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"IDIOM" - an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself

either grammatically (as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be

derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements.

In other words, it's American Slang which you may not always get. In fact,

idioms can make you totally lost in conversations! We Americans seem to roll

them of our tongues very easily and we are so busy gabbing that we really are

clueless when we even use them!

Yet idioms are nothing to sneeze at. If you wish to make a killing in America,

you must keep your nose to the grindstone and not have your head always in the

clouds. You'll fnd that if you hang in, and knock yourself out with hard work,

before you know it, you will have mastered these hip expressions and come

through with fying colors.

I bent over backwards putting this list together for you. I fgured if I gave you a

hand in helping you understand how American English is used on a daily basis,

soon you'll see that you no longer are just scratching the surface in learning the

language. You'll realize that you have pulled this of ever so successfully. Before

you know it, not only will your pronunciation be reeling, but soon you'll be

sounding like a native, understanding the lingo, and realizing that you fnally

have it made!

(Translation)

In other words, it's American Slang which you may not always understand. In fact,

idioms may make you totally confused in conversations! We Americans seem to say

them very easily and we are so busy talking that we really are unaware when we

even use them!

Yet idioms are not easy. If you wish to be successful in America, you must work hard

and not be day dreaming. You'll fnd that if you don't give up, and are diligent,

before you know it, you will have mastered these popular expressions and fnish with

tremendous success.

I did everything I could putting this list together for you. I fgured if I assisted in

helping you understand how American English is used on a daily basis, soon you'll

see that you no longer are just merely beginning to understand the language. You'll

realize that you have accomplished something remarkable. Soon, not only will your

pronunciation be great, but soon you'll be sounding like a native, understanding

our expressions, and realizing that you are enjoying tremendous success!

This manual accompanies the video training program in American English Pronunciation available only at www.PronunciationWorkshop.com.

mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the expressed written consent of the publisher.

You should further understand that text, images, sounds, video clips, and other multimedia items included in the PronunciationWorkshop.com website, represent

valuable intellectual property and redistribution of such material is a violation of federal and international law. You agree to be wholly liable for any dissemination

of such materials and realize that your computer and other possessions may be seized by law enforcement offcials.

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

(in alphabetical order)

above board 1. - legitimate, legal. She knows it shouldn't be kept a

secret. She wants to keep everything above board.

across the board 2. - including everyone or everything. Te

company had a successful year. All salaries were increased by 10%

across the board.

air one's dirty laundry in public 3. - discuss personal problems

openly. He is a very private person. If he has a problem in his family he

doesn't want to air his dirty laundry in public.

all along 4. - all the time. She was accepted into the university, but

she knew all along that she'd get in.

all ears 5. - eager to listen. I was excited to hear about her vacation.

When she told me about it, I was all ears.

all thumbs 6. - clumsy, unable to fx things. Don't ask me to put that

clock back together. I'm all thumbs.

an arm and a leg 7. - a large amount of money. It cost an arm and a

leg to fx the stove.

ants in one's pants 8. - nervous, anxious. He wasn't sure if he would

be chosen to win the award. He had ants in his pants.

apple doesn't fall far from the tree, the 9. - being similar to

a parent or family member. He acts just like his father. You know, the

apple doesn't fall far fom the tree.

apple of one's eye 10. - someone special, usually a son or daughter.

Although he loves his son, his daughter is the apple of his eye.

at fault 11. - responsible for making errors. He is at fault for all the

errors on the computer.

at odds 12. - in disagreement. He is at odds with his boss.

at one's beck and call 13. - always ready to do what is ordered.

Whenever she calls him, he's always helping her. He is at her beck and call.

The 800 MOsT COMMOnly

UseD IDIOMs In AMerICAPronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

at one's wit's end 14. - anxious, frantic. I need to speak with him to

fnish the report by tomorrow but he's not available. I'm at my wit's end!

at the end of one's rope 15. - desperate, with nowhere to turn. I've

tried every which way to fgure out this problem but I can't. I'm at the

end of my rope!

back on one's feet 16. - fnancially or physically healthy again. Since

sales improved, he is doing better and he's getting back on his feet.

back out of 17. - withdraw, end an obligation or promise. I made a

deal with my friend to help him at work. When I became too busy, I

had to back out of it.

back to the drawing board 18. - rethink an idea, need to start

over. When my supervisor told me that our idea would not work, we

had to go back to the drawing board to come up with something else.

backbone 19. - courage. He has no backbone because he was afraid to

reprimand her.

backseat driver 20. - passenger who tells you how to drive. I'll never

drive Joe to the airport again. He kept on wanting me to take another

road which I knew was wrong. He is such a backseat driver.

bail one out 21. - help. Tanks for picking me up when my car broke

down. You really bailed me out of a bad situation.

ballpark figure 22. - approximate amount. When I asked the

contractor how much it would be to remodel the kitchen, he gave me a

ballpark fgure.

bang for the buck 23. - value for the money spent. Newspaper

advertising works well for us because we get the best bang for the buck.

bank on it - be sure of, count on. 24. I'll be there to help you.

You can bank on it.

banker's hours 25. - short work hours. He loves his job because on

Friday, he gets to work banker's hours.

bark up the wrong tree 26. - make a wrong choice or a false

assumption. If he thinks that I'm going to help him paint his house,

well he's barking up the wrong tree.

bat a thousand 27. - have a perfect record. He is so happy that

everyone he invited to the party is coming. He's batting a thousand.

bat an eyelash 28. - show emotion. He was flled with emotion during

his speech, but she didn't bat an eyelash.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

bawl out 29. - reprimand. Te team was bawled out afer they lost the

game.

be beside one's self 30. - be very upset. I was so mad when I heard

that she was making up stories about me that I was beside myself.

beat around the bush 31. - avoid giving a clear answer. I didn't want

to hurt his feelings and tell him that he wasn't selected for the team.

So when he asked me if I had any information, I basically beat around

the bush.

beat someone to the punch 32. - do something before someone else

can. She was going to buy the last red dress that the store had, but I

beat her to the punch and bought it frst.

beat the rap 33. - escape punishment. Tere was not enough evidence

to convict him, so he beat the rap and was set free.

behind the 8-ball 34. - in trouble. My department is late on its

deadline. We are behind the 8-ball.

bend over backwards 35. - try very hard. He'll bend over backwards

to help any of his friends.

bide one's time 36. - wait patiently for the right opportunity. I'm just

going to bide my time. I know that eventually a position will open.

big shot 37. - important person. Since he was given a promotion, he's

been acting like a big shot.

big stink 38. - an angry and loud complaint. She made a big stink when

her meal was served cold.

birds and bees 39. - facts about sex and birth. Te girl's mother told

her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.

bit off more than one can chew 40. - trying to do more than one

can physically and mentally handle. I told her I would help her in her

job, but it seems that's all I've been doing lately. I think I bit of more

than I could chew.

bite one's tongue 41. - keep oneself from speaking. I had to bite my

tongue in order not to tell him that he won the rafe.

bite the dust 42. - die, disappear. Our old TV didn't work yesterday. I

guess it fnally bit the dust.

blab 43. - talk too much. She is always blabbing about her supervisor's

personal life to her friends. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

blabbermouth 44. - person who talks too much and tells secrets. He

is such a blabbermouth that there is no way Bob will be surprised for

his party.

black sheep 45. - a family member with a bad reputation. John's way of

life is so diferent from all of ours. He is known as the black sheep

of the family.

blind date 46. - a date arranged for two people who don't know each

other. Many married couples have met on a blind date.

blow it 47. - lose a chance, make a mistake. I knew I blew it when I

forgot my lines in the play.

blow over 48. - end, pass. She knew her coworkers will eventually

forget how she messed up the fling system in the ofce. She couldn't

wait for the incident to blow over.

blow the whistle 49. - expose, betray. I just found out that he's

been stealing from our company for the past year. I don't want it to

continue and I've decided to blow the whistle.

boil down 50. - make shorter, condense. Tis whole complicated

situation just boils down to something simple...it's either a yes or a no.

bomb 51. - fail, be unsuccessful. Te whole cast was very sad that the

show bombed on Broadway.

bone to pick with someone 52. - complaint, argument. I heard that

you have rejected my proposal. I'm upset and have a bone to pick with you.

boob tube 53. - television set. What is on the boob tube tonight?

bookworm 54. - person who reads a lot. Te library is the perfect place

for her to work because she is such a bookworm.

booze 55. - liquor - Tey kept bottles of booze behind the bar.

botch up 56. - make a mistake, ruin. I asked for her help with my

watercolor painting. But when she decided to add some purple paint, I

knew that she completely botched it up.

bottom line 57. - end result, ultimate cause. He never practiced the

piano, so the bottom line is, he can't play very well.

bounce 58. - not acceptable because of insufcient funds in the bank. If

your check bounces, I will need to charge you extra money.

brain 59. - intelligent person. She is such a brain, she will fgure out

how to solve the problem. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

brainstorm 60. - very smart idea. I have got a brainstorm! Let's start

giving out free samples of our products.

bread and butter 61. - basic needs of life (food, shelter, clothing).

Te voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes.

break one's neck 62. - try very hard. She broke her neck last night

trying to fnalize the proposal.

break the ice 63. - overcome formality or shyness with others. He

started the meeting by telling a joke. He was hoping the joke would

break the ice.

break the news 64. - tell a surprising fact. She broke the news and told

him that she was going to move to another city.

break up 65. - separate. Tey needed to break up their engagement

because she fell in love with someone else.

break even 66. - have expenses equal to profts. Te company did not

make a proft this year. We just broke even.

breathe a word 67. - tell. Please don't breathe a word of this

to anyone.

breeze 68. - easy. Last night's homework was a breeze.

bring home the baco 69. n - earn the family's income. He stays home

and raises the children and she brings home the bacon.

broke 70. - having no money. I can't go to the restaurant tonight

because I'm broke.

brown bag 71. - bring one's lunch from home. For the meeting on

Friday, we've all decided to brown bag it.

buck 72. - dollar. I'm low this week on cash. Can I borrow a few bucks

to get me through the week?

buckle down 73. - study or work very hard. Last semester his grades

were very low, so this year he decided to buckle down.

buddy-buddy 74. - very friendly. She's gotten to be very buddy-buddy

with her boss.

bug 75. - annoy, bother. It bugs me every time he asks to borrow a pencil.

bulldoze 76. - intimidate, coerce. I did not want to work on the

fundraising committee, but I feel I was bulldozed into it

bum 77. - worthless person. As long as I have known him, he never Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

worked and always borrowed from other people. He is such a bum!

burn a hole in one's pocket 78. - money to be spent quickly. Te

bonus he received must have burned a hole in his pocket. He ended up

buying a car the next day.

bury the hatchet 79. - make peace. Although we had gotten into

a big fght last month, we decided to bury the hatchet and become

friends again.

butt in 80. - interfere. Please don't butt in to our conversation, it's

personal.

butter up 81. - fatter for selfsh reasons. I buttered up my boss before I

asked him of for the upcoming holiday.

by hook or by crook 82. - by any means necessary. Even though we

have to fy to get to your wedding, we will be there by hook or by crook.

by the skin of one's teeth 83. - by a very small margin. Our team

won by the skin of our teeth.

call it quits 84. - stop, fnish. I have worked all day and am exhausted.

