WORD MEANING EXAMPLES

a barking dog never a person who constantly threatens never Don't worry about his vocal threats. He
bites acts won't hurt you physically.
a breeze easy Riding a tricycle is such a breeze.
a cat in gloves being too careful can result in failure You need to tell her how you really feel if
catches no mice you want to marry her. Remember that a
cat in gloves catches no mice.
a dime a dozen common and available anywhere Corrupt cops are a dime a dozen in this
city.
a field day a very enjoyable time My children had a field day at the carnival.

a hell of a time a difficult (or exciting) experience Her grandmother had a hell of a time
trying to connect to the internet.
a little bird told me someone told me a secret A little bird told me that you're getting a
divorce.
a lot on my plate very busy I've got a lot on my plate tonight. I don't
think I won't finish until midnight.
a matter of time when something is inevitable It's only a matter of time until they find a
cure for cancer.
a penny for your ask for advice Could I have a penny for your thoughts? I
thoughts don't know how to solve this problem.

a whale of a time an exciting experience The family had a whale of a time at the
theme park.
about time said to convey impatience I've been waiting for you for an hour. It's
about time you arrived!
ace in the hole a hidden strength or advantage They'll win the game since their rookie
goalkeeper is an ace in the hole.
Achilles heel someone's weakness Vodka is his Achilles heel. He only loses
his composure when he drinks it.
actions speak louder judge what someone does rather than He said he was faithful, but he always
than words what they say comes home late at night. His actions
certainly speak louder than words.
add insult to injury worsen an unfavorable situation She added insult to injury by picking her
little brother's ice cream off the dirty floor
and sticking it in his mouth.
ahead of time earlier than the deadline Finish your work ahead of time so you can
enjoy your hobbies.
all ears listen carefully Jane asked if I was paying attention. I told
her, "I'm all ears!"
all hands on deck everyone's help is needed We need all hands on deck if we want to
reduce carbon emissions.
all the rage popular Those new shoes are all the rage these
days.
all thumbs clumsy I'm all thumbs today. I keep dropping my
phone!
an arm and a leg very expensive That new car costs an arm and a leg.
ants in your pants anxious or nervous Frank had ants in his pants before taking
his exam.
apple of my eye an adored person My precious daughter is the apple of my
eye.
around the clock without stopping The pharmacy is open around the clock. It
never closes.
as white as a sheet very fearful or anxious Walter went as white as a sheet when he
saw Hank get shot.
ask out ask someone on a date Bobby asked her out, but she decided to
stay home and do laundry.
at the drop of a hat instantly At the drop of a hat, I called my sister
when I heard she was pregnant!
back to the drawing begin something all over again It was back to the drawing board after the
board team failed to make the playoffs.
bad egg a troublesome person Bart is the bad egg of the class. He is
always throwing paper airplanes.
ball is in your court the decision is up to you We offered him an extra million dollars.
The ball is in his court if he wants to sign
the contract.
bark up the wrong tree look in the wrong place or falsely accuse He asked me if I broke his laptop. I said he
was barking up the wrong tree.
bark up the wrong tree pursue misguided action Stop accusing me. I'm innocent. You're
barking up the wrong tree!
basket case erratic or panicky She became such a basket case when
she discovered her ex was at the party.
be an item be a couple Apparently, Tiffany and Tim are an item. I
always see them together.
be nuts about really enjoy She is nuts about her new boyfriend.
beast of burden someone carries others problems I will never be your beast of burden. You
have got to deal with your own problems.

beat a dead horse dwell on a topic beyond resolution I told you several times that I won't do it.
Don't beat a dead horse!
beat around the bush avoid talking about something specifically Stop beating around the bush! Get to the
point already!
beat the clock finish something before the deadline The paperwork was piled high, but she
manages to beat the clock and finish it all.

beauty is in the eye of everyone has different preferences for Ella likes guys with big beards. Her
the beholder what is attractive girlfriends say to her that beauty is
definitely in the eye of the beholder.
beet red embarrassed or angry Darren went beet red when he saw the
scratch on his car.
bell the cat take on a difficult task Politicians should bell the cat and start
reducing the inflation rate.
best of both worlds enjoy two different opportunities Joe got the best of both worlds when he
married Amy who was his best friend and
a supermodel.
better late than never doing something late is better than not You finally visited the dentist. Better late
doing it than never!
bide your time relax and take your time doing something Bide your time and take a look through the
restaurant menu. There are no other
customers.
big cheese an important person Where is the director? I want to talk to the
big cheese.
birthday suit naked You should try sleeping with your birthday
suit on. It's much more comfortable.

