Ms Hanh/Grade 9/Advanced Vocabulary

eLesson 2
Ngày 18/9/2021

ADVANCED IDIOMS
DEFINITIONS
1. To be the apple of someone’s eyes: a person of whom one is extremely
fond and proud of.
e.g: She is definitely the apple of her father’s eyes, just look at how proud
he is whenever he talks about her.

2. To have a bun in the oven [informal]: to be pregnant.

e.g: She is having a bun in the oven and expecting a baby in February.

3. To bring home the bacon: to earn the income, supply material support.

e.g: The family depends on her to bring home the bacon.

4. To put all of one’s eggs in one basket: to risk everything on one venture.

e.g: You shouldn’t invest all your money into one company, don’t put all of
your eggs in one basket.

5. To take something with a pinch (or grain) of salt: Regard something as

exaggerated; believe only part of something.

e.g: You should take everything she says with a pinch of salt, she is known
to be exaggerating the truth.

6. The salt of the earth: A person or group of people of great kindness,

reliability, or honesty.

e.g: She is the salt of the earth, she is easily the most reliable person I
know.

7. To rub salt into someone’s wounds: Make a painful experience even more
painful for someone.
 e.g: Losing her job is very tough for her, don’t rub salt into her wounds by
talking about it all the time.

8. In the nutshell: In the fewest words possible

e.g: That is her whole childhood in the nutshell.

9. (Have something) handed to you on a silver platter [informal]: Used to

indicate that someone receives or achieves something with little or no effort.
e.g: She is used to having everything in life handed to her on a silver
platter since her father is a billionaire.
10. Full of beans: to have a lot of energy.
e.g: Those children are full of beans, they keep running round and round
playing on the playground without getting tired.
11. (Not one’s) cup of tea [usually used negatively; informal]: (Not) what one
likes or is interested in.
e.g: I’m not going to that Jazz concert since Jazz is not my cup of tea.
12. It’s no use crying over spilt milk: There is no point in regretting something
which has already happened and cannot be changed or reversed.
e.g: You’ve already broken that computer, it’s no use crying over spilt milk,
instead, you should come clean to your sister.
13. A hard (tough) nut to crack [informal]: A difficult problem or an opponent
that is hard to beat.
e.g: He has won this competition three times before, so he is definitely a
hard nut to crack.
14. The cream of the crop: The very best of a particular group of people or
things.
e.g: This analysts team is the cream of the crop.
 15. To be the greatest (or best) thing since sliced bread [informal]: To be very
good.
e.g: This is an excellent phone, maybe even the best thing since sliced
bread.
16. A piece of cake [informal]: Something easily achieved.
e.g: I was surprised at the test this morning, it was a piece of cake.
17. Sell like hot cakes [informal]: Be sold quickly and in large quantities.
e.g: Those lipsticks sold like hot cakes, they were just launched yesterday.
18. Take the cake [informal]: Be the most remarkable or foolish of its kind.
e.g: He has done a lot of stupid things, but this one right here takes the
cake.
19. One’s daily bread [informal]: The money or food that one needs in order to
live.
e.g: Working three jobs everyday is how she earns her daily bread.
20. Spill the beans: Reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly.
e.g: After half an hour talking to John, she spilt the beans that her friend
had a crush on him.
21. The icing on the cake: An attractive but inessential addition or enhancement.
e.g: Getting a perfect 10 would be the icing on the cake for me but all I
needed to pass was 7.
23. A couch potato [informal]: A person who takes little or no exercises and
watches a lot of television.
e.g: You are such a couch potato! I’ve never seen you get up from the
sofa and stop watching movies.
24. Butter someone up: Flatter or otherwise ingratiate oneself with someone.
e.g: He is always buttering his boss up to be treated favourably.
25. Look as if butter wouldn’t melt in one’s mouth [informal]: Appear gentle or
innocent while typically being the opposite.
e.g: Looks can be deceiving, she looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in her
mouth.
26. Chalk and cheese: To be the complete opposite of someone.
e.g: They are like chalk and cheese, she is sociable and friendly,
meanwhile he is introverted and doesn’t like crowds.
27. As cool as a cucumber: To remain calm under pressure.
e.g: While everyone was running around and panicking, he was as cool as
a cucumber and thought of a solution.
28. Have a finger in every pie: To be involved in many situations.
e.g: She has a finger in every pie at work, she is involved in everything
that happens.
29. Chew the fat [informal]: Chat in a leisurely and prolonged way.
e.g: Stop chewing the fat and get to the point, I don’t have time to sit
around now.
30. Packed in like sardines: Extremely crowded.
e.g: The rock star’s concert is sold out and the stadium is packed in like
sardines.