Idiomatic Expressions Flood the World!

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Daniella Ramsey
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1 Name date pd. Idiomatic Expressions Flood the World! Idiomatic Expression Common Interpretations 1. From A to Z. 1. From beginning to end 2. I have an ace up my sleeve. 2. I have a hidden surprise, just in case I need it. 3. Don t air your dirty laundry in public. 3. Don t make your shameful, private (family) business public. 4. You have an albatross around your neck. 4. You are cursed and headed for bad trouble. 5. I m all ears. 5. I m listening with every part of me. I m paying complete attention. 6. He s all thumbs. 6. He s very clumsy and extremely uncoordinated. 7. She s the apple of his eye. 7. She s the most precious sight he sees. 8. He s asleep at the wheel. 8. He s not paying attention to important things. 9. At the drop of a hat, it happens. 9. Without any warning, very quickly and easily it happens. 10. I m at the end of my rope. 10. I m out of patience and power; I can t continue. 11. I have an ax to grind with you. 11. I have a complaint to make and a problem to work out with you. 12. He s like a babe in the woods. 12. He s innocent and helpless. 13. I m back to square one. 13. I have to start all over again. 14. Well, it s back to the drawing board. 14. It s time to design and work out a new plan. 15. Don t be a backseat driver. 15. Don t try to tell the worker how to do his job. 16. I m in the driver s seat, now. 16. I m in charge and in full control. 17. His bark is worst than his bite. 17. His talk is tough; but his actions are not that tough at all. 18. He s barking up the wrong tree. 18. He s following the wrong clues. 19. You have bats in your belfry. 19. Your head s empty; you re dumb Idiomatic Expressions is 1

2 20. Batten down the hatches. 20. Secure things and make sure they re safe. 21. Don t beat a dead horse. 21. Don t continue to worry about a situation that s already settled. 22. Don t keep beating around the 22. Don t keep avoiding the point; bush. just say what you really mean. 23. To beat the band. 23. To put on a better performance than the band could put on. 24. Turn your weapons of war into peaceful tools of honest work. 24. Beat your swords into plowshares. 25. Life is not always a bed of roses. 25. Life is not always a comfortable, nice-smelling situation. 26. She has a bee in her bonnet. 26. She is in a really bad mood. 27. I was behind the eight ball. 27. I was in a terrible situation. 28. It came with bells and whistles. 28. It came with a lot of noise and decorations. 29. That s par for the course. 29. That s about all that you can expect to happen. 30. This is my better half. 30. This is my spouse (husband/wife) 31. He was between the Devil and 31. He was in a bad situation, with the deep blue sea. nowhere to turn. 32. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. 32. Beware of the kind gestures of people pretending to be your friend. 33. Don t bite off more than you can 33. Don t try to do a job that s too chew. big for you to handle. 34. Just bite the bullet. 34. Just endure the pain that comes with a choice that you need to make. 35. One day you ll have to bite the 35. One day you ll have to die. dust. 36. Don t bite the hand that feeds 36. Don t attack the person who s you. taking care of you. 37. Bite your tongue. 37. Be quiet; don t dare say that. 38. He s the black sheep of the 38. He s the member of the family family. that doesn t fit in with the rest. 39. Don t be a bleeding heart. 39. Don t be too easily overcome with emotions and sympathy. 40. When the blind leads the blind. 40. When those who don t know try to teach others who also don t know. 41. Don t blow your own horn. 41. Don t brag on yourself! Idiomatic Expressions is 2