I've decided to call it quits.

call off 85. - cancel. Te game was called of because of rain.

call on the carpet 86. - reprimand. He was called on the carpet for

losing all the fnancial statements.

call someone's bluff 87. - have someone prove what he says. I don't

think Bob knows as much as he says. I think we should call his bluf.

call the shots 88. - be in charge, give orders. We knew who the

supervisor was because she called all the shots.

can 89. - fre, dismiss. I was canned and no longer am working for the

company.

can of worms 90. - complex problem or complicated situation. It

opened up a large can of worms when the company decided to talk

about the union contract.

carried away 91. - adversely infuenced by strong emotion. He was

carried away by his efective sales approach and bought the remainder

of his products.

catch on 92. - understand, fgure out. I am beginning to catch on to

this algebra.

catch someone red-handed 93. - fnd one in the act of doing Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

something wrong. Te police came and the bank robber was caught

red handed

caught short 94. - I didn't have enough money to pay the bill. I was

caught short.

chalk up 95. - record, score. Chalk up another one for the team. Tey

won the championship.

change of heart 96. - a change in the way one feels about something.

I wasn't planning to spend the holidays with my family, but afer

speaking with my mother, I had a change of heart.

chickenfeed 97. - a small amount of money. Taking the whole family

on that cruise is certainly not going to be chickenfeed.

chip in 98. - contribute. We are all going to chip in and give the teacher a gif.

chip off the old block 99. - child who looks or acts just like his or

her parent. He reminds me so much of his father. He's a chip of

the old block.

chip on one's shoulder 100. - quarrelsome attitude, quick to anger. I

was afraid to ask her for a favor. It looked like she had a chip

on her shoulder.

cinch 101. - easy. Adding and subtracting was always a cinch.

clamp down 102. - become stricter. Because he came home from the

party so late, his father said he will start to clamp down on his curfew.

clean up 103. - make a big proft. Since he started his new business, he's

really cleaning up.

clear 104. - go through. When will this check clear my bank?

clear the air 105. - calm anger and remove misunderstanding. We

were tired of fghting, so we decided to start talking and clear the air.

close shave 106. - narrow escape. It was a close shave getting out of the

burning building.

coast is clear 107. - no enemy is in sight. Take the present out of the

closet when the coast is clear.

come a long way 108. - make great progress. He came a long way in his

recovery from surgery.

come across 109. - fnd or meet by chance. If you come across any

pictures of my friends from high school, let me know. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

come apart at the seams 110. - be upset and lose control. I almost

came apart at the seams when I saw the taxicab hit my car.

come clean 111. - tell the truth. I came clean when I knew I was

caught in a lie.

come hell or high water 112. - no matter what happens. Come hell

or high water, I'll for sure be at that meeting.

come off it 113. - stop kidding, boasting or making believe. Herbert

said he was the only one who could do the job. I told him to come of it.

come on strong 114. - overwhelm with excessively strong language or

personality. Te car salesman came on too strong and angered my wife.

come through with flying colors 115. - succeed, win, exceed.

When he graduated with honors, it was evident that he came through

with fying color.

comeback 116. - to be successful again. Te actress made an outstanding

comeback on the stage, afer her bout with pneumonia.

con 117. - lie, swindle, trick. His boss conned him into working on the

weekend for no pay.

cook someone's goose 118. - create big problems for someone. He

knew that when he was caught in a lie his goose was cooked.

cough up 119. - give money unwillingly, give up a secret. You said that

you would help pay for their wedding. Well, it's been three months -

cough it up.

count on 120. - rely on, trust. I could always count on my best friend.

cover for someone 121. - protect someone. Please cover me, if I end

up not knowing what to say at the meeting.

crack down 122. - Te police are beginning to crack down on teenagers

who are out too late at night.

cream of the crop 123. - the best of a group, top-choice. Tis

university only accepts the cream of the crop.

creeps, the 124. - fear, uneasiness. It gives me the creeps every time I

pass the strange looking house.

crocodile tears 125. - show of sorrow that is not really felt. He cried

crocodile tears when he discovered that he couldn't go to the meeting.

crop up 126. - happen quickly without warning. I had to stay at work late

yesterday. Some new work cropped up.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

cross one's mind 127. - think of, occur quickly to someone. It did not

cross my mind to thank her for my birthday card.

cut corners 128. - limit one's buying. She was way over budget for the

wedding, so she needed to cut corners.

cut down on 129. - use less, reduce. My doctor wants me to cut

down on sugar.

cut the mustard 130. - succeed, do well enough what needs to be done.

He wasn't able to cut the mustard so he had to leave the army afer only

one year.

cut out 131. - have talent for, be suited for. She is not cut out for the

swim team. She's too slow.

cut someone down to size 132. - prove someone is not as good as he

or she thinks. John thought he was the smartest student in the class.

We needed to cut him down to size.

dawn on 133. - become clear, begin to understand. It fnally dawned on

me that I missed our anniversary.

dead-end job 134. - position with no future. He decided to go back to

college because he realized he had a dead- end job.

dig up 135. - fnd, recall, discover. Have you dug up any information on

the new employee?

dime a dozen 136. - common, easily obtained. Tose shiny stones are

not worth anything. Tey are a dime a dozen.

dish out 137. - criticize, abuse, scold - Sometimes he's nasty and

insulting. He can really dish out.

dive 138. - disreputable, low class bar or nightclub. I did not like where he

brought me last night. It was a real dive.

do the trick 139. - be successful, achieve a good result. Te recipe

needs a little help. I think salt may do the trick.

do without 140. - live without something. When the television broke, I

knew that I could do without it for a week or two.

doctor it up 141. - fx temporarily. Te hem on the dress ripped. I

doctored it up with some tape.

double check 142. - reinvestigate thoroughly, look again for errors.

Tis column does not add up. I will double check it for a mistake.

double-cross 143. - betray. I cannot double-cross my best friend. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

dough 144. - money. He makes a lot of dough.

down and out 145. - having no money, no success. Although he was

successful a few years ago, today I hear he's down and out.

down in the dumps 146. - unhappy. She's been down in the dumps ever

since she lost her job.

down the drain 147. - wasted, lost. I don't like to throw my money

down the drain.

down to earth 148. - having good sense, practical. My fancée is

friendly and sensible. She's very down to earth.

draw the line 149. - set the limit. He sets an early curfew for his

children. He draws the line at 10:00 PM.

dress up 150. - wear one's best clothing. We need to dress up for this

wedding.

dressed to kill 151. - wear one's fnest clothing. She was dressed to kill

when I saw her at the convention last year.

dribs and drabs 152. - little by little, small quantities. She told us the

story in dribs and drabs.

drive at 153. - try to say, insinuate. What were you driving at when you

said that insulting comment?

drive someone up a wall 154. - make someone crazy. My son is

driving me up a wall!

drop in the bucket 155. - a small amount. Te cost of fxing the sink

is a drop in the bucket compared to replacing the whole sink.

drop out 156. - one who doesn't complete a study course. My cousin

dropped out of college.

drown one's sorrows 157. - drink liquor to forget one's problems. I

was so upset last night, that I drowned my sorrows at the bar.

dump 158. - get rid of, reject - I can't believe you dumped your girlfriend.

dwell on 159. - talk and think about something all the time. I know it is

a big decision, but you shouldn't dwell on it all day.

eager beaver 160. - ambitious, hard working. Charlie gets to work at

7:00 am everyday. He is an eager beaver.

earful 161. - interesting gossip, information. My friend found out about

the local politician. I got an earful.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

egg someone on 162. - push, urge. My wife didn't want to take the job,

but I egged her on.

elbow grease 163. - strength for cleaning. I needed to use a lot of elbow

grease to get the dirt of the foor.

elbow room 164. - enough space to be comfortable. It was so tight in

that restaurant. Tere wasn't any elbow room.

end up 165. - fnish. I heard that you got lost on your way home last

night. Where did you end up?

every Tom, Dick and Harry 166. - the average person, nobody

special. It seemed like every Tom, Dick and Harry came out to

purchase tickets for the movie.

face the music 167. - meet one's punishment, accept the consequences.

When he got caught stealing the money from the bank, he realized

that soon he would have to face the music.

face up to 168. - accept something unpleasant or difcult. You need to

face up to the fact that you did not win the election.

fair and square 169. - honest, honestly. I won the contest fair and square.

fall apart 170. - stop working properly, deteriorate. His old car

fnally fell apart.

fall behind 171. - not be able to keep up, fail to maintain a schedule or

rate of speed. When she couldn't go to school because of her illness,

she signifcantly fell behind in her work.

fall for 172. - begin to love, have strong emotions for. I fell for her as

soon as I met her.

fall off 173. - decrease. Sales have been falling of since the economy

has slowed down.

fall through 174. - fail, collapse - Te big sale I made at work

yesterday fell through this morning.

false alarm 175. - warning or report that is untrue. She thought that

she was pregnant, but it was a false alarm.

far-fetched 176. - unlikely, exaggerated. Te possibility of her receiving

a full scholarship is very far-fetched.

fast buck 177. - money obtained easily and ofen unethically. I know a way

we can make a fast buck.

feather in one's cap 178. - proud achievement. His speech went well Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

at the corporate meeting. It was a feather in his cap.

fed up with 179. - had enough, disgusted with. She was fed up with his

attitude at the ofce.

feel in one's bones 180. - know by intuition, feel certain without

evidence. I believe he is going to get the promotion. I can just feel it in

my bones.

feel like a million bucks 181. - feel wonderful. I felt like a million

bucks when I wore my new suit to the wedding.

feel like two cents 182. - feel ashamed or embarrassed. I felt like two

cents when I dropped the birthday cake on the foor.

feel sorry for 183. - pity. She felt sorry for him when she heard the

news of his accident.

fender bender 184. - minor accident. I had a fender bender on my way

to work this morning.

fiddle around 185. - work without a defnite plan and knowledge. Te

clock was broken, so he fddled around with it until he got it to work.

figure out 186. - try to understand, solve. She couldn't fgure out one of

her math problems.

fill someone in 187. - tell a person the details. We had the meeting

yesterday when you were out. Let me fll you in on what you missed.

find fault 188. - complain, criticize - She always seems to fnd fault with

any of my friends.

fish out of water 189. - someone who does not ft in. She felt like a

fsh out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while

everyone else was wearing jeans.

fishy 190. - suspicious, false sounding. Your company is giving you a

month of from work? Tat sounds a bit fshy.

fix someone up 191. - arrange a date for someone. I fxed her up with

my best friend.

flip one's lid 192. - get angry, go crazy, become very excited. He fipped

his lid when he found out his son stole some candy from the store.

floor someone 193. - surprise, confuse. I was foored when I found out

they had made me a surprise birthday party.

flop 194. - failure - His business ended up being a fop.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

fly off the handle 195. - get angry. Her mother few of the handle

when she found out that her daughter dropped out of college.

fly the coop 196. - leave suddenly, run away. As soon as he turned

eighteen years old, he few the coop.

fly-by-night 197. - unreliable, untrustworthy. I don't want to buy my

computer from that store. It's a fy-by-night company; they may not be

in business next year.

foot in the door 198. - opening, hopeful beginning of success. It is

not my idea of a perfect job, but at least I have my foot in the door with

a great company.

foot the bill 199. - pay. Who is going to foot the bill for the

ofce renovations?

for a song 200. - at a low price, cheap. He got his new car for a song.

for the birds 201. - terrible, awful. I work long hours and hardly get

paid. Tis job is for the birds.

for the time being 202. - at the present time. For the time being, let's

not make any changes to the report.

free-for-all 203. - mayhem, disorder. When the teacher lef for a

meeting, it was a fee-for-all in the classroom.

freeload 204. - get things that others pay for. When my friend moved

into my apartment, stayed for a year and never contributed any money,

I knew he was a feeloader.

from the bottom of one's heart 205. - with great feeling, sincerely.