bite off more than one take on more responsibility than what is He was multitasking and getting stressed,
can chew manageable so I told him not to bite off more than he
could chew.
bite the bullet to endure an unpleasant and Rebecca hated her job, but she bit the
unavoidable situation bullet and completed her contract.
bite the dust die or fail The hunter fired his gun and the deer bit
the dust.
bitter pill something unpleasant that must be Awarding the trophy to her enemy was a
accepted bitter pill to swallow.
black and blue hurt physically or mentally Both during and after the relationship, I felt
so black and blue.
black and white absolute terms The contract that you signed is in black
and white. You must agree to the terms.
black hole some place or situation in which things Never take hard drugs. It's a black hole
are lost you can't escape from.
black market illegal marketplace A lot of fake cigarettes are sold in the
black market.
black out lose consciousness She knocked her head on the floor and
blacked out!
black sheep unaccepted group member Tom was the black sheep of the family
and preferred to do things on his own.
black tie event formal event Most big award's ceremonies are black tie
events.
blind date dating someone you have never met I don't like blind dates because I want to
know what she looks like first.
blue-collar manual labor He got a blue-collar job working as a
mechanic.
born with a silver from a rich family Sara was born with a silver spoon, but she
spoon became a drug addict.
born yesterday inexperienced Were you born yesterday? You have to
pay your credit card quickly to avoid
serious debt.
borrowed time an uncertain length of time that may end Everyone is living off of borrowed time.
suddenly Enjoy every day as if it is your last.
bread and butter necessities or main points Tell me the bread and butter of the article
and explain the general idea of it.
break a leg good luck Before the final exam, the teacher told his
students to break a leg.
break the bank go bankrupt She broke the bank after buying the
Ferrari.
break the ice doing something first in a social setting Let me break the ice and buy everyone a
drink.
bring home the bacon earn money Louie brings home the bacon while his
wife takes care of the kids.
Bronx cheer sarcastic applause My girlfriend gave me the Bronx cheer
when I finally remembered her birthday.
buckle down work hard Let's buckle down and finish the
assignment.
bundle of joy newborn baby The mother is holding her bundle of joy.
burn a hole in my spend too much money I burned a hole in my pocket overpaying
pocket on insurance.
burn the midnight oil work late into the night The student burned the midnight oil in
order to pass the test.
bust my chops say something insulting She always busts my chops about my low
salary.
butter someone up be really nice to someone You had better butter me up if you want a
raise in salary.
by a landslide by a large margin The Predators lost by a landslide in game
5. The Penguins beat them by 6 goals!

by the seat of your achieve instinctively or quickly That was impressive. You did your
pants graduation speech by the seat of your
pants without any preparation.
by the skin of my teeth barely or narrowly I finished the test by the skin of my teeth
just before the bell rang.
call it a day finish work Let's call it a day. It's time to go home.
call the shots make the decisions The new coach is calling the shots.
call your dogs off stop criticizing or attacking I paid you all of the money. I don't owe you
anything. Call your dogs off!
calm before the storm a peaceful period before mayhem The teacher is enjoying the calm before
the storm. All of the students will arrive
soon.
cash in the chips selling something He cashed in the chips and went on a
world tour.
cat and mouse playfully deceive The boss kept playing cat and mouse with
me and never gave me the raise.
cat around sleep with many people His wife used to cat around while he was
working hard at the office.
cat burglar quick thief The cat burglar took everything in the
house before the cops arrived.
cat got your tongue said when someone doesn't speak What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You
haven't said a word since we arrived.

cat got your tongue said when someone doesn't speak What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You
haven't said a word since we arrived.

cat nap a short sleep My father always takes a cat nap after
work.
cat on a hot tin roof very nervous I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for
my medical results.
cat's cradle something overly complicated There is a cat's cradle of rules that you
must follow to board a flight these days.
cat's meow something wonderful Her birthday cake was the cat's meow.
She ate the whole thing in less than a
minute!
cat's paw someone being exploited Poorer citizens are usually the cat's paw of
politicians. They use them only to get
votes and never follow through on
promised policies.
catcall sexually suggestive comment The construction workers were all
catcalling the woman as she walked by.
catch you later see you later I have to go home now. Catch you later!
catfight a fight between two women The catfight was brutal! The other girl
scratched her face with her nails.
catnap a short sleep My father always takes a catnap after work.

caught with your pants unprepared Don't get caught with your pants down at a
down red light. Be ready to drive when it turns
green.
chase rainbows attempt something that will never be You're chasing rainbows if you think you're
achieved going to be a rock star.
cheap as chips very inexpensive This cup of coffee was only 50 cents.
Cheap as chips!
cheapskate a frugal person He's such a cheapskate. He never buys
anything for his girlfriend.
chicken out avoid doing something because of fear Mary was going to go skydiving, but she
chickened out.
chink in one's armor vulnerable area Bob was a great teacher, but the chink in
his armor was his fear of public speaking.

chip in donate money or time Why don't you chip in and support the
refugees?
clam up become quiet Tom always clams up when you ask him
about his ex-girlfriend.
cold feet being nervous or anxious before a big She got cold feet before the wedding.
event
commit Harry Carry commit suicide Unfortunately, some of the world's
greatest singers committed Harry Carry.
cook the books dishonest accounting Let's cook the books so we can avoid
paying higher taxes.
cool cat a hip or cool person He was such a coot cat. He was respected
by his peers and the girls all loved him.

copycat someone who copies another You're such a copycat! Do your own work!

copycat someone who copies another You're such a copycat! Do your own work!

couch potato lazy person Don't be such a couch potato and do

some work for once!
cream of the crop the best The team has the cream of the crop of
draft picks. They will probably win the cup
soon.
crocodile tears fake tears Her little daughter always cries crocodile
tears to get whatever she wants.

crunch time a critical period Crunch time in most sports comes down
to the final few minutes of a game.
cry over spilled milk get upset over something insignificant or I know you forgot your phone, but there is
about something irreversible no need to cry over spilt milk. You can live
without it for an hour.
cry your heart out cry a lot He cried his heart out when his dog died.

cup of joe cup of coffee Let's get a cup of joe at Starbucks.

