarrivalthatwewouldbedismissedifwe
steppedoutofline.
Ifyouletsomebodystewintheirownjuice,youleavethemtoworry
abouttheconsequencesoftheirownactions.
"Jackspentlastnightinprisonforstartingafight-lethimjuststew
inhisownjuice!"
Ifsomethingsticksoutlikeasorethumb,itisveryobviousorvisible
inanunpleasantway.
"Themodernbuildingsticksoutlikeasorethumbamongtheold
houses."
Ifyousticksomethingout,youcontinuetotheendinspiteofthe
difficultiesorunpleasantaspectsofthesituation.
"Lifeisdifficulthere,butheisgoingtostickitoutbecauseheis
determinedtosucceed."
Ifsomethingsticksoutamile,itisveryobviousorveryeasytosee.
"Youcanseeshe'shadafacelift-itsticksoutamile!"
Ifyousticktoyourguns,youshowdeterminationwhenfacedwith
opposition.
"Thegovernmentstucktoitsgunsinspiteofthecriticism."
Someonewhohasstickyfingershasatendencytosteal.
"Itemshavebeendisappearingfromthestockrecently.
Doanyoftheemployeeshavestickyfingers?"
Ifyoufindyourselfonastickywicket,youareinasituationthat
isdifficulttodealwith.
"They'verefusedtosignthecontractsowe'reonastickywicketnow!"
Ifsomethinghasaverystrongunpleasantsmell,itstinksto

highheaven.
"Takeoffthosesocks-theystinktohighheaven!"
Ifyoustirupahornet'snest,youdosomethingwhichcausesa
commotionandprovokescriticismandanger.
"HislettertotheBoardstirreduparealhornet'snest."
Ifapersonisorgoesstir-crazy,theybecomeveryagitatedor
nervousbecausetheyhavebeenconfinedtooneplacefortoolong.
"Afterseveraldaysinquarantine,peopleweregoingstir-crazy."
Whenpeopleareinstitches,theyarelaughingalot.
"Thestorywassofunny,everyonewasinstitches."
Tosaythatsomethingisastone'sthrowawaymeansthatitisjust
ashortdistanceaway.
"It'saresidentialareabuttheshopsarejustastone'sthrowaway."
Ifyoustopdeadinyourtracks,youstopsuddenlybecauseyouare
frightenedorsurprised.
"WhenStevesawthesnake,hestoppeddeadinhistracks."
Whenyoupreventasituationfromdeteriorating,especiallyin
politicsorbusiness,youstoptherot.
"Therewassomuchconflictintheofficethatanewmanager
wasappointedtostoptherot."
Torefertosomethingasastorminateacupmeansthatyouthink
thatpeoplearemakingalotofunnecessaryfussorexcitementabout
somethingunimportant.
Ifyouareintheeyeofthestormyouaredeeplyinvolvedina
situationwhichisdifficultorcontroversialandaffectsalotofpeople.
Ifyouhaveastormyrelationshipwithsomeone,youhavealotof
argumentsanddisagreements.
"Afteraverystormyrelationship,theydecidedtoseparate."
Someonewhoisstraightasaramrodisapersonwhokeepsastraight
backandlooksveryserious.
"Whenmygrandfatherinvitedusfordinner,heusedtositstraightas
aramrodattheheadofthetable."
Thisexpressionreferstotheunusualorunlikelyassociationoftwoor
morepeople,companiesorstates.
"Acarmanufacturerandabakery-strangebedfellowsdon'tyouthink?"
Theexpressionmeansthatthisisthelatestunpleasantevent,
andthatyoucannottoleratethesituationanylonger.
Thisexpressionmeans'howeverhardyoumaytrytobelieveor
imaginesomething'.
"Bynostretchoftheimaginationcouldhebecalledhandsome."
Ifyoustringsomeonealong,youdeliberatelymisleadthemabout
yourintentions.
"BobfinallyrealizedthatMaryhasjustbeenstringinghimalong;
shehadnointentionofmarryinghim.
Anofferwith"nostringsattached"isanoffermadewithout
conditionsorrestrictions,andrequiresnothinginreturn.
"Imanagedtogetaloanwithnostringsattached."
Ifsomeoneisstruckdumb,theyareunabletospeakbecause
theyaresosurprised,shockedorfrightenedbysomething.
"Theaccusedwasstruckdumbwhentheverdictwasannounced."

Ifsomeoneisasstubbornasamule,theyareveryobstinateand
unwillingtolistentoreasonorchangetheirmind.
"Hisfriendsadvisedhimtoaccepttheoffer,butyouknowJackhe'sasstubbornasamule!"
Thistermreferstoaproblemorobstaclewhichpreventsyoufrom
achievingsomething.
"Myfatheradaptedquitewellbutthelanguagewasalwaysastumbling
blockformymother."
Beforeanelection,whenpoliticiansarecampaigningforsupportand
votes,theyareonthestump.
"Onthestumpformonths,thecandidatesattendedmeetingafter
meeting."
Ifsomethinggoesfromthesublimetotheridiculous,itdeteriorates
inqualityfromseriousoradmirabletoabsurdorunimportant.
"AnoperafollowedbyaMrMusclecontestisgoingfromthesublime
totheridiculous!"
Ifyousugarthepill,youtrytomakesomeunpleasantnews
moreacceptablebysayingsomethingpleasantatthesametime.
"WhenTim'sparentsannouncedthathewasgoingtoboarding
school,theytriedtosugarthepillbytellinghimhe'dbehomeat
theweekends."
Ifyousussoutsomething,suchasasituation,youexamineitand
managetounderstandit.
"AskJacktoexplain-he'sgotitallsussedout!"
Ifyouswallowthebait,youacceptanoffermadespecially
topersuadeyoutodosomething.
"Whencustomersseea'specialoffer'sign,theyusuallyswallow
thebaitandpurchasetheproduct."
Ifyouswallowyourwords,youadmitthatyousaidsomething
wrong.
"HesaidI'dnevergetthejob,buthehadtoswallowhiswordswhen
Iwasappointed."
Ifyouearnorachievesomethingbythesweatofyourbrow,
youdoitthroughhardworkandwithouthelpfromanyone.
"Igotacomfortablelifestylebythesweatofmybrow.Ioweitto
nobodybutmyself."
Pleasantbutunimportantwordsthatloverssaytoeachotherare
calledsweetnothings.
"Hewhisperedsweetnothingsinherearastheydanced."
Thetermsweetheartdealisusedtorefertoanabnormally
lucrativearrangementbetweentwoparties.
"Opponentssaythatthecontractwasawardedtothebuilderaspart
ofasweetheartdeal,andisthereforeillegal."
Someonewhohasaswelled/swollenheadhasbecomeproudor
conceited,usuallybecauseofrecentsuccess.
"Larry'spromotionhasgivenhimaswelledhead!"
Apersonwhoisdoingorsayingtheoppositetomostotherpeople
issaidtobeswimmingagainstthetide.
"Perhapsit'sbecauseshealwaysswimsagainstthetidethat
herbooksaresosuccessful."
Ifyougetintotheswingofsomething,youbecomeinvolvedinit

