Блог Алины

[Alina]

Содержание блога:

[Alina]

Блог является,как бы, дополнением к теме Let's speak English !, где будем обсуждать различные темы на английском и на русском, грамматику английского языка, другие интересующие форумчан темы.

[Alina]

As I had promised before, I am placing here a huge list of idioms, which are very helpful for those, who learn English and help to develop it. Hope, you will like it ! Moreover, I expect all the English-speakers to use these idioms in the topic "Let's speak English", and I am sure, it's gonna be fun!

Idioms
Body idioms

________________________________________
A
able to breathe easily/freely again
- able to relax after a busy and stressful time
I was able to breathe easily again when I knew that I would not miss my flight.

as broad as a barn door
- very broad/fat
The flight attendant at the airport was as broad as a barn door.

as dry as a bone
- very dry
The river bed was as dry as a bone at the end of the summer.

as soft as a baby's bottom
- very soft and smooth
My new silk pajamas are as soft as a baby's bottom.

at each other's throats
- fight/argue all the time
The two boys were at each other's throats as soon as they entered the room.

at the top of one`s lungs
- with a very loud voice
I yelled at the top of my lungs to get the man's attention.

B
back-to-back
- next to each other and touching backs
The students were sitting back-to-back as they did their exercises for the gym class.

bad blood (between people)
- anger or a bad relationship due to past problems with someone
There has always been a lot of bad blood between the two supervisors.

bare bones (of something)
- the most basic and important parts of something
The company had to restructure and most services were cut to the bare bones of the operation.

behind one`s back
- do something when one is absent or without one's knowledge, secretly
I don't like people who talk behind my back.

(go/be) belly up
- (a company) fails or goes bankrupt
The small video store near my house went belly-up last month.

blood is thicker than water
- family members are closer to one another than to others
Blood is thicker than water and people usually support and help their family in times of trouble.

blood runs cold
- one is terrified or horrified
My blood ran cold when I saw the poison spider on my bed.

blood, sweat, and tears
- great personal effort
We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into fixing our old house.

blue blood
- the blood (family line) of a noble or aristocratic family
Many blue bloods attended the opening of the new opera series.

a body blow
- something that causes something to be badly damaged or destroyed
The small food store was hit with a body blow when the large supermarket moved in next door.

a bone of contention
- something that people disagree about
The issue of working on Saturday evenings is a bone of contention between the store and the workers.

break into a cold sweat (about something)
- become nervous or frightened about something
I broke into a cold sweat when I went to tell my teacher what I had done wrong.

break one`s back/neck (to do something)
- do all one possibly can, work very hard to do something
I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.

a breath of fresh air
- someone brings new ideas/new energy/new ways of doing something to a situation
The new manager is a breath of fresh air around those who never like to change anything.

not breathe a word (about someone or something)
- keep a secret about someone or something
"Please don't breathe a word about my new job to my supervisor."

breathe down (someone`s) neck
- watch someone closely (often by standing right behind them), pressure someone to do something
My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to finish the report.

breathe easy/easier
- relax after a busy and stressful time
I could breathe easy when I finished my essay and gave it to my teacher.

breathe one's last
- to die, breathe one's last breath before dying
The elderly man breathed his last late yesterday evening.

broad in the beam
- wide hips or large buttocks
The woman is broad in the beam but she doesn't worry about it at all.

a bundle of nerves
- someone who is very nervous and anxious
I was a bundle of nerves after I finished studying for my exams.

bust a gut (to do something)
- work very hard, strain oneself to do something
I had to bust a gut to get my work done before the weekend.

by the sweat of one's brow
- by one's hard work or effort
The restaurant owner built his business by the sweat of his brow.

C


can't stomach (someone or something)
- dislike someone or something very much
I can't stomach the new woman who I have to work with.

carry one's (own) weight
- do one's share of something
Everyone in the group had to carry his or her own weight during the project.

carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders
- appear to be dealing with all the problems in the whole world
My friend has a lot of stress and thinks that he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

catch one's breath
- return to normal breathing after breathing very hard
I stopped at the top of the stairs to catch my breath.

chilled to the bone
- very cold
I was chilled to the bone when I came out of the cold lake.

close to the bone
- something (a story/remark) that is embarrassing or upsetting
The remarks of my boss hit close to the bone when he began to criticize my work habits.

contemplate one's navel
- spend a lot of time thinking about one's own problems rather than being concerned about more important things
I spent the summer contemplating my navel and didn't do a thing.

cover one's back
- do something to protect yourself from criticism or future blame
I was very careful to cover my back when dealing with the lawyers.

a crick in one's back/neck
- a painful cramp in one's back/neck
I woke up this morning with a crick in my neck.

curdle (someone's) blood
- frighten someone
The sight of the accident scene curdled my blood.

cut a fine figure
- dress and look good
I cut a fine figure as I walked through the doors to interview for the job.

cut/slit one`s (own) throat
- experience certain failure, do something that will cause problems now or in the future
He is cutting his own throat if he doesn't make an effort to find a new job quickly.

cut/pare (something) to the bone
- cut down severely (on something)
The company had no money so all of the extra expenses were cut to the bone.

D
dead from the neck up
- very stupid
My boss seems to be dead from the neck up.

difficult to stomach (someone or something)
- be unable to accept someone, be unable to accept something that you think is unpleasant or wrong
It is difficult to stomach my friend when she begins to complain about her apartment.

Don't hold your breath.
- Don't stop breathing to wait for something (because it will never happen).
"Don't hold your breath," I said when my friend asked when he would be able to borrow our friend's car.

down to the bone
- entirely, to the core
The rain and snow chilled me right down to the bone.

draw blood
- make a wound that bleeds
The older boxer was the first to draw blood during the boxing match.

drop/dump (something) in (someone's) lap
- give a problem that you have to someone else to solve
My supervisor dumped some extra work in my lap just before I was going to go home.

E

eyes are bigger than one's stomach
- take more food than one can eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach when I went to the buffet table and put too much food on my plate.

F
fall/drop into one's lap
- an opportunity or chance comes to you by chance and good luck and without any effort on your part
The chance to go on the training course dropped into my lap suddenly last weekend.

feel (something) in one's bones
- sense something, have an intuition about something
I feel it in my bones that I am not going to get the job that I want.

(one's) flesh and blood
- a close relative (father,daughter,brother etc.), a living human body
The man's own flesh and blood refused to help him when he needed money.

flex one's muscles
- do something that shows that you have power and intend to use it
The new president of our company was flexing his muscles when he threatened to close one of the factories.

G

get/have a frog in one's throat
- get soreness in your throat that prevents you from talking well
I got a frog in my throat just as I answered the phone to talk to my professor.

get/have a lump in one's throat
- feel like there in something in your throat as if you were going to cry
I got a lump in my throat as I listened to the tragic story of the woman's family.

get off (someone`s) back
- stop criticizing or nagging someone
I wish that my mother would get off my back about trying to find a better job.

get on (someone's) nerves
- irritate someone
The constant complaints of my coworkers get on my nerves.

get (someone's) back up
- make someone become angry
I got my friend's back up when I again asked her to borrow her notes from school.

get (something) off one's chest
- tell something that has been bothering you
I talked to my parents and I was able to get some things that were bothering me off my chest.

get (something) out of one's system
- eliminate some food or medicine out of one's body, get rid of the desire to do something (usually by doing what you want to do)
My friend went travelling last year and finally got travelling out of her system. Now she is happy to stay home and work.

get the cold shoulder (from someone)
- be ignored, be rejected
Yesterday, one of the women who I work with gave me the cold shoulder all day.

get under (someone`s) skin
- bother/irritate someone
She is beginning to get under my skin with her constant complaining about the noise.

gird up one's loins
- get ready to do something that will be difficult
I got ready to gird up my loins and begin to work on some of my problem accounts.

give (someone) the cold shoulder
- ignore someone, reject someone
The office staff gave me the cold shoulder when I did not go to the farewell party.

give (someone) the shirt off one's back
- be very generous to someone
My friend is the most generous person that I know and he will be happy to give you the shirt off his back.

go for the jugular
- attack someone in a way that you know will harm them most (the jugular is a large vein in the neck)
As soon as the political candidate was having problems the other candidates decided to go for the jugular and attack.

goose bumps
- the bumpy skin (like a goose) that one gets because of excitement or fear
I got goose bumps when the woman began to talk about her sick child.

grab (someone) by the throat
- a performance/book/idea makes one feel very interested/excited/frightened
The ballet performance grabbed the audience by the throat and everyone left the auditorium speechless.

grate on (someone's) nerves
- annoy/bother someone
The woman who I work with grates on my nerves. She is very irritating.

a gut feeling/reaction/response
- a personal/intuitive feeling and response
I had a gut feeling that my friend was not going to come to our meeting place at the right time.

H


hard to stomach (someone or something)
- be unable to accept something or do something that you think is unpleasant or wrong
I find some of my classmates and their attitude to studying hard to stomach.

hardly have time to breathe
- be very busy
I hardly had time to breathe while I was preparing for the summer barbecue.

hate (someone's) guts
- hate someone very much
I think that my neighbor hates my guts. He will never say hello to me.

have a chip on one's shoulder
- have a tendency to try to get in a conflict with others
Our supervisor has a chip on his shoulder and is not an easy person to work with.

have broad shoulders
- have the ability to work hard and take on responsibilities and accept criticism (because you are strong with broad shoulders)
The man has broad shoulders and does much more than his share of work in our company.

have/get butterflies in one`s stomach
- have/get a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
The little boy had butterflies in his stomach when he had to give the speech in front of the class.

have one's back to the wall/up against the wall
- be in a defensive position
I have my back to the wall at work and I must decide how to deal with the criticism that I am receiving.

have (someone's) blood on one's hands
- be responsible for someone's death
The driver of the car who was going too fast had the passengers' blood on his hands after two people were killed in an accident.

have (someone's) hide
- scold or punish someone (a hide is the skin of an animal)
The woman promised to have the little boy's hide if he didn't behave well.

not have the stomach for (something)
- have no desire to do something because you think that it is unpleasant or wrong
I do not have the stomach to talk with my friend about his work and financial problems.

head and shoulders above (someone or something)
- be superior to someone or something
Our soccer coach is head and shoulders above the other coaches in the city.

hold one`s breath
- stop breathing for a moment, stop doing something and wait until something happens
I held my breath and waited to see if my name had been called for an interview with the movie company.

huff and puff
- breathe very hard
I was huffing and puffing when I reached the top of the stairs.

[Alina]

I

in cold blood
- without feeling
The family was murdered in cold blood by a group of criminals.

(all) in one breath
- something spoken rapidly without stopping to breathe
I told my friend all in one breath what had happened at the party.

in one's blood
- built into one's personality or character
My cousin has music in her blood and she has always been very good at it.

in the flesh
- really present, in person
I finally was able to see my favorite movie actor in the flesh.

in the same breath
- almost at the same time
My friend was complaining about her teacher but in the same breath she said that she wanted to continue with the class.

J

joined at the hip
- two people spend all their time together
The two boys are joined at the hip and never spend any time apart.

jump down (someone`s) throat
- suddenly become very angry at someone
The man's wife jumped down his throat when he came home late for the third day in a row.

jump out of one`s skin
- be badly frightened, be very surprised
I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw my boyfriend at the movie theater with another girl.

K

keep body and soul together
- keep alive, survive
He has been working very hard to try and keep body and soul together after his illness.

a kink in one's neck
- a cramp in one's neck that causes pain
I have a kink in my neck and it hurts every time that I turn my head.

know (something) in one's bones
- know and sense something, have an intuition about something
I know it in my bones that I am not going to pass my English exam.

know where all the bodies are buried
- know all the important details and secrets about something
Our new boss knows where all the bodies are buried in our company and knows how to keep a secret well.

L

land in one's lap
- additional work comes to you and you now have to deal with it
Several resignations from our company landed in the lap of the personnel director last Friday.

like getting blood out of a stone
- very difficult to get something from someone or something
It is like getting blood out of a stone to try and ask my friend for anything.

look over one's shoulder
- be worried that something dangerous or bad may happen to you
I always look over my shoulder when I am walking next to a construction site.

M

make a clean breast of (something)
- get something off one's chest, confess something
I talked to my supervisor and I tried to make a clean breast of my past problems at the company.

make no bones about (something)
- make no mistake about something, do not doubt something
"Make no bones about it, I am not going to lend my friend any more money."

make (someone's) blood boil
- make someone very angry
It makes my blood boil to think about what the supervisor did to one of the employees.

make (someone's) blood run cold
- shock or horrify someone
It made my blood run cold when I saw the little boy run into the road.

make (someone's) flesh crawl
- become frightened so that your skin feels funny or you get goose bumps
The movie was very weird and from the beginning it made my flesh crawl.

a millstone around (someone's) neck
- a burden or handicap for someone
My parents' condominium is a millstone around their neck and I hope that they can sell it.

N

not move a muscle
- do not move at all
I did not move a muscle when the large dog approached me on the street.

neck and neck
- exactly even in a race or contest
The two horses were running neck and neck at the end of the race.

new blood
- new members brought into a group, new workers in a company
We have got lots of new blood in our club recently.

No sweat!
- No problem! No difficulty!
It was no sweat for me to finish work early and then drive my friend to the airport.

O

off one`s back
- not bother someone, remove someone or something as an annoyance
I wish my boss would get off my back and stop bothering me.

off one`s chest
- remove something so it doesn't bother one anymore
I talked to my friend for a long time and was able to get some problems off my chest.

on (someone`s) back
- constantly criticizing someone, pressuring someone
My sister is always on her daughter's back to clean up her room.

on (someone's) shoulders
- someone's responsibility
I don't want to have the failure of the project on my shoulders.

out for blood
- be very determined to defeat/punish someone, be very angry at someone
My boss was out for blood when he discovered that someone had deleted some files on his computer.

out of breath
- breathing fast and hard
I was out of breath when I ran to catch the train.

over my dead body
- not if I can stop you
I told my friend that I will lend him money only over my dead body.

P

a pain in the neck
- an annoying or bothersome person or event
The customer is a pain in the neck and is always complaining about something.

a pat on the back
- praise, congratulations, encouragement
The man was given a pat on the back for his efforts to stop pollution in the river.

play one's cards close to one's chest
- negotiate in a careful and private manner
I played my cards close to my chest when I went to talk to my supervisor about changing jobs.

press the flesh
- (a politician) shakes hands with people in order to become more popular
The politician spent most of the weekend pressing the flesh in the shopping mall.

pull one's (own) weight
- do one's share of something
The woman at the bank never pulls her own weight so nobody likes her.

put flesh on (something)
- add details to something so that it becomes clearer and more detailed
I worked all weekend to try and put flesh on my ideas for a new company education committee.

put one's back into (something)
- use great physical or mental energy to do something
We put our backs into trying to move the freezer out of the basement.

put one's shoulder to the wheel
- get busy and do some work
We must put our shoulders to the wheel and get our work done on time.

[Alina]

R

risk one's neck (to do something)
- risk harm in order to do something
The fireman risked his neck to save the young child.

rub elbows/shoulders with (someone)
- be in the same place as others, meet and mix with others
We went to the party in order to rub shoulders with some interesting artists.

S

save one`s breath
- keep silent because talking will not do any good
"You can save your breath and not bother talking to him. He never listens to anyone."

save (someone`s) neck/skin
- save someone from danger/trouble/embarrassment
The worker tried to save his own neck without thinking of any other people.

say (something) under one's breath
- say something so softly that almost nobody can hear it
I think that the clerk in the store said something under her breath about me.

scratch (someone`s) back
- do a favor for someone in the hope that they will do something for you
If you scratch the supervisor's back he will help you when you need help.

shoot from the hip
- speak directly and frankly, fire a gun that is held at one's side and against one's hip
The manager always shoots from the hip and everyone likes her because of that.

a shoulder to cry on
- someone who you can tell about your problems and ask for sympathy and advice
I gave my friend a shoulder to cry on when I met him at the coffee shop.

shoulder to shoulder
- side by side, with a shared purpose
The children were standing shoulder to shoulder during the exercise class.

shove/force/ram (something) down (someone`s) throat
- force someone to do or agree to something that they don't want or like
The workers were angry because the boss tried to shove the new regulations about uniforms down their throats.

a skeleton in the closet
- a hidden and shocking secret
The politician had a skeleton in the closet that he did not want anyone to know about.

skin and bones
- a person or animal that is very thin/skinny
The dog was skin and bones after his owner stopped giving him food.

skin-deep
- only on the surface, not having any deep or honest meaning
I believe that the speaker's interest in the environment is only skin-deep.

smell blood
- realize that you have to defeat or harm an opponent and be eager to try and do this
The reporters could smell blood when they began to investigate the politicians and the scandal.

soaked to the skin
- one's clothing is wet right through to the skin
I was soaked to the skin after walking in the rain for only a few minutes.

split one's sides (with laughter)
- laugh so hard that one's sides almost split
I split my sides with laughter when I heard the story about my friend.

stab (someone) in the back
- betray someone
My friend stabbed me in the back although I made an effort to help him get a job.

stick in (someone's) throat/craw
- an idea or situation is difficult for you to accept and irritates or displeases you
The customer's attitude sticks in my throat and I am always happy to see him leave.

stick one`s neck out (for someone or something)
- do something dangerous or risky for someone
My friend will never stick his neck out to try and help other people.

stick to one's ribs
- food that lasts a long time and fills one up
The rice and beans stuck to my ribs and I wasn't hungry for a long time.

straight from the shoulder
- an open and honest way of speaking
He was speaking straight from the shoulder when he told the workers about the possible factory closing.

sweat blood
- be very anxious and tense
I began to sweat blood when I heard that some of our staff would be transferred to another city.

sweat it out
- wait patiently until something bad or unpleasant ends
We had to sweat it out in a small town with no food while our car was being repaired.

take (someone's) breath away
- overwhelm someone with beauty or grandeur, cause someone to be out of breath
The beauty of the mountain lake took my breath away.

take (someone's) pulse
- measure the frequency of the beats of a person's pulse
The ambulance driver took the pulse of the woman in the car accident.

tan (someone's) hide
- spank/beat someone
The angry mother threatened to tan her child's hide.

taste blood
- be able to harm an opponent and therefore want to try to do even more harm
I could taste blood when I discovered the weak points of the supervisor who I hated.

tear/rip (someone) limb from limb
- attack someone in a violent way
The dogs attacked the cat and tore it limb from limb.

thick-skinned
- insensitive, not easily upset or hurt
You really must be thick-skinned if you decide to get involved in politics.

thin-skinned
- easily upset or hurt, very sensitive
My friend is rather thin-skinned and is always upset about something that someone may have said to her.

a thorn in (someone's) side
- a constant bother or annoyance to someone
The teacher is a thorn in the principal's side and is always complaining about something.

throw one's weight around
- give orders, attempt to boss people around
The new supervisor likes to throw his weight around the company.

time to catch one's breath
- enough time to relax or behave normally
I didn't have time to catch my breath while I was getting ready for the convention.

to the bone
- entirely, to the core
He was wet to the bone after staying out in the rain for two hours.

too rich for (someone's) blood
- be too expensive for someone
The holiday in the very expensive resort was too rich for our blood so we didn't go.

touch/hit/strike a raw nerve
- upset someone by talking about a subject that upsets or embarrasses them
The criticism from the supervisor touched a raw nerve in the woman at our office.

turn one`s back on (someone or something)
- refuse to help someone in trouble or need
The woman turned her back on her friend when the friend asked her for some money.

turn (someone`s) stomach
- make one feel sick, disgust someone
The sight of the dead dog on the road turned my stomach.

up to one's neck/ears/eyeballs (in something)
- having a lot of something, much involved/busy with something
I am up to my neck in work at the moment and won't be able to attend the dinner tonight.

vent one's spleen
- get rid of one's feelings of anger by attacking someone or something
I went for a coffee with one of my coworkers and she spent the whole time venting her spleen about her job.

wait with bated breath
- wait anxiously for something
I waited with bated breath for the results of my exams.

warts and all
- including all one's faults and disadvantages
I opened my heart to my friend and told him everything - warts and all.

waste one's breath
- waste one's time talking, talk in vain
I think that I will be wasting my breath to try and ask my parents to use the car this weekend.

wet one's whistle
- have a drink (one's whistle is one's throat)
I stopped at a small cafe near the beach in order to wet my whistle.

with every (other) breath
- saying something repeatedly or continually
My friend always tells me with every other breath that he does not like my girlfriend.

words stick in one's throat
- one can hardly speak because he or she is so overcome by emotion
I tried to ask the girl in my class out for a date but the words stuck in my throat and I couldn't say a thing.

wring (someone's) neck
- be extremely angry at someone
I plan to wring my friend's neck for breaking my new laptop computer.

yellow-bellied
- extremely timid, cowardly
Everyone thinks that the new boss handled the matter in a yellow-bellied manner.

a yoke around (someone's) neck
- a burden, something that oppresses people
The legal problems of my friend were a yoke around his neck which he wanted to deal with.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
- You do a favor for me and I'll do a favor for you.
"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," I said to my customer as we tried to reach a new sales agreement for our product.

[Alina]

Back Idioms


back-to-back
- next to each other and touching backs
The students were sitting back-to-back as they did their exercises for the gym class.

behind one`s back
- do something when one is absent or without one's knowledge, secretly
I don't like people who talk behind my back.

break one`s back/neck (to do something)
- do all one possibly can, work very hard to do something
I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.

cover one's back
- do something to protect yourself from criticism or future blame
I was very careful to cover my back when dealing with the lawyers.

a crick in one's back/neck
- a painful cramp in one's back/neck
I woke up this morning with a crick in my neck.

get off (someone`s) back
- stop criticizing or nagging someone
I wish that my mother would get off my back about trying to find a better job.

get (someone's) back up
- make someone become angry
I got my friend's back up when I again asked her to borrow her notes from school.

give (someone) the shirt off one's back
- be very generous to someone
My friend is the most generous person that I know and he will be happy to give you the shirt off his back.

have one's back to the wall/up against the wall
- be in a defensive position
I have my back to the wall at work and I must decide how to deal with the criticism that I am receiving.

off one`s back
- not bother someone, remove someone or something as an annoyance
I wish my boss would get off my back and stop bothering me.

on (someone`s) back
- constantly criticizing someone, pressuring someone
My sister is always on her daughter's back to clean up her room.

a pat on the back
- praise, congratulations, encouragement
The man was given a pat on the back for his efforts to stop pollution in the river.

put one's back into (something)
- use great physical or mental energy to do something
We put our backs into trying to move the freezer out of the basement.

scratch (someone`s) back
- do a favor for someone in the hope that they will do something for you
If you scratch the supervisor's back he will help you when you need help.

stab (someone) in the back
- betray someone
My friend stabbed me in the back although I made an effort to help him get a job.

turn one`s back on (someone or something)
- refuse to help someone in trouble or need
The woman turned her back on her friend when the friend asked her for some money.

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
- You do a favor for me and I'll do a favor for you.
"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," I said to my customer as we tried to reach a new sales agreement for our product.

Blood Idioms


bad blood (between people)
- anger or a bad relationship due to past problems with someone
There has always been a lot of bad blood between the two supervisors.

blood is thicker than water
- family members are closer to one another than to others
Blood is thicker than water and people usually support and help their family in times of trouble.

blood runs cold
- one is terrified or horrified
My blood ran cold when I saw the poison spider on my bed.

blood, sweat, and tears
- great personal effort
We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into fixing our old house.

blue blood
- the blood (family line) of a noble or aristocratic family
Many blue bloods attended the opening of the new opera series.

curdle (someone's) blood
- frighten someone
The sight of the accident scene curdled my blood.

draw blood
- make a wound that bleeds
The older boxer was the first to draw blood during the boxing match.

(one's) flesh and blood
- a close relative (father,daughter,brother etc.), a living human body
The man's own flesh and blood refused to help him when he needed money.

go for the jugular
- attack someone in a way that you know will harm them most (the jugular is a large vein in the neck)
As soon as the political candidate was having problems the other candidates decided to go for the jugular and attack.

have (someone's) blood on one's hands
- be responsible for someone's death
The driver of the car who was going too fast had the passengers' blood on his hands after two people were killed in an accident.

in cold blood
- without feeling
The family was murdered in cold blood by a group of criminals.

in one's blood
- built into one's personality or character
My cousin has music in her blood and she has always been very good at it.

like getting blood out of a stone
- very difficult to get something from someone or something
It is like getting blood out of a stone to try and ask my friend for anything.

make (someone's) blood boil
- make someone very angry
It makes my blood boil to think about what the supervisor did to one of the employees.

make (someone's) blood run cold
- shock or horrify someone
It made my blood run cold when I saw the little boy run into the road.

new blood
- new members brought into a group, new workers in a company
We have got lots of new blood in our club recently.

out for blood
- be very determined to defeat/punish someone, be very angry at someone
My boss was out for blood when he discovered that someone had deleted some files on his computer.

smell blood
- realize that you have to defeat or harm an opponent and be eager to try and do this
The reporters could smell blood when they began to investigate the politicians and the scandal.

sweat blood
- be very anxious and tense
I began to sweat blood when I heard that some of our staff would be transferred to another city.

taste blood
- be able to harm an opponent and therefore want to try to do even more harm
I could taste blood when I discovered the weak points of the supervisor who I hated.

too rich for (someone's) blood
- be too expensive for someone
The holiday in the very expensive resort was too rich for our blood so we didn't go.

