1 Flashcards
Not enough room to swing a cat
when a place is too much small
Sentence:
How can you work in a small room like this? There’s not enough room to swing a cat.
In our old flat there wasn’t enough room to swing a cat.
Me time
That’s what you call the time you have with yourself, to do just what you want.
Sentence:
All mothers of young children should try to find some me time.
When I have a million and a one things going on, as many college students do, my running time becomes my daily “me time.”
To keep your head above water
It means you are just managing to survive despite not having much money.
Sentence:
The business is in trouble, but we are just about keeping our head above water.
I don’t have a job, and I need to pay my rent, bills, and buy food. I’m having a difficult time keeping my head above water.
Keyed up
If you are keyed up it means you are excited or anxious. It’s often used with about- to be ‘keyed up about’ something.
Sentence:
He always gets keyed up about tests.
Why are you so keyed up about nothing?
She is all keyed up over her son’s health.
Work for peanuts
A phrase that means to work for a very small payment.
Sentence:
They expect us to work for peanuts.
I need a raise- I’m sick of still working for peanuts for three years!
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
The proof is in the pudding
It means you can only judge the quality of something after you have tried or used it.
Sentence:
I have read the proposal and it’s promising, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Let’s see if this ad actually helps sales- the proof of the pudding, you know.
Close, but no cigar
If someone almost succeeds, but doesn’t quite, we can say to them this.
Sentence:
My coach yelled ‘close, Mike, but no cigar,’ when I was unable to break my previous record on the 100 yard dash.
Despite demographic changes, all signs are that it will be another case of close but no cigar.
Put your foot down
It means to act strongly and use your authority to make something stop.
Sentence:
When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my foot down.
The boss put her foot down and refused to accept any more changes to the plan.
You are toast!
It means: you are, or will soon be , in a lot of trouble. It is often used as a warning.
Sentence:
One more mistake and you’re toast.
If you’re in the game long enough you’re going to be the toast of the town one day, and the next day you’ll be toast.
To burn the candles at both ends
An expression that means working from early until late in order to complete an activity
Sentence:
In my mad attempt t get everything done I had been burning the candle at both ends, staying up late and getting up too early.
To blow the whistle (on someone or something)
To expose something bad that someone is doing
Turn back the clock
An expression which means to return to or remember the past
Skeleton in the closet
Someone has a ‘skeleton in the closet’ when they have a hidden secret which is embarrassing
Skeleton staff
An expression which means to have the smallest number of workers to keep a company operating
It takes two to tango
It means that two people (or groups) are responsible for a situation or mistake not just one
