Common English Idioms
24/7: Twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week;
all the time; constantly. My little sister irritates me 24/7!
A short fuse: A quick temper. Jamie is known for his short
fuse; just a few days ago he screamed at his coach for not letting him play.
A taste of your own medicine: Bad treatment deservedly received
for treating other people badly. After constantly being prank-called, Julian
decided to give Juan a taste of his own medicine and ordered twenty-seven
pizzas to be delivered to Juan’s house.
Butterflies in my stomach: To be nervous. Liam had
butterflies in his stomach before he went on stage to play the violin.
By the skin of your teeth:
To just barely get by or make it. Lester made the dance team by the skin
of his teeth; you can tell he hasn't been dancing jazz for very long.
Cat got your tongue?: Can’t you speak? (Usually said to embarrass
the other person). I just saw you kissing my boyfriend. What’s the matter? Cat
got your tongue?
Crying wolf: To ask for help when you don't need it. You
have cried wolf so many times that no one believes you when you're really hurt.
Cut someone some slack: To not judge someone too harshly.
Hey. Cut me some slack. I was really busy with my frog hunting business last
week and forgot to call. I'm sorry!
Down for the count: Tired; giving up; unable or unwilling to
participate any longer. No, you can’t take my dog for a walk – she’s down for
the count after chasing cats all day.
Draw the line: To stop; to know the point where something
goes from okay to not okay. Now I draw the line at speaking in front of 34,000
people.
Easier said than done: Not as easy as it appears to be.
You want me to come to work at 6:00 AM? Easier said than done!
Every cloud has a silver lining: You can find good in every bad
situation. Even though you just got fired, remember that every cloud has a
silver lining – at least you don’t have to work for that grouchy boss anymore!
Finding a needle in a haystack: Virtually impossible to find.
Trying to get a new job these days is like trying to find a needle in a
haystack.
Fish out of water: To be out of place. Tom felt like a fish out
of water at the Star Trek convention his new girlfriend begged him to attend.
Get something off your chest: To talk about something that has
been bothering you for a long time; to admit something you have done wrong. I
have to get this off my chest – I copied your answers on the Redesigned SAT.
Thanks for the 15th percentile score, by the way.
Give it a whirl: To try something. I’ve never gone
kite-boarding, but I’m prepared to give it a whirl!
Go down in flames: To fail suddenly and spectacularly. The
football player's career went down in flames after the media learned he'd been
losing on purpose to settle gambling debts.
Go the extra mile: To make an extra effort. My dentist always
goes the extra mile, offering free back massages at the end of a stressful
tooth extraction.
Hang in there: Be patient. Wait it out. I know you're
struggling right now in school, but just hang in there. It'll get easier. I
promise.
In the fast lane: A life filled with excitement. When Curtis
turned forty, he decided he needed to live life in the fast lane, so he quit
his job as a dentist and decided to tour Europe by motorcycle.
In the nick of time: Almost too late. You gave me that main idea
help in the nick of time – my teacher just gave us a quiz on that reading skill
and I passed it!
Let the cat out of the bag: Tell a secret. Brady’s surprise
party is going to be great if you don’t let the cat out of the bag.
Let the chips fall where they may: To let something happen, no matter
if it's good or bad. Look. I'm going to just try out for the cheerleading squad
and let the chips fall where they may.
Lose your marbles: To go crazy; insane. Mom has really lost her
marbles; she's making me practice writing the Enhanced ACT Essay seven times
this week!
Once in a blue moon: Rarely. In Florida, the temperature drops
below freezing only once in a blue moon.
Plain as day: Obvious; clear. It’s plain as day that you’re
in love with her, so just admit it.
Play second fiddle: To be less important. I hate playing second
fiddle to my sister; she always does things better than I do!
Put your foot in your mouth: Saying something you shouldn’t
have. Jessica really put her foot in her mouth when she asked about John’s job
right after he lost it.
Pull yourself together: Calm down and behave normally.
Pull yourself together, man! Sure, your girlfriend just dumped you and then you
got hit by a car, but you can't let those things get you down.
Sick and tired: To be bothered or annoyed by. She is sick and
tired of her dog chewing up her shoes every day.
Sleep on it: To think about something for a while before
making a decision. Don’t tell me whether you’ll move to Texas with me or not
today. Sleep on it, and get back to me tomorrow.
Snug as a bug in a rug: Warm and cozy; content. That baby
looks as snug as a bug in a rug cuddled up next to his mother.
Step up your game: To start performing better. Listen, Jen. You'd
better step up your game if you want to get all A's in Miss Finch's Physics
class. She isn't easy!
Stick your nose into something: To interfere. Sharon always sticks
her nose into everyone else’s business.
Straight from the horse’s mouth: Directly from the person involved.
Listen to the news straight from the horse’s mouth; we’re all getting bonuses
this week!
Take it easy: Relax. I know you’re not feeling well, so try
to take it easy today.
Tip of the iceberg: The small easily visible part of a larger
problem. The fact that Carrie is dating a member of the mafia is just the tip
of the iceberg; she’s also smuggling contraband into the country.
To not see the wood for the trees: To be so involved with the details
that you don’t get the most important facts. She always argues about the
silliest things; it’s like she can’t see the wood for the trees.
Up a creek without a paddle: In an unlucky/bad situation. If
you don’t have any money to pay for the repairs we just made to your car, I
guess you’re up a creek without a paddle because you can’t have your car back.
You rock!: You are great. Dude. You rock. Thanks for
offering to watch my pet iguana all week.
