Idioms 3 Flashcards
Throw weight around
To use one’s power in a mean, threatening way; to be bossy or rough.
Sleep on it
To put off making a decision until at least the next day so that you can think about it overnight.
Ex. The boss said he’d tell me tomorrow if I got the job or not. He had to sleep on it.
Slow on the draw
Slow to understand or figure something out; slow to respond or react; not alert; not a deep thinker.
Ex. Some of Albert Einstein’s teachers thought he was a little slow on the draw.
Smell a rat
To be suspicious; to feel that something is wrong.
Split hairs
To argue about small, unimportant differences
Ex. Aaron and his sister are always splitting hairs. He said there were forty-seven explosions in the movie; she said there were forty-six
Sweep under the rug
To hide or ignore unpleasant manners.
Ex. Her parents found out about her failing grades, even though she tried to sweep them under the rug.
Swallow hook, line, and sinker
I told him a ghost story, and he swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
Take a backseat
To be in an inferior position; to take second place to another person who is in control
Ex. When it comes to poetry, I take a backseat to Shelley. She’s a whiz.
Through the grapevine
Through the informal spreading of messages, gossip, rumors, or other confidential information from one person to another.
Ex. She heard through the grapevine that she was being considered for a big promotion.
make no bones about something
to say clearly what you think or feel although you may embarrass or offend someone
Ex. He made no bones about his dissatisfaction with the service in the hotel. She makes no bones about wanting John to leave.
slippery slope
a dangerous pathway or route to follow; a route that leads to trouble.
Ex. The matter of euthanasia is a slippery slope with both legal and moral considerations.
beyond/without a shadow of a doubt
if something is true beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is no doubt that it is true
Ex. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best film I have seen all year.
No dog in this fight
If you have no dog in a fight, you are not concerned and will not be affected either way by the outcome of something.
Come out of the woodwork
to appear after being hidden or not active for a long time, especially in order to do something unpleasant
Ex. Ex. After you’ve been in a relationship for a long while, all sorts of little secrets start to come out of the woodwork. Racists and extreme nationalists are crawling out of the woodwork to protest at the sudden increase in the number of immigrants.
Once in a blue moon
A rare event or occurrence.
Ex. Once in a blue moon, I buy a fashion magazine, just to see what people are wearing.
Let Bygones Be Bygones:
To forget about a disagreement or argument.
Example: It’s time to let bygones be bygones
The Ball Is In Your Court
It is your decision this time
Tongue-in-cheek:
humor, not to be taken serious.
Scot-free
To escape and not have to pay.
Example: He came away from the incident scot-free
On Pins And Needles:
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
