idioms

Question 1

fit like a glove

Answer 1

1. To be perfectly sized for someone, as of an article of clothing. A noun or pronoun can be used between “fit” and “like.”
   “The alterations turned out great—that gown really fits you like a glove now.”
   “These shoes are too big—I need to find ones that fit like a glove so that I don’t trip.”
2. To be very suited for someone.
   “She’s very shy, so working in a research lab really fits her like a glove.”

Question 2

rabbit a** mind (slang)

Answer 2

1. someone who is acting crazy or not thinking clearly

“this girl must be out her rabbit ass mind calling my phone asking for Ronnie”

Question 3

broad in scope

Answer 3

“It is closely related to the fields of data mining
and machine learning, but it is broader in scope.”
“He argued for a broad scope, to include artists, psychogeography, and more.”
“Financial cryptography is frequently seen to have a very broad scope of application.”

Question 4

birds of a feather (flock together)

Answer 4

1. people who are similar in character (or interests, especially ones of which you disapprove, and who often spend time with each other):
   “He’ll like Tony - they’re birds of a feather.”

Question 5

to catch sth/sb by surprise

Answer 5

1. catch sb off guard
   “We’ll catch them off guard. “
   “I want to catch her off guard.”
2. to catch sb with their pants (UK/US) down/ with their trousers (UK) down
   “The government caught the politician with his pants down.”
   “They’ll catch him with his trousers down.”

Question 6

to cold-shoulder (verb)/ to give sb the cold shoulder

Answer 6

1. to deliberately ignore someone in an unfriendly way:
   [verb] “He found himself being cold-shouldered by his former colleagues.”
   “I thought she liked me, but when I greeted her today she just gave me the cold shoulder.”

Question 7

lose train of thought

Answer 7

1. To be unable to resume one’s previous progression of thought.
   A: “Therefore, it is critical to remember that—”
   B: “Professor! Will this be on the final exam?”
   A: “Yes, Stephen. Shoot, now I’ve lost my train of thought.”

“And so you see, by collecting such data, we can make an inference to the, um… the… What am I trying to say? I lost my train of thought.”

Question 8

blue balls (slang)

Answer 8

1. when the testicles turn blue from not ejaculating when you should
   “Brenden had blue balls when he girl didn’t let him cum.”

Question 9

quick and dirty (also: quick-and-dirty)

Answer 9

1. used for describing a quick calculation, method, etc., especially one that is done or used until you have enough time or money to do or use a more careful one:
   “No retirement projection is perfect, but a quick-and-dirty one is far better than none at all.”

Question 10

fall for

Answer 10

1. To feel love for someone; be in love with someone:
   “I fell for you the first time I saw you in the park.”
   “They immediately fell for each other.”
2. To be deceived or swindled by something:
   “The gullible dupe fell for the con artist’s scheme and lost $200,000.”

Question 11

nuts and bolts of sth

Answer 11

1. the practical facts about a particular thing, rather than theories or ideas about it:
   “When it came to the nuts and bolts of running a business, he was clearly unable to cope.”

Question 12

bump sth

Answer 12

1. to hit something with force:
   “She bumped into his tray, knocking the food onto his lap.”

also (slang):
“Everyones bump Taylor Swift from time-to-time.”
“I was bumping 21 Savage all night.”

Question 13

for the boys (slang)

Answer 13

1. a term used to describe why an action is or should be performed
   “Swing us your test answers for the boys”
   Student: Miss did you enjoy my field report?
   Teacher: Umm it was quite..cut off mid-sentence
   Student: An “A” for the boys?

Question 14

in the flesh (slang)

Answer 14

1. in real life, and not on TV, in a film, in a picture, etc.:
   “I’ve seen her perform on television, but never in the flesh.”

Question 15

get canned (slang)

Answer 15

1. fired; to lose your job

“He got canned from his job for slacking off too much.”

Question 16

slacking off (slang)

Answer 16

1. Not doing very much of anything.
2. Not doing what you are meant to be doing.
   “Stop slacking off, Steve!”

Question 17

square up (slang)

Answer 17

1. (PAY) to pay someone the money that you owe them:

“If you pay for both tickets now, I’ll square up with you later.”

Question 18

keeper

Answer 18

1. something worth keeping

“The autographed ball is a keeper.”

