IDIOMS

after all

- considering the fact that something happened, something that is usually assumed
"You don't need to phone him. After all, he never phones you."

all of a sudden

- suddenly, without advance warning
All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.

as a matter of fact

- actually
"As a matter of fact, we have been to the history museum many times."

back and forth

- backwards and forwards, first one way and then the other way
The argument went back and forth before the judge made a decision.

better off

- to be in a better situation than before
My friend would be better off if he sold his old car and bought a new one.

by the way

- incidentally
"By the way, could you please bring your laptop computer tomorrow."

for good

- permanently
The city will close the public swimming pool for good next week.

keep (someone or something) in mind

- to remember and think about someone or something
I told my co-workers to keep the new starting time for work in mind.

kind of

- somewhat, more or less, moderately
I was kind of tired when I arrived home last night.

make a difference

- to cause a change in a situation
It does not make a difference whether our boss comes to the meeting or not.

make sense

- to seem reasonable
His new proposal really does make sense.

make sure

- to make certain, to establish something without a doubt
I want to make sure that my friend is going to meet me tomorrow.

more or less

- somewhat, to some extent
I more or less have decided to study business next year.

not at all

- certainly not
I am not at all happy with my new computer.

of course

- certainly, definitely, naturally
"Of course you can use my car if you want to."

so to speak

- as one might or could say, this is one way to say something
We had a good time at the restaurant, so to speak, although the service was not very good.

ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE

To inflame or worsen a bad situation. Max was already upset. Your teasing him just added fuel to the fire.

ADD UP

To make sense; to be consistent (usually negative) John's excuse for not completing his homework just doesn't add up.

AGAINST THE GRAIN

Contrary to what is expected or preferred. Mary has a difficult time getting along with others as she is inclined to go against the grain in everything she does.

AHEAD OF ONE'S TIME

In advance of current ideas and trends. Some people describe Albert Einstein was a physicist ahead of his time.

ALL EARS

Listening intently; eager to hear something. So, you have some new gossip about Mary. I'm all ears.

ALL FIRED UP

Excited; highly enthusiastic I'm really fired up about the party next week.

ARM AND A LEG

A very high cost; a large amount of money. Many people are complaining that gas costs an arm and a leg nowadays.

AT THE END OF ONE'S ROPE

At the limit of one's patience. Mary is at the end of her rope with Max. She can't take his nagging any longer.

AT THE TOP OF ONE'S LUNGS

In an extremely loud voice. Max called out to Mary at the top of his lungs, but she didn't hear him.

BALLPARK FIGURE

A rough estimate within acceptable bounds. Two months after the fire, the construction company gave us a ballpark figure on how much it would cost to rebuild our home.

BANG FOR THE BUCK

Value; efficiency; return on investment. I'm not sure which car to buy. I'm trying to figure out which gives the greatest bang for the buck.

BARK UP THE WRONG TREE

Pursue the wrong thing; to take the wrong approach. Don't ask me for a pay raise. You're barking up the wrong tree. I have no authority to give anybody a pay raise.

BEAR IN MIND

Remember; consider; note. Bear in mind that money is not the most important thing in life.

BEAT A DEAD HORSE

To continue or persist talking about a topic or issue beyond normal interest. I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but could we go over the plan just once more?

BEAT AROUND THE BUSH

To talk about a topic too indirectly or cautiously; to take a long time getting to the main point or idea. Please stop beating around the bush and get to the point!

BEATS ME

I don't know; this puzzles me. Do you have any idea why Mary was upset? Beats me!

BEND OVER BACKWARDS

To make a great effort; to go to great lengths. Max bent over backwards to make sure that his boss was happy.

BESIDE THE POINT

Irrelevant, off the topic. The color of the car is beside the point. What kind of gas mileage does it get?

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Having the choice between two difficult or unacceptable options. Max was between a rock and a hard place. He could fight in the war, which he didn't believe in, or go to prison.

BITE ONE'S TONGUE

To stop oneself from speaking out. Max quit his job because he was tired of biting his tongue every time his boss announced one of his stupid ideas.

BLOW (SOMETHING) OUT OF PROPORTION

To overreact or exaggerate something. Let's not blow the problem out of proportion. If we break it down, we'll see that it is really not that complicated.

