Idioms and explanations Flashcards
Keep an eye on him:
You should carefully watch him.
If it’s not one thing, it’s another:
When one thing goes wrong, then another, and another…
A toss-up:
A result that is still unclear and can go either way.
Excuse my French:
Please forgive me for cussing.
Cup of Joe:
A cup of coffee.
Get over it:
To move beyond something that is bothering you.
It’s a small world:
You frequently see the same people in different places.
In the buff:
Nude.
Smell something fishy:
Detecting that something isn’t right and there might be a reason for it.
You can’t take it with you:
Enjoy what you have and not what you don’t have, since when you die you cannot take things (such as money) with you.
Graveyard shift:
Working hours from about 12:00 am to 8:00 am. The time of the day when most other people are sleeping.
Doozy:
Something outstanding.
Fixed in your ways:
Not willing or wanting to change from your normal way of doing something.
Pass the buck:
Avoid responsibility by giving it to someone else.
Southpaw:
Someone who is left-handed.
Turn a blind eye:
Refuse to acknowledge something you know is real or legit.
Knock on wood:
Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck.
Ethnic cleansing:
Killing of a certain ethnic or religious group on a massive scale.
Smell a rat:
To detect somone in the group is betraying the others.
Eighty six:
A certain item is no longer available. Or this idiom can also mean, to throw away.
In the heat of the moment:
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
Pull the plug:
To stop something. To bring something to an end.
Cry over spilt milk:
When you complain about a loss from the past.
When it rains, it pours:
Since it rarely rains, when it does it will be a huge storm.
To steal someone’s thunder:
To take the credit for something someone else did.
Mumbo jumbo:
Nonsense or meaningless speech.
Dark horse:
One who was previously unknown and is now prominent.
Method to my madness:
Strange or crazy actions that appear meaningless but in the end are done for a good reason.
Drive someone up the wall:
To irritate and/or annoy very much.
Let the cat out of the bag:
To share a secret that wasn’t suppose to be shared.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket:
Do not put all your resources in one possibility.
Liquor someone up:
To get someone drunk.
Son of a gun:
A scamp.
Dog days of summer:
The hottest days of the summer season.
Jaywalk:
Crossing the street (from the middle) without using the crosswalk.
On the same page:
When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
No dice:
To not agree. To not accept a proposition.
Go for broke:
To gamble everything you have.
Hat trick:
When one player scores three goals in the same hockey game. This idiom can also mean three scores in any other sport, such as 3 homeruns, 3 touchdowns, 3 soccer goals, etc.
Barking up the wrong tree:
A mistake made in something you are trying to achieve.
Your guess is as good as mine:
I have no idea.
Field day:
An enjoyable day or circumstance.
A dime a dozen:
Anything that is common and easy to get.
In the bag:
To have something secured.
Start from scratch:
To do it all over again from the beginning.
Wear your heart on your sleeve:
To openly and freely express your emotions.
Bite your tongue:
To avoid talking.
Practice makes perfect:
By constantly practicing, you will become better.
Bite off more than you can chew:
To take on a task that is way to big.
Between a rock and a hard place:
Stuck between two very bad options.
Off the record:
Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn’t want attributed to him/her.
Water under the bridge:
Anything from the past that isn’t significant or important anymore.
Blue moon:
A rare event or occurance.
Finding your feet:
To become more comfortable in whatever you are doing.
Long in the tooth:
Old people (or horses).
No room to swing a cat:
An unsually small or confined space.
At the drop of a hat:
Willing to do something immediately.
Get down to brass tacks:
To become serious about something.
Close but no cigar:
To be very near and almost accomplish a goal, but fall short.
Hit the hay:
Go to bed or go to sleep.
Bend over backwards:
Do whatever it takes to help. Willing to do anything.
Dead ringer:
100% identical. A duplicate.
Haste makes waste:
Quickly doing things results in a poor ending.
Flash in the pan:
Something that shows potential or looks promising in the beginning but fails to deliver anything in the end.
Buy a lemon:
To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.
Actions speak louder than words:
It’s better to actually do something than just talk about it.
Rise and shine:
Time to get out of bed and get ready for work/school.
Cross your fingers:
To hope that something happens the way you want it to.
Foam at the mouth:
To be enraged and show it.
Queer the pitch:
Destroy or ruin a plan.
Go the extra mile:
Going above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand.
Off the hook:
No longer have to deal with a tough situation.
Charley horse:
Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp.
Let sleeping dogs lie:
To avoid restarting a conflict.
Twenty three skidoo:
To be turned away.
Wild and dine:
When somebody is treated to an expensive meal.
Use your loaf:
Use your head. Think smart.
A chip on your shoulder:
Being upset for something that happened in the past.
Fools’ gold:
Iron pyrites, a worthless rock that resembles real gold.
Under the weather:
Feeling ill or sick.
Have an axe to grind:
To have a dispute with someone.
Chow down:
To eat.
Level playing field:
A fair competition where no side has an advantage.
Break a leg:
A superstitious way to say ‘good luck’ without saying ‘good luck’, but rather the opposite.
On the fence:
Undecided.
Feeding frenzy:
An aggressive attack on someone by a group.
Dry run:
Rehearsal.
Up a blind alley:
Going down a course of action that leads to a bad outcome.
Pig in a poke:
A deal that is made without first examining it.
It takes two to tango:
A two person conflict where both people are at fault.
An axe to grind:
To have a dispute with someone.
When pigs fly:
Something that will never ever happen.
Sitting shotgun:
Riding in the front passenger seat of a car.
Rule of thumb:
A rough estimate.
Loose cannon:
Someone who is unpredictable and can cause damage if not kept in check.
Lend me your ear:
To politely ask for someone’s full attention.
