SELECTED IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

Below are some of the commonly used idioms taken from the English Teaching Forum:

1. In apple-pie oder -very well organized

Ex. Her desk is so neat; everything’s always in apple-pie order.
2. Bring home the bacon- to earn a salary or award
ex. I need to get a new job now; I’m the one who has to bring home the bacon.
3. Spill the beans- to reveal a secret or a surprise by accident
Ex. We wanted the party to be a surprise, but William spilled the beans and spoiled it.
4. Beef something up- to make something stronger
Ex. We should beef up the program by adding more numbers.
5. Bread and butter - livelihood or income
Ex. I really like doing this job; after all it’s my bread and butter.
6. Too many cooks spoil the broth - a proverb which means that too many people trying to manage something simply spoil it.
Ex. Several people were trying to manage the program but it didn’t turn out well. I guess too
many cooks spoil the broth.
7. Know one’s onions - to have a good knowledge about something one is supposed to know.
Ex. I think Marie will do a good job; she really know her onions.
8. Worth one’s salt - worth one;s salary
Ex. Any worker worth his salt would do a better job than that.
9. Out of the frying pan into the fire - from a bad situation to a worse situation
Ex. Kim’s situation is bad enough now, but if he quits his job, he’ll go from the frying pan into the fire.
10. Have other fish to fry - to have other, or more important things to do.
Ex. I just can’t be bothered dealing with these details; I have other fish to fry.
11. Simmer down - to become calmer and quieter
Ex. Things have been so hectic here this week; we hope they’ll simmer down after the holidays.
12. Touch base - to talk to someone
Ex. I’ll touch base with Pat on this question and let you know what she thinks.
13. Swim against the tide - to do the opposite of everyone else
Ex. Alex probably won’t go along with the rest of us on this; he usually swims against the tide.
14. Hit someone below the belt - to do something unfair to someone
Ex. We shouldn’t spread that gossip about her, that would be hitting below the belt.
15. Blow by blow account - a detailed description
Ex. Leah gave a blow by blow account of their tour.
16. The balls in your court - it’s your time to take action
Ex. I’ve done my part of this project; now the ball’s in your court.
17. Peer group - a group of people usually of similar ages, background and social status with whom a person goes with.
Ex. Many teenagers are happy with their peer group.
18. Workaholic - a compulsive worker
Ex. Mr. Sy is such a workaholic that he missed an important family affair.
19. High-rise - a multistoreyed building; a tall building
Ex. Many buildings in Makati are high-rises.
20. No-show - a person who does not attend or appear ( as for an airline flight)
Ex. The airlines overbook flights because they expect a certain number of no shows.
21. Jet lag - a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects that occurs following a long
flight through several time zones.
Ex. It took Cecilia a week to recover from jet lag.
22. Crack up - to go crazy; to make someone laugh.
Ex. After suffering so many setbacks, the rebels finally cracked up.
23. Wind up - to tighten the spring of something such as a clock or mechanical toy; to conclude
Ex. The meeting will wind up at about 12 o’clock.
24. Live it up - to have an exciting time; to do what one pleases.
Ex. When Pat goes on vacation, she really lives it up.
25. Dress-up - to wear fancy or formal clothes.
Ex. Nikky got dressed up for the party.
26. Dress down - to reprimand or scold.
Ex. Her boss really dressed her down for not getting that order in due time.
27. Back-up - to cause someone or something to move back
Ex. The car has to back up to avoid the congested traffic.
28. Culture shock - a sense of confusion, uncertainty and anxiety that may affect a person exposed to a different culture
without adequate preparation.
Ex. Andres had a culture shock from when he went to the Middle East.
29. Drum up - influence people to buy something
Ex. The TV advertisements drum up the sales of ice cream.
30. Jazzy - lively or active
Ex. Julian and Ason throw jazzy parties.