My sister thanked me fom the bottom of her heart for saving her dog's life.

from the left field 206. - unexpectedly, with an odd or unclear

connection to the subject. We were in the middle of a business

meeting when, out fom lef feld, he asked about the weather.

from scratch 207. - from the very beginning, starting with raw

materials. Tis chocolate was not made from a cake mix, she made it

fom scratch.

fume 208. - be angry. When I heard that she was talking about me to

other people, I was just fuming.

gall 209. - shameless, insolent attitude. She spent all of her money on

clothes and music, and then she asked to borrow money for groceries.

She has gall.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

game 210. - willing, ready. Okay, you want to make plans to go to China?

Okay, I'm game.

get a grip on oneself 211. - take control of one's feelings . When he

lost the soccer game, he couldn't stop crying. I told him to get a grip

on himself.

get a kick out of 212. - enjoy. I get a kick out of it every time I

see her dance.

get a load of 213. - have a good look at. Get a load of those fancy cars

driving down the street.

get ahead 214. - become successful. She is saving all her money, so that

one day she can get ahead.

get along 215. - manage. He realized that he was able to get along quite

well without his partner.

get around to 216. - fnally fnd time to do something - I have put it

of for months, but I fnally got around to cleaning the windows.

get at 217. - mean, hint. You tell me that I am slow at work. What are

trying to get at.

get away with murder 218. - not be punished for wrongdoing. - He's

the boss's son and comes in late everyday, but we can't complain. He's

getting away with murder.

get cold feet 219. - be afraid at the last minute, lose confdence. I was

prepared to make a speech, but I got cold feet when I saw how many

people were going to hear it.

get down to brass tacks 220. - begin important work or business.

Get of the phone so that we can discuss business. Let's get down to

brass tacks.

get even 221. - get revenge, settle the score. I was so upset when she

insulted me last week. I want to get even with her.

get the runaround 222. - be sent from place to place without getting

the information needed. It took me four hours to renew my driver's

license. I was sent to almost every department and seemed to get the

runaround.

get in on the ground floor 223. - start from the beginning so you'll

have full advantage of any favorable outcome. He is a very wealthy

man. He was one Microsof's frst employees and got in on the

ground foor. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

get in the swing of things 224. - adapt or adjust to a new

environment. Afer working two weeks in the new department, I

fnally got into the swing of things.

get off the ground 225. - make a successful beginning, go ahead. He

will fnally take his project and get it of the ground in the coming year.

get off one's back 226. - leave someone alone, don't bother. She

reminded me that I had to prepare for my trip out of town. I wish she

would get of my back.

get off on the wrong foot 227. - make a bad start. Having a fght

with a co-worker on my frst day of work was not a good idea. I got of

on the wrong foot.

get off the ground 228. - make progress, make a good start. I fnally

got my business of the ground.

get one's goat 229. - make someone disgusted, annoyed, angry. Sitting

in trafc for 5 hours really got my goat.

get out from under 230. - end a worrisome situation. I am glad that I

am working again and making money. I fnally got out fom under my bills.

get out of 231. - withdraw. I would really like to get out of going to the

holiday party.

get out of hand 232. - lose control. Te party really got out of hand

when they started drinking alcohol.

get something off one's chest 233. - unburden yourself, tell what's

bothering you. I feel better ever since I told him my problem and got it

of my chest.

get the ax 234. - be fred. My company fnally realized that he wasn't

doing his job. Tey gave him the ax.

get the show on the road 235. - start a project or work. We have

been discussing unimportant things all morning. Let's get the show on

the road and start getting down to business.

get to the bottom of 236. - fnd out the real cause. Afer talking to

my friend for an hour, I fnally got to the bottom of why he was angry at me.

get under someone's skin 237. - annoy, bother, upset. He has a

difcult and annoying personality and always got under my skin.

get up and go 238. - ambition, energy, enthusiasm - She always seems so

excited and motivated at work. She's got a lot of get up and go. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

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get up on the wrong side of the bed 239. - be in a bad mood. My

son has been cranky all day. I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed.

get what is coming to one 240. - what one deserves, good or bad.

Afer stealing so much money from the charity, I really hope he gets

what's coming to him.

get wind of 241. - fnd out, hear gossip or rumors about. I got wind of

the fact that they will be closing down our department.

give a hoot 242. - care. I don't give a hoot who wins the election.

give the cold shoulder 243. - be unfriendly to, ignore. I was so mad

at my cousin, that I gave her the cold shoulder at the

wedding reception.

give in 244. - do as others want, surrender. I wanted to paint the room

blue, my wife wanted yellow. I had to give in.

give it one's best shot 245. - try very hard. I gave it my best shot, but

I still didn't make the team.

give someone a break 246. - give someone an opportunity or chance.

Te actor struggled for many years. Finally, someone gave him a break

and put him in a movie.

give someone a hand 247. - help. I couldn't work my regular hours. A

co-worker gave me a hand and switched schedules with me.

give someone a piece of one's mind 248. - say what you really think

when angry. I was so mad that he was late for the wedding, I gave him

a piece of my mind.

give someone his walking papers 249. - dismiss, fre, send away.

She got her walking papers on Friday and won't be coming

back to work.

give someone the green light 250. - give permission to go ahead

with a project. We were fnally given the green light to begin setting up

the new project.

go cold turkey 251. - stop abruptly. My doctor really wants me to quit

smoking. I decided to stop and go cold turkey.

go Dutch 252. - each person pay for himself. If we have dinner together,

I insist that we go Dutch.

go from bad to worse 253. - deteriorate. Sales have been very slow

this season, but this was the worst week of all. It seems like it's going

fom bad to worse.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

go out of one's way 254. - make a special efort, do more than

necessary. I went out of my way to make it easier for you.

go over 255. - examine. Before I submit the report, I want to go over it

one more time for mistakes.

go over big 256. - be very successful. Do you think my idea to have a

birthday party for our teacher will go over big?

go overboard 257. - overact, be reckless. I've never seen so many

fowers at a wedding. Do you think maybe you've gone overboard?

go steady 258. - go out with only one person romantically. Who did you

go steady with in high school?

go to bat for 259. - assist, help. I have overheard that she may be fred

from her job. I think she is a hard worker and I want her to stay. I'm

going to bat for her.

go to pot 260. - deteriorate, become undisciplined, unkempt. He has

quit his job, gained weight, and I think may be abusing drugs. It looks

like he's really gone to pot.

go under the knife 261. - have surgery. I'll be going under the knife

next week for some minor surgery.

go up in smoke 262. - disappear, fail to materialize. She was going to go

on a vacation, but her mother got sick. Her plans have gone up

in smoke.

go-getter 263. - ambitious person. She is the most successful

salesperson I've ever seen. She's a real go-getter.

goldmine 264. - worth a lot of money, successful. His business is a major

success and will only get bigger every year. He is sitting on a goldmine.

goner 265. - someone in a lot of trouble. His boss found out he has been

stealing from the cash register. He's a goner.

good sport 266. - a person who loses well. Even though I beat you in

the game, you still congratulated me. You are a good sport.

goof off 267. - not want to work, be lazy. I am tired of working so hard.

I just want to stay home and goof of.

grab 40 winks 268. - I felt so sleepy afer my lunch, I decided to grab 40 winks.

grand 269. - $1000. It cost me a grand to stay in the luxury hotel.

greasy spoon 270. - inexpensive restaurant with mediocre food. I hated

dinner last night. It turned out being a greasy spoon.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

gung ho 271. - enthusiastic, eager. He thinks his team is the best in the

league. He is really gung ho this season.

guts 272. - courage. He has a lot of guts to stand up to management.

guy 273. - man. Tat guy over there is my neighbor.

half baked 274. - foolish, silly. Opening up a store which sells only tape

will not be successful. It is a half baked idea.

hand it to someone 275. - give credit, acknowledge. I've got to hand it

to you. Your idea to open a store in this location was great.

hand over fist 276. - rapidly. He's making money hand over fst.

hand something on a silver platter 277. - give a person something

that has not been earned. His father is president of the university and

his education was handed to him on a silver platter.

hand to mouth 278. - barely able to cover basic expenses. Tat family

is struggling since the father lost his job. I hear that they're living hand

to mouth.

handful 279. - a lot of trouble. My three year old runs around the house

and ofen breaks things. He's a real handful.

handle with kid gloves 280. - be very careful, tactful. His wife gets

upset very easily. He has to handle her with kid gloves.

handy 281. - can fx things, useful. She's very handy around the house. If

anything breaks, she can fx it easily.

hang in there 282. - be patient, wait. I know you want to quit school,

but hang in there. You only have 4 more weeks before your graduation.

hard feelings 283. - anger, bitterness. I know we had our diferences,

but I hope there are not any hard feelings.

hard up 284. - in desperate need of something. Everyone comes to her

desk and takes supplies. I know she's hard up for pencils.

harp on 285. - dwell on the subject, repeat, persist. I know losing your

job was awful, but don't harp on it. You are only making yourself more

depressed.

has-been 286. - a person once popular but no longer in public favor.

Since the movie star was found guilty of a crime, I haven't seen him in

any motion pictures. He's a has-been.

hassle 287. - bother. Please stay home tonight. I don't want the hassle of

having to bring you and pick you up from the party. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

have a ball 288. - have a good time, enjoy one's self. She had a ball at

her holiday party.

have a crush on 289. - be attracted to. I have had a crush on her since

5th

grade.

have a fit 290. - become upset. She'll have a ft if she fnds out you broke

her watch.

have a good head on one's shoulders 291. - be smart or sensible.

You have a good head on your shoulders and I'm sure you'll do fne in college.

have a mind of one's own 292. - be able to think independently.

Although we all voted one way, she voted in a completely opposite

direction. She's really got a mind of her own.

have a prayer 293. - have a chance. He's not good enough to make it on

the team. He doesn't have a prayer.

have been around 294. - to be experienced, sophisticated. She knows

all about ofce politics. She has been around for awhile.

have egg on one's face 295. - be embarrassed. She called in sick to

work yesterday, but when I saw her at the store she had egg on her face.

have it coming 296. - deserve a punishment. I didn't study for the exam

and I failed. I had it coming.

have it made 297. - be sure of success, have everything. Ever since she

won the lottery, she can do whatever she wants. She has it made.

have it out with someone 298. - discuss a confict or

misunderstanding with the other person involved. My friend and I

had a big fght last week. Tis morning I had it out with him and now

everything is okay.

have one's feet on the ground 299. - be practical, sensible, stable.

She'll make a great wife and mother because she has got both feet

on the ground.

have one's hand in the till 300. - steal from one's employer. Te

reason he has been buying such nice new clothes is that he's got his

hand in the till.

have one's head in the clouds 301. - have unrealistic dreams, lost in

thought. Even though she is a terrible actress, she thinks someday she

will be a movie star. She has got her head in the clouds.

have one's heart set on 302. - desire greatly. Te boy had his heart

set on getting a puppy. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

have someone's numbe 303. r - know what kind of person someone is.