orgetusedtoitandbegintoenjoyit.
Whensomething,suchasanevent,getsintofullswing,itisatits
busiestorliveliesttime.
"Whenwegotbacktotheoffice,theChristmaspartywasinfullswing."
(Whatyouloseontheswingsyougainontheroundabouts)
Thisexpressionreferstoasituationinwhichthereareasmany
advantagesastherearedisadvantages,orwhatislostinonearea
canbegainedinanother.
"Themoreyouearn,themoretaxyoupay;
it'sswingsandroundabouts."
Swishingisthenamegiventoanewfashionphenomenon-aparty
organisedtoswapsecondhandclothes.
Everyonetakesalongclothestheynolongerwearandpeoplecanthen
choosetheonestheywant.

Idiom
T Onsomebody'stail
Thetailwaggingthedog

Takeabackseat

Takethelawintoone'sownhands

Takeleaveofone'ssenses

Takeone'slifeinone'shands

Takeaload/weightoffsomebody's
mind

Takeituponyourself

Takemattersintoyourownhands

Takeanosedive

Takearaincheck

Taketheroughwiththesmooth

Take(someone)downapeg

Take(someone)downapeg

Takesomebodyforaride

Takesomethingingoodpart

Takesomethinginyourstride

Taketosomethinglikeaduckto
water
Takesomethinglyingdown

Takesomethingoffline

Takestockofasituation

Takethewordsoutofsomebody's
mouth
Talkshop

Talkthehindleg(s)offadonkey

Talknineteentothedozen
Atallstory

Atasteofone'sownmedicine

NotforalltheteainChina

Tearastripoffsomeone

Techsavvy

Bytheskinofyourteeth
Teethchattering
Ontenterhooks
Text-walking

Thankone'sluckystars

Thatfigures!

Thatmakesmybloodboil!
That'sgoingtoofar!

Thatmakestwoofus!

That'sthelaststraw!

Thattakesthebiscuit!

Thereforthetaking

Therewasn'tasoul
There'snoaccountingfortaste

Asthickasthieves
Thinendofthewedge

Athinline/fineline

Thinonthetop

Athingofthepast

Thinkagain

Thinkoutsidethebox/outofthebox

Thinktheworldofsomeone

Thinlyveiled

Athorninyourside
Athornyissue

Thrilledtobits

Throughthickandthin

Throwitoverthewall

Throwsomeoneabone

Throwsomeoneabone

Throwmoneyatsomething

Throwpearlstothepigs
(castpearlsbeforeswine)

Throwsomethingtogether

Throwatantrum

Throwinthetowel

Ateachother'sthroats

Ramsomethingdownsomeone's
throat
Throughthegrapevine

Throwcautiontothewind

Throwdustinsomebody'seyes

Tietheknot
Tieyourself(up)inknots

Tiedtosomebody'sapronstrings

Tightsqueeze

Tightspot

Tightspot
Tillthecowscomehome

Timeonyourhands.

Timeofyourlife
Timeisripe
Timeonyourside

Inone'sownsweettime

Tipoftheiceberg

Titfortat

Keepsomeoneontheirtoes
Biteyourtongue.
Tongue-tied

Onthetipofyourtongue

Tongueincheek

Tonguesarewagging

Toot(orblow)yourownhorn

Topdog

Topnotch

Toss-up

Touchbase

Touchwood/knockonwood

Nottouchsomethingwitha
ten-footpole
Touch-and-go

Toughcookie

Trainofthought

Travellight
Tricksofthetrade

Triedandtested
Trilemma

Truthwillout

Tugattheheartstrings

Tunnelvision

Tunnelvision

LiketurkeysvotingforChristmas

Turnon/uptheheat

Turnadeafear

Notturnahair

Takeaturnfortheworse
Turnoveranewleaf

Turnthetables

Turnonthewaterworks

Twiddleone'sthumbs
Inthetwinklingofaneye
Twistsomebody'sarm

Twocanplayatthatgame.

Twoleftfeet
Twoshakes(ofalamb'stail)

Two'scompany...(three'sacrowd)

Two'scompany...(three'sacrowd)

Puttwoandtwotogether.
Two-faced

Intwominds

Meaning
Ifyouareonsomebody'stail,youfollowthemclosely.
"Thesuspecthasn'tbeenarrestedyet,butthepoliceareonhistail."
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertoasituationwherethereisareversal
ofroles,withasmallorminorelementofsomethinghavingacontrolling
influenceonthemostimportantelement.
"Ifyouletyourchildrendecideoneverything,itwillbeacaseofthetail
waggingthedog."
Ifyoutakeabackseat,youchoosetohavealessimportantfunction
andbecomelessinvolvedinsomething.
"Hedecideditwastimetotakeabackseatandletsomeoneyounger
runtheclub."
If,insteadofcallingthepolice,youactpersonallyagainstsomeone
whohasdonesomethingwrong,youtakethelawintoyourown
hands.
"Insteadofcallingthepolice,hetookthelawintohisownhandsand
confrontedtheyouthwhohadstolenhisson'sscooter."
Thisexpressiontousedtosayjokinglythatsomeonehasgone
mad
"Haveyoutakenleaveofyoursenses?!
Tosaythatsomeoneistakingtheirlifeintheirhandsmeans
thattheyaretakingtheriskofbeingkilled.
"Ifyoudrivehomeonthisicyroad,you'llbetakingyourlifein
yourhands."
Ifsomethingtakesaloadorweightoffsomebody'smind,it
bringsgreatreliefbecauseaproblemhasbeensolved.
"Whenthecompanycloseddown,findinganewjobtooka
loadoffTom'smind."
Ifyoutakesomethinguponyourself,youdoitwithoutaskingfor
permissionoragreement.
"Mycolleaguetookituponherselftoredecoratetheofficeduringmy
absence."
Ifyoutakemattersintoyourownhands,youtakeactionyourself
ratherthanwaitingforotherstoact.
"WhenSusansawthelackofprogress,shedecidedtotakematters
intoherownhands."
Ifsomethingtakesanosedive,itdropsordecreasesinvaluevery
rapidly.
"Thestockmarkettookanosedivewhenthepropertymarketbegan
toweaken."
Tosaythatyouwilltakearaincheckmeansthatyoucannotaccept
aninvitationoroffernow,butyouwillbehappytoacceptitatalaterdate.
"DoyoumindifItakearaincheckonthatlunchinvitation?I'mgoingto
beawayallweek."
Ifyoutaketheroughwiththesmooth,youacceptwhatis
unpleasantordifficultaswellaswhatispleasantoreasy.
"Lifeisn'talwayseasy;youhavetolearntotaketherough
withthesmooth."
Totakesomeonedownapegmeanstomakethatperson