[Alina]

Bone Idioms


as dry as a bone
- very dry
The river bed was as dry as a bone at the end of the summer.

bare bones (of something)
- the most basic and important parts of something
The company had to restructure and most services were cut to the bare bones of the operation.

a bone of contention
- something that people disagree about
The issue of working on Saturday evenings is a bone of contention between the store and the workers.

chilled to the bone
- very cold
I was chilled to the bone when I came out of the cold lake.

close to the bone
- something (a story/remark) that is embarrassing or upsetting
The remarks of my boss hit close to the bone when he began to criticize my work habits.

cut/pare (something) to the bone
- cut down severely (on something)
The company had no money so all of the extra expenses were cut to the bone.

down to the bone
- entirely, to the core
The rain and snow chilled me right down to the bone.

feel (something) in one's bones
- sense something, have an intuition about something
I feel it in my bones that I am not going to get the job that I want.

know (something) in one's bones
- know and sense something, have an intuition about something
I know it in my bones that I am not going to pass my English exam.

make no bones about (something)
- make no mistake about something, do not doubt something
"Make no bones about it, I am not going to lend my friend any more money."

a skeleton in the closet
- a hidden and shocking secret
The politician had a skeleton in the closet that he did not want anyone to know about.

skin and bones
- a person or animal that is very thin/skinny
The dog was skin and bones after his owner stopped giving him food.

to the bone
- entirely, to the core
He was wet to the bone after staying out in the rain for two hours.

Breathe/Breath Idioms


able to breathe easily/freely again
- able to relax after a busy and stressful time
I was able to breathe easily again when I knew that I would not miss my flight.

at the top of one`s lungs
- with a very loud voice
I yelled at the top of my lungs to get the man's attention.

a breath of fresh air
- someone brings new ideas/new energy/new ways of doing something to a situation
The new manager is a breath of fresh air around those who never like to change anything.

not breathe a word (about someone or something)
- keep a secret about someone or something
"Please don't breathe a word about my new job to my supervisor."

breathe down (someone`s) neck
- watch someone closely (often by standing right behind them), pressure someone to do something
My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to finish the report.

breathe easy/easier
- relax after a busy and stressful time
I could breathe easy when I finished my essay and gave it to my teacher.

breathe one's last
- to die, breathe one's last breath before dying
The elderly man breathed his last late yesterday evening.

catch one's breath
- return to normal breathing after breathing very hard
I stopped at the top of the stairs to catch my breath.

Don't hold your breath.
- Don't stop breathing to wait for something (because it will never happen).
"Don't hold your breath," I said when my friend asked when he would be able to borrow our friend's car.

hardly have time to breathe
- be very busy
I hardly had time to breathe while I was preparing for the summer barbecue.

hold one`s breath
- stop breathing for a moment, stop doing something and wait until something happens
I held my breath and waited to see if my name had been called for an interview with the movie company.

huff and puff
- breathe very hard
I was huffing and puffing when I reached the top of the stairs.

(all) in one breath
- something spoken rapidly without stopping to breathe
I told my friend all in one breath what had happened at the party.

in the same breath
- almost at the same time
My friend was complaining about her teacher but in the same breath she said that she wanted to continue with the class.

out of breath
- breathing fast and hard
I was out of breath when I ran to catch the train.

save one`s breath
- keep silent because talking will not do any good
"You can save your breath and not bother talking to him. He never listens to anyone."

say (something) under one's breath
- say something so softly that almost nobody can hear it
I think that the clerk in the store said something under her breath about me.

take (someone's) breath away
- overwhelm someone with beauty or grandeur, cause someone to be out of breath
The beauty of the mountain lake took my breath away.

time to catch one's breath
- enough time to relax or behave normally
I didn't have time to catch my breath while I was getting ready for the convention.

wait with bated breath
- wait anxiously for something
I waited with bated breath for the results of my exams.

waste one's breath
- waste one's time talking, talk in vain
I think that I will be wasting my breath to try and ask my parents to use the car this weekend.

with every (other) breath
- saying something repeatedly or continually
My friend always tells me with every other breath that he does not like my girlfriend.

[Alina]

Neck Idioms


break one`s back/neck (to do something)
- do all one possibly can, work very hard to do something
I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.

breathe down (someone`s) neck
- watch someone closely (often by standing right behind them), pressure someone to do something
My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to finish the report.

a crick in one's back/neck
- a painful cramp in one's back/neck
I woke up this morning with a crick in my neck.

dead from the neck up
- very stupid
My boss seems to be dead from the neck up.

a kink in one's neck
- a cramp in one's neck that causes pain
I have a kink in my neck and it hurts every time that I turn my head.

a millstone around (someone's) neck
- a burden or handicap for someone
My parents' condominium is a millstone around their neck and I hope that they can sell it.

neck and neck
- exactly even in a race or contest
The two horses were running neck and neck at the end of the race.

a pain in the neck
- an annoying or bothersome person or event
The customer is a pain in the neck and is always complaining about something.

risk one's neck (to do something)
- risk harm in order to do something
The fireman risked his neck to save the young child.

save (someone`s) neck/skin
- save someone from danger/trouble/embarrassment
The worker tried to save his own neck without thinking of any other people.

stick one`s neck out (for someone or something)
- do something dangerous or risky for someone
My friend will never stick his neck out to try and help other people.

up to one's neck/ears/eyeballs (in something)
- having a lot of something, much involved/busy with something
I am up to my neck in work at the moment and won't be able to attend the dinner tonight.

wring (someone's) neck
- be extremely angry at someone
I plan to wring my friend's neck for breaking my new laptop computer.

a yoke around (someone's) neck
- a burden, something that oppresses people
The legal problems of my friend were a yoke around his neck which he wanted to deal with.

Shoulder Idioms


carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders
- appear to be dealing with all the problems in the whole world
My friend has a lot of stress and thinks that he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

get the cold shoulder (from someone)
- be ignored, be rejected
Yesterday, one of the women who I work with gave me the cold shoulder all day.

give (someone) the cold shoulder
- ignore someone, reject someone
The office staff gave me the cold shoulder when I did not go to the farewell party.

have a chip on one's shoulder
- have a tendency to try to get in a conflict with others
Our supervisor has a chip on his shoulder and is not an easy person to work with.

have broad shoulders
- have the ability to work hard and take on responsibilities and accept criticism (because you are strong with broad shoulders)
The man has broad shoulders and does much more than his share of work in our company.

head and shoulders above (someone or something)
- be superior to someone or something
Our soccer coach is head and shoulders above the other coaches in the city.

look over one's shoulder
- be worried that something dangerous or bad may happen to you
I always look over my shoulder when I am walking next to a construction site.

on (someone's) shoulders
- someone's responsibility
I don't want to have the failure of the project on my shoulders.

put one's shoulder to the wheel
- get busy and do some work
We must put our shoulders to the wheel and get our work done on time.

rub elbows/shoulders with (someone)
- be in the same place as others, meet and mix with others
We went to the party in order to rub shoulders with some interesting artists.

a shoulder to cry on
- someone who you can tell about your problems and ask for sympathy and advice
I gave my friend a shoulder to cry on when I met him at the coffee shop.

shoulder to shoulder
- side by side, with a shared purpose
The children were standing shoulder to shoulder during the exercise class.

straight from the shoulder
- an open and honest way of speaking
He was speaking straight from the shoulder when he told the workers about the possible factory closing.

Skin Idioms


as soft as a baby's bottom
- very soft and smooth
My new silk pajamas are as soft as a baby's bottom.

get under (someone`s) skin
- bother/irritate someone
She is beginning to get under my skin with her constant complaining about the noise.

goose bumps
- the bumpy skin (like a goose) that one gets because of excitement or fear
I got goose bumps when the woman began to talk about her sick child.

jump out of one`s skin
- be badly frightened, be very surprised
I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw my boyfriend at the movie theater with another girl.

save (someone`s) neck/skin
- save someone from danger/trouble/embarrassment
The worker tried to save his own neck without thinking of any other people.

skin and bones
- a person or animal that is very thin/skinny
The dog was skin and bones after his owner stopped giving him food.

skin-deep
- only on the surface, not having any deep or honest meaning
I believe that the speaker's interest in the environment is only skin-deep.

soaked to the skin
- one's clothing is wet right through to the skin
I was soaked to the skin after walking in the rain for only a few minutes.

thick-skinned
- insensitive, not easily upset or hurt
You really must be thick-skinned if you decide to get involved in politics.

thin-skinned
- easily upset or hurt, very sensitive
My friend is rather thin-skinned and is always upset about something that someone may have said to her.

[Alina]

Stomach Idioms


can't stomach (someone or something)
- dislike someone or something very much
I can't stomach the new woman who I have to work with.

contemplate one's navel
- spend a lot of time thinking about one's own problems rather than being concerned about more important things
I spent the summer contemplating my navel and didn't do a thing.

difficult to stomach (someone or something)
- be unable to accept someone, be unable to accept something that you think is unpleasant or wrong
It is difficult to stomach my friend when she begins to complain about her apartment.

eyes are bigger than one's stomach
- take more food than one can eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach when I went to the buffet table and put too much food on my plate.

hard to stomach (someone or something)
- be unable to accept something or do something that you think is unpleasant or wrong
I find some of my classmates and their attitude to studying hard to stomach.

have/get butterflies in one`s stomach
- have/get a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
The little boy had butterflies in his stomach when he had to give the speech in front of the class.

not have the stomach for (something)
- have no desire to do something because you think that it is unpleasant or wrong
I do not have the stomach to talk with my friend about his work and financial problems.

turn (someone`s) stomach
- make one feel sick, disgust someone
The sight of the dead dog on the road turned my stomach.

Sweat Idioms


blood, sweat, and tears
- great personal effort
We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into fixing our old house.

break into a cold sweat (about something)
- become nervous or frightened about something
I broke into a cold sweat when I went to tell my teacher what I had done wrong.

by the sweat of one's brow
- by one's hard work or effort
The restaurant owner built his business by the sweat of his brow.

sweat blood
- be very anxious and tense
I began to sweat blood when I heard that some of our staff would be transferred to another city.

sweat it out
- wait patiently until something bad or unpleasant ends
We had to sweat it out in a small town with no food while our car was being repaired.

Throat Idioms


at each other's throats
- fight/argue all the time
The two boys were at each other's throats as soon as they entered the room.

cut/slit one`s (own) throat
- experience certain failure, do something that will cause problems now or in the future
He is cutting his own throat if he doesn't make an effort to find a new job quickly.

get/have a frog in one's throat
- get soreness in your throat that prevents you from talking well
I got a frog in my throat just as I answered the phone to talk to my professor.

get/have a lump in one's throat
- feel like there in something in your throat as if you were going to cry
I got a lump in my throat as I listened to the tragic story of the woman's family.

grab (someone) by the throat
- a performance/book/idea makes one feel very interested/excited/frightened
The ballet performance grabbed the audience by the throat and everyone left the auditorium speechless.

jump down (someone`s) throat
- suddenly become very angry at someone
The man's wife jumped down his throat when he came home late for the third day in a row.

shove/force/ram (something) down (someone`s) throat
- force someone to do or agree to something that they don't want or like
The workers were angry because the boss tried to shove the new regulations about uniforms down their throats.

stick in (someone's) throat/craw
- an idea or situation is difficult for you to accept and irritates or displeases you
The customer's attitude sticks in my throat and I am always happy to see him leave.

wet one's whistle
- have a drink (one's whistle is one's throat)
I stopped at a small cafe near the beach in order to wet my whistle.

words stick in one's throat
- one can hardly speak because he or she is so overcome by emotion
I tried to ask the girl in my class out for a date but the words stuck in my throat and I couldn't say a thing.

[Alina]

Animal Idioms





________________________________________

Animals

ahead of the pack
- to be more successful than other people who are doing the same thing as you (a pack is a group of animals like dogs or wolves who live together)
The girl studied hard all summer and was ahead of the pack when she returned to school in the autumn.

alley cat
- a stray cat
I began to feed the alley cat and now it comes to my house every day.

as awkward as a cow on roller skates
- very awkward
The little girl was as awkward as a cow on roller skates when she first began riding her bicycle.

as blind as a bat
- blind
The man is as blind as a bat and cannot see more than a small distance ahead.

as busy as a beaver
- very busy
I have been as busy as a beaver all morning trying to finish my work.

as clean as a hound's tooth
- very clean
The classroom was as clean as a hound's tooth when the students finished cleaning it.

as conceited as a barber's cat
- very conceited, vain
My friend became as conceited as a barber's cat after she won the award at school.

as crooked as a dog's hind leg
- dishonest
The politician is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and everybody dislikes him.

as drunk as a skunk
- very drunk
The man was as drunk as a skunk when he walked into the restaurant.

as fat as a pig
- very fat
The woman in the supermarket was as fat as a pig.

as gentle as a lamb
- very gentle
The girl is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her little sister.

as gruff as a bear
- gruff, unsociable
Our neighbor is as gruff as a bear when we meet him in the morning.

as hungry as a bear
- very hungry
I was as hungry as a bear when I arrived home from work.

as innocent as a lamb
- having no guilt, naive
The little girl is as innocent as a lamb and everybody loves her.

as meek as a lamb
- quiet, docile, meek
The secretary was as meek as a lamb when she went to ask her boss for a salary increase.

as nervous as a cat
- very nervous
The man was as nervous as a cat when he talked to the woman.

as poor as a church mouse
- very poor
My cousin is as poor as a church mouse and never has any money to spend.

as quiet as a mouse
- very quiet, shy
I was as quiet as a mouse when I left my house early this morning.

as scared as a rabbit
- very scared
I was as scared as a rabbit when I entered the empty room.

as sick as a dog
- very sick
My friend was as sick as a dog when he left the restaurant last night.

as sly as a fox
- smart and clever
The manager of our apartment is as sly as a fox.

as strong as a horse/lion/ox
- very strong
The man was as strong as an ox and easily helped us move the sofa.

as stubborn as a mule
- very stubborn
My friend is as stubborn as a mule and you can never make her change her mind.

as weak as a kitten
- weak, sickly
The girl is as weak as a kitten and cannot carry the pile of books.

as wild as a tiger
- very wild
The little boy was as wild as a tiger when we were trying to look after him.

back the wrong horse
- to support someone or something that cannot or does not win or succeed
We backed the wrong horse when we supported the new candidate for mayor.

badger (someone)
- to get someone to do something by repeated questions or by bothering them
I always have to badger my friend in order to make him return my computer games.

one's bark is worse than one's bite
- one's words are worse than one's actions
You should not worry about her. Her bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person.

bark up the wrong tree
- to choose the wrong course of action, to ask the wrong person (a hunting dog may make a mistake when chasing an animal and bark up the wrong tree)
My boss is barking up the wrong tree. I did not cause the computer problem because I was away at the time.

the best-laid plans of mice and men
- the best thought-out plans that anyone can make
The best-laid plans of mice and men could not prevent the problems that we had with our travel plans.

bet on the wrong horse
- to misread the future, to not choose the winning person or solution
He is betting on the wrong horse if he supports the other city in their bid for the Olympic games.

the black sheep of the family
- the worst or the most unpopular/disliked member of a family
My cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him.

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
- to be very cheerful and eager (like a squirrel with bright eyes and a bushy tail)
The children were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they got up in the morning.

a bull in a china shop
- a tactless person who upsets others or upsets plans, a very clumsy person
The boy is like a bull in a china shop so you should be careful if you invite him to your house.

buy a pig in a poke
- to buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory
You can buy the used computer but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it first.

by shank's mare
- by foot
I came to the meeting by shank's mare.

call the dogs off
- to stop threatening/chasing/hounding someone
The police decided to call the dogs off and stop hunting for the man.

a cash cow
- a product or service that makes much money
Our new business is a cash cow. We are making a lot of money now.

cast pearls before swine
- to waste something on someone who will not be thankful or care about it
Giving the jewellery to the woman will be casting pearls before swine. She will not appreciate it at all.

cat gets one`s tongue
- one cannot speak because of shyness
The cat got the woman's tongue and she could not say anything at all.

a cat nap
- a short sleep taken during the day
I had a cat nap in the afternoon so that I would feel refreshed in the evening.

a cat on a hot tin roof
- full of lively activity
The boy was jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof and we could not make him be quiet.

champ/chomp at the bit
- to be ready and anxious to do something (a bit is put into a horse's mouth for control of the horse)
Everyone was chomping at the bit to get started on their holiday.

change horses in midstream
- to make new plans or choose a new leader in an activity that has already begun
They have decided to change lawyers but I told them that they should not change horses in midstream.

a cock-and-bull story
- a silly story that is not true
Our neighbor gave us a cock-and-bull story about how our window was broken.

a copycat
- someone who copies another person`s work etc.
The boy is a copycat according to the other students in the class.

cry wolf
- to give a false alarm, to warn of a danger that is not there
The man is crying wolf. There is no danger that the electrical system will cause a fire.

curiosity killed the cat
- being too nosy may lead a person into trouble
"You should not worry about what your friend is doing. Remember, curiosity killed the cat."

a dark horse
- a candidate who is little known to the general public
The candidate was a dark horse in the race to be the next mayor until he gave some good speeches on TV.

dog and pony show
- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus)
We had serious questions about the project but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners.

dog-eat-dog
- ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants
It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company.

dog in the manger
- someone who prevents others from doing what they themselves do not want to do (in Aesop's Fables a dog that cannot eat hay lays in the hayrack and prevents the other animals from eating the hay)
My friend always acts like a dog in the manger and often tries to prevent us from enjoying ourselves.

donkey's years
- a very long time
I talked to my friend for a long time because I had not seen her in donkey's years.

a dumb bunny
- a stupid or gullible person
"He really is a dumb bunny. I cannot believe that he does such stupid things."

eager beaver
- a person who is always eager to work or do something extra
The woman is an eager beaver and I am sure that she will do very well in this company.

eat high on/off the hog
- to eat good or expensive food
We were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise.

eat like a horse
- to eat a lot
My brother eats like a horse.

every dog has his day
- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
"Don`t worry about him. Every dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing."

ferret (information or something) out of (someone)
- to get something from someone by being persistent
I worked hard to ferret the time and place of the party out of my friend.

fight like cats and dogs
- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.

flog/beat a dead horse
- to continue fighting a battle that has been won, to continue to argue a point that has been settled
My friend was flogging a dead horse when she would not stop arguing about the mistake on her paycheck.

a fraidy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children)
The little boy called his friend a fraidy-cat because his friend would not climb the tree.

get (someone`s) goat
- to annoy someone
My friend is always complaining about the way that I do things which gets my goat.

get off one`s high horse
- to begin to be humble and agreeable
I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things.

get on one`s high horse
- to behave with arrogance
My friend is always getting on her high horse and telling people what to do.

go ape (over someone or something)
- to become highly excited or angry about someone or something
Our teacher will go ape if he sees that you have not finished the work that was due today.

go hog-wild
- to behave wildly
The young soccer fans went hog-wild when they arrived in the city for the game.

go to the dogs
- to deteriorate, to become bad
Many things in our city have gone to the dogs during the last ten years.

go whole hog
- to do everything possible, to be extravagant
We went whole hog in our effort to make sure that the convention was a success.

the hair of the dog that bit one
- a drink of alcohol that one takes when recovering from a hangover
The man woke up and had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast.

have a cow
- to become very angry and upset about something
Our teacher had a cow when he discovered that nobody had prepared for the class.

have a whale of a time
- to have an exciting and interesting time
We had a whale of a time at the party last night.

have bats in one's belfry
- to be a little bit crazy
I think that our neighbor has bats in her belfry.

hit the bulls-eye
- to reach the main point of something
I think that our manager hit the bulls-eye when he talked about the real problems in the company.

hold one`s horses
- to wait, to be patient
"Hold your horses for a moment while I make a phone call."

Holy cow
- used to express strong feelings of astonishment/pleasure/anger
"Holy cow," the man said when he saw the car that had hit the street lamp.

hoof it
- to walk or run (a hoof is the foot of a horse/sheep/cow etc.)
I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning.

horse around
- to play around (in a rough way)
The teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class.

a horse of a different color
- something totally separate and different
Changing locations is a horse of a different color. It was never mentioned in any of our meetings.

horse sense
- common sense, practical thinking
The boy does not have much horse sense and sometimes he makes the wrong decision.

horse trade
- to bargain in a hard and skillful way
We had to do some horse trading but finally we reached a deal to buy the new house.

to hound (someone)
- to pursue/chase someone, to harass someone
The manager is always hounding the younger members of her staff to make sure that they work hard.

in a pig`s eye
- unlikely, not so, never
In a pig`s eye will my friend be able to save enough money to go to Mexico for the winter.

in the doghouse
- in disgrace or disfavor, in trouble
The man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night.

in two shakes of a lamb's tail
- very quickly
I promised that I would meet my friend in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

kangaroo court
- an illegal court formed by a group of people to settle a dispute among themselves
The military court in the small country was like a kangaroo court that permitted the military to do whatever they wanted.

keep the wolf from the door
- to maintain oneself at the most basic level
My friend's part-time job is enough for him to keep the wolf from the door.

keep the wolves at bay
- to fight against some kind of trouble
The university students were angry and the administration had to work hard to keep the wolves at bay.

kill the fatted calf
- to prepare an elaborate banquet for someone
We decided to kill the fatted calf and have a big feast for my parents.

lead a dog`s life
- to lead a miserable life
The man is leading a dog`s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to.

a leopard can't change its spots
- you cannot change someone's basic human nature or bad qualities
The manager wrote a letter of apology to the customer but a leopard can't change its spots and I do not believe that the manager has changed and the letter does not mean anything.

let sleeping dogs lie
- to not make trouble if you do not have to
You should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss any questions about the dispute.

let the cat out of the bag
- to tell something that is supposed to be a secret
The teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans for the new school.

like a bat out of hell
- with great speed and force
I ran like a bat out of hell to get the bus.

like a deer caught in the headlights
- like someone who is very confused and does not know what to do
The boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights when we discovered him in the room that was supposed to be locked.

like lambs to the slaughter
- quietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie ahead
Our football team went like lambs to the slaughter to meet the best football team in the country.

lion's share of (something)
- the larger part/share of something
We found the lion's share of the lost tickets but some are still missing.

live high on/off the hog
- to have the best of everything
My friend has been living high on the hog since he changed jobs.

loaded for bear
- very angry
The man was loaded for bear when he went in to see the supervisor.

lock horns with (someone)
- to get into an argument with someone
I locked horns with my neighbor yesterday morning.

lock the barn door after the horse is gone
- to try to deal with something after it is too late
Now my friend wants to fix his house but it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone. There was a flood and the damage is already done.

a lone wolf
- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends
The boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone.

look a gift horse in the mouth
- to complain if a gift is not perfect
The girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth and should be happy that she received a present from her friends.

look like something the cat dragged in
- to look tired/worn out/dirty
I was very tired and I am sure that I looked like something the cat dragged in.

look like the cat that swallowed/ate the canary
- to look smug and self-satisfied, to look as if you have just had a great success
"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?"

make a monkey out of (someone)
- to make someone look foolish
My friend made a monkey out of me when he started arguing with me in front of my boss.

make a mountain out of a molehill
- to make something that is unimportant seem important
You are making a mountain out of a molehill when you talk about the mistake.

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
- to create something of value from something of no value
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and there is no point in trying to teach the woman manners.

monkey around with (someone or something)
- to play with or waste time with someone or something
The father and son spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio.

monkey business
- unethical or illegal activity, mischief
The boy should stop the monkey business and try to do the job the correct way.

a monkey on one's back
- a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at something
The time without scoring a goal was a monkey on the back of the famous soccer player.

monkey see, monkey do
- someone copies something that someone else does
It is always monkey see, monkey do for the boy. He copies everything that his friend does.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys
- very funny, fun
The children love the man because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and makes everybody laugh.

not enough room to swing a cat
- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment.

on horseback
- on the back of a horse
We rode out to the old red barn on horseback.

a paper tiger
- a person or organization that is supposed to have a lot of power but actually is very weak
The manager was a paper tiger and did not really have any power in the company.

piggy bank
- a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig) for saving money
The boy has been putting money into his piggy bank to save for a bicycle.

piggyback
- sitting or being carried on someone`s back and shoulders
The boy was riding piggyback on his father`s shoulders.

play cat and mouse with (someone)
- to tease or fool someone, to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone
The man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to quit or not.

play possum
- to pretend to be inactive/asleep/dead
I think that the man is playing possum and is not really sleeping.

put on the dog
- to dress or entertain in a luxurious and extravagant manner
We put on the dog for my parents when they came to visit us.

put (someone or something) out to pasture
- to retire someone or something (just as you would put a horse that is too old to work out to pasture)
We finally decided to put our old car out to pasture and buy a new one.

put the cart before the horse
- to do things in the wrong order
I think that buying a ticket before we make our holiday plans is putting the cart before the horse.

put the cat among the pigeons
- to cause trouble
Sending the bad supervisor to talk to the angry workers was like putting the cat among the pigeons.

rain cats and dogs
- to rain very hard
It has been raining cats and dogs all day.

rat on (someone)
- to report someone's bad behavior to someone
The little boy ratted on his friend at school.

rat out on (someone)
- to desert or betray someone
The boy ratted out on his friends and now they won`t talk to him.

rat race
- a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
My uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day and he plans to quit his job soon and do something else.

ride herd on (someone)
- to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy would supervise a herd of cattle)
The manager has been riding herd on his employees so that he can get the job done quickly.

a road hog
- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
The person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry.

rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way
- to irritate someone (just as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way)
The woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her.

a sacred cow
- a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be (from a cow which is sacred in India)
The school lunch program is a sacred cow which they will never change.

a scaredy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children)
The children called their friend a scaredy-cat because she would not go into the empty house.

see a man about a dog
- to leave for some unmentioned purpose (often to go to the washroom)
I left the table in the restaurant to go and see a man about a dog.

separate the sheep from the goats
- to divide people into two groups
We had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir.

serve as a guinea pig
- to allow some kind of test to be performed on someone
I was not happy that I had to act as a guinea pig for the managers who were testing the new training material.

a shaggy dog story
- a long and often pointless story that is told as a joke and often ends in a very silly or unexpected way
My friend told me a shaggy dog story about how he lost his bicycle.

smell a rat
- to be suspicious, to feel that something is wrong
I smell a rat. There is something wrong with the offer of a free credit card.

squirrel (something) away
- to hide or store something
My niece likes to squirrel away as much money as possible from her part-time job.

straight from the horse`s mouth
- directly from the person who said something, directly from a dependable source
I heard it straight from the horse`s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company next week.

the straw that broke the camel`s back
- a small final trouble or problem which follows other troubles and causes everything to collapse or something to happen
The supervisor accusing me of not working hard enough was the straw that broke the camel`s back and I asked for a transfer to another section of the company.

one's tail between one`s legs
- feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or defeated dog as it walks away)
The man left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company president.

the tail wagging the dog
- a situation where a small part controls the whole thing
When the small group of managers began to run the large company, it was like the tail wagging the dog.

take the bull by the horns
- to take decisive and direct action
My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.

there is more than one way to skin a cat
- there is more than one way to do something
I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my project.

throw (someone) to the lions
- to permit someone to be blamed or criticized for something without trying to help or protect him or her
The company threw the manager to the lions and made him take responsibility for the problem that he had caused.

throw (someone) to the wolves
- to send someone into danger without protection, to sacrifice someone
The salesman decided to throw his co-worker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer.

top dog
- the most important person in an organization
My uncle is the top dog in his company.