He doesn't think anyone knows, but I know he stole the material for

the book. I've got his number.

have something up one's sleeve 304. - kept secretly ready for the

right time. If the electricity goes out during the birthday party, don't

worry. I've got something up my sleeve.

have the heart to 305. - be thoughtless enough. I know there was

just a death in her family. I don't have the heart to ask her when she is

coming back to work.

have two strikes against someone 306. - be in a difcult situation

with little chance of success. He wanted the job but he can't write and

he has difculty speaking on the phone. He's got two strikes against

him already.

haywire 307. - broken, confused, awry. Te plan was in place to surprise

by boss on his birthday, but it all went haywire.

heart-to-heart 308. - intimate, honest. I needed to speak him about a

problem I was having. We had a heart-to-heart talk.

high and dry 309. - alone, without help, stranded. Afer everyone lef

the party, I was all alone to clean up. I was lef high and dry.

high and low - 310. every place. I can't seem to fnd my keys. I've looked

high and low.

high-brow 311. - intellectual, cultured person. Everyone seemed very

high-brow at the cocktail reception.

hit 312. - a success. Her book was a hit and sold a million copies.

hit below the belt 313. - hurt someone cruelly and unfairly. I have

been upset ever since she made that awful comment to me. It really hit

below the belt.

hit it off 314. - enjoy one another's company, get along. Although we

just met, we really hit it of and will probably see each other again.

hit the bottle - 315. drink alcohol. He hits the bottle every time he

has some family trouble.

hit the ceiling 316. - get angry. I hit the ceiling when I found out that

she broke my computer.

hit the nail on the head 317. - arrive at the correct answer, make a

precise analysis. When you named the person who was responsible for

our losses this quarter, you really hit the nail on the head.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

hit the sack 318. - go to bed. I was so tired last night, that I hit the sack

as soon as I got home.

hit the spot 319. - refresh or satisfy. We sat in the sun and hadn't had a

drink all day. Tat cold glass of water really hit the spot.

hogwash 320. - nonsense. Te idea that aliens landed in New York City

is a bunch of hogwash.

hold a grudge 321. - not forgive someone for an insult or injury. Even

though they broke up 10 years ago, she still holds a grudge and will not

speak to him.

hold back 322. - conceal, hide. He held back his feelings and acted as if

everything was alright.

hold one's horses 323. - wait. I can't leave the ofce yet. I'm waiting

for an important phone call. Just hold your horses.

hold up 324. - delay, postpone. Sorry I'm late. I was held up in trafc.

holy mackere 325. l - used to express strong feeling of surprise. Holy

Mackerel! Look at that man's motorcycle.

hook, line and sinker 326. - without question or doubt. I told a lie to

my teacher. He bought it hook, line and sinker.

hot 327.

- stolen. He bought a great television from a guy on the street

for $50.00. Te television must have been hot.

hot 328.

- in great demand. Tis was the hottest movie out this weekend.

hot air - 329. nonsense or exaggerated talk. I don't believe a word that

man says. He is full of hot air.

hound 330. - continually bother. She hounded me until I fnally agreed to

say yes.

hush-hush 331. - secret. Te birthday party is a surprise. Please don't

tell anyone, it's hush-hush.

hustler 332. - person who gets money aggressively or unethically. He

won't work. If he needs money, he'll hustle someone.

hyper 333. - very energetic, anxious, unable to sit still. It is impossible to

bring that child to a restaurant. He is too hyper.

ill at ease 334. - I am shy. So when I go to a cocktail party I am ill at

ease.

in a bind 335. . In trouble no matter what you do. She committed to help Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

two diferent people at the same time. She is in a bind.

in a jam 336. - in trouble. He is in a jam and needs some help to get out of it.

in a nutshell 337. - briefy. She spoke to us for at least an hour and told

us a long story. I would have preferred that we heard it in a nutshell.

in a pinch 338. - okay, when nothing else is available. If you don't have a

needle to sew something together, a safety pin will work in a pinch.

in a rush 339. - in a hurry. I can't fnd my wallet and keys and I'm late for

a meeting. I'm in a rush.

in a rut 340. - always doing the same thing. My job is very boring and

uninteresting. I'm depressed and think I am in a rut.

in advance 341. - ahead of time. Let's call the movie theatre in advance

and see if they have any tickets lef.

in black and white 342. - in writing. Te salesman said that he would

give me a 5 year warranty on my purchase. I told him to put it in black

and white.

in hot water 343. - in trouble. I am going to be in hot water when she

fnds out that I dented her car.

in nothing flat 344. - quickly, in a short time. When he heard that I

was taking him out to dinner, he got dressed in nothing fat.

in seventh heave 345. n - very happy. I begin my month long vacation

tomorrow. I'm in seventh heaven.

in someone's shoes 346. - in another person's place or position. You

cannot pass judgment on someone until you've stepped into their shoes.

in stitches 347. - laughing. He is the funniest person I know. He

always keeps me in stitches.

in the bag 348. - certain, sure, defnite. Te job interview went very well

and I think I will be hired. I am confdent that it's in the bag.

in the doghouse 349. - in trouble. My wife and I had a big fght last

night. I'm in the doghouse.

in the long run 350. - in the end, as a result. If you study hard in

school, in the long run you will be successful.

in the market for 351. - wanting or ready to buy. We are in the

market for a new mattress.

in the red 352. - losing money. Our company is in the red and may be Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

going out of business.

in the same boat 353. - in a similar situation. He can't pay his bills

either. He is in the same boat as you.

iron out - 354. work out. Even though the two men do not get along, they

are both willing to iron out their problems.

jack up 355. - raise prices. Last week the department store jacked up all

their prices.

jack-of-all-trades 356. - person who can do many kinds of work. My

friend is a jack-of-all-trades. He knows how to fx everything.

jalopy 357. - old car usually in poor condition. I fnally sold my jalopy

and bought a new car.

jam-packed - 358. crowded, full. My new computer can do so many

diferent things. It's jam-packed with features.

the jitters 359. - anxiety, nervousness. She knew the test was going to

be very difcult and she had the jitters all day.

John Hancock 360. - signature. Te car salesman asked the customer to

put his John Hancock on the bottom of the contract.

jump down someone's throat 361. - criticize angrily, hastily. He's

very angry today. Every time I ask him a question he jumps down my throat.

jump the gun 362. - start before you should. You will need more facts

before you go into business. Don't jump the gun.

jump to conclusions 363. - make quick but unjustifed conclusions.

Don't jump to conclusions and assume that all well-dressed men are rich.

keep a stiff upper lip 364. - have courage, be brave. Even though he

thought he was going to be terminated from his job, he

kept a stif upper lip.

keep in touch 365. - communicate, talk or write to each other - Even

though we won't see each other for six months, let's try to keep in touch.

keep on 366. - continue. If you are not hungry, don't keep on eating.

keep one's fingers crossed 367. - wish for good luck. His mother

kept her fngers crossed so that her son would make the team.

keep one's head above water 368. - be able to exist on one's income,

pay bills. Even though she only made a meager salary, she was still able

to buy clothes, go to restaurants, and keep her head above water.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

keep one's nose clean 369. - Afer he was released from prison he

stayed out of trouble. His parents were glad that he kept his nose clean.

keep one's shirt on 370. - be patient, wait. I know it's taking me a long

time to fnish my work, but keep your shirt on.

keep something under your hat 371. - keep something a secret.

She was given information which was meant to be private, so she kept

it under her hat

keep tabs on 372. - watch, check. My neighbor is always looking out her

window and keeping tabs on me.

Keep up with the Joneses 373. - try to equal your neighbor's lifestyle.

He works many long hours just so he can keep up with the Joneses.

kick in the pants 374. - rejection, criticism. Steve was always kind to

someone who was poor and unfortunate. When that person made a

lot of money, he ignored Steve. Steve got a kick in the pants.

kick oneself 375. - regret. I could kick myself for not buying that stock

which tripled in value.

kick something around 376. - discuss, think about. We didn't know

which way to direct the company, so we kicked some ideas around.

kick the bucket 377. - die. Te old man kicked the bucket when he was

110 years old.

kid 378. - a young person. I have two kids. Tey are 10 and 3 years old.

kid around 379. - fool, play, joke. Don't kid around with Mary. She is

in a very bad mood.

kiss something goodbye 380. - see something ruined or lost. When

I saw the photo album fall of of the boat and into the water, I knew it

was lost forever and I just kissed it goodbye.

knock it off 381. - stop. He wouldn't stop tickling me, so I told him to

knock it of.

knock one dead 382. - greatly impress, surprise. When the actor was

preparing to go on stage, I told me to knock them dead.

knock one for a loop 383. - surprise. I didn't expect the movie to

have that sort of ending. It knocked me for a loop.

knock one's head against the wall 384. - waste time in futile

efort to improve or change something. Teaching teenagers to drive

responsibly is like knocking my head against a wall.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

knock oneself out 385. - make a great efort. She worked many hours

getting ready for the party and knocked herself out.

knockout, a 386. - a beautiful person or thing. Tat beauty queen

is a knockout.

know if one is coming or going 387. - be able to think clearly, know

what to do. Tere were so many students signing up at registration, I

didn't know if I was coming or going.

know-how 388. - experience and knowledge. He has been building

houses for many years and has a lot of know-how.

kosher 389. - true, authentic. Te fnancial statements say that your

business is making a lot of money. Are the amounts all kosher?

land on one's feet 390. - come out of a bad situation successfully. She

just came of of a terrible divorce. She's doing well now and it seems

that she landed on her feet.

last straw, the 391. - the last insult or injury that one can endure. His

son watched TV all day and didn't work. When he started to gamble,

that was the last straw.

lay out 392. - spend or pay. Will you lay out the money for the meal and

I will pay you back tomorrow?

learn the ropes 393. - acquire special knowledge of a job. Now that

you have started your new position with the company, it will probably

take you a few months to learn the ropes.

leave a bad taste in one's mouth - 394. make a bad impression,

make or feel disgusted. I thought the salesman was obnoxious. He lef

a bad taste in my mouth.

leave someone holding the bag 395. - put someone in an awkward

position, leave someone else to take the blame. Te children ate all of

the cookies and ran away. Peter was the only one who remained and

was lef holding the bag.

lemon 396. - merchandise that doesn't work. My new car has needed

repair four times since I bought it. I ended up buying a lemon.

let bygones be bygones 397. . - Forget diferences that happened in the

past. Even though my friend and I had a big fght, I told him we should

let bygones be bygones.

let it ride 398. - continue without changing a situation. Don't say

anything to him now. I don't want to hurt his feelings. Just let it ride.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

let on 399. - reveal, inform, tell. She let on that she knew my secret.

let one's hair down 400. - be informal, relaxed. Afer the business

meeting when our supervisor lef, we spoke about our personal lives

and let our hair down.

let someone off the hook 401. - excuse from a penalty or promise.

Because this was his frst criminal ofense, he was let of the hook.

let the cat out of the bag 402. - tell a secret. His surprise birthday

party was cancelled because someone let the cat out of the bag.

