250

Easy money--

To bet one's bottom dollar.--

Money.
Easy money. Easy money
Easy money Easy money
easy money

-1: I heard about this house the owner had to sell in a hurry, so I got it at a very
cheap price. A week later I sold it for a 20,000 dollar profit. Talk about your easy
money!

******

2: I know you all want to be successful in the future. But the best way to do that
is to get a good education. If I were you, I'd study hard and not spend a lot of time in
figuring out how to make easy money.

******
Money
Dollar. Dollar
dollar To bet one's bottom dollar. To bet One's
bottom dollar

3: You know, Senator Clark keeps telling the press that he won't run for
president in 1996. But I'd bet my bottom dollar that two years from now he'll
announce he's a candidate.
1996

******

4: Our company was to deliver the ordered products to our clients before four in
the afternoon. However, Larry forgot the whole thing and the client was mad as a wet
hen. But I bet my bottom dollar that Larry will blame somebody else for his mistake.

 251
smart money--
mad money--

money

Smart money. Smart

smart
money smart smart money
Smart money
smart money

-1: Do you think the economy is heading up or down? The smart

money seems to think that business will get better so maybe it's time
to put some money into the stock market.

******

2: In the past, interest from my bank account was a good source

of income to have after I retire. But interest rates are so low these
days that I have to let those smart money people who handle mutual
funds take care of my money.

******

Mad
money. Mad mad
mad money

mad money Mad money

3: The other day we ran out of gas sixty miles from home. I had
forgotten my wallet. But we were lucky - my wife remembered she had
her mad money, so we were able to buy gas to get back home.

******

4: Last Saturday, my daughter was invited to a dinner party and

planned to buy a cake on her way. In the bakery, she found out that
she'd forgotten her purse. Fortunately, she had her mad money in her
pocket to pay for the cake, so it turned out all right.

 252
sweet talk--
A snow job--

Sweet talk. Sweet talk Sweet talk sweet

Sweet talk
Sweet talk
sweet talk
-1: You know, I think my youngest daughter was born with honey in her mouth!
She can sweet-talk me into doing just about anything she wants me to do.

was born with honey in her mouth

******

sweet talk
2: Alex has been working for me over a year. He never misses a chance to say
what he thinks I want to hear. He hopes I'll assign him nice jobs and eventually
promote him. But I don't buy that kind of sweet talk so I guess he'll be disappointed.

******
sweet talk
Snow job. Snow job
A snow job
A snow job
5

3: I've got to give the teacher a snow job to get her to give me another week. Do
you think she'd believe me if I tell her I really wrote the paper, but the dog got it and
ate it?

******
Snow job sweet talk
a snow job snow job

4: That girl didn't show up for the interview. She said she felt so dizzy on her
way that she could not drive anymore and there was no telephone around. But I have
this uneasy feeling she's giving me a snow job.

 253
A fine kettle of fish--
To have other fish to fry--

Fish. Fish
fish
A fine kettle of fish. Fine kettle A fine kettle of
fish

a kettle of fish

-1: There I was, stuck on a lonely road 50 miles from home, after I was stupid
enough to lock myself out of my car. It was dark and not a house in sight. A fine kettle
of fish, I tell you!

******

2: He left a fine kettle of fish behind. We couldn't find out what our money had
7

been spent for; we couldnt tell which members had paid their dues, and the rent
wasn't paid. What a mess!

******
To have other fish to fry. fry

3: Hey, Joseph, you know I'd sure like to help you raise money for the Red
Cross. But I have other fish to fry - I'm chairman of the committee to raise money to
fix the roof on my church.

******

4: Honey, they want me to run for Congress, but I said no. I have other fish to
fry - I need all my time for my business so I can retire when I reach 50 and we can
move to Hawaii.

 254
to butter up someone--

A nitpicker--

To butter up someone.
Butter to
butter up someone butter To butter up
someone to butter up someone

To butter up someone

-1: Harry is working hard to butter up the boss to get that promotion. The funny
thing is if he worked as hard at his job as he does at buttering up people, he'd have a
better chance to get what he's after.

******

2: I believe some people are simply born with the talent of buttering up people.
Don't you think I haven't tried. I did, but I felt so awkward about flattering people. So
I've given up a long time ago.


******

Nitpicker. Nitpicker Nit picker

A nitpicker
Nitpicker

3: I hate to sound like a nitpicker, but I found a comma missing in your third
paragraph and another comma missing down in the tenth paragraph. Let's try to be
more careful from now on.

******

4: My baby sister Carol said that most of her classmates like her taste and
compliment her every time she wears a new dress. The nitpicker who criticizes her is
her best friend Laura. My sister thinks that Laura is simply jealous of her.

10

 256
To go up in smoke--

smoke screen--

smoke To go up
in smoke. smoke To go up in smoke

-1: This big oil company thought there might be a lot of oil in the ground under
our farm. They drilled three wells but got nothing out of them buy dirt. So all our
dreams of being millionaires went up in smoke.

oil Oil oil

oil
well
well well
******

2: I was all set to go to medical school next September. But dad's company
suddenly went bankrupt and it's too late to apply for a student loan. I'm afraid my
dream of being a doctor has just gone up in smoke.

******
smoke Smoke screen. Screen
smoke screen Smoke
11

screen

smoke screen

3: That man talks about how glad he was to retire at age forty-five and enjoy
himself. But it's just a smoke screen to hide the fact he got fired from his job and can't
find another.

