1.

Be hand and foot

Meaning In all possible ways; by all mean

2. Egging on
Meaning To encourage someone to do something that is usually foolish or dangerous

3. Don’t look a gi horse in the mouth

Meaning Don’t find fault with something that has been received

4. Dwell upon
Meaning Spend a lot of me on something

5. Twenty-three skidoos
Meaning Sudden departure or a hasty retreat

6. Above the salt

Meaning Of high standing or honor/ outstanding

7. Blurt out
Meaning Say something quickly without thinking its right or wrong

8. Mend fences
Meaning Improve rela on a er a dispute

9. Catch on / latch on
Meaning Finally understand what is going on

10. Pep talk

Meaning An encouraging speech given to a person or group

11. Pipe dream

Meaning An unrealis c hope, a fantasy

12. Brace up
Meaning Feel more confident or op mis c about something

13. Get to grip with

Meaning To begin to understand and deal with something

14. Drum up
Meaning Increase support or interest

15. Hobson’s choice

Meaning A choice among bad op ons

16. Bob’s your uncle

Meaning A series of event ends exactly as expected or exactly in the right way

17. Bog down

Meaning To prevent someone or something from moving on or progressing
18. Go bankers
Meaning To be or become wild, irra onal, crazy

19. Laid down

Meaning To put something down or stop using it

20. Fire in the belly

Meaning A strong determina on to succeed

21. All fur coat and no knickers

Meaning Looking physically a rac ve

22. Jazz up
Meaning Make something more interes ng or a rac ve

23. Go to the ma resses

Meaning To go to the ba le

24. Nerd out

Meaning Play safe and avoid risk

25. Keep your powder dry

Meaning Don’t a ack un l you are ready

26. Achilles’ heel

Meaning Weak point of an otherwise powerful person or organiza on

27. Taper off
Meaning To become smaller or weaker

28. Cut the gordian knot

Meaning To save a complex problem in a simple way

29. Fess up
Meaning Confess, admit

30. Green around the gills

Meaning Looking or feeling unwell

31. Tickled pink

Meaning Blushed

32. Fob off
Meaning Lie or cheat someone

33. Be footloose and fancy-free

Meaning To be free of all the responsibili es

34. Ham up
Meaning Act in an excessive way to a ract a en on or amuse people
35. Chase rainbow
Meaning To pursue unrealis c goals

36. A snowball’s chance in hell

Meaning Less chance for the success

37. Flake out

Meaning Fall asleep from exhaus on

38. Behind the eight ball

Meaning At a serious disadvantage

39. Hanker for

Meaning Want something badly; especially if you cant have it

40. Five finger discounts

Meaning The act of shopli ing

41. Hit the ground running

Meaning To start a task with great energy and enthusiasm

42. Be snowed under

Meaning Have too much work

43. Let the chips fall where they may

Meaning Accept the outcome, whatever it may be

44. Fart around

Meaning Was ng me doing pointless things

45. Nose to the grindstone

Meaning To work hard and con nuously

46. Babe magnet

Meaning A man to whom women are a racted

47. Catch up with

Meaning Meet someone a er a period of me and find out what they are doing

48. Cock-a-hoop
Meaning Extremely pleased about an achievement

49. Limber up for

Meaning Prepare for something that will require a great effort

50. Go nuts
Meaning To become crazy

51. Tighten the purse string

Meaning Restrict the amount of money available to be spent
52. Propping up
Meaning Stop something from falling by placing something support