realizethattheyarenotasimportantastheythinktheyare.
"Hewastooproud.Somebodyhadtotakehimdownapeg."
Ifyouaretakenforaride,youaredeceivedorcheatedbysomeone.
"Whenmyfatherwaspersuadedtoinvestinthenewcasino,
hewasreallytakenforaride."
Apersonwhotakessomethingingoodpartreactstoinagoodhumouredway,withouttakingoffence.
"Hegotalotofteasingabouthispromotionbuthetookitingoodpart."
Wheninadifficultsituation,youtakeitinyourstride,youdeal
withthesituationcalmlyandwithoutanyspecialeffort.
"Whenthetake-overwasannounced,Tomstayedcalmandtookit
inhisstride."
Ifyoutaketosomethinglikeaducktowater,youdoitnaturally
andeasily,withoutfearorhesitation.
"WhenSophiefirsttriedskiing,shetooktoitlikeaducktowater"
Ifyoutakesomethinglyingdown,yousufferastheresultofan
offensiveactwithoutreactingorprotesting.
"Jackwon'ttaketheaccusationlyingdown-he'llfighttodefend
hisreputation."
Ifyousuggestthatasubjectbetakenoffline,(duringameetingfor
example),youconsiderthatitisaseparateissueandshouldbe
discussedatanothertime.
"Peter,you'reconfusingthings,solet'stakethatofflineshallwe?"
Ifyoutakestockofasituation,youassessalltheaspectsinorder
toformanopinion.
"Hetooktimetotakestockofthesituationbeforemakinga
suggestion."
Ifyousayexactlywhatsomeoneelsewasgoingtosay,you
takethewordsoutoftheirmouth.
"Ientirelyagreewithyou.Youtookthewordsoutofmymouth."
Ifyoutalkshop,youtalkaboutyourworkorbusinessinasocial
situationwithsomeoneyouworkwith,andmaketheconversation
boringfortheotherspresent.
"Inevergooutwithmycolleaguesbecauseweinevitablyendup
talkingshop."
Thisexpressionisusedtodescribeaverytalkativeperson.
"It'sdifficulttoendaconversationwithBetty.Shecouldtalkthe
hindlegoffadonkey!"
Ifsomeonetalksnineteentothedozen,theyspeakveryquickly.
"HewastalkingnineteentothedozensoIdidn'tcatchthewholestory!"
Atallstoryisastatementorstorywhichisdifficulttobelieve
becauseitsoundsunlikely.
"Whathesaidaboutastoleninventionsoundslikeatallstorytome."
Ifyougivesomeoneatasteoftheirownmedicine,youtreatthem
inthesameunpleasantwaythattheyhavetreatedyou.
"Peoplewhoalwaysarrivelateshouldbegivenatasteoftheirown
medicine."
TosaythatyouwouldnotdosomethingforalltheteainChina
meansthat
youwouldnotdoitunderanyconditions.
"Iwouldn'tlivethereforalltheteainChina."

Ifyoutearastripoffsomeone,youreprimandthemseverely
fordoingsomethingwrong.
"TheteachertoreastripoffCharlieforbeinglateagain."
Peoplewhoaretechsavvyhavesufficienttechnicalknowledgeand
skillstobecomfortableusingcomputersandotherelectronicdevices
andgadgets.
"Manystudentsaremoretech-savvythantheirteachers."
Todosomethingbytheskinofyourteethmeansthatyoujust
managetodoit,butthatyoualmostfail.
Ifyourteetharechattering,youareextremelycold.
"WasIcold?Myteethwerechattering!"
Apersonwhoisontenterhooksisinastateofanxioussuspense
orexcitement.
Thistermreferstoarecently-developedandsomewhatdangeroushabit
ofwalkingwhiletextingamessageonamobilephone,completely
unawareofwhat'shappeningaroundyou.
"Inrecentmonthstherehasbeenanincreaseinthenumberofserious
injuriesinvolvingtext-walkers."
Whensomeonesaystheycanthanktheirluckystars,theyare
expressingheartfeltgratitudeorfeelingparticularlyfortunate.
"IcanthankmyluckystarsIwasn'tonthetrainthatcrashed."
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythatsomethingseemslogicalor
isasexpected.
"We'llhavetogetabiggercarwhenthebabyarrives.""Thatfigures."
Ifsomethingmakesyourbloodboil,itmakesyoureallyangry.
"Hiscondescendingattitudemademybloodboil!"
Ifyougotoofar,youdosomethingthatisconsideredextremeor
unacceptable.
"Stealingisbad,butstealingfromapoorpersonisreally
goingtoofar!"
Thisexpressionisusedtoindicateagreementwithwhattheother
speakerhasjustsaid.
"Ifoundhisspeechratherboring.""Thatmakestwoofus"
Tosay'that'sthelaststraw'expressesexasperationatthelast
inaseriesofunpleasanteventswhichmakesthesituation
intolerable.
"Afteraharassingdayofnegotiating,thetrafficjamwasthelast
straw!"
Thisexpressionreferstosomethingveryirritatingorannoying.
"Afterwaitingforanhour,weweretoldthattherewerenoseatsleft.
Thatreallytookthebiscuit!"
Ifsomethingisthereforthetaking,itiseasytoobtain.
"Whenourmaincompetitorwentoutofbusiness,themarketwas
thereforthetaking."
Tosaythattherewasn'tasoulmeansthattherewasnobody.
"Wethoughtthemuseumwouldbecrowdedbuttherewasn'tasoul."
Thisexpressionisusedtoindicatesurpriseatanotherperson'slikes
ordislikes.
"Shefellinlovewithaguywho'sshort,fat,baldandpoor...
well,there'snoaccountingfortaste!"