BUY IT

To believe something. Max told Mary that he was sorry, but she didn't buy it.

CALL IT A DAY

To stop an activity for the day. We've done enough work today. Let's call it a day.

CALL IT A NIGHT

To go to bed to sleep. I'm tired. I'm going to have to call it a night.

CALL IT EVEN

To declare debts paid. You save my life five years ago, and I saved your life just now. Let's call it even.

CALL IT QUITS

To conclude; to quit or stop an activity. I think everyone is very tired right now; let's call it quits for now and try again tomorrow.

CAN OF WORMS

A difficult problem which produces additional problems. Max couldn't tell Mary the truth. He knew it would open a can of worms.

CARRY ON

To continue or proceed. I'll be gone for a couple weeks. I'm sure you can carry on without me.

CATCH ON

To understand; to realize. Max took a little extra time to catch on, but eventually he understood the situation.

CHANGE ONE'S MIND

To decide differently or have a different opinion than before. I know I said that I wanted vanilla, but I changed my mind; I want chocolate.

CHEAT ON

To be sexually unfaithful to. John asked for a divorce when he found out that Mary was cheating on him.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

A narrowly missed attempt or guess. Nice try. Close but no cigar. Guess again.

COLD TURKEY

To stop an addiction all at once, not gradually. Max quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN ONE COMES TO IT

To not deal with a situation until one is actually in the situation. I'm not sure what we'll do if he says no. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

CROSS THE LINE

To go too far; to violate accepted boundaries or rules. Max really crossed the line when he ate Mary's last donut.

CUT (SOMEBODY) SOME SLACK

To be flexible or lenient with somebody. Cut Max some slack. He didn't mean to be rude. He just had a very difficult day.

CUT TO THE CHASE

To get to the main point; to state something directly. Let me cut to the chase. I quit. As of tomorrow, I no longer work here.

DAILY GRIND

The monotonous tasks of everyday work. I've had enough of the daily grind. I hope I win the lottery soon.

DEAD END

A path or situation that leads nowhere or offers no prospects. My job seems to be at a dead end.

DEEP DOWN

Basically; in essence; at the core. Max's boss seems to be a very evil person, but deep down he's not that bad.

DIE DOWN

To fade; to gradually come to an end. The storm seems to be dying down. Maybe we'll be able to play tennis tomorrow after all.

DO THE TRICK

To work; to cause the desired results. I need something to quench my thirst. This bottle of water should do the trick.

DOWN AND OUT

Without money and without prospects. Max is pretty down and out. He has lost his job, car, and home.

DOWN THE DRAIN

Wasted, lost. Everything I spent on guitar lessons was just money down the drain. I can't play a thing.

DRAG ONE'S FEET

To deliberately hold back or delay; to intentionally go or work slowly. Whenever I ask for the information, they say they're working on it. I think they're just dragging their feet.

DRAW A BLANK

To suddenly forget; to fail to remember a piece of information. I know the answer to that question, but I'm drawing a blank.

DROP OUT

To leave school or a social group; to withdraw from competition. Man, I'm tired of school. I think I'll drop out and do a little traveling.

EASY AS PIE

Very easily completed or accomplished. That puzzle was as easy as pie.

EASY COME, EASY GO

Easily won and easily lost. The government took half of my lottery winnings in taxes. Oh well, easy come, easy go.

EASY ON THE EYES

Attractive; beautiful. Mary is quite easy on the eyes.

EAT LIKE A BIRD

To eat very little. How does Mary keep such a nice figure? I bet she eats like a bird.

EAT LIKE A PIG

To eat noisily, with one's mouth open; to eat a lot. Don't invite Max to your dinner party; he eats like a pig.

ELBOW GREASE

hard work or physical effort. The floor is very dirty. It will take some elbow grease to get it clean.

FACE THE MUSIC

To confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions. The police are here to arrest Max. I guess it's time for him to face the music.

FACE TO FACE

In person; in the physical presence of somebody. I'm tired of discussing this over the phone. Let's meet and discuss it face to face.

FALL ON DEAF EARS

To be ignored or disregarded. Every time Mary ask Max to do something, her requests fall on deaf ears.

FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS

To be missed or overlooked. How did they overlook that million dollar account. Somehow it just fell through the cracks.

