American Language Course

American Language Course
801
Aug 2001
BOOK OF IDIOMS
Slang, Special Expressions, & Idiomatic Language
Defense Language Institute English Language Center
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
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Book of Idioms
Preface
Objective
The Book ofIdioms is designed to assist in the acquisition of current American English idiomatic expressions.
Intended Audience
This book was written with English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESLIEFL) students in mind. Students
enrolled in the American Language Course (ALC) will benefit from these expressions in their follow-on-training
(FOT) courses, as this book includes general military expressions as well as everyday expressions.
Layout
Idiomatic expressions are listed in alphabetical order, and students can find example sentences for every idiom.
Certain expressions are grouped by a common keyword. Within each grouping, expressions are alphabetized,
numbered, and placed in brackets with example sentences following. Expressions with multiple meanings are
presented in a readable manner with each meaning and its example sentence indicated by a lowercase letter in
parentheses. See diagram below.
I I / Idefinition
idiom . .
pin - 1. [to pin down someone] to trap someone: -+ We-....._ .--------,
1
/ need to pin down the enemy at that location. 2. [to pin ........._, example
someone's ears back] to beat or defeat:-+ Now that you have ..._____,
.______ＭＮＮｾ＠ afaster racing car, you should be able to pin your
keyword
opponents' ears back. 3. [to pinpoint] to identifY; to locate
someone or something accurately: -+ We need to pinpoint
the cause ofthis problem as soon as possible. 4. [on pins and
needles) nervous: -+ I've been on pins and needles all day
waitingfor some phone calls.
Note: Space has been provided at the end ofeach alphabetical break under the subtitle Student Notes
for students to write in the idioms they encounter during their studies
Inquiries and Orders
Inquiries concerning these materials, including purchase requests, should be addressed to
DLIELC/LESL
2235 Andrews Avenue
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas 78236-5259
E-mail: DLIELC.LESL.workflow@us.af.mil
© 2003 by Defense Language Institute English Language Center and its licensors. Notice of Rights: All rights
reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean
This edition supersedes BOI Oct 2000.

A-1- excellent or superior: -+ Steve's car is inA-1
condition after all the repairs.
ABC - [as easy as ABC] easy to accomplish, solve,
or use: -+ The salesman says this remote control is
as easy to use as ABC.
ABC's -the basics: -+ We had to learn the ABC's
ofcomputers before we could start using them.
A to Z- [from A to Z] from beginning to end: -+
He knows this repair manualfrom A to Z.
an about face- [to make/do an about face] to
reverse a decision: -+ Our commander did an about
face from her earlier position and sent Maj Jones
instead ofMaj Smith.
about right - something that is basically correct:
-+ This report is about right, so I'll approve it.
about to -prepared or ready to do something: -+
We were about to leave when the phone rang.
above- [above all] especially or mainly: -+ Sally
enjoys exercising, but above all she enjoys tennis.
abreast of the situation - knowing what is
happening; staying informed: -+ We need to keep the
managers abreast ofthe situation.
absent-minded -forgetful: -+ Jack is absent-
minded and always forgets to bring his books.
accident- [by accident] unexpectedly: -+ We met
my old boss by accident at the movies last night.
accord- 1. [of one accord] feeling the same about
something: -+ Fred and the boss are ofone accord
on this, so pay attention to what Fred tells you. 2. [of
one's own accord] voluntarily: -+ Yesterday, he
surrendered to the police of his own accord.
account- [of no account] of no worth or value: -+
His remark was ofno account, so don't get mad.
ace- 1. [to ace] to do extremely well: -+ She aced
the hard test. 2. [an ace in the hole] someone or
something kept as a surprise until the right moment:
-+ Joe's persuasiveness turned out to be our ace in
the hole during final negotiations. 3. [to have an ace
Book of Idioms
up one's sleeve] to have the most important
information or second plan kept in reserve: -+ He
always has an ace up his sleeve; ifthis plan doesn't
work, he'll have another one.
an Achilles' heel - a weak area that can lead to
destruction: -+ Speeding is going to turn out to be
his Achilles' heel.
ack-ack -antiaircraft artillery or its fire (more
recently termed Triple A): -+ The planes
encountered a lot ofack-ack before they reached the
target.
across the board - including everyone or all
things: -+ Management has ordered pay cuts across
the board.
act - 1. [an act of God] a natural occurrence: -+ Our
home insurance does not pay for damages caused by
an act ofGod. 2. [to put on an act] to pretend: -+
George isn't rich; he's merely putting on an act.
after one's own heart -liking someone because
of similar interests: -+ With his love for reading, he
is a man after my own heart.
age- [of age] 21 years or older; 18 years or older in
some cases: -+ When Evan comes ofage, he will
receive $800,000 from his uncle 's estate.
ahead of the game - having a gain or a profit;
being better than was expected: -+ We'll be ahead of
I
the game if we can get all the tanks ready by 0800.
air- 1. [by air] in an airplane: -+ Do you plan to
travel by air to California? 2. [up in the air]
undecided or not settled: -+ The plans for the next
meeting are up in the air until the captain returns.
all - 1. [all along] from the beginning: -+ I knew all
along that the car wouldn't be ready. 2. [all at once]
together or at the same time: -+ The teacher asked
the students to say the words all at once. 3. [all in all]
considering everything: -+ The trip was long and
tiring, but all in all we had a good time. 4. [all right]
something is good or approved: -+ It's all right if
you want to leave. 5. [All's well that ends well.] an
expression that shows a happy ending despite a
negative beginning: -+ Although John's controversial
proposal was finally accepted, his only comment was,
"All's well that ends well." 6. [at all] in the least; to
the smallest degree: -+ The old lady was not at all
disturbed by the loud noise.