******

4: Sam's been telling everybody his wife is having an affair. But we think this is
nothing but a smoke screen for his plan to divorce her for a younger woman and save
paying her a lot of alimony.

12

 257
On top of the world--
Off the top of one's head--
top

On
top of the world. On top of the world

-1: Who would imagine somebody like Lee could even graduate from college confined to a wheel chair! Now he's going to America all by himself. Nobody could
feel more on top of the world right now!

wheel-chairWheel-chair Wheel
chair wheel-chair
******

2: I really admire Alice. Thirty years of hard work raising kids. Her youngest
son just got married and all her children are doing well. She tells me she's on top of
the world now for the first time in her life.

******
top Off the top of one's head.
Head Off the top of one's head
off
the top of one's head
13


3: Sorry, I can't give you the exact figure off the top of my head. But I guess the
percentage of working women in the American labor force right now is about, oh say,
47%.

......

******

4: You know, I didn't study for this English quiz. So when the teacher called my
name, I was frozen. Then standing up to recite the poem, I found myself doing it off
the top of my head! Can you believe that?

14

 258
handed something on a silver platter--

to go over like a lead balloon--

silver
lead
To be handed something on a silver platter. To be handed
something on a silver
platter To be handed something on a silver platter

-1: Joe got handed his job here on a silver platter because he's the president's son.
But I don't know how long he can last because he simply is not qualified to handle it
and is already in a lot of trouble.

***

2: Everybody in the office thought Jack had more chances than I did to get the
promotion. But at the last minute he found a better paying job and left our company.
So I got handed the promotion on a silver platter. Isn't it wonderful!

***

15

To go over like a lead balloon. Lead balloon

to go over like a lead balloon

to go over like a lead balloon

to
go over like a lead balloon

3: When I gave my speech to the club, I started off with a joke to get the
audience in a good mood. But my joke went over like a lead balloon - nobody even
cracked a smile. And it almost ruined the rest of the speech for me.

***

4: I told my kids if they stop watching TV for a week before their final exams,
I'll take them to the zoo to see the pandas the first week of their summer vacation. But
my suggestion went over like a lead balloon.

16

 259
Pinhead--
On pins and needles--

pinPin
pin
Clothespins, hairpins, rolling pins. Clothespins
hairpins rolling pins
pin
Pinhead. Pinhead pin
head Head Pinhead
pinhead

-1Jack is one of the best-looking men in the office. Too bad he's such a
pinhead. If you talk to him for two minutes, you realize he doesn't have a brain in his
head.

2We have to admit Mark is really a pinhead. But I respect him because he
works so hard. The problem is that some of our workers like to make fun of him. No
wonder he lacks self esteem. It's a darn shame!

!
guy
is a nice guy

17

On pins and needles. Pin

needle
on pins and needles

3Did you notice that young man pacing back and forth in the waiting room
like a caged tiger? He was certainly on pins and needles - I'll bet this is the first time
his wife has ever had a baby.

4When the jury foreman started to read the verdict, the boxer's face was white
as a sheet. He tried to look calm and confident but everybody in the courtroom knew
he was on pins and needles.
jury foreman

Jury Foreman

18

 260
To cook up--

Smart cookies--
tough cookie--

cook Cook
cook cook
cook
to cook upTo cook up

-1: Oh, no! It's after seven o'clock and I promised Susan I'd meet her in front of
her office right at six. I better cook up a good story or I'll be in big trouble.

***

2: I could see my dad was really angry when I got home yesterday. I cooked up a
story about taking a sick classmate to the hospital. But my dad asked for his name and
telephone number. So I had to tell the truth. I'm now grounded for a week.
to be grounded
grounded

19

***
cook
i e cookieCookie
cookie
cookie
cookie
cookie
Smart cookies and tough cookies. Smart cookies tough cookies
Smart smart cookie
smart cookie
3: When my sister was only ten years old I saw what a smart cookie she was
going to be. And I was right; she's in Harvard medical school and she gets the highest
grades in her class.

***
tough cookie tough Tough

tough cookies

4: Our boss is sure one tough cookie. If you don't work hard, he'll fire you from
your job in a minute. The good thing is that he's fair-minded; do good work and he'll
pay you top wages.

20

 261
Fly-by-night--
Off the cuff--

Fly-by-night. Fly-by-night

fly by by night
fly night fly-by-night
fly-by-night
fly-by-night

-1: This new auto dealer opened up with promises to sell cars cheaper than
anybody else. But his business turned out to be fly-by-night: he collected people's
deposits on new cars and then disappeared with everybody's money.

******

2: They told me I could take a four-city trip for only three hundred dollars,
including hotels and meals. But after I sent my deposit of $150, I never heard from
them any more and I have no way to contact them. Clearly, it was a fly-by-night
21

organization.

******
Off the cuff. Cuff Off the cuff

off the cuff

3: You want to know how many people work for our agency? Off the cuff, I'd
say about two thousand. But I'll have to look up the exact number and get back to you
later.

******

4: If you want to borrow 80% of the total amount, with the interest rate at 7.5%,
off the cuff, you probably will have to pay a little over fifteen hundred dollars a
month. But I've got to do a detailed calculation before I can give you an exact number.

22

 262
gold mine--
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth--

Gold mine. Gold mine

gold mine Gold
gold
Gold mine

gold rush
a gold mine

-1: If you are famous enough, giving public lectures in America can be a real
gold mine. Why, when Mister Gorbachev visited Virginia, he made $125,000 in
speaking fees in four days.