FEEL FREE

Be my guest; be uninhibited about doing something. Please feel free to eat anything in the refrigerator.

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

Rare and scarce; occurring infrequently. People who actually like Max are few and far between.

FILL SOMEONE'S SHOES

To do someone's job; to assume someone's role. It will be very difficult to fill Max's shoes when he retires.

FILTHY RICH

Extremely wealthy. Max married Mary because she was filthy rich. All he cared about was her money.

FIT THE BILL

To be suitable; to meet requirements. I am looking for a new pair of earphones. These should fit the bill just fine.

FLUNK OUT

To be kicked out of school for not meeting academic standards. Max flunked out of college in less than a year.

FOR GOOD

Permanently. Once you quit the club, you are out for good. You can never come back.

FOR KICKS

For pleasure or excitement; for fun For kicks, Max liked to play jokes on his friends.

FOR THE BIRDS

Worthless; no good. Homework is for the birds. I'm not sure why my teacher gives me so much homework.

FULL OF IT

Speaking nonsense; lying, exaggerating, or boasting. Don't listen to Miguel. He is full of it.

GET A GRIP

To control your emotions; to regain your composure. Tell Max to get a grip. He is totally overreacting.

GET A HANDLE ON

To obtain a basic level of understanding or control. After reading chapter four, I'm starting to get a handle on quantum physics.

GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS

To contribute to a conversation with people who are very talkative. When you are talking with Mary, she talks so much that you are lucky to get a word in edgewise.

GET CARRIED AWAY

To overdo; to do to excess. Max got carried away with the balloons for the party. There must have been over a thousand.

GET CRACKING

To get started; hurry up. Come on! Let's get cracking. We need to finish this project by next week.

GET EVEN

To get revenge. Mary was quite upset with Jane for stealing her boyfriend. She swore that she would get even.

GET HITCHED

To get married. Mary and Max got hitched two years ago.

GET ON ONE'S NERVES

To annoy or irritate someone. Max may be a nice guy, but sometimes he really gets on my nerves.

GET ON SOMEONE'S CASE

To criticize, find fault, or lecture. The boss is always getting on Max's case for everything.

GET ONE'S ACT TOGETHER

To become serious, organized. If you want a pay raise, you are going to have to get your act together and do a better job.

GET ONE'S FEET WET

To gain new experience. Max is just getting his feet wet. He is likely to make a few mistakes.

GET ONE'S FOOT IN THE DOOR

To begin become established in an occupation or company. You were very lucky to get your foot in the door at ABC Company.

GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT

To understand correctly; to clarify. Let's get this straight. We'll meet behind the back after work.

GET THE HANG OF

To become accustomed to; to learn how to do or use something. When I moved to England, it took me a few days to get the hang of driving on the left side of the road.

GET THE POINT

To understand the general or main idea. I don't think Max got the point. The point is that the important things in life have little to do with money.

GET TO THE BOTTOM OF

To find the underlying cause of a situation. Max will get to the bottom of the problem sooner or later.

GET UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF BED

To feel irritable; to be in a grouchy mood for no particular reason. Watch out for Max. I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed today.

GIVE IT A GO

To try or attempt. I'm not sure if I can do this, but I'll give it a go.

GIVE SOMEONE THE COLD SHOULDER

To ignore; to snub or reject someone For some reason, Mary is giving me the cold shoulder today.

GO ALL OUT

To spare no expense or effort; to put forth all possible effort or resources. For the last two miles of the race, Max went all out.

GO DOWNHILL

To worsen or deteriorate. The company was having a few minor problems, and then all of a sudden everything went downhill fast.

GO FOR IT

To put maximum effort toward achieving a goal. There is a job opening at ABC Company. Max is going for it.

GO OUT ON A LIMB

To take a risk; to put oneself in a vulnerable position. Mary went out on a limb lending Max all of her money. I hope he repays her.

GO PLACES

To achieve progress or succeed. With all of your talent, you are certain to go places.

GUT FEELING

An instinct or intuition. I have a gut feeling that John and Jane are going to get married

HAND IT TO

To give someone credit or praise; to congratulate. You have to hand it to Mary for doing such a great job planning the party.