Book of Idioms
alley- [up one's alley] well matched to one's likes
and abilities: -+ Playing soccer is right up his alley.
allowances - [to make allowances for] to take into
consideration: -+ You must make allowances for
inexperience with very young recruits.
ammo -ammunition: -+ The greatest problem that
unit has is its current ammo supply.
the apple of one's eye- someone who is
thought very highly of: -+ Andrew is the apple of his
mother's eye.
apple pie - 1. symbolic of what is good about
America: -+ Remember-you're fighting for Mom,
apple pie, and the American flag. 2. [as American as
apple pie] typically American: -+My friend from
Texas said that going to football games is as
American as apple pie. 3. [in apple-pie order] very
neat; tidy. -+Mary's desk is always in such apple-pie
order.
an arm and a leg- a lot of money: -+ Wally
probably paid an arm and a leg for that sports car.
armed to the teeth- heavily armed (with
weapons): -+ The soldiers went into battle armed to
the teeth.
arms- [with open arms] welcoming warmly: -+If
you agree to the transfer, they'll welcome you with
open arms.
around the clock - 24 hours a day; an entire day:
-+ That unit worked around the clock to finish the
mission on time.
ASAP- acronym for "as soon as possible.": -+
The First Sergeant wants you to report to the Motor
Pool ASAP.
asleep at the wheel - not alert to an opportunity:
-+ When John's name was called, he was asleep at
the wheel and missed his chance.
at- [at once] immediately: -+ We were told to leave
the building at once due to the smoke.
an average Joe -a person displaying usual or
ordinary behavior: -+ The new president ofthe
company is such an average Joe; he enjoys
hamburgers and hotdogs like the rest of us.
an awkward age -early adolescence: -+ His
2
little sister is at that awkward age now, but she'll
probably be very poised and graceful in a few years.
AWOL- [to go or be AWOL] absent without leave:
-+ Three more privates went AWOL last night.
ax - [to have an ax to grind] to have a private reason
for being involved in something: -+ I'm not sure why
he wants to attend the meeting, unless he has some
ax to grind.
Student Notes
a babe in the woods - innocent and
inexperienced people: -+ The boys were like babes in
the woods when they first joined theirfather's
business.
back- 1. [a back-breaker] a difficult job; a job that
may cause failure: -+ Having to get around the city
without a car was the back-breaker ofthe whole
business trip. 2. [to back off] (a) to stop annoying or
bothering: -+ You need to back offfrom George until

he finishes his big project. (b) to go easier; to change
an order: -+ The commander backed offfrom his
earlier order to make us do two hours ofextra PT.
3. [a back-seat driver] an automobile passenger who
annoys the driver by telling him/her how to drive: -+
Henry says Jean is a back-seat driver, so don't let
her in your car. 4. [a back-slapper] a person who
shows too much feeling/emotion towards someone in
an artificial way: -+ Henry is a back-slapper. He
greeted me like he had known me all his life. 5. [a
back-stabber] one who lies or does something to hurt
a friend or trusting person: -+ Alvin is a back-
stabber, so be careful of what you say around him.
6. [back talk] a rude reply: -+ The teacher told the
students that she would tolerate no back talk from
them. 7. [to backtrack] return over the same way or
route: -+ The unit had to backtrack many miles
because ofbad roads. 8. [behind one's back] when
one is not present: -+ Mary was angry at the club
members who made the decision behind her back.
9. [to get off one's back] to leave someone alone; to
stop annoying someone: -+ I wish she'djust get off
my back for once.
to bad-mouth -to talk badly about
someone/something: -+ Steve bad-mouthed Pete
after they lost the soccer game.
bag - 1. [to bag] to get or capture; to shoot: -+ The
first time my son went hunting, he bagged a twelve-
point buck. 2. [in the bag] certain: -+ He was so
popular that they thought his election was in the bag.
a baker's dozen- thirteen: -+ That store gives
you a baker's dozen when you buy cookies.
balance- [off balance] being unprepared: -+ I was
caught offbalance when I was asked to sing in front
ofthe whole group.
ball- 1. [a ball park figure/estimate] a guess as to
the correct amount: -+ Our boss needs only a ball
park figure right now, so it doesn't have to be exact.
2. [on the ball] paying attention and doing things
very well: -+ That new officer is on the ball.
3. [That's the way/how the ball bounces.] That's the
way it is.: -+ We lost the contract we worked so hard
for, but that's the way the ball bounces.
a ball game- [a whole new ball game] a change
that now makes everything totally different: -+ If
they really filed a lawsuit against us, that makes it a
whole new ball game.
bandwagon- [on the bandwagon] following the
crowd; joining a cause that is currently popular: -+
The mayor got on the bandwagon to improve
lighting in the city parks.
bang- [to get a bang out of something] something
that is fun; a joy: -+Antonio gets a big bang out of
playing soccer.
to bank on - to depend on: -+ Don't bank on him
to be here on time; it's difficult to drive fast on these
roads.
a barfly - someone who goes to clubs and bars too
much: -+ Joe is a big barfly, always out drinking
with his friends instead ofworking.
bark- 1. [one's bark is worse than one's bite] not as
mean as one appears: -+ Don't let Jim's shouting
frighten you; his bark is worse than his bite. 2. [to
bark up the wrong tree] to look for a solution in the
wrong place: -+ I had nothing to do with that project
getting canceled; you're barking up the wrong tree.