3 42. Try not to blow your stack. 42. Try not to lose your temper. 43. She s a real blue blood. 43. She s a real aristocrat, a person of pure breeding and culture. 44. It came out of the clear blue. 44. It came out of nowhere. 45. He was born with a silver spoon 45. He was born rich. in his mouth. 46. What s the bottom line? 46. What s the final result? 47. It was a bowl of cherries. 47. It was very easy to do. 48. Break a leg. 48. Give it your all. Try your best. 49. We need to break the ice. 49. We need to get used to each other and begin to feel comfortable. 50. You should try to bring down the house. 50. You should try to put on the best show the audience has ever seen. 51. I m the one that brings home the bacon. 51. I m the one that brings home the money to feed the family. 52. Bug off! 52. Go away! 53. Don t burn the candle at both ends. 53. Don t try to do too much for too long of a time. 54. He s a bull in a china shop. 54. He s big, clumsy and destructive. 55. I must burn the midnight oil. 55. I must stay up very late & work. 56. Never burn your bridges. 56. Never leave in such a way that you can t ever come back. 57. Don t burn yourself out. 57. Don t use up all of your energy and enthusiasm. 58. I had butterflies in my stomach. 58. I was very nervous. 59. Get it by hook or crook. 59. Get it legally or illegally. 60. He made it by the skin of his teeth. 60. He just barely made it; there was no room for error. 61. Let s call it a day. 61. Let s stop working for today. 62. I get to call the shots for everybody. 62 I get to be in charge and make all of the decisions for everybody. 63. He got called to the carpet. 63. He got called to his boss s office and was scolded for misconduct. 64. You can t fight City Hall. 64. You can t beat the government. 65. Think carefully before you call someone s bluff. 65. Think carefully before you force someone to prove that what they re claiming is actually true. 66. He dropped the ball. 66. He didn t do the job he was expected to do. Idiomatic Expressions is 3

4 67. You can t see the forest for the trees. 67. You can t see the big picture because you re focusing too much on the small things. 68. Don t cast your pearls before 68. Don t offer your valuable things swine. to someone who isn t worthy. 69. Who can cast the first stone? 69. Who is completely innocent? 70. The cat s got his tongue. 70. He s so quiet. He seems to not even have a tongue to speak. 71. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. 71. You can persuade people easier with sweet words than with sour. 72. He was caught red handed. 72. He was caught doing the crime, the blood still on his hands. 73. He chewed him out. 73. He fussed at him. 74. That s just chicken feed to me. 74. That s just small money to me. 75. One day the chickens will come home to roost. 75. One day the deeds that you re doing will bring about consequences. 76. He has a chip on his shoulder. 76. He s looking for a fight. 77. When the chips are down. 77. When the situation is dire and urgent. 78. They re driving me up a wall. 78. They re making me lose my sanity. 79. That was a close shave. 79. That was a narrow escape. 80. I m clutching at straws. 80. I m trying to hold on to anything. 81. He got cold feet. 81. He got scared. 82. He quit cold turkey. 82. He quit completely, all at once. 83. It costs an arm and a leg. 83. It s very expensive. 84. She s crying crocodile tears. 84. She s crying fake tears. 85. Don t cry over spilled milk. 85. Don t worry about things you can t change. 86. Never cry wolf. 86. Never pretend you re in trouble, if you re not. 87. Don t cut off your nose to spite your face. 87. Don t hurt one thing of yours while trying to hurt another. 88. He can t cut the mustard. 88. He can t handle the hard jobs. 89. They re a dime a dozen. 89. They re cheat and easy to find. 90. This is a dog-eat-dog world. 90. This is an uncivilized, savage world. 91. Don t count your chickens before they hatch. 91. Don t rely on things that you expect to happen. Rely on what is. Idiomatic Expressions is 4

5 92. Dot your I s and cross your T s. 92. Take care of all the small details. 93. He s very down to earth. 93. He s very normal and humble. 94. She s dressed to kill. 94. She s dressed to attract and conquer any man. 95. It s just a drop in the bucket. 95. It s not very much at all. 96. He s an eager beaver. 96. He can t wait to begin. 97. It s the eleventh hour. 97. It s very late; time s almost up. 98. You ll have to eat your words. 98. You ll have to admit you re wrong. 99. A little elbow grease may be necessary. 99. You may have to physically work for a while Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is named John Every common person that you meet is named John You may have to eat crow You may have to humble yourself and admit you were wrong Let s face the music Let s deal with the unpleasant consequences of our actions It s feast or famine It s all or nothing He s a real fat cat He s a real rich guy Stop fanning the flames Stop making things worse than they already are Here s another feather in your cap Here s another success for you to claim He was fiddling while Rome burned He was being nonchalant and very cool while disaster was about You should fish or cut bait You should do the job or quit This should fill the bill This should satisfy the need He caught forty winks He slept for a while He s full of hot air He s full of meaningless talk He was fighting tooth and nail He was fighting with everything he had From the word go From the very beginning He got his pink slip today He got fired from his job today He flew off the handle He lost his temper I ll fix his little red wagon I ll give him exactly what he deserves for the mischief he s done You don t want to be a fifth wheel You don t want to feel like you aren t needed Just get your feet wet, today Just start to familiarize yourself with everything, today. Idiomatic Expressions is 5