******

2: I've been in this stock business all my life. To some, it seems to be a gold
mine, but I know how dangerous it can be. If you know nothing about stocks or you
don't have a good stock broker, you could easily lose your money.

23

******
Silver.

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth

3: I'll tell you the good thing about our boss. He was born with a silver spoon in
his mouth and doesn't have to work at all. But he really works harder than anybody in
the office.

******

4: My cousin Thomas was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's now forty
years old and has never worked a single day in his life. Sometimes I envy him very
much. But in fact if I didn't work I would be very miserable.

24

 263
Steamroller--
Under one's own steam--

Steam.
Steam . 1769

steam
Steamroller
steam roller Steam roller
steamroller
steamroller

-1: Sometimes one political party or the other wins the White House and
a big majority in both houses of Congress. Then it becomes a steamroller
that flattens the opposition until the next election.

******
steamroller steamroller

25

 2: The basketball team of Roosevelt High School has several strong and
good athletes. But our team is made of students who are basically new to good
athletes. So, last night the Roosevelt team steamrolled us 38 to 0. I can tell you, that's
not fun!

38 0

******
steam Under one's own
steam.steam under your own steam

steam

3: Thanks for offering me a ride. I appreciate it, but I drove my own car to the
office today, so I'll get to the party under my own steam. see you later!

26

 264
Goody two shoes--
to fill the shoes--

Shoe. Shoe shoe s
shoes shoe
Goody two shoes. Goody good ygoody
good Goody Two shoes
goody two shoes
Goody two shoes

Karen
1: I wonder how we can help Karen loosen up and be a little more tolerant of
common human flaws. She's such a goody two shoes that all the men I know are
afraid to ask her out on a date.

goody two shoes

goody two shoes "a"
That person is a goody two shoes
****** ******

27

 2: It's true Eleanor isn't dating anybody steady right now. But don't get the idea
she's a goody two shoes. She's not only smart and attractive - she's also a real fun
person to be around.

****** ******

To fill the shoes.

to fill the shoes

3: Are you sure you're ready to fill John's first wife's shoes? Remember, she was
a full-time wife and mother. But you're a full-time career woman with no experience
taking care of kids.

****** ******
to fill the shoes

4: Nobody else wants to work as hard as Helen did without a lot higher salary.
That's why the boss is having a tough time finding anybody to fill Helen's shoes for
the same money.

28

 265
To go full steam ahead--
To blow off steam--
steam To
go full steam ahead. Full steam ahead To go
full steam ahead
to go full steam ahead
to go full steam ahead

to go full steam ahead

-1: White House sources tell us that President Clinton has told his
staff to go full steam ahead to draft a new health care bill to send to
Congress before the end of the month.

******

-2: I assigned the team two weeks ago to study the problem and find a
solution. But I was told nothing has been done so far. So I called the
team leader in today and told him to go full steam ahead and send me a
report by the end of the week.



******
steam To blow off
steam. To blow :To blow
29

off steam

to blow off steam

-3: I'm sorry I yelled at you people. What happened wasn't your fault I know that. But things have gone wrong all day, and I had to blow off
steam at somebody!

******


-4: Jack, I know you have a lot of troubles in your office. But you
can't always blow steam off at your wife and kids if you want to maintain
your marriage. If you go on like this, one day your family will be ruined.

30

 266
to lower the boom--
throw away the key--

To lower the boom. To lower

boom

to lower the boom

-1: The new chief of police announced today that he was going to lower the
boom on drug peddlers by putting a lot more officers in neighborhoods where the
situation is worst.

****** ******

2: I was robbed in broad daylight last year. The police caught the guy but set him
free after six weeks. I don't understand this, why can't they lower the boom on these
criminals so that they will think twice before they do something bad.

31

****** ******

To throw
away the key. To throw away key

throw away the key

to throw away the key

3: You remember that man who shot three people when he held up a bank? The
judge locked him up and threw away the key: she sentenced him to life in prison with
no chance of parole.

****** ******

4: I don't think to throw away the key is the answer to the ever increasing rate of
criminal cases. We must impose death sentences on those murderers who kill people
without even blinking an eye? Only that may stop them killing so freely.

32

 267
a slap on the wrist.--
A
slap on the wrist. Slap a slap on the face Wrist
A slap on the wrist on the wrist

a slap on the wrist

-1: I hoped the judge would send this guy to jail. But all he gave him
was a slap on the wrist - he fined him two hundred dollars and suspended his driver's
license for 30 days.

****** ******
A slap on the wrist

2: Last time when I had a minor mistake in a report, Mr. Johnson gave me
a severe warning and even threatened to fire me. Now, Lisa has made a really serious
blunder, but I'm sure he'll give her a slap on the wrist.

33


269
Wild and woolly--
Dyed in the wool--

Wool. Wool
wool

Wild and woolly.

Wild and woolly Woolly
wool wool l y woollyWoolly

-1: The young people next door had a wild and woolly party last
night! Loud music and people yelling at the top of their voices - I
couldn't get to sleep until four in the morning.

******

2: Most of our interns keep quiet and try very hard to learn.
But, Jack and Bill get wild and woolly when they have free time;
yelling and laughing disturbing everybody around. Maybe we ought to
let them go.