curiosity killed the cat curiosity may lead to unwanted Don't enter that haunted house.
circumstances Remember that curiosity killed the cat!
curtains finished, the end I knew it was curtains for their marriage
when they signed the prenuptial
agreement.
cut corners reduce spending The family had to cut corners in order to
put food on the table.
cut the cheese fart Who cut the cheese? It smells awful in
here.
cut the mustard meet expectations George's work ethic didn't cut the mustard,
so he got fired.
cut the rug dance I love this song! Let's go on the dance
floor and cut the rug!
dig deep look hard for information or try hard Walt had to dig deep to find a solution to
the chemistry problem.
dirt cheap very inexpensive My clothes are dirt cheap, but they still
look fashionable.
do time go to prison Franky has to do time for all those crimes
that he was convicted of.
dog and bone a telephone She is speaking with her boyfriend on the
dog and bone.
dog and pony show elaborate presentation The designer bag showcase was such a
dog and pony show.
dog days very hot days The dog days of summer are really humid
and uncomfortable.
dog-eared folded corners of pages in a book He dog-eared the pages of the book
instead of using a bookmark.
dog-eat-dog world competitive American political debates are a dog-eat-
dog world.
dog-tired very tired She was dog-tired after running the
marathon.
dog's bollocks the best That new Tesla is the dog's bollocks.
dog's breakfast very messy Her mother was upset because her son's
room was like a dog's breakfast.
doggy bag food taken home after a restaurant meal My girlfriend barely ate her dinner so she
asked the waiter for a doggy bag.
dogs of war destruction caused by war Famine and poverty are unfortunately
common dogs of war.
dogsbody someone who does all the work The chef was the dogsbody in the kitchen.
Everyone else broke dishes.
don't count chickens don't plan for something that may not Zoe bought the dress, before anyone
before they hatch happen asked her to the prom. I told her not to
count her chickens before they hatch.
double dating two couples dating at the same time My friend always goes on double dates
and likes getting attention from both guys.

double dog dare challenge defiantly She double dog dared me to go hang
gliding so I had to do it!
double take look a second time When she walked by in those heels, all the
guys did a double take.
down time relaxing time You need to have some down time after a
long day at work.
down to earth natural personality Alexander is very wealthy, but he is still
down to earth.
down to the wire to the end The game is coming down to the wire and
nobody has scored.
dress to kill dress in glamorous clothes She is always dressed to kill when she
goes to the bar.
drink like a fish drink a lot Norm drinks like a fish when he goes to
the pub.
drive someone crazy make someone annoyed or feel madly in She drives me crazy. I don't know if I
love should buy her another diamond or get a
divorce.
drop like flies die or give up quickly The other candidates dropped like flies at
the end of the election.
eager beaver someone who is excited about something She's such an eager beaver when
checking updates on Instagram.
early bird someone who likes to wake up early Sara is such an early bird. She gets up
before the sun rises.
easier said than done easier to speak words than to perform The government low tax policy is easier
actions said than done.
easy come, easy go something that happens easily can just
as easily be taken away
eat like a horse eat a lot You eat like a horse. There is nothing left
at the buttet.
egg someone on to urge or provoke someone The hockey player tried to egg his
opponent on by dropping his gloves.
elephant in the room a sensitive unaddressed issue The couple's money problem was an
elephant in the room. They never talk
about finances.
every cloud has a be optimistic She got fired but found a better job she.
silver lining Every cloud has a silver lining.
every dog has its day everyone has success eventually Keep shooting and you will score. Every
dog has its day.
every nook and cranny everyone possible place I looked in every nook and cranny, but I
couldn't find what I was looking for.
everything but the almost everything imaginable The team threw everything but the kitchen
kitchen sink sink at the goalie, but they couldn't score a
goal.
face the music deal with unpleasant consequences The man confessed to the crime and
faced the music in prison.
fair-weather friend a person who is only a friend in good I try to avoid fair-weather friends. They
times aren't very sincere.
fat cat wealthy person Fat cats get wealthier with inflation while
the poor have to pay more for groceries.
fat chance unlikely It's a fat chance that the war will end this
year.
feel blue feel sad Barbara felt blue after breaking up with her
boyfriend.
fine-tooth comb in detail The detective analyzed the crime scene
with a fine-tooth comb.
fishy strange or suspicious Something fishy is going on. He takes his
wedding ring off when he leaves.
fit as a fiddle good physical health Look at those abs! You are as fit as a
fiddle!
fit like a glove fit perfectly Those jeans fit her like a glove.
flesh and blood family I can't fire my brother. He's my own flesh
and blood.
fly in the ointment annoyance that spoils enjoyment The wedding crasher was such a fly in the
ointment.
foot the bill pay for something I'll foot the bill and pay for everyone's meal
at the restaurant.
freeze your buns off be very cold You will freeze your buns off in Antarctica.

front runner favorite to win The stallion is the front runner. He'll be
hard to beat.
full of beans energetic The elementary students are always full of
beans.
get a head start start before others Don always gets a head start and wakes
up at dawn.
get a second wind have new energy after an attempt I was exhausted after 3 kilometers of
running, but I got a second wind after I
passed the beach.
get bent out of shape get upset The waiter got so bent out of shape when
the customer tipped him a penny.
get hitched get married We got hitched last month. Didn't you get
the wedding invitation?
get into the full swing be comfortable doing something after It took her a month to get into the full
some time swing of things. Now she is the best
employee.
get something off my reveal or confess something I felt better getting it off my chest by
chest confessing that I stole the money.
get the boot get fired Bob got the boot last week. He needs to
find a new job.
get wind of something overhear something about someone or Sherry got wind that her ex-boyfriend was
something (often gossip) coming to the same bar, so she went
home.
get with the times to get up-to-date with the modern era Time to get with the times and buy an
electric car.
give a cold shoulder to deny or ignore She gave him a cold shoulder when he
asked for her phone number.
give a hand or lend a help someone Can you give me a hand with lifting this
hand laundry machine?
give a hard time tease or bother someone Stop giving your little brother a hard time
and help him with his homework.
give it your best shot try your hardest I know the homework is difficult but give it
your best shot.
give no quarter (none give no mercy The student asked to take the test again,
asked) but the teacher gave no quarter.
give someone a fair give someone a chance He never got a fair shake. He got fired
shake after a week.
give someone a run try hard to defeat another person Connor is going to give Floyd a run for his
for their money money.
give the green light give permission She gave her son the green light to join
the police academy.
glory hound someone looking for fortune or fame He's such a glory hound. He loves the
attention from the press.
glutton for punishment someone who always takes on Debby is such a glutton for punishment. I
unpleasant tasks think she enjoys being in bad relationships.