Iftwopeopleareasthickasthieves,itmeansthattheyare
verygoodfriends.
Torefertoaneventoractionasthethinendofthewedge
meansthatitisthoughttobethebeginningofsomethingthat
willbecomemoreserious
"Accordingtothemedia,today'soutsourcingisjustthe
thinendofthewedge."
Whenthereisathinlinebetweenfeelingsorsituations,thereis
apointwhereitisdifficulttodistinguishbetweenthem.
"There'sathinlinebetweenshowingconcernandbeingindiscreet,
sodon'toverdoit!"
Ifsomeone,usuallyaman,issaidtobethinonthetop,
theyarelosingtheirhairorgoingbald.
"Dad'sgoneabitthinonthetopinthelastfewyears."
Thisexpressionreferstosomethingwhichnolongerexistsoris
rarelyusedtoday.
"Fewpeopleusevideocassettestoday-they'rebecoming
athingofthepast."
Ifyoutellsomeonetothinkagain,youadvisethemtoreconsider
thesituationandperhapschangetheirdecision.
"Yourapartmentissowelllocated;youshouldthinkagainbefore
sellingit."
Peoplewhothinkoutsidetheboxtrytofindinnovativeideasorsolutions.
"Ourcompetitorsaremorecreativethanus-theyreallythinkoutsidethebox.
Ifyouthinktheworldofsomeone,youlikeoradmirethem
verymuch.
"She'sawonderfulgrandmother-thechildrenthinktheworldofher."
Ifsomethingsuchasafeelingorreactionisthinlyveiled,itisbarely
hidden.
"Hisdisappointmentwasthinlyveiledwhenhesawwhathehadwon."
Ifyousaysomeoneisathorninyourside,youmean
thattheycontinuallyirritateorannoyyou.
Ifyouarefacedwithathornyissue,youhavetodealwithadifficult
orunpleasantproblem.
"Copyrightandcontentduplicationarethornyissuesthesedays."
Ifsomeoneisthrilledtobits,theyareextremelypleasedabout
something.
"Juliewasthrilledtobitswhenherprojectwasselected."
Ifyousupportsomeonethroughthickandthin,youremainloyalto
themingoodtimesandinbadtimes,whateverthedifficultiesmaybe.
"Thetwofriendssworethattheysticktogetherthroughthickandthin."
Ifsomeonethrowssomethingoverthewall,theydealwithpart
ofaproblemorproject,thenpassresponsibilitytoanotherperson
ordepartmentwithoutanycommunicationorcoordination.
"Youcan'tjustmanufactureaproductandthenthrowitoverthewall
tothesalesdepartment."
Ifyouthrowsomeoneabone,yousaysomethingkindorreward
theminsomewaytomakethemfeelgood.
"Theoldmancan'thelpverymuchbutBillthrowshimabonenowand

thentokeephimhappy."
Ifyouthrowmoneyatsomething,youtrytosolveaproblemby
spendingmoneyonit,withoutusinganyothermethods.
"Therefugeeproblemcannotbesolvedjustbythrowingmoneyatit."
Thisexpressionmeansthatitisawastetooffersomethingvaluable
orusefultosomeonewhodoesnotunderstandorappreciateit.
"Shehadabeautifullytrainedvoicebuttheaudiencedidn'tlistentalkaboutthrowingpearlstopigs!"
Ifyouthrowsomethingtogether,youmakeorproduce
somethingquicklyandwithouteffort.
"Whydon'tyoustayfordinner-I'llthrowsomethingtogether!"
Ifaperson,especiallyachild,throwsatantrum,theybecome
veryangryandbehaveinanunreasonableway.
"Mysister'slittleboyisalwaysthrowingtantrumsnowondertheydon'thave
manyvisitors!"
Ifyouthrowinthetowel,youadmitthatyoucannotsucceedin
doingsomethingorthatyouaredefeated.
"Afterunsuccessfullycompetinginseveralchampionships,
shedecidedtothrowinthetowelandgobacktocollege."
Twopeoplewhoareateachother'sthroatsarealwaysfighting
orarguing.
"Thetwocandidatesareconstantlyateachother'sthroats."
Thismeanstoforcesomeonetoacceptsomethingagainsttheirwill.
Ifyouhearofsomethingthroughthegrapevine,youlearnaboutit
informally,
forexamplethroughfriends,colleaguesoracquaintances.
"Howdidyouhearthat?Oh,throughthegrapevineasusual!"
Ifyouthrowcautiontothewind,youstarttakingrisksand
stopworryingaboutthedangerinvolved.
"Idecidedtothrowcautiontothewindandinvestinmy
bestfriend'snewcompany."
Ifyouthrowdustinsomebody'seyes,youpreventthemfrom
seeingthetruthbymisleadingthem.
"Hethrewdustintheoldlady'seyesbypretendingtobe
apoliceofficer,thenstoleherjewellery."
Whentwopeopletietheknot,theygetmarried.
"Guesswhat!TomandSaraharefinallygoingtotietheknot!"
Ifyoutieyourselfupinknots,youbecometotalledconfused
orconfuseotherswhentryingtoexplainsomething.
"Shetiedherselfupinknotswhenshetriedtoexplaintherules
ofthegame."
Ifonepersonistiedtoanother'sapronstrings,theyremain
dependentatanagewhentheyshouldbeindependent.
"Allhisdecisionsareinfluencedbyhismother.He'sstilltied
toherapronstrings."
Ifyouareinatightsqueeze,youareinacrampedorcrowded
situation.
"Wemanagedtogetonthebusbutitwasatightsqueeze."
Someonewhoisinatightspotisinaverydifficultsituation.