34

******
wool Dyed in the wool. Dyed

dyed in the
wool

3: Bill Jones is a dyed in the wool Republican and his wife

Betty is a dyed in the wool Democrat. They argue about politics all
the time but you know something - they get along better than any
other couple I know.
.

******

4: Mary is a dyed in the wool liberal. She believes Washington

should spend more money on the poor. But John is firmly against our
welfare system. He says it encourages the poor to rely on the
government and not work.

35

 270
To walk down the aisle--
To walk the plank.--
walk Walk
To
walk down the aisle. To walk down aisle
,

to walk down
the aisle

-1: Do you remember how the royal couple walked down the aisle in
Westminster Cathedral over ten years ago? I hoped they'd be happy
forever after and I'm sorry to see them splitting up.

Westminster Cathedral

******

2: My sister says she won't walk down the aisle with the first
man who asks her. What she wants is to establish a career and have
some financial independence like so many women these days.

36

******

To walk the plank. Plank

to walk the plank

to walk the plank

to
walk the plank

3: When a new man goes to the White House, all the top officials
appointed by the old administration have to be ready to walk the
plank to make room for the new president to appoint his own people.

******

4: When you take over the store, think twice about making the
manager walk the plank. It may not be easy to find another one as
honest and efficient as he is.

37

 271
To eat one's words--
From the word go--

word word

To eat one's words. words

To eat one's words To eat one's words

to eat one's words

-1: Michael, I'm really embarrassed that I have to eat my own

words. The money I expected to receive last week didn't arrive. But
I'm sure it's in the mail so l can pay you back before Saturday.

*****

2: When we got married my younger brother predicted it would

never last, that we weren't the right type for each other. But he's
certainly had to eat his words and admit he was wrong.

38

to eat one's words

*****

word From the word go. From the

word go

Take your marks Get setGo

Go

3: The first time we met I knew this was the only one I wanted
to marry. Yes, sir, it was love from the word go. And, you know,
we've been happy together almost fifty years.

*****

4: When Mary and I met, I was dazzled. But I learned right away
we had nothing in common. I knew from the word go it wouldn't work no
matter how beautiful she was.

39

 273
One-liner--
Punch line

.
One-liner. One
liner line
One-liner line r
one-liner
one-liner

-1: Some important politicians and businessmen keep a man on

their staff just to write one-liners for them. They like to have a
few one-liners handy any time they have to make a speech.

,
****

40

 2: Debby, thank you so much for the book on American humor you
gave me. I checked the book on my flight to Boston and found two
perfect one-liners for my speech. And they really warmed up the crowd
for what I had to say.

****

Punch line. Punch

Line Punch line

punch line punch

A punch line

3: I wish somebody would tell Joe that he shouldnt try to tell

those long jokes. They're so long that half the time he forgets the
punch line and people just don't laugh.

****
punch line
4: I don't know how to tell my son Jack he simply has no talent
as a comedian. For one thing he always laughs at his own joke before
he gets to the punch line. Which means nobody laughs at the end of
the job.

41

 274
play fast and loose--

hard and fast--

fast Fast
fast
To play fast and loose. to play
fast loose
play fast and loose
To play
fast and loose
to play fast
and loose
-1: I feel sorry for Mary - Jim has been playing fast and loose
with her affections too long. Why doesn't she make up her mind once
and for all, and just get rid of the man?

******
To play fast and loose

2: Gary played fast and loose with his brother's high office,
raking in bribes from people who wanted favors from the government.
It's a good thing the FBI finally caught him!

42

******
fast Hard and
Fast. Hard and fast
Hard and fast

fast

Fast friend fast friend

hard and fast

3: At our house there's a hard and fast rule against us kids

hanging out downtown late at night. We all have to be home by ten
o'clock. And no exceptions, either!

******

4: That country now has a hard and fast rule against a teacher
taking money to raise a student's grade. It's not only dishonest but
it's unfair to all the other students in the class.

43

 275
Sitting pretty--
to sit tight--
sit
Sitting pretty. sit
Sitting to sit pretty
sitting pretty
Sitting pretty

"I'm sitting
pretty in a pretty little city."
Sitting pretty

sitting pretty
,

-1: Federal workers thought they were sitting pretty until the
White House announced its plans for reform. The plan calls for
cutting a quarter million jobs so now people are worried.

******

2: Mister Lee is really sitting pretty now - the other dry

cleaner down the block sold out to an oriental grocery store, which
means he now has no competition for two miles around.

44

******
To sit tight. Tight
To sit tight
,to sit tight

3: Now just sit tight and wait: Mary'll be here in a minute. I

can't wait to see her reaction when she sees you - she'll be so
surprised and happy she may cry.

******

..
.

4: Remember that scene when she had to sit tight in the attic
while German soldiers searched the house downstairs? I was holding my
breath hoping they wouldn'0t find her hiding place.

45

 276
to sit on one's hands--

to sit on the fence--

to sit on the fence
sit sit
sit

To sit on one's hands.

to sit on one's hands
to sit on one's hands To sit on one's
hands

sit on their hands - to sit on one's hands

-1: Man, that's sure a tough audience out there tonight! I

thought I sounded great but the audience really sat on their hands I tell you I never want to come back to this lousy place!

