eat up

9 9
everyday
english
phrases
in less than a week

...and remember them forever 

a book of Kien Tran 

 make
1  a fuss
Complain about something (usually unimportant)

After work, I have to submit a report to

my boss. I never want to forget it because
if I do, she'll definitely make a fuss about
fuss about it
and I don't like her voice at all. In fact,
nobody does.
 bang for
2 the buck 
Worth the money you spend

MacBook is relatively expensive but it

 giives you more bang for the buck . I get
 g
more things done since I bought it. And
you should consider buying it too,
because if you don't get your work done
on time, your boss will make a fuss
about it
  Around
3 the corner
Coming up very soon

 The next IELTS exam is just around the

 Th
corner.. You study or you die. New Year is
corner
also around the corner too.
corner too.. You have to
choose which one is your priority
 Hands
4  down
Simply too obvious and not worth arguing at all

Calgary is the best city in Canada to get

rich, hands down
 Si
 Siro-A is the hands down the
down the best
performer in America's Got Talent this
year
 Heads-
5 up
 An advance notice, just to remind you something
is coming so better be prepared

 It
 It's easier to get A and A+ in Canada
 th
 than in Vietnam because professors
usually give students a heads-up
before the exams on what chapters
 to
 to focus on. I feel like I get more
bang for the buck 
 Big
6 time!
Used to stress the extreme (usually put at the
end of the sentence)

 I earned $3,000 from stock 

investing big time last week..
However, yesterday's market crash
also made me lose,
big time. To
 To get more bang for the
buck  , I
 I better do more research.
 Back to
7  square
one
Back to the starting point (square one), usually
as a result of a failure
After losing all the money in the stock 
market, my saving is now back to square
one. But
 But still I believe stock maket is
hands down t
down thhe best place to make
some bucks
 Pull off 
8 (Pull it off)
Successfully make something happen or
accomplish something, succeed
I had a job interview last week and guess
what, I pulled it off !
I just pulled off t
off thhe $200,000 real estate
deal with my client. Now I have money to
spend!
 Pull an all
9 nighter
Do not sleep at all to do some-freaking-thing.
Most used by college students

Even though I'm well-prepared , I still

have to pull an all-nighter for
all-nighter for the exam
 to
 tomorrow. Coffee is ready. Hopefully
 I can pull it off 
 0Goof 
off 
Waste time instead of studying or working

 I don't get it when Jim g

 gooofs off all
 th
 the time but still get A+. He must have
a secret sauce.
  A 
11 
Rip-off 
Something unreasonably expensive

$1000 for an IELTS course? Definitely a

rip-off. They'
 They're obviously trying to rip
you off . So stay away. You will not get
any bang for your buck  at
 at all.
 T
12  e t e
knot Get married

 I'
 I'm 23 this year and I'm not gonna
 tie the knot anytime soon. Getting
married involves a lot of responsibility,
both expected and unexpected. My
 fr
 friends, Jim and Lori, will ti
 tie the knot
 th
 this month and their wedding is just
around the corner.
corner.
13 Step up
my game
Try harder and make it better

 I want to go back to stock investing to

make some money. I'm aware that to
make a nice return, I'll have to stop
 gooofing off to
 g  to step up my game.
game.
 I'm
14 it buyin'
I'm convinced!

Linh was always trying to convince me

she saw an alien. At first, I
 I was not
buying it because her story was so
sketchy. But then I saw it with my own
eyes and I have to believe in it. I'm
buying it.
 Ho
 5 onto your
hat!
Be ready to hear something surprising!

Hi everybody, I got some good news.

Please hold onto your hat. I I finally have
a girlfriend!
Oh, Congrats! Unbelievable1
 6Screw it!
Whatever happens, I don't care

 In
 In teamwork, people often slack off.
 Th
 That really annoys me sometimes. But
you know what, screw it. I'  I'll just do my
part and I'll pull an all-nighter as usual.
 Crunch
17  time
Busy period of time when everyone has to work
hard

 Th
 The tax season is just around the
corner.. In Canada, it's between March
corner
and April. It's crunch time for
accountants to file tax for their
clients.
  What's
18 the catch?
It sounds weird. What's the reason behind it?