HANDS DOWN

Unquestionably; without a doubt; without effort. Max was hands down the best player on the team.

HAPPY CAMPER

A person who is content or satisfied. Ever since Max started working from home, he has been a happy camper.

HAVE A BLAST

Enjoy oneself thoroughly We had a blast playing soccer on the beach last week.

HAVE A BONE TO PICK

To have a grievance or complaint. I have a bone to pick with my teacher about my grades.

HAVE A COW

To have a fit; to get visibly upset. The boss had a cow when Max came back from lunch two minutes late.

HAVE A SCREW LOOSE

To be crazy; to be mentally unstable. Max must have a screw loose to keep working for that same company after all of the abuse he has taken.

HAVE A WORD WITH

To talk, speak, or discuss with. Max went to have a word with his boss about the working conditions in the factory.

HAVE THE BLUES

To feel depressed or sad. Max has had the blues since his dog died two months ago.

HEAR (SOMETHING) THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

To learn through rumor. I heard through the grapevine that Max is going to quit his job.

HIT A SNAG

To encounter an unexpected problem or obstacle. The business won't open as soon as we had hoped. We seem to have hit a snag with one of our suppliers.

HIT IT OFF

To immediately have a good relationship with someone. Max and Mary really hit it off from the beginning.

HIT THE BOOKS

To study intensely. We need to hit the books before the test next Friday.

HIT THE HAY

To go to bed It's getting late. It's time for me to hit the hay.

HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

To be precisely right or accurate. You hit the nail on the head when you said that the problem was the water pump.

HIT THE ROOF

To explode in anger. The boss hit the roof when he found out that we didn't meet our quota.

HIT THE SACK

To go to bed It's getting late. It's time for me to hit the sack.

HOLD ONE'S HORSES

To wait; to be patient; to slow down. Hold your horses. I'll be ready in a minute.

IN A BIND

To be in a difficult situation; to be in trouble. I'm in a bind. Could you help me out?

IN CHARGE

In the position of responsibility of leading or overseeing. Max was in charge of the store when the fire broke out.

IN COLD BLOOD

In a ruthless and unfeeling manner. Max was murdered in cold blood.

IN HOT WATER

In trouble with someone. Max is in hot water with his wife for staying out so late.

IN THE DOGHOUSE

In trouble; in disfavor (usually a man in trouble with his wife). Max is in the doghouse with his wife for forgetting her birthday.

IN THE NICK OF TIME

At the last possible moment. Max turned in his application for the job just in the nick of time

IN THE SAME BOAT

In a similar situation or predicament. I'd like to help you with money, but I'm in the same boat. I don't have any money either.

KEEP A LID ON

To keep something secret No one is supposed to know our plan. Please keep a lid on it.

KEEP AN EYE ON

To watch intently. Please keep an eye on my children for me. I need to go to the store.

KEEP IT DOWN

To be quiet; to not be noisy. Please keep in down. I'm trying to study.

KEEP ONE'S NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE

To work hard or focus heavily on work If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you will do very well.

KICK BACK

To relax. After work tonight, I'm going to go home and kick back.

KID AROUND

To engage in playful joking or teasing. Don't take Max seriously. He was just kidding around when he said that you were ugly.

KNOCK IT OFF

to stop doing something. Would you two please knock it off? That really annoys me.

LEARN SOMETHING BY HEART

To memorize. It took Max a long time to learn that poem by heart.

LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN ONE'S MOUTH

To create a bad feeling about something. Working for that company left a bad taste in my mouth.

LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

To reveal a secret. Max let the cat out of the bag and told us that Mary was pregnant.

LIE THROUGH ONE'S TEETH

to make outrageous false statements. Sam is almost always lying through his teeth. I wouldn't believe anything he says.

LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL

Extremely easy. Taking that test was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was so easy.

LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY

Very easy to achieve. Selling insurance to that family will be like taking candy from a baby.

LOOSE ENDS

Leftover items; unfinished business. Before I go on vacation, there are a few loose ends I need to take care of.

LOSE ONE'S HEAD

To panic; To lose self-control. Don't lose your head. The cops will never catch us.

LOSE ONE'S MARBLES

To become crazy. I think Max has lost his marbles. He keeps muttering the same phrase over and over.