******
to sit on one's hands

46

 Emily

2: Emily loved the idea, but she sat on her hands for two weeks.
I finally realized we should have asked her to be the director. We
did, and now she's working harder for the club than anybody else.

to sit on her
hands,
******
sit To sit on the fence.
Fence to sit on the fence
to sit on the fence To sit on
the fence to sit on the
fence

to sit on the fence

to sit on the fence

3: Jack sat on the fence for weeks before he made up his mind to
go out for baseball instead of track. A good choice for the school:
he turns out to be the best player on the team.

******

47

 4: I've decided to vote for the man already in office. But Sally
is still sitting on the fence. Maybe she'll vote for the independent
candidate. We'll just have to wait and see.

48

 277
life in the fast lane--
Go nowhere fast--
fast
Life in the fast lane. fast
lane
fast lane

life in the fast lane

Tom life
in the fast lane
-1: Tom is a hotel manager. He works 60 hours a week, but he's
always flying to Hong Kong, Tokyo or New York and enjoys life in the
fast lane.
fast lane

******

Tom
Bill
life in the fast lane
2: Bill used to enjoy life in the fast lane in New York, but his
family didn't. Now he's happier living a quiet life in a small town
with his wife and two kids.
Bill

life in the fast lane

life on a fast tracktrack
49

3: It's a place where you can't slow down - a fast track.

******
Go nowhere fast nowhere
no where Go nowhere
fast

Go nowhere fast

4: I've been working on this problem all evening and I'm going
nowhere fast! Could you help me out, because I just don't know how to
do it.
go nowhere fast

******

Burden, Burden
family history family
history family history
go nowhere fast
5: Those people in the novel are going nowhere fast. They bear
burdens of their family history and are never able to solve any of
their problems.

50

51

 278
wing it--
take someone under your wing--

wing
wing
wing it
wing wing it

wing it wing

wing it

-1: I don't like my job. No matter how much time I spend on a

speech for my boss, he wings it instead of reading it the way I wrote
it.
Wing it

****

52

talk show, talk

show talk show Host
talk show host Interview Review

wing it
2: A good talk show host will interview a writer without reading
his books. He'll read some reviews so he can wing it when he talks to
the writer on his show.

****
wing take
someone under your wing, wing it
wing

missionary. Missionary Educate.

Educate
take someone under your wing
3: Foreign missionaries took her under their wing and gave her
food and clothes. But they also educated her to be a teacher for
women in her country.

take someone under your wing

53

 279
Start from scratch--
up to scratch--
scratch[]
scratch the surface--

scratch
scratch
scratch your skin with your fingernails
You scratch my back and I'll
scratch yours.
Scratch

scratch
Start from scratch

Kentucky Fried
Chicken start from scratch
-1: He started from scratch with a small chicken restaurant down
south. But he worked hard, had some luck and now Kentucky Fried
Chicken is sold around the world.

scratch start
from scratch

******

54

up to scratchUp to scratch
scratch
38
up to scratch

up to scratch

up to scratch
2: Sorry but that cloth you sent us isn't up to scratch. It's
too thin and the color is too dark. We can't use it so I'm shipping
it back.

up to scratch
******
scratch scratch
scratch

3: My wife and I are saving as much as we can - we are trying to

get enough scratch to buy a house.

******
scratch
scratch the surface. Surface
Scratch the surface
scratch the
surface

55

 4: We don't have much yet because we've just started to scratch

the surface. But we are putting more men on the job and we will dig
deeper into the facts.

scratch the surface

(

56

 280
raise the devil--
devil's advocate--

devil

raise the devil. Raise

raise the devil

raise the
devil
-1Ask Tom to come right now! I just found out he shipped the watches to New
York instead of Los Angeles. I'm going to raise the devil with him.
Tom Tom
Tom
raise the devil
raise the devil with
someone. with
******
raise the devil
raise the
devil tuition
parent
2We raised tuition ten percent last year. If we raise it again, our students and
their parents will raise the devil with us and some of them will go somewhere else
next year.

raise the devil

57


******
devil's advocate. Advocate

advocate devil's advocate

Devil's advocate

devil's advocate
devil's advocate

devil's advocate
3I'm in favor of moving too, but let me be the devil's advocate for a moment.
Let's take a look at how much money we might save by staying right here.
devil's advocate
devil's advocate

******

devil's advocate

4We all agree women should have equal rights to work. But I'll be devil's
advocate and ask, wasn't it better in the old days when women stayed home to cook,
clean house and have babies?

58

59

 281

There's going to be the devil to pay

give the devil his due--

devil devil

There's going
to be the devil to pay.

-1: Oh, oh, Bill! Wait till dad sees what you did to his car! You
know how much he loves that car - there's going to be the devil to
pay as soon as he gets home.
Bill

there's going to be the devil to pay

***
there's going to be the
devil to pay
there's going
to be the devil to pay

60

 2It's already two weeks late. No matter how long it takes, you
have to finish it tonight. There's going to be the devil to pay if
it's not on the boss's desk in the morning.