AT&T is giving away free iPhone

Really? so what's the catch?
You have to sign a 2-year contract with
 th
 them. costing you around $70 every
month.
 9Recoup (v)
Recover what you have lost

 I lost $3,000 in stock market last week 

 Ye
 Yesterday, I earned $4,000. I have not
only recouped the money but
money but made a
profit after all.
 Fit into
0 the
picture
Does not fit with the overall plan

Having a job is important. But

having a job that is not related to
what you study doesn't really f
really fiit
into the picture. And of course,
doesn't give you more bang
more bang for
your buck after all.
 I wasn't
21 born
 yesterday
Come on, I'm not stupid

One of my friends suddenly called me

 foor the first time after 3 years and
 f
said he had a business opportunity
 th
 that could help me earn several
 th
 thousands dollars per day without
working. Come on, I
 I wasn't born
yesterday
 Up and
2 running
 Active, actively working, functioning

My iPhone 4 is so slow and isn't

working sometimes. I may have to
reset it to get it up and running again.
 I love when I see my money-counting
machine always up and running
 Hands-
3 on
Practical (experience)

Working gives you hands-on

experience so
experience  so you can be up and
running for
running for the job right after
 gr
 graduation.
 On my
24 toes
Be really ready, alert, attentive, focused

Whenever my boss is around, all

employees are always on their toes.
 Thhey don't want to mess up or she
 T
may make a fuss about
fuss about it.
  5 Look 
Listen! Attention!
(Used a lot in conversation to get attention)

Kien: You are not so smart, Jim

 Jiim: Kien, look 
 J  , do you think you are?
 Out
6 hand
of 
Out of control, unable to control

Greece's national debt is getting out

of hand as
hand as the government is hands
down unable
down  unable to pay its debt
 day in
28 day out
Every day (used to emphasize)

 I don't know why I study IELTS day in

day out but still cannot get above 7?
Have you read kientran's handbook?
 pave
28 the wa
Make it easier to do the next things

Getting the IELTS certificate can

pave the way for
way for your dream of 
studying aboard. You'll need to
study day in day out to
out to get your
English up and running. And of 
course, step
 step up your game.
 I've been
9there
I've experienced that. I did that. So I know.

 Yo
 Your parents don't allow you to
 ge
 get married and you're sad? I
 I''ve
been there.
there. I know how it feels.
Wanna catch a movie?
 It slipped
0 my mind
I forgot it!

 I already submitted my
Marketing assignment via email to
my professor. However, it totally
slipped my mind since I did not
attach the file to the email.
 In
31  no
time Instantly (well, almost)

Many people believe attending an

 IEELTS class can get them IELTS 7.0
 I
in no time. I
 I believe to step up
 thheir games, they have to stop
 t
 gooofing off and start hitting the
 g
book.
 Not
2 fast so
Don't be so eager believing in something just yet,
slow down a bit

After you've done school, you think 

you can have freedom? Not so fast , ,
 faace your boss at work and you'll
 f
see how freedom really looks like.
 On the
33 verge of 
 Very close to

Greece is on the verge of 

default if it cannot pay its
debt on time
 I'm on the verge of  failing
 I'  failing
 thhe IELTS test because I 
 t
didn't put enough effort on
studying
 Go
34 bananas
Be wild, lose control

Lena totally went bananas

when students asked her
about the class schedule
 psyche
35 up
Ready and excited

After reading Kien Tran's

handbook, many are psyched
up f
 foor the next big challenge!
 No-
36brainer
Something that is extremely easy to do or too
obvious

Hacking the U.S. government's

website is a challenge to me
but is a no-brainer t
no-brainer too some
 faamous hackers
 f
 cut
37  dry and
Too obvious and clear, no further explanations
required

 I don't know why I failed so

many times just to make a
cake although the
instructions are very cut and
dry. I'm going to go
to go bananas!
 Tag
38 along
To follow or go with someone

Linh is going to catch a movie

later today and I really want
 too ta
 t  tag along but am not really
sure if she will be happy if I do
 bad-
39mouth
say bad things about