LOSE ONE'S MIND

To become crazy or insane. I can't believe Max wants to get a job with the ABC Company. Has he lost his mind?

MAKE A LIVING

To earn enough income to support oneself. Max makes a living as a salesman.

MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL

To exaggerate the significance of a minor problem. A little acne is not the end of the world. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.

MAKE BELIEVE

To pretend. In his spare time, Max likes to make believe that he is a dragon slayer.

MAKE DO

To survive or get by with what little is available. We don't have a lot money, but we make do with what we have.

MAKE ENDS MEET

To have just enough money to cover expenses; to barely meet expenses from paycheck to paycheck. It is hard to make ends meet on a teacher's salary.

MAKE SURE

To recheck to be certain. Make sure that you put your name on your test before you turn it in.

MAKE UP ONE'S MIND

To make a decision; to decide between different options. I can't make up my mind whether to go to Argentina or Chile for vacation.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

A place far from interesting sites and major population centers. As I was driving across the country, my car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

MIND ONE'S OWN BUSINESS

To concern yourself only your own interests and not interfere in the affairs of others. Why does Max care about how much money I make? Tell him to mind his own business.

MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

Money is not easily obtained. Turn off the lights when you leave the room. You know money doesn't grow on trees.

MONKEY AROUND

To behave in a silly or playful way. Stop monkeying around. Let's get to work.

NAIL (SOMETHING) DOWN

To precisely and firmly establish details of a plan. We haven't nailed down an exact date for the wedding yet, but we're thinking sometime in August.

NIP SOMETHING IN THE BUD

To stop something at an early stage. If you feel like you are catching a cold, try to nip it in the bud so that it does not cause you to miss work.

NO SPRING CHICKEN

Somebody who is not particularly young My grandfather runs marathons, and he's no spring chicken.

NO SWEAT

It's not particularly difficult. I need my car for a date tonight. Can you fix it? No sweat. I'll have it fixed in no time.

NOT A CHANCE

Absolutely not; not possible. Do you think there will ever be any honest politicians? Not a chance.

NOTHING TO IT

Easy; not difficult. Upgrading your RAM is easy. There's really nothing to it.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

Not bad; worthwhile. Max's new painting is nothing to sneeze at.

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

Ordinary; not exceptional; not especially good. That movie was entertaining but nothing to write home about.

ODDS AND ENDS

Miscellaneous things. In the attic there is a box full of odds and ends.

OFF ONE'S ROCKER

To be crazy. He's off his rocker if he thinks that I'm going to help him move again.

OFF THE CUFF

Without preparation; impromptu At the awards ceremony his speech was completely off the cuff.

OFF THE CUFF

Without preparation; impromptu At the awards ceremony his speech was completely off the cuff.

OFF THE MARK

Inaccurate, wrong. The vice president's comments on the war are consistently off the mark.

OFF THE TOP OF ONE'S HEAD

Without great thought, investigation or any sort of preparation. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone who is a better painter than Max.

ON A ROLL

On a streak of continuous progress or success. The team is on a roll. They've won five games in a row.

ON EDGE

Anxious, tense, nervous or irritable I've really been on edge lately. I think I've been drinking too much coffee.

ON ONE'S TOES

Alert, prepared, ready, or attentive. In this job things happen so fast that you always have to be on you toes.

ON THE BACK BURNER

Not the main priority; inactive; on hold. I've put that project on the back burner until I have a little more time.

ON THE BLINK

Broken, out of order, inoperative (electronic or mechanical devices). The freezer in on blink again. Everything has thawed out or melted.

ON THE BUTTON

Exactly, precisely. We're meeting at 11:00, on the button.

ON THE DOT

Exactly, precisely. The meeting starts at 11:00, on the button.

ON THE FENCE

To be undecided. I am still on the fence about which job to take.

ON THE LEVEL

Honest, sincere and straightforward I wouldn't trust Sam. He may seem like he's on the level, but he's really not.

ON THE LINE

At risk; in danger. I really need to do well on this project because my job is on the line.

ONE'S BARK IS WORSE THAN ONE'S BITE

The particular person seems more aggressive and mean than he really is. Don't worry about the boss. His bark is worse than his bite.