6 119. This is the straw that broke the 119. This is the tiny amount of extra camel s back. weight that was added to the heavy weight that broke the camel s back Here s some food for thought Here s something for you to think about So that I ll feel better, I need to say something I ve been holding in I need to get something off my chest Charlie gave up the ghost Charlie died Go fly a kite Go away and leave me alone Helen went bananas last night Helen went insane last night We may as well go for broke We may as well risk everything Don t be a goody-two-shoes Don t try to be perfectly good Throw a monkey wrench into the works Deliberately sabotage an operation That s Greek to me That s something I don t at all understand Just read the handwriting on the wall Just watch the evidence, signals, signs, and clues He has a screw loose He s crazy Get off your high horse Stop being so arrogantly proud You can t have your cake and eat it too You can t have things both ways. You must choose one You must handle him with kid 133. You must handle him gingerly. gloves Hang in there, buddy Don t give up, buddy He s the head honcho He s the boss It s time to hit the hay It s time to go to bed That s highway robbery! 137. That price is too high! 138. He hits below the belt He doesn t fight fair That soup really hit the spot That soup was very satisfying She s hanging by a thread She s barely holding on Hold the fort till I return Take care of things till I return Hold your horses Be patient Don t be so hot under the 143. Don t be so easily angered. collar Ignorance is bliss You don t worry about what you don t know about He jumped down her throat He verbally attacked her It s time to hit the road It s time to leave. Idiomatic Expressions is 6

7 147. He s in a pickle, now He s in a bad situation We re in the same boat We re in the same bad situation She loves the limelight She loves being on stage Walter s in the doghouse Walter s in trouble with his boss, spouse, or friend Everybody jumped on the bandwagon Everybody joined the large group of people who were leading Don t jump the gun Don t start before it s time Keep a stiff upper lip Don t start to cry Try to keep a straight face Try to keep from smiling or giving away our ploy Let s keep up with the Joneses Let s get everything that our neighbors, the Joneses, get Keep your chin up Don t drop your head in sadness and despair Mr. Jacobs kicked the bucket Mr. Jacobs died I m barely keeping my head 158. I m barely surviving. above water He killed two birds with one stone He accomplished two things with one action He s knee-high to a 160. He s very short. grasshopper He killed the goose that lays the golden eggs He destroyed his money making opportunity Knock on wood Keep bad luck from coming Keep your shirt on Calm down and be patient It s a labor of love It s hard work; but, it s something I love to do He laid an egg He failed in his attempt I lost my shirt I lost all the money I had Leave no stone unturned Search everywhere Lay your cards on the table Tell the whole story; don t leave anything out Let the chips fall where they may Let the consequences come, whatever they are He sat there like a bump on a log He sat there lazily and stupidly, and didn t move at all Living high on the hog Living an easy prosperous life He speaks with a forked tongue He tells clever, deceitful lies. Idiomatic Expressions is 7