 If you don't like someone,

 If
 j juust ignore him or her. It's not
a good idea to bad-mouth
other people
 Pump
0iron
Lift weight (in the gym)

After work, I have no energy

left to pump some iron.
iron. But I 
used to pump iron in the gym
all the time
41 on fire
Doing so great that nobody is able to stop
him/her 

My friend's totally on fire after

fire after
she read my ielts handbook. She
is doing so much better than
anyone else now and looks like
she's not gonna stop. She told
me she got psyched up every
 tiime after reading that
 t
handbook 
 Leave me
2 high and dry
Leave me alone to do all the work, no help at all

 I got a bad experience with

my professor when she
when she left me
high and dry with all the new
learning materials that she never
explained in class. Let's face it,
 thhose are not really cut and dry
 t
 foor me to self-study. And I think 
 f
 I''m on the verge of f
 I of faailing her
class
 Turn me
3off 
Disappoint, disgust

 I kinda like a girl named XYZW,

but the fact that she never takes
a shower really t
really tuurns me off 
 make
4 ends meet
earn just enough money to pay the bills (expenses)
and there is almost no money left after that

 If you are earning $50,000

$50,000 per ye
well you're good. But if you onl
earn $30,000, you may just mak 
ends meet. If
meet. If you only earn les
 than that, you're on the verge o
poverty.
 money
45 talks
Money can make your problems go away

 Inn Vietnam, whenever you get

 I
caught by the police, just
remember Money talks. It It also
works for hospital, or even in
school. You want to get high
marks? Well, money talks.
 early
46birds
Those who come earliest (than expected)

Parking fee for early birds is

birds is $10 per
hour. Regular fee is $5. Unless you
really need to, don't come too early.
 Itt's a rip-off, I
 I  I know.
 double-
47  check 
Check again to make sure

Before going to the CFA testing

center, you need to doublecheck 
 too see if you forget the financial
 t
calculator. Otherwise, the
consequence would be
catastrophic.. If you can, have
someone t
someone  taag along with you to
make sure everything's right.
 on t e
48 
same
page
Seeing things the same way, in agreement!

After figuring out that my

 frriend is also a stock trader, I 
 f
know that we are on
are on the same
page. He knows what I know and
vice versa. We can work extremely
well with each other.
 nt e
49same
boat
in the same trouble, have the same problem or 
situation

After figuring out that Linh was

ripped off  when
 when she paid $3,000 for
an useless bike, I feel like we're in
 th
 the same boat as I also paid
around $4,000 for a made-in-china
bike. We had the same situation.
 fill me
50in
Tell me more (about stuff I've missed)

 I was sleeping during class so

my classmate had to fto fiill me in
after we got home. And she told
me there was nothing special.
 Thhe professor just wanted to
 T
 giive us a heads-up
 g heads-up on
 on some
new special events.
 filthy
 51 rich
super rich

Doctors and lawers make

around $200 per hour. They're
hands down f
down fiilthy rich. But
before getting there, they
definitely have to study day in
day out.
 Do you
2 follow 
me?
Do you understand what I've said so far?

After reading all the idioms and

phrases, do you still follow me?
 Yees? Good, we should continue!
 Y
And step your our games.
 for
3good
forever 

 If you win the lottery, do you

 If
 thhink you will change your life
 t
big time f
time foor good?
Not so fast, many
 many people get
poorer after spending all the
money. They can't even make
ends meet.
meet.
54 freebie
free stuff

People who are just making ends

meet tend
meet  tend to seek f
seek frreebie. Some
 frreebies are worthless. But
 f
some of them do give people
bang for the buck.
  watch
55 out
be cautious

Canada's GDP is slowing down

and could be on the verge of a
recession.
.Better watch out.
out.
 thhe new recession might
 t
 j juust be around the corner.
corner.
  weed
56out
get rid of, remove

 It's easy to get through

 It
Accounting Basic. But the
Advanced Accounting course is
really the one that weeds out
lots of lazy students who
 gooof off all the time.
 g
  well
57  taken
true, significant