53. Wear your heart on sleeve

Meaning Show feelings or something openly

54. Pep up
Meaning Make something more interes ng

55. Zero in
Meaning Pay a en on to a par cular thing

56. Too many chiefs and not enough Indian

Meaning Too many people telling other what to do

57. Cozied up
Meaning To a ain or try to a ain familiarity, friendship, or in macy

58. Set alarm bells ringing

Meaning To make someone feel worried or concerned about something

59. Gin up
Meaning Boost, increase or exaggerate

60. Tough cookie

Meaning Very determined person

61. American dream

Meaning The belief among American that hard work leads to material success

62. Cast a shadow over

Meaning Cause something to be less good/ enjoyable

63. Top dog

Meaning The must important person

64. Fend for

Meaning Take care

65. Elbow grease

Meaning Hard physical effort or work

66. Dark horse

Meaning Usually a li le known contender that makes an unexpectedly

67. Beaver away at

Meaning Work hard doing something

68. Bare one’s heart (soul)

Meaning To confess one’s deepest secrets
69. Ticked up
Meaning A small or incremental increase

70. Have a dog in the hunt (fight race)

Meaning To support a certain person in a compe on

71. Burs ng at the seams

To be very full or crowed

72. Lap up
To enjoy and apricate something

73. Harp on
Talk repeatedly about something

74. Alive and kicking

In good health despite health problems

75. Bounce back

To return quickly to a normal condi on a er a difficult situa on

76. Carve out

Create or get an area where you can be special or successful

77. Mum’s the word

To keep a secret or to stay silent

78. Set the Thames on fire

To do wonderful or exci ng things

79. Dead of winter

The coldest darkest part of winter

80. Poop out

Get too tried to do something

81. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Don’t count on something good happening un l its happened

82. Catching up
Trying to reach the same standard or quality as someone or something else

83. Come to light

Become widely known or evident

84. Call a spade a spade

To speak frankly and directly about a problem

85. Drum up
Try hard to get support or business
86. Eat your heart out
Feel bi er or another strong nega ve emo ons

87. Bank on
Depend on

88. Have an ace up one’s sleeve

To have a hidden advantage

89. Be snowed under

Extremely busy with work or things

90. Grass on
Report to the authority

91. Babe in the words

An innocent person

92. Sag off
Not go to school or work or leave early when you shouldn’t

93. Feather’s in one’s cap

Am achievement for which one is recognized; a nete worthy achievement

94. Freudian slip

A revealing slip of the tongue

95. Dailing down

To reduce or diminish in effect or intensity

96. Backed by
Receive support

97. Eleventh hour

The last minute

98. Preaching to the choir

Making argument to those who already agree with you

99. Kicked off
To start an event or ac vity

100. To pop (one’s) cherry

To do something for the first me

101. Step off
Withdraw or to stop being involved in something

102. Sight for sore eyes

A sight that makes you happy
103. A cat in gloves catches no mice
You can’t get what you need if you’re too careful

104. Bull in China shop

A clumsy or tactless person

105. Ramped up
To increase or cause to increase

106. French leave

Absence without permission

107. A blanket order

A long-term agreement between a buyer and a supplier as per agreed upon terms

108. Spelt out

Explain something in detail

109. Full of beans

Excited or very energe c

110. Firm up
Make things clearer in a nego a on or discussion

111. Wai ng in the wings

Wai ng for an opportunity to take ac on

112. A place in the sun

Very good, successful or desirable posi on

113. Chicken out

Be too afraid to do something

114. Fish for compliment

Try to manipulate people into praising you

115. Watch out

To be aware of what’s happening, so that you will no ce if anything unusual happens

116. Living in cloud cuckoo land

Having unrealis c or foolish beliefs/ plans

117. Down for the count

Having failed in something that you are doing

118. Blew away

To defeat decisively

119. Be in seventh heaven

Extremely happy
120. Hinge on
To depend on something

121. Ahead of the curve

Offering idea not yet in general circula on; highly crea ve

122. Begger thy neighbors

To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects other

123. Cover-up
An act preven ng something bad or dishonest from becoming known

124. Go belly up
To go bankrupt

125. Handed out

Was sentenced

126. Paddle one’s own canoe

To be able to act independently

127. From soup to nuts

Everything; from beginning to end

128. Spruce up
To make someone or something look more a rac ve

129. Kangaroo court

A court of law where proper procedures are not followed at all

130. Head-on
When head or front make the Ini al contract

131. Cock-a-hoop
Extremely happy; excited