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IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

against the clock rushed and short in time

an eye for and eye, and a tooth for a tooth to return evil for evil,
tit for tat

A
A bone of contention a cause of dispute
apple of (someone`s) eye - to be someone`s favorite
His youngest daughter is the apple of his eye.
arm in arm work together
The soldiers fight arm in arm during the war.
at the end of one`s rope - to be at the limit of one`s ability to cope
I am at the end of my rope about what to do about my current
situation at work
All walks of life everyone from different groups
The movie was really interesting and I think it suits the interest of all
walks of life.
a chip off the block very much like a father
a close shave a narrow escape
We had a narrow escaped during the accident.
a hard nut to crack a difficult problem
a skeleton in a cupboard a dreadful family secret
a storm in teacup much excitement about something small
They have made a storm in the teacup about the plan for class visit.
a wet blanket a coward person
as fit as a fiddle in excellent health

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.
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/style
The boy is a copycat according to the other students in the class.
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.
ahead of the pack - to be more successful than other people who
are doing the same thing as you
The girl studied hard all summer and was ahead of the pack when
she returned to school in the autumn.
a fish out of water - someone who does not fit in
The man was like a fish out of water at the expensive restaurant.
B
bark up the wrong tree - to make a wrong assumption about
something

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The police are barking up the wrong tree in their investigation of the
criminal.
beat around the bush - to speak indirectly or evasively
"Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision."
beat one's brains out - to work very hard
We beat our brains out in order to think of a name for the new
magazine.
beg to differ with (someone) - to politely disagree with someone
"I'm sorry but I beg to differ with you about what happened."
behind closed doors - in secret
The meeting to settle the dispute took place behind closed doors.
behind (someone`s) back - without someone`s knowledge, secretly
The man is very angry because his friend borrowed his car behind
his back.
between the devil and the deep blue sea - to be in a very difficult
position
The mayor was between the devil and the deep blue sea when he
tried to keep the two groups happy.

born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth - to be born rich, to have

more than everything that you need since birth
The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never
worked in his life.
break a habit - to end a habit
My sister worked very hard to break her habit of eating too much
chocolate
build castles in the air - to make plans that are impossible /
dreaming
The girl is always building castles in the air and none of them have
any chance to succeed.
burn a hole in one`s pocket - to spend money quickly
I got paid today and the money is burning a hole in my pocket
burn the candle at both ends - to work or play too hard without
enough rest
The man has been burning the candle at both ends with his work
and he is now sick.
burn the midnight oil - to study until very late at night
We burned the midnight oil for three nights in order to study for the
exam.

bite one's nails - to be nervous or anxious about something

The children were biting their nails as they waited for the results of
the test.

burst into flames - to catch fire suddenly

The curtains burst into flames after touching the small stove.

bear fruit - to yield or give results

The girl's hard work began to bear fruit when she won the dance
contest.

bury the hatchet forget the past

He buried the hatchet with his brother and they are now friendly
again.

bite one's tongue avoid talking

I had to bite my tongue and not tell our boss what had happened.

butt in (on someone or something) - to interrupt

I do not like that woman because she always butts in on our
conversations while we are talking.

bite the dust to be defeated

by fits and starts - irregularly, with many stops and starts
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By fits and starts the company was finally able to begin business.
by hook or by crook - in any way necessary
My sister wants to go to Italy this year by hook or by crook.
by leaps and bounds - rapidly, by large movements forward
The construction of the new airport is progressing by leaps and
bounds.
by the same token - similarly, moreover
"By the same token, I don't want to go downtown again today."

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.
bark up the wrong tree - to choose the wrong course of action, to
ask the wrong person
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.

black and blue - bruised

My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

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.

black market - the place where goods/money are illegally bought

and sold
We sold some cigarettes on the black market during our travels.

blow one`s own horn - to praise oneself

My friend is always blowing his own horn and is very annoying at
times.

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.

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.

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.

bite ones head off answer angrily or sharply

butter someone up flatter
by hook or by crook by fair foul means

bad-mouth (someone or something) - to say bad things about

someone or something
The supervisor has the habit of bad-mouthing her boss.

Bad hair day things are not going the way you have planned
Backbite a person to speak bad about someone
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Back to square one start from all over again

Break a leg good luck

The man tried very hard to clear his name regarding his past criminal
activity.
clear the air - to calm down and remove bad feelings
We had a big argument but now it is time to clear the air.