There's going to be the devil to pay

***
give the devil his due. Due
give the devil his due

give the devil his due

3That man has been stealing, fighting and selling drugs. But
give the devil his due - when he saw the little girl fall into the
river, he risked his life to save her.

give the devil his due

***
Give the devil his due

devil devil

elect. Elect get elected

Bill

61

 4We're doing everything we can to beat Bill. But to give the

devil his due, he's honest, knows a lot, and would probably do a good
job if he gets elected.
Bill Bill Bill

give the devil his due

62

 282
fair shake--
fair-weather friend--
fair-haired boy--

fairFair
fair
fair shake fair fair shake

fair shake

-1: The candidates get a fair shake during the debates. They take turns being
asked questions and have the same amount of time to answer and to make a final
statement at the end.

fair shake

******
fair
fair weather fairweather friendFair-weather friend

fair-weather friend

2: When Joe was rich, everybody in town was his best friend. But after he lost
his money, most of them turned out to be fair-weather friends who pretended they
didn't even know him.
63

 Joe

fair-weather friend

******
Fair
fair-haired boy Fair-haired boy

3: That young guy in the nice private office isn't as good as a lot of other people
in the place. But he's the fair-haired boy, because he's the owner's nephew.

fair-haired boy

64

 283
go whole hog--

the whole nine yards

a whole new ball game--

wholeGo whole
hog hog hog go whole hog
hog

go whole hog
Mercedes Mercedes

-1: My wife and I worked hard all our lives and put three kids through college.
Now we have a little money. We've always wanted a good car so we went whole hog
and bought a Mercedes.

Mercedes
go whole hog

******
the whole nine yardsYard
the whole nine yards

go whole hog

go the whole nine yards

65

 2: This player wanted three million dollars a year. That's twice as much as the
team wanted to pay. But they really needed him so they went the whole nine yards
and paid him what he asked.

go the whole nine yards

******
a whole new ball game A whole new ball
game

a whole new
ball game
3: The Republicans were having a hard time finding anybody to run against this
popular senator. But now he's retiring so it's a whole new ball game - many people
want to run for the job.

a whole new ball game

66

 284

get in on the ground floor--

mop the floor with--
glass ceiling--
hit the ceiling--
floor ceiling Floor ceiling
the
ground floorget in on the ground
floorGet in on the ground floor

-1: He got in on the ground floor when he bought a lot of stock

in a new computer company. People thought he was crazy but the
company was a big success and now the stock is worth many times more.

get in on the ground floor

******
floor mop the floor with

mop the floor with

Giants
Redskins

67

 2: This afternoon the New York Giants mopped the floor with the
Washington Redskins. The score was 41-7, the biggest loss the
Redskins had suffered in many years.
41 7

mop the floor with

******
ceiling Glass
ceiling

3: I think these six women can certainly prove their firm has a
glass ceiling: the firm has 19 senior partners and all of them are
men. It's hard to believe that they've never had even one woman
lawyer qualified for a top spot there.

glass ceiling
******
ceiling hit the ceiling

4: When I got home and saw what my dog had done , I really hit
the ceiling. The dog got up on my desk and chewed up the papers
there, including a long report I was writing for my boss.

68

hit the ceiling

69

 285
run like clockwork--
cut and run--
Dry run-- dry run
runrun
like clockworkCclockwork
run like clockwork

run
like clockwork
-1: Some parents like a military school, because it runs like
clockwork. Everything is strict and runs on time from physical
training to classes and self-study.

run like clockwork

****
run cut and runCut and run

cut and run

cut and run

2: When the price of new houses dropped so fast, a lot of

builders simply cut and ran - they abandoned the houses they were
building and that started the bad times in the real estate market.

70

cut and run

****
run Dry runDry run
run dry run

3: Okay, this is our last dry run - the show opens tomorrow. So
come on, people, be serious! This is your last chance to improve
before we have a live audience sitting out there.

dry run dry run

The plane dry runs

71

 286
Lie low--
let sleeping dogs lie--
Lie lie
, lie
lie lowLie low

lie low
lie low

guiltGuilt sense of guilt

-1: She changed her name and moved across the country. It would
have been easy for her to lie low the rest of her life. Except for
one thing - she couldn't get over her sense of guilt over the
killing.

lie low
******
lie low
lie low
announceAnnounce

2: I know Senator Blank wants to run for president. Right now

he's lying low, not saying anything, but he's waiting for the right
moment to announce he's in the race.

72

 Blank

lie low

******
lie let sleeping dogs
lie Let sleeping dogs lie

Peter
let sleeping dogs lie
3: Better let sleeping dogs lie. The boss likes Peter so much,
and you are just like fish in a big pond. Be smart and stay quiet
until your chance comes.
Peter

let sleeping dogs lie

******
let sleeping dogs lie
Green Green
Green

4: Mr. Green is trying to let sleeping dogs lie. Both sides feel
so strongly about this issue that if he stands on either side, he is
sure to make a lot of enemies.

73

Green

let sleeping dogs lie (

74

 287
blow-out--
wing-ding--
bash--
Blast--
party
party
blow-outBlow out
Blow-out blow-out
blow-out

orchestra
-1: Sally's wedding reception was a real blow-out. More than
three hundred guests, the best food and drink, a big orchestra for
dancing - it must cost her father much money.
Sally
Sally
blow-out
******
wing-ding Wing-ding blow-out
Wing-ding
Wing- ding

-2: Our company made good money this year so our New Year party
was the best wing-ding. There was plenty to eat and drink and most of
us stayed later than we ever had before.

75

wing-ding
******
Bash Bash

Bash

-3: More than a hundred people came to the bash we gave for
Johnny when he left for the college in California. Johnny had such a
good time that he almost missed his plane.
Johnny Johnny
Johnny
bash

******
Blast
blast

blast

blast
-4: Sure, I'm tired but it was worth it - a fantastic blast, at
least until the police came and made us turn down the music because
people could hear us two blocks away.

