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Idioms Meaning Example Note about to ready to, on the verge of I'm very glad you're finally home. I was just about to have dinner without you. after all despite everything, when everything has been considered, the fact is You'd better invite Ed to your party. After all, he's a good friend. all along throughout, from beginning to end Jenny told Nicole she would vote for her, but all along she was planning on voting for Andrea. all better completely cured "All better?" asked Maureen, after her son stopped crying. all over throughout, everywhere Oh no! I got ketchup all over my white sweater. all the rage the latest fashion, popular right now At Nate's high school, salsa dancing is all the rage this year. as a matter of fact in fact, actually We need more milk? As a matter of fact, I was just going to ask you to go shopping. at first in the beginning Nicole didn't like Don Quixote at first, but after 200 pages she started to get into it. at least anyway, the good thing is that… We've run out of coffee, but at least we still have tea. The second definition of this phrase is "no less than" beside the point not relevant, not important The reason you're late is beside the point. The fact is your dinner is now cold. better off in a more fortunate position We're better off leaving for France on Thursday evening, so we can spend the entire weekend there. This expression is often used with conditional tense, especially when you're giving advice: "you would be better off doing something". Big deal! So what? That doesn't really matter. You won five dollars in the lottery? Big deal! big head arrogant, too proud of oneself Jenny has such a big head. No wonder nobody wants to be friends with her. Synonym: to be full of oneself. big shot a powerful or important person Adam is a big shot in Silicon Valley. He started a very successful software company. This expression can also be used in the negative sense, to mean somebody who thinks they're very important. bite off more than one can chew to take on more than one is capable of, to take on too much You agreed to host 50 exchange students from Korea? Aren't you afraid you've bitten off more than you can chew? blow it to spoil an opportunity The actress got nervous and forgot all of her lines. She really blew it! Synonym: to screw up blow something to spoil or botch something Brenda blew the interview and didn't get the job offer. break into to enter or be let into a profession These days it's difficult to break into investment banking. "Break into" has several other meanings: Interrupt; Enter illegally or by force; To suddenly begin an activity, such as singing. break the news to make something known Samantha and Michael are getting married, but they haven't yet broken the news to their parents. break up with to end a relationship with a romantic partner After dating her boyfriend Dan for four years, Erica finally decided to break up with him. bright and early early in the morning We have lots of coolies to bake so we'll have to start bright and early tomorrow. Synonyms: at the crack of dawn buckle down to start working seriously If Don buckles down now, he might be able to graduate from high school this year. burn someone up to make someone angry Jenny didn't vote for Nicole. That really burns Nicole up. burn the midnight oil to stay up late studying or working Michael burned the midnight oil studying for his algebra test. butt in to interrupt, to interfere Nancy is always butting in to other people's business. buy out to purchase an entire business or someone's share of a business Microsoft bought out Adam's company for $12 million. buy time to make more time available (in order to achieve a certain purpose) I'm not sure whether or not I want to take the job offer. I'd better buy some time to think about it. by far by a wide margin, by a great difference Some people think Tom Hanks is by far the best actor in America today. Synonyms: by a long shot, far and away, hands down call it a night to stop an activity for the rest of the night Let's call it a night and meet back at the office at seven o'clock tomorrow morning to finish preparing our report. There is also the variation "to call it a day" which means to stop activity for the day. can't complain things are going well, I'm fine "How are things going at your new job?" - "Can't complain." can't stand to hate Nicole can't stand broccoli. She simply refuses to eat it. change one's mind to change one's opinion or decision Why aren't you applying to medical school this year? Did you change your mind about becoming a doctor? cheer someone up to make someone happy Susan called her friend in the hospital to cheer her up. You can tell somebody to "cheer up!" if they are feeling sad. chill out to relax Chill out! If we miss this train, we'll just take the next one. chitchat casual conversation, gossip Peter told Heather to stop the chitchat and get back to work. Synonym: to shoot the breeze Note: Chitchat can also be a verb. come on in enter Come on in, the door's open! This is a more conversational way of saying "come up." come to an agreement to reach an agreement If we can come to an agreement now, I can start work on Monday. conventional wisdom a widely held belief According to conventional wisdom, a diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure. cost an arm and a leg to be very expensive