C
catch a cold - to become sick with a cold
I caught a cold because of the rain and the cold weather.

close call/shave - an accident that almost happens but does not

happen
I had a close call this morning when the truck almost hit me.

catch fire - to begin to burn

We were very careful that the wooden house would not catch fire.

come clean - to tell the truth

The president of the company was forced to come clean and tell
what really happened to the business.

catch one`s breath - to stop to rest and regain one`s normal

breathing
After running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.

cross one`s mind - to think of something, to occur to someone

It crossed my mind that I would see him in the evening so I did not
need to phone him

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea to be faced
with two dangerous situations

cost an arm and a leg - to cost too much

The new motorcycle cost my brother an arm and a leg.

change hands - to be transferred from one person to another

The small business changed hands many times during the last
several years.

carried away get very excited

Dont get carried away by all the promises made by the loan sharks.
Crack someone up to make someone laugh

change one`s mind - to change one`s decision

My friend changed his mind and said that he would not go to the
movie tonight
cheat on (someone) - to be unfaithful to someone
The man began cheating on his wife which was the cause of their
divorce.
chilled to the bone - very cold
I was chilled to the bone when I came in out of the rain.
clear (someone's) name
- to prove that someone is not guilty of something

Cry over the spilt milk complain about the loss in the past
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.
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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.

a dumb bunny - a stupid or gullible person

"He really is a dumb bunny. I cannot believe that he does such stupid
things."
dirt cheap extremely cheap

count one`s chickens before they`re hatched - to assume that

something will be successful before it is certain
"Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. You are
spending your money and you do not have a job yet."

down to earth modest

down and out no money, no job and unlikely to improve

crocodile tears False tears

The man said that he was very sorry but his tears were only
crocodile tears.

down the drain wasted

cook one`s goose - to ruin one`s chances

The girl cooked her goose and has no chance of getting the new job.

Dead air a total silence

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."

Dead broke no money

D
daily grind - the everyday work routine
My father is tired of the daily grind of working and will retire soon.
dance to a different tune - to change one's behavior or attitude
Our boss began dancing to a different tune when his head salesman
decided to quit.
a dime a dozen - common, easy to get and of little value
Used books are a dime a dozen and it is dificult to sell them.
dead duck - a person or a thing in a hopeless situation
The man is a dead duck and he has no hope of recovering his
former position.

draw the line fix the limit

Dead beat quite exhausted

Dressed to kill- dressed smartly to impress others
Dog-eat-dog world everyone wants to succeed and is willing to
harm other people or use dishonest methods
E
eat one`s heart out - to be envious, to be very sad
"You can eat your heart out. I am going to Hawaii for three weeks!"
ebb and flow - the decrease and increase of something like the tide
The ebb and flow of the singer's popularity was always a topic of
conversation.
end of one`s rope - the last of one`s ability or ideas about how to do
something
I am at the end of my rope regarding what to do about my job.

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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.
early bird - a person who gets up early or arrives early for something
My sister is an early bird and gets up very early every morning.
eat like a horse - to eat a lot
My brother eats like a horse.

fall head over heels - to fall deeply in love with someone

My sister fell head over heels in love with a boy in her English class.
feast one's eyes on (someone or something) - to look at someone
or something with pleasure
We stood at the top of the canyon to feast our eyes on the most
beautiful scenery in the world.
Feel like million dollars feel very happy and healthy

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."
every cloud has a silver lining - there is something good in every
bad thing
Every cloud has a silver lining and although I lost my job other good
things have happened.
every nook and cranny - every small hiding place where you can
put something
I looked in every nook and cranny of my apartment but I could not
find my house keys.
eye of the storm - the center of a problem
The politician was in the eye of the storm because of the accounting
scandal.
easier said than done easier to talk than do
F
fair-weather friend - a person who is a friend only during good times
He is a fair-weather friend and you cannot rely on him if you have a
problem.

fine and dandy - all right, okay

It is fine and dandy for me that the sale will be held next Saturday.
foot the bill - to pay for something
The company will foot the bill for my move to Paris.
from cradle to grave - from birth to death
The government looks after its citizens with good medical care from
cradle to grave.
face the music take punishment
The students who had cheated in the exam had to face the music
when they were expelled from the school.
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 feather in one`s cap - something that you achieve and are proud
of
Winning the spelling contest was a feather in the boy's cap.
feather one`s nest - to enrich oneself (while holding public office or
a trusted job etc.)
The mayor has been feathering his nest for many years and is now
very rich.