"Therecentstrikehasputtheairlinecompanyinatightspot."
Ifyousaytillthecowscomehomeyoumeanforalongtime
orforever.
"YoucanasktillthecowscomehomebutI'mnotbuyingyoua
scooter!"
Ifyouhavetimeonyourhands,youhavealotoffreetime,
usuallymorethanyouneedorwant.
"Sinceheretired,Billhastoomuchtimeonhishands.
Heshouldtakeupahobby!"
Ifyouhavethetimeofyourlife,youenjoyyourselfverymuch.
"ThekidshadthetimeoftheirlivesatDisneyland."
Ifthetimeisripeforsomething,itistherightmomenttodoit.
"Hesoldhisbusinesswhenthetimewasripe."
Ifyouhavetimeonyourside,youcanaffordtowaitbeforedoing
orachievingsomething.
"Hedidn'tsucceedthistime,buthe'syoungenoughtotryagain.
He'sgottimeonhisside."
Ifyoudosomethinginyourownsweettime,youtakeaslongas
youpleasetodoit,inspiteoftheordersorwishesofothers.
"OK,I'lldoit-butinmyownsweettime!"
Thetipoftheicebergisthepartthatisknownofaproblemor
situationwhichisthoughttobemuchmoreserious.
"Journalistssaythatthereportoncorruptiononlyexamines
thetipoftheiceberg."
Thisexpressionreferstoaninjuryorinsultgiveninreturnforone
received.
"Hekickedme,soIkickedhim-itwastitfortat!"
Ifyoukeepsomeoneontheirtoes,youmakethem
stayalertandreadyforactionatanytime.
To"biteyourtongue"meansthatyoudonotsaywhat
youreallywanttosay.
Ifyouaretongue-tied,youhavedifficultyinexpressingyourself
becauseyouarenervousorembarrassed.
"AtthestartoftheinterviewIwascompletelytongue-tied,
butlittlebylittleIrelaxed."
Tosaythatawordorananswerisonthetipofyourtongue
meansthatyou'resureyouknowitbuthavedifficultyfindingit.
"What'sthatactor'sname?Wait...Iknowit-it'sonthetipof
mytongue!"
Ifyoudescribearemarkastongueincheek,youmeanthatit
isnotmeanttobetakenseriously;itismeanttobefunnyorironic.
"Peter'sremarkwastakenmoreseriouslythanintended.
Itwassupposedtobetongueincheek."
Whentonguesarewagging,peoplearebeginningtogossip
orspreadrumoursaboutsomeone'sprivatelife.
"Thephotographofthecouplethatappearedinamagazine
reallysettongueswagging!"
Ifyoutootyourownhorn,youliketoboastaboutyourabilities
andachievements
"Jackisverydiscreetabouthissuccess.Hedoesn'tgoround
tootinghisownhorn."

Tosaythataperson,grouporcountryistopdogmeansthat
theyarebetterormorepowerfulthanothers.
"She'stopdogincosmeticstoday."
Tosaythatsomethingistopnotchmeansthatitisofthehighest
possiblequalityorstandard.
"Thehotelwaswonderfulandtheservicewastopnotch."
Whentherearetwooptionsorpossibilitiestochosefrom,and
bothareequallygood,thechoicebetweenthetwoisreferredto
asatoss-up(liketossingacoin).
"Bothboxersareinexcellentcondition.It'satoss-upwhichof
themwillwinthematch."
Ifyoutouchbasewithsomeone,youmakecontactorrenew
communicationwiththem.
"I'lltrytotouchbasewithyounextweekinLondon.
Thishumorousexpression,basedonsuperstition,isused
toavoidbadluck,oftenwhiletouchingsomethingmadeofwood.
"Theorderwillbeconfirmedshortly-touchwood!"
Ifyoudecidenottotouchsomethingwithaten-footpole,
yourefusetogetinvolvedwithsomethingorsomebody.
"Iwouldn'ttouchpoliticswithaten-footpole!"
Ifsomethingistouch-and-go,theoutcomeorresultisuncertain.
"Dave'slifeisoutofdangernow,butitwastouch-and-goafterthe
operation."
Apersonwhoisatoughcookieisonewhoisself-confidentand
ambitiousandwilldowhatisnecessarytoachievewhattheywant.
"I'mnotworriedaboutJason'sfuture.He'satoughcookie!"
Asequenceofconnectedideasiscalledatrainofthought.
"Iwasconsideringthedifferentoptionswhenthenoiseoutside
brokemytrainofthought."
Whenyoutravellight,youtravelwithaslittleluggageaspossible.
"Ifyouintendtogotrekking,you'dbettertravellight."
Thisexpressionreferstoacleverorexpertwayofdoingthings,
especiallyinajob.
"He'satoughnegotiator;heknowsallthetricksofthetrade."
Ifamethodhasbeentriedandtested,itcanbetrustedbecause
ithasbeenusedsuccessfullyinthepastandisknowntowork.
Thistermisusedforasituationwhichisevenmoredifficultthan
adilemma,becauseachoicemustbemadebetweenthreeoptions
thatseemequallyundesirable
Thisexpressionmeansthatdespiteeffortstoconcealthefacts,
thetruthcannotbehiddenforever.
"Idon'tknowifthepolicegavethefulldetails,butinevitably
'truthwillout'."
Tosaythatsomethingorsomeonetugsattheheartstrings
meansthattheycauseotherstofeelagreatdealofpityor
sadness.
"Thehospital'spleafordonorstuggedattheheartstringsof
millionsofviewers."
Ifapersonhastunnelvision,theyfocusononlyoneaspectof
something,ortheyareunabletoseemorethanonewayofdoing
things.

"Ourmanagerhastunnelvision.Heseesnoreasontochange
anything."
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythataparticularoptionis
unlikelytobechosenbecauseitwouldnotbeintheinterest
ofthepeopleconcerned.
(InmanycountriespeopleeatturkeyatChristmas.)
"Expectingthemtoacceptadecreaseinsalarywouldbe
liketurkeysvotingforChristmas!"
Ifyouturnon/uptheheatonapersonororganization,
youputpressureontheminordertoobtainwhatyouwant.
"Ifthegoodsarenotdeliveredthisweek,we'llhavetoturnon
theheat."
Ifyouturnadeafeartosomething,yourefusetolisten.
"Sandyturnedadeafeartotheguide'sadviceandgotlostin
themountains."
Ifsomeonedoesnotturnahair,theyshownoemotionin
circumstanceswhenareactionisexpected.
"Whenthepolicecametoarresthim,hedidn'tturnahair."
Ifapersonwhoisilltakesaturnfortheworse,theirillness
becomesmoreserious.
Ifapersondecidestoturnoveranewleaf,theydecideto
changetheirbehaviourandleadabetterlife.
"WhenCharlieleftprison,hewasdeterminedtoturnovera
newleaf."
Ifyouturnthetablesonapersonororganization,youreverse
thesituationsoastobeinapositionofsuperiority.
"Thesuccessofournewproducthasturnedthetableson
ourcompetitors."
Ifsomeoneturnsonthewaterworks,theystarttocry,especially
toobtainsomething.
"Ifhedoesn'tgetwhathewants,thechildimmediatelyturnsonthe
waterworks."
Apersonwhotwiddlestheirthumbsissomeonewhohas
nothingtodo,orisdoingnothinguseful.
Thisexpressionmeans'veryfast'or'instantaneously'.
"Publicopinioncanchangeinthetwinklingofaneye."
Ifyoutwistsomebody'sarm,youforceorpersuadethem
todosomething,withoutusingphysicalforce.
"Hedidn'thavetotwistmyarmtogetmetogooutfordinnerIwashappytoaccept!"
Thisexpressionisusedtotellsomeonethatyoucanbehave
towardstheminthesameunpleasantwaythattheyhave
beenbehavingtowardsyou.
Ifyouhavetwoleftfeet,youareclumsyorawkwardin
yourmovements.
Todosomethingintwoshakes(ofalamb'stail)means
todoitveryquicklyorinamoment.
"It'llbereadyintwoshakes(ofalamb'stail)."
Thisissaidoftwopeople,particularlylovers,whowouldprefer
tobealonetogetherthantohavesomeoneelsewiththem.
"Wouldyouliketocometothecinemawithus?"