Let the chips fall where they may 403. . - Act regardless of

consequences. Te police were asking him about the robbery. He

knew he had to tell everything he knew and let the chips fall as they may.

like a ton of bricks 404. - strongly, forcefully. When I was told that

my favorite uncle died, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

live high off the hog 405. - have many luxuries, be very comfortable.

When you see their new home, you'll know that they live high of the hog.

live it up 406. - pursue pleasure, have a good time. Now that school is

over, I want to live it up this weekend.

live wire 407. - active exciting person. People always want her at their

parties because she is a live wire.

loaded 408. - having lots of money. Ever since he started his new

business, he appears to be loaded.

loaded 409. - drunk. I can tell by the way she spoke that she was loaded.

look down one's nose at 410. - think someone is worthless or

unimportant, show contempt. She thinks she is better than everyone

else. She always looks down her nose at others.

look into 411. - investigate, check. I'm going to look into the possibility

of getting a scholarship for college.

look up 412. - improve, getting better. Since he is putting in more hours

at work, his fnancial situation is looking up.

loony bin - 413. insane asylum. I couldn't believe how crazy she acted

last night. She belongs in the loony bin!

loot 414. - money. How much loot do you need to buy that fancy car?

lose one's marbles 415. - go insane, act irrationally. Anyone who

insults his boss has lost his marbles.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

lose one's shirt 416. - lose all one's money. He put his lifetime savings

into the restaurant. When it failed, he lost his shirt.

lose track of someone 417. - lose contact, no know where someone

is. I have lost track of him since high school and have no idea where he

lives now.

louse up 418. - ruin. I've worked on this painting for weeks, but when

my paintbrush slipped out of my hand, I loused up the painting.

lowdown 419. - the true story. I heard that she was married before but

didn't know why she divorced. Give me the lowdown.

lower the boom 420. - stop completely, punish strictly. When the

father heard that the children were not doing their homework, he

lowered the boom.

make a bundle 421. - make a lot of money. She made a bundle selling

donuts to the construction workers.

make a dent in 422. - make progress. I have got a lot of work to do, but

I made a dent in it last night.

make a federal case out of 423. - overreact, take strong measures for

a minor problem. I'm sorry for spilling some water on your desk, but

you don't have to make a federal case out of it.

make a go of 424. - succeed, produce good results. Although this new

business is risky, I'm going to try to make a go of it.

make a hit 425. - be successful. People loved my new brownies and

wanted the recipe. I guess I made a hit.

make a killing 426. - gain a large amount of money at one time. She

made a killing in the stock market last year.

make a monkey out of someone 427. - cause to look foolish. Te

lawyer was shrewd and made a monkey out of his opponent's client.

make a mountain out of a molehill 428. - make a big problem out of a

small one. It wasn't difcult, it was easy. Don't make a mountain out

of a molehill.

make ends meet 429. - balance one's budget, meet one's payments. His

expenses are so high, that even though he makes a lot of money, his

family has difculty making ends meet.

make fun of 430. - ridicule It's not nice to make fun of other people.

make it up to someone 431. - compensate for an unfulflled promise. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

I am so sorry that we have to cancel our plans tonight, but I will try to

make it up to you.

make of something 432. - interpret, fgure out, think of. What do you

make of his decision to drop out of college?

make one's hair stand on end 433. - frighten, horrify. Te extreme

poverty in that country would make your hair stand on end.

make one's mouth water 434. - look or smell very good, make one

want to eat or drink something one sees or smells - Te smell of garlic

outside the restaurant made my mouth water.

make one's own way 435. - rely on one's own abilities. She had no help

from anyone. She had to make her own way.

make out 436. - do, progress, succeed. How are you making out with

your new responsibilities at the ofce?

make sense 437. - be comprehensible. What's the word in English that's

spelled yrkszwa...it doesn't make sense.

make sure 438. - see about something yourself, check. We are leaving on

our vacation, and I want to make sure that you locked all the doors.

make the best of 439. - accept a bad situation and do as well as possible

under the circumstances. Even though our heating system broke, let's

light a fre in the freplace and make the best of it.

make up one's mind 440. - decide. She hasn't made up her mind as to

what university she will be attending.

make waves 441. - upset the status quo, create a disturbance. He likes to

avoid controversy and usually doesn't make waves.

man-to-man 442. - frank, direct. Don't discuss the problem with me.

Go to your boss's ofce and talk about it man-to-man.

mean business 443. - be serious. He told his son that he had to fnish all

of his homework before he went out to play and he meant business.

mess 444. - disorderly, cluttered condition; bad or confused situation.

Tere were clothes and food all over his apartment and it was a mess.

miss a trick 445. - take advantage of every situation. As soon as her boss

lef the building, she began to make personal calls. She doesn't miss a trick.

miss out on 446. - lose an opportunity, miss a worthwhile event. It is too

bad you couldn't make it to the reunion because you missed out on a

good time.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

miss the boat 447. - lose an opportunity. It's too bad he didn't buy gold

when it was cheap. Now, it is very expensive and he really missed the boat.

mobbed 448. - crowded. Te shopping mall was mobbed the day before

Christmas.

mooch 449. - borrow, beg, get without paying. She says that she doesn't

smoke, but she is always mooching cigarettes from her friends.

mouthful 450. - a true and impressive statement. You said a mouthful

when you admitted that she was the smartest girl in her class.

mudslinging 451. - making malicious remarks to damage someone's

reputation. Tere is a lot of mudslinging going on in politics today.

mum's the word 452. - don't talk about what was said. I don't want you

to say anything about our discussion. Mum's the word.

murder 453. - a difcult or painful ordeal. Getting her master's degree

while she worked full-time was murder.

nag, a 454. - a persistently urging person. He complains that his wife is

always nagging him to do things around the house.

name someone after 455. - give the child the name of an admired

person. My son is named afer my grandfather.

nest egg 456. - extra money saved. Tey have a small nest egg saved up

for their vacation.

nightcap, a 457. - last drink one has before leaving or prior to sleeping.

She ordered some brandy as a nightcap.

nincompoop 458. - a stupid person, a fool. He doesn't know how to act

well around other people. He's a nincompoop!

nip in the bud 459. - prevent at the start. When she saw that her little

boy was snacking between meals, she decided to nip it in the bud.

nitpick 460. - look for very minor errors or problems. Every time she

reads one of his reports, she is always nitpicking on the most

minor points.

nitty-gritty 461. - the essence or important part. We've been

discussing your problem for an hour, but we fnally got down to the

nitty-gritty.

nitwit 462. - idiot. He messes up everything in our department and is

such a nitwit.

no bed of roses 463. - uncomfortable, unhappy situation. Teir Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

marriage is no bed of roses. Tey seem to always be fghting.

no dice 464. - no, certainly not. I like living in this area. When my

children wanted to move, I said 'no dice'.

no picnic 465. - not pleasant. He works very hard at the factory. He says

it is no picnic.

nobody's fool 466. - smart competent person. She's very smart. She's

nobody's fool.

not on your life 467. - defnitely not, no way. Tere is not a chance I

am going to drive 4 hours to go to that party...not on your life.

not so hot 468. - not very good. She boasted about her pumpkin pie,

but I thought it was not so hot.

nothing to sneeze at 469. - something not trivial, to be taken

seriously. Tey ofered him a lot of money to take this new position.

He was going to give it a lot of thought because it was nothing to

sneeze at.

nuts about 470. - in love with, enthusiastic about. I'm nuts about our

new neighbors.

odds and ends 471. - miscellaneous items. I have some odds and ends

around my house that I would like to sell.

off and on 472. - occasionally. We are not very good friends anymore. I

see him of and on.

off base 473. - inaccurate. If you think I paid one thousand dollars for

this coat, you are way of base.

off color - 474. in bad taste, rude, dirty. He told an of-color joke at the

party that embarrassed my wife.

off one's rocker 475. - crazy. He is of of his rocker if he thinks I'm

going to help him decorate for the party.

off the hook 476. - out of something, freed from an embarrassing

situation. I don't want to have dinner with him. Let's tell him that we

will be out of town so that we will get of the hook.

off the record 477. - privately, unofcially, not for public

announcement. I need to tell you about one of my accounts, but it

needs to be of the record.

off the top of one's head 478. - from memory, spontaneously. Of

the top of my head, I think her last name begins with an 'M'.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

old flame 479. - former boyfriend or girlfriend. She bumped into an old

fame at the shopping mall.

on a shoestring 480. - with very little money. We are trying to

decorate our home on a shoestring.

on easy street 481. - having a pleasant, secure life. Ever since his

mother won the lottery, they have been on easy street.

on guard - 482. careful, wary. It is a very important meeting and we must

think before we speak. We must be on guard.

on one's last leg 483. - at the end of one's strength of usefulness. My

car is over ten years old and it's on its last leg.

on one's shoulders 484. - one's responsibility. Te president has a lot

of problems on his shoulders.

on pins and needles - 485. nervous, excited. When I found out that

the movie star was coming to the party, I was on pins and needles.

on shaky ground 486. - unstable. Te buyers aren't sure if they really

want to buy the car. I think the sale is on shaky ground.

on the ball 487. - paying attention and doing things well. She always

gets her paperwork submitted on time. She is always on the ball.

on the blink 488. - not working. Te ice is melting in our freezer. I

think it is on the blink.

on the edge of one's seat 489. - in nervous suspense. I have wanted

to see this movie ever since I read the book. Now that it is about to

start, I am on the edge of my seat.

on the fritz 490. - not working correctly, out of order. Te ice is

melting in our freezer. I think it is on the fitz.

on the go 491. - busy running around. I won't be home all day. I have

many errands to run and will be on the go.

on the house 492. - provided free by a bar or restaurant. Since I am

good friends with the owner of the restaurant, dinner was on the house.

on the level 493. - honest. Tey are not telling you the whole story.

Tey are not on the level.

on the q.t. 494. - secretly. I was just told that I will be promoted to vice-

president but nobody knows about it yet. Please don't tell anyone and

keep it on the q.t.

on the rocks 495. - breaking up, ruined. Te couple is always fghting Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

and I wasn't surprised to hear that their marriage is on the rocks.

on the same wavelength 496. - communicating, thinking similarly.

