Idioms

1) BRITISH
a piece of cake
If you say that something is a piece of cake, you mean that it is extremely easy.
another string to your bow
If you have another string to your bow, you have another way of making a living.
eat humble pie
If you eat humble pie, you admit that you are in the wrong and behave apologetically.
a new lease of life
If someone has a new lease of life, they have a new enthusiasm for living.
cant see the wood for the trees
If you cant see the wood for the trees, you cant see the whole situation clearly because
you're looking too closely at small details, or because youre too closely involved.
a drop in the ocean
If an amount is a drop in the ocean, its a very small portion of the amount thats needed.
jobs for the boys
If you say jobs for the boys youre referring to the fact that people in positions of
power sometimes use their power to give jobs to their friends or family members.
a zebra crossing
! "ebra crossing is a pedestrian crossing that is marked on the road with painted black
and white stripes.
come up trumps
If you come up trumps, you succeed in something that you may not have been expected
to succeed in.
itchy feet #informal$
If you have itchy feet, you feel the need to go somewhere different or do something
different.
just the ticket
%ou can say something is just the ticket if its the perfect thing or if its exactly whats
needed.
off your own bat
If you do something off your own bat, you do it without being asked to or told to.
at a loose end
If youre at a loose end, you have nothing to do.
come a cropper #informal$
If you come a cropper, you fall over, or you make a mistake which has serious
conse&uences for you.
go down a treat
If something goes down a treat, its a great success and everyone enjoys it.
take the mickey/mick out of someone #informal$
If youre taking the mickey out of someone youre making fun of them or copying their
behaviour for a laugh.
an axe to grind #'$
If you have an axe to grind, you have a strong opinion about something and you express
this opinion whenever you can.
make a song and dance about something
'
If you make a song and dance about something, you make a big deal out of, or a fuss
over, something that isnt very important.
right up your street
If something is right up your street, it would be perfect for you or ideal for your skills and
interests.
Its a doddle #informal$ ( a piece of cake
something easily accomplished
hold (ones) tongue
to be or keep silent
lose (ones) tongue
to lose the capacity to speak, as from shock.
on the tip of (ones) tongue
on the verge of being recalled or expressed.
have/speak with a forked tongue
to speak deceitfully) prevaricate or lie.
tongueincheek
ironic, slyly humorous) not meant to be taken seriously
2) AMERICAN
have a finger in every pie
involved in or influencing many different activities
zero tolerance
If something is given "ero tolerance, it wont be accepted even once.
a ballpark figure/a ballpark estimate
If you give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate, you give a number which you think is
fairly close to the actual one.
leave/let well enough alone
If you leave well enough alone, or let well enough alone, you dont try to improve or
change something thats already good enough.
a new lease on life
If someone has a new lease on life, they have a new enthusiasm for living.
cant see the forest for the trees
If you cant see the forest for the trees, you cant see the whole situation clearly because
youre looking too closely at small details, or because youre too closely involved.
a drop in the bucket
If an amount is a drop in the bucket, its a very small portion of the amount thats needed.
a !uick study
If youre a &uick study, you can learn new things &uickly.
yellow journalism
*ournalism in which sensational stories are used to boost sales, or biased reporting is used
to change the readers views on an issue. +oth of these are unethical.
a zerosum game
! "ero,sum game is a situation in which any gain by one side or person is at the expense
of a loss to another side or person involved in the situation.
keep up with the "oneses
-
.eople who try to keep up with the *oneses are people who feel its important to show
that theyre as successful as others.
under the table
If something is done under the table, its done secretly, usually because its illegal or
unethical.
at loose ends
If youre at loose ends, you feel restless and unsettled because you dont have anything to
do.
going down #informal$
If you know whats going down, you know whats happening in a situation.
the new kid on the block #informal$
If you are the new kid on the block, you are the newest person in a workplace or in an
educational institute, or any other place or organi"ation.
an ax to grind #-$
If you have an ax to grind with someone, you have a problem with them, or a complaint
against them, which youd like to discuss.
an even break
If you get an even break, you get a fair opportunity to succeed in your ambition or to
achieve your goals.
hit the hay/hit the sack
If you hit the hay, or hit the sack, you go to bed.