a barrel - [to have someone over a barrel] to have
a big advantage over someone else: -+ Sue has Steve
over a barrel since only she knows how to correct the
report.
bars- [behind bars] in prison: -+ IfAaron keeps
shoplifting, he'll end up behind bars.
base- 1. [to get to first base] to make the first big
step toward a goal: -+ We negotiatedfor hours and
didn't even get to first base. 2. [off base] wrong;
incorrect: -+ You may be right, but the platoon
leader thinks you are way offbase. 3. [to touch base]
to meet very briefly in order to share or verify
information: -+ Before we leave, I just wanted to
touch base with you and make sure we all
understand who must attend the meeting.
a basket case - a person who is mentally and/or
emotionally shattered: -+ Dan became a basket case
after the tragic accident.
bat- 1. [to not bat an eye] to not show emotion or
interest: -+ When the teacher told John that he failed
the exam, he didn't bat an eye. 2. [batting average]
originally a baseball term meaning the level of
success kept by someone in any activity: -+ Jack's
batting average at the office is great; all ofhis
projects have been successful. 3. [like a bat out of
hell] quickly; very fast: -+ He lit the fuse and ran
like a bat out ofhell.
3

Book of Idioms
to batten down - to cover and fasten down: -+
Be sure to batten down all loose objects before the
storm arrives.
battle tested -having been proven valuable or
worthy: -+ Those troops were battle tested after
months ofcombat.
to bawl out - to severely criticize someone; to yell
at someone: -+ Ted's instructor bawled him outfor
not being attentive.
a BCD- a bad conduct discharge: -+He was given
a BCD for his actions during the war.
a BDU- a Battle Dress Uniform:-+ I wear my
BDU to work every day.
beam- [off the beam] in the wrong direction;
incorrect: -+ His confused reply showed that he was
totally offthe beam.
a bear- [to have a bear by the tail] to be committed
to something that turns out to be much larger than
first expected; same as "a tiger by the tail": -+ We
had a bear by the tail when we tried to take the hill
with only 200 men.
to bear in mind - to remember: -+ Bear in mind
that you must keep your supervisor informed ofany
changes.
beat- 1. [to beat a dead horse] to continue after
something has been concluded: -+ Don't punish Joe
any more. That would only be beating a dead horse.
2. [to beat a hasty retreat] to run away from an
uncomfortable or bad situation: -+ The boys beat a
hasty retreat from the snarling dogs. 3. [to beat
around/about the bush] to try to say something
indirectly; to not come to the point: -+ Will you stop
beating around the bush and tell me what you want?
4. [to beat back] to force to retreat: -+ Under heavy
fire, the enemy was beaten back. 5. [to beat it] to
leave immediately: -+ Jim always tells his little sister
to beat it when he doesn't want her around. 6. [to
beat one's brains out] to work very hard: -+ He beat
his brains out ttying to remember the client's first
name. 7. [to beat someone to the draw/punch] to do
something before another person who is trying the
same thing can do it: -+He beat me to the draw
when he suggested the changes. 8. [to beat the
bushes] to search for something in a complete way:
-+ They beat the bushes trying to find a tire for the
old car. 9. [(It) beats me] not understanding
4
something: -+Person A: What's he doing? Person
B: Beats me. Ask him.
a bed of roses - a place of beauty, ease, and
comfort: -+Ifyou think law school is going to be a
bed ofroses, you're mistaken.
bee- [as busy as a bee] very excited or working
industriously: -+ When we walked into the office,
every clerk looked as busy as a bee.
to beef up -to give more strength to; to reinforce:
-+ I want you to beefup your second paragraph with
a couple ofexamples.
a beeline- [to make a beeline for] to take the
shortest route: -+ When the instructor dismissed the
class, the students made a beeline for the snack bar.
Been there, done that. - a phrase that means
"I've been in the exact same situation already."
"I've had the same thing happen to me.":-+ Person
A: I just tried giving the orientation briefing to some
people who didn't understand a word I said. Person
B: Been there, done that.
to belay -to ignore or stop (from the navy): -+ The
commander told us to belay that order and continue
with our mission.
belly- 1. [to bellyache] to complain: -+ Jim
bellyached the whole time we were working. 2. [to go
belly up] to fail completely, ending up like a dead
animal: -+After a few promising months, his
company went belly up.
bend/bent- 1. [to bend over backwards] to try
very hard: -+ Dave is a very good person; he bends
over backwards to help his friends. 2. [to be bent on
something] to have decided very strongly to do
something: -+ He's bent on becoming a lawyer when
he graduates from college. 3. [to be/get bent out of
shape] to be angry or insulted: -+ She gets bent out
ofshape whenever we talk about the last election.
to bet one's bottom dollar- to be absolutely
sure of something: -+ You can bet your bottom
dollar that we'll have the answer by noon today.
better - 1. [better half] someone's husband or wife:
-+ The man wanted to know ifhis better half was
also invited to the dinner. 2. [to be better off] (a) to
be happier or more content: -+ We thought we'd be
better off by moving to a larger house. (b) to be

richer: -+ The Smiths are better off now than they
were two years ago.
beyond- [to be beyond someone] to be too
difficult to understand: -+ I've never been able to
understand physics; it's beyond me.
a bigwig- an important person: -+ Jose is a bigwig
in the city government, so maybe he can help you.
bind - [in a bind] in trouble or difficulty: -+
Walter's in a bind because he doesn't have enough
money to pay for the car repairs.