go downhill get progressively worse His health started to go downhill when he

started smoking again.
go Dutch split the bill The couple always likes to go Dutch and
share their living expenses.
go overboard do more than needed Don't go overboard or you'll get stressed
out. Just do one page.
go steady date each other I asked her to go steady, but she dated
Joe instead.
go to bat for someone defend someone His colleague went to bat for her and
testified on her behalf.
go with the flow go along with what everyone else does Nancy just goes with the flow at her work
without conflict and doesn't cause any interference.

golden opportunity a good chance for achievement He had a golden opportunity to win the
game on the penalty shot.
grass is always others always have it better Whenever she complains about her
greener on the other hometown, I remind her that the grass is
side always greener on the other side.
gravy train high pay for minimal work Government workers ride the gravy train
while sitting at their desks doing nothing.
green thumb talent for gardening Your flowers live so long because of your
green thumb.
grey area vague or unclear The store's return policy is such a grey
area. I don't understand their rules.
grin like a Cheshire cat mischievously satisfied She was grinning like a Cheshire cat after
she had used her boyfriend's credit card.

hair of the dog drinking alcohol to cure a hangover The hair of the dog is the best remedy for
a hangover.
handle with kid gloves handle delicately Please handle those wine glasses with kid
gloves.
hang in there be patient and stay optimistic I told Joe to hang in there when I found out
that his wife was sick again.
happy camper a contented person He looks like a happy camper eating his
birthday cake.
hard nut to crack difficult to understand or persuade The criminal was a tough nut to crack. He
never revealed any of his accomplices.

hat trick three goals by one player Ronaldo scored several hat tricks last
season.
have a blast have a good time We all had a blast at the party!
have a bun in the oven be pregnant Mary has a bun in the oven so she can't
drink alcohol.
have a card up your have a secret plan You had a card up your sleeve and you
sleeve won the match by distracting the
goalkeeper.
have a cow get upset Don't have a cow! It's not like I scratched
the car on purpose!
have eyes in the back perceptive You must have eyes in the back of your
of your head head. You always know what your
boyfriend is doing when he's away.
have the hots for to be attracted to someone Mary had the hots for George, so she
wrote him a love letter.
have the upper hand have a better chance of winning The experienced boxer has the upper
hand.
have your cake and want more than you need Frank is married but he also wants to date
eat it too other women. He wants to have his cake
and eat it too.
have your head in the to be unaware or oblivious You always have your head in the clouds.
clouds Do you have any idea what's happening?

head over heels to be deeply in love Sarah was head over heels for her new
boyfriend.
heard it through the hear a rumor I heard it through the grapevine that you
grapevine were getting nose surgery.
heart goes out to feel sympathy My heart goes out to Sara. She spent
years fighting cancer.
heavy heart sadness She left him with a heavy heart.
high time the right time to accomplish something It's high time to solve this budget problem.

hit a snag face a sudden problem We've hit a snag. I don't think we can
finish it on time now.
hit below the belt do something that is unfair You hit me below the belt when you said
that lie about me.
hit the nail on the head to be precisely accurate or correct I couldn't have said it better myself. You
really hit the nail on the head.
hit the road leave When the bell rang, the teacher told the
students to hit the road.
hit the sack / sheets / go to sleep I'm so tired. It's time to hit the sack.
hay
hold all the aces expected to win The home team holds all the aces. I don't
think the other team will win.
hold your horses wait and be patient Hold your horses! I'll be ready in a minute.

holy cow that is surprising Holy cow! Did she really dye her hair blue?

horse around play roughly Stop horsing around kids. You're in the
library.
hot dog show off What a hot dog! He's stickhandling the
puck around every player!
hot potato a controversial subject Trump's last Tweet was a hot potato in the
news.
hot shot or big shot very confident or successful person All the hot shots in New York live on the
Upper East Side.
I bet I think so I bet she's going to arrive late to work
again.
in a nutshell to sum up In a nutshell, she is sick because she
drank too much last night.
in no time very quickly It's so easy. I will be finished the
assignment in no time.
in over your head trying something that is much too difficult You're in over your head. You can't beat
for one's ability the computer at chess.
in seventh heaven in a state of bliss The team was in seventh heaven when
the captain scored the goal.
in the black profitable Facebook has been in the black ever
since the company went public.
in the dog house in trouble The coach won't let me play. I'm in the dog
house.
in the long run in the long term She hates doing homework but in the long
run it will make her successful.
in the nick of time just in time He caught the train in the nick of time just
before it departed.
it takes two to tango it takes more than one person There is now way she robbed the store
alone. It takes two to tango. Someone
helped her break in.
joined at the hip inseparable Jane and Joe are joined at the hip.
jump ship escape The employees all jumped ship when they
heard the company was going bankrupt.

jump the gun begin too soon If you jump the gun then you may make a
mistake. Go at your own pace.
just what the doctor desirable result It's going to be sunny all weekend. Just
ordered what the doctor ordered!
keep an eye on watch carefully or take care of Please keep an eye on the kettle. It will
boil soon.
keep something keep something a secret He tried to keep the affair zipped up, but
zipped up his friend told his wife what happened.

keep the wolves at bay ward off poverty or hunger He needed a part-time job to keep the
wolves at bay and to avoid serious debt.
keep your chin up stay positive Keep your chin up. You will win the next
game.
keep your head above try not to fall behind It's hard to keep your head above water
water when you are already down by 3 goals.
keep your lips sealed promise to keep a secret You must keep your lips sealed about your
affair.
keep your shirt on stay calm Keep your shirt on and try to relax. The
plane will land soon.
kick the bucket die I hope I can travel the world before I kick
the bucket.
kill time pass time aimlessly Most people kill time by swiping through
their iPhone apps.
kill two birds with one accomplish two things at once Why not kill two birds with one stone and
stone brush your teeth in the shower?
kitty corner diagonally across from Starbucks is kitty corner to the gas station.