jockey for position
If you jockey for position, you try to get yourself in a good position in relation to others
whore competing for the same opportunity or the same goal.
right down your alley/right up your alley
If something is right down your alley, or right up your alley, it would be perfect for you
or ideal for your skills and interests.
on the dole
receiving regular relief payments from or as if from the government.
no rhyme or reason
if there is no rhyme or reason why something happens, there is no obvious explanation
for it
chalk something up to something else/ chalk something up to something else
to say that something is caused by something else
0he doesnt even bother to say thank you, but I just chalk it up to bad manners and try not
to let it
3) INFORMAL
an old chestnut
a subject, idea, or joke which has been discussed or repeated so many times that it is not
interesting or funny any more
call it a day
If you call it a day, you stop doing something thats usually related to work.
get away from it all
If you get away from it all, you go somewhere to escape from your usual daily routine.
1
give it a shot /a whirl
If you give something a shot, or give it a whirl, you try doing something for the first time,
usually for fun.
over the moon
If youre over the moon about something, youre extremely happy and excited about it.
par for the course
If something is par for the course, its what youd expect it to be.
pay through the nose
If you pay through the nose for something, you pay more than the usual price for it.
a !uick fix
If something is a &uick fix, it's a &uick and easy, but usually short,term, solution to a
problem.
rock the boat
If you rock the boat, you do or say something that will upset people by changing a
situation that they don't want changed.
ring a bell
If something rings a bell, it sounds familiar or you think youve heard it before.
rub it in
If you rub it in, you keep talking about something that embarrasses or upsets someone.
up to no good
If someone is up to no good, they are doing something bad, or something wrong.
wet behind the ears
If someone is wet behind the ears, they dont have much experience of life.
#our guess is as good as mine
%ou can say your guess is as good as mine when you dont know the answer to a
&uestion.
#ou can say that again$
If someone says %ou can say that again23 it shows they strongly agree with what was
just said.
%ip it$
If someone says 4ip it2, theyre telling you to shut up or stop talking about something.
a bad hair day
If youre having a bad hair day, everything seems to be going wrong for you.
bark up the wrong tree
If youre barking up the wrong tree, youre looking for something in the wrong place or
going about something in the wrong way.
cut to the chase
If you tell someone to cut to the chase, you want them to get straight to the main point of
what they are saying.
dead to the world
If youre dead to the world, you are sound asleep.
&asy does it$
%ou can say 5asy does it2 when you want someone to do something more carefully or
more slowly.
grease someones palm
6
If you grease someones palm, you pay them a bribe.
just what the doctor ordered
%ou can say something was just what the doctor ordered when it was exactly what was
needed.
jump out of your skin
%ou jump out of your skin when something suddenly shocks you and your whole body
jumps.
a knuckle sandwich
If you give someone a knuckle sandwich, you punch them.
kick the bucket
If someone kicks the bucket, they die.
live it up
If you live it up, you enjoy yourself by doing things that cost a lot of money.
pass the buck
If you pass the buck, you shift the responsibility for something to someone else in order
to take the pressure off yourself.
so far' so good
%ou can say so far, so good when youre in the middle of doing something, and
everything has been going well.
you bet ( you bet your boots ( you bet your life
%ou can say you bet, you bet your boots or you bet your life when you strongly
agree with a statement or a suggestion, or to emphasise what youre saying.
#ou asked for it$
%ou can say %ou asked for it2 when you think someone deserves the punishment they're
getting or the trouble theyre in.
all hell broke loose
%ou can say all hell broke loose if a situation suddenly became violent or chaotic.
come in handy
%ou can say something might come in handy if you think it might be useful.
dressed (up) to the nines
If you are dressed to the nines, or dressed up to the nines, you are wearing very smart
clothes for a special occasion.
drink like a fish
If someone drinks like a fish, they drink a lot of alcohol.
draw a blank
If you draw a blank, you get no response when you ask for something, or get no results
when you search for something.
down in the dumps/down in the mouth
If youre down in the dumps, or down in the mouth, youre feeling sad.
#have) egg on your face
%ou have egg on your face if youve said or done something wrong, and its made you
feel embarrassed or stupid.
ear to the ground
If you have your ear to the ground, you know whats really going on in a situation.
halfbaked
If something is half,baked, it hasnt been properly thought out or planned.