bird - 1. [Birds of a feather flock together.] People
with the same interests or character usually associate
with one another.: -+Be careful with whom you
associate. Most people assume that birds ofa feather
flock together. 2. [to bird-dog] to follow closely; to
supervise very carefully: -+ I want you to bird-dog
this operation from start to finish. 3. [a bird's-eye-
view] a general explanation: -+ The instructor gave
us a bird's-eye-view ofthe entire course. 4. [for the
birds] worthless; unsatisfactory; unacceptable: -+
That's a bad plan; it's for the birds.
bite- 1. [to bite off more than one can chew] to do
something which is beyond one's ability or power: -+
I think Joe bit offmore than he could chew when he
volunteered to paint his sister's house. 2. [to bite
one's head off] to reply in an angry manner: -+ I
asked her a simple question, and she bit my head off
3. [to bite the bullet] to continue in a difficult
situation: -+ The young recruit will have to bite the
bullet andfinish basic training. 4. [to bite the dust] to
fail; to die: -+ The final exam was so tough that
several students bit the dust.
a blabbermouth - a very talkative person,
especially one who says things that should be kept
secret: -+ Don't mention anything to Bill unless you
want the whole office to know; he's a blabbermouth.
black- 1. [black and blue] bruised: -+Rudy was all
black and blue from the fall. 2. [in black and white]
in writing: -+ I'll have to see it in black and white
before I'll believe it. 3. [black or white] clearly
separated into just two opposite positions: -+ This is
not one ofthose black or white cases. There are
many other possibilities we could consider. 4. [a
black sheep] a family or group member seen as not as
good or as successful as the others: -+ Steve is the
black sheep ofhis family ever since his robbery
conviction. 5. [blacked out] having no lights for
security; having all lights turned off to prevent being
seen: -+ All buildings will be blacked out tonight
during the preparedness exercise.
to blaze a trail - to be the first person to do
something: -+ Why don't you go to the advanced
training, and that way you can blaze the trail for the
rest ofus?
a bleeding heart - one who has too many
feelings or emotions about others/things: -+ Joe is
one ofthose bleeding heart liberals who want to
raise taxes and restrict guns.
a blind date - a first date between two persons
who have never met before: -+ Robert went out on a
blind date with a friend ofhis sister's.
to blindside- to attack unexpectedly, as if
directed toward one's blind spot: -+ The meeting was
cordial atfirst, but then they blindsided us with all
kinds ofaccusations.
blink- [on the blink] not functioning properly: -+
My car is on the blink again, so I need to get a ride
with you ifI can.
to blitz -to attack and defeat: -+ During the
skirmish, our unit blitzed a patrol squad and took
them all prisoner.
blood - 1. [bad blood] hatred or bad feelings within
a relationship: -+There's a lot ofbad blood between
those two boys, so they fight all the time. 2. [Blood is
thicker than water.] a proverb meaning there is close
loyalty among blood-related relatives: -+ He had to
help his brother avoid arrest. Blood is thicker than
water. 3. [to make one's blood boil] to make one very
angry: -+His rude behavior at the party made my
blood boil. 4. [to make one's blood run cold] to fill
with horror; to scare: -+ Having to walk through the
park at night made my blood run cold. 5. [new
blood/fresh blood] new people who can supplement
the veterans: -+ When is this office going to get some
new blood? 6. [to run in one's blood] to have an
inherited inclination to do something: -+Her
family's been in politics for generations, so I guess
she'll run for Congress next year. It runs in her
blood.
blow- 1. [blow-by-blow] with much detail:-+ The
captain gave a blow-by-blow description ofthe
attack. 2. [to blow away] (a) to shoot fatally: -+ The
cop blew him away with a .357 Magnum. (b) to
favorably impress: -+ Her final song just blew me
away. 3. [to blow it] to destroy, lose, or waste a good
5

Book of Idioms
opportunity: -+ I thought Steve would get that job,
but he blew it when he showed up for the interview in
gym clothes. 4. [to blow off steam] to release extra
energy or emotion: -+ When Vanna is angry, she
usually blows offsteam by exercising. 5. [to blow
one's cool] to become very angry very quickly: -+
Losing a quarter in the vending machine is no reason
to blow your cool. 6. [to blow one's cover] to destroy
or make known one's secret: -+ The secret agent
blew her cover when she started speaking the wrong
language on the phone. 7. [to blow one's stack/top] to
get very mad: -+ He'll blow his stack when he finds
out you lost the keys to the company car. 8. [to blow
something off] to not finish or not to do something:
-+ Patricia said that she is going to blow off
studying tonight and go to a movie. 9. [to blow the
whistle on someone] to tell something against
someone: -+ After the robber was caught, he blew
the whistle on his partners. 10. [to blow up] to have
an angry outburst: -+ Jack blew up when he heard
about the mandatory overtime.
blue - 1. [blue blood] having the qualities of noble
birth: -+Although he's related to the royal family, he
never acts as ifhe's a blue blood. 2. [a blue-collar
worker] an industrial or factory worker: -+ The
factory will hire about 300 blue-collar workers next
month. 3. [out of the blue] totally unexpected: -+ We
were talking about possible promotions when, right
out ofthe blue, Joe announced he's quitting
tomorrow. 4. [until one is blue in the face] until one
can do no more; to the point of exhaustion: -+ Pete
argued with the supply officer until he was blue in
the face, but he still couldn't get us a new printer
cartridge.
board - 1. [above board] totally honest, without
secrecy or deception: -+ No one can complain. All
the promotions were handled above board. 2. [across
the board] including everyone or all things: -+
Management has ordered pay cuts across the board.