[Alina]

turn tail
- to run away from trouble or danger
We decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument.

until the cows come home
- until very late, for a long time
We can talk until the cows come home this weekend.

weasel out of (something)
- to get out of something or not have to do something (like a weasel which can move through small openings)
My friend was able to weasel out of going to the store for his mother.

when the cat's away, the mice will play
- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble
When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around.

a white elephant
- something that is not useful and costs a lot of money to maintain
The airport was a white elephant and nobody liked to use it.

wild horses could not drag (someone away)
- there is nothing that will force someone to go somewhere or do something
Wild horses could not drag me away from my favorite TV show last night.

a wildcat strike
- a strike spontaneously arranged by a group of workers
There was a wildcat strike at the factory and over 100 people stopped work.

wolf down (something)
- to gulp down something, to eat something quickly
I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie.

a wolf in sheep`s clothing
- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad
"Be careful of that man. He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing."

work like a horse
- to work very hard
My grandfather worked like a horse when he was a young man.

you can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink)
- you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you cannot force him or her to do it if they do not want to
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink and no matter how hard we try to help my cousin get a job he will not make any effort when we introduce him to someone who knows about a job.

you can't teach an old dog new tricks
- it is difficult for older people to learn new things
You can't teach an old dog new tricks and I don't think that my father will ever change his eating habits.


cat Idioms


alley cat
- a stray cat
I began to feed the alley cat and now it comes to my house every day.

as conceited as a barber's cat
- very conceited, vain
My friend became as conceited as a barber's cat after she won the award at school.

as weak as a kitten
- weak, sickly
The girl is as weak as a kitten and cannot carry the pile of books.

cat gets one`s tongue
- one cannot speak because of shyness
The cat got the woman's tongue and she could not say anything at all.

a cat nap
- a short sleep taken during the day
I had a cat nap during the afternoon so that I would feel refreshed in the evening.

a cat on a hot tin roof
- full of lively activity
The boy was jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof and we could not make him be quiet.

a copycat
- someone who copies another person`s work etc.
The boy is a copycat according to the other students in the class.

curiosity killed the cat
- being too nosy may lead a person into trouble
"You should not worry about what your friend is doing. Remember, curiosity killed the cat."

fight like cats and dogs
- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.

a fraidy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children)
The little boy called his friend a fraidy-cat because his friend would not climb the tree.

let the cat out of the bag
- to tell something that is supposed to be a secret
The teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans for the new school.

look like something the cat dragged in
- to look tired/worn out/dirty
I was very tired and I am sure that I looked like something the cat dragged in.

look like the cat that swallowed/ate the canary
- to look smug and self-satisfied, to look as if you have just had a great success
"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?"

not enough room to swing a cat
- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment.

play cat and mouse with (someone)
- to tease or fool someone, to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone
The man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to quit or not.

put the cat among the pigeons
- to cause trouble
Sending the bad supervisor to talk to the angry workers was like putting the cat among the pigeons.

rain cats and dogs
- to rain very hard
It has been raining cats and dogs all day.

rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way
- to irritate someone (just as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way)
The woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her.

a scaredy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children)
The children called their friend a scaredy-cat because she would not go into the empty house.

there is more than one way to skin a cat
- there is more than one way to do something
I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my project.

when the cat's away, the mice will play
- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble
When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around.


cow Idioms


as awkward as a cow on roller skates
- very awkward
The little girl was as awkward as a cow on roller skates when she first began riding her bicycle.

a bull in a china shop
- a tactless person who upsets others or upsets plans, a very clumsy person
The boy is like a bull in a china shop so you should be careful if you invite him to your house.

a cash cow
- a product or service that makes much money
Our new business is a cash cow. We are making a lot of money now.

have a cow
- to become very angry and upset about something
Our teacher had a cow when he discovered that nobody had prepared for the class.

hit the bulls-eye
- to reach the main point of something
I think that our manager hit the bulls-eye when he talked about the real problems in the company.

Holy cow
- used to express strong feelings of astonishment/pleasure/anger
"Holy cow," the man said when he saw the car that had hit the street lamp.

a sacred cow
- a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be (from a cow which is sacred in India)
The school lunch program is a sacred cow which they will never change.

take the bull by the horns
- to take decisive and direct action
My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.

until the cows come home
- until very late, for a long time
We can talk until the cows come home this weekend.


dog Idioms


as clean as a hound's tooth
- very clean
The classroom was as clean as a hound's tooth when the students finished cleaning it.

as crooked as a dog's hind leg
- dishonest
The politician is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and everybody dislikes him.

as sick as a dog
- very sick
My friend was as sick as a dog when he left the restaurant last night.

one's bark is worse than one's bite
- one's words are worse than one's actions
You should not worry about her. Her bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person.

bark up the wrong tree
- to choose the wrong course of action, to ask the wrong person (a hunting dog may make a mistake when chasing an animal and bark up the wrong tree)
My boss is barking up the wrong tree. I did not cause the computer problem because I was away at the time.

call the dogs off
- to stop threatening/chasing/hounding someone
The police decided to call the dogs off and stop hunting for the man.

dog and pony show
- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus)
We had serious questions about the project but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners.

dog-eat-dog
- ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants
It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company.

dog in the manger
- someone who prevents others from doing what they themselves do not want to do (in Aesop's Fables a dog that cannot eat hay lays in the hayrack and prevents the other animals from eating the hay)
My friend always acts like a dog in the manger and often tries to prevent us from enjoying ourselves.

every dog has his day
- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
"Don`t worry about him. Every dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing."

fight like cats and dogs
- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.

go to the dogs
- to deteriorate, to become bad
Many things in our city have gone to the dogs during the last ten years.

the hair of the dog that bit one
- a drink of alcohol that one takes when recovering from a hangover
The man woke up and had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast.

to hound (someone)
- to pursue/chase someone, to harass someone
The manager is always hounding the younger members of her staff to make sure that they work hard.

in the doghouse
- in disgrace or disfavor, in trouble
The man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night.

lead a dog`s life
- to lead a miserable life
The man is leading a dog`s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to.

let sleeping dogs lie
- to not make trouble if you do not have to
You should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss any questions about the dispute.

put on the dog
- to dress or entertain in a luxurious and extravagant manner
We put on the dog for my parents when they came to visit us.

rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way
- to irritate someone (just as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way)
The woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her.

see a man about a dog
- to leave for some unmentioned purpose (often to go to the washroom)
I left the table in the restaurant to go and see a man about a dog.

a shaggy dog story
- a long and often pointless story that is told as a joke and often ends in a very silly or unexpected way
My friend told me a shaggy dog story about how he lost his bicycle.

one's tail between one`s legs
- feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or defeated dog as it walks away)
The man left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company president.

the tail wagging the dog
- a situation where a small part controls the whole thing
When the small group of managers began to run the large company, it was like the tail wagging the dog.

top dog
- the most important person in an organization
My uncle is the top dog in his company.

turn tail
- to run away from trouble or danger
We decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument.

you can't teach an old dog new tricks
- it is difficult for older people to learn new things
You can't teach an old dog new tricks and I don't think that my father will ever change his eating habits.


horse Idioms


as strong as a horse/lion/ox
- very strong
The man was as strong as an ox and easily helped us move the sofa.

as stubborn as a mule
- very stubborn
My friend is as stubborn as a mule and you can never make her change her mind.

back the wrong horse
- to support someone or something that cannot or does not win or succeed
We backed the wrong horse when we supported the new candidate for mayor.

bet on the wrong horse
- to misread the future, to not choose the winning person or solution
He is betting on the wrong horse if he supports the other city in their bid for the Olympic games.

by shank's mare
- by foot
I came to the meeting by shank's mare.

champ/chomp at the bit
- to be ready and anxious to do something (a bit is put into a horse's mouth for control of the horse)
Everyone was chomping at the bit to get started on their holiday.

change horses in midstream
- to make new plans or choose a new leader in an activity that has already begun
They have decided to change lawyers but I told them that they should not change horses in midstream.

a dark horse
- a candidate who is little known to the general public
The candidate was a dark horse in the race to be the next mayor until he gave some good speeches on TV.

dog and pony show
- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus)
We had serious questions about the project but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners.

donkey's years
- a very long time
I talked to my friend for a long time because I had not seen her in donkey's years.

eat like a horse
- to eat a lot
My brother eats like a horse.

flog/beat a dead horse
- to continue fighting a battle that has been won, to continue to argue a point that has been settled
My friend was flogging a dead horse when she would not stop arguing about the mistake on her paycheck.

get off one`s high horse
- to begin to be humble and agreeable
I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things.

get on one`s high horse
- to behave with arrogance
My friend is always getting on her high horse and telling people what to do.

hold one`s horses
- to wait, to be patient
"Hold your horses for a moment while I make a phone call."

hoof it
- to walk or run (a hoof is the foot of a horse/sheep/cow etc.)
I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning.

horse around
- to play around (in a rough way)
The teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class.

a horse of a different color
- something totally separate and different
Changing locations is a horse of a different color. It was never mentioned in any of our meetings.

horse sense
- common sense, practical thinking
The boy does not have much horse sense and sometimes he makes the wrong decision.

horse trade
- to bargain in a hard and skillful way
We had to do some horse trading but finally we reached a deal to buy the new house.

lock the barn door after the horse is gone
- to try to deal with something after it is too late
Now my friend wants to fix his house but it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone. There was a flood and the damage is already done.

look a gift horse in the mouth
- to complain if a gift is not perfect
The girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth and should be happy that she received a present from her friends.

on horseback
- on the back of a horse
We rode out to the old red barn on horseback.

put (someone or something) out to pasture
- to retire someone or something (just as you would put a horse that is too old to work out to pasture)
We finally decided to put our old car out to pasture and buy a new one.

put the cart before the horse
- to do things in the wrong order
I think that buying a ticket before we make our holiday plans is putting the cart before the horse.

ride herd on (someone)
- to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy would supervise a herd of cattle)
The manager has been riding herd on his employees so that he can get the job done quickly.

straight from the horse`s mouth
- directly from the person who said something, directly from a dependable source
I heard it straight from the horse`s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company next week.

wild horses could not drag (someone away)
- there is nothing that will force someone to go somewhere or do something
Wild horses could not drag me away from my favorite TV show last night.

work like a horse
- to work very hard
My grandfather worked like a horse when he was a young man.

you can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink)
- you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you cannot force him or her to do it if they do not want to
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink and no matter how hard we try to help my cousin get a job he will not make any effort when we introduce him to someone who knows about a job.


monkey Idioms


go ape (over someone or something)
- to become highly excited or angry about someone or something
Our teacher will go ape if he sees that you have not finished the work that was due today.

make a monkey out of (someone)
- to make someone look foolish
My friend made a monkey out of me when he started arguing with me in front of my boss.

monkey around with (someone or something)
- to play with or waste time with someone or something
The father and son spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio.

monkey business
- unethical or illegal activity, mischief
The boy should stop the monkey business and try to do the job the correct way.

a monkey on one's back
- a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at something
The time without scoring a goal was a monkey on the back of the famous soccer player.

monkey see, monkey do
- someone copies something that someone else does
It is always monkey see, monkey do for the boy. He copies everything that his friend does.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys
- very funny, fun
The children love the man because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and makes everybody laugh.


mouse Idioms


as poor as a church mouse
- very poor
My cousin is as poor as a church mouse and never has any money to spend.

as quiet as a mouse
- very quiet, shy
I was as quiet as a mouse when I left my house early this morning.

the best-laid plans of mice and men
- the best thought-out plans that anyone can make
The best-laid plans of mice and men could not prevent the problems that we had with our travel plans.

play cat and mouse with (someone)
- to tease or fool someone, to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone
The man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to quit or not.

when the cat's away, the mice will play
- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble
When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around.


pig/hog Idioms


as fat as a pig
- very fat
The woman in the supermarket was as fat as a pig.

buy a pig in a poke
- to buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory
You can buy the used computer but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it first.

cast pearls before swine
- to waste something on someone who will not be thankful or care about it
Giving the jewellery to the woman will be casting pearls before swine. She will not appreciate it at all.

eat high on/off the hog
- to eat good or expensive food
We were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise.

go hog-wild
- to behave wildly
The young soccer fans went hog-wild when they arrived in the city for the game.

go whole hog
- to do everything possible, to be extravagant
We went whole hog in our effort to make sure that the convention was a success.

in a pig`s eye
- unlikely, not so, never
In a pig`s eye will my friend be able to save enough money to go to Mexico for the winter.

live high on/off the hog
- to have the best of everything
My friend has been living high on the hog since he changed jobs.

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
- to create something of value from something of no value
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and there is no point in trying to teach the woman manners.

piggy bank
- a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig) for saving money
The boy has been putting money into his piggy bank to save for a bicycle.

piggyback
- sitting or being carried on someone`s back and shoulders
The boy was riding piggyback on his father`s shoulders.

a road hog
- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
The person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry.


rat Idioms


rat on (someone)
- to report someone's bad behavior to someone
The little boy ratted on his friend at school.

rat out on (someone)
- to desert or betray someone
The boy ratted out on his friends and now they won`t talk to him.

rat race
- a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
My uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day and he plans to quit his job soon and do something else.

smell a rat
- to be suspicious, to feel that something is wrong
I smell a rat. There is something wrong with the offer of a free credit card.


sheep/goat Idioms


as gentle as a lamb
- very gentle
The girl is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her little sister.

as innocent as a lamb
- having no guilt, naive
The little girl is as innocent as a lamb and everybody loves her.

as meek as a lamb
- quiet, docile, meek
The secretary was as meek as a lamb when she went to ask her boss for a salary increase.

the black sheep of the family
- the worst or the most unpopular/disliked member of a family
My cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him.

get (someone`s) goat
- to annoy someone
My friend is always complaining about the way that I do things which gets my goat.

in two shakes of a lamb's tail
- very quickly
I promised that I would meet my friend in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

like lambs to the slaughter
- quietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie ahead
Our football team went like lambs to the slaughter to meet the best football team in the country.

separate the sheep from the goats
- to divide people into two groups
We had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir.


wolf Idioms


cry wolf
- to give a false alarm, to warn of a danger that is not there
The man is crying wolf. There is no danger that the electrical system will cause a fire.

keep the wolf from the door
- to maintain oneself at the most basic level
My friend's part-time job is enough for him to keep the wolf from the door.

keep the wolves at bay
- to fight against some kind of trouble
The university students were angry and the administration had to work hard to keep the wolves at bay.

a lone wolf
- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends
The boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone.

throw (someone) to the wolves
- to send someone into danger without protection, to sacrifice someone
The salesman decided to throw his co-worker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer.

wolf down (something)
- to gulp down something, to eat something quickly
I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie.

a wolf in sheep`s clothing
- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad
"Be careful of that man. He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing."

[Alina]

Arm, Hand
& Finger Idioms


________________________________________

Arm/Hand/Finger
all hands on deck
- everyone must work together because they have a lot of work to do
The captain called for all hands on deck as the storm became stronger and stronger.

all thumbs
- to be awkward and clumsy, a difficulty in fixing things or working with one's hands
The janitor is all thumbs and he can never fix something without making it worse.

arm in arm
- linked together by the arms
The couple walked along the beach arm in arm.

armpit of (somewhere)
- a place that is the ugliest or worst place in a particular area
The small city is the armpit of the country and nobody wants to go there to work.

at hand
- easy to reach, nearby
There were no tools at hand so I was unable to fix the stove.

at one's fingertips
- something is within one's reach
I always have my address book at my fingertips.

at the hands of (someone or something)
- something bad happens because of someone/something else
We were at the hands of nature as we waited for the severe windstorm to end.

bite one's nails
- to bite one's fingernails because you are nervous or anxious
The girl was biting her nails as she waited for the speech contest to begin.

bite the hand that feeds (someone)
- to harm someone who does good things for you
The girl will bite the hand that feeds her if she abuses the help that her parents give her.

bound hand and foot
- to have one's hands and feet tied up
The bank manager was bound hand and foot by the three bank robbers.

burn one`s fingers
- to suffer from a bad experience
My father burned his fingers in the stock market and he does not want to invest money there again.

by the handful
- by the amount that one can measure in one handful
We were able to pick strawberries by the handful in the small field.

cannot see one's hand in front of one's face
- to be unable to see very far (usually because of darkness or fog)
I could not see my hands in front of my face because of the heavy rain.

catch (someone) red-handed
- to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong
The teacher caught the boys red-handed when they wrote on the school wall.

caught with one's hand in the cookie jar
- to be caught doing something wrong or illegal
The woman was caught with her hand in the cookie jar when we saw her stealing office supplies.

change hands
- to be sold or given to someone else
The small corner store has changed hands many times recently.

close at hand
- within reach, handy
There were no restaurants close at hand when we decided to go out for dinner.

closefisted (with money)
- to be stingy with money
My uncle is very closefisted with money.

come/go away empty-handed
- to return without anything, to go away without anything
We returned from the department store empty-handed.

control (someone) with an iron fist
- to have strict and complete control over someone or a group of people
The manager controls the staff with an iron fist.

cost an arm and a leg
- to cost much money
My father paid an arm and a leg for his car and he loves driving it.

cross one`s fingers
- to cross two fingers of one hand to hope or wish for good luck
I crossed my fingers that I would get the job that I had applied for.

cross (someone's) palm with silver
- to give money to someone for a service
We crossed the hotel clerk's palm with silver to get a good room.

dirty one`s hands
- to hurt one's character or good name, to do a bad or shameful thing
The politician dirtied his hands when he became involved in the land deal.

dismiss/reject (something) out of hand
- to immediately decide not to accept an idea/argument/plan without thinking about it
The company dismissed the union's offer to settle the dispute out of hand.

do (something) by hand
- to do something with one's hands rather than a machine
The washing machine was broken so we had to do everything by hand.

eat out of (someone's) hand
- to do what someone else wants
I usually can get my supervisor to eat out of my hand.

elbow (someone) out of (something)
- to force or pressure someone out of something (an office or position)
The new manager got his new position by elbowing many others out of the way.

everything one can lay/get his or her hands on
- to use everything of a particular type that you can find
We used everything that we could lay our hands on to build the small storage building.

fall/get into the wrong hands
- something secret/dangerous is discovered by someone who may use it in a way that harms people
The government is being very careful that the new weapons do not fall into the wrong hands.

(someone's) fingerprints are on (something)
- an action/piece of work is typical of a particular person and they must have been involved in it
Many police officers believe that the criminal's fingerprints are on the recent crime.

a firm hand
- strict control of someone or something
The company uses a firm hand in managing their financial resources.

first hand
- to see/experience/learn about something by direct personal experience
We learned about the car accident first hand when we were driving down the highway.

fold one's hands
- to bring one's hands together so that they are palm to palm with the fingers interlocking
The students folded their hands and sat quietly on their chairs.

force (someone's) hand
- to force a person to reveal his or her plans/strategies/secrets
Our lawyer forced the hand of the opposing lawyer.

from hand to hand
- from one person to another person
We passed the dictionaries from hand to hand until everybody had one.

get one's hands on (someone or something)
- to find someone or something (that may be difficult to find)
I am trying hard to get my hands on a new gas tank for the camping stove.

get out of hand
- to become difficult or impossible to control
The party got out of hand and the school authorities asked everyone to go home.

give one`s right arm (for someone or something)
- to give something of great value for someone or something
I would give my right arm to be able to go to Florida with my friend next month.

give (someone) a big hand
- to clap your hands for a speech/play/performance
The audience gave the musicians a big hand when they finished their performance.

give (someone) a free hand
- to allow someone to do something in the way that they choose
The senior managers give their employees a free hand to make their own work schedule.

give (someone) a hand with (something)
- to help someone with something
I gave my friend a hand when he moved into his new apartment.

give (someone or something) the thumbs up
- to be in favor of someone or something
The city gave the music festival organizers the thumbs up to have the music festival.

glad hand (someone)
- to give someone a friendly handshake, to give a warm greeting to someone
The politician spent all day glad handing the crowd at the shopping center.

go away empty-handed
- to depart with nothing
The woman went away empty-handed from the job interview.

go hand in hand (with something)
- to be closely related and must be considered together
The change in school hours goes hand in hand with the new policy of decreasing class sizes.

grease (someone`s) palm
- to pay a person for something done or given, to bribe someone
We had to grease the palm of the customs agent at the border to get our goods into the country.

green thumb
- a talent for gardening, the ability to make things grow
My sister's husband has a green thumb and has a very beautiful garden.

hand in glove (with someone)
- very close to someone
The new company policy goes hand in glove with the new manager.

hand in hand
- holding hands
The young couple walked hand in hand along the beach.

hand over fist
- fast and in large amounts
We have been making money hand over fist in our new store.

hand over hand
- moving one hand after the other
We climbed hand over hand up the side of the mountain.

(one's) hands are tied
- to be prevented from doing something
My hands are tied at the moment and I cannot help my friend.

hands down
- easily, unopposed
I won the election hands down for the position of class president.
hands off (something)
- to leave something alone, to not interfere with something
I took a hands-off approach while dealing with the new employee.

hang on by one's fingernails
- to continue or manage to do something in a difficult situation
The man is continuing at his job but he is only hanging on by his fingernails.

hard on (someone's) heels
- to be following someone very closely
The dog was hard on the young boy's heels.

have a finger in the pie
- to be involved in something, to have a role in something
The waitress has a finger in the pie of the new restaurant.

have a free hand (to do something)
- to be granted complete control to do something
The teacher had a free hand to choose new textbooks for the course.

have a hand in (something)
- to be involved or play a part in (doing something)
The new teacher has a hand in the recent changes to the cafeteria rules.

have clean hands
- to be guiltless
The man claims to have clean hands in the affair regarding the stolen goods.

have one's finger in too many pies
- to be involved in too many things (so you cannot do any of them well)
Our supervisor has her finger in too many pies and she is not able to do her job well at all.

have/keep one's finger on the pulse
- to be aware of recent changes/developments in a particular situation or activity
The manager has her finger on the pulse of the company and she knows what everybody is doing.

have one's hand in the till
- to be stealing money from a company or organization
The sales clerk has had her hand in the till since she first started her job.

have one's hands full (with someone or something)
- to be busy/occupied with someone or something
The woman has her hands full with her three children.

have (someone's) blood on one's hands
- to be responsible for someone's death
The driver has the bicycle rider's blood on his hands.

have (someone) eating out of (the palm of) your hand
- someone is willing to do whatever you want them to do
The woman has her supervisor eating out of the palm of her hand.

have (someone or something) on one's hands
- to be burdened with someone or something
I do not want to have the cancellation of the party on my hands.

have (something) at one's fingertips
- something is nearby and ready to be used
I always have a dictionary at my fingertips when I am reading a book.

have (something) in one's hands
- to have control of or responsibility for something, to possess something
"When I have the documents in my hands I will call you."

heavy hand (of something)
- the great power that someone or something has over people
The heavy hand of the law is usually able to find those who commit a crime.

high-handed
- disregarding other's feelings, overbearing
The employees took a high-handed approach to the negotiations and they were not successful.

hold (someone's) hand
- to help someone in an unfamiliar or frightening situation
The man held his son's hand as they watched the scary movie.

in good hands
- in the safe and able care of someone
The stolen purse was in good hands after the police found it.

in hand
- under control
After several hours the riot police had the problems with the crowd in hand.

in hand
- in one's possession
The man arrived at the border crossing with much cash in hand.

in safe hands
- under the care of someone or an organization that you can trust and who will help you
The little girl is in safe hands now that she has arrived at her grandmother's house.

in the hands of (someone)
- a person or organization has control over something and decides what will happen
The court decision is now in the hands of the jury.

iron fist in a velvet glove
- kind and gentle on the outside but determined and ruthless on the inside
The government committee used an iron fist in a velvet glove to get the information that they wanted.

itchy/itching palm
- to be greedy, to have a desire for money/tips
The police officer had an itching palm and took much money from criminals before he was arrested.

join hands
- to hold hands so that one person is holding the hands of another person
All of the children joined hands as they crossed the road.

[Alina]

Arm, Hand
& Finger Idioms


keep one's finger's crossed
- to wish for good luck
"I will keep my fingers crossed that you are able to get the new job that you have applied for."

keep one's hand in (something)
- to retain one's control of something, to practice something so that you do not forget it
The animal trainer is trying to keep his hand in his work even though he has retired.

keep one's hands off (someone or something)
- to refrain from touching/handling someone or something
The man was told to keep his hands off his neighbor's dog.

know (someone or something) like the back/palm of one's hand
- to know someone or something very well
The taxi driver knows the city like the back of his hand.

lay a finger on (someone or something)
- to touch or bother someone or something
The teacher told the students not to lay a finger on the new textbooks.
lay one's hands on (someone or something)
- to find someone or something (that may be difficult to find)
If I can lay my hands on a screwdriver I will fix the broken table.

leave (someone or something) in (someone's) hands
- to give someone control of someone or something
I plan to leave the party organizing in my friend's hands.

lend (someone) a hand
- to help someone with something
I will ask my friend to lend me a hand when I move.
lift/raise a finger/hand
- to do something to help someone
My niece will never lift a finger to help anyone.
live from hand to mouth
- to live on very little money
My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job.

long arm of the law
- the police and laws are so powerful that no matter where you are you will be found and punished
The criminal was sought by the long arm of the law until he was finally captured.

lose one's grip
- to lose control of a situation
The young teacher seems to be losing her grip on the situation in her classroom.