A college education in America costs an arm and a leg. count on someone to depend or rely on someone If I can count on you to wake me up, I won't set my alarm clock. crazy about to like very much Amy is so crazy about golf; she'd like to play every day. crunch time a short period when there's high pressure to achieve a result The entire month of December is crunch time for Santa Claus. cup of tea the type person or thing that one generally likes Hockey isn't Alan's cup of tea. He prefers soccer. This expression is almost always used in the negative. She's not my cup of tea. cut class to miss class without an excuse Ted often cuts class to spend more time with his girlfriend. cut it out stop it, stop the annoying behavior Cut it out! Stop trying to pull my shoes off! dead-end job a job that won't lead to anything else Diane realized that working as a cashier was a dead-end job. deliver the goods to meet expectations, to do what's required Peter thought Bob wasn't delivering the goods, so he fired him. Synonym: to cut the mustard. do one's best to try as hard as possible Although Ted did his best, he still failed his chemistry test. Synonym: to give it one's all do the trick to achieve the desired results Juan changed the light bulb and said, "That should do the trick!" Don't mention it! you're welcome "Thanks for bringing the cookies," I said to Susan. "Don't mention it!" she replied. down in the dumps to feel sad, to be depressed It's easy to feel down in the dumps when it's raining outside. dragon lady a nasty woman who misuses her power Liz was nasty to you? I'm not surprised. She's a dragon lady. Synonyms: bitch, shrew drive a hard bargain to be tough in negotiating an agreement, to negotiate something in one's favor I wanted to pay less for the car, but the salesman drove a hard bargain. drive one crazy to annoy someone very much Don't ask Mrs. Smith how old she is. It drives her crazy. drop by to pay a short, often unannounced visit If we have time before the movie, let's drop by Bill's house. easier said than done more difficult than you think Moving into a new home is easier said than done. face it accept a difficult reality Let's face it, if Ted spent more time studying, he wouldn't be failing so many of his classes. feel free go ahead and do something, don't hesitate (to do something) If you need legal advice, feel free to call my cousin Fred. He's a lawyer. figure out to solve, to determine Susan is sure she'll never figure out why kids today behave the way they do. find out to learn, to discover A1 is calling the theater to find out what time the movie starts. first things first let's focus on the most important thing or task first You want to work here at Lulu's Dance Club? First things first, have you ever worked as a dancer before? fool around to waste time, or spend it in a silly way Stop fooling around! You've got lots of work to do. This expression also means to have casual sexual relations. for heaven's sake! A way of expressing emotions such as surprise, outrage, or impatience Hurry up, for heaven's sake! You're going to be late for school. Synonyms: for God's sake, for goodness sake, for Pete's sake for sure definitely This year, Tom Cruise will win an Academy Award for sure. freak out to respond to something irrationally or crazily, to overreact Don't freak out when I tell you this, but I lost the laptop you lent me last week. from scratch from the beginning, using all fresh ingredients rather using a prepared mix You baked these muffins from scratch? They're delicious! full of oneself to think too much of oneself Mitch thinks he's really great. He's so full of himself. get down to business to get serious about a task Our dinner guests are arriving in two hours. We'd better get down to business and start preparing. get going to get started on something, to set off for a destination, to leave If you don't get going on your homework soon, you're going to be up all night. Synonyms: to get a move on, to get the show on the road get it to understand Don't you get it? Your company is about to go out of business! get on one's nerves to annoy or irritate someone Please stop whistling. It's getting on my nerves! Synonyms: to get under someone's skin; to bug someone get one's act together to get organized, to start operating more effectively If Ted gets his act together now, he might be able to get into a good college. get out of the way to move out of the way, to stop interfering with someone's plans or activities Get out of the day! That truck is backing up and it might run you over. Get real! be serious or realistic about what's going on You think you're going to win $1 million in the lottery? Get real! get rid of to free oneself of, to throw out We finally got rid of our spider problem, but now we have ants. get straight to clarify, to understand Are you sure you got the directions straight? get the ball rolling to get started Let's get the ball rolling on this project. We've only got one week to finish it. give a ring to telephone someone Give me a ring tomorrow so we can discuss plans for this weekend. Synonym: to give (someone) a buzz [slang] give a run for money to be strong competition Tina is a good tennis player and always gives me a run for my money. give credit to acknowledge someone's contribution, to recognize a positive trait in someone The scientist gave his assistant credit for the discovery. give it a