3. [to be on board] to be in agreement with everyone
else: -+ Everyone is on board except Mr. Smith, who
still wants to go with Plan A. 4. [to go by the board]
to be abandoned or tossed aside: -+ Once the new
boss arrived, all the old rules and policies went by
the board. 5. [to take someone or something on
board] to assume additional responsibilities: -+ We
have a full workload, so we can't take any more
projects on board.
boat - 1. [to be in the same boat] to be in similar
conditions or situations: -+ After the storm, we were
all in the same boat because nobody had any
6
electricity. 2. [to miss the boat] to lose out on a good
opportunity: -+ We had cake and ice cream about an
hour ago. You missed the boat. 3. [to rock the boat]
to cause problems in a stable situation: -+ People
who have just been assigned to an office shouldn't
rock the boat until they understand how everything
works.
body - 1. [to know where the bodies are buried] to
know all the secrets of an organization, especially the
negative things: -+He not only knows where the
bodies are buried; he probably helped dig most of
the graves. 2. [over one's dead body] against one's
strong opposition: -+ You will get that promotion
only over my dead body.
to bog down - to slow up or stop: -+ Everyone
must do his job or the whole operation will bog
down.
boil- 1. [to boil down to] to reduce to the basic
forms, facts, or questions: -+ The success ofthe
mission boils down to a complete understanding of
every part ofit. 2. [boiling mad] very angry: -+ Don't
try to explain the situation to the major today. He is
boiling mad.
to bomb something - to fail: -+ Sonya really
bombed the test today since she didn't study last
night.
bone- 1. [to have a bone to pick with someone] to
want to discuss a complaint: -+ After the meeting,
Jim told me that he had a bone to pick with me. 2. [to
make no bones about it] to make no secret; to admit:
-+ Julie made no bones about the fact that she didn't
want to be here.
bonkers- [to go bonkers or drive someone
bonkers] to go or to make crazy: -+ I thought I would
go bonkers before the kids' dance recital finally
ended.
book - 1. [by the book] following correct
procedures: -+ We need to peiform this operation by
the book. 2. [to be in someone's good/bad book] to
be thought of positively/negatively by someone: -+
Ever since he took creditfor my proposal, he's been
in my bad book. 3. [to throw the book at someone] to
inflict maximum penalties or punishment: -+
Because he showed no remorse for his crime, the
judge threw the book at him.
a boom box - a portable cassette/CD player,
usually of large size with powerful speakers:-+ Joe's

bringing his boom box to the party.
the boondocks - the remote countryside away
from a permanent base or city: -+ I got tired ofliving
in the crowded city, so I built a house out in the
boondocks. (also called the boonies)
born- 1. [born with a silver spoon in one's mouth]
born rich: -+ Richard was born with a silver spoon
in his mouth and has never worried about getting a
job. 2. [born yesterday] inexperienced; without good
judgment: -+ Eva wasn't born yesterday, so don't try
to sell her yourjunky old car.
bottle- 1. [a bottleneck] a place where traffic slows
and gets clogged: -+There's a bottleneck on the
southbound highway near the stadium, so find
another route. 2. [to bottle up] to trap or encircle: -+
Don't let the enemy bottle you up in this narrow
valley.
bottom- 1. [one's bottom dollar] one's last dollar:
-+ I can't give you any money. I'm down to my
bottom dollar. 2. [the bottom line] the most
important point: -+The bottom line is that we need to
train new recruits an extra two weeks. 3. [to get to
the bottom of something] to understand something
completely; to solve a mystery: -+ I finally got to the
bottom of why all the food kept disappearing from
our refrigerator.
to bounce something around - to discuss and
think about an idea, project, etc.: -+ We will bounce
the idea around this afternoon at the meeting with
the officers.
bound- 1. [to be bound for] to be going to: -+ Mr.
Johnson and his family are boundfor New York.
2. [to be bound to] to probably do something: -+
He's bound to pass the test; he spent all day studying
for it.
bowl - 1. [to bowl along] to move freely or quickly:
-+ We will bowl along once we get out ofthe woods.
2. [to bowl over] to impress greatly: -+ Tom's
peiformance at the recital completely bowled us
over.
to box in - to shut in or keep in; to surround: -+
Otto felt boxed in by the city's tall buildings.
bragging rights - the right of the winner to gloat
or feel pleasure in coming out on top: -+ Our office
had the most sales last month, so we'll have the
nationwide bragging rights for the entire quarter.
to branch out - to expand: -+ This insurance
company is branching out all over Texas.
break- 1. [to break a leg] to wish good luck: -+ I
hope you do well tonight. Break a leg! 2. [to break
even] to gain or lose nothing in a business deal: -+
We sold the carfor the same amount we had paidfor
it, so at least we broke even. 3. [to break one's neck]
to try very hard: -+ Jack nearly broke his neck trying
to complete the assignment by Friday. 4. [to break
one's word or promise] to fail to do what one said or
promised to do: -+ You can trust him. He's a person
who will not break his word. 5. [to break out] (a) to
escape: -+ Some prisoners tried to break out last
night. (b) to remove from storage: -+ Let's break out
the medical supplies before we leave. (c) to happen
suddenly: -+ Heavy firing broke out again at 0530.