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fair and square with justice

The man realized that the grass is greener on the other side when
he saw that his new job had many problems too.

fall on deaf ears ignored

fit as fiddle in very good health
G
Get a raw deal - treated unfairly or badly
get a lump in one's throat - to feel like there is something in one's
throat (like you are going to cry)
My sister got a lump in her throat when she watched her daughter's
graduation.
get along on a shoestring - to manage with very little money
I had to get along on a shoestring during university.
get off one`s butt - to get busy, to start working
My friend should get off his butt and try to find a job.
get out of bed on the wrong side - to be in a bad mood
I think that she got out of bed on the wrong side as she is not talking
to anyone today.
get the cold shoulder - to be ignored or rejected
My friend got the cold shoulder when he went to the expensive
restaurant.
ghost of a chance - very little chance, the smallest chance
The boy does not have a ghost of a chance to finish his homework
before class.

green-eye / green with envy - very jealous

I was green-eyed /green with envy when I saw her wearing
expensive handbag.
green thumb/fingers - 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.
get along with be friendly
get into hot soup / water be in trouble
get on ones nerves irritate
give a piece of mind to advise
go bananas act crazily
go extra mile willing to make a special effort to achieve something

H
(to be) hale and hearty - to be in very good health, to be well and
strong
My uncle is a hale and hearty fellow who never gets sick.

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.

hammer out (something) - work something out by discussion and

debate
The union and managers were able to hammer out an agreement
before midnight last night.

grass is always greener on the other side - a place that is far

away or different seems better than where we are now

(live) hand-to-mouth - have only enough money for basic living

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He was living a hand-to-mouth existence until he was finally able to
find a job.
hang by a thread/hair - be in doubt, depend on a very small thing
The outcome of the election was hanging by a thread until late at
night.
hard feelings - angry or bitter feelings
I don`t have any hard feelings toward my boss even though he fired
me.
hard sell - an attitude where you pressure someone to buy
something
The car dealer gave me a hard sell on the new car so I went to
another dealer.
have a bone to pick with (someone) - have a disagreement to
discuss with someone
I have a bone to pick with my boss because of his criticism of me.
have a close call/shave - almost be involved in an accident or
something similar
I had a close call this morning when I was almost hit by a car
have a heart of gold - be generous/sincere/friendly
The woman has a heart of gold and is always willing to help her
friends.
have a heart of stone - be cold and unfriendly
The man has a heart of stone and he will never help anybody.
have a hunch about (something) - have a feeling that something
will or should happen
I had a hunch that my friend would not come to meet me.
have sticky fingers - to steal things
He was fired from the restaurant because he has sticky fingers.

have the Midas touch - have the ability to make money easily
My uncle has the Midas touch and he makes money at whatever he
does.
have them rolling in the aisles - make an audience laugh a lot
The speaker had them rolling in the aisles when he gave his talk.
go) haywire - become broken or confused
The plan went haywire when our directions became confused.
helter-skelter - in a confusing group, in disorder
When we arrived at work we found the files scattered helter-skelter
over the floor.
hide/bury one`s head in the sand - keep from knowing something
dangerous or unpleasant
He hates to talk about important matters and hides his head in the
sand when I try to talk to him.
his days are numbered he I not likely to survive or successful for
much longer
hit the nail on the head - make a correct guess or analysis
He hit the nail on the head when he wrote the report about the
bank`s problems.
hit the sack - go to bed
I`m a little bit tired so I think that I will hit the sack now.
hold one`s tongue - keep quiet
He decided to hold his tongue rather than give his honest opinion.
hush-hush - something kept secret or hidden
"Why the big hush-hush? Everyone is very quiet this morning."
Hunt high and low search everywhere
I hunt high and low for my car key. I will be late for work.
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have a bee in one's bonnet - have an idea or thought that stays in

one's mind
My sister has a bee in her bonnet about going to Mexico to teach.

Hold ones tongue keep silent

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.

in black and white - in writing, officially

I put down my complaint in black and white.

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.