76

 blast (

77

 288
Stag party--

Hen party

tailgate party--Tailgate

baby shower-- shower

stag party stag

stag party Stag party
stag party

-1 I don't feel so good this morning. I gave my brother a stag

party last night because he's getting married today and we stayed out
too late and had too much to drink.

Stag party
*****

stag party
Hen partyHen
hen party hen
party

78


2 I'll be home tonight to take care of the kids because Susan
has a hen party with the women she went to college with. Friday it's
my turn - I'm going to a stag party to play poker.

Susan

hen party
*****

stag party hen party

tailgate partyTailgate

tailgate party

3We had a great tailgater party before the Washington Redskins

played the New York Giants. But that was the only good part of the
day: the Giants beat our Redskins by 21 points.

Tailgate party
*****

baby shower. Baby shower

shower

Susan
79

 Susan

4The baby shower will surely be a happy occasion, but it seems

like only yesterday that Susan was a little girl herself. Now she'll
be a mother. Where does the time go, I wonder?

Susan

80

 289
wet blanket--

throw a wet blanket on--

security blanket--
Blanket
.Wet blanket.
wet
wet
blanket

wet blanket

-1 I can't decide whether I should invite my girlfriend's

brother Tom to the party. After all he is her brother. But he's such
a wet blanket I'm afraid he'll spoil the party for all my other
guests.
Tom
Tom Tom

wet blanket

******
Wet blanket

throw a wet blanket on
a wet blanket
wet blanket

81



2 My friends and I were going to the beach this weekend for
some sun and swimming. But the weather forecast threw a wet blanket
on our plans - it says it'll be rainy and cold.

wet blanket
wet blanket
******
Security blanket Security
Security blanket

Security blanket

security blanket
3 I was small for my age so I made friends with the biggest
boy in my class. He was my security blanket - none of the other kids
dared give me any trouble when he was around.

security blanket

82

 290
Push somebody around--
Pushover--
when push comes to shove--

push.
push around. Push somebody around

He's pushing him around.

push around? ,
push around
push around.

-1 I'm sick of Mr. Jones pushing us around. I'm going to find

another job, and when I do, I'll go in and tell him what I think of
him and then slam the door on my way out.
Jones

push around
******
push pushover. Pushover
Pushover pushover
Peter
2 My friend Peter is a pushover for anybody in trouble.
Yesterday on our way back from lunch he saw an old man begging. And
he immediately handed him a ten-dollar bill.

83

 Peter

pushover
******
when push comes to shove. Shove,
push
shove when push comes to shove

Blank

3Mr. Blank is getting a lot of letters and phone calls from

people on this bill and he won't say how he'll vote. But when
Congress votes Tuesday and push comes to shove, I think he'll vote in
favor of it.
Blank

when push comes to shove

84

 291
pull for--
Pull through--
pull your leg--
pull the plug --

push
pull
pull for. Pull for Pull through. Pull
through pull
for pull through

-1Hi, Jim! You look pretty good today. Everybody at the office says hello we're all pulling for you to pull through this operation and get back to work as soon as
you can.
Jim!

Pull for pull through

******
pull your leg. Pull your leg

2This memo told me I was being transferred to Buffalo, where winter is really
bad. I was worried when I saw people laughing at me, and I remembered it was April
Fool's Day, and I realized my friends are pulling my leg.
Buffalo Buffalo

pull one's leg

85

******
pull the plug. plug
Pull the plug
pull the
plug

3Business has been terrible for six months and is getting worse every day. I
hate to say this but maybe the best thing to do is pull the plug and just close up shop
for good.

pull the plug

86

 292
rat race--
treadmill--
salt mine--

rat race rat

race rat race

rat race

-1Man, look at the time! Almost two o'clock! Got to get back to
the rat race - I've got people coming to see me all afternoon.

rat race

rat
race
*****
treadmillTreadmill

treadmill
87

2 Well, it was a great holiday. But I'm afraid it's back to the
treadmill Monday morning with everybody else. However, I have two
more weeks of vacation at summer time.

treadmill
*****

salt mineSalt mine

salt mine
treadmill

salt
mine

3I've been working in this place for 29 years. It's a real

salt mine and I'm just waiting to finish 30 years and retire and get
a good pension.

salt mine

88

 293
class act--
a hard act to follow--
get your act together--
act
act
class actClass first class
class act
class act

-1I always shop there. Not only do they have top goods and fair prices, but
sales people who are friendly and helpful. It's a real class act - in fact the best store in
town.

class act
******
hard act to follow Hard act to follow act

hard act to follow

class act
hard act to follow
2Johnson found Kennedy a hard act to follow. Johnson was a master politician
but Kennedy was young, handsome, full of vigor, a better speaker with plenty of wit
and humor. So it took Johnson a long time to win people's confidence.

89

 a hard act to follow

******
get your act togetherGet your act together

get your act together

3Son, you can't live with us the rest of your life. It's time to get your act
together, settle down and get married and start living your own life.

get your act together

90

 294

go over with a bang

get a bang out of--

more bang for the buck a bigger

bang more bang

bang
bang
I always get a bang out of Madonna's music.
I really enjoy Madonna's music. bang

go over with a bang

go
over with a bang

-1This play certainly went over with a bang. In fact, after

each act the audience stood up and clapped and cheered for five
minutes before anybody could quiet them down.

go over with a bang

*****

get a bang out ofGet a bang out of

91

 I get a bang out of you

Green ?