(d) to develop a skin rash: -+ Yesterday, I broke out
in a rash after I ate some cheese. 6. [to break
someone's heart] to make someone very sad; to
disappoint someone: -+ It broke his heart when he
had to sell the ranch. 7. [to break the ice] to reduce
the nervousness or formality of a social situation
through friendly conversation: -+ To break the ice at
the party, Lily started telling jokes. 8. [to break up]
(a) to dismiss a unit or organization: -+ The team will
break up as soon as this operation is over. (b) to end
or finish something: -+ Let's break up the discussion
andfinish this job. (c) to start laughing: -+ During
the most serious part ofhis speech, he started
breaking up. 9. [a breakdown] (a) a nervous
exhaustion or collapse: -+ Henry worked so hard that
he had a nervous breakdown. (b) an analysis: -+
Give me a breakdown ofyour requirements for next
month. (c) a failure to operate or function: -+ Proper
maintenance ofthe equipment will help prevent
breakdowns. 10. [a clean break] a total separation
without any continuing connection: -+ Their divorce
was a clean break. He never saw her or the kids
again.
breathe- 1. [to breathe down one's neck] (a) to
follow someone closely in pursuit: -+ We had to
make a hasty retreat. The enemy was breathing down
our necks. (b) to watch someone closely, often to
make sure that things are done the way one wants: -+
The boss has been breathing down Jack's neck all
day over the international accounts. 2. [to breathe
freely] to relax; to feel relief from difficulty or worry:
-+ We couldn't breathe freely until we knew they had
arrived home safely. 3. [a breathing spell] an
opportunity to rest: -+ This is the first breathing spell
we've had at work in three months.
7

Book of Idioms
bring - 1. [to bring about] to cause to happen: -+
Drinking too much alcohol brought about his illness.
2. [to bring down] to decrease or lower: -+ The
stores will bring down their prices the day after
Christmas. 3. [to bring down the house] to amuse or
please an audience: -+ The actors in the comedy
knew that the last scene would bring down the
house. 4. [to bring home the bacon] to earn money
for household expenses: -+He was quite successful
in his new job and was able to bring home the
bacon. 5. [to bring out a point] to stress a certain
piece of information: -+ Jerry brought out an
important point about the product at the sales
meeting. 6. [to bring to light] to introduce or reveal:
-+ The briefing brought to light several interesting
facts. 7. [to bring to mind] to remind one: -+ This
.picture brings to mind a vacation I once took in New
York. 8. [to bring up] (a) to take care of children: -+
Her children were born in Europe but were brought
up in the United States. (b) to introduce a subject: -+
Soon after the discussion, Henry brought up the
subject ofgun control. 9. [to bring up a point] to
introduce a piece of information: -+ Albert brought
up a good point about the lack ofsupportfrom the
personnel office.
broke- without money: -+ I can't go to lunch with
you. I'm broke until next payday. (also flat broke)
brush - 1. [to brush aside] to ignore: -+ The team
brushed aside the unfavorable reports and continued
to prepare for the championship game. 2. [to brush
off] to be unfriendly to: -+ Marilyn brushed off the
young pilot who tried to talk to her. 3. [to brush up
on something] to review: -+ Before we go to class,
we should brush up on the homework assignment.
buck- 1. [to buck] to go against; to oppose: -+It
would be useless to buck the decision to buy the new
computers. 2. [to buck city hall] to oppose or
challenge the people in power: -+ The new
administrator doesn't know how hard it is to buck
city hall. 3. [to buck the system] to challenge or go
against normal procedures: -+ Yesterday, John
bucked the system and refused to follow the usual
procedures. 4. [to buck up] to strengthen someone's
courage or confidence: -+Buck up. You look so
unhappy.
a buddy - 1. a friend: -+ Andrea is my best buddy.
2. [a buddy seat] a seat for a second driver: -+ The
child couldn't sit in the buddy seat because it was for
the other driver. 3. [a buddy system] a procedure
where two persons work near each other so that they
8
can give each other protection and help: -+ Divers
always use the buddy system; each diver looks out
for the safety ofhis partner.
buff - muscular: -+ Dean looks buff now thanks to
his repeated trips to the gym. (also buffed up)
a bug/to bug -(a) to put an audio device
somewhere for unauthorized listening: -+ Be careful
what you say. This room may be bugged. (b) to
bother: -+ He might be able to do his job ifyou
would stop bugging him. (c) a defect; a problem: -+
They found a bug in the new computer program.
I
build- 1. [to build an empire] to enlarge an
organization to make one's own position or job
appear more important: -+ Jim is building an empire
by increasing his staffso quickly. 2. [to build up] to
increase forces or number of supplies or equipment:
-+ The president wants to build up our armedforces.
bull - 1. [bull] information that is not true or
believable: -+ Fred said that he never got scared in
combat, but that's a lot ofbull. 2. [a bulldog tank] an
M41 or M41A1 tank: -+ While in the military, John
operated a bulldog tank. 3. [bull-headed] stubborn:
-+ It's difficult to get a bull-headed person to change
his way ofdoing things.
bum- 1. [a bum rap] an unfair accusation or unfair
punishment: -+ Eva was given a bum rap when she
was accused by Timothy ofstarting the fire in the
building. 2. [to bum something] to borrow or get
something: -+ He doesn't have any more cigarettes
and is trying to bum one. 3. [a bum steer] a bad idea
or some bad advice: -+ Boris gave me a bum steer
with the idea to buy that land in Alaska.
to bump into - to meet someone: -+ I bumped
into an oldfriend from college last night.
a bumper crop- a huge amount: -+ We've
received a bumper crop ofapplications for next
year's trainee positions.
burn- 1. [to burn out] to become exhausted
because of too much work, effort, or exercise: -+
After spending many hours in the operating room, the
doctor was burned out. 2. [to burn rubber] to start
driving a vehicle so fast that the rubber of the tires
leaves a mark on the road: -+Every Saturday, those
two brothers burn a lot ofrubber at the motorcycle
races. 3. [to burn the candle at both ends] to make
oneself very tired; to waste one's energy: -+He was
burning the candle at both ends when he was

working those two jobs last year. 4. [to bum the
midnight oil] to stay up studying late at night: -+ He
has been burning the midnight oil to prepare for his
finals. 5. [to bum up the road] to drive a car very fast:
-+He was so eager to get to the football game that
he burned up the road all the way.
burner- 1. [the back burner] treated as being of
lesser importance, not needing attention now: -+ We
can move this project to the back burner. Something
more important's come up. 2. [the front burner]
treated as being the most important, needing priority
handling: -+Let's put this order on the front burner.