Many hands make light work
- a lot of help will make a job seem easy
Many hands make light work and lots of people helped to make the job easy.

near at hand
- easy to reach, nearby
If there is a grocery store near at hand I will buy some milk.
off one`s hands
- no longer in one's care or possession
I would like to get my old refridgerator off my hands so that I can buy a new one.

old hand at (doing something)
- someone who is experienced and very good at doing something
Our boss is an old hand at fixing computer problems.

on hand
- nearby, available, in one's possession
We did not have a screwdriver on hand so we could not fix the stove.
on hand
- present
Our teacher is always on hand when we need someone to help us.

on the one hand
- from one side of an issue, from one point of view
On the one hand I like my supervisor but on the other hand sometimes I dislike her a lot.

on the other hand
- from another point of view, from the other side of an issue
I am very tired but on the other hand I must do some work tonight.

out of hand
- out of control
The party got out of hand so we called the police.

out of hand
- immediately and without consulting anyone, without delay
Our teacher dismissed our excuses out of hand.

palm off (something)
- to sell or give something away by pretending that it is more valuable than it is
I think that the man palmed off a television set that does not work.

pay an arm and a leg (for something)
- to pay a lot of money for something
We paid an arm and a leg for our new sofa.

pay (someone) a back-handed/left-handed compliment
- to give someone a false compliment that is actually an insult
The speaker paid the host of the party a back-handed compliment.

play into (someone`s) hands
- to do something that another person can use against you or can use to his or her advantage
If you become angry at the man's extreme actions it will only play into his hands.

point the finger (of blame) at (someone)
- to blame someone for doing something wrong, to identify someone as being guilty
The waitress pointed the finger of blame at the cook when the police began to investigate the murder.

put one's finger on (something)
- to locate something precisely, to identify something as very important
I was able to put my finger on the problem and find someone to help me fix it.

put one's hand to the plow
- to begin to do a big and important task
I put my hands to the plow in order to get my essay finished before the weekend.

put one's hands on (something)
- to locate and acquire something
I have not been able to put my hands on a good cookbook yet.

put/lay the finger on (someone)
- to accuse someone of doing something, to identify someone as the one who did something
The police put the finger on the young man as the main suspect for the crime.

putty in (someone's) hands
- very willing to do what someone else thinks or wants
The woman was putty in our hands and we were able to get everything that we wanted from her.

raise a hand
- to do something, to do one's share, to help
I am angry at my friend because he did not raise a hand to help me clean up the mess in the kitchen.

rap (someone's) knuckles
- to punish someone slightly
The judge decided to rap the young boy's knuckles for his crime.

read the handwriting on the wall
- to guess/anticipate what will happen by observing small hints and clues
I read the handwriting on the wall and began to believe that soon I would have no job.

receive (someone) with open arms
- to greet someone eagerly
The employees received their new boss with open arms.

the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing
- there is not good communication in an organization so one part of the organization does not know what the other part is doing
The assistant manager knew nothing about what the manager was doing in the company. It seems like the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.

rub elbows (with someone)
- to work closely or associate with someone
I have been rubbing elbows with some very interesting people at work recently.

rub shoulders (with someone)
- to work closely or associate with someone
The sales manager rubs shoulders with some of the top business people in the city.

rule of thumb
- a basic or accepted pattern or rule
It is a rule of thumb in our company that workers with the most seniority get bigger offices.

rule (someone) with an iron fist
- to have strict and complete control over someone or a group of people
The leader of the small country rules the citizens with an iron fist.

shake hands on (something)
- to shake someone's hand as a sign of agreement about something
The politicians shook hands on the agreement to build a new hospital.

shake hands with (someone)
- to greet someone by clasping his or her hand and shaking it
The two men shook hands when they met for the first time.

a shot in the arm
- something inspiring, something that gives someone energy
The latest opinion polls were a shot in the arm for the mayor's re-election campaign.

a show of hands
- a vote for something which is done by people raising their hands
The students voted by a show of hands to go to the park after school.

show one's hand
- to reveal one's intentions to someone
I tried hard not to show my hand during the discussions about my new job.

sit on its/their hands
- an audience refuses to applaud
The members of the audience sat on their hands after the performance by the singer.

sit on one's hands
- to do nothing, to fail to help
Our supervisor sat on his hands and refused to help us with our problem.

a slap on the wrist
- a light punishment for doing something wrong
The young man received a slap on the wrist for his crime.

slip through (someone's) fingers
- to get away from someone, to lose track of someone or something
The job opportunity slipped through my fingers which was very disappointing.

stick out like a sore thumb
- to be obvious and visible
The man sticks out like a sore thumb when he wears his orange hat.

sticky fingers
- the habit of stealing things
Everyone thinks that the new woman at work has sticky fingers because many things have been stolen recently.

take a hand in (something)
- to help plan or do something
I have decided to take a hand in the building of the new cafeteria.

take (someone or something) in hand
- to try to take control of a situation and improve it or deal with it
Our teacher quickly took the situation in hand when the class became too noisy.

take (someone or something) off (someone's) hands
- to remove or look after someone or something so that the other person does not have to deal with it
My friend decided to take the old sofa off my hands.

take the law into one's own hands
- to act as a judge and jury for someone who has done something wrong
The soldiers took the law into their own hands when they entered the town.

throw one's hands up in horror
- to be shocked, to raise one's hands in fright
The girl threw her hands up in horror when she saw the injured dog on the road.

thumb/hitch a ride
- to get a ride from a passing motorist, to ask for a ride from a passing motorist by putting your thumb in the air
We thumbed a ride when our car had a flat tire.

thumb/leaf through (something)
- to look quickly through a book/magazine/newspaper
I thumbed through the garden catalogue at the bookstore.

thumbnail sketch
- a short or small picture or description
The police produced a thumbnail sketch of the bank robber.

thumbs up on (someone or something)
- to be in favor of someone or something
I waited to hear if it would be thumbs up on our plan to change the holiday policy at work.

tie (someone's) hands
- to prevent someone from doing something
The principal tied our hands and we were not able to start on the project this year.

tightfisted (with money)
- to be stingy with money
My friend is very tightfisted with money and he never likes to buy anything.

throw up one`s hands (in despair/frustration)
- to give up trying, to admit that one cannot succeed
I threw up my hands in frustration when I was unable to complete the telephone call.
try one`s hand (at something)
- to make an inexperienced attempt at something, to try something
I tried my hand at golf last summer but I did not like it.

turn one's hand to (something)
- to start to do something that is different from what you usually do
After we finished cleaning the kitchen we turned our hand to the other rooms.

turn thumbs down (on something)
- to disapprove or reject something, to say no to something
The building committee turned thumbs down on our plans to make the office larger.

twiddle one`s thumbs
- to do nothing, to be idle
The girl twiddled her thumbs all year and is now unable to pass her school exams.

twist (someone`s) arm
- to force someone to do something, to threaten someone to make him or her do something
I had to twist my friend's arm to get him to let me borrow his car.

under one`s thumb
- to be obedient to someone, to be controlled by someone
The woman has her husband under her thumb and she never gives him any freedom at all.
up in arms
- to be very angry and wanting to fight, to be equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight
The students were up in arms over the school's plan to make them wear uniforms.
(get/gain/have) the upper hand (on someone)
- to get into a position that is superior or more advantageous than someone else
The union has the upper hand in their negotiations with the company.

use some elbow grease
- to use some effort
The dirty kitchen could use some elbow grease to get it clean again.

wash one`s hands of (someone or something)
- to withdraw from or refuse to be responsible for something, to stop one's association with someone
I decided to wash my hands of the problem with the new secretary and let someone else deal with it.

welcome (someone) with open arms
- to greet someone eagerly
We welcomed the new teacher with open arms.

win (something) hands down
- easily, without a doubt
The new mayor won the election hands down.

with hat in hand
- with humility
The boy went to his father with hat in hand to ask to borrow some money.

with one hand/both hands tied behind one's back
- easily, even under a severe handicap
The job was very hard to do because I had to operate with one hand tied behind my back.

with open arms
- warmly, eagerly, glad to see someone
The author was welcomed with open arms when he came to visit the city.

work hand in hand (with someone)
- to work closely together with someone in order to achieve something
The government is working hand in hand with the police department to solve the road problems.

work one`s fingers to the bone
- to work very hard
The woman worked her fingers to the bone in order to make enough money to feed her children.

wrap (someone) around one`s little finger
- to have complete control over someone, to manipulate someone
My sister has her boss wrapped around her little finger and she can do anything that she wants.

wring one's hands
- to worry and be upset about something and not be doing anything about it
The woman stayed up most of the night wringing her hands while she waited for her son to come home.

wring (someone's) hand
- to hold someone's hand tightly when you greet or say good-bye to him of her
The man stood wringing my hand for a long time when I met him.

you've got to hand it to (someone)
- someone has done something well (although you may not approve of other things that they have done)
"You've got to hand it to our friend. He is always able to raise enough money for his projects."

[Alina]

Bird Idioms


an albatross (around someone's neck)
- a problem that prevents someone from succeeding
The man's lack of a university degree was an albatross around his neck and prevented him from being promoted.

as a duck takes to water
- easily and naturally
The little boy started to swim just as a duck takes to water.

as bald as a coot
- completely bald
The man in the gas station was as bald as a coot.

as crazy as a loon
- crazy
Our neighbor is as crazy as a loon.

as dead as a dodo
- dead, no longer in existence
The dog was as dead as a dodo after the accident.

as easy as duck soup
- very easy, requiring no effort
Convincing the man to buy the car was as easy as duck soup.

as free as a bird
- carefree, completely free
I was as free as a bird after I finished my last school exam.

as graceful as a swan
- very graceful
The figure skater was as graceful as a swan.

as happy as a lark
- very happy and cheerful
The boy was as happy as a lark when he received his birthday present.

as hoarse as a crow
- very hoarse
The professor was as hoarse as a crow when he finished the lecture.

as mad as a wet hen
- angry
The nurse was as mad as a wet hen when the patient tried to bite her.

as naked as a jaybird
- naked
The little boy was as naked as a jaybird when he finished his bath.

as proud as a peacock
- very proud, haughty
The father was as proud as a peacock of his young son.

as scarce as hen's teeth/scarcer than hen's teeth
- very scarce or nonexistent
Cheap hotels in this city are as scarce as hen's teeth.

as silly as a goose
- very foolish, very silly
My aunt acted as silly as a goose last evening.

as soft as down
- very soft to the touch (down is the soft/fine feathers from a goose or duck)
The fur on the little dog was as soft as down.

as the crow flies
- by the most direct way, along a straight line between two places
As the crow flies it is about six kilometers between my house and downtown.

as wise as an owl
- very wise
My grandfather is as wise as an owl and he seems to know everything.

a bat out of hell
- very fast (bats are not birds but are mammals that can fly)
The man left here like a bat out of hell. I do not know why he was in such a hurry.

bats in the belfry
- crazy, eccentric (bats are not birds but are mammals that can fly)
I think that my boss has bats in the belfry. His ideas are absolutely crazy.

bird brain
- someone who you think is stupid
The man is a bird brain and he is always making mistakes at work.

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- something that is certain is better than something that is not certain
"You should keep the prize money and not try to win more. Remember that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

birds and the bees
- the facts about sex and birth and life
The boy learned about the birds and the bees in his health education class at school.

birds-eye view
- a general view from above
"Let`s go up to the roof and get a birds-eye view of the surrounding area."

birds of a feather flock together
- people who are similar become friends or join together
"Do not complain about your friends. Remember that birds of a feather flock together. They are just like you."

chicken and egg situation
- two things happen together and it is difficult to see which one of them caused the other
It was a chicken and egg situation and it was difficult to know who caused the problems with the computer.

chicken feed
- a small sum of money
The money that I spent last night was chicken feed and I am not worried about it at all.

chicken-livered
- cowardly, easily scared
The boy called his friend chicken-livered which made him very angry.

chicken out of (doing something)
- to stop doing something because of fear
My friend was planning to come with us but he chickened out at the last moment.

chickens come home to roost
- someone`s words or actions come back to cause trouble for him or her
The man was very mean to other people when he was supervisor. Now his chickens have come home to roost and people are very unkind to him.

clip (someone`s) wings
- to limit or hold someone back, to bring someone under control
We plan to clip the supervisor's wings as he is becoming too aggressive when dealing with other people.

cock-and-bull story
- a silly story that is not true
The student told her teacher a cock-and-bull story about why she was absent.

cock of the walk
- someone who thinks that he or she is more important than others in a group
The supervisor thinks that he is cock of the walk and can do anything that he wants.

cold turkey
- abruptly and without medical aid (used when someone stops taking addictive drugs or tries to stop a bad habit)
The government program helped the drug addicts stop using heroin cold turkey.

cook (someone`s) goose
- to destroy someone`s future chances or reputation
The woman cooked her goose when she fought against her employer and lost.

count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
- to depend or think that you will get something before you actually have it
"Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. Remember that you may not get the job that you expect and you should not spend too much money."

dead duck
- someone in a hopeless situation or condition
The man is a dead duck. When the police catch him he will have to go to jail.

duck soup
- a task that does not require much effort
The exam was duck soup. I am sure that I did very well.

eagle eye
- an intently watchful eye
The boy has an eagle eye and he never misses anything.

early bird
- someone who arrives someplace early or starts something early
I am an early bird and I like to arrive early at work every morning.

the early bird catches the worm
- a person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance of success
"Let`s leave at six o`clock in the morning. Remember, the early bird catches the worm."

eat crow
- to admit that you are mistaken or defeated
Our boss was forced to eat crow when he discovered that what he had said was totally wrong.

eat like a bird
- to eat very little
The boy must be sick. He has been eating like a bird recently.

feather in one`s cap
- something to be proud of, an honor
Winning the speech contest was a feather in my son's cap and we are very proud of him.

feather one`s nest
- to look after one`s own financial interests - especially while holding public office
The politician was feathering his nest for many years until he was replaced in the election.

fly the coop
- to escape, to leave (like a chicken escaping from a chicken coop)
The two boys wanted to fly the coop when the school bell rang.

for the birds
- not interesting, something that you do not like, worthless
The movie was for the birds so we left early and went to eat.

foul one's own nest
- to harm one's own interests, to bring discredit to one's family
I do not want to foul my own nest so I try to be very honest in all of my dealings with others.

get one's ducks in a row
- to put one's affairs or something in order
When I get my ducks in a row I will be able to make a decision about a new career.

go to bed with the chickens
- to go to bed as the sun is setting, to go to bed very early
My grandfather always goes to bed with the chickens because he works on a farm.

a gone goose
- someone or something that has departed or run away
The boy is a gone goose. He will not be returning today.

goose bumps
- a prickly or bumpy feeling on one's skin because of cold/fear/excitement (like the skin of a goose or chicken)
I got goose bumps as I watched the horror movie.

one's goose is cooked
- one has been discovered to have done something wrong and he or she is now in trouble
My goose is cooked. Soon my friend will discover that I lost her bicycle.

in fine feather
- in good humor
My friend is in fine feather today and he has been laughing all morning.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg
- to spoil/destroy something that is beneficial or makes a lot of money
My friends sold part of their business but it is the most profitable part. I think that they have killed the goose that lays the golden egg.

kill two birds with one stone
- to succeed in doing two things by only one action
"Let`s have the meeting when we come to town to go shopping so that we can kill two birds with one stone."

lame duck
- a politician who has little time left in office and therefore has little power
The politician is a lame-duck leader and he is not effective at all.

lay an egg
- to give a bad performance
The performer laid an egg at the concert last night.

like water off a duck`s back
- without any effect, easily
Criticism falls away from my father like water off a duck`s back and he never worries about anything.

a little bird told me
- something is learned from a mysterious and secret source who you do not want to name
A little bird told me that my friends will have a surprise party for me next week.

look like the cat that swallowed the canary
- to look very self-satisfied, to look as if you have just had a great success
The boy looked like the cat that swallowed the canary after he won the relay race.

lovely weather for ducks
- rainy weather
I commented to the wet letter carrier that it was lovely weather for ducks today.

neither fish nor fowl
- something that does not belong to a definite group
The manager's idea was neither fish nor fowl. Nobody knew what to do with it.

night owl
- someone who likes to stay up very late at night
My friend is a night owl and he loves to stay up late at night.

pecking order
- the way that people are ranked in relation to each other
I have not worked at my company very long so I do not understand the pecking order yet.

play chicken
- to do something dangerous in order to see who becomes frightened first and stops
The two boys were playing chicken in the schoolyard.

rare bird
- someone who is unusual
The woman is a rare bird and she has done many interesting things in her life.

ruffle its feathers
- a bird points its feathers outward
The bird sat in the tree and ruffled its feathers.

ruffle (someone's) feathers
- to upset or annoy someone
I am usually very careful not to ruffle my supervisor's feathers.

rule the roost
- to be the boss or manager somewhere but often at home (a roost is a place where birds can perch/sit)
My grandfather ruled the roost in his family.

run around like a chicken with its head cut off
- to run around frantically and with no aim or purpose
I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off all morning as I prepared for my trip.

sitting duck
- an unsuspecting person who is easily fooled - as if waiting to be attacked
The soldier should move away from the window. He is like a sitting duck for the enemy.

spread one's wings
- to begin to be independent and try new things
My uncle's friend is beginning to spread his wings and try many new things.

no spring chicken
- not young anymore
I do not know how old my aunt is but she is no spring chicken.

swan song
- the last work or performance by an artist before death or retirement
The actor's swan song was his magnificent performance in his recent movie.

take (someone) under one's wings
- to begin to look after and care for a person
The teacher took the young boy under her wings when he first came to the school.

talk turkey
- to talk frankly, to talk business
I went to see my friend because I knew that it was time to talk turkey with him.

try out one's wings
- to try to do something that you have recently learned or become qualified to do
I plan to try out my wings at golfing now that my lessons have finished.

ugly duckling
- an ugly or plain child (who grows up to be pretty)
The girl was an ugly duckling when she was a child but now she is quite beautiful.

under the wings of (someone)
- to be under the care/control/protection of someone
The new teacher is now under the wings of the principal of the school.

watch (someone or something) like a hawk
- to watch someone very carefully
The mother watched her young child like a hawk.

what's good/sauce for the goose is good/sauce for the gander
- what is good for one person should be good for another person as well
What's good for the goose is good for the gander and if the food is good enough for me, then it is good enough for the other members of the basketball team.

wild goose chase
- a chase that is futile or worthless
The motorcycle riders led the police on a wild goose chase.

wing it
- to do the best in a situation that one is not prepared for
I forgot to study so I had to wing it on the test.

Chicken Idioms


as mad as a wet hen
- angry
The nurse was as mad as a wet hen when the patient tried to bite her.

as scarce as hen's teeth/scarcer than hen's teeth
- very scarce or nonexistent
Cheap hotels in this city are as scarce as hen's teeth.

chicken and egg situation
- two things happen together and it is difficult to see which one of them caused the other
It was a chicken and egg situation and it was difficult to know who caused the problems with the computer.

chicken feed
- a small sum of money
The money that I spent last night was chicken feed and I am not worried about it at all.

chicken-livered
- cowardly, easily scared
The boy called his friend chicken-livered which made him very angry.

chicken out of (doing something)
- to stop doing something because of fear
My friend was planning to come with us but he chickened out at the last moment.

chickens come home to roost
- someone`s words or actions come back to cause trouble for him or her
The man was very mean to other people when he was supervisor. Now his chickens have come home to roost and people are very unkind to him.

count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
- to depend or think that you will get something before you actually have it
"Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. Remember that you may not get the job that you expect and you should not spend too much money."

go to bed with the chickens
- to go to bed as the sun is setting, to go to bed very early
My grandfather always goes to bed with the chickens because he works on a farm.

play chicken
- to do something dangerous in order to see who becomes frightened first and stops
The two boys were playing chicken in the schoolyard.

run around like a chicken with its head cut off
- to run around frantically and with no aim or purpose
I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off all morning as I prepared for my trip.

no spring chicken
- not young anymore
I do not know how old my aunt is but she is no spring chicken.

Crow Idioms


as hoarse as a crow
- very hoarse
The professor was as hoarse as a crow when he finished the lecture.

as the crow flies
- by the most direct way, along a straight line between two places
As the crow flies it is about six kilometers between my house and downtown.

eat crow
- to admit that you are mistaken or defeated
Our boss was forced to eat crow when he discovered that what he had said was totally wrong.

Duck Idioms


as a duck takes to water
- easily and naturally
The little boy started to swim just as a duck takes to water.

as easy as duck soup
- very easy, requiring no effort
Convincing the man to buy the car was as easy as duck soup.

dead duck
- someone in a hopeless situation or condition
The man is a dead duck. When the police catch him he will have to go to jail.

duck soup
- a task that does not require much effort
The exam was duck soup. I am sure that I did very well.

get one's ducks in a row
- to put one's affairs or something in order
When I get my ducks in a row I will be able to make a decision about a new career.

lame duck
- a politician who has little time left in office and therefore has little power
The politician is a lame-duck leader and he is not effective at all.

like water off a duck`s back
- without any effect, easily
Criticism falls away from my father like water off a duck`s back and he never worries about anything.

lovely weather for ducks
- rainy weather
I commented to the wet letter carrier that it was lovely weather for ducks today.

sitting duck
- an unsuspecting person who is easily fooled - as if waiting to be attacked
The soldier should move away from the window. He is like a sitting duck for the enemy.

ugly duckling
- an ugly or plain child (who grows up to be pretty)
The girl was an ugly duckling when she was a child but now she is quite beautiful.

Goose Idioms


as silly as a goose
- very foolish, very silly
My aunt acted as silly as a goose last evening.

cook (someone`s) goose
- to destroy someone`s future chances or reputation
The woman cooked her goose when she fought against her employer and lost.

a gone goose
- someone or something that has departed or run away
The boy is a gone goose. He will not be returning today.

goose bumps
- a prickly or bumpy feeling on one's skin because of cold/fear/excitement (like the skin of a goose or chicken)
I got goose bumps as I watched the horror movie.

one's goose is cooked
- one has been discovered to have done something wrong and he or she is now in trouble
My goose is cooked. Soon my friend will discover that I lost her bicycle.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg
- to spoil/destroy something that is beneficial or makes a lot of money
My friends sold part of their business but it is the most profitable part. I think that they have killed the goose that lays the golden egg.

what's good/sauce for the goose is good/sauce for the gander
- what is good for one person should be good for another person as well
What's good for the goose is good for the gander and if the food is good enough for me, then it is good enough for the other members of the basketball team.

wild goose chase
- a chase that is futile or worthless
The motorcycle riders led the police on a wild goose chase.

Owl Idioms


as wise as an owl
- very wise
My grandfather is as wise as an owl and he seems to know everything.

night owl
- someone who likes to stay up very late at night
My friend is a night owl and he loves to stay up late at night.

Swan Idioms


as graceful as a swan
- very graceful
The figure skater was as graceful as a swan.

swan song
- the last work or performance by an artist before death or retirement
The actor's swan song was his magnificent performance in his recent movie.