know by heart memorize Steve knows all of the computer code by

heart.
know which way the know the end result Nobody knows which way the wind will
wind blows blow. Just try to be positive.
lazy as a dog very lazy I was lazy as a dog last weekend. I stayed
in bed on Saturday and Sunday.
lead a dog's life unhappy life Her father lead a dog's life trying to raise
her and she never appreciated him.

learn the ropes learn new things I spend the whole morning learning the
ropes for the job.
leave at the altar decide not to marry at the last minute Her fiance left her at the altar and moved
to Fiji.
let sleeping dogs lie avoid interfering in something that may Don't bring up old arguments. It's best to
create trouble let sleeping dogs lie.
let the cat out of the reveal a secret Don't let the cat out of the bag about the
bag birthday party.
let the cat out of the reveal a secret Don't let the cat out of the bag about the
bag birthday party.
let the dog see the remove unnecessary obstructions It's time to let the dog see the rabbit. Bring
rabbit the batter up to the big leagues!
let your hair down relax and have fun You should let your hair down on Saturday
night and go dancing.
level playing field equal chance The team leveled the playing field after the
penalty kick.
like herding cats a difficult task Getting everyone to take the vaccine is
like herding cats.
like the cat got the satisfaction with some kind of After proving her innocence, she smiled at
cream achievement the police officer like the cat got the cream.

lion's share the majority of something You took the lion's share of the money. All
I got was a couple pennies.
live from hand to live on very little money During the depression, we had to live from
mouth hand to mouth.
long shot difficult thing to accomplish It will be a long shot to finish in the top
three positions.
look what the cat someone unwelcome has arrived Look what the cat dragged in. We told you
dragged in to stay home and talk to your therapist.

lose it lose control If you forget to tip the waiter again, he is

love is blind love makes someone blind to their
partner's imperfections
love rat someone who cheats on their partner
going to completely lose it.
Love is certainly blind. Tom is very
attracted to a girl who eats on the toilet.
Hank is such a love rat. This is the tenth
girl I've seen him with this week.
lovey-dovey kissing and hugging Kate really hates it when couples are lovey-
dovey in public.
make a mountain out to overemphasize small problems The car only got a tiny dent. You're making
of a molehill a mountain out of a molehill.
make from scratch make with original ingredients My wife made me a delicious omelet from
scratch.
make love sex Frank wanted to make love in the tent, but
his wife wanted a hotel room.
make my blood boil make very angry Donald makes my blood boil when he talks.

make the cut chosen to be part of a group I don't think I made the cut. Other people
will probably get hired instead.
make up for lost time to catch up with something after Let's make up for lost time and hang out
disregarding it for a long time all week.
method to my having a purpose despite some I know my desk is a mess, but there is a
madness disorganization method to my madness. It makes
everything easier to access.
monkey see, monkey silly people copy each other Monkey see, monkey do. Your brother
do spilt ketchup on his shirt too.
more than one way to more than one way to succeed There's more than one way to skin a cat.
skin a cat Let's quit our jobs and start a business by
the beach!
my cup of tea something enjoyable Musicals aren't my cup of tea. I prefer
regular movies.
neck and neck very close The race cars were neck and neck until
the end.
neck of the woods nearby location The restaurant is in my neck of the woods.

nest egg saved money She has a huge nest egg, so she doesn't
have to work anymore.
nice lettuce nice hair Donald used to have really nice lettuce
when he was younger, but now he is bald.