"I'drathernot,thanks.Two'scompany..."
To"puttwoandtwotogether"meanstoreachthecorrect
conclusionbasedontheinformationthatyouhave.
Someonewhoistwo-facedisdeceitfulorinsincere;theywill
sayonethingtoyourfaceandanotherwhenyou'renotthere
"Idon'ttrustJack.Ifindhimtwo-faced."
Ifyouareintwomindsaboutsomething,youhavedifficulty
decidingwhattodo.
"I'mintwomindsaboutwhetherornottoaccepttheoffer."

Idiom
U (as)uglyassin

Unchartedwaters

Unmitigateddisaster

Youcan'tunringabell
Untilhellfreezesover

Ontheupandup

Upforgrabs

Upintheair

Uptopar
Upandrunning

Uphillbattle

Usefulasachocolateteapot

V Vanishintothinair

Varietyisthespiceoflife

Ventyourspleen

Ventyourspleen

Nothingventured,nothinggained

Verticallychallenged

Takeadimviewofsomething.
Votewithone'sfeet

Meaning
Thisexpressionisusedtorefertopeopleorthingsthatare
consideredtobeveryunattractive.
"Haveyouseenthenewneighbour'sdog?It'sasuglyassin!"
Ifyouareinunchartedwaters,youareinasituationthatyouhave
neverexperiencedbefore,soyoudon'tknowwhatisgoingtohappen.
"Insomecountries,democracyisanadventureintounchartedwaters."
Torefertosomethingasanunmitigateddisastermeansthatitis
atotalcatastropheoracompletefailure.
"Theorganizationofthetournamentwasanunmitigateddisaster."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoucannotundowhathasbeendone,
soyoumustlivewiththeconsequencesofyouractions.
Ifyoutellsomeonetheycandosomethinguntilhellfreezesover,
youmeanthattheycandoitforeverbuttheywon'tobtaintheresult
theywant.
"Youcanaskuntilhellfreezesover;Iwillnotallowyoutogo
bungee-jumping."
Ifyouareontheupandup,youarebecomingincreasinglysuccessful.
"Thatarchitectbeenontheupandupsincehedesignedabuilding
inDubai."
Ifsomethingisupforgrabs,itisavailableforanyonewhowantsto
competeforit.
"Youshouldenterthecompetition-thereare$20000inprizesup
forgrabs!"
Ifsomething,suchasaplanoradecision,isupintheair,ithas
notbeendecidedorsettledyet.
"Ican'tgiveyouadefiniteansweryet;theprojectisstillupintheair."
Ifsomethingisuptopar,itmeetstherequiredstandard.
"Hedidn'tgetthejobbecausehisEnglishwasn'tuptopar."
Ifabusinessoraplanisupandrunning,ithasstartedandis
functioningsuccessfully.
"Insomecountriesyoucanhaveacompanyupandrunningina
veryshorttime."
Apersonfacedwithanuphillbattlehastostruggleagainstvery
unfavourablecircumstances.
"Aftertheterribleaccident,hisrecoverywasanuphillbattlealltheway."
Somethingwhichisofnopracticaluseatallisaboutasusefulasa
chocolateteapot.
"Whentherearenoroads,acarisaboutasusefulasachocolateteapot."
Ifsomethingvanishesintothinair,itdisappearscompletely
inamysteriousway.
"Thediamondsvanishedintothinair-nobodyknowswhathappened
tothem."
Thisexpressionmeansthatlifeismoreinterestingwhenyoutrytodo
differentthings.
"Sincetheyretired,myparentshavebeentryingoutallsortsofnew
activities.Varietyisthespiceoflife!"
Whenyouventyourspleen,youreleaseorexpressallyouranger

aboutsomething.
"WheneverJackisangryaboutnewgovernmentmeasures,hevents
hisspleenbywritingtonewspapers."
Thisexpressionmeansthatyoucannotexpecttoachieveanythingif
yourisknothing.
"He'sgoingtoaskhisbossforapromotioneventhoughhehas
littlechanceofobtainingsatisfaction-
nothingventured,nothinggained!"
Thisexpressionisahumoristicwayofreferringtosomeonewhois
notverytall.
"Highshelvesaredifficultforverticallychallengedshoppers.
Ifyoutakeadimviewofsomething,youdon'tapproveofit.
Ifyouvotewithyourfeet,youshowyourdislikeordisapprovalof
somethingbyleaving.
"Iftheconferenceisboring,peoplewillprobablyvotewiththeirfeet."

Idiom
W Onthewagon
Waitforthecattojump

Waitinggame

Waitinginthewings

Walkoneggshells

Walkintothelion'sden

Walkatightrope

Walkingencyclopaedia

Walkingpapers

Watchone'sstep

Watchsomeonelikeahawk

Wateroffaduck'sback
Onthesamewavelength

Weakattheknees

Wearmanyhats

Wearmanyhats

Wearyourheartonyoursleeve

Wearthetrousers

Wearoutone'swelcome

Undertheweather
Weatherthestorm

Weighyourwords

Pullyourweight
Wetthebaby'shead

Awetblanket

Awhaleofatime

Whatgoesaroundcomesaround

Whateverfloatsyourboat

Wheelinganddealing

Whilethegoingisgood

WhiteChristmas

WhiteChristmas

Whiteasaghost
Whitelie
Whiz-kid

Whysandwherefores

Win-win

Getwindofsomething

Windowshopping

Wingit

Winkofsleep
Wipethatsmileoffyourface!

Getone'swirescrossed

Witheronthevine

Atyourwitsend.

Awolfinsheep'sclothing
Wonderswillnevercease!