[Alina]

Business Idioms




________________________________________


across the board
- including everyone or everything
The computer company decided to give the workers an across-the-board increase in their salary.

adjourn a meeting
- to end a meeting
We adjourned the meeting until the next day.

at a loss
- at less than the cost, at a financial loss
Everything was on sale but at a loss so the prices were very low.

bail a company out
- to help or rescue a company that has financial problems
The government bailed out the bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.

ball park figure/estimate
- a rough estimate or figure
The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.

bang for the buck
- value for the money spent
We were able to get much bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.

banker's hours
- short work hours (similar to when a bank is open)
My sister's husband owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone
- to supply someone with money, to finance someone
The movie actor bankrolled his son while the son was producing his first movie.

bean counter
- an accountant
We asked the bean counters to look at the figures in the new budget.

big cheese/gun/wheel
- an important person, a leader
The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but he is not so important now.

bigwig
- an important person, a leader
Some of the bigwigs of our company came to visit our factory.

bottom drops/falls out of (something)
- a collapse occurs and prices fall below an earlier low price
When the bottom fell out of the coffee market many companies had to stop doing business.

bottom line
- the total, the final figure on a balance sheet, the results (of a business)
After we examined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.

bottom line
- the central issue of a discussion, the main point
My friend wants to open a restaurant but the bottom line is that if we do not do more research I do not want to invest any money.

bottom out
- to reach the lowest or worst point
The value of the stock has begun to bottom out and it should soon begin to increase in value.

bounce a check
- to write a check in which you do not have enough money in your bank account
The young man bounced a check when he tried to pay his rent.

boys in the backroom
- a group of men making decisions behind the scenes
The boys in the backroom told us that the factory will close next year.

break even
- to have expenses equal to profits
After only three months the company was able to break even and begin to make a profit.

budget crunch/squeeze
- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
There is a severe budget squeeze at our company and we must stop wasting money.

buy a stake in (something)
- to buy part ownership of a company or other enterprise
The large bank is planning to buy a stake in the small stock trading company.

buy off (someone)
- to use a gift or money to divert someone from their duty or purpose (similar to a bribe and sometimes illegal)
The land developer tried to buy off the politician but he was not successful.

buy out (someone or something)
- to buy the ownership or a majority share of something
The large company decided to buy out the small textile company.

buy (something) on credit
- to buy something without paying cash
My friend had no money so he decided to buy some furniture on credit.

by a long shot
- by a big difference
The soap company beat out the bids of the other companies by a long shot.

a calculated risk
- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
The company took a calculated risk when they put the new computer screen on the market.

call a meeting to order
- to start a meeting
Our supervisor called the meeting to order when everyone arrived in the conference room.

captain of industry
- a top corporation officer
The president of our company was a captain of industry and when he retired he was appointed to many government boards.

carry a motion
- to support or win acceptance for a motion/proposal/idea in a meeting
I was able to carry a motion to cancel the activities for next week.

carry over figures/numbers/costs
- to transfer a figure/number/cost from one column or time to another
Our company has financial problems and we must carry over last year's losses to this year.

carry over (something)
- to save or postpone something for another time
The department store will carry over their sale until after the national holiday.

carry the day
- to win complete support
The manager's new idea carried the day and everyone supported him with enthusiasm.

carry through with (something)
- to put something into action, to do something
The steel company carried through with their plan to restructure operations.

circulate the agenda
- to distribute a list or other information about what will be discussed in a meeting
We circulated the agenda for the meeting one week before the meeting.

close out (something)
- to sell the whole of something, to sell all the goods
The company decided to close out the store and sell the remaining stock very cheap.

close the books
- to stop taking orders, to end a bookkeeping period
The company will close the books at the end of December.

close up shop
- to stop doing business (for a variety of reasons - not only financial reasons)
The university bookstore had to close up shop when their rent was increased.

come down in price
- to lower the price of one's product, to become cheaper
We were forced to come down in price in order to sell our target number of cars for the month.

come on strong
- to overwhelm others with very strong language or personality
The salesman came on strong at the meeting and angered the other members of the team.

company man
- a person who always works hard and agrees with his employers or company
My father was a company man and he always put in an extra effort for his company.

company town
- a town dominated by one industry or company
When the coal mine closed, the company town faced severe economic times.

crunch numbers
- to do mathematical calculations
Our accountant loves to crunch numbers and he is one of the top managers in our company.

cut a deal
- to make a business arrangement or contract
I was able to cut a deal with the contractor and we paid very little for our new kitchen.

cut back
- to use fewer or less of something
The company has been cutting back on entertainment expenses recently.

cut corners
- to economize, to try to spend less money
We have been forced to economize on expenses during these severe economic times.

cut off (someone or something)
- to interrupt or stop someone or something
The speech by our manager was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.

cut one's losses
- to do something in order to stop losing additional money or time etc.
We should sell the old machinery soon and try to cut our losses.

defeat a motion
- to defeat an idea or proposal in a meeting
Our opponents easily defeated the motion to change the hours for next year's convention.

deliver the goods
- to succeed in doing a good job of something
The new manager is not very popular but he is able to deliver the goods.

double check (something)
- to check something again to confirm that it is correct
We plan to double check the price of the new product before the price list is printed.

draw up a contract
- to make/draft a contract
The lawyer spent several hours drawing up a new contract.

face value (of something)
- the official value or worth of something
Although the face value of the postage stamp was very low it sold at the auction for much money.

fair play
- justice, equal and correct action toward someone
The company has a reputation for fair play when they are bargaining with their employees.

figure out (something)
- to find an answer by thinking about something
Everyone is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.

fill the bill
- to be just what is needed
The new machine should fill the bill for what we need to finish the job.

float (someone) a loan
- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

gain ground
- to go forward, to make progress
Our company is gaining ground in its attempt to be the best in the industry.

get a break
- to get an opportunity or good deal
We were able to get a break on the price of the paint and we saved much money.

get a raise
- to get an increase in one's salary
My sister works hard and she recently got a raise in her new job.

get off the ground
- to make a successful beginning
We were unable to get the new product off the ground but we will try again next year.

give (someone) the green light
- to give someone permission to go ahead with a project
Our boss gave us the green light to begin work on the new sales campaign.

go belly up
- to go out of business because of financial problems
The small computer company went belly up several months ago.

go over the books
- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

go public
- to become a public company and to sell the company stock to the public
The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly after the company went public.

go through with (something)
- to do something as planned or as agreed, to finish something
We will not go through with our plans to build the new product until we solve several problems.

hang out one's shingle
- to open one's own business (usually as a professional in some field)
My friend decided to hang out his shingle as a dentist soon after he finished school.

a hard sell
- a way of selling something that is very aggressive and uses much pressure
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we went to another car dealer.

have a stake in (something)
- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new oil exploration company.

have one's finger in the pie
- to be involved in something, to receive money for something
The new manager has his finger in the pie of many small businesses.

have the floor
- to have permission to speak in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.

heads will roll
- someone will be punished
Heads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost.

hold a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.

in black and white
- in writing
The company refused to deal with the customer's complaints until they were in black and white.

in charge of (someone or something)
- to be in control of someone or something, to be responsible for someone or something
My sister has been in charge of buying supplies at her company for many years.

in short supply
- to not have enough of something, to be less than the amount or number needed
Experienced computer programmers are in short supply in our company.

in stock
- available or ready to sell or use
The store does not have any printer ribbons in stock.

in the black
- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years now.

in the long run
- over a long period of time
The company has been losing money recently but in the long run they should make a profit.

in the loop
- to be involved or to take part in a job or in information sharing with one's colleagues etc.
I began to work in the evenings and I was no longer in the loop at our company.

in the market for (something)
- to be ready to buy something, to want to buy something
We have been in the market for a new computer for a long time.

in the red
- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

in the works
- to be in preparation, to be in the process of being planned or developed
The camera company has a new camera in the works but nobody knows about it.

jack up the price of (something)
- to make a price higher
The steel company decided to jack up the price of steel at the beginning of the year.

keep books
- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he has made many mistakes.

keep track of (something)
- to keep a count or record of something, to stay informed about something
We have been making a great effort to keep track of the number of visitors to our store.

a kickback
- an amount of money that is paid illegally for favorable treatment
The construction company was giving kickbacks to the local politicians.

knock down the price of (something)
- to lower the price of something
I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the stereo.

land an account
- to acquire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.

lay (something) on the table
- to present a matter for discussion
I went to the meeting and laid my concerns about the new product on the table.

lead time
- the time available to prepare for an event or put a product on the market to sell
The lead time to get a book published is very long.

line of products
- a group/category of products that are similar to each other
Our company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.

liquid assets
- property or belongings that can easily be converted into cash
The company had to sell some of its liquid assets in order to raise cash.

make a cold call
- to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

make a go of (something)
- to produce good results, to succeed at something
Although the man works very hard in his small business he cannot make a go of it and may soon go out of business.

make a motion
- to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next morning.

make an offer
- to make a financial proposal for a product or service
We want to buy the house and we plan to make an offer on Saturday.

make money hand over fist
- to make a lot of money
The small ice cream shop has been making money hand over fist since it first opened.

mean business
- to be serious
Our boss means business when he tells everyone to work harder.

move to (do something)
- to propose to do something (usually at a meeting)
I moved to have another meeting next week when we can discuss the problem.

a number cruncher
- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

on credit
- without paying cash
We usually buy most of our furniture on credit.

on hand
- to be in one's possession, to be ready
We did not have enough supplies on hand and were unable to finish the job.

on the block
- to be for sale, to go on sale
After we bought the company we began to put some of the equipment on the block.

out-of-pocket expenses
- the direct expenses that one must personally pay
My out-of-pocket expenses were very high during the business trip.

out of stock
- not available for immediate sale
The toys are out of stock and we will have to wait several weeks before we get them.

out of the loop
- to not be involved or taking part in a job or in information sharing with one's colleagues etc.
I was out of the loop during the negotiations and did not know what was going on.

outsource (something)
- to use outside sources rather than those within a company or its facilities
The manufacturing company outsourced many of their products.

overnight (something)
- to send a document or package somewhere for delivery the next day
We decided to overnight the new contract to our supplier.

pay off
- to succeed, to yield good results
I hope that our plans for the new business will pay off.

pay off a debt/loan
- to finish paying back the money that one has borrowed from a bank/store etc.
The furniture manufacturer was unable to pay off their loan so they went out of business.

piece/slice of the action
- a share in the activity or the profits of something
The inventor wanted a piece of the action from the new computer that he had invented.

plug a product
- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

[Alina]

Business Idioms

preferred customer
- a customer who does much business with you and who you give special discounts to
The man is a preferred customer and he always receives his products soon after he orders them.

put one's nose to the grindstone
- to work diligently/hard
I put my nose to the grindstone and finished the job before the weekend.

put (someone) on hold
- to disconnect someone temporarily from the telephone
I phoned the bank but they put me on hold before someone spoke to me.

put (something) on hold
- to postpone a project
The construction company put the project on hold while they researched the problem with the bridge.

put (someone) through
- to transfer someone to someone else's telephone
I phoned the credit card company and they quickly put me through to a supervisor.

red ink
- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic conditions.

red tape
- rules and regulations that seem unnecessary (often from the government)
There is a lot of red tape when you try to start up a new business.

rule (someone) out of order
- to rule that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the meeting.

run a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
My boss is not able to run a meeting very well.

run an ad
- to place/put an advertisement in a publication
The government decided to run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

run short
- to not have enough of something
They ran short of gasoline at the gas station and had to close early.

saddled with debt
- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

second a motion
- to agree with a proposal
I seconded the motion where we decided to start one hour early every morning during the summer.

sell like hotcakes
- to sell very quickly
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.

sell out
- to sell all of a product
Every year our company is able to sell out most of our summer goods.

sell (something) at a loss
- to sell something and lose money
We were forced to sell the computers at a loss.

set up a meeting
- to make arrangements for a meeting
I am trying to set up a meeting with the manager of our department.

strike while the iron is hot
- to take advantage of an opportunity
I decided to strike while the iron was hot and apply for the job as soon as I heard about it.

sweetheart deal
- a deal made between friends/businesses so that both may receive a benefit
We made a sweetheart deal with our landlord to have our rent reduced.

table a discussion
- to postpone a discussion until a later time
We tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the next meeting.

take a nosedive
- to collapse, to decrease in value
The stock market took a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company decreased.

take a pay cut
- to accept a decrease in one's salary
The telephone workers were forced to take a pay cut after the strike.

take minutes
- to write down the proceedings of a meeting
I usually take minutes at the monthly club meetings.

take on (an employee)
- to give a job to someone, to hire someone
The company took on many new workers during the busy holiday season.

take over (something)
- to take control or possession of something, to take charge or responsibility of something
The government decided to take over the bank after it declared bankruptcy.

take (a company) public
- to sell shares of a company to the general public
We decided to take our company public in order to raise money to expand our factory.

take (something) at face value
- to take something that is said on its surface
I took my friend's comments at face value.

take stock
- to count the items of merchandise or supplies in stock, to take inventory
The department store closes for three days every March in order to take stock.

throw cold water on (something)
- to discourage or forbid something
The manager threw cold water on our plan to close the factory for one week in August.

throw money at (something)
- to try to solve a problem by spending money on it
The president of our company is willing to throw much money at a problem to try and solve it.

tight spot
- a difficult situation
The computer company has been in a tight spot since the shortage of computer chips appeared.

turn a profit
- to make a profit
The supermarket has been turning a profit since it opened.

turn over
- to do business to a certain amount of money/product
We turned over most of our stock last month.
The company turns over much money every month.

turnover
- the rate at which a product is sold and replaced
The turnover of drinks is very high in the store.

turnover
- the rate at which employees join and leave a company
The turnover of workers in the new restaurant business is very high.

work out
- to have a specific result
I do not believe that the new plan is going to work out.

work out (a problem)
- to solve a problem, to provide the details of something
I spent the weekend trying to work out the budget estimates for next year.

work overtime
- to work more than one's regular hours
I had to work overtime every Friday last month.

write off (a loan/debt)
- to remove a loan/debt from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.


accounting Idioms


bean counter
- an accountant
We asked the bean counters to look at the figures in the new budget.

bottom line
- the total, the final figure on a balance sheet, the results (of a business)
After we examined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.

break even
- to have expenses equal to profits
After only three months the company was able to break even and begin to make a profit.

budget crunch/squeeze
- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
There is a severe budget squeeze at our company and we must stop wasting money.

carry over figures/numbers/costs
- to transfer a figure/number/cost from one column or time to another
Our company has financial problems and we must carry over last year's losses to this year.

close the books
- to stop taking orders, to end a bookkeeping period
The company will close the books at the end of December.

crunch numbers
- to do mathematical calculations
Our accountant loves to crunch numbers and he is one of the top managers in our company.

figure out (something)
- to find an answer by thinking about something
Everyone is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.

go over the books
- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

in the black
- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years now.

in the red
- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

keep books
- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he has made many mistakes.

a number cruncher
- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

red ink
- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic conditions.

saddled with debt
- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

write off (a loan/debt)
- to remove a loan/debt from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

advertising Idioms


bang for the buck
- value for the money spent
We were able to get much bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.

plug a product
- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

run an ad
- to place/put an advertisement in a publication
The government decided to run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

banking Idioms


bail a company out
- to help or rescue a company with financial problems
The government bailed out the bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.

banker's hours
- short work hours (similar to when a bank is open)
My sister's husband owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone
- to supply someone with money, to finance someone
The movie actor bankrolled his son while the son was producing his first movie.

bounce a check
- to write a check in which you do not have enough money in your bank account
The young man bounced a check when he tried to pay his rent.

buy a stake in (something)
- to buy part ownership of a company or other enterprise
The large bank is planning to buy a stake in the small stock trading company.

a calculated risk
- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
The company took a calculated risk when they put the new computer screen on the market.

float (someone) a loan
- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

have a stake in (something)
- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new undersea oil exploration company.

meeting Idioms


adjourn a meeting
- to end a meeting
We adjourned the meeting until the next day.

call a meeting to order
- to start a meeting
Our supervisor called the meeting to order when everyone arrived in the conference room.

carry a motion
- to support or win acceptance for a motion/proposal/idea in a meeting
I was able to carry a motion to cancel the activities for next week.

circulate the agenda
- to distribute a list or other information about what will be discussed in a meeting
We circulated the agenda for the meeting one week before the meeting.

defeat a motion
- to defeat an idea/proposal in a meeting
Our opponents easily defeated the motion to change the hours for next week's convention.

have the floor
- to have permission to speak in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.

hold a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.

lay (something) on the table
- to present a matter for discussion
I went to the meeting and laid my concerns about the new product on the table.

make a motion
- to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next morning.

move to (do something)
- to propose to do something (usually at a meeting)
I moved to have another meeting next week when we can discuss the problem.

rule (someone) out of order
- to rule that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the meeting.

run a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
My boss is not able to run a meeting very well.

second a motion
- to agree with a proposal
I seconded the motion where we decided to start one hour early every morning during the summer.

set up a meeting
- to make arrangements for a meeting
I am trying to set up a meeting with the manager of our department.

table a discussion
- to postpone a discussion until a later time
We tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the next meeting.

take minutes
- to write down the proceedings of a meeting
I usually take minutes at the monthly club meetings.

sales Idioms


come down in price
- to lower the price of one's product, to become cheaper
We were forced to come down in price in order to sell our target number of cars for the month.

a hard sell
- a way of selling something that is very aggressive and uses much pressure
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we went to another car dealer.

knock down the price of (something)
- to lower the price of something
I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the stereo.

land an account
- to acquire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.

line of products
- a group/category of products that are similar to each other
Our company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.

make a cold call
- to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

make an offer
- to make a financial proposal for a product or service
We want to buy the house and we plan to make an offer on Saturday.

preferred customer
- a customer who does much business with you and who you give special discounts to
The man is a preferred customer and he always receives his products soon after he orders them.

sell like hotcakes
- to sell very quickly
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.

[Alina]

Negotiation Idioms



at stake
- something that can be gained or lost
There was much at stake during the negotiations between the nurses and the government.

back down
- to yield in one's position during negotiations, to not follow up on a threat
The government backed down on their threat to stop giving money to the school district.

back out (of something)
- to get out of an agreement, to fail to keep a promise
The property developer backed out of the plan to build the new city hall.

ball is in (someone's) court
- it is the decision of another person/group to do something
The ball was in the union's court after the company made their final offer.

beat around the bush
- to talk about something without giving a direct answer
The manager was beating around the bush and never really said anything important.

bog down
- to slow to a stop
The negotiations bogged down over the issue of part-time workers.

bone of contention
- the subject or reason for a fight/dispute
The size of the project was a bone of contention during the talks between the city and the developer.

break down
- to fail, to stop
The negotiations broke down last night when both sides refused to compromise.

break off
- to stop or end suddenly
The government decided to break off talks about extending the trade agreement.

break through
- to be successful after overcoming a difficulty
We were able to break through in our efforts to find a solution to the problem.

breakthrough
- a success that comes after overcoming a difficulty
There was a breakthrough in the talks aimed at ending the teacher's strike.

bring (something) off
- to achieve something
We were unable to bring off a deal to buy the new computer system for our company.

bring (someone) to terms
- to make someone agree or do something
It seemed impossible for the two sides to settle their dispute but we were finally able to bring them to terms.

bring up (something)
- to begin a discussion about something, to mention something
I tried to bring up the subject of sales commissions during the meeting.

call off (something)
- to stop/quit/cancel something
We called off the meeting because everybody was busy with other business.

call (someone's) bluff
- to try to make someone prove that they can actually do what they say they can
The government called the union's bluff when the union threatened to go on strike.

call the shots
- to be in charge
During the meeting the vice-president was calling the shots.

cave in to (someone or something)
- to weaken and be forced to give up
The company was forced to cave in to the demands of the workers for more money.

close a deal
- to end a negotiation successfully
We had to work hard but we were finally able to close the deal.

close ranks
- to unite and fight together
During the meeting we closed ranks and refused to compromise on any issue.

come back with an offer
- to return to negotiations with a new offer
We came back with a new offer and the negotiations continued smoothly.

come down in price
- to lower the price of one's product
We decided to come down in price and try and sell our products quickly.

come in low
- to offer a low amount of money for a product or service
The company came in low with an offer for our product.

come to terms
- to reach an agreement
After negotiating all night the government and the company came to terms on an arrangement for the new water system.

come up in a discussion
- to become a subject in a discussion
Nothing related to the issue of quality came up during the meeting.

come up with (an idea or something)
- to produce or find a thought/idea/answer
I was praised by my boss when I came up with some good ideas during the meeting.

common ground
- shared beliefs or interests
There was no common ground between the two sides and the negotiations did not go well.

continue down to the wire
- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining
The negotiations continued down to the wire but they finally ended successfully.

cover ground
- to talk about the important facts and details of something
The number of questions seemed endless and we were unable to cover much ground during the meeting.

cut a deal
- to make an agreement, to make a deal/arrangement
We cut a deal and left the meeting in a positive mood.

cut (someone) off
- to stop someone from saying something, to interrupt someone
My friend cut me off when I was speaking.

down to the wire
- near a deadline, with little time remaining
They were down to the wire but the two sides finally agreed to a new contract.

drag on
- to be prolonged, to continue for a long time
The talks between the company and the lawyers dragged on for several weeks.

drag one's heels
- to act slowly or reluctantly
The government dragged their heels in talks with the union about the new contract.

draw the line
- to set a limit about what will be done or discussed
The union was willing to compromise on the salary issue but they drew the line at talking about health benefits.

draw up (something)
- to put something (a contract or a plan) in writing
The lawyers drew up a contract for the new housing development on the government land.

drive a hard bargain
- to bargain hard and try to make an agreement to one's advantage
The sales manager drives a hard bargain and it is difficult to negotiate with him.

drive at (something)
- to mean something, to want to say something
I could not understand what the other negotiators in the meeting were driving at.

face down (someone)
- to confront someone boldly
The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.

fall through
- to fail, to be ruined, to not happen
The deal for the new machinery fell through and we will have to look for another supplier.

fifty-fifty
- equally, evenly
We shared the profits with the other company fifty-fifty.

follow through on/with (something)
- to finish an action, to keep a promise
Our boss said that wages would improve soon but he never followed through with his promise.

force (someone's) hand
- to make someone do something that they do not want to do at that time
We decided to force the hand of our opponents because we wanted to finish the negotiations quickly.

get behind (a person or idea)
- to support a person or idea
Although we did not agree with the manager we got behind his proposal at the meeting.

get down to brass tacks
- to begin the work or business that must be done
"Let's get down to brass tacks and begin talking about the new contract."

get down to business
- to start working or doing the business at hand
We decided to get down to business and try to finish our work quickly.

get the ball rolling
- to start/begin an activity or action
I want to get the ball rolling and begin the meeting at once.

get the message
- to understand clearly what is meant by someone
I do not think that the opposite side got the message regarding the direction that the negotiations were heading.

get to first base
- to make a good start, to succeed
We have not been able to get to first base with anyone regarding the terms of the new contract.

get to the bottom of (something)
- to find out the real cause of something
It was very difficult to get to the bottom of the financial problems in the company.

get to the heart of (something)
- to find the most important facts or central meaning of something
We spent the morning trying to get to the heart of the problem with the computer supplier.

give a little
- to compromise during a negotiation
We know that we will be forced to give a little if we want to complete the negotiations.

give and take (give-and-take)
- to share, to give up part of what you want in order to make an agreement
After much give and take we reached an agreement regarding the property transfer.

give ground
- to move back or retreat from one's position
We bargained hard but the other sales representatives refused to give ground.

give in to (someone)
- to do what another person wants rather than to fight and argue against him or her
After eight weeks of negotiations we gave in and agreed to sell the machinery at a discount.

go back on (something)
- to not be faithful or loyal to one's word or an agreement
The company directors went back on their word to give the employees a salary increase.

go back to square one
- to go back to the beginning
The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.

go back to the drawing board
- to go back and start something from the beginning
The negotiations failed so we had to go back to the drawing board and start over.

go down to the wire
- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining
The negotiations went down to the wire last night.

go for broke
- to risk everything on one big effort, to try as hard as possible
After going for broke at the meeting we finally reached an agreement.

go over like a lead balloon
- to fail to generate a positive response
The sales manager's proposal went over like a lead balloon at the meeting

go over well
- to be liked or successful
My idea to increase the number of employee evaluations went over well with the new manager.

hammer out (an agreement or a deal)
- to negotiate a deal or agreement by discussion and debate
The negotiations lasted all night but finally we were able to hammer out an agreement.

hang in the balance
- to have two equally possible results, to be uncertain
The outcome of the election was hanging in the balance after the top candidates had an equal number of votes.

hard-nosed
- to be very strict, to be stubborn, to be uncompromising
The negotiatiors were hard-nosed during the talks for a new contract.

have a card up one's sleeve
- to hide something of value
I thought that the negotiations would be unsuccessful but my boss had a card up his sleeve that we did not know about.

have a poker face
- to not show any reaction or emotion
Our boss had a poker face when he told us that our office would soon close.

hold all the aces/cards/trumps
- to have all of the advantages
The management group was holding all the cards during the meeting with the union.

hold out for (something)
- to keep resisting or refuse to give up until you get the desired results
The union is holding out for a better deal and they do not plan to end their strike.

hold out on (someone)
- to refuse information or something to someone who has a right to it
The new manager has been holding out on the company and he will not tell anyone his plans.

horse-trade
- to make a business agreement/deal after careful bargaining and compromise
After several hours of horse-trading we reached an agreement to buy the new computers.

in the bag
- to be certain
The contract for the new insurance policy is in the bag.

iron (something) out
- to solve a problem
We spent several hours ironing out the final details of the contract.

knock down the price of (something)
- to decrease a price
The department store has knocked down the price of many of their products.

lay one's cards on the table
- to be open and honest about one's intentions
Our boss laid his cards on the table during the meeting.

make an offer
- to make a financial or other proposal for a product or service
I plan to make an offer and try to buy the house that I like.

make headway
- to make progress
We have been bargaining hard all week and we are making headway with the new agreement.

meet (someone) halfway
- to compromise with someone
The asking price for the chemicals was too high but we met the salesman halfway and made an agreement.

nail (something) down
- to make certain or sure
We nailed down an agreement to finish the staff room as quickly as possible.

off the record
- to be not published or revealed, to be a secret
I told my boss off the record that I would probably not return after the summer holiday.

paint oneself into a corner
- to get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to escape
The negotiations became easier when the other side painted themselves into a corner over the old insurance policy.

play hardball (with someone)
- to act strong and aggressive with someone
The union played hardball during the contract talks.

play into (someone's) hands
- to do something that another person can use against you
Our manager played into the hands of the other side during the meeting when he became angry.

play one's ace
- to use one's best resources (the ace is the most powerful card), to use all of one's power
I played my ace when I asked my boss for more money.

play one's cards close to one's chest
- to be secretive and cautious about something
My colleague was playing his cards close to his chest when he began to talk to our competitor.

pull (something) off
- to succeed in doing something difficult or impossible
The contract seemed impossible to win but we pulled it off through our skillful negotiating.

pull (something) out of a hat
- to get something as if by magic, to invent something, to imagine something
The problem was difficult but somehow we were able to pull a solution out of a hat.

put one's cards on the table
- to be open and honest about one's intentions
We put our cards on the table and tried to solve the problem.

raise the ante
- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The small country raised the ante in the trade dispute with the other countries.

a raw deal
- treatment that is not fair
The sales manager received a raw deal when he was forced to give up his former position.

reach a stalemate
- to arrive at a position where no progress is being made
The talks to buy the new computers have reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to start them again.

reach first base
- to make a good start, to succeed
We were unable to reach first base in the discussions.

read between the lines
- to understand the meaning of something by guessing what is not said
The salesman did not say that no products were available but we could read between the lines and knew that there were none.

rock-bottom offer
- the lowest price that one can offer to buy something
The buyer made a rock-bottom offer to buy our product.

a setback
- a delay or handicap
The bad weather was a setback in our efforts to get the material delivered on time.

smooth (something) over
- to make something seem better or more pleasant
We tried to smooth over the problems between the two managers.

stack the deck (of cards) against (someone)
- to trick someone, to arrange things unfairly
The manager stacked the deck against his opponent when he went into the meeting.

stand one's ground
- to maintain and defend one's position
Although the other negotiating team was very aggressive we stood our ground and bargained hard.

start the ball rolling
- to start/begin an activity or action
I will start the ball rolling by making some telephone calls to my co-workers.

stick to one's guns
- to defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction
We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.

take sides
- to join one group against another in a debate or quarrel
I did not take sides in the discussion about buying a new computer.

talk (someone) into (something)
- to get someone to agree to something, to persuade someone to do something
We were unable to talk the other members of our team into delaying the meeting until next week.

talk (someone) out of (something)
- to persuade someone not to do something
I tried to talk our sales manager out of offering a price that was too low.

talk (something) over
- to discuss something
We asked for some time during the meeting to talk over the new proposal.

throw (someone) a curve
- to mislead or deceive someone
The purchasing manager threw us a curve when he said that he would not need any of our products until next year.

to the letter
- exactly, nothing done wrong or left undone, perfectly
The union representative followed the contract agreement to the letter.

trump card
- something that is kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works
Although we appeared weak during the negotiations we had some new information to use as our trump card.

turn thumbs down on (something)
- to reject something
The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

under the wire
- at the very last moment
We finished the documents and sent them to the lawyer right under the wire.

undercut (someone)
- to sell your product for less than a competitor
The new discount store is trying hard to undercut other stores in the area.

up the ante
- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The union upped the ante in their dispute with the company.

water (something) down
- to change and make something weaker
The manager tried to water down our proposal for the new quality control system.

wheel and deal
- to negotiate, to buy and sell something
The salesman likes to wheel and deal with his customers.

wind up
- to end, to finish, to stop
The meeting wound up at midnight and we were able to go home.