no love lost mutual dislike There is no love lost between Donald and
Hillary.
no room to swing a cat very small place There's no room to swing a cat in this
apartment. I can almost touch the two
walls with both hands.
no sweat no problem Sara said it would be no sweat to finish the
assignment on time.
not have a cat's no chance whatsoever You don't have a cat's chance in hell of
chance in hell marrying her.
not playing with a full lower mental ability George isn't playing with a full deck. He
deck forgot to wear his socks.
not up to par not good enough If you're not up to par by the end of the
month, you're fired.
off one's rocker crazy Janet is licking food off the floor. She must
be off her rocker.
off the cuff improvised The groom made did wedding speech off
the cuff.
off the hook escape obligation The boss let him off the hook and said he
didn't have to work today.
old hand experienced person Peter is an old hand when analyzing the
stock market.
on a silver platter whole-heatedly or easily He was offered the new job on a silver
platter, but he didn't take it.
on cloud nine very happy Elizabeth was on cloud nine when she put
on the diamond ring.
on my watch during my time on duty I told the workers that they couldn't sleep
on my watch. They can sleep when they
get home.
on the ball ready and able I'm on the ball today. I finished everything
before lunch.
on the can sitting on the toilet My uncle always looks sings songs on the
can.
on the mend restore or recover Their relationship is now on the mend after
going to counseling.
on the rocks (1) with ice Could I have a whisky on the rocks?
on the rocks (2) a romantic relationship near the end Their relationship is on the rocks. They'll
probably break up soon.
once in a blue moon rarely The truck driver visits his kids once in a
blue moon.
out in left field strange or unconventional His response was so way out in left field
that everyone couldn't stop laughing.
out of my league not as good as someone else She's way out of my league. There's no
way she'll go out with me.
out of the blue suddenly Her ex-boyfriend called her out of the blue
during her honeymoon.
out of the woods clear of a dangerous situation The Lakers aren't out of the woods yet.
They still have to play one more quarter.
out to lunch crazy or distracted or confused That guy is so out to lunch. He is difficult
to get business done with.
over my dead body to do anything to prevent something from My son wanted to get a face tattoo, but I
happening told him over my dead body.
over the hill old age My boss is over the hill, but he still doesn't
want to retire.
over the moon delighted She was over the moon when he put the
ring on her finger.
paint the town red have fun It's finally the weekend! Let's paint the
town red!
pat on the back give recognition You deserve a pat on the back for fixing
the furnace.
pay a king's ransom pay a lot of money The team had to pay a king's ransom for
the superstar.
penny pincher a frugal person Victor is such a penny pincher. He never
buys anything for anyone.
piece of cake very easy The final exam was a piece of cake.
pig out eat a lot Last night, I pigged out on a bag of potato
chips.
piss in my cornflakes to annoy out of spite She always pisses in my cornflakes
because of what I did to her last year.
pitch black very dark You should always sleep in a room that is
pitch black.
play second fiddle play a secondary role The new intern always plays second fiddle
to his colleagues.
play something by ear let things occur without a rigid plan Let's play it by ear and see what happens
tonight.
plenty of other fish in there are many other available partners Don't worry. You'll find another girl. There
the sea are plenty of other fish in the sea.
pop the question ask someone to get married He popped her the big question during
their vacation.
pot calling the kettle to hypocritically criticize Donald says the news is fake but that's
black like the pot calling the kettle black.
pour money down the waste money Betting on an injured horse is like pouring
drain money down the drain.
preach to the choir attempt to convince someone about an You're preaching to the choir when you
issue that they already support say that sugar is bad for your health.
pressed for time having limited time available The doctor was really pressed for time, so
he misdiagnosed the illness.
pull up your socks try hard Good job. You pulled your socks up,
studied all day, and aced the test.
pull your leg tease or joke around I'm just pulling your leg. Don't take it too
seriously.
pull yourself together calm down You need to pull yourself together and
stop screaming at me in public.
puppy dog eyes innocent facial expression His daughter showed him puppy dog eyes
after dropping his ice cream cone.
puppy love teenager romantic love It was just puppy love during high school
but they broke up in university.
pushing up daisies die You'll be pushing up daisies if you don't
quit smoking.
put a sock in it stop talking Put a sock in it and listen to the teacher!
put all of the eggs in rely on one thing He dedicated all of his time to baseball. If
one basket he puts all of his eggs in one basket, he
may not have an alternative career to rely
on.
put in my two cents give my opinion Can I put in my two cents? I have
something important to say.
put on ice postpone Let's put this problem on ice and get back
to it tomorrow.
put the cat among an action that causes problems You really put the cat among pigeons
pigeons when you brought up those bill payments
again.
put your money where stop talking and start acting upon You should put your money where your
your mouth is something mouth is and start your new business idea.

put your thinking cap concentrate You put your thinking cap on and created
on a brilliant ad for the new product.

put yourself in my sympathize Put yourself in the my shoes, then you will
shoes understand why I did it.
question of time an inevitability or eventuality It's only a question of time until all cars
drive themselves.
rags to riches going from being poor to wealthy Jake went from rags to riches after he won
the lottery.
rain on someone infringe on someone's happiness Stop raining on my parade whenever you
else's parade get miserable.
raining cats and dogs raining heavily It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your
umbrella.
raining cats and dogs raining heavily It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your
umbrella.
raise a white flag surrender I decided to raise a white flag and stop
arguing with my wife.
rat race competitive struggle I escaped the rat race in the office and
moved to Hawaii.
ray of hope a slight chance that something positive She still had a ray of hope that she would
will occur get into medical school.
red herring something that draws attention away The President's gambling addiction was
from an important topic just a red herring for the pipeline problems.

red tape rules which hinder progress There is a lot of red tape involved with
starting a business.
red-letter day an important day My graduation was a red-letter day for my
parents.
ride my coattails do nothing and let others do all the work She has been riding my coattails all year
and I don't get any credit for my effort.

right as rain feeling very well or fit After a walk through the park, I feel as
right as rain. My mind feels clear.
ring a bell cause recollection or something That song rings a bell, but I still can't
remember the singer's name.
rise and shine wake up or get out of bed Rise and shine! Breakfast is ready!
rock hound a geologist The gold miner is such a rock hound. He
is going to be very wealthy.
roll out the red carpet greet someone with great respect They rolled out the red carpet during the
President's inauguration.
roll up your sleeves work hard You rolled up your sleeves and got the job
done.
rub the wrong way annoy That guy really rubs me the wrong way. I
can't stand being around him.
rule of thumb general rule As a rule of thumb, you should get 8 hours
of sleep per night.
run a tight ship be strict The director runs a tight ship. He never
lets his employees leave early.
run with the big dogs compete with the top performers It's time to run with the big dogs when you
play in the Premier League.
save for a rainy day save money in case something You should save for a rainy day. You could
unfortunate happens get injured or become unemployed.