2We always get a bang out of eating dinner at the Green's

house. The food is great, and they are always in such good spirits
that they make us feel good too.

Green

get a bang out of

*****

more bang for the buckBuck

for the buck
More bang for the buck

3I think this other system is a better deal for us. It's

faster and has more memory for the same price. It'll give us more
bang for the buck.

more bang for the buck

a bigger bang more bang

92

 295
step up to the plate--
not get to first base--
touch all the bases--

home plateplate
plate
: step up to the plate

:
-1Senator Smith will be the first to step up to the plate tomorrow to ask other
senators to vote yes in favor of the President's Health Care Bill.
Smith

step up to the plate

******
home plate

base baseball
base
: get to first baseGo to first base

93

 get to first base

2Poor Bill, he's been in love with this girl for at least a year but he can't get to
first base with her. He cant even get her to go out and have a cup of coffee with him.
Bill

not get to first base

******
base base
base
: touch all the
basesTouch all the bases

3This new proposal looks good to me. But before we go ahead, let's touch all
the bases to make sure it's okay: our sales manager, our production chief, our
accountant, and of courses our lawyers. We don't want any trouble later.

touch all the bases

94

 296
have a ball--
a ball of fire--
ball up--

ball - :have
a ballhave a ball

have a ball ball

have a ball

had a ball:

-1 Well, you sure had a ball at the party, didn't you! Dancing
and talking and drinking with all these people I didn't know. Too bad
you didn't have any time to spend with me!

have a ball
*****

ball ball of fireBall of fire

Jimmy Jimmy a ball of fire?

2 Jimmy was just an average student in school and nobody

thought he'd do much with his life. But I'm glad to say he turned out
to be a real ball of fire in the real estate business.
95


Jimmy

a ball of fire

*****

Ball of fire ball

ball Ball up
ball up
ball up
Ball up

3 I'm all balled up about how to use this new software. Three
different people have tried to show me how it works, but each one has
a different explanation on how to use it.

be balled up ball up
:

4The lead singer really balled up the concert.

ball up

96

 297
has a lot on the ball--

start the ball rolling--

keep the ball rolling
ballpark figure--

ball
ball : have a lot on the ballHave a lot on
the ball

Susan

have a lot on the ball

-1True Susan hasn't published a book for ten years. But I

believe she still has a lot on the ball as a writer. And I'm sure the
critics will see that when her new book comes out this winter.

: Susan

has a lot on the ball

*****

ball keep the ball rolling

keep the ball

rolling : start the ball rolling start
the ball rolling

97

2Mr. Smith starts the ball rolling by telling the group about
his own painful experience with drugs. This loosens people up and
they tell their own stories and keep the ball rolling.

Smith

start the ball rolling

keep the ball rolling
*****

ball : ballpark figureBallpark

figure
in the ballparkIn the ballpark
ballpark figure in the ballpark
ballpark figure

3According to my ballpark figure the monthly mortgage payment

is about $1400. Since both of us work I think we can handle it okay.
So what do you say -- should we go ahead and buy the place?

1400
? ?

ballpark figure

98

 298
Plug--
plug away at--
plug in--

plug plug
plug

plug plug

-1I have a contract for two million dollars a year to plug

these shoes on TV. They've already filmed three plugs and you'll see
the first plug next week - I think you'll like it.

*****

: to plug these shoes plug

three plugs the first plug plug
plug plug away
plug away

2I started my novel five years ago. It's been hard to find the
time with all my other work, but I've kept plugging away every
weekend and yesterday I started the last chapter.

plugging away every weekend

plug away

99

*****

plug plug in plug

plug in
plug in

be plugged in to:

3See that tall man who just walked in. He's a good news
source: he's a lawyer who's plugged in to the leaders of both
political parties and is really in touch with what's going on.

plug in

100

 299
have a bear by the tail--

loaded for bear--

: bear
: have a bear by the tailBear

have a bear by the tail

-1: All Joe tried to do was end the fight between his two sisters but he ended
up having a bear by the tail. The whole family got mad at him and now nobody will
even speak to him.

: Joe

have a bear by the tail

*****

: loaded for bear

loaded loaded for bear

loaded for bear

101

2: Nobody thought the challenger had a chance to win. He looked too small and
too slow. But he had trained extra hard and came into the ring loaded for bear. And he
knocked out the champ in Round Six.

loaded for bear

*****

bulls and bears

bull bear bulls and bears
bull
bear

Green
Green bear?

3: Most people I know on Wall Street think the market is headed up but my
friend Green is a real bear: he's looked hard at it and thinks it will drop 200 points in
the next 30 days.

Green

bear

102

 300
Cut a deal--
raw deal--
shady deal--

deal Deal
: cut a dealCut a deal

-1After six months of negotiations the two airlines announced today they have
cut a deal to share their domestic and international routes and increase their traffic to
Europe and Asia.
:

cut a deal
****
deal
:
raw deal raw deal?
1Old Mr. Green sure got a raw deal from that company where he'd worked for
30 years. When times got hard and they had to cut staff, they fired him with two
weeks notice and only two weeks pay.

Green raw deal

****
: shady dealShady
shady deal ?
103

 shady deal
3They are investigating the man in charge of the road construction. They
think he's cut some shady deals with contractors who paid him bribes under the table
to get contracts to repair city roads and bridges.

shady deal

104