ONE'S LIPS ARE SEALED

To keep a secret; to not reveal a secret. My lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone about it.

OUT OF LINE

Inappropriate, improper, wrong. Max was really out of line when he asked the woman how much she weighed.

OUT OF THE BLUE

Unexpectedly; without warning; suddenly. Out of the blue Max asked Mary for a divorce.

OUT OF THE QUESTION

Impossible; not worth even considering. We have no money. A new car is out of the question at this point.

OUT OF WORK

Unemployed. I'm out of work at the moment.

PAIN IN THE NECK

an annoyance or difficulty. I wish Max would go away. He is such a pain in the neck.

PAINT THE TOWN RED

To go on a partying spree; to go wild. Max and his friends painted the town red this past weekend.

PAY THROUGH THE NOSE

To pay an excessive amount of money. Real estate prices are very high. For even a small house you have to pay through the nose.

PIECE OF CAKE

Something that is easy or simple to do. Last night's homework assignment was a piece of cake.

PLAY IT BY EAR

To improvise; to do things without a plan. I'm not sure what we'll do this weekend. We'll just play it by ear.

PLAY ONE'S CARDS RIGHT

To make the right moves; to have a good strategy. If I had played my cards right, I might have gotten that promotion.

POINT THE FINGER

To accuse; to assign blame I don't want to point the finger at anybody, but somebody forgot to lock the door, Jim.

PULL SOMEBODY'S LEG

To tease someone; to deceive or fool someone Don't listen to Sam. He must have been pulling your leg.

PULL TEETH

To do something very difficult or unpleasant. Mary says that getting Max to take out the garbage is like pulling teeth.

PUT A SOCK IN IT

To be quiet; to stop talking. Max went on talking trash about everyone until someone finally told him to put a sock in it.

PUT ONE'S FOOT DOWN

To take a firm stand; to insist, demand, or refuse. Mary finally put her foot down and said that she wouldn't let anyone borrow money from her again.

PUT ONE'S MIND TO IT

To apply oneself; to channel one's effort toward a particular goal. If Max put his mind to it, he could achieve anything.

RAIN CATS AND DOGS

To rain very heavily. You better bring an umbrella. It's raining cats and dogs out there.

RAISE A STINK

To complain loudly; to make a fuss. Every time I go to a restaurant with Max, he has to raise a stink about something.

RAISE THE BAR

To raise standards or expectations. It's time for the auto industry to finally raise the bar on fuel efficiency.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

To detect a meaning that is not stated explicitly. He is very cheerful, but if you read between the lines, you'll understand that things aren't going too well.

RIGHT ON THE MONEY

Exact; precise; exactly right. Your prediction was right on the money.

RING A BELL

To seem or sound familiar. The name rings a bell, but I'm not sure if I know him.

ROCK BOTTOM

The lowest possible level. The government's credibility has hit rock bottom.

ROCK THE BOAT

To go against the status quo; to follow principle rather than go along to get along. The company's policies are unethical, but if you rock the boat, you'll get fired.

RUB THE WRONG WAY

To irritate or annoy. I know you say that Max is a nice guy, but something about him rubs me the wrong way.

SCARED TO DEATH

Extremely frightened Max is scared to death of being alone with Mary.

SCOPE OUT

To scout; to investigate; to check out. We scoped out the perfect location for our beach party.

SCRATCH THE SURFACE

To treat superficially; to barely begin. Finished? We haven't even scratched the surface yet. There is a lot more to do.

SEE EYE TO EYE

To agree; to have similar views; to get along. Max and Mary rarely see eye to eye on anything.

SEE RED

To become very angry; to be furious. Max saw red when he found out that Mary went to Paris with John.

SELL LIKE HOT CAKES

To sell fast Astronaut diapers are selling like hot cakes.

SET STRAIGHT

To correct with accurate information. The presidential candidates seem to have their facts wrong. Someone needs to set them straight.

SHAKE A LEG

To hurry; to get going. Let's shake a leg! We need to finish this project today.

SHOOT THE BREEZE

To talk or converse idly. Do you want to have a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze for a while?

SHRUG OFF

To disregard; to minimize the importance of something. Max shrugged off Mary's accusations and went on with his normal routine.

SIT TIGHT

To wait patiently. Just sit tight; the hot dog vender will be by in a few minutes.