Can'tseethewoodforthetrees

Can'tseethewoodforthetrees

Touchwood/knockonwood

Comeoutofthewoodwork

Wordofmouth

Wordsofonesyllable

Fromthewordgo
(not)getawordinedgeways

Workyourfingerstothebone

Workthesystem

Theworldisyouroyster

Outofthisworld.
Thebestofbothworlds.
Worldsapart
Wormone'swayinto/outof
something

Worm's-eyeview

Theworseforwear

Theworseforwear

Worthone'ssalt

Worthone'sweightingold
Wrapyourbrainaroundsomething

Wrappedupinsomething

Wrappedupincottonwool

X Xeroxsubsidy

Y Yourguessisasgoodasmine

Yourwishismycommand!

Meaning
Someonewhoisonthewagonisnolongerdrinkingalcohol.
"Nowineformeplease.I'monthewagon."
Ifyouwaitforthecattojump,ortoseewhichwaythecat
jumps,youdelaytakingactionuntilyouseehoweventswillturnout.
"Let'swaitforthecattojumpbeforewedecide."
Apersonwhoplaysawaitinggamedelaystakinganyactionor
makinganydecisionsbecausetheyprefertowaitandseehow
thingsdevelop,usuallyinthehopethatthiswillputthemina
strongerposition.
Ifsomeoneiswaitinginthewings,theyarewaitingforan
opportunitytotakeaction,especiallytoreplacesomeoneelsein
theirjoborposition.
"Therearemanyyoungactorswaitinginthewings,readytoshow
theirtalent."
Ifyouwalkoneggshellswithsomeone,youarecarefulnottohurt
oroffendthem.
"She'ssosensitive,youhavetowalkoneggshellswithherallthetime."
Ifyouwalkintothelion'sden,youfindyourselfinadifficult
situationinwhichyouhavetofaceunfriendlyoraggressivepeople.
"Afterthefailureofthenegotiations,hehadto
walkintothelion'sdenandfacethePress."
Ifapersoniswalkingatightrope,theyareinadifficultordelicate
situationwheretheymustactcarefully.
"Themanagementiswalkingatightropeintheireffortsbothtokeep
thecostsdownandsatisfythetradeunions."
Thistermreferstoapersonwhoisveryknowledgeableabouta
particularsubject.
"TheoriginofHalloween?AskJill-she'sawalkingencyclopaedia!"
Ifyouaregivenyourwalkingpapers,yourcontractorarelationship
isended.
"Aftercausingadiplomaticincident,Cartergothiswalkingpapers."
Ifyoutellsomeonetowatchtheirstep,youareadvisingthemtobe
carefulhowtheybehaveorspeakinordertoavoidgettingintotrouble.
"Thereiszerotoleranceinthisschoolforbadbehavioursowatchyour
step!"
Ifyouwatchsomeonelikeahawk,youkeepyoureyesonthem
orwatchthemverycarefully.
"Sarahwatchesthechildrenlikeahawkwhenshetakesthemswimming."
Criticismorcommentswhichhavenoeffectonsomeoneis
referredtoasbeing"likewateroffaduck'sback".
Tosaythattwopeopleareonthesamewavelengthmeans
thattheyunderstandeachotherwellbecausetheyshare
thesameinterestsandopinions.
Ifapersonisweakattheknees,theyaretemporarilybarelyable
tostandbecauseofemotion,fearorillness.
"Theshockoftheannouncementmademegoweakattheknees."
Someonewhowearsmanyhatshastodomanydifferenttypes

oftasksorplayavarietyofroles.
"Ourcompanyissmallsotheemployeesneedtobeflexibleand
accepttowearmanyhats.
Ifyouwearyourheartonyoursleeve,youallowothers
toseeyouremotionsorfeelings.
"Youcouldseeshewashurt-shewearsherheartonhersleeve."
Thepartnerinacouplewhowearsthetrousersistheonewhomakes
theimportantdecisions.
"Thesalesmanhesitated.Itwasdifficulttoseewhoworethetrousers
inthecouple.
Ifsomeonewearsouttheirwelcome,theystaytoolongasaguest,
causinginconveniencetotheirhost.
"AlanandSueinvitedustostayonforafewdaysbutwedidn'twant
towearoutourwelcome."
Ifyouareundertheweather,youarenotfeelingverywell.
Ifyouweatherthestorm,yousucceedinsurvivingadifficultperiod
orsituation.
"Giventhecurrentrecession,thecompanyisweatheringthestorm
betterthansomeothers."
Ifyouweighyourwords,youchooseyourwordscarefullyinorder
toexpressexactlywhatyoumeanandavoidanymisunderstanding.
"Atthepressconferencehespokeveryclearly,weighinghiswords."
Ifyoupullyourweight,youworkashardaseveryoneelse
inateam,agrouporacompany.
Thisexpressionmeanstohavetodrinktocelebratethebirthofababy.
"Whenhisfirstchildwasborn,Tominvitedhiscolleaguestoalocalbar
towetthebaby'shead."
Apersonwhoisawetblanketissoboringorunenthusiastic
thattheypreventotherpeoplefromenjoyingthemselves.
"Comeon!Don'tbesuchawetblanket!"
Whenpeoplehaveawhaleofatime,theyenjoythemselves
verymuch.
"Wehadawhaleofatimeatthepartylastnight."
Thisexpressionmeansthatifyoudosomethingbad,something
badwillhappentoyoueventually.
"Hefeltguiltyaboutwhathedid,withafeelingthatwhatgoes
aroundcomesaround."
Thisexpressionmeansthatalthoughyoudon'tquiteagreewith
theotherperson,it'stheirchoiceandyouthinktheyshoulddo
whatevermakesthemhappy.
"You'regoingtospendyourhoneymooninAlaska?Well,whatever
floatsyourboat!"
Someoneaccusedofwheelinganddealingisthoughttobe
involvedincomplicated,ifnotdishonest,dealsinbusinessorpolitics.
"Sincethebeginningoftheelectioncampaign,there'sbeenalotof
wheelinganddealinggoingon."
Ifyoutakeanactionwhilethegoingisgood,youdosomething
beforethesituationchangesanditbecomesimpossible.
"There'sa50%discountonsubscriptionsthismonth.IthinkI'll
subscribewhilethegoingisgood."
AwhiteChristmasiswhenitsnowsatChristmasandthegroundis