We wrapped up the meeting and went home for the weekend.

[Alina]

Card Playing
Idioms





above board
- honest, not secret (originally players showed their honesty by keeping their hands above the board when playing a game)
The real estate agent was always above board when dealing with people who were trying to buy a house.

according to Hoyle
- according to the rules (Hoyle wrote a well-known book about card games)
According to Hoyle we were not permitted to enter the convention site but in reality we were able to enter easily.

an ace in the hole
- something that you can use to gain an advantage (when playing cards an ace is face down so the other players in a card game can't see it)
The team had an ace in the hole and decided to use it when they brought out their star goalkeeper to play.

ante up
- produce or pay a necessary amount of money
We all had to ante up quickly in order to collect the money for our holiday.

call a spade a spade
- call a person or thing a name that is true, speak in plain language
I decided to call a spade a spade and tell our supervisor what was wrong with our workplace.

call someone's bluff
- challenge someone to show that they are not being deceptive and can actually do what they say they can do (from poker where one makes an opponent show his or her cards to show that they are weaker than they are pretending them to be)
My girlfriend always said that she didn't want to get married so I called her bluff and asked her to marry me. She said yes.

cash in one's chips
- to die (the chips in many gambling games are changed into cash at the end of a game)
After an honorable and fruitful career the judge cashed in his chips at the age of ninety years.

come/turn up trumps
- have a better performance or outcome than is expected (trumps are the playing cards that are chosen to be ranked higher than the others)
We entered the contest with little hope of success but our performance came up trumps which was a big surprise to everyone.

deal someone in
- include someone
I hope that my friend will deal me in on his new computer business.

be dealt a bad hand/deal someone a bad hand
- receive or give someone bad cards in a card game, receive disadvantages in something
The boy was dealt a bad hand when he was a child and always was at a disadvantage in his life.

follow suit
- play a card of the same suit, follow the example of another
The small university followed suit with the other universities and decided to raise their tuition fees.

force someone's hand
- make someone do something that they don't want to do at that time
The man threatened to quit his job so the company decided to force his hand and make him either continue or quit.

have an ace up one's sleeve
- something that you can use to gain an advantage (in a card game the ace is often the most valuable card and a cheater could have an ace up their sleeve to use against an opponent)
When the football players were ready to go on strike, the team owners had an ace up their sleeve and offered more money and stopped the strike.

have a card up one's sleeve
- have a reserve plan or a secret advantage
The man had a card up his sleeve when he went to the bank to ask for more money for his business.

hold all the aces
- have all the advantages (from the ace which is the most valuable card in many card games)
The employer held all the aces when they began to negotiate with the small union.

hold all the cards
- be in a strong or advantageous position (like a winning hand in a card game)
The company held all the cards when the union decided to go on strike to achieve their goals.

hold all the trumps
- have the best chance of winning, have all the advantages
The striker holds all the trumps and should easily be elected as captain of the football team.

house of cards
- a poorly thought out plan, something that is badly put together and easily knocked over
The large company was like a house of cards and when there were financial problems in one area the whole business was hurt.

in spades
- as much or more than you could want (spades are the highest ranking cards in the game of bridge)
The sick child was hoping to receive some cards when he was in the hospital but when the radio talked about his illness he received them in spades.

in the cards
- possible or likely (as in using playing cards or tarot cards to tell the future)
Although the airport expansion was in the cards nobody knew exactly when it would begin.

lost in the shuffle
- be overlooked in a confused or crowded situation
When we moved to a new office all of our sales receipts were lost in the shuffle of the move

not playing with a full deck
- mentally deficient (like a deck of playing cards with some cards missing)
The student told unlikely stories about his life which made us believe that he was not playing with a full deck.

play one's ace
- use one's best resources (like an ace in cards)
The lawyer played his ace when he showed the judge the new information.

play one's cards close to one's chest
- be extremely secretive and cautious about something (holding playing cards close to your chest so the other players can't see them)
My boss always plays his cards close to his chest when he is negotiating with another company.

play one's cards right
- make the best use of your opportunities or what you have
I told my friend that if he plays his cards right he will be able to go on the business trip to Europe.

poker face
- a face with no expression (done in the game of poker so that nobody knows if you have good cards or not)
The politician had a poker face when he tried to defend himself against the scandal.

put (lay) one's cards on the table
- be open and honest about one's intentions or resources
I put my cards on the table and told my boss about my plans to return to school and study economics.

raise the ante
- increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)
The government raised the ante when they decided to cancel the contract of the health care workers.

show one's hand
- reveal one's plans
I didn't want to show my hand but I was forced to tell my family about my plans to go overseas to study.

shuffle the cards/deck
- change policy
The government was in the middle of an economic crisis so they did not want to shuffle the deck and cause any more uncertainity.

stack the deck
- unfairly arrange things for or against someone so that a person has an unfair advantage or disadvantage
The league stacked the deck against the new team so that the older, more established teams could advance to the playoffs.

trump card
- something that you hold back to use to win success if nothing else works (a trump card is a card that is chosen to temporarily be stronger than the other cards)
The boxer's trump card in his desire for another fight was his great popularity with the fans.

up the ante
- increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)
The actor upped the ante in his dispute with the movie studio when he refused to appear for the movie preparation.

when the chips are down
- when one is in a difficult or serious situation (chips are used in gambling), when the winner or loser of a card game or a bet is decided
The man is a good manager and when the chips are down he is always able to overcome his difficulties.

[Alina]

Clothes Idioms






air one`s dirty linen in public
- to discuss one`s private quarrels or problems in the presence of others
The man does not like his wife to air his dirty linen in public when they are with friends.

at the drop of a hat
- without waiting or planning, immediately, promptly
Our boss will stop working and help someone at the drop of a hat.

bet one`s boots
- to bet everything that one has
I will bet my boots that my friend will not have enough money to go to Greece this winter.

birthday suit
- complete nakedness
The little boy was running through the park in his birthday suit.

buckle down to (do something)
- to give one's complete attention or effort to do something
The teacher told the girl that she must buckle down and begin to work harder than before.

burn a hole in one`s pocket
- to stimulate someone to spend money quickly
My money is burning a hole in my pocket and I will probably spend it quickly.

burst at the seams
- to be too full or too crowded
The train station was bursting at the seams as everyone waited to leave for their holidays.

catch (someone) with their pants down
- to surprise someone in an embarrassing situation or doing something that they should not be doing
The sales manager was caught with his pants down when he was asked for the sales figures but did not have them.

come into fashion
- to become fashionable
Recently the mini-skirt has come into fashion again.

decked out in (something)
- to be dressed in fancy clothes
The actress was decked out in a beautiful silk dress at the ceremony.

die with one`s boots on
- to die while still active in one`s work or doing a job
The man worked hard all his life and died with his boots on when he had a heart attack and died in the factory.

dressed to kill
- to wear one`s finest clothes
The woman was dressed to kill when I saw her at the sales convention.

dressed to the nines/teeth
- to be dressed elegantly, to be dressed very well
The couple were dressed to the nines when they went to the opening of the new theater production.

dress up
- to wear one`s best clothes
I decided to dress up to go to dinner on Saturday night.

feather in one`s cap
- something to be proud of, an honor
Winning the speech contest was a feather in the boy's cap and the greatest honor that he has ever won.

fill (someone`s) shoes
- to take the place of another and do as well as he or she would
It will be difficult for the woman to fill the shoes of the previous supervisor.

fine-tooth/toothed comb
- great care, careful attention so as not to miss anything
We went over the room with a fine-tooth comb but we were unable to find the lost credit card.

fit like a glove
- to fit perfectly
The woman's new dress fit like a glove so she was very happy.

fly by the seat of one`s pants
- to do something by instinct rather than by knowledge or logic
I was forced to fly by the seat of my pants when my computer broke and I had to try and fix it.

handle (someone) with kid gloves
- to treat someone very gently and carefully
You must handle the new employee with kid gloves because he is very sensitive.

a hand-me-down
- a piece of clothing that is given to someone after another person does not need it
My father wore many hand-me-down clothes when he was a child.

have a bee in one`s bonnet
- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
The woman has a bee in her bonnet about starting a new business.

have a card up one`s sleeve
- to have a reserve plan or a secret advantage
I do not know the manager's plans but I think that he has a card up his sleeve and he will soon make an important announcement.

have ants in one`s pants
- to be restless, to be nervous
The teacher told the little boy that he was moving around like he had ants in his pants.

have (something) up one`s sleeve
- to have a secret plan or solution for something, to be ready for a time when something is needed
I do not know what my friend has up his sleeve but I am sure that he is planning to say something at the meeting.

hit (someone) below the belt
- to do something in an unfair or cowardly way
My friend was hitting below the belt when he criticized me after I told him my true feelings on the matter.

if the shoe fits wear it
- if what is being said in general describes you then it probably means you
You should not criticize others for something that you would do yourself. Remember, if the shoe fits wear it.

in (someone`s) shoes
- in another person's place or position
I would hate to be in my cousin's shoes now that he has lost his job.

keep one`s shirt on
- to keep from losing one`s temper or getting excited, to be calm/patient
"Keep your shirt on. You shouldn`t get so excited about such a small problem."

keep (something) under one`s hat
- to keep something secret
I plan to keep my plans to look for a new job under my hat.

lose one`s shirt
- to lose all or most of one`s money
The man lost his shirt gambling and now he is in serious financial difficulty.

off-the-cuff
- without preparation
Our boss made a great off-the-cuff speech at the party last night.

old hat
- to be not new or different, to be old-fashioned
We have been using the new computer program for many months. It is old hat now.

on a shoestring
- on a very low budget, with very little money
We went to Europe on a shoestring and we enjoyed it very much.

on (someone`s) coat-tails
- as a result of someone else doing something
The woman was elected to city council on her husband`s coat-tails.

pull (something) out of a hat
- to produce something as if by magic, to invent something
At first the lawyer said that she did not have the information but then she suddenly pulled it out of a hat.

pull up one`s socks
- to make a greater effort
"It is time that you pull up your socks and begin to work hard and take this job seriously."

put on one`s thinking cap
- to think hard and long about something
I will put on my thinking cap and try to find a solution to the problem by next week.

roll up one`s sleeves
- to get ready for a hard job, to prepare to work hard or seriously
"Let`s roll up our sleeves and begin to work so that we can finish early."

shoe is on the other foot
- the opposite is true, places are changed
For a long time my friend laughed at my problems at work. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he also has serious problems.

stuffed shirt
- a person who is too rigid or too formal
I do not want to invite my neighbor to come with us because he is a stuffed shirt and not very interesting to spend time with.

take one`s hat off to (someone)
- to admire/respect/praise someone
You have to take your hat off to my neighbor. He started a small business and now it is very successful.

talk through one`s hat
- to say something without knowing or understanding the facts
Our supervisor is talking through his hat again and he does not know what he is talking about.

tighten one`s belt
- to live on less money than usual
If we want to go on a holiday to Europe this year we will have to tighten our belts and begin to save some money.

too big for one`s boots/breeches
- to think that you are more important than you really are
Our manager is too big for his breeches and needs someone to make him realize that he is not so important.

under one`s belt
- in one`s experience or possession, gained by effort and skill
Now that I have some job experience under my belt I will have more chances to apply for a better job.

wear one`s heart on one`s sleeve
- to show one`s feelings openly
The girl is wearing her heart on her sleeve and everyone knows that she is having problems with her boyfriend.

wear the pants in one`s family
- to be the boss of a family or household
The woman wears the pants in her family and she is always telling her husband what to do.

wolf in sheep`s clothing
- a person who pretends to be good but is really bad
The man is a wolf in sheep's clothing and someone that you should be very careful around.

You bet your boots!
- most certainly, yes indeed, absolutely
You can bet your boots that I am going to go and apply for my passport as early as possible.

[Alina]

Color Idioms


________________________________________

as black as a skillet
- very black
My hands were as black as a skillet when I finished working on the car engine.

as black as a stack of black cats
- very black
The little boy was as black as a stack of black cats after playing outside all day.

as black as a sweep
- very dirty/black (a chimney sweep cleans chimneys and becomes very black)
My friend was as black as a sweep after he finished cleaning the basement.

as black as coal
- very black
My friend's cat is as black as coal.

as black as night
- very dark and black
The old house was as black as night when we entered it.

as black as pitch
- very black
My face was as black as pitch after cleaning the stove all morning.

as black as the ace of spades
- very black
The horse in the parade was as black as the ace of spades.

as red as a cherry
- bright red
The car was as red as a cherry after its new paint job.

as red as a poppy
- bright red
The mark on my arm was as red as a poppy.

as red as a rose
- intensely red
The morning sunrise was as red as a rose.

as red as a ruby
- deep red
The office assistant was wearing lipstick that was as red as a ruby.

as red as blood
- deep red
The stain on the carpet was as red as blood.

as white as a ghost
- very pale because of fear/shock/illness
My sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

as white as a sheet
- very pale
I felt terrible this morning and in the mirror I looked as white as a sheet.

as white as the driven snow
- very white
The fur on the dog was as white as the driven snow.

black and blue
- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

black and white
- either good or bad, either one way or the other way but not in between
Our boss sees everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.

black box
- an electronic device such as a flight recorder that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package
The investigators searched for a long time in order to find the black box of the airplane.

black eye
- a bruise near one's eye which makes it appear black
The man received a black eye when he bumped into the closed door.

black market
- the place where goods/money are illegally bought and sold
We sold some cigarettes on the black market during our travels.

black out
- to darken a room or building by turning off the lights
During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so nobody could see them.

black out
- to lose consciousness
The man blacked out during the parade and he had to sit down and rest.

black sheep (of a family)
- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and has not made a success of his life.

blackball (someone)
- to exclude/ostracize someone socially, to reject someone
The businessman was blackballed in the industry because of his bad business practices.

blacklist (someone)
- to exclude/ostracize someone, to write someone's name on a list if they break some rules
The sports federation blacklisted the swimmer because he was using steroids.

blackmail (someone)
- to extort/take money from someone by threatening him or her
The photographer tried to blackmail the famous actress with some photographs that he had taken.

blackout
- a temporary situation where you do not release some information
The government decided to have a blackout regarding the information related to the political prisoner.

black-tie event/affair
- a formal event where guests wear semi-formal clothes with men wearing black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets
The award ceremony for the movie awards was a black-tie affair.

blue blood
- the blood of a noble/aristocratic family
Many of the blue bloods of the town went to the opening of the opera.

blue in the face
- to be very angry or upset, to be excited and very emotional
I argued with my supervisor until I was blue in the face.

blue-ribbon
- of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
A blue-ribbon panel of experts were asked to suggest a new policy for the city.

brown bag it
- to take a lunch to work
I must brown bag it this week because the company cafeteria is closed.

carte blanche
- the freedom or permission to do what you want (blanche/blanc means white in French)
The new manager was given carte blanche to change the policies in her department.

catch (someone) red-handed
- to catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The woman was caught red-handed when she tried to steal some cosmetics.

chase rainbows
- to try to get or achieve something that is difficult or impossible
My old school friend is always chasing rainbows and he never achieves anything.

dyed-in-the-wool
- permanent, always (like wool that is dyed a certain color)
My father is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative and he will probably never change.

ears are red
- one's ears are red from embarrassment
My ears were red after hearing what the teacher said about me.

get/have gray hair
- to have one's hair turn gray from stress
Our teacher is getting gray hair from all the stress.

get/have the blues
- to become sad or depressed
The dull cloudy weather has caused me to get the blues.

get/have the green light
- to receive a signal to start or continue something
We got the green light to begin a study of the security problems at our school.

give (someone) the green light
- to give someone permission to proceed with a project
We were given the green light to begin the new project.

grass is always greener on the other side
- a place that is far away or different seems better than where we are now
The man realized that the grass is greener on the other side when he saw that his new job had many problems too.

a gray area
- a question that is not clearly defined and may have a broad or more than one answer, neither black or white
The issue of the tax on children's toys was a gray area for the accountant.

gray matter
- brains, intelligence
I wish that my friend would use his gray matter more effectively when he is making his crazy plans.

green
- to be inexperienced or immature
The young man is rather green and does not have enough experience to drive the large piece of machinery.

green around the gills
- looking sick
My friend looked green around the gills after the long bus ride.

green belt
- an area of fields and trees around a town
Our city has a policy to increase the green belt around the city.

green-eyed monster
- jealousy
The woman was consumed by the green-eyed monster and it was affecting her life.

green thumb
- a talent for gardening, the ability to make things grow
My neighbor has a green thumb and she is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighborhood.

green with envy
- to be very jealous, to be full of envy
I was green with envy when I heard that my cousin would be going to London for a week.

greenhorn
- an untrained/inexperienced/naive person
The young man was a greenhorn and he had much to learn about his new job.

have a yellow streak
- to be cowardly
The man has a yellow streak and he will not defend you if you are having a problem.

horse of a different color
- something totally separate and different
I know that our boss would like to discuss that issue now but it is a horse of a different color and we should discuss it at another time.

in black and white
- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

in (someone's) black books
- to be in disgrace or out of favor with someone
The boy is in his girlfriend's black books because he was late for their date.

in the black
- to be successful or profitable
Our company has been in the black since they began to cut costs.

in the pink (of condition)
- in very good health
My grandmother was in the pink of condition when I saw her.

in the red
- to be in debt, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red for three years now.

lend color to (something)
- to provide something extra to accompany something
The music in the play helped to lend color to the performance of the actors.

like waving a red flag in front of a bull
- what you are doing will definitely make someone angry or upset
Talking about the city mayor with my father is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He does not like the city mayor.

local color
- the traditional features of a place which give it its own character
The weekend vegetable market added much local color to the small town.

look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses
- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
My friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.

off-color
- in bad taste, rude
The man told an off-color joke at the party which made his wife very angry.

off-color
- not the exact color
We painted our kitchen in an off-color of white.

once in a blue moon
- very rarely
We only go out for Italian food once in a blue moon although we enjoy it very much.

out of the blue
- without any warning, by surprise (like coming out of a blue sky)
Out of the blue my friend decided to quit his job and go to Europe.

out of the red
- out of debt
Our company is finally out of the red and we are now making money.

paint the town red
- to go out and party and have a good time
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.

pink slip
- a termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and I am now looking for a new job.

pitch-black
- very black, as black as pitch
The road was pitch-black and we could not see anything.

pot calling the kettle black
- the person who criticizes/accuses someone else is as guilty as the person he or she criticizes/accuses
My friend criticized me for not changing jobs but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She will not change jobs either.

put (something) down in black and white
- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.

raise/wave a white flag
- to indicate that you have been defeated and you want to give up
The soldiers raised a white flag and gave themselves up to the enemy.

red-carpet treatment
- to receive special/royal treatment
I always receive the red-carpet treatment when I go and visit my aunt.

red-eye
- an airplane flight that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning
We caught the red-eye flight last night and we are very tired today.

a red flag
- a signal that something is not working properly or correctly
The fallen trees along the road raised a red flag for the safety inspectors.

red herring
- an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject
Talking about the other issue was a red herring and did not do anything to deal with today's problem.

red-hot
- very hot, creating much excitement or demand
The new video game is red-hot and many people are waiting to buy one.

red in the face
- embarrassed
I became red in the face when the teacher began talking about me.

red-letter day
- a day that is memorable because of some important event
It was a red-letter day when my sister received her graduation diploma.
red tape
- excessive formalities in official business
Many businesses complain about the red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.
roll out the red carpet
- to greet a person with great respect, to give a big welcome to someone
The government rolled out the red carpet when the politician came to visit.

sail under false colors
- to pretend to be something that one is not (a pirate ship used to disguise itself as an ordinary ship by using a false flag)
The head of the company is sailing under false colors and he does not really know how the company operation works.

see pink elephants
- to see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination
The man was seeing pink elephants according to those who listened to his story.

see red
- to become very angry
My boss saw red when I told him that I would not be coming to work today.

see the color of (someone's) money
- to prove that someone has enough money for something
The car dealer would not let me take the car until he saw the color of my money.

show one`s true colors
- to show what one is really like or really thinking
I thought that the woman likes me but she showed her true colors when she began yelling at me on the telephone.

talk a blue streak
- to talk very much and very rapidly
The woman beside me on the bus talked a blue streak for most of the journey.

talk until one is blue in the face
- to talk until one is exhausted
I talked until I was blue in the face but I could not change my teacher's mind about my essay.

tickled pink
- to be very pleased or delighted by someone or something
"My mother was tickled pink that you visited her when you were in town."

white elephant
- a useless possession (that often costs money to maintain)
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

[Alina]

Color Idioms

white lie
- a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings
I told my supervisor a white lie yesterday and said that I was sick when actually I was not.

white sale
- the selling of towels or sheets at a reduced price
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets.

white-tie event/affair
- an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening dress
I attended a white-tie dinner in honor of the president of our university.

whitewash (something)
- to cover up or gloss over faults/errors/wrongdoing
The government was accused of trying to whitewash the scandal about the illegal money.

with flying colors
- with great or total success
My friend passed the course with flying colors and she now wants to go out and celebrate.

yellow-bellied
- extremely timid, cowardly
The man is yellow-bellied and is never willing to fight for what is right.

black Idioms


as black as a skillet
- very black
My hands were as black as a skillet when I finished working on the car engine.

as black as a stack of black cats
- very black
The little boy was as black as a stack of black cats after playing outside all day.

as black as a sweep
- very dirty/black (a chimney sweep cleans chimneys and becomes very black)
My friend was as black as a sweep after he finished cleaning the basement.

as black as coal
- very black
My friend's cat is as black as coal.

as black as night
- very dark and black
The old house was as black as night when we entered it.

as black as pitch
- very black
My face was as black as pitch after cleaning the stove all morning.

as black as the ace of spades
- very black
The horse in the parade was as black as the ace of spades.

black and blue
- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

black and white
- either good or bad, either one way or the other way but not in between
Our boss sees everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.

black box
- an electronic device such as a flight recorder that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package
The investigators searched for a long time in order to find the black box of the airplane.

black eye
- a bruise near one's eye which makes it appear black
The man received a black eye when he bumped into the closed door.

black market
- the place where goods/money are illegally bought and sold
We sold some cigarettes on the black market during our travels.

black out
- to darken a room or building by turning off the lights
During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so nobody could see them.

black out
- to lose consciousness
The man blacked out during the parade and he had to sit down and rest.

black sheep (of a family)
- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and has not made a success of his life.

blackball (someone)
- to exclude/ostracize someone socially, to reject someone
The businessman was blackballed in the industry because of his bad business practices.

blacklist (someone)
- to exclude/ostracize someone, to write someone's name on a list if they break some rules
The sports federation blacklisted the swimmer because he was using steroids.

blackmail (someone)
- to extort/take money from someone by threatening him or her
The photographer tried to blackmail the famous actress with some photographs that he had taken.

blackout
- a temporary situation where you do not release some information
The government decided to have a blackout regarding the information related to the political prisoner.

black-tie event/affair
- a formal event where guests wear semi-formal clothes with men wearing black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets
The award ceremony for the movie awards was a black-tie affair.

in black and white
- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

in (someone's) black books
- to be in disgrace or out of favor with someone
The boy is in his girlfriend's black books because he was late for their date.

in the black
- to be successful or profitable
Our company has been in the black since they began to cut costs.

pitch-black
- very black, as black as pitch
The road was pitch-black and we could not see anything.

pot calling the kettle black
- the person who criticizes/accuses someone else is as guilty as the person he or she criticizes/accuses
My friend criticized me for not changing jobs but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She will not change jobs either.

put (something) down in black and white
- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.


blue Idioms


black and blue
- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

blue blood
- the blood of a noble/aristocratic family
Many of the blue bloods of the town went to the opening of the opera.

blue in the face
- to be very angry or upset, to be excited and very emotional
I argued with my supervisor until I was blue in the face.

blue-ribbon
- of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
A blue-ribbon panel of experts were asked to suggest a new policy for the city.

get/have the blues
- to become sad or depressed
The dull cloudy weather has caused me to get the blues.

out of the blue
- without any warning, by surprise (like coming out of a blue sky)
Out of the blue my friend decided to quit his job and go to Europe.

talk a blue streak
- to talk very much and very rapidly
The woman beside me on the bus talked a blue streak for most of the journey.

talk until one is blue in the face
- to talk until one is exhausted
I talked until I was blue in the face but I could not change my teacher's mind about my essay.


gray Idioms


get/have gray hair
- to have one's hair turn gray from stress
Our teacher is getting gray hair from all the stress.