Tey didn't understand each other. Tey were not on the same

wavelength.

on the spot 497. - in a difcult or embarrassing situation. I was put on

the spot and expected to make a toast at the anniversary party.

on the wagon 498. - abstaining from liquor. He used to drink a lot of

beer and wine, but now he is on the wagon.

on the warpath 499. - very angry, looking for trouble. When Mary saw

John with another woman, Mary went on the warpath.

once in a blue moon 500. - occasionally. He doesn't watch television

ofen. Only once in a blue moon.

once-over 501. - quick look or examination. I didn't have time to read

the contract, so I gave it a once-over.

one for the books 502. - very unusual, remarkable. She hates to be

around children and she's an elementary school teacher. Tat's one for

the books.

one's cup of tea 503. - something one enjoys, special interest. I don't

like going to the opera. It's not my cup of tea.

one's hands are tied 504. - one is unable to help. I would like to lend

you money, but we just bought a car and a house. My hands are tied.

one's heart is in the right (wrong) place 505. - kindhearted,

sympathetic or well-meaning. Although she makes a lot of mistakes,

her heart is in the right place.

one's heart is in one's mouth 506. - one is nervous, fearful, or

anxious. I'm speaking in front of 200 people tonight and am very

nervous. My heart is in my mouth.

one-track mind 507. - mind focused on a single idea. All he ever thinks

about is football. He has a one-tracked mind.

out of line 508. - not usual, incorrect, unacceptable. She tells her

husband what he can and cannot do. I think she is out of line.

out of sorts 509. - in a bad mood, irritable. I haven't' been feeling very

happy lately. I am out of sorts.

out of the blue 510. - unexpectedly, by surprise, from nowhere. I

haven't' heard from my college roommate in 10 years. Last week, out of Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

the blue, he called me.

out of the woods 511. - no longer in danger, in the clear. Te doctors

say she no longer has the disease. Her prognosis is very good and she is

now out of the woods.

out of this world 512. - wonderful, terrifc. Tis chocolate cake is the

best I have ever had. It's out of this world.

out on a limb 513. - in a dangerous, exposed position, one's ideas are

openly known. By speaking up against her boss, she is putting herself

out on a limb.

over a barrel 514. - in a helpless, trapped position. He saw me cash my

paycheck and then asked me for a loan. I could not refuse. He had me

over a barrel.

over one's dead body 515. - under no condition, never. I work six days

a week. Only over my dead body will I work another day.

pad the bill 516. - add false expenses. Te insurance company found

out that the dentist had padded the bill.

pain in the neck 517. - bothersome, annoying thing or person. My

little brother is a pain in the neck.

pan out 518. - happen favorably. Tis new business is risky, but hopefully

it will pan out.

pass away 519. - die. I miss the neighbor who passed away last year.

pass out 520. - faint. I haven't eaten all day, and I think I am going to pass out.

pass the buck 521. - shif responsibility to others. I called their

customer service line, but everyone kept on passing the buck.

patch up 522. - fx. Even though we had a fght, let's try to patch things up.

pay through the nose 523. - pay too much. I had to pay through the

nose to stay at that fancy resort.

peanuts 524. - small amount of money. It only cost peanuts to fx the

scrape on the car.

pep talk 525. - a talk to arouse enthusiasm. Te coach gave the players a

pep talk before the game.

perk up 526. - emerge from a depressed or uninterested mood. When the

owner of the company walks into the ofce, try to perk up.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

pick up 527. - obtain, get. Please pick up a gallon of milk when you go to

the grocery store.

pick up the tab 528. - pay the bill. Since he came into a lot of money, he

always picks up the tab whenever we go out to dinner.

pick-me-up, a 529. - a drink or snack taken to refresh oneself. "You look

tired. Drink this, it's a good pick-me-up".

piece of cake, a 530. - easy. She has also been good at mathematics. She

thinks algebra is a piece of cake.

pile up 531. - accumulate, put things on top of each other. Try not to let

the work on your desk pile up.

pill 532. - an annoying, disagreeable person. She is always mad about

something and unpleasant to be around. She is such a pill.

pin someone down 533. - make someone tell the truth or agree to

something. He needed to pin her down as to the date for the meeting.

pinch pennies 534. - be thrify, careful how you spend money. If you

spend your time pinching pennies, eventually, you'll have a lot of money.

pink slip 535. - notice of dismissal. He was fred and received a pink slip

on Friday and will not be showing up for work on Monday.

pinpoint - 536. fnd exact location or cause. We need to pinpoint the

cause of the problem.

pitch in 537. - help. Everyone needs to pitch in so that we can get the

work done and go home.

pits, the 538. - the worst, anything that is very bad. Having to clean out

my basement is the pits.

play hooky 539. - stay away from school or work without permission.

He played hooky from work so that he can do things around his house.

play it by ear 540. - make your decision according to the situation. I'm

not sure when I will arrive at the restaurant, so let's play it by ear.

play the field 541. - go out with many people romantically. She is not

dating anyone seriously and is still playing the feld.

play up to someone 542. - fatter or please for selfsh reasons. He is

playing up to his boss because he is hoping to move up in the company.

play with fire 543. - invite danger, trouble. You are playing with fre if

you drive with your car on 'empty'.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

plenty of 544. - a lot of, abundance. She had plenty of food at the party,

so everyone ate a lot.

point out - 545. explain, show, call attention to. Let me point out the

problem with your plan.

pop the question 546. - ask to marry. He popped the question and

asked her to marry him when they were scuba diving.

pound the pavement 547. - look for a job. It took him 3 months of

pounding the pavement before he landed a job.

pour it on thick 548. - fatter profusely, exaggerate. He poured it on

thick to his boss, because he wanted to get a raise.

pull a fast one 549. - cheat, deceive. She pulled a fast one when she got

away with stealing all the company's profts.

pull punches 550. - hide unpleasant facts or make them seem good. She

told him why she wouldn't date him anymore, and she didn't

pull any punches.

pull someone's leg 551. - trick, playfully tease, fool. If you think I

believe that you won the lottery, your pulling my leg.

pull something off 552. - accomplish something remarkable. He

never thought he would be able to put on a show, but he pulled it of.

pull strings 553. - secretly use infuence and power. I'll see if I can pull

strings so that you can get an interview.

pull the rug out from under 554. - spoil someone's plans, withdraw

support. I felt like someone pulled the rug out fom under me when he

said he wouldn't pay my tuition.

pull the wool over one's eyes 555. - deceive, mislead. He pulled the

wool over her eyes and married her just for her money.

pull up stakes - 556. move to another location. Tey pulled up stakes

last year and moved to another state.

push someone around 557. - boss, make a person do what you want. I

don't like it when she pushes me around.

put a damper on 558. - discourage, spoil a person's fun. I hate putting a

damper on the party, but it is getting late and everyone has to go home.

put anything past someone 559. - be surprised by what someone

does. I wouldn't put it past her to talk about me behind my back.

put down 560. - make someone look bad, criticize. He embarrassed her Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

by putting her down in front of her family.

put in one's two cents 561. - give one's opinion. I put in my two cents,

so that everyone knew how I felt.

put one's cards on the table 562. - be frank, tell everything. She

put her cards on the table and told everyone what she really thought.

put one's finger on 563. - fnd precisely, remember exactly. She didn't

know what was causing the problem, but she fnally put her fnger on it.

put one's foot down 564. - object strongly, take frm preventative

action. I cleaned the whole house. When she told me that I had to

clean the garage too, I fnally put my foot down.

put one's foot in one's mouth 565. - speak carelessly, make a rude

or insensitive comment. I said something that embarrassed my friend,

and really put my foot in my mouth.

put our heads together 566. - confer, discuss. Let's put our heads

together and fgure out a way to solve this problem.

put someone in his or her place 567. - scold someone for rude,

improper behavior. When she embarrassed me in front of my friends, I

angrily answered her back and put her in her place.

put someone on a pedestal 568. - idolize, worship. He has great

respect for his coach, and has put him on a pedestal.

put something out of one's mind 569. - try not to think about it.

I'm worried about next week's test, but I am going to relax and put it

out of my mind.

put through the wringer 570. - cause severe stress. Te attorney

asked me many questions and put me through the wringer.

put two and two together - 571. make a conclusion knowing the

facts. She put two and two together and realized that he was stealing

from the company.

put up a good front 572. - pretend to be happy, fool people about

one's status. Even though she is upset about the fght she had with her

friend, she put up a good font and smiled the whole time

they were together.

put up with 573. - patiently accept, endure. He has had to put up with

her terrible disposition if he wanted to remain married to her.

quack 574. - an ignorant or fraudulent doctor. Te man paid the doctor

$1000.00 to fx his problem, but he still had a lot of pain. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

I think that doctor is a quack.

rack one's brain 575. - try to hard to think or remember. I racked my

brain to remember who I was supposed to call back.

racket 576. - easy, well-paying job, business that cheats customers. Tat

company is running a racket. Tey take money from people, but never

provide them with a service.

raise eyebrows 577. - cause surprise or disapproval, shock. It raised

some eyebrows when the mother hit the little child in the store.

rake it in 578. - make a lot of money. Since business has improved, he is

really raking it in.

rake over the coals 579. - scold, reprimand, blame. My boss raked

me over the coals for losing the big account.

rat race 580. - endless, competitive striving; hurried material existence.

Working in the big city can sometimes feel like a rat race.

raw deal - 581. unfair treatment. I was the lowest paid worker in the

ofce. I believe I was given a raw deal.

read between the lines 582. - understand things that are not said,

fnd a hidden meaning. If you read between the lines, you will see that

this contract only protects the company and not the customer.

real McCoy 583. - the genuine thing. Tis artifact actually came from

the Titanic. It is the real McCoy.

red tape 584. - excessive formalities in ofcial business. Many businesses

have been complaining about the amount of red tape that they must

deal with in order to get anything done with the government.

right off the bat 585. - in the beginning, immediately. Before

anything else happened, right of the bat he welcomed everyone

to the meeting.

right under one's nose 586. - in an obvious nearby place. Even

though I never to my eyes of of the jewelry counter, someone stole a

watch right under my nose.

ring a bell 587. - remind one of something familiar. I'm sure I've seen

that man before. His name rings a bell.

rip off - 588. cheat, rob. Tis product I bought doesn't work and is made

poorly. I was ripped of.

road hog 589. - person who takes too much room on the road. Tat Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

road hog is driving between two lanes and I think may cause

an accident.

rock the boat 590. - upset the status quo. If you tell everyone in

the ofce about the company's plans to close, you may cause a lot of

problems. Don't rock the boat.

roll out the red carpet 591. - greet a person with great respect, give

a big welcome. When the King of Jordan visited Washington, they

rolled out the red carpet and gave him a great welcome

rope into 592. - trick, persuade or pressure. She got roped into going to

the meeting even though she doesn't work in that department.

rough 593. - approximate. Tis computer sells for roughly $1000.

rub one the wrong way 594. - annoy, bother, make angry. Tere is

something about his personality that just rubs me the wrong way.

rub something in 595. - constantly refer to a mistake or fault. She used

to rub it in that I was fred from my job. She is no longer my friend.

rule out 596. - decide against, eliminate. You will need some medical

tests because your doctor needs to rule out whether or not you may

have a virus.

rule the roost 597. - be the dominant one in the family. Although she

is very quiet and sof-spoken, I was told that she rules the roost

in her family.

run around in circles 598. - act confused, do a lot, but accomplish

little. I had so much to do that I was running around in circles.

run out of 599. - fnish the supply, use up. Te car's gas tank was empty

and I was afraid that we were going to run out of gas.

run ragged 600. - tire, exhaust. I haven't had a day of in 2 months and

feel like I'm running ragged.

run (take) a risk 601. - be open to danger or loss, unprotected.