scaredy-cat someone who is always scared Are you really afraid of the dark? You're
such a scaredy-cat!
screw the pooch fail Carl really screwed the pooch on the
exam. He's the only one who failed.
see a man about his go to the bathroom I left the dinner table to see a man about
dog his dog.
see eye to eye agree My wife and eye don't see eye to eye.
We're getting a divorce.
see red to be enraged Bobby saw red when his brother broke his
phone.
serve time spend time in prison Chuck served time in prison so it is difficult
for him to get hired.
settle a score get even It's time to settle the score. I'm sick of
losing against these guys.
shake it off recover Don't worry about the poor test result.
Shake it off and try again.
ship has sailed a lost opportunity Jack was thinking of marrying Jane but
that ship has sailed. She married Zack
instead.
shoot the breeze chitchat Let's grab lunch and shoot the breeze.
shooting fish in a barrel easy or not challenging For my brilliant little brother, setting up the
Wifi connection is like shooting fish in a
barrel.
shot in the dark guess It was a shot in the dark, but her answer
was correct.
sick as a dog very sick I was sick as a dog on Monday, so I
couldn't go to work.
silver screen the movie industry Angelina always wanted to star on the
silver screen.
simmer down calm down The kids have been screaming all day. Tell
them to simmer down.
six of one and half a equivalent alternatives The bus and subway arrive at the same
dozen of the other time. It's six of one and half a dozen of the
other.
skate on thin ice do something risky He was skating on thin ice when he
insulted the boss.
sleep with the fishes die Before pulling the trigger, he told the
gangster to sleep with the fishes.
smart cookie an intelligent person George is one smart cookie. He got 100
percent on all his tests.
smell a rat suspect deception I smell rat. I know I left my wallet on my
desk, but it's gone.
snowed under having too much work to do I'm really snowed under now. Can I do the
report tomorrow?
so and so refering to someone's name I was talking to so and so yesterday and
she said the concert was amazing.
spice things up make more exciting Sara spiced up her room by hanging
paintings on the walls.
spill the beans reveal a secret Who spilt the beans about my brother's
surprise birthday party?
start the ball rolling start something Let's get the ball rolling and start with
some ice breakers.
steal someone's to take credit for someone else's Some companies steal another's thunder
thunder achievement and ignore copyright laws.
step up to the plate take responsibility Yuna is going to step up to the plate and
admit that her team's decision was wrong.

stick your neck out help someone despite possible You should stick your neck out for your
consequences for oneself teammate.
stick-in-the-mud a dull or unadventurous person Jerry is such stick-in-the-mud. He never
wants to go out with his friends.
storm in a teacup make a small problem bigger than it is Don't make a storm in a teacup. We can
go to another restaurant that doesn't
require reservations.
storm is brewing an indication that something bad could A feel like a storm is brewing and the
occur stock market is about to crash.
straight from the directly from the source The boss said we're bankrupt. The news
horse's mouth came straight from the horse's mouth.
sweet tooth love sweet things Suzie has a sweet tooth. She always eats
ice cream after dinner.
take a raincheck reschedule at another time Can I take a raincheck? I don't have time
to hang out tonight.
take my hat off to honor someone I take my hat off to Frank. He was the best
someone singer of the century.
take no prisoners ruthlessly agressive To be successful in business, you need to
take no prisoners and beat the competition.

take the bull by the be brave and face a challenge If you want to be rich, take the bull by the
horns horns and work harder.
take the cake especially good or outstanding His slapshot definitely takes the cake. It's
the best in the league!
take the wind out of to feel deflated You really took the wind out of my sails
my sails when you laughed at my new invention.
take with a grain of salt don't believe it is completely accurate I always take whatever I read in the news
with a grain of salt.
talk a blue streak talk a lot Women who are close friends can talk a
blue streak on the phone.
the big time a situation involving fame or success The actress was ready for the big time
when she was nominated for the award.
the birds and the bees sex education I remember learning about the birds and
the bees in middle school.
the cat's pyjamas the best person or thing She's the cat's pyjamas. Everyone loves to
watch her perform on the stage.
the cat's whiskers the best person or thing Do you think you're really the cat's
whiskers? Anybody can parallel park with
car sensors now.
the eleventh hour last chance to do something Just before the deadline, the student
submitted the assignment at the eleventh
hour.
the home stretch near the end We're on the home stretch now. We'll be
there in a few minutes.
the lion's share the majority She was upset because her sister got the
lion's share of the inheritance.
the tip of the iceberg a small part of a bigger problem The tax evasion was just the tip of the
iceberg. The company has committed
countless other crimes.
the whole nine yards everything We covered the whole nine yards in the
meeting. There's nothing left to do.
thick in the head stupid or foolish Tommy is so thick in the head. He keeps
licking the wall.
third time's a charm the third time is usually successful I tried unlocking the door twice already. I
hope the third time's a charm.
three dog night very cold Looks like it's going to be a three dog
night. It's going to minus 40 degrees.
through thick and thin in good and bad times He loved his wife through thick and thin.
throw caution to the to let go of all responsibilities and have Let's throw caution to the wind, quit our
wind fun jobs, and go on vacation!
throw in the towel give up Rocky never threw in the towel during his
fighting career.
throw it in her have sex with her You should throw it in her. I think she
really wants you.
throw the baby out removing something good while trying to Keep writing your novel. Don't throw the
with the bath water remove something bad baby out with the bathwater. Most of what
you have written is great.
throw to the dogs allow someone to be attacked Why did you throw me to the dogs
yesterday? I couldn't defend myself.
throw under the bus sacrifice someone as a scapegoat The player threw the goaltender under the
bus saying he was the reason they lost the
game.
tick for tack retaliation The team lost the first game, but won the
second. Tick for tack.
tie the knot get married Are you ever going to tie the knot? You
aren't getting any younger.
time flies time goes very fast Our vacation is over already? Time flies!
time is money time is valuable We can't wait here all day. Time is money!