a gray area
- a question that is not clearly defined and may have a broad or more than one answer, neither black or white
The issue of the tax on children's toys was a gray area for the accountant.

gray matter
- brains, intelligence
I wish that my friend would use his gray matter more effectively when he is making his crazy plans.

green Idioms


get/have the green light
- to receive a signal to start or continue something
We got the green light to begin a study of the security problems at our school.

give (someone) the green light
- to give someone permission to proceed with a project
We were given the green light to begin the new project.

grass is always greener on the other side
- a place that is far away or different seems better than where we are now
The man realized that the grass is greener on the other side when he saw that his new job had many problems too.

green
- to be inexperienced or immature
The young man is rather green and does not have enough experience to drive the large piece of machinery.

green around the gills
- looking sick
My friend looked green around the gills after the long bus ride.

green belt
- an area of fields and trees around a town
Our city has a policy to increase the green belt around the city.

green-eyed monster
- jealousy
The woman was consumed by the green-eyed monster and it was affecting her life.

green thumb
- a talent for gardening, the ability to make things grow
My neighbor has a green thumb and she is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighborhood.

green with envy
- to be very jealous, to be full of envy
I was green with envy when I heard that my cousin would be going to London for a week.

greenhorn
- an untrained/inexperienced/naive person
The young man was a greenhorn and he had much to learn about his new job.


pink Idioms


in the pink (of condition)
- in very good health
My grandmother was in the pink of condition when I saw her.

look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses
- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
My friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.

pink slip
- a termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and I am now looking for a new job.

see pink elephants
- to see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination
The man was seeing pink elephants according to those who listened to his story.

tickled pink
- to be very pleased or delighted by someone or something
"My mother was tickled pink that you visited her when you were in town."


red Idioms


as red as a cherry
- bright red
The car was as red as a cherry after its new paint job.

as red as a poppy
- bright red
The mark on my arm was as red as a poppy.

as red as a rose
- intensely red
The morning sunrise was as red as a rose.

as red as a ruby
- deep red
The office assistant was wearing lipstick that was as red as a ruby.

as red as blood
- deep red
The stain on the carpet was as red as blood.

catch (someone) red-handed
- to catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The woman was caught red-handed when she tried to steal some cosmetics.

ears are red
- one's ears are red from embarrassment
My ears were red after hearing what the teacher said about me.

in the red
- to be in debt, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red for three years now.

like waving a red flag in front of a bull
- what you are doing will definitely make someone angry or upset
Talking about the city mayor with my father is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He does not like the city mayor.

out of the red
- out of debt
Our company is finally out of the red and we are now making money.

paint the town red
- to go out and party and have a good time
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.

red-carpet treatment
- to receive special/royal treatment
I always receive the red-carpet treatment when I go and visit my aunt.

red-eye
- an airplane flight that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning
We caught the red-eye flight last night and we are very tired today.

a red flag
- a signal that something is not working properly or correctly
The fallen trees along the road raised a red flag for the safety inspectors.

red herring
- an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject
Talking about the other issue was a red herring and did not do anything to deal with today's problem.

red-hot
- very hot, creating much excitement or demand
The new video game is red-hot and many people are waiting to buy one.

red in the face
- embarrassed
I became red in the face when the teacher began talking about me.

red-letter day
- a day that is memorable because of some important event
It was a red-letter day when my sister received her graduation diploma.
red tape
- excessive formalities in official business
Many businesses complain about the red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.
roll out the red carpet
- to greet a person with great respect, to give a big welcome to someone
The government rolled out the red carpet when the politician came to visit.

see red
- to become very angry
My boss saw red when I told him that I would not be coming to work today.


white Idioms


as white as a ghost
- very pale because of fear/shock/illness
My sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

as white as a sheet
- very pale
I felt terrible this morning and in the mirror I looked as white as a sheet.

as white as the driven snow
- very white
The fur on the dog was as white as the driven snow.

black and white
- either good or bad, either one way or the other way but not in between
Our boss sees everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.

carte blanche
- the freedom or permission to do what you want (blanche/blanc means white in French)
The new manager was given carte blanche to change the policies in her department.

in black and white
- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

put (something) down in black and white
- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.

raise/wave a white flag
- to indicate that you have been defeated and you want to give up
The soldiers raised a white flag and gave themselves up to the enemy.

white elephant
- a useless possession (that often costs money to maintain)
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

white lie
- a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings
I told my supervisor a white lie yesterday and said that I was sick when actually I was not.

white sale
- the selling of towels or sheets at a reduced price
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets.

white-tie event/affair
- an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening dress
I attended a white-tie dinner in honor of the president of our university.

whitewash (something)
- to cover up or gloss over faults/errors/wrongdoing
The government was accused of trying to whitewash the scandal about the illegal money.

yellow Idioms


have a yellow streak
- to be cowardly
The man has a yellow streak and he will not defend you if you are having a problem.

yellow-bellied
- extremely timid, cowardly
The man is yellow-bellied and is never willing to fight for what is right.

[Alina]

Court & Judge
Idioms




________________________________________


abide by a decision
- follow the orders that a court/judge has given
The company was forced to abide by the decision of the judge.

as sober as a judge
- alert and completely sober, not drunk, very formal
My father is always as sober as a judge when he gets into his car to drive.

at the mercy of (the court/someone)
- having no defense against the court/someone
My friend was at the mercy of the court when he went before the judge.

beat the rap
- escape conviction and punishment for a crime
The man hired a good lawyer and was able to beat the rap easily.

cast doubt on (someone or something)
- cause someone or something to be doubted
The evidence presented at the trial cast doubt on the truthfulness of the woman's testimony.

clear (someone's) name
- prove that someone is not guilty of a crime
The woman went to court to clear her name of the false charges.

come down hard on (someone)
- scold/punish someone severely, attack someone vigorously
The judge came down hard on the boy who had been arrested for breaking into a house.

cop a plea
- plead guilty to a crime or decide not to fight against a charge in order to try and receive a light punishment, the same meaning as plea bargain (usually done in a negotiation between the defendant and his or her lawyer and the prosecutor)
The man copped a plea and went to hear what the judge would decide regarding his case.

cross-examine (someone)
- question a suspect or a witness in a trial
The lawyer was very careful when he began to cross-examine the witness.

a cut-and-dried (case/decision)
- fixed, determined beforehand
The case was cut-and-dried and it ended in less than an hour.

decide in favor of (someone)
- determine that someone is not guilty or is the winner of something
The court decided in favor of the government in their dispute with the striking workers.

face the music
- receive punishment or judgement for something wrong or illegal that you have done
The young man was forced to face the music for the crimes that he had committed.

fair and impartial
- a fair and unbiased look at something
The judge made a fair and impartial decision in the case against the small store.

find (someone) guilty
- decide that someone is guilty in a court of law
The judge found the young man guilty of breaking and entering a small store.

find (someone) innocent
- decide that someone is innocent in a court of law
The woman went to court but the judge found her innocent of all charges.

for the record
- say something so that there will be a record of a particular fact
I was told, for the record, that my case had very little chance of succeeding in a court of law.

get a slap on the wrist
- get light punishment for a crime or wrongdoing
The boy got a slap on the wrist for causing the damage to the public washroom.

get a tongue-lashing
- get a severe verbal scolding for doing something wrong
The girl got a tongue-lashing from the judge over her role in the crime.

get down to the facts
- begin to discuss things that matter, get to the truth
As soon as the trial began the lawyers began to get down to the facts of the case.

get off (easy/lightly)
- receive very little or no punishment for something
The young man got off easy and did not have to go to jail for his crime.

get one's knuckles rapped
- receive punishment for something
The boy got his knuckles rapped after a stern lecture from the judge.

get (something) out in the open
- stop hiding a fact or a secret
The lawyers were able to quickly get things out in the open during the trial.

get the benefit of the doubt
- receive a judgement in your favor when the evidence is neither for you nor against you
The girl got the benefit of the doubt and was not found guilty of the crime.

give (someone) a fair shake
- give someone fair treatment
The man did not believe that the judge would give him a fair shake at his trial.

give (someone) a slap on the wrist
- give someone light punishment
The young offender was given a slap on the wrist by the judge but was required to do some community work as compensation for his crime.

give (someone) the benefit of the doubt
- make a judgement in someone's favor when the evidence is neither for nor against the person
The police gave the man the benefit of the doubt and did not arrest him as a suspect for the crime.

give (someone) their freedom
- set someone free
The court decided to give the man his freedom because of his good behavior in prison.

go by the book
- follow the rules exactly
The court clerks always go by the book when they are dealing with court matters.

go easy on (someone or something)
- be kind or gentle with someone or something
The judge wanted to go easy on the young man but his bad attitude made it difficult to try and help him.

go scot-free/get off scot-free
- go unpunished or be acquitted of a crime
The lawyer was able to get off scot-free in the case involving his illegal transactions.

a grain of truth
- the smallest amount of truth
There was only a grain of truth in what the witness said during the trial.

hand a verdict/decision down (to someone)
- announce or deliver a legal decision or verdict in a court
The court clerk announced that the judge would hand the verdict down in the morning.

hang in the balance
- be in an undecided state
The future of the criminal was hanging in the balance as he waited for the judge's decision.

have/get one's day in court
- have an opportunity to say or explain something or give your opinion in court
The business executive had his day in court and was cleared of any suggestion of wrongdoing.

a hung jury
- a jury that is divided and unable to agree on a verdict
The trial ended in a hung jury which made another trial necessary.

in absentia
- when someone is absent from a court etc.
The judge looked at the evidence and sentenced the man in absentia.

in contempt of court
- disobedience of the orders and authority of the court, disrespect for the court process
The man refused to answer the questions of the judge and was found to be in contempt of court.

in defiance of (someone or something)
- in resistence to someone or someone's orders
The union was in defiance of the court order and was given a large fine.

in session
- a court is operating or functioning
The court was in session when we arrived at the courthouse.

in (someone's) favor
- to someone's advantage
The judge ruled in the our favor in our dispute with the hospital.

judge (someone or something) on its/their own merit(s)
- judge or evaluate someone or something on their own achievements and virtues
We judged the man on his own merits and not by what other people were saying about him.

jump to conclusions
- judge or decide something without having all the facts
The manager had jumped to conclusions when she accused the employee of stealing from the company.

the jury is still out (on someone or something)
- a decision has not been reached on someone or something (used often and in a casual manner when one has not made a decision about something)
The jury is still out on whether or not we will move or not.

a kangaroo court
- an illegal court formed by a group of people to settle a dispute among themselves
There was a kangaroo court in the movie where the ranchers decided to make their own court.

keep one's own counsel
- not tell other people about one's thoughts and plans
Our lawyer was keeping his own counsel about how to proceed with our defense.

laugh (something) out of court
- dismiss something as ridiculous
The lawyer wanted to sue the man for hitting the dog but the judge laughed the case out of court.

a leading question
- a question to a witness that is designed to suggest or produce the reply that is wanted by the questioner
The judge reprimanded the lawyer for continuing to ask leading questions during the trial.

let (someone) off (easy)
- release someone without punishment
The judge let the man off easy in spite of the strong case against him.

a miscarriage of justice
- a wrong or mistaken decision made in a court of law
The trial was a miscarriage of justice and nobody was happy with the result.

the moment of truth
- the point at which someone has to face the reality of a situation
The moment of truth in the trial came when the lawyer presented the last piece of evidence.

not hold water
- make no sense, be illogical
The argument by the lawyer did not hold water.

on the bench
- a judge is sitting and directing a session of court
There was no indication by the court of who would be sitting on the bench during the important trial.

on trial
- being tried in court
The man is on trial for stealing money from his company.

an open-and-shut case
- a legal matter that is simple and uncomplicated
It was an open-and-shut case after the lawyer presented the evidence to the judge.

pick holes in an argument
- find all the flaws in an argument
The experienced lawyer found it very easy to pick holes in the argument of the main witness.

plea bargain
- plead guilty to a crime or decide not to fight against a charge in order to try and receive a light punishment (usually done in a negotiation between the defendant and his or her lawyer and the prosecutor)
The man decided to plea bargain in order not to have to endure a long trial with an uncertain result.

poetic justice
- the appropriate but chance reward or punishment by someone who deserves it
It was poetic justice when the supervisor who was harassing the workers lost his job because the president did not want him to work for the company anymore.

raise an objection (to/about someone or something)
- make an objection about someone or something
The defense lawyer stood up during the trial to raise an objection about the testimony of the witness.

the responsible party
- legally or morally obliged to do something or accept the blame for something
The judge determined that the man was the responsible party for the damage and must pay a large penalty.

send (someone) up the river
- send someone to prison
The judge sent the man up the river for three years.

settle (something) out of court
- reach an agreement without having to go through a court of law
It was very difficult but we were finally able to settle the dispute out of court.

sit in judgement of (someone)
- make a judgement of someone
The tribunal members were sitting in judgement of the group involved in the trade dispute.

to stand trial
- to be tried in court
The man had to stand trial for stealing the credit cards.

swear on a stack of bibles
- pledge to tell the truth about something (in a court of law someone may swear to tell the truth by placing his or her hand on a bible or other religious text)
The man swore on a stack of bibles that he had never seen the accused criminal before.

take an oath
- make an oath, swear to something
Before the trial began I had to take an oath and promise to tell the truth.

take the Fifth
- in the United States a witness at a trial has the right to refuse to incriminate him or herself because of the protection of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States
The business executive decided to take the Fifth rather than give testimony at the trial.

take the stand
- sit in the witness chair in a courtroom
The main witness at the trial took the stand after the other witnesses were finished.

throw oneself at the mercy of the court
- ask a judge for mercy when being sentenced for a crime
The man knew that he had no excuse for what he had done so all that he could do was throw himself at the mercy of the court and hope for a light sentence.

throw the book at (someone)
- charge or convict someone of as many crimes or for as much time as possible
The criminal showed almost no remorse so the judge decided to throw the book at him.

a travesty of justice
- a legal action that is an insult to the system of justice
The trial was a travesty of justice and nobody was happy with the result.

under oath
- to take and be bound by an oath
The man explained what had happened at the scene of the crime while he was under oath at the trial.

[Alina]

Ear, Eye
and Nose Idioms




________________________________________

able to (do something) with one's eyes closed/shut
-to be able to do something very easily
The car mechanic was able to fix my car with his eyes closed.

all ears
-to be eager to hear something, to be very attentive
My sister was all ears last night when I talked about starting a home business.

all eyes
- to be watching very closely, to be wide-eyed with surprise
My friend is all eyes when he goes to a basketball game.

all eyes are on (someone or something)
- everyone is waiting eagerly for someone to appear or something to happen
All eyes were on the singer when he walked onto the stage.

apple of (someone`s) eye
- someone's favorite person or thing
The young girl is the apple of her father`s eye.

as blind as a bat
-blind, unable to see
The man was as blind as a bat and he could not see anything at all.

as plain as the nose on one's face
-clearly evident, obvious
The explanation for the problem was as plain as the nose on my face.

assault the ears
- to be very loud or persistent
The music was very loud and it assaulted our ears.

(not) bat an eye/eyelid
- to show no surprise or reaction even when something bad happens
Our boss did not bat an eye when we told him that we were going home early today.

believe one`s ears
- to believe what one is hearing, to become sure of something
I could not believe my ears when I heard that I had won a holiday to Mexico.

believe one`s eyes
- to believe what one is seeing
We could not believe our eyes when we saw the three bears on the highway.

bend (someone's) ear
-to talk to someone (usually in an annoying/persistent manner)
I met my co-worker this morning and she bent my ear for almost an hour about her problems at work.

blind leading the blind
-someone who does not know how to do something themselves tries to explain it to other people
It was like the blind leading the blind when I tried to help my friend fix his car. I do not know anything about cars.

blow one's nose
-to use the air from one's lungs to clear one's nose
I took some tissue from my pocket and blew my nose.

can't see beyond the end of one's nose
-to be able to see beyond what concerns one at the present time only
My friend cannot see beyond the end of his nose and he has no idea about what is happening around him.

cast a (critical/professional) eye over (someone or something)
- to look at something in a particular way
The movie director cast a critical eye over the movie script from the writer.

cast an eye over (something)
- to read or look at something quickly
I cast an eye over the report before I went to the meeting.

catch (someone`s) eye
- to attract someone`s attention
I tried to catch my friend`s eye at the movie theater but he did not notice me.

close one's eyes to (something)
-to ignore something, to pretend that something is not really happening
My father closed his eyes to the problems that were happening in his company.

count noses
-to count people
The teacher stopped to count noses before the students got on the bus.

cry one's eyes out
-to cry very hard
The little girl cried her eyes out when she lost her favorite doll.

cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
- to make things worse for oneself by trying to harm someone/something else
The man cut off his nose to spite his face when he became angry and quit his job.

deaf and dumb
-unable to hear or speak
The young man is deaf and dumb and he has trouble understanding what is happening around him.

eagle eye
-a very careful watchful eye (like the eye of an eagle)
The woman has an eagle eye and she never misses a thing.

ears are burning
- someone is talking about you when you are not there
My ears are burning and I am sure that someone is talking about me.

ears are ringing
- one hears a ringing sound because of a very loud sound
My ears were ringing after the three fire trucks passed me.

ears become red
- one's ears become red from embarrassment
My ears became red when our teacher asked me a question.

evil eye
- the power to harm people just by looking at them (as some people believe)
The man seemed to give me the evil eye when I met him at the ceremony.

eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
- a system of punishment where you punish someone in a similar way that they hurt you
Some people call for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when they hear of a terrible crime.

eye of the storm
- at the center of a storm/controversy
The company scandal is stressful for everybody and at the moment we are right in the eye of the storm.

eyeball-to-eyeball
-face to face
I had an eyeball-to-eyeball encounter with an angry dog at the park.

eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
- one takes more food than one can eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach when I went to the restaurant and ordered too much food.

eyes pop out (of one's head)
- one is very surprised
My eyes popped out of my head when I saw the new computer that I got for my birthday.

fall on deaf ears
-to have one's talk or ideas ignored by the person that they are intended for
My complaints to the apartment manager usually fall on deaf ears and nothing is ever done.

feast one's eyes on (someone or something)
-to look at someone or something with pleasure/enjoyment
We stopped at the top of the hill to feast our eyes on some of the best scenery that we have ever seen.

flea in (someone`s) ear
- an idea or answer that is not welcome
The idea about changing the schedules is a flea in the supervisor`s ear.

follow one's nose
-to go straight ahead, to follow a smell to its source
I followed my nose to the place where they were baking the bread.

four eyes
- an expression (often used by children) for someone who is wearing glasses
The children called their friend with the glasses four eyes.

get a black eye
-to get a bruise near one's eye from being hit, to have one's reputation harmed
The little boy got a black eye when he bumped into the door.

get an eyeful (of someone or something)
-to see everything, to see a shocking or surprising sight
We really got an eyeful when we saw the accident on the highway.

get one`s nose out of (something)
- to become uninvolved in something or in someone else's business
I wish that our secretary would get her nose out of my business.

get the eye from (someone)
- to be looked at by someone in a hostile/unfriendly way
We got the eye from the manager of the restaurant when we entered in our old clothes.

give one's eye teeth (to do something)
- to want to do something very much
I would give my eye teeth to go to London with my cousin.

give (someone) a black eye
-to hit someone near their eye so it becomes dark, to hurt someone's reputation
The boy gave his friend a black eye.
The scandal gave the company a black eye.

give (someone) an earful
-to talk to someone in order to criticize or complain about something
I met my supervisor on the weekend and I decided to give her an earful about my job.

give (someone) the eye
- to look at someone in a hostile/unfriendly way
I gave the woman in the restaurant the eye but she ignored me.

go into (something) with one's eyes (wide) open
- to do something or make a choice knowing the problems that are involved and having all the necessary information
The city went into the construction contract with their eyes wide open.

go into (something) with one's eyes closed/shut
- to do something or make a choice not knowing the problems that are involved and not having all the necessary information
The young woman went into her marriage with her eyes closed but still the marriage was very successful.

grin from ear to ear
- to have a big grin on one's face
The man was grinning from ear to ear after he found the money.

hard-nosed
- to be not weak or soft, to be stubborn
The union took a hard-nosed position in the contract negotiations.

hard of hearing
- unable to hear well, partially deaf
My grandfather is hard of hearing.

have a good eye for (something)
- to be able to judge something correctly, to have good taste in something
The woman has a good eye for color and her apartment is beautiful.

have a nose for (something)
- to have the talent for finding something
My friend has a nose for finding cheap items at weekend flea markets.

have an ear for (something)
- to have the ability to learn music or languages
The girl has an ear for languages and she can learn them very fast.

have an ear out for (something)
- to listen carefully for something
I have an ear out for any business opportunities that may appear.

have an eye for (something)
- to be able to judge something correctly, to have good taste in something
My father has an eye for ceramic plates and he has a large collection of them.

have an eye on (someone or something)
- to watch someone or something carefully, to take care of someone or something, to want something
I have my eye on a nice camera that I would like to buy.

have eyes in the back of one`s head
- to have the ability to know what is happening behind one's back
Our teacher has eyes in the back of her head and she always knows what is going on in the classroom.

have nothing between the ears
- to be stupid, to have no brains/intelligence
The young man has nothing between the ears and he is always making stupid mistakes.

have one's ear to the ground
- to listen carefully in the hope of getting advance warning of something
I have my ear to the ground to see if any changes are planned for my company.

have one's eye on (someone or something)
- to want someone or something and hope that you will be able to get it
The woman has her eye on a new job in the company and she is working very hard to get it.

have one's eyes glued to (something)
- to watch something very carefully and not look away from it
Everybody in the airport lobby had their eyes glued to the television screen.

have one's nose in a book
-to be reading a book
The girl had her nose in a book during the long journey.

have one's nose in (something)
- to have unwelcome interest in something, to have impolite curiosity about something
My boss always has his nose in the business of other people so he is not very well-liked.

have one's nose in the air
- to be conceited or aloof
The girl has had her nose in the air ever since she won the speech contest.

have one`s nose to the grindstone
- to work hard or keep busy at something
My friend has his nose to the grindstone and he is studying hard at school.

have (someone's) ear
-to be able to get someone to listen to you (usually someone who has the power or ability to help you)
Our supervisor has the company president's ear and he is able to talk to him anytime.

have (something) coming out of one's ears
- to have much of something
We have towels coming out of our ears and we do not need any more.

have stars in one`s eyes
- to have an appearance or feeling of very great happiness, to be obsessed with show business
The girl had stars in her eyes when she won first prize in the speech contest.

Here's mud in your eye.
- Drink up! (used as a toast)
"Here's mud in your eye," I said as I had a drink with my old friend.

hit (someone) right between the eyes
- to make a strong impression on someone, to surprise someone greatly
The news about the accident hit us right between the eyes and really shocked us.

hold one's nose
- to accept that you have to do something that you do not want to do
I had to hold my nose and sign the legal contract which I did not want to sign.

in a pig's eye
- never
I will never in a pig's eye drive with my friend to visit her family.

in one ear and out the other
-a piece of information is heard and then quickly forgotten
Everything that the teacher said went in one ear and out the other and I did not remember a thing.

in one`s mind`s eye
- in one`s imagination
I tried to relax and in my mind`s eye pretend that I was on a beautiful island.

in the public eye
- visible to all, in public
Very often the wife or husband of a politician does not like to be in the public eye.

in the twinkling of an eye
- very quickly
I went into the store and in the twinkling of an eye I lost my money.

keep an ear out for (something)
- to listen carefully for something
I plan to keep an ear out for any information about a new job for my friend.

keep an eye on (someone or something)
- to watch someone or something carefully, to take care of someone or something
I asked my aunt to keep an eye on our apartment when we went away for our holiday.

keep an eye out for (someone or something)
- to watch for the arrival or appearance of someone or something
I have been keeping my eye out for my grandparents all morning.

keep one's ear to the ground
- to continue to listen carefully in the hope of getting advance warning of something
I am keeping my ear to the ground to see what is going to happen with the new owners of this company.

keep one's eye on the ball
- to remain alert to what is happening around one, to watch or follow the ball carefully while playing a game
I try hard to keep my eye on the ball during a meeting.

keep one's eyes open
- to remain alert and watchful, to notice what is happening around you
I always try to keep my eyes open when I am walking downtown at night.

keep one's eyes peeled for (someone or something)
- to remain alert and watchful for someone or something
I stood at the corner and kept my eyes peeled for my friend and his car.

keep one`s nose clean
- to stay out of trouble
The judge told the young man that he must keep his nose clean in order not to go to jail in the future.

keep one`s nose out of (something)
- to not become involved in something or in someone else's business
I wish that our secretary would keep her nose out of my personal affairs.

keep one`s nose to the grindstone
- to continue to work hard or keep busy at something
My friend is keeping his nose to the grindstone so that he can save enough money to buy a new car.

lay one's eyes on (someone or something)
- to see/find someone or something
"If you lay your eyes on my keys please tell me."

lead (someone) around by the nose
- to make someone do what you want
My sister has been leading her husband around by the nose since they got married.

lend (someone) an ear
- to listen to someone or to what they are saying
I asked my friend to lend me an ear and listen to my problems.

listen to (someone) with half an ear
- to not listen carefully to someone
I listened to my friend with half an ear while the news was on the radio.

look at (someone) cross-eyed
- to do something or look at someone in a way that may provoke anger
If you look at the man cross-eyed he will usually become angry.

look down one`s nose at (someone)
- to look at someone with contempt or dislike, to feel that you are better than someone else
The girl looks down her nose at people who she thinks are not as smart as she is.

look (someone) (right/straight) in the eye
- to face and look at someone directly
I looked at the salesman right in the eye and told him not to bother me again.