shot to try something You can't open that jar? Let me give it a shot. "To give it one's best shot" means to try as hard as one can. I know you're nervous about the interview-just give it your best shot. give it one's best shot to try as hard as one can Courtney lost the race, but at least she gave it her best shot. Give me a break! that's ridiculous, that's outrageous You want me to pay $3 for one cookie? Give me a break! You might see this written in its informal, conversational form: "Gimme a break!" This is usually how the idiom is pronounced. give up to admit defeat, to surrender Bill gave up golf after realizing he'd never be good at it. go ahead to continue, to proceed without hesitation We have more than enough food for dinner. Go ahead and invite your friend to join us. go back to the drawing board to start a task over because the last try failed, to start again from the beginning Frank's new business failed, so he had to go back to the drawing board. go into to enter a profession Lisa enjoys arguing with people, so she decided to go into law. go into business to start a business Jeff decided to go into business selling baseball cards. go nuts to react with great enthusiasm When Eminem appeared on stage, everybody went nuts. This expression also means "to go crazy" or "to become crazy with anger." go wrong to make a mistake, to go astray, to malfunction, to work incorrectly Follow the directions I gave you, and you can't go wrong. Good for you! Good job! Well done! You passed your math test? Good for you! good thinking good idea, smart planning I'm glad you brought an umbrella-that was good thinking! hang in there to persevere, to not give up Hang in there, Don! Your invention will soon be a success. hang out to spend time (often doing nothing) Kathy and her friends like to hang out at the mall. "Hang out with" means to keep company with someone. hard times a time of difficulty Nancy's family is going through hard times. Her father just lost his job. have a good time to enjoy oneself Nora and Jake had a good time on their honeymoon in Maui. have a heart of gold to be very kind and giving Alexander has a heart of gold and always thinks of others before himself. have one's heart set on to really want something Did you really have your heart set on going to Harvard? help out to give assistance, to help Amber offered to help out in the kitchen by chopping nuts. Synonyms: to lend a hand Help yourself serve yourself "Help yourselves to coolies and coffee," said Maria before the meeting started. Pay attention to the reflexive form: Help yourself in singular, help yourselves in plural. hit the books to start studying Hit the books! I know you have a test tomorrow. How's it going? How are you? "How's it going?" Vladimir asked me. "Not bad," I replied. if worse comes to worst in the worst case, if absolutely necessary Ted's car isn't running well. If worst comes to worst, he can take the bus to school. I'll say! yes, definitely "Did you enjoy the Madonna concert?" - "I'll say!" in a bad mood unhappy, depressed, irritable I don't like to see you in a bad mood. How can I cheer you up? in any case whatever the fact is, certainly You'll probably be too tired on Sunday to come over. In any case, give me a call in the morning to discuss. in charge of having responsibility for John is in charge of all international sales for his company. in good hands in good, competent care You're in good hands with Tony. He's an excellent driver. in good spirits happy, in a good mood Sam was in good spirits after receiving his Christmas bonus. in person personally, in one's physical presence Tim hoped that he and Svetlana would get along as well in person as they did over the Internet. in progress happening, under way, going on now Once the test is in progress, you will not be allowed to leave the room. in reality in fact, actually Ted thinks it'll be easy to become a rock star. In reality, it will take years of hard work. in that case under that circumstance It's snowing? In that case, you'd better take the bus to school today instead of driving. in touch with to be or to get in contact with I was surprised when Luis called me, since we hadn't been in touch with each other since high school. it looks like it's likely that It looks like it's going to rain, so we'd better just cancel the picnic now. it's a deal I agree (to a proposal or offer) "If you rake up all the leaves in front of the house, I'll do the dishes." -"It's a deal!" just kidding talking more to get a laugh than anything I was just kidding when I said your new orange dress makes you look like a pumpkin. keep one's chin up to stay positive Keep your chin up! You'll find your lost dog soon. keep posted to provide up-to-date information Good luck selling your house and keep me posted! I'd love to know how much you get for it. knock oneself out to work very hard at something Ted knocked himself out getting votes for Nicole, and she didn't even say thank you. "Don't knock yourself out!" means don't work too hard at something or for someone; it's not worth it. know one's stuff to have an expertise in a field Steve has been an auto mechanic for 25 years. He really knows his stuff. lend a hand to help When Amber saw Susan washing the cookie sheets, she offered to lend a hand. let go to fire, dismiss employees The Xerxes Corporation was doing so poorly; they had to let many workers go earlier this