Idioms 1 Flashcards
Bite off more than you can chew
To take on a task that you cannot complete
Bite the hand that feeds you
To repay kindness with ingratitude
Keep your chin up
To stay confident
An arm and a leg
To cost a significant amount of money
A slap on the wrist
A slight punishment; not severe
Idle hands are the devils tools
That doing nothing leads to mischief
Head over heels
Excited (Usually when in love)
A hat trick
3 points
Keep body and soul together
To not die
Excuse my French
To say something vulgar or to swear
It’s all Greek to me
To hear something that doesn’t make sense
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Told to take your time; to not rush
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
To adapt to the behaviors of those around you
A bakers dozen
13 of something
Doesn’t cut the mustard
Doesn’t make the cut; is not worthy
Buy a lemon
To buy a vehicle that is not functional
Spill the beans
To let out a secret
Look a gift horse in the mouth
To criticize a gift or favor given to you
Kill two birds with one stone
To complete two tasks with the effort of one
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Keeping the things you have is more reliable than risking everything to get a bit more
A nest egg
Savings set aside for future use
Let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid stirring up a forgotten conflict
All bark and no bite
To be fierce on the outside, but timid on the inside
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink
You can assist someone as far as possible, but cannot make them do their part in the process.
Live high on the hog
To live a privileged life; to be wealthy
Let the cat out of the bag
To let out a secret
A back seat driver
Someone who is not in control of something, but critiques the actions of those who are
Tie the knot
To get married
A dime a dozen
Cheap; not costly
Go back to square one
To go back to the start
Beat around the bush
To avoid the problem; to disregard the problem’s presence
Bend over backwards
To do whatever it takes to assist someone
Between a rock and a hard place
To be stuck between two difficult situations
Cut to the chase
To get to the real meaning of the statement; to skip straight to the action
A dead ringer
Someone who looks just like someone else
Went down like a lead balloon
Something that is unappreciated by others; was not taken liking to…
Get your walking papers
To be fired
Give someone the slip
To escape from someone
Work the graveyard shift
To work late at night
Haste makes waste
Going to quick causes inadequate work