It's top priority now.
burst - 1. [to burst into flames] to suddenly begin
to bum violently: -+ The old airplane burst into
flames when it landed. 2. [to burst into tears/to burst
out crying] to suddenly begin to cry: -+ We burst
into tears when the war veteran spoke about his
treatment in the POW camp. 3. [to burst someone's
bubble] to deflate someone's hopes; to shatter
someone's dreams: -+I hate to burst your bubble,
but you're not going to get that promotion this year.
bury - 1. [to bury one's head in the sand] to refuse
to accept facts: -+ The boss buries her head in the
sand whenever we show her the low sales numbers.
2. [to bury the hatchet] to make peace; to stop
fighting: -+Last night, the boys agreed to bury the
hatchet and become friends again.
a busybody -one who pries into other people's
private business: -+ Alan is a busybody, always
gossiping instead ofworking.
butt- 1. [to butt heads with] to disagree with: -+
Jim is going to butt heads with the lieutenant again
since both ofthem are so stubborn. 2. [to butt in] to
interrupt or interfere in other people's business: -+
Rex always butts in when we are having a private
meeting. 3. [to butt out] used to tell someone to get
out of a private discussion, subject, or meeting: -+
Oscar needs to butt out ofmy private conversations.
butter bars - a second lieutenant: -+ The new
butter bars is a general's son.
to butter up - to make a person feel pleased or
honored, to one's advantage: -+ We tried to butter
the instructor up in order to get a good grade.
button- 1. [on the button] conect, accurate: -+All
the students' answers were right on the button today.
2. [to button up] (a) to close the hatches or ports of
an armored vehicle in preparation for battle: -+ When
I say button up, be sure that everything is ready for
action. (b) to finish: -+ They're working hard to
button up the project by the end ofthe month.
buy- 1. [to buy] to believe or accept: -+The boss
didn't buy Rita's story about running out ofgas on
the way to work this morning. 2. [to buy into] to
believe an idea; to accept a concept: -+ I don't buy
into this idea ofinvesting all my retirement money in
the stock market. 3. [to buy up] to purchase the entire
supply: -+ The man that just left the store bought up
all the magazines that had Prince William on the
cover.
buzz - 1. [to give someone a buzz] to call someone
on the phone: -+ Ifyou're going to be home tonight,
I'll give you a buzz. 2. [to buzz off] to go away and
stop annoying someone: -+ Frank wanted his brother
to buzz offand leave him alone.
by - 1. [by and by] a little later: -+ I know you don't
understand any ofthis now, but you'lllearn it all by
and by. 2. [by and large] in general or on the whole:
-+ By and large, we agreed on the plan to leave at
1400.
Student Notes
9

Book of Idioms
cabin fever - a claustrophobic reaction to being
indoors too long: -+My cabin fever got so bad that I
had to take a two-hour walk in the park.
call- 1. [to be one's call] That person gets to make
the decision.: -+I don't care where we go to lunch.
It's your call. 2. [to call it a day] to quit for the day:
-+ We have done a lot ofwork this afternoon on this
project. Let's call it a day and go home. 3. [to call
one's bluff] to challenge; to ask someone to do what
he says he'll do: -+ When Valerie called Jerry's bluff,
he finally admitted to her that he could notfinish the
project in two weeks. 4. [to call someone on the
carpet] to summon to the boss's office for a severe
reprimand: -+ The boss called Joe on the carpet
again about his tardiness. 5. [to call something off]
to quit something; to stop; to cancel: -+ We need to
call off the basketball game. It's too hot to be
outside. 6. [to call the shots] to give directions; to
give orders; to control: -+ Ostensibly, I was in
charge, but I let Joe call most ofthe shots.
candle- [not able to hold a candle to]
someone/something that doesn't have value when
compared to someone/something else: -+ When it
comes to writing a good paper, Hilda can't hold a
candle to Jill. (used with a negative only)
canned -(a) something that is not original;
something used for easy and general use: -+ The best
officers use very few canned speeches. (b) discharged
from the job: -+ John won't be here anymore. He got
canned yesterday right before lunch.
card -[to put one's cards on the table] to be
truthful: -+ Let's both put our cards on the table and
tell each other what we want.
to (not) care for -to (not) like something: -+ I
don 't care for fish, so please don't bake any. (usually
in the negative)
to not care less - to not be at all worried or
concerned about: -+ Stella couldn't care less what
the new assistant thinks. (Often misused without the
negative. I could care less about your problems.)
carry- 1. [to carry on] to continue: -+ The trainees
were instructed to carry on with their drill exercises.