Question 19

dub (slang)

Answer 19

1. abbreviation for the letter W; usually taken as a win
   “We took the dub today”
2. It means like you’re whack or something is whack; shit dry, lame, corny, etc.
   “Yo nigga you a dub.”
3. to blow off or ignore someone or something
   “Yo did Felicia hit you up last night?”
   “Yeah, but I totally dubbed her!”

Question 20

role model

Answer 20

1. a person who someone admires and whose behavior they try to copy:
   “Sports stars are role models for thousands of youngsters.”

Question 21

stepping stone

Answer 21

1. something that helps someone advance or achieve something:
   “I hope this job will be a stepping stone to something better.”
   ​
2. A stepping stone is also a stone that you step on to cross a stream or wet area:
   “Flat stepping stones crossed the stream.”

Question 22

stumbling block

Answer 22

1. a difficulty that prevents progress, understanding, or agreement:
   “Several major stumbling blocks must be resolved.”

Question 23

off-the-shelf (adjective - before a noun)

Answer 23

1. used to describe a product that is available immediately and does not need to be specially made to suit a particular purpose:
   “You can purchase off-the-shelf software or have it customized to suit your needs.”

Question 24

leap of faith

Answer 24

1. an act of believing something that is not easily believed:
   “It took a big leap of faith to decide to quit my job and try something new.”

Question 25

bucket list (informal)

Answer 25

1. a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime
   “Making this trip is the first thing on my bucket list.”

Question 26

in dire straits

Answer 26

1. in a very bad situation that is difficult to fix:

“These kids are in dire straits, and the schools are doing nothing to help them!”

Question 27

tear off (informal)

Answer 27

1. to leave very quickly:

“He got in his car and tore off down the road.”

Question 28

rip-off (noun - C – usually singular)

Answer 28

1. something that is not worth what you pay for it:

“$300 for that shirt? - That’s a complete rip-off.”

Question 29

en route (adverb - not gradable)

Answer 29

1. on the way to or from somewhere:
   “The ambulance is en route to the hospital.”
   “En route from New York to Boston, the bus crashed into a stalled car.”

Question 30

crawl back (to sb)

Answer 30

1. to admit that you were wrong and ask someone to forgive you or ask them for something that you were offered and refused in the past:
   “Don’t come crawling back to me when she throws you out!”

Question 31

Expressions that talk about improvement.

Answer 31

1. going/moving in the right direction
   “At last the economy seems to be moving in the right direction.”
   “One aerobics class a week isn’t enough to get me fit, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”
2. come along
   “Her piano playing is really coming along.”
3. by leaps and bounds (when sth/sb is improving fast)
   “When he moved to Paris, his French got better by leaps and bounds.”
4. quantum leap (to describe a very large improvement)
   “His invention was a quantum leap forward in engine design.”
5. turn the corner (to talk about improvement after a period of difficulty)
   “After a period of poor sales, the company has finally turned the corner.”
6. polish up; tweak; refine; enhance (making minor improvements to things that are already fairly good)
   “She needs to polish up her acting skills.”

“I need some more time to tweak my presentation.”

“We have been able to refine our earlier designs.”

“He tried to enhance his image by dressing more smartly.”

Question 32

catch sb’s eye

Answer 32

1. if something catches your eye, you suddenly notice it
   “There was one painting that caught my eye.”
2. to get someone’s attention by looking at them
   “He tried to catch the attendant’s eye but the man was already turning away.”

Question 33

in the pipeline

Answer 33

1. being developed:
   “Twenty-eight lawsuits were filed this week, and another 200 cases are in the pipeline.”
   “The theatre company has several new productions in the pipeline for next season.”

Question 34

pink eye

Answer 34

1. an acute and contagious infection that causes inflammation of the surface of the eye, acute contagious conjunctivitis
   “You should stay home on the first day you have a pink eye to prevent it from spreading.”

Question 35

tranny (informal/ offensive)

Answer 35

1. a transvestite or transgender person.

Question 36

clean sb’s clock

Answer 36

1. To thoroughly trounce, defeat, or beat up someone.
   “Watch it, pal, or I’ll clean your clock for you!”
   “The visitors really cleaned the home team’s clock tonight!”

Question 37

utility bill

Answer 37

1. are the expenses like your water bill, electricity bill, telephone bills, gas bills, etc that you pay every month