time of your life an enjoyable time of your life Did you have the time of your life when
you were a teenager?
time to run time to leave It's time to run. I need to go an pick up my
kids from school.
time will tell the outcome will soon be known Only time will tell what happens to the
human race.
to be off base not making a fair statement Mandy was off base when she said that I
needed a hair transplant to get the acting
role.
to fancy someone to think someone is very attractive Do you fancy Molly? She likes you too.
tongue in cheek not meaning what one is saying When I said to fly to Hawaii, I was
speaking tongue in cheek. I didn't actually
think you would book a ticket!
top of the world extremely happy He was on top of the world before the
Titanic sunk.
true colors actual character or personality I saw her true colors when she donated to
the local charity.
two-time cheat or betray His girlfriend was two-timing him by
sleeping with the plumber.
under my thumb under my control Mick said the girl was under his thumb.
She was the sweetest pet in the world.
under the table concealed or by secret We should keep this under the table until
we know it's safe to tell everyone.
under the weather feel sick Sorry, I can't come to work today. I'm
feeling a bit under the weather.
until the cows come for a long time She can watch Netflix until the cows come
home home.
up the creek in trouble If I don't wash the dishes tonight, I'll be up
the creek. Mom said to wash them two
days ago.
wag the dog distract attention from The politician wags the dog to prevent
people from discovering his scandal.
walk out on someone to end a relationship My girlfriend walked out on me, so I drank
a bottle of vodka.
wash my hands of stop dealing with a problem I'm washing my hands of his troubled past
something and moving on with life.
water off a duck's back a harmful remark that has no effect on She insulted me but I didn't care. It was
someone like water off a duck's back.
water under the bridge a past problem that no longer affects the He cheated on her 10 years ago, but that
present is water under the bridge now.
wear the pants be in charge She wears the pants in the family. Her
husband stays home and sleeps all day.
wear your heart on show emotions openly You always wear heart on your sleeve and
your sleeve give annual donations to charity.
when it rains, it pours many misfortunes often occur all at once Last week, my dog died and I broke my
leg. When it rains, it pours.
while the cat's away, people will misbehave when there is no They never do any work when the boss is
the mice will play authority figure out of the office. While the cat's away, the
mice will play!
whisper sweet to say romantic things to someone Sue likes it when I whisper sweet nothings
nothings in her ear in bed.
white collar office labor Most white-collar workers don't get much
sunshine.
white elephant useless possession My old DVD player is a white elephant. I
only watch Netflix now.
white lie a harmless lie She told her boss a white lie when she
said she had a doctor's appointment.
white-collar office labor Most white-collar workers don't get much
sunshine.
wild goose chase lengthy undertaking that accomplishes Making the playoffs is now a wild goose
little chase. The team should focus on player
development.
win hands down easy victory The team one hands down because their
opponents had three red cards.
work like a dog work very hard My boss has me working like a dog.
yellow-bellied cowardly Don't be so yellow-bellied. It's only a small
spider!
you bet absolutely or "of course"
you can say that again that is definitely true
zero-sum game either win or lose
Something that appears bad at first but
a blessing in disguise
ends up having good results
a sandwich short of a A humorous way of saying someone is
picnic stupid or is a bit mad
a stone’s throw Something is very close or near
What you do is more important than
actions speak louder
what you say; someone’s words may
than words
not be trustworthy
When someone does something to
add fuel to the fire
make a bad situation worse
add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse
To be eagerly waiting to hear about
all ears
something
To be at a point in your life when you
at a crossroads
need to make an important decision
barking up the wrong To be wrong or misguided about the
tree reason for something
To talk about unimportant things
beat about the bush because you’re avoiding a particular
topic
It’s better to do something late than not
better late than never
at all
between a rock and a To be in a difficult situation where both
hard place options are bad
bite off more than To do too much or take something on
one can chew that is too difficult
Marge told Bart to take out the trash. He
said, "Sure, mom. You bet!"
"This movie is so boring," she said. "You
can say that again," her friend replied with
a yawn.
In the playoffs, overtime is a zero-sum
game. Only one team can win.
Missing that plane turned out to be a
blessing in disguise because I got to spend
more time with my family.
He brought only shorts and t-shirts when
he went to Sweden in the winter – I think
he might be a sandwich short of a picnic!
Luckily the wedding is just a stone’s
throw from our hotel so we can walk
there.
Person A: “John keeps saying he wants to
take me out for dinner, but then he never
does!”
When Sarah started laughing during the
argument, it really added fuel to the fire!
As if breaking my arm isn’t bad
enough, to add insult to injury I have to
pay £1,000 in hospital fees as I didn’t
have travel insurance!
Person A: “I have to tell you about what
happened on our trip to Spain…”
I was at a crossroads when I was offered
a job in the US, but my boyfriend wanted
to stay in London.
He thinks the company’s problems can be
solved just by firing the sales team, but
he’s barking up the wrong tree.
Stop beating about the bush! Are you
planning to quit university, or not?
Person A: “Sorry I missed your birthday!
There’s a card in the post.”
Person A: “If I go to the wedding mum
will be upset, but if I don’t go then I’ll be
letting down the rest of the family!”
Person A: “I’m going to start that
weekend job at the museum on top of my
full-time job because I really need the
money.”
 You’re going to have to bite the
To decide to do something that is
bite the bullet bullet and tell your ex-(girlfriend) that you
difficult or unpleasant, but necessary
need the apartment back.
To do something that helps you get rid After my meeting with the boss, I went
blow off steam
of stress, energy or anger for a run to blow off steam.
To make the salad dressing, you just put
To say that a set of instructions or task oil, vinegar, honey and mustard into a
bob’s your uncle
is simple or easy bowl, mix them together and bob’s your
uncle!
Despite the excellent reviews, we
Something that is very ordinary or basic,
bog-standard thought the restaurant was just bog-
nothing special
standard.
The original builders did such a bodge
Work that has been done badly, in a
botch/bodge job job of our kitchen that we had to get it
clumsy, lazy way
completely redone.
An informal way of asking someone to Could you budge up a bit so I can sit
budge up
move to make room for you down?
Strongly-brewed English breakfast tea
builder’s tea I’ll have a builder’s tea, please.
with milk
Martin just buries his head in the
ury one’s head in the To refuse to think about or confront
sand when it comes to his financial
sand serious issues or situations
problems.