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I owe you one$
%ou can say I owe you one2 when someone has done something for you and youd be
happy to return the favour one day.
itchy feet
If you have itchy feet, you feel the need to go somewhere different or do something
different.
(someones) name is mud
If someones name is mud, other people are angry with them, or theyre no longer
popular, because theyve done something wrong.
neck of the woods
! neck of the woods is a neighbourhood or a district, usually rural.
on your last legs/on its last legs
If you say youre on your last legs, it can mean youre close to exhaustion, or it can mean
youre close to death. If a thing is on its last legs, its close to breaking or wearing out.
pull your socks up
%ou can say pull your socks up to someone if you think they should improve the way
they are behaving or the way they are doing something.
put all your eggs in the one basket
If you put all your eggs in the one basket, you put all your efforts or resources into one
person, one thing or one plan, and if things dont work out, you lose everything.
put someones nose out of joint
If you put someones nose out of joint, you upset them by not treating them with as much
respect or consideration as they think they deserve.
a sight for sore eyes
If something or someone is a sight for sore eyes, you are glad to see them.
come a cropper
If you come a cropper, you fall over, or you make a mistake which has serious
conse&uences for you.
a done deal
! done deal is an agreement or a decision that is final.
fly off the handle
If you fly off the handle, you are so angry about something that you lose control of
yourself and start screaming and shouting.
forty winks
If you have forty winks, you have a short sleep, or a nap.
hang in there/hang on in there
%ou can tell someone to hang in there, or hang on in there, if they're in a difficult
situation and you want to encourage them, or tell them not to give up.
in someones bad books
If youre in someones bad books, they are not pleased with you.
in someones good books
If you're in someone's good books, they are pleased with you.
couldnt care less
%ou can say I couldn't care less when you dont care about something, or it doesnt
matter to you.
in a nutshell
8
%ou can say in a nutshell if youre about to describe something as briefly as possible,
or youre going to sum something up.
just shy of
%ou can say something is just shy of an amount if its just short of that amount.
going down
If you know whats going down, you know whats happening in a situation.
much of a muchness
If two or more things are much of a muchness, they are very similar to each other.
)o sweat$
%ou can say 9o sweat2 if someone asks you if you can do something, and youre sure
you can do it.
a pain in the neck
%ou can say someone is a pain in the neck if they annoy you, or something is a pain in the
neck if you dont like doing it.
a shot in the arm
%ou can say something is a shot in the arm if it gives a person or an organisation renewed
energy or enthusiasm.
up for grabs
If something is up for grabs, its available for anyone who wants to try to get it.
all the rage
If something is all the rage, its very popular or its in fashion at the moment.
*et cracking$
%ou can say :et cracking2 if you want someone to hurry up and do something faster.
off the top of your head
If you give someone information off the top of your head, you do so from memory,
without checking beforehand.
on the ball
If youre on the ball, youre alert and you know whats going on around you.
pick up the tab/bill
If you pick up the tab, or pick up the bill, you pay for yourself and your friends in a
restaurant or a bar.
pop the !uestion
If you pop the &uestion, you ask someone to marry you.
pull someones leg
If you pull someones leg, you play a joke on them by saying something that isnt true.
up to scratch/up to snuff
%ou can say something is up to scratch, or up to snuff, if its as good as it should be, or as
good as it needs to be.
4) FORMAL
a fait accompli
If something is a fait accompli, it is certain to happen.
!uid pro !uo
If you do something as a &uid pro &uo, you do it on the understanding that something will
be done for you in return.
visavis
;
%ou can say vis,a,vis instead of saying in relation to.
an act of *od
0omething like an earth&uake or a tornado can be called an act of :od.
carte blanche
replenish something with something
to rebuild the supply of something with more of it
If you give someone carte blanche, you give them freedom to do whatever they want in a
situation.
raison detre
%our raison detre is your reason for living, or the most important thing in your life.
a volteface
If you make a volte,face, you change your opinion or your decision about something to
the exact opposite of what it was.
de rigeur
If something is de rigeur, it is necessary to have if you want to be fashionable or be
accepted into a particular social scene.
esprit de corps
! feeling of pride and comradeship shared by members of a group such as a military unit
or a sports team
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