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.

hold one`s horses - to wait, to be patient

"Hold your horses for a moment while I make a phone call."

in the pink health - in very good health

My uncle was in the pink of health when I saw him.

hard up short of money

In a nutshell briefly
hard and fast rules strict rules
In the same boat / shoe in the same circumstances
have at ones fingertips be familiar with
In cold blood without feeling
have an axe to grind to have some selfish objective in view

In the nick of time just in time

have no backbone have no will of his own

hear something through the grapevine hear news from others
head over heels deeply, completely

J
Jaw-dropped stunned
The price of the Gucci bag jaw-dropped me. It costs my two months
salary!

head turner very attractive

K

high and dry alone and helpless

hit the nail on the head guess correctly
hit below ones belt to act unfairly in a contest
.
His better half a mans wife

Keep your chin up to remain joyful in tough situation

Keep a person on at arms lengths to avoid coming in contact
with the person
Kick the bucket die
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Keep an eye on (someone) watch over (someone) carefully

Left to their own devices left to do what they want, or to look after
themselves without any help

Keep one fingers crossed hope for the best

Lose face be humiliated

Lose down ones head become confused or over excited

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 do not interfere with problematic situation

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.

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.

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 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.
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.
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.

monkey business - unethical or illegal activity, mischief

I was not happy that I had to act as a guinea pig for the managers
who were testing the new training material.
Make ends meet manage financially
My father had to work till late night to make the ends meet.
Mumbo jumbo meaningless speech
Dont listen to Hanifs mumbo jumbo.
Make sense have a meaning
Now everything makes sense. I should have known where he get
the money from.
Make hair rise scary
Make the mouth water cause to desire.
The scrumptious smell from the kitchen makes my mouth water.
Mind your own business do not interfere

Lend me your ear to ask politely for someones full attention

N
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Next of kin nearest of relation

Pain in the neck someone / something very annoying

New kid on the block someone who is new to your group

Pick someones brain get ideas from someone

Play fast and loose act carelessly

off-color - in bad taste, rude

The man told an off-color joke at the party which made his wife very
angry.

Pulls someone leg make joke

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.

Put an end to stop

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.

Piece of cake very easy

out of the red - out of debt

Our company is finally out of the red and we are now making money.

Pass the hat around n collect money for something

On the dot at the exact time

Pull/ wear a long face look sad and glum

Put the cart before the horse start at the wrong end

Part of the parcel included, not separated

Out of hand out of control

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.

Out of date old-fashion

P
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.

A red-carpet welcome a special greet

He was given a red welcome at the party
Red with rage - angry
My father was red with rage when he found out that I had lied to him.
(Something) in the red bad condition
The business was in the red last year.

Pick up your ears listen very carefully

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Rain cat and dogs rain heavily
Rub the wrong way irritate
Runaway success great, immediate success
Run into someone meet unexpectedly
S
Saved by the bell saved by the last possible moment
Sell like hot cakes very popular
Sit on the fence avoid taking sides
Spick and span neat and clean

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.
smell a rat / smell something fishy - 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.
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.
Stir up a hornets nest cause a lot of controversy or difficult
situation
T

Sour grapes someone who is jealous of anothers success and

show his by critising or undermining their success
Spitting image the exact likeness
Steal the limelight - attract all attention
Strike while the iron is hot act without delay while the situation is
favourable
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 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.

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.
Through thick and thin to continue even when circumctancs are
difficult
Thick in the head stupid
Throw cold water upon something to discourage any effort
Turn over a new leaf start a new life
Turn the tables reverse the results
The gift of a gab able to speak very well
Tie the knot get married
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To bring down the house to cause rapturous applause

To curry favour- to seek favour by flattery

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.

To eat ones word to take back what one has said

To sit on the fence to remain neutral

white elephant - a useless possession (that often costs money to

maintain)
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

To break the ice to be the first to begin

To save ones face to avoid disgrace
To call a spade a spade to be frank
The coast is clear the danger is over
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.
U
until the cows come home - until very late, for a long time
We can talk until the cows come home this weekend.

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.
with flying colors - with great success
My friend passed the course with flying colors and she now wants to
go out and celebrate.
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."

Under the weather feeling ill or sick

Y
W
Wash ones hand of refused to have anything to do with
Wash your dirty linen in public - talking about unpleasant personal
matters in front of other people

You scaratch my back, Ill scratch yours help another person on

condition that the person helps him in return

Wet Blanket a person who likes to spoil other peoples happiness

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.

With a high hand with arrogance

PROVERBS TO LIVE BY
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