white.
"Wehaven'thadawhiteChristmasintwentyyears."
Apersonwhoisaswhiteasghostlooksverypaleandfrightened.
Totellawhiteliemeanstotellaharmlesslieinordertoavoid
hurtingsomebody.
Awhizkidissomeone,usuallyyoung,whoisverytalentedand
successfulatdoingsomething.
"Apparentlythenewengineerknowswhathe'sdoingarealwhiz-kidfromwhatI'veheard."
Totalkaboutthewhysandwhereforesmeanstotalkaboutthe
reasons.
"Weneedtodiscussthewhysandwhereforesofour
failure/success."
Thetermwin-winreferstoasituationorpropositionwherebothor
allpartiesbenefitfromtheoutcome.
"Thereweresmilesallroundwhenthecontractwassigned-itwas
awin-winsituation."
Ifyougetwindofsomething,youhearaboutsomethingyouwere
unawareof,usuallyaprivateorsecretmatter.
"Thechairmandidn'twantthepresstogetwindofthetakeover
beforetheagreementwassigned."
Whenpeoplegowindowshopping,theylookatthingsinshop
windows,withoutactuallypurchasinganything.
"Ihaven'tbeenpaidyet,soIcanonlygowindowshopping."
Towingitmeanstoimproviseortodealwithasituationwithout
anypreparation.
"Shedidn'texpecttobeinterviewedsoshejusthadtowingit."
Ifsomeonedoesn'tgetawinkofsleep,theydon'tsleepatall.
"Itwassonoisyinthehotel,Ididn'tgetawinkofsleep."
Thisexpressionisoftenusedbyparents,orpeopleinauthority,
toindicatethatthesituationisnotconsideredamusingatall.
"Thisisaveryseriousmatter,sowipethatsmileoffyourface!"
Ifpeoplegettheirwirescrossed,theymisunderstandeachother
orareconfusedaboutwhatwassaid.
"Wemusthavegotourwirescrossed.Ithoughtweweretomeet
infrontofthestation."
Ifsomethingwithersonthevine,itcomestoanendordies
becausepeopledonothingtosupportorencourageit.
"Let'shopethattherecenteffortstowardspeacewillnotwither
onthevine."
Ifyouareatyourwits'end,youareveryanxiousorworriedabout
somethinganddonotknowwhattodo.
"Whenhersondroppedoutofschoolforthesecondtime,
Susanwasatherwits'end."
Todescribesomeoneasawolfinsheep'sclothingmeansthat
althoughthepersonlooksharmless,theyarereallyverydangerous.
Thissayingisusedtoexpresspleasureorsurpriseatsomething.
"IdiomsareincreasinglypopularwithlearnersofEnglish.
Wonderswillnevercease!"
Ifsomeonecan'tseethewoodforthetrees,theyareso

concentratedonthedetailsthattheycan'tseethesituation
asawhole.
"Thenewmanagerfoundthesituationsocomplicatedthat
hecouldn'tseethewoodforthetrees."
Thishumorousexpression,basedonsuperstition,isused
toavoidbadluck,oftenwhiletouchingsomethingmadeofwood.
"Theorderwillbeconfirmedshortly-touchwood!"
Whenthings,orpeople,comeoutofthewoodwork,theyappear
oremergeunexpectedly,asiffromnowhere,andusuallyinlarge
numbers.
"Assoonasweaddedtheswimmingpool,ourchildrenhad"friends"
comingoutofthewoodwork."
Informationpassedonthroughconversationistransmittedbyword
ofmouth
"Noannouncementwasnecessary-thenewshadalreadyspread
bywordofmouth."
Ifyouexplainsomethinginwordsofonesyllable,youusevery
simplelanguage.
"Nosofast!Tellmeinwordsofonesyllable."
Fromthewordgomeansrightfromthestartofaneventoractivity.
Duringadiscussion,ifyoucan'tgetawordinedgeways,you
can'tsaysomethingbecausesomeoneelseistalkingsomuch.
"Itriedtogivemyopinion,butIcouldn'tgetawordinedgeways!"
Apersonwhoworkstheirfingerstotheboneisextremely
hardworking.
"Hedeserveshissuccess;heworkedhisfingerstothebone
whenhestartedthebusiness."
Peoplewhoworkthesystemlearnhowastateorpublicorganization
worksinordertobenefitasmuchaspossiblefromthesystem.
"Hehasn'tchangedhislifestylesincehelosthisjob-hemustknow
howtoworkthesystem!"
Thisexpressionmeansthatyouarefreeandabletoenjoythe
pleasuresandopportunitiesthatlifehastooffer.
"Sheleftcollegefeelingthattheworldwasheroyster."
Somethingthatyoudescribeasoutofthisworldis
somethingthatyouthinkisextremelygoodorbeyondcompare.
Tohavethebestofbothworldsmeanstohavethebenefitsand
advantagesoftwodifferentthingsorsituations,withouttheproblems.
Whentwopeopleareverydifferent,theyaresaidtobeworldsapart.
"Asregardsourpoliticalopinions,we'reworldsapart."
Ifapersonwormstheirwayintooroutofsomething,theyuse
artfulordeviousmeansinordertoparticipateoravoidparticipatingin
something.
"You'renotgoingtowormyourselfoutofthis.Youmustdoyourshare!"
Toofferaworm's-eyeviewofasituationistogiveyouropinion
basedonwhatyouseeatcloserangefromaninferiorposition,
soitisthereforenotageneralview.
"I'mnotsureIcanbeofmuchhelp.Icanonlyofferyoua
worm's-eyeviewofthesituation.
Ifsomeoneorsomethingistheworseforwear,theyarein
poorcondition,eitherworn,damagedortired.

"HecamebackfromNewYorkrathertheworseforwear."
Thisexpressionisusedtosaythatapersonwhodoestheirjobwell
wouldorwouldnotdocertainthings.
"Anyinspectorworthhissaltwouldhavethecheckedthepapers
carefully."
Apersonwhoisworththeirweightingoldissomeonewhois
extremelyhelpfulanduseful,andthereforeinvaluable.
Ifyouconcentrateonsomethingsoastotrytounderstandit,
youwrapyourbrainaroundit.
"Ineedatranslationofthatreporturgently,sowrapyoubrainrounditfast!"
Ifyouarewrappedupinanactivity,youaretotallyconcentratedonit.
"Emmawassowrappedupinherworkthatshedidn'trealizeher
colleagueshadallleft."
Tosaythatsomeoneiswrappedupincottonwoolmeansthat
theyareover-protectedfromdangersandrisks.
"Theirchildrenarekeptwrappedupincottonwool."
Thistermreferstothehabitofusingthephotocopieratworkfor
personaluse.
"Acertainpercentageofphotocopiesareinfactxeroxsubsidies."
Whentalkingtoanotherperson,yourguessisasgoodasmine
meansthatneitherofyouknowstheanswer.
"WhathappenedbetweenBillandHarry?""Yourguessisasgood
asmine!"
Thisisahumoristicwayofsayingthatyouarewillingtodo
whatevertheotherpersonasks.
"Breakfastinbed?Yourwishismycommand!"