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
- to create something of value out of something of no value
The girl is a terrible singer and she will never become better. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

make eyes at (someone)
- to try to attract someone, to flirt with someone
The woman in the restaurant is always making eyes at the customers.

make oneself heard
- to speak loudly so that you can be heard
The speaker tried very hard in order to make himself heard.

more to (someone or something) than meets the eye
- more interesting/intelligent/complicated than it seems
The problem appeared to be very simple but there was more to it than meets the eye.

naked eye
- the human eye (with no microscope/binoculars/telescope etc.)
It was difficult to see the star with the naked eye.

nose about/around (something)
- to look for something private or secret, to investigate something
The reporters spend a lot of time nosing around the business of famous people.

nose (someone) out
- to push someone away, to exclude someone
The older boy nosed the younger boy out of the line.

not a dry eye in the house
- everybody in an audience feels sad or emotional or cries
There was not a dry eye in the house when the manager gave her farewell speech.

not see farther than or past the end of one's nose
- not to care about anything that is happening to other people or someplace else
My friend cannot see past the end of her nose and she does not know about anything that is happening around her.

on the nose
- in exactly the right place/amount, at exactly the right time
I arrived at 3:00 on the nose.

only have eyes for (someone)
- to be loyal or interested in only one person
The man only has eyes for the woman who works in his office.

open (someone's) eyes to (something)
- to become aware of something
The documentary on television opened our eyes to the problems of the homeless in our city.

out of earshot
- too far from a sound/voice to hear it
I was out of earshot when my friends began to talk about me.

out of the corner of one's eye
- with a quick glance at something
I saw the big truck coming toward me out of the corner of my eye.

out on one's ear
- to be forced to (unwillingly) leave one's job/organization/home
The man did not pay his rent for two months and he was quickly out on his ear.

pay through the nose for (something)
- to pay too much for something
My mother paid through the nose for her new dress and she is very happy with it.

play by ear
- to play a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music
My sister learned to play the piano by ear when she was a child.

play it by ear
- to decide what to do in a certain situation when you encounter the situation, to not plan in advance for something
I do not know what time I will be back on Sunday so we should play it by ear to find a good time to meet.

poke one's nose into (something)
- to interfere with something, to be nosy about something
My aunt always pokes her nose into the business of other people.

powder one's nose
- a woman goes to the restroom to put powder on her nose
The singer went to the dressing room to powder her nose before the performance.

prick up one's ears
- to listen more carefully to something (like an animal that moves its ears up to hear better)
When I heard my friends talking about me I quickly pricked up my ears.

pull the wool over (someone`s) eyes
- to deceive someone, to fool someone, to trick someone
The girl tried to pull the wool over her mother`s eyes when she said that she had been studying all weekend.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear
- to give someone an idea
I put a bug in my friend's ear when I said that I would like to go for a holiday with him.

put one's nose to the grindstone
- to keep busy doing one's work
I put my nose to the grindstone and began to work on my final essay for my history class.

put (someone's) eye out
- to puncture or harm someone's eye causing blindness
The man put his eye out when he had the accident with the metal rod.

put (someone's) nose out of joint
- to offend someone, to cause someone to feel insulted
I put my friend's nose out of joint when I asked him to give back the money that he had borrowed from me.

raise eyebrows
- to cause surprise or disapproval, to shock people
I raised eyebrows when I arrived at work two hours late this morning.

rub (someone's) nose in (something)
- to remind someone of something that they have done wrong
The girl's supervisor always rubs the girl's nose in it when she makes a mistake.

see eye to eye (with someone)
- to agree with someone, to have the same opinion as someone else
I never see eye to eye with my friend about which television program to watch.

set one's eyes on (someone or something)
- to see someone or something for the first time
I have not set my eyes on the new car model yet.

set (something) on its ear
- to cause a group/organization to be excited and interested in something
The new plan set most of the company on its ear. Everyone was very excited.

a sight for sore eyes
- a welcome sight
The man was a sight for sore eyes when he came home from his trip.

(no) skin off (someone`s) nose/teeth
- to be of no interest/concern/trouble to someone
It is no skin off my nose as to whether or not I go to the party.

smile from ear to ear
- to have a big smile on one's face
The little boy was smiling from ear to ear after he scored the goal.

spit in (someone's) eye
- to insult or annoy someone
The comments by my supervisor were as if someone had spit in my eye.

stick one's nose into (something)
- to interfere with something, to be nosey about something
I wish that my neighbor would stop sticking his nose into my business.

talk (someone's) ear off
- to talk to someone and bore them
The man beside me on the train talked my ear off during the journey.

thumb one`s nose at (someone or something)
- to look with disfavor or dislike at someone or something, to refuse to obey someone
My friend thumbed his nose at me when I asked him to stop talking so loud.

a tin ear for (something)
- the inability to judge the value of music etc.
The woman has a tin ear for music and she is not a good singer at all.

to the naked eye
- as something is seen exactly as you look at it
To the naked eye it looked like there was little damage to the car but actually there was much damage.

turn a blind eye to (someone or something)
- to ignore someone or something troublesome and pretend not to see it
Our teacher sometimes turns a blind eye to the bad behavior of the students in the class.

turn a deaf ear to (someone)
- to pretend not to hear someone, to not pay attention to someone
The supervisor turned a deaf ear to our complaints about the heat.

turn one`s nose up at (someone or something)
- to reject someone or something, to express scorn for someone or something
My sister turned up her nose at the chance to go to nursing school.

under (someone`s) nose
- easily found by someone, right in front of someone
I thought that I had lost my house keys but I found them right under my nose.

up to one's ears/eyeballs/neck in (something)
- to have a lot of something, to be much involved/busy with something
I have been up to my ears in work for several weeks now.

Walls have ears
- Someone may hear us.
"Walls have ears and you should think carefully about what you say when you are talking about your co-workers."

wet behind the ears
- to be young and inexperienced, to be new in a job or place
The man is still wet behind the ears and does not know very much about his company.

win by a nose
- to win by a very small amount
The young horse won by a nose in the horse race.

with a jaundiced eye
- with a prejudiced or distorted way of seeing something
My friend is very smart but he always looks at everything with a jaundiced eye.

with an eye to (doing something)
- with the intention of doing something
The community center built their new building with an eye to renting it to other agencies in order to make money.

without batting an eye
- casually, without showing alarm/response/thought
The wealthy man gives much money to charity without batting an eye.

[Alina]

Education & School Idioms

________________________________________

A for effort
- recognize that someone tries hard to do something even though they may not be successful
The students received an A for effort for their work on the class project.

above average
- better or higher than average
The boy received above average marks in all subjects except history.

as easy as ABC
- very easy
Learning how to use a computer was as easy as ABC for the children.

back to basics
- an approach in education which uses traditional ideas or methods that have been successful in the past
The teacher believed that back to basics was important in her classroom and the parents were happy with the results.

below average
- worse or lower than average
Most members of the class were below average in the math test.

bookworm
- someone who reads a lot
My sister is a bookworm and is always reading a book.

brainstorm something
- try to develop an idea or think of new ideas
The students got into groups to brainstorm ideas for the school play.

call the roll
- call the names of students on a roll and usually expect them to answer if they are there
Every morning before the class started the teacher called the roll.

cap and gown
- the special cap called a mortarboard and the robe that is worn during academic ceremonies such as graduation
All of the students wore a cap and gown to the graduation ceremony.

catch up to (someone or something)
- move fast or work hard to reach someone or something that is ahead of you
After my illness I had to study very hard to catch up to the rest of the class.

copycat
- someone who copies the work of another
The children called the girl a copycat when they discovered that she had copied part of the test from another student.

count noses
- count the number of people
The teacher stopped to count noses several times during the field trip.

cover a lot of ground
- complete a lot of material in a class or course
We covered a lot of ground during the first month of the science class.

cow college
- a school where farming/agriculture is studied
My cousin plans to go to a cow college when he finishes high school.
crack a book
- open a book to study (usually used in the negative)
I did very well in the course even though I didn't crack a book until the last week of classes.

crank out a paper
- write out a paper in a mechanical way
I had to crank out a paper almost every week to pass the course.

cut class
- not go to class
I decided to cut class in order to study for my geography test.

draw a blank
- get no response from someone when you ask them a question
The teacher drew a blank when she asked about the boy's plans for the weekend.

drop out of school
- stop attending school
My friend dropped out of school when he was seventeen and began to drive a truck.

eager beaver
- someone who works very hard and is very enthusiastic
The young girl was an eager beaver and always came to class before the other students.

fill in the blanks
- supply the missing words or information on a test or other exercise
We had to fill in the blanks for most of the questions on the test.

flunk out
- fail a course or fail out of school
The boy was very smart but he always flunked out of his language class.

from the old school
- having ideas that were popular in the past but which are no longer popular or common
My grandmother was from the old school and always made her children make their own lunches and walk to school.

get credit for (a course)
- receive official recognition and credits after passing a course
I was able to get credit for the course even though I had taken a similar course before.

get through (a course or set of material)
- finish (a course or set of material)
The boy was a very good student and quickly got through every course that he started.

goof off
- waste time
My sister spent most of the week goofing off and was not prepared for her test.

have one's nose in a book
- be reading a book
The boy loves to read and always has his nose in a book.

higher education
- education after graduating from high school - usually college or university
The government has recently invested a lot of money in higher education.

hit the books
- begin to study hard
After playing all weekend I had to hit the books on Sunday evening.

honor roll
- a list of people/students with exceptional achievements
My neighbor was on the honor roll during his last year in high school.

in pen
- written or signed with a pen
The teacher asked the students to make sure that they wrote the essay in pen.

in pencil
- written or signed with a pencil
I wrote the test in pencil so that I could erase my mistakes easily.

Ivy League
- a small group of older and famous eastern United States colleges and universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton
Several of the company executives had gone to an Ivy League school.

know one's ABCs
- know the alphabet or the most basic things about something
The students worked hard and had a good teacher and soon everyone knew their ABCs very well.

learn by heart
- memorize something so you can repeat it without thinking
The children learned all of the songs by heart for the school play.

learn by rote
- learn or memorize something without thinking about it
We learned many verbs by rote in the foreign language class.

live in an ivory tower
- not be aware of the realities of everyday life
The university professors lived in an ivory tower and had no idea what was going on around them.

make the grade
- be satisfactory and of an expected level
My final assignment didn't make the grade and I was forced to do it again.

meet the requirements (for something)
- fulfill the requirements (for something)
The young woman was unable to meet the requirements to enter medical school.

off campus
- at a different location than the grounds of a college or university
Most of the students went to a restaurant off campus when they had the chance.

old boy network
- the situation where people (usually men) who went to the same school help each other get good jobs
It was an old law firm and being part of an old boy network was necessary to get a job there.

on campus
- located on the grounds of a college or university
There was a small bank on campus which many of the students used.

pass with flying colors
- pass something easily and with a high score
I was able to pass the science test with flying colors.

play hooky
- not go to school when you should
The boys played hooky and went to the video game center for the afternoon.

publish or perish
- university professors often have to publish books or articles in journals or they will not be successful in their jobs at the university
As a university professor his father wrote many scientific papers. He was forced to publish or perish.

put one's thinking cap on
- start thinking in a serious manner
The boys put on their thinking caps and tried to think of a new name for the school newspaper.

read out loud
- read something so that other people can hear you
The students each had a chance to read out loud from the book of poems.

read to oneself
- read without saying anything so that other people cannot hear you
I spent the morning in the library reading to myself.

read through something
- read all of something
I read through the test briefly before I started to answer any questions.

school of hard knocks
- the ordinary experience of learning from work and daily life
She left school early and began to learn about life in the school of hard knocks.

school of thought
- a particular way or a philosophy of thinking about something
There are many schools of thought related to the different ways to learn a foreign language.

show-and-tell
- in the lower grades of school children bring something interesting to show to the rest of the class
The little girl brought in a turtle shell from her holiday to show-and-tell at school.

show of hands
- raise hands in a classroom or other group to vote or see what people think about something
After a show of hands the class voted to go on a field trip the next week.

(in) single file
- stand in a line with one person behind the other
The students lined up in single file before they entered the auditorium.

take attendance
- record the names of persons who are attending school or something similar
After our teacher took attendance we began to do our math lesson.

take the roll
- call the names of students in an attendance book and expect them to answer if they are there
The teacher took the roll and then we started the lesson.

teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
- try to tell or teach someone who knows more than you do how to do something
Teaching some of the children how to use a computer is like teaching my grandmother to suck eggs. Many of them know more than I do.

teach someone a lesson
- do something to someone in order to punish them for their bad behavior
My friend was always late so I taught her a lesson and left our meeting place before she had arrived.

teacher's pet
- the teacher's favorite student
My sister was always the teacher's pet when she was in the first grade at school.

the three R's
- the three basic skills for a basic education - reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic
My father studied in a small country school where they studied the three R's and almost nothing else.

town-and-gown
- the relations (often bad) between a town and its people and the university and university students who are located in that town
There were town-and-gown conflicts every year around graduation time when many parties were held for the new graduates.

university of life
- learning from daily life and work rather than going to university
My grandfather began to work on the family farm when he was fourteen and learned everything from the university of life.

work one's way through college
- work at a job to help pay for your college or university expenses
My brother worked his way through college at the local supermarket.

[Alina]

Fish, Insect
and Reptile Idioms


________________________________________


as busy as a bee
- very busy
I was as busy as a bee all weekend.

as calm as a toad in the sun
- very calm and content
The girl was as calm as a toad in the sun during the speech contest.

as crazy as a bedbug
- crazy
My neighbor is as crazy as a bedbug.

as full/tight as a tick
- very full of food or drink
I was as full as a tick after the large meal at the restaurant.

as gaudy as a butterfly
- gaudy, colorful
The woman was as gaudy as a butterfly when she left for the concert.

as happy as a clam
- happy and content
The little girl was as happy as a clam as she played with her toys.

as mad as a hornet
- very angry, in a fighting mood
Our boss was as mad as a hornet when he came to work this morning.

as merry as a cricket
- cheerful
I felt as merry as a cricket as I waited for my friend to arrive at the airport.

as red as a lobster
- very red
The girl was as red as a lobster after sitting in the sun all day.

as slippery as an eel
- undependable, devious, cannot be trusted
That sales person is as slippery as an eel and you should be careful when you talk to him.

as snug as a bug in a rug
- cozy and snug
The children were as snug as a bug in a rug as they read a book in the big bed.

as ugly as a toad
- very ugly
The man was as ugly as a toad and very difficult to look at.

big fish in a small pond
- an important person in a small place
The man was not so important in the city but in the small town he was a big fish in a small pond.

birds and bees
- the facts about sex and birth
The woman told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.

bitten by (some kind of) bug
- to become interested and excited about a particular activity and want to start doing it
The man has been bitten by a gold bug and he only thinks about gold.

bug-eyed
- to be wide-eyed with surprise
The little boy was bug-eyed when he got a new bicycle for his birthday.

bug (someone)
- to annoy or irritate someone
My friend is beginning to bug me with his endless questions.

clam up
- to stop talking, to refuse to talk (like a clam closes its shell)
I had to clam up during the meeting so my boss would not become angry with me.

cold fish
- a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others
The man is a cold fish and he has very few friends.

cry/shed crocodile tears
- to have a show of sorrow that is not sincere, to pretend that one is crying
The boy was asked to apologize for his wrongdoing but he cried crocodile tears which were not sincere.

drink like a fish
- to drink alcohol to excessive amounts
The man drank like a fish at the party and he had to go home by taxi.

a fine kettle of fish
- a situation that is not satisfactory, a mess
"This is a fine kettle of fish. Now I will be late for the next meeting."

fish for a compliment
- to try to get someone to say something nice about you
The man is fishing for a compliment about his new Italian suit.

fish for (something)
- to try to get information from someone
The lawyer was fishing for information from the woman.

fish in troubled waters
- to involve oneself in a difficult/confused or dangerous situation in order to get something
The woman was fishing in troubled waters when she began to ask questions about the crime.

fish or cut bait
- to either do what you are supposed to do or quit and let someone else do it
It was time to fish or cut bait so I decided to let someone else handle the problem.

fish out of water
- someone who does not fit in, an uncomfortable or awkward feeling
The woman felt like a fish out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while everyone else was wearing jeans.

fishy
- to be suspicious or unlikely
"Something is fishy with these numbers. There are too many people on this list."

flea in (someone`s) ear
- an idea or answer that is not welcome
I put a flea in our supervisor's ear when I told him about the computer problems.

flea market
- a place where antiques and secondhand goods and other cheap items are sold
We go to the flea market every weekend to look for old photographs.

fly in the ointment
- something small that spoils one`s fun
The complaints about the food were a fly in the ointment and gave everyone a bad feeling about the gathering.

go on a fishing expedition
- to attempt to discover information
The lawyer went on a fishing expedition to try and discover the facts of the case.

have a bee in one`s bonnet
- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
My friend has a bee in her bonnet and she will not stop talking about moving to a new apartment.

have a frog in one's throat
- to get a tickle or soreness in one's throat which makes it difficult to speak until you cough and clear your throat
I had a frog in my throat and it was difficult to talk on the telephone.

have ants in one`s pants
- to be nervous and restless
The teacher asked the little boy if he had ants in his pants when he kept moving around in his seat.

have butterflies in one`s stomach
- to have a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
I had butterflies in my stomach on the day that I received the award.

have other/bigger fish to fry
- to have other more important things to do, to have other opportunities
I have other fish to fry and I do not plan to spend any more time talking about my friend's problems.

hive of activity
- somewhere where things are very busy (like the activity around a beehive)
The wedding hall was a hive of activity while everyone got ready for the wedding.

Holy mackeral!
- an expression used to express a strong feeling of surprise
"Holy mackeral! Look at the size of that motorcycle."

knee-high to a grasshopper
- to be very young, to be short and small (like a child)
I have been playing the piano since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

like shooting fish in a barrel
- one side in a competition is so weak that they have no chance at all of winning
The contest was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was very easy to win.

live in a fish bowl
- to live where many people know about your life and personal business
The small town was like living in a fish bowl. Everybody knew what I was doing.

louse up
- to make a mess of something, to spoil something
"Please try not to louse up the computer again. It was working fine this morning."

make a beeline for (someone or something)
- to go straight toward someone or something (like bees when they fly in a straight line)
Whenever my friend goes to a football game he makes a beeline for the food stand.

neither fish nor fowl
- something that does not belong to a definite group/category
I do not know what you should call the strange food. It is neither fish nor fowl.

no flies on (someone)
- very fast or busy (too fast or busy for a fly to stay on someone)
There are no flies on my friend. He is always moving or going somewhere.

none of (someone's) beeswax
- none of someone's business
It was none of my beeswax so I did not ask my friend about his problems.

not hurt a flea
- to not hurt anything or anyone (not even a small insect like a flea)
Our dog is very gentle and he will not hurt a flea.

open up a can of worms
- to create unnecessary complications or problems
The company opened up a can of worms when they decided to talk about the union contract.

packed in like sardines
- packed very tightly, very crowded
We were packed in like sardines during the morning commute in the train.

pale/blue/green around the gills
- to be looking sick
The man looked pale around the gills when he left the boat.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear
- give someone a hint or an idea about something
My friend put a bug in my ear about going to France and I cannot stop thinking about it.

put (something) in mothballs
- to put something into storage
The old navy ship was put into mothballs by the government.

red herring
- some information or a suggestion that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation (orginally used as a strong fish smell from a smoked fish that was used to confuse hunting dogs when they were hunting and following something)
The tax issue is a red herring and it is not what the news reporters wanted to talk about.

rise to the bait
- to be attracted by some kind of bait (just as a fish is attracted to bait)
The politician did not rise to the bait and argue with the news reporter.

a shark
- a ruthless or dishonest person
"The salesman is a shark. Don't do business with him."

small fry
- unimportant people, children (small fry are young newly-hatched fish)
The police were only able to catch some of the small fry in the organized crime gang.

snail`s pace
- very slowly
We went away for the weekend but the cars were moving at a snail`s pace when we came home on Sunday.

snake in the grass
- a low and dishonest person
The man is a snake in the grass and nobody likes him.

snake oil salesman
- someone who tries to sell you something that does not work
The carpet seller is like a snake oil salesman. His carpets are no good at all.

stir up a hornet`s nest
- to make people angry, to create trouble or difficulties
I stirred up a hornet`s nest when I went to the meeting and started talking about the work schedule.

swallow (something) hook, line and sinker
- to believe something completely, to be tricked by something
The teacher swallowed the student's excuse hook, line and sinker.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea
- there are other choices, there are other people to choose
There are plenty of other fish in the sea and when my sister lost her boyfriend she did not worry too much.

turn turtle
- to turn upside down
The car went off the road in the storm and turned turtle.

a whale of (something)
- an exceptionally good or large something
Everybody had a whale of a time at the birthday party.

world is one`s oyster
- someone can get anything that he or she wants, someone will have great opportunities
"When you graduate from university the world will be your oyster so don`t worry about the future."

worm one's way out of (something)
- to squeeze or wiggle out of a problem or a responsibility
My friend was easily able to worm her way out of the problem at work.

Bee Idioms


as busy as a bee
- very busy
I was as busy as a bee all weekend.

birds and bees
- the facts about sex and birth
The woman told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.

have a bee in one`s bonnet
- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
My friend has a bee in her bonnet and she will not stop talking about moving to a new apartment.

hive of activity
- somewhere where things are very busy (like the activity around a beehive)
The wedding hall was a hive of activity while everyone got ready for the wedding.

make a beeline for (someone or something)
- to go straight toward someone or something (like bees when they fly in a straight line)
Whenever my friend goes to a football game he makes a beeline for the food stand.

none of (someone's) beeswax
- none of someone's business
It was none of my beeswax so I did not ask my friend about his problems.

as snug as a bug in a rug
- cozy and snug
The children were as snug as a bug in a rug as they read a book in the big bed.

Bug Idioms


as crazy as a bedbug
- crazy
My neighbor is as crazy as a bedbug.

as snug as a bug in a rug
- cozy and snug
The children were as snug as a bug in a rug as they read a book in the big bed.

bitten by (some kind of) bug
- to become interested and excited about a particular activity and want to start doing it
The man has been bitten by a gold bug and he only thinks about gold.

bug-eyed
- to be wide-eyed with surprise
The little boy was bug-eyed when he got a new bicycle for his birthday.

bug (someone)
- to annoy or irritate someone
My friend is beginning to bug me with his endless questions.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear
- give someone a hint or an idea about something
My friend put a bug in my ear about going to France and I cannot stop thinking about it.

Butterfly Idioms


as gaudy as a butterfly
- gaudy, colorful
The woman was as gaudy as a butterfly when she left for the concert.

have butterflies in one`s stomach
- to have a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
I had butterflies in my stomach on the day that I received the award.

Fish Idioms


big fish in a small pond
- an important person in a small place
The man was not so important in the city but in the small town he was a big fish in a small pond.

cold fish
- a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others
The man is a cold fish and he has very few friends.

drink like a fish
- to drink alcohol to excessive amounts
The man drank like a fish at the party and he had to go home by taxi.

a fine kettle of fish
- a situation that is not satisfactory, a mess
"This is a fine kettle of fish. Now I will be late for the next meeting."

fish for a compliment
- to try to get someone to say something nice about you
The man is fishing for a compliment about his new Italian suit.

fish for (something)
- to try to get information from someone
The lawyer was fishing for information from the woman.

fish in troubled waters
- to involve oneself in a difficult/confused or dangerous situation in order to get something
The woman was fishing in troubled waters when she began to ask questions about the crime.

fish or cut bait
- to either do what you are supposed to do or quit and let someone else do it
It was time to fish or cut bait so I decided to let someone else handle the problem.

fish out of water
- someone who does not fit in, an uncomfortable or awkward feeling
The woman felt like a fish out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while everyone else was wearing jeans.

fishy
- to be suspicious or unlikely
"Something is fishy with these numbers. There are too many people on this list."

go on a fishing expedition
- to attempt to discover information
The lawyer went on a fishing expedition to try and discover the facts of the case.

have other/bigger fish to fry
- to have other more important things to do, to have other opportunities
I have other fish to fry and I do not plan to spend any more time talking about my friend's problems.

Holy mackeral!
- an expression used to express a strong feeling of surprise
"Holy mackeral! Look at the size of that motorcycle."

like shooting fish in a barrel
- one side in a competition is so weak that they have no chance at all of winning
The contest was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was very easy to win.

live in a fish bowl
- to live where many people know about your life and personal business
The small town was like living in a fish bowl. Everybody knew what I was doing.

neither fish nor fowl
- something that does not belong to a definite group/category
I do not know what you should call the strange food. It is neither fish nor fowl.

packed in like sardines
- packed very tightly, very crowded
We were packed in like sardines during the morning commute in the train.

pale/blue/green around the gills
- to be looking sick
The man looked pale around the gills when he left the boat.

red herring
- some information or a suggestion that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation (orginally used as a strong fish smell from a smoked fish that was used to confuse hunting dogs when they were hunting and following something)
The tax issue is a red herring and it is not what the news reporters wanted to talk about.

a shark
- a ruthless or dishonest person
"The salesman is a shark. Don't do business with him."

small fry
- unimportant people, children (small fry are young newly-hatched fish)
The police were only able to catch some of the small fry in the organized crime gang.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea
- there are other choices, there are other people to choose
There are plenty of other fish in the sea and when my sister lost her boyfriend she did not worry too much.

Flea Idioms


flea in (someone`s) ear
- an idea or answer that is not welcome
I put a flea in our supervisor's ear when I told him about the computer problems.

flea market
- a place where antiques and secondhand goods and other cheap items are sold
We go to the flea market every weekend to look for old photographs.

not hurt a flea
- to not hurt anything or anyone (not even a small insect like a flea)
Our dog is very gentle and he will not hurt a flea.

Frog/Toad Idioms


as calm as a toad in the sun
- very calm and content
The girl was as calm as a toad in the sun during the speech contest.

as ugly as a toad
- very ugly
The man was as ugly as a toad and very difficult to look at.

have a frog in one's throat
- to get a tickle or soreness in one's throat which makes it difficult to speak until you cough and clear your throat
I had a frog in my throat and it was difficult to talk on the telephone.