Everyone is sick in your friend's house. If you go and visit him, you are

running the risk of getting sick too.

run down 602. - in bad condition. Nothing seems to be working in this

car. It seems to be very run down.

scalper 603. - a person who buys a ticket at the regular rate and sells it at

a proft. Tere were many scalpers selling tickets before the game.

scam 604. - a plan to cheat someone. Te woman fnally got in trouble, Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

because it was found out that she was running a scam.

scatter around 605. - carelessly put in diferent places. Clothes were

scattered around the messy room.

scrape the bottom of the barrel 606. - take whatever is lef afer

best has been taken. We need to fnd employees for the new company

but all the talented ones are already working. It looks like we need to

scrape the bottom of the barrel and hire people with less talent.

scrape together 607. - get money little by little. I'll need to scrape

together some money so that I can buy your car.

scratch the surface 608. - merely begin to understand or accomplish

something. He has been looking through the accounting books to fnd

all of the errors. Tere seems to be so many that he is only beginning to

scratch the surface.

scrounge around 609. - look in a lot of places for a certain item. I

need a 2 inch screw that will hold a part tight in the light fxture. I've

been scrounging around for an hour, but can't seem to fnd one.

second hand 610. - not new, previously used. Te little girl has been

wearing second hand clothes from her older sister for the past year.

see daylight 611. - achieve or expect a favorable result. Now that most

of the inventory is done, we are beginning to see daylight.

see eye to eye 612. - have the same opinion, agree. My partner and I are

splitting up. We do not see eye to eye.

see red 613. - become very angry. I saw red when he told me that he

wouldn't be at work tomorrow.

sell like hotcakes 614. - sell quickly, rapidly. His CD is becoming so

popular, it is selling like hotcakes.

sell oneself short 615. - underestimate oneself. Even though she is

the only one who knows how to fx all of the computers, she doesn't

realize how valuable she really is. She is always selling herself short.

send someone packing 616. - tell someone to leave, dismiss. When he

broke up with his girlfriend, he didn't want her living in his apartment

anymore. He sent her packing.

serve time 617. - be in jail. He served time in the county jail for driving

without a driver's license.

set one back - 618. cost. Tese new shoes set me back $200.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

settle down 619. - live a quiet normal life. Afer they marry, they plan

to move out into the country, settle down and have a family.

shape up 620. - begin to act and look right. Te school boy was hitting

other children and talking out in class. He was told by the teacher that

he better shape up or he will have to stand in the hallway.

sharp 621. - smart, witty, quick thinking. Te supervisor is very sharp.

She knows how to quickly fx any problem that may arise.

shell out 622. - pay. We shelled out a lot of money to eat at that

fancy restaurant.

shook up - 623. upset, worried fearful. I got all shook up when I heard

the awful news.

shoot full of holes 624. - fnd great fault with. I thought my idea

was great, but my boss said it would never work. He shot it full of holes.

shoot the breez 625. e - talk idly or gossip. Let's go out afer work and

shoot the breeze for awhile.

shop around 626. - look in many stores. She shopped around for the

perfect dress to wear to the party.

shoplifter 627. - one who steals goods from stores. Te shoplifer was

stealing some merchandise and was caught by the security guard.

short end of the stick 628. - unfair, unequal treatment. I was the only

employee who had to work all weekend. I got the short end of the stick.

shrug off 629. - dismiss, not be bothered or hurt. Even though his

classmates treated him badly, he didn't let them bother him. He always

shrugged of their mean comments.

sick and tired - 630. disliking some continual behavior, annoyed. I

am sick and tired of listening to the loud music that my neighbors are

always playing.

side with 631. - favor, support one position in a dispute. My father

always sided with my sister even though he knew she was wrong.

side-swipe 632. - hit the side of a car. My car needs to be repaired. It was

side-swiped by a bus on my way to work today.

simmer down 633. - become quiet, calm. Te teacher told the children

to simmer down because they were too loud.

sink one's teeth into 634. - go to work seriously. I can't wait to sink

my teeth into this exciting new project.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

sink or swim 635. - fail or succeed by your own eforts. Tis venture is

going to be successful or a complete failure. It's either going to be sink

or swim.

sit right - 636. be acceptable. His father doesn't want him to go to a far

away university. It doesn't sit right with him.

sit tight 637. - wait patiently. Sit tight while I run back to my house and

get my keys.

sitting pretty 638. - in a favorable situation. Teir team is 40 points

ahead in the game. It doesn't look like they can lose. Tey are sitting pretty.

six feet under 639. - dead. Te old man that used to live in that house

is now six feet under. He died a few months ago.

size up 640. - form an opinion, assess. Before I can give you my opinion, I

need to size up the situation.

skeleton in one's closet 641. - a family secret. She has always

seemed distant and secretive. She has many skeletons in her closet.

skip 642. - forget, pass over. Te teacher needed to skip a few questions on

the test because he ran out of time.

sky high 643. - expensive. Afer purchasing the new bed with all the

sheets and pillows, the bill was sky high.

sleazy 644. - shoddy, dirty, in poor condition. Her apartment was sleazy.

Tere was dirt and garbage all over the foor.

sleep on it 645. - think about, consider, decide later. Even though you

want me to take the new job, I need to sleep on it before I give you my

decision.

slip one's mind 646. - be forgotten. I'm sorry I missed our appointment.

It must have slipped my mind.

slob 647. - a person who isn't clean and neat. I don't think that man has

washed his clothes in two weeks. He looks like a slob.

smell a rat 648. - become suspicious. When $6000 dollars was missing

from the company, I began to smell a rat and thought it may be

internal thef.

smooth something over 649. - make better or more pleasant. Even

though there has been many family problems, her mother likes to

smooth everything over and act like things are all good.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

snap 650. - an easy task. Putting these folder fles in order won't take very

long. It is a snap.

snap out of it 651. - free oneself from the control of panic, fear,

hysteria. He was upset and crying so hard that he couldn't snap out of it.

snow job 652. - insincere or exaggerated talk intended to trick or impress.

Even though he never worked a day in his life, he told everyone that he

was a successful attorney. He was giving everyone a snow job.

snowball's chance in hell 653. - no chance at all. We've got a

snowball's chance in hell to win the lottery next week.

sob story 654. - sad story that makes the listener sympathetic. Te boy

forgot to bring in his homework. He gave his teacher a sob story and

told her that his dog ate it.

sore loser - 655. person who gets angry when he loses. Tat little girl is

a sore loser. She cries every time she doesn't win a game.

sort of 656. - almost, not quite, similar to. I'm not sure what color this

shirt is. It is sort of blue and sort of green.

sourpuss 657. - a disagreeable person who seldom smiles. My teacher is

always in a bad mood. He is such a sourpuss.

spic and span 658. - very clean, very neat. Now that we have cleaned our

house, it looks spic and span.

spill the beans 659. - tell a secret, inform. She found out a secret and

told all of her friends. She spilled the beans.

spine chilling 660. - terrifying, thrilling. I don't think that young

children should see this movie. It is spine chilling.

spitting image 661. - exact resemblance. Te boy is the spitting image

of his father. Tey look like twins.

split hairs - 662. make trivial, unnecessary distinctions. Te lawyers

were splitting hairs over the wording in the contract.

split up 663. - separate. Although they have been married for over 25

years, the couple decided to split up because they could no longer get along.

splurge 664. - spend a lot of money for something. When it came to

buying a new car, they splurged and bought one that was luxurious.

spoiled - 665. getting and expecting everything one wants. Teir

children are so spoiled. Tey have every toy that you can imagine and

don't seem to be appreciative.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

sport 666. - a person generous with money. He took me out to dinner

and paid for everything. He was very sporty with his money.

spring 667. - pay. Because he just won some money in a contest, he

sprang for dinner.

spruce up 668. - clean, redecorate. We wanted to make our home look

good for the holiday party. We spent days sprucing it up.

square one 669. - in the beginning. Now that the computer had lost all

the information in the report, we will have to begin at square one.

squeal- 670. inform. Even though he was involved in the bank robbery,

he squealed on his partner so that he wouldn't have to go to jail.

stab someone in the back 671. - betray someone. We were always so

friendly in the ofce. I cannot believe that he stabbed me in the back

and tried to have me fred.

stand 672. - tolerate, like. Te president would not stand for corruption

in his administration.

stand on one's own two feet 673. - be independent. Once he

graduated from college, he was able to get a job and an apartment and

he was able to stand on his own two feet.

stand someone up - 674. fail to keep an appointment or date. Tey

decided to meet at 6:00. She waited for him for an hour and then

realized that he stood her up.

stand up to someone 675. - be brave, courageously confront someone.

Even though the bully was twice his size, the boy wasn't afraid and was

able to stand up to him.

start the ball rolling 676. - take the initiative, begin an action. It

takes approximately one year to be accepted into that school. We

completed an application to start the ball rolling.

stay away from 677. - avoid. I always try to stay away fom mean people.

stick one's neck out 678. - look for trouble, take risks. Although I

had nothing to do with the problem that he was having, I stuck my

neck out to help him.

stick it out - 679. endure, continue. Te girl was miserable at sleep

away camp but she only had one more week before it was over. She

decided to stick it out and stay.

stick to one's guns 680. - to defend an action or an opinion despite an

unfavorable reaction. Everyone told me this idea was stupid. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

I didn't listen to them and stuck to my guns.

stick up for 681. - defend, help, support. Even though everyone makes

fun of her friend at school, she always sticks up for her and stands

by her side.

stink - 682. to be extremely bad quality, to be terrible. I was treated badly

on the phone when I called the company about the problem I was

having. I think their customer service department really stinks.

straight from the horse's mouth 683. - directly from the person

involved. Even though we all heard about the John's accident, it was

nice to here about it from John himself. We fnally heard it straight

fom the horse's mouth.

straighten out 684. - put in order. He spent Saturday straightening

out his clothing drawers and making everything neat.

strapped 685. - having no money available. Can you please buy my

lunch today? I am strapped for money until payday next week.

strike while the iron is hot 686. - take advantage of an

opportunity. He has been working very hard on his new business. It

has been taking of and he wants to strike while the iron is hot.

strings attached - 687. restraining circumstances, obligations. He

became company president, but he had to marry the owner's daughter.

Tere were strings attached.

stuck 688. - unable to understand. I am stuck on this math problem and

I cannot fgure it out.

stuff - 689. things. We need to buy a lot of stuf for the party.

stuffed shirt 690. - a person who is rigid or too formal. It is fun

working in my ofce. Everyone likes to laugh and have a good time

except for Ed. Ed is always serious, businesslike and never wants to

relax and have a good time. He is such a stufed shirt.

swamped 691. - overwhelmed. I need to complete four reports by

tomorrow. I am swamped with work.

swan song 692. - fnal appearance. Te actress died afer completing the

role in this movie. Tis was her swan song.

sweat bullets 693. - be nervous, be very hot. I didn't know how the

interview would go and was very nervous. I was sweating bullets.

sweatshop 694. - a factory that has poor conditions, long hours, low pay.

I feel bad for people who have to work in that chemical plant. Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

I have heard it is like a sweatshop in there.

swell 695. - terrifc. Your boss has said great things about you. She says

that you are a swell guy.

take a beating 696. - lose money. Last year, everyone took a beating in

the stock market.

take a crack at - 697. try, attempt. Even though you tried to fx the toy

and couldn't, let me take a crack at it.

take advantage of 698. - treat unfairly for your own gain, make good

use of time or conditions. Because I had a few days of of work, I took

advantage of all the time I had a read a few books.

take after 699. - resemble or act like a parent or relative. I see that he

takes afer his dad in his ability to play basketball.

take it 700. - endure trouble, criticism, abuse, pressure. Everyone in

school told her how ugly and stupid she was. She was unable to take it

and eventually changed schools.

take on 701. - begin to handle, commit oneself to, accept. He took on a

great challenge when he became the CEO of a bankrupt company.

take one's hat off to someone 702. - admire, respect, praise. I am

very impressed that you actually had your book published. I take my

hat of to you!

take over 703. - take control, command. When the pilot became ill, the

co-pilot had to take over the controls of the aircraf.

take someone for a ride 704. - cheat, swindle. When my car broke

down for the third time, I realized that the car salesman really took

me for a ride.

take someone to the cleaners 705. - win all of someone's money,

cheat someone. He invested money in a business deal that went bad.