8 173. He s been raising Cain all day He s been creating confusion and chaos all day There s light at the end of the tunnel I can see an end to this bad situation I m in Sell it: lock, stock, and barrel Sell the whole thing, every piece of it They lowered the boom on him They brought down strong consequences on him Don t lock the barn door after the horse is out Don t try to prevent things after they ve already happened Fish rot from the head down Problems in an organization or family usually start at the top We must make ends meet We need to be able to pay all the bills Don t make waves Don t create problems I make no bones about it I don t hesitate or pretend; I just say it as it is Mind your P s and Q s Be careful with the little details Throw a rock into a group of dogs; the ones that yelp are the ones you hit Guilty people usually tell on them-selves as soon as pressure is applied Don t pass the buck Don t pass the responsibility on to someone else This stuff is over your head These things are too hard for you to understand Mum s the word Keep completely silent about this whole matter She s no spring chicken She s not young any more This is not my cup of tea I don t like this He s nutty as a fruitcake He s completely crazy His name is mud He has a bad reputation This is old hat to me This is something that I m used to dealing with It s no skin off my nose It won t hurt me at all I ve been on pins and needles I ve been worried and anxious Once in a blue moon it comes Very seldom, it comes Nothing ventured; nothing gained You can t make a profit if you re not willing to take a risk Do it on the double Do it at twice the speed. Idiomatic Expressions is 8

9 197. Don t open a can of worms Don t mention something that people will start to argue over He s not out of the woods, yet He s not out of danger, yet Out of sight, out of mind What you don t see, you don t think about He was travelling off the beaten path He was travelling down unusual pathways He s out on a limb He s in a dangerous situation Out of the mouth of babes Sometimes, an innocent child will speak a cold, hard truth He s on the ropes He s in deep trouble, about to be defeated Get off the fence Stop vacillating; make up your mind Mrs. Jones is over the hill Mrs. Jones is very old We need to pass the hat We need to collect some money A penny for your thoughts Please tell me what you re thinking so deeply about We were as poor as a church mouse We had almost nothing, not even food Ants accusing roaches of being bugs We often criticize others for being what we are Put up or shut up Stop talking, and do something He pulled a fast one on us He tricked us She s playing the field She s dating many different guys Don t be penny-wise and pound-foolish Don t be smart in small things, and dumb in large ones Don t pull punches Don t pretend to fight. Fight! 215. Pull out all the stops Don t hold anything back! 216. She s pulling your leg She s kidding around with you People who live in glass houses shouldn t throw stones People, vulnerable to attack themselves, shouldn t attack others Don t let him pull the wool over 218. Don t let him fool you. your eyes He pulled the rug out from under me Put a cork in it Stop talking He set me up, and made sure I would fail. Idiomatic Expressions is 9

10 221. You should put your foot down You should make a decision and force everyone to follow it Don t put all your eggs in one basket Don t risk everything you have at one time He s fast on the draw He can attack very quickly Can t I take a rain check? 224. Can I purchase this later for today s price? 225. It s raining cats and dogs The rain is really coming down You must learn to read between the lines You must learn to figure out what s being implied and suggested I hate all of this red tape I hate all this legal paperwork He read him the riot act He yelled at him & scolded him He s the real McCoy He s not fake in any way It s just a red herring It s just something designed to deliberately mislead I knew right off the bat I knew from the very beginning I got the red carpet treatment I got treated like royalty This is a red letter day This is a day to be remembered He whispered sweet nothings into her ear He whispered nice words in her ears that had no real meaning You ve become a stumbling block to our long range plans You ve become a hindrance to our long range plans Don t be so mule headed Don t be so stubborn I ve been stringing him along I ve been misleading him for a while, keeping him interested There are no strings attached There are no extra requirements 239. He s been stretching the truth He s been exaggerating I had to stew in my own juice I had to suffer in my situation The little dog stole the show The little dog was the best performer in the show He only got a slap on the wrist He only got a light punishment Bob has a silver tongue Bob is a loquacious speaker Let s not split hairs Let s not argue over fine details Just take a shot in the dark Just take a wild guess He s sharp as a tack He s dressed very nicely He wants to settle a score He wants to get revenge She stabbed him in the back She betrayed his trust Tom has a short fuse Tom gets angry very quickly Thriller was a smash hit Thriller was a great DVD. Idiomatic Expressions is 10

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An Idiom a Day Will Help Keep the Boredom In Schooling Away #1. What are idioms?

An Idiom a Day Will Help Keep the Boredom In Schooling Away #1 What are idioms? Dictionary A- noun- form of expression peculiar to one language; dialect Dictionary B- noun- A form of expression whose understood