year. lighten up to stop taking things so seriously Don always takes his job so seriously. He needs to lighten up! Synonyms: chill out; take it easy like crazy with great speed or enthusiasm Ann ran like crazy, but she still didn't manage to catch the bus. live with it to accept a difficult reality Your boss is an idiot. Live with it! There is also the expression "to learn to live with it," which means to get used to something annoying or difficult. look forward to to anticipate eagerly I'm looking forward to my trip to Mexico next month. look like have the appearance of Before agreeing to go out on a date with her, Keith wanted to know what my cousin Maria looked like. The expression "it looks like" can mean "it is likely that…" look on the bright side to be optimistic, to think about the positive part or aspect of a situation You lost your job? Look on the bright side, now you'll have more free time! lose one's head to lose control of one's behavior, to not know what one is doing Nicole lost her head after losing the elections and started yelling at all her friends. lose one's temper to become very angry When Ted handed in his essay two weeks late, his teacher really lost her temper. love at first sight an immediate attraction Tony liked Tara immediately. It was love at first sight! made of money very rich Max should be willing to loan you $10,000 to start your new business. He's made of money. make a bundle to make a lot of money Bob's friend Charles made a bundle in the stock market and retired at age 45. make a fool of oneself to cause oneself to look stupid Dan drank too much and then made a fool of himself. make a fortune to make a lot of money Adam made a fortune when he sold his company to Microsoft. Synonyms: to make a bundle, to make a killing make a living to earn enough money to support oneself Many people laugh at him, but Bill actually makes a living selling gourmet dog food. make one's day to give one great satisfaction Thanks for bringing over those cookie last week. That made my day! make out to kiss with much passion Ted and Amber started making out at the stoplight and didn't realize that the light had turned green. make time for to put time in one's schedule for something Don is a busy lawyer, but he always makes time for his family. make up one's mind to reach a decision, to decide Stephanie couldn't make up her mind whether to attend Harvard or Stanford. Finally, she chose Stanford. mess up to make a mistake, to spoil an opportunity Ted really messed up on his chemistry test. He got a "D." Synonym: screw up mixed feelings to feel positive about one aspect of something and negative about another I have mixed feelings about the president of our company. He's good with the clients, but he's nasty to his employees. nervous wreck a person feeling very worried Ted was a nervous wreck before his chemistry test. never mind don't worry about something, forget it, it doesn't matter Never mind what your friends say. You need to do what you think is right. no hard feelings no anger, no bitterness After the elections, Andrea said to Nicole, "I hope there are no hard feelings." no point in no reason to, it's not worth(doing something) There's no point in worrying about things you can't change. no wonder it's not surprising Brian's entire body is in pain. It's no wonder since he ran a marathon yesterday! Synonym: small wonder not have a clue to know nothing about "Do you know how to fix a broken printer?"-"No, I don't have a clue!" nothing to do with not have any relationship with someone, to not get involves with something After I found out that Nora shoplifted some lipstick from the drugstore, I wanted nothing to do with her. now you're talking you're saying the right thing You want to offer me free tickets to the J. Lo concert? Now you're talking! nuts about to like very much Ted has every single Metallica album - he's nuts about that band. on the job at work Dan got fired for drinking on the job. on thin ice to be in a dangerous position, to be temporarily on somebody's bad side Joey was on thin ice with his mom after he spent his lunch money on candy bars. There is also the variation "to skate on thin ice." out of practice no longer good at doing something I used to play tennis every day, but I haven't played in years. I'm out of practice. out of the question impossible You want to borrow my new car and drive it across the country? I'm sorry, but that's out of the question. out of work unemployed, not working Gary was out of work for a year before finding a new job. over one's head beyond one's understanding The article on cloning was written for scientists. It was over my head. pain in the neck an annoyance Yesterday I had to stay home all day and wait for the repairman. What a pain in the neck! pay a compliment to give someone a compliment, to offer someone an admiring comment Professor Russo paid Jennifer a compliment. He said she had a beautiful smile. pay back to repay a loan or debt Nicole paid her friend back the $10 she borrowed. "Pay back" also means to "get revenge." pick up to require, to learn Diana picked up some great new ideas at the workshop. piece of cake very easy The driving test is a piece of cake. Don't worry about it. Synonym: easy as pie. You should have to trouble passing the driving test. It's as easy as pie. pitch in to help If you need my help, just ask. I'd be happy to pitch in. Synonyms: to lend a