Practice always leads to success

is such a well taken statement.
taken statement.
 I''m really buying it.
 I
 Got it
8 out
all planned
Ready, planned out, prepared

 I have done all the preparation

 foor the company project and
 f
 go
 gotten it all planned out. All the
key points will never slip my mind
again.
 hit
59hay the
Go to bed

For guys who want to pump iron , ,

hitting the hay early is a good
 thhing to do to build muscles. Do
 t
you follow me?
 how it
0plays out
how it happens

.I quite like the girl next door and

 I decided to talk to her
 toomorrow. I don't know what will
 t
happen, so let's see how it plays
out. I
 I guess I will have to be
constantly on my toes.
61 in a bit
in a short moment

 I'm busy making this ebook 

now so I'll talk to you in a bi
 It's crunch time for
time for me. This b
will be up and running very
running very shor
 in a
2 flash
very quickly, in no time

 In stock market, you can

 In
make a few thousands in
thousands in a flash.
Or you can lose the same in no
 tiime Th
 t  . Things sometimes get out
of hand f
hand foor even most
sophisticated traders.

hello, I'm an alien,

and I speak English
 in deep
3shit
In big trouble!

Lena was in deep shit last week 

 thhat everyone wanted a piece of 
 t
her. S
her.  Shhe doesn't seem to
apologize. Let's see how it plays
out.
  Yeah,
64 no shit
Yeah, obviously

$50 for a bowl of Pho is

a rip-off.
 Ye
 Yeah, no shit.
 in mint
 5 condition
in very good condition (stuff)

My iPhone 4 is 4 years old and it's

still in mint condition.
condition. So what's the
catch? I
catch?  I don't have to spend
money to change cellphone.
 keep in
66mind
Remember that

Keep in mind t
mind thhat the boss can
come in no time. Stay on your
 tooes. Better
 t  Better watch out.
 in the
67  long haul
In the long run

 In
 In the long haul, pumping iron day
in day out will
out will make you a model.
 keep it
68 up!
Continue doing the good work!

Hey Nigahiga, you're hands down

 th
 the best YouTuber. Please keep it
up.
 know the
69ropes
Have the skills and experience

 If
 If you happen to be in Toronto, call
me right away and I'll show you
around. I
 I know the ropes. What's
 thhe catch? You have to be my
 t
 fr
 friend!
70Clam up
Say nothing

Whenever my friends ask me if I 

have a girlfriend, I tend to clam up.
up.
Maybe I need to pump some iron
 to
 to step up my game
 Cry over
71 spilt milk 
Complain about something unfortunate
happened and cannot be changed

One problem many people have

is crying over spilt milk. I
 I know it's
a no-brainer
no-brainer t
 too say but you
cannot change the past so why
bother?
 rock-
72 price
bottom
Lowest possible price. can't be lower 

 Th
 The rock-bottom price f
price foor this
car is $2,000. Take it or leave it?
 I don't like it, but screw it. I'
 I'll take
it.
 tough
73call
 A situation where it's difficult to make a
decision or to judge

 It
 It's a t
 toough call for
 for America's Got
 Ta
 Talent judges to choose between 2
best performers. They don't want
 to
 to weed out any talent. Getting
 th
 through this round can definitely
pave the way f
way foor their success.
  your guess
74 mine
is as good as
I have no idea either 

Linh asked me how to pull off t

off thhe
magic trick like in TV and I honestly
had no idea. Her guess is as good
as mine.
 once in a
75 moon
blue
very rarely!

$30 is the rock-bottom price of 

 th
 this shirt and it only happens once
in a blue moon. You You have to buy it
or it'll be all gone in
gone in no time.
 fair and
76square
very fair 

 In Canada, there's no cheating and

 In
 plagiarism. That keeps the system
 faair and square. Everyone has the
 f
motivation to work hard and
really study. Many has to pull an all
nighter everyday because they
don't want the courses to weed
 thhem out.
 t
 Spring
77  for
Pay for 

 I''ll spring for t

 I for thhe telephone bill next
week because right now I don't
have money. My finance is now back 
 too square one since I lost the
 t
money. I hope I can recoup my
money
 in a blink 
78 of an eye
Super fast, (or within a blink of an eye)