SITTING PRETTY

To be in a good financial situation. Once we get the insurance money, we'll be sitting pretty.

SLIP OF THE TONGUE

A mistake in speaking. For a politician, a simple slip of the tongue can be detrimental.

SLIP ONE'S MIND

To forget; to overlook. I was supposed to do some homework last night, but it totally slipped my mind.

SPILL THE BEANS

To reveal a secret. We were going to surprise Max with a party, but somebody spilled the beans.

STAND ONE'S GROUND

To firmly maintain one's opinion or position. Everyone in the room disagreed with Mary, but she stood her ground.

TAKE A BACK SEAT

To become lower priority or less important; to let someone else take charge. Mary reluctantly took a back seat when Mary took over the company.

TAKE A BREATHER

To take a short break; to pause and relax briefly. I'm tired. Let's take a breather.

TAKE A CHANCE

To risk something. Max doesn't like to take chances. He always plays it safe.

TAKE A CRACK AT

To attempt or try. I'm not sure if I can do it, but I'll take a crack at it.

TAKE A SPILL

To fall or trip: to experience a sudden drop. Max took a spill when he was riding his bike. He banged his head.

TAKE THE HEAT

To endure the consequences, blame, anger, or scrutiny; Mary took the heat for Max's mistake.

TALL TALE

A greatly exaggerated story. Miguel is notorious for his tall tales about his military service. He was just a driver but now claims to have been James Bond.

THE PITS

A miserable or unpleasant situation. The people in the office are awful. Working with them everyday is the pits.

THINK TWICE

To reconsider something; to consider something carefully before proceeding. Think twice before you get married.

THROUGH THE ROOF

Suddenly and excessively high. Housing prices have gone through the roof in Southern California.

TIE THE KNOT

To get married. Max and Mary tied the knot more than ten years ago.

TO EACH HIS OWN

Everyone is entitled to personal preferences. I wouldn't paint my car that color, but to each his own.

TONGUE-TIED

Unable to say anything. Every time Max sees Jane, he gets tongue-tied, and just sits there and stares.

UNDER ONE'S BREATH

softly spoken; in a whisper Under his breath, Max called Mary a fat cow.

UNDER THE GUN

Under pressure to perform or meet a deadline. Max was under the gun to complete the research before the end of the fiscal year.

UNDER THE WEATHER

Not feeling well; ill. I'm a bit under the weather today. I think I'll take the day off.

UNTIL ONE IS BLUE IN THE FACE

For a hopelessly long time You can lecture Max until you're blue in the face, but he's going to do it his way no matter what.

UP FOR GRABS

available for anyone. Now that Mary is working from home, her office is up for grabs.

UP IN THE AIR

Undecided. The exact date of the wedding is still up in the air at this point.

UP TO SOMETHING

Scheming or devising. Max is a little too quiet today. He must be up to something.

UPS AND DOWNS

Good times and bad times. We've had our ups and downs, but I'll always consider you my friend.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE

To face reality; to stop deluding oneself; to become aware. Wake up and smell the coffee! Unless you are extremely wealthy, the government doesn't care what you think.

WATCH LIKE A HAWK

To observe very closely. When we were taking the test, the teacher watched us like a hawk to make sure that we weren't cheating.

WATER DOWN, TO WATER (SOMETHING) DOWN

To make weaker; to dilute. The government has watered down the reports on global warming to make the problem seem less severe.

WET BEHIND THE EARS

Inexperienced. I don't think I want that young doctor performing heart surgery on me. He seems a little wet behind the ears.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE

In the end; ultimately. When all is said and done, we may not have made a lot of money, but we had a lot of fun.

WHOLE SHEBANG

The entire thing; everything. In the divorce, Max lost his kids, dog, house, car, timeshare property, the whole shebang.

WITH FLYING COLORS

Exceptionally well. Mary passed the board exam with flying colors.

WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

A person who appears innocent but really isn't. Jane seems sweet, but watch out. She's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

WORK ONE'S BUTT OFF

To work very hard. I've been working my butt off for years, but I have nothing to show for it.

ZERO IN ON SOMETHING

To focus on; to direct attention to. John zeroed in on the problem and immediately found a solution.