hand, to lend a helping hand, to help out put the blame on (someone) to name somebody else as responsible for a misdeed or misfortune Mrs. Lopez put the blame on her husband for losing their life saving in the stock market. right away immediately You need some sugar for your cookies? I'll bring some over right away. roll up one's sleeves to prepare to work Let's roll up our sleeves and finish making these cookies! save the day to prevent a disaster or misfortune The Christmas tree was on fire, but Ted threw water on it and saved the day. shut up be quiet, stop speaking The professor talked for hours. I thought he'd never shut up. sick and tired of completely bored with, sick of I'm sick and tired of this nasty weather we've been having! sit tight to wait patiently Sit tight, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes. slack off to waste time Amanda doesn't get much done at the office. She's too busy slacking off. small fortune a good amount of money You won $25,000 in the lottery? That's a small fortune! sold out completely sold Susan's cookies were very popular at the bake sale. In fact, they sold out in just 20 minutes! spending money money for minor expenses Before Tim left for Europe, his parents gave him $400 in spending money. Synonym: pocket money stab someone in the back to betray someone Jill and Heather were friends, until Heather stabbed Jill in the back by stealing her boyfriend. stand a chance to have the possibility of success Wilton High School has the best soccer team in the state. I'm afraid we don't stand a chance against them. stay up not to go to bed; to stay awake Whenever I stay up late, I regret it the next morning. stop by to pay a quick visit Stop by my office on your way home tonight. stressed out under severe strain, very anxious Al is so stressed out about his job that he can't sleep at night. sure thing an outcome that is assured Gary bet all his money on a horse named Trixie, thinking she was a sure thing. take a break to stop and rest from an activity Bob always works 10 hours straight, never taking a break. take it easy relax, don't worry You lost your keys? Take it easy, I'm sure you'll find them. take it or leave it accept or reject an offer, usually a final one The highest salary we can offer you is $50,000 a year - take it or leave it. take off to become popular, to grow suddenly Julia Roberts' career took off with the film "Pretty Woman." take over to assume control My new boss will be taking over some of my projects. take something the wrong way to take offense Don't take this the wrong way, but I like your hair better before you got it cut. This expression is often used in the negative form: "Don't take this the wrong way, but…" talk into to persuade, to convince Chris didn't want to jump out of the plane, but Erin talked him into it. talk over to discuss Dave and I spent hours talking over the details of the plan. thank goodness I'm grateful, I'm relieved Thank goodness you didn't go to California on Monday. It rained there every day this week. things are looking up things are improving Things are looking up with the economy. think big to set high goals Why run for Governor of New York? Think big: run for President of the United States. to tell you the truth to speak openly, to admit To tell you the truth, Ted isn't a very good student. track record a record of achievements or performances The women's basketball team at the University of Connecticut has an excellent track record. turn off to cause to feel dislike or revulsion I used to be friends with Monica, but she gossiped all the time and it really turned me off. The noun form, turn-off, is also common and usually describes something that cause the opposite sex to respond negatively. up in the air not yet determined, uncertain It might rain later, so our plans for the picnic are up in the air. Way to go! Good work! That was an interesting article you wrote. Way to go! well off wealthy, financially secure Debbie is a doctor and her husband is a lawyer. They're quite well off. What's the matter? What's the problem? What's the matter, Bob? You don't look very happy. What's up? What's going on? What's new? What's up? I haven't spoken to you in a long time. wise guy a smart aleck, one who makes a lot of sarcastic comments That clerk in the video store is a real wise guy. He's always making nasty comments about the customers. Synonyms: wise ass [rude], smart ass[rude] work like a dog to work very hard Larry became an investment banker after college, and now he works like a dog. work one's tail off to work very hard Don worked his tail off to save money for his son's education. work out to find a solution, to resolve Nicole spent half the night helping Ted work out a very difficult chemistry problem. "Work out" has several other meanings, including: succeed, endure, exercise worth one's while worthy of one's effort or time It would be worth your while to audition for the game show Jeopardy. You'd probably win a lot of money. wrap up to finish Okay folks, let's wrap up these exercises so we can go home early tonight. you can say that again I agree with you "The weather is so nasty today." - "You can say that again! I don't even want to go outside!" your guess is as good as mine I don't know, I don't know any more than you do Will Ted graduate on time? Your guess is as good as mine. |
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