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A few common expressions in English

{some that I noticed are not translated}

You dig?

Dig it!

turn the tables

ring a bell

on a short leash

I’m counting on…

throw (someone) under the bus

a mouth breather (a cretin)

tilting at windmills

working (my) ass off

a lot on (your) plate

spinning your wheels

ride shotgun

throw shade
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flying colors

jumping through hoops

head over heels

on cloud nine

(it’s a kind of crazy)

the opposite is

‘feet on the ground’

armchair travel

an easy chair

a dead end

when something sticks

honey (as a term of endearment)

mini golf

a blackout

turkey!

snuggle
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beats me

‘beats the shit out of me’ (I really don’t know, as opposed to in a fight)

turned upside down

a put on

are you putting me on?

take a swing

back burner

I’m a sucker for _____ (good writing, etc.)

give (me, him) a break!

hogwash

‘here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?’

a peach

no skin off my nose

(makes no difference to me)

potter’s field

a yokel
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holy mackrel!

jump at the chance

son of a gun

cocky

run out of town on a rail

at the end of (my) his rope

to break bread with someone

everything’s coming up roses

rosy

rose colored glasses

snakebit

get a kick out of ____

get your kicks

a poker face

plan b

jumping the gun

cool as a cucumber
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a time out

when someone ‘get’s his jollies’

happy hour

to extend an olive branch

the nuclear option

an arms race

You have to kiss a lot of frogs… (before you find your prince)

old wine in new bottles

Chill!

chilling

chillin’

chill out

take a chill pill

raining cats and dogs

raining buckets

he burned his bridges

hard boiled
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strung out

the cat’s pajamas

the bee’s knees…

nailed it!

a sweet tooth

the kitchen sink

to get something off (my) your chest

plugging away

stole my thunder

swing by

stunned

shell shocked

look on the bright side

run it up the flagpole

see if it flies

nailed it
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heck of a _____ (job, surprise, story, etc… instead of ‘hell’)

on the prowl for ____

a branding meeting (double meaning, as a joke)

staring

arm twisting (or ‘twist my arm)

the sting of defeat

get the boot

the early bird gets the worm

I’m stuffed

get rolling

get the ball rolling

got your back

the jitters

a godsend

burning the midnight oil

Are you decent? (dressed)

salty (language)
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bleak

the elephant in the room

spooky

When in Rome… (do as the Romans do) (sometimes we only have to say
the first part of an expression, and everyone knows what is meant)

a pit stop (an example from motor sports)

a ‘poof’

sink or swim

on the fly

keep your fingers crossed

it stuck with me

to throw a monkey wrench into something

a snowball’s chance in hell

a clean slate

bearish (a bear market)

to take a whiz
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moping around

fever pitch

over the moon

lucky

get out of hand

in hot water

does that ring a bell

dime a dozen

turn on a dime

are we cool? (or ‘we cool?’)

we’re cool (or ‘we cool’)

get a grip

shanghai’d

to shoot down (an idea, or a person)

to get shot down (as when asking someone out)

a withering look
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watching (someone, or something) like a hawk

pull the plug on ______

m&m’s

bingo!

a sweat lodge

‘a tall one’

I’m stumped

hold your tongue

root beer

the pot calling the kettle black

clear the cobwebs

15 minutes (of fame)

butterflies (in my stomach)

he’s toast

p o’d

the boonies

a flake
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take the bull by the horns

out like a light

a harley / hog

You rock… or ‘that rocks’

party on / or ‘want to party?’ / a party animal /

he partied hard last hight

to get bogged down

a sitting duck

to trade places

right on time

hogwash

bullshit!

a broken home

like a fish to water

or ‘like a duck to water’

a scumbag (not a good word, sorry)

whatever…. (teens say that…)

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a jive turkey

you bailed me out

a bookie

a pimp

a dime bag (drugs)

it’s hot (as in, stolen)

a stone cold fox

or, as I heard today, a stone groove….

kick ass ___

Kools (menthol cigarettes)

to hang out

pushing your (his) luck

a plant / a mole

freeloader

a snitch

caught red handed

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the pot calling the kettle black

don’t rock the boat

a guinea pig

listen to that shit

don’t give me shit

no shit?

I feel like shit (or shitty) today (lots of expressions with shit)

Holy shit!

that’s some good shit (drugs) and so on…

fuck that…

lots with that word too

fuckin’ a (and so on)

fuck that noise

I’m gutted

to corner the market