Tey took him to the cleaners.

take something lying down - 706. sufer without having a fght.

Someone said the he stole money from the company. He's not going to

take that lying down.

take something to heart 707. - consider seriously. His parents

spoke to him about improving his grades. I hope he took it to heart.

take a bull by the horns 708. - take strong action. He needs more

money, so he is going to take the bull by the horns and ask for a raise.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

take the Fifth 709. - refuse to testify against oneself, as guaranteed by

the Fifh Amendment to the Constitution. He asked the fat girl how

much she weighed. She was embarrassed and took the Fifh.

take the plunge 710. - do something decisive. I realized I gained a lot

of weight, so I fnally took the plunge and decided to seriously go on a diet.

take the words out of someone's mouth 711. - say something

someone else was going to say. I was just going to say that he was a liar.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

take up 712. - begin an activity or hobby. She plans to take up golf

next summer.

take with a grain of salt 713. - listen with skepticism. He told me

that he got all A's in college. I don't believe him. You should take it

with a grain of salt.

talk through one's hat 714. - make exaggerated or inaccurate

statements. She's always talking about how much she is investing in the

stock market, but I think she is talking through her hat.

talk turkey 715. - discuss seriously, in a business-like manner. If you are

really serious about buying my car, let's talk turkey.

tearjerker 716. - story that makes you cry. Te movie we saw last night

was a real tearjerker.

tell someone off 717. - speak to angrily. Whenever she becomes too

arrogant, it is time to tell her of.

think up 718. - invent, create. Te theme for this year's party will not

work. We need to think up a new idea.

third degree, the 719. - prolonged questioning. When I returned

home from my date, my roommate wanted to know everything that

had happened and gave me the third degree.

through the grapevine 720. - via gossip from other people. I heard

through the grapevine that you are pregnant. Is that true?

through the mill 721. - experienced in difculties of life. She's had a

difcult life. She's been put through the mill.

throw cold water on 722. - discourage. I really don't want to throw

cold water on your business proposal, but I really don't think that it is a

good idea.

throw in the towel 723. - surrender, give up. When he realized that there

was no way he was going to fnish the race, he fnally threw in the towel.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

throw one's weight around - 724. use one's infuence in a showy

manner. Because she was the boss's daughter, she liked throwing her

weight around the ofce and tell everyone what to do.

throw the book a 725. t - punish severely for breaking rules or the law.

Tey have a lot of evidence against that criminal. Tey are going to

throw the book at him at the trial.

tickled pink 726. - very happy. I wasn't feeling well and wanted to go

home. I was tickled pink that the party had fnally ended.

tide someone over - 727. help someone through a shortage. Can you

please loan me $10 and tide me over until I get paid next week?

tie the knot 728. - get married. She will tie the knot this spring.

tied down - 729. restricted by family or job responsibilities. When you

have children, pets and a mortgage, you feel tied down.

tight squeeze 730. - difcult situation fnancially. I don't have the

money for that now. I am in a tight squeeze.

tighten one's belt 731. - economize, spend and use less. Since he has

taken a cut in his salary, the family has needed to tighten their belt.

tightwad 732. - person who is cheap and stingy. Whenever we go to

a restaurant, he always tries to leave without contributing any money

toward the bill. He is such a tightwad.

tip someone off 733. - warn, inform. Te burglars were arrested

because the police were tipped of.

to a T 734. - perfectly, exactly. Although you have only been to my house

once, you described it to a T!

to boot 735. - in addition, also. She is trying to lose weight. So I was

surprised that afer dinner, she ordered cake and ice cream to boot.

to the hilt - 736. completely, to the limit. He's borrowed a lot of

money against his house. He is mortgaged to the hilt!

tooth and nail 737. - as hard as possible, fercely. Although they were

going to take that an account away from me, I fought tooth and

nail to keep it.

top-notch - 738. excellent, the best. He never loses a court case. He is a

top-notch attorney.

topsy-turvy 739. - upside down, in disarray. When you move from one

apartment to another, everything is topsy-turvy.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

total 740. - completely ruin. Afer the accident, my car was totaled and

was unable to be fxed.

touch and go 741. - very dangerous or uncertain. She was sent to the

hospital in very poor health. Te doctors said that it was touch and go.

tough break 742. - unlucky event, misfortune. Breaking his leg in the

middle of football season was a tough break for John.

tourist trap 743. - any place that is overpriced and attracts tourists.

I hate going to that resort in the summer. Tey charge hundreds of

dollars a night for a tiny room. I think it's a tourist trap.

track down 744. - search for. Te balances in both accounts are not

matching. We need to track down the problem.

treat 745. - pay for someone else. He really helped me complete my

project, so I treated him to lunch.

try something out - 746. test. Te store told me that we can try the

mattress out for 30 days to see if we like it.

turn one off 747. - disgust, bore, repel. When he started saying bad

things about my sister, it really turned me of.

turn out 748. - result, end. Although the movie was boring at frst, it

turned out to be wonderful.

turn over a new leaf 749. - change one's conduct for the better. My

little boy has recently started lying to his mother. Afer I spoke with

him, he told me that he is turning over a new leaf and won't

do it anymore.

turn someone down 750. - reject. Although the job interview went

very well, he was turned down for the job.

turn someone's stomach 751. - get someone sick and upset. It really

turns my stomach when little children treat their elders poorly.

turn the tables 752. - reverse the situation. We lost the game last

night, but tonight, we'll turn the tables.

turn to 753. - go to for help. He was such a good friend. I always knew

that I could turn to him if I needed some money.

turn up 754. - appear. Tose keys have been lost for a month. I am

hoping that they turn up soon.

twiddle one's thumbs - 755. not busy, not working. Our department

has gotten slow this season. All we are doing is twiddling our thumbs.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

twist someone around one's finger 756. - infuence someone

easily. He will do whatever she wants. It's amazing how she has him

twisted around her little fnger.

two-faced 757. - disloyal, untrustworthy. She'll tell you that you have a

beautiful dress, but when you leave, she'll say that you are fat and how

awful it looked on you. She is two-faced.

under the table 758. - illegal money transaction, such as paying a

bribe. She was paid under the table and continued to collect her

unemployment checks illegally.

under the weather 759. - not feeling well. I started sneezing this

morning and have had a bad headache. I am beginning to feel under

the weather.

up one's alley 760. - something one enjoys, special interest. I'm going to

the art museum on Sunday. I know you love to paint, so this is right up

your alley.

up the river - 761. in jail. Te judge found him guilty and he was sent

up the river for 5 years.

up to here with 762. - disgusted with another's continual behavior. My

phone bills are always so high. I am just up to here with them.

up to one's ears 763. - deeply immersed in. I have a lot of folders sitting

on my desk. I am up to my ears in paperwork.

up to par (neg.) 764. - meeting normal standards. I have a headache and

don't feel up to par.

up to someone 765. - someone's choice. Because it is her birthday, it is

up to her what kind of birthday cake to buy.

upset the applecart 766. - ruin or spoil a plan or idea. Our plans are

perfect. Don't discuss them with anyone. We don't want to upset

the applecart.

use one's noodle (head) 767. - think. He wasn't using his noodle

when he ofered to stay and clean up the mess.

walk all over someone 768. - take advantage of someone. He loves

her so much and she walks all over him.

wash one's hands of 769. - refuse responsibility for, abandon. If he lies

or hurts you, you should wash your hands of him.

washed up 770. - no longer successful or needed, failed. Since he was

arrested, his movie career is all washed up.Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

waste one's breath 771. - speak or argue with no result. I have told

her that she should stop smoking a thousand times. Don't even

mention it to her, you'll be wasting your breath.

watch 772. (or mind) one's P's and Q's - act very carefully, pay

attention to detail. If you are having dinner with your boss, you have to

watch your P's and Q's.

water down 773. - dilute. Te cofee is too strong. I think you need to

water it down.

wear the pants 774. - be the boss of the family. She makes all the big

decisions when it comes to fnances. We all know who wears the pants

in that family.

weigh one's words 775. - be careful of what one says. Te boss is going to

interview me today. I don't want to talk too much. I should weigh my words.

well-off 776. - rich, wealthy. She has traveled extensively throughout

the world. I believe she's very well-of.

wet behind the ears 777. - inexperienced. He can't manage the ofce.

He is still wet behind the ears.

wet blanket 778. - person who discourages others from having fun. She

was no fun at the party. She is a wet blanket.

wet one's whistle - 779. have a drink, especially alcohol. I am so

thirsty. I would like to wet my whistle.

what it takes 780. - any ability for a job, courage. She is smart and

ambitious. She certainly has what it takes to be a doctor.

when the chips are down 781. - at the worst time, when one faces

the biggest obstacles. A true friend is someone who is always there

when the chips are down.

whistle a different tune 782. - change one's attitude, contradict

previous ideas. Te boss's son doesn't believe his father should pay

anyone overtime, but when he can work extra hours, he whistles a

diferent tune.

white as a ghost - 783. very pale because of fear, shock, illness. My

sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

white lie 784. - a harmless lie (told to be polite or to do something not

seriously wrong). I told my boss a white lie and said that I was sick

yesterday when I actually wasn't.

wild goose chase 785. - absurd or hopeless search. She did not want Pronunciation Workshop Manual - Session 1

The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America

the police to fnd her boyfriend so she gave them false information and

sent them on a wild goose chase.

will power 786. - strength of mind. Some people say you need a lot of

will power to quit smoking.

wimp 787. - spineless, non-assertive person. He never speaks up for

himself. He is such a wimp.

wind up 788. - end, fnish. It's getting late and I want to fnish this project

and go home. Let's wind things up.

wing it 789. - rely only on one's knowledge, act without preparation.

Tey asked me to make a speech, but I did not prepare anything so I

just winged it.

wisecrack 790. - sarcastic or nasty remark. He is not very nice, so don't

be surprised if he makes a wisecrack about your clothes.

wishy-washy 791. - having no defnite opinion, unable to decide. He

never has his own opinion. He is very wishy-washy.

with a fine toothed comb 792. - very carefully. She lost her earring

somewhere in our house. We searched for it with a fne-toothed comb.

with flying colors 793. - with great or total success. She passed her

course with fying colors and now wants to go out and celebrate.

within reason 794. - sensible, reasonable, reasonably. I know you want

to buy my car. If your ofer is within reason, then it's a deal.

word of mouth 795. - recommendation from other people. His

business does not advertise. He became successful all by word of mouth.

work one's fingers to the bone 796. - work very hard. I had to type

many pages to put this book together. I have worked my fngers to the bone.

work out 797. - fnd an answer, solve. I have added these numbers three

times and still get diferent answers. Tis problem can't seem to be

worked out.

wrong side of the tracks, the 798. - the poor section of town,

implying social inferiority. She comes from a wealthy family. Her

parents did not want her to marry anyone from the wrong side of the tracks.

yell bloody murder 799. - express loud, emotional anger. Some babies

yell bloody murder if their mothers leave them with babysitters.

You're kidding - 800. Really? Is it true? You've read every single entry

in this book? You're kidding!

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