Whenever there are f

are frreebies , , they
 teend to be gone within a blink of an
 t
eye.
 nail it
79down
finish it

 The due date for your IELTS exam

 Th
is just around the corner.
corner St
 . Step up
your game and
game and try your best to
nail down all
down all the mock tests.
 neck and
0neck 
side by side, same speed

 Thhe presidential election is just

 T
around the corner and
corner and two
candidates seem to be running neck 
and neck. as they are rated equally.
 out of the
81  woods
Out of danger 

After the exam, people tend to think 

 thhey're out of the woods. But
 t
 thhe new semester is coming.
 t
and we don't know what's gonna
happen
 Let's see how it plays out.
2 
nest eggs
Money for retirement, savings

 If you put 10% of your income

 If
into your nest eggs and
eggs and earn
compound interest. You may not
be f
 fiilthy rich but you won't have
 too make ends meet when you retire.
 t
3No-frills
Inexpensive, no luxury, just basic

 It doesn't f
 It  fiit into the picture
when some f
some fiilthy rich g guuys driving
no-frills cars.
no-frills cars.
 I'm not
84 that
 just saying
I'm serious

 I bought a no-frills backpack last

week and I think I pull off t
off thhe best
deal because it's in mint condition. I 
love my life and I
and I''m not just saying
 th
 that. Do
 Do you follow me?
 no
 5 asked
questions
Yes, no questions asked

Do you want a credit card?

 Just give us your student ID and
 Ju
we'll sign up for you, no questions
asked. And we're not just saying that
 there's no
86truth to it

Create a credit card with just student

 IDD and no questions asked? Come on,
 I
it's a scam. Th
 There's no truth to it I 
 . I 
wasn't born yesterday.
 a slim
87  chance
 Very unlikely to happen

 There is a slim chance Kien

 Th
will be the next president. If 
 thhat happens, then we'll all clam up
 t
  A
88  steal
 A bargain, something ridiculously
underpriced

$5 for a printer is a steal. But

 thhere's a very slim chance t
 t  thhat you
will find a good one. Doublecheck 
everything before you make the final
decision.
89all ears
Listening carefully

Whenever Obama says anything, people

are all ears. He really pulls off 
his charisma and
makes people like him
 down
0the road
in the future

1 years down the road, Obama

 Obama
will leave the White House. Let's
see how it plays out
 Play
91 safe
it
Stay careful and not taking any chance

Old people tend to play it safe

with their money. They don't want
 too risk losing the value of their
 t
nest egg because if something bad
happens, it'll take long for them to
recoup all the lost money
 Politicall
2 correct
 Appropriate (words)

 Saying "I don't care" is politically

 Sa
correct. Sa
 Saying "I don't give a shit"
isn't. Be careful with your word
use and I
and I''m not just saying that
3pop up
Show up, appear

 The name Donald Trump pops up

 Th
quite often recently because he's
running for the president of the
United States. I like him because
he's taking risk and not playing it
safe.
 psyche
94 
out Lose confidence

My boss is making a fuss over a

new employee, making him psyched
out. Everybody's on their toes.
 fuss
 5 over
care too much for, pay too much attention to

Linh just bought a new expensive

phone and she's fu
 fussing over it day
in day out.
 get down
96 business
to
Not talking about something else, just talking
and doing business
Get psyched up and
up and g
 geet down to
business because
business because everything is now
cut and dry. If
 If we need to work hard
 too step up our game.
 t
 get off 
97  the ground
Start successfully!

Let's g
 geet down to business. I
 I want
our business to g
to geet off the ground
so we can earn at least
$5000/month
 Get on
98 
my
nerves bother 

My brother g
brother geets on my nerves
sometimes when he says
inappropriate stuff in the public and
 I usually make a fuss about it.
 screw 
99up
cannot handle a situation properly, mess up

 If you still go

 If  goof off, you'
 you'll screw up
on the exam. So better pull an all
nighter t
nighter too review all chapters so you
can pump up some grades
 Writer: Kien tran
Graphic: Brad Lawrence