2. [to carry something out] to complete or
accomplish: -+ You will receive the recognition after
10
you've successfully carried out the assignment. 3. [to
carry the ball] to take the responsibility: -+ When
matters become difficult at work, Peter usually
carries the ballfor us.
cart- [to put the cart before/in front of the horse] to
do a final step before doing the initial steps: -+Let's
not train a replacement until Mr. Wood actually
retires. That's putting the cart in front ofthe horse.
a cash cow - an enterprise or business that keeps
generating large profits: -+ Because ofall the sequels
they're making, the original movie has turned out to
be that studio's best cash cow.
cat- 1. [a cat burglar] a burglar who enters by a
high window: -+ The cat burglar broke into our
house through the attic window. 2. [Cat got your
tongue?] an expression that asks about the inability to
speak freely because of shyness: -+ Why won't you
answer the question? Cat got your tongue? 3. [more
than one way to skin a cat] more than one way to do
a job: -+ We'll have to use another approach to get
our supplies; there's more than one way to skin a
cat. 4. [to let the cat out of the bag] to reveal a secret
unintentionally: -+ You can mess up a good plan if
you let the cat out ofthe bag too soon. 5. [to look
like the cat that ate the canary] to appear very proud
and satisfied: -+ When he won first place in the
swimming competition, he looked like the cat that ate
the canary.
catch - 1. [to catch cold] to become sick with a
cold: -+Ifyou get yourfeet wet, you'll catch cold.
2. [to catch fire] to ignite: -+ Yesterday, when
Alexandra threw a match in the trash can, it caught
fire. 3. [to catch hold of] to grasp; to understand: -+
It's hardfor him to catch hold ofnew concepts like
that. 4. [to catch on] to understand: -+ That young
lieutenant really caught on quickly. 5. [to catch one's
breath] to rest in order to return to normal breathing:
-+He paused to catch his breath before continuing.
6. [to catch one's eye] to get one's attention: -+ Her
four-carat diamond ring really caught everyone's
eye. 7. [to catch some z's] to get some sleep: -+I've
just completedfifteen hours ofwork, so I'm going to
catch some z's.
to cave in -(a) to fall into pieces; to fall down: -+
The roofcaved in under the weight ofthe snow. (b) to
weaken and be forced to surrender: -+ Eva
initially disagreed with the report but eventually
caved in and agreed to sign it. (also just to cave) She
said she wouldn't sign it, but she caved.

a CEO- a Chief Executive Officer: -+ The CEO is
going to be replaced next week.
chalk -[to chalk something up to] to credit; to give
an explanation for why something happened: -+ You
can chalk this mistake up to miscommunication. I
didn't make myselfclear.
change- I. [a change of heart] a change in one's
opinion or idea: -+ The boss was going to make us
work all day Saturday, but he had a change ofheart.
2. [to change for the better] to improve: -+ Once we
get new computers and laser printers, things will
change for the better around here. 3. [to change
hands] to change the ownership of something: -+
Now that the restaurant has changed hands, the food
is much better. 4. [to change horses in midstream] to
make new plans; to choose a new leader in the
middle of an activity: -+ Once we started the new
project, we decided not to change horses in
midstream.
channels/proper channels- [to go through
proper channels] to follow correct procedures
through the chain of command: -+ Why didn't you go
through proper channels first instead ofwalking into
the boss's office unannounced like that?
a charley horse - a shoulder or leg muscle that
aches: -+After running 3 miles, Jerry got a charley
horse in his calfmuscle.
a cheap shot - a mean action or insult; something
damaging to someone: -+ Erica took a cheap shot at
Jim when he wasn't in the office.
check- 1. [Check!] Correct! Right!: -+ Julie asked,
"Is that the paper you wanted?" Rick answered,
"Check!" 2. [to check something out] to look into an
issue: -+ The captain said that some fuel got spilled
near the runway, so check it out. 3. [to check up on]
to investigate or make sure of something: -+ The
sergeant will check up on the new recruits and see
what they're doing.
cheesy- of poor quality; cheap and tacky: -+Did
you see those cheesy decorations in the banquet hall?
chest- [to get something off one's chest] to tell
someone about something that is bothersome or
annoying: -+Ifyou're angry at him, just tell him and
get it offyour chest.
chew- 1. [to chew out] to criticize or reprimand
someone loudly: -+ John got chewed outfor failing
to get the necessary supplies. 2. [to chew someone/
something to pieces] to become severely damaged:
-+ Our accurate firing chewed the enemy unit to
pieces. 3. [to chew the fat] to talk casually about
nothing important: -+ When George and I met at the
restaurant, we spent two hours chewing the fat about
our college friends.
chicken- I. [a chicken] a coward: -+He was a
chicken and didn't go mountain climbing with us.
2. [chicken feed] small, unimportant amounts: -+
Those young boys make some money shining shoes,
but it's just chicken feed. 3. [chicken-hearted] scared
of others/things: -+ I can't believe Jim is a
policeman. He was so chicken-hearted when he was
younger. 4. [to chicken out] to not do something
because of fear: -+ Steve said he was going to call in
sick today, but he chickened out. 5. [to count one's
chickens before they hatch] to not unwisely depend
on making a gain or profit before actually having it
(usually given as advice in the negative): -+ We
might get a raise at the end ofthis month, but don't
count your chickens before they hatch. 6. [to play
chicken] to dare the opponent to give in first: -+ I
don't think their negotiators are serious. They're
playing chicken with us.
child's play- something that is very easy to do:
-+ Compared with Ft. Benning, the physical training
here is child's play.
to chill out- to relax: -+ Chill out. You always
give a very good speech.
chin- [to keep one's chin up] to be brave; to face a
situation without fear: -+Keep your chin up! You've
had worse problems than this before.
chip - 1. [to chip in] to join with others in giving
money, clothes, etc., for someone/something: -+ We
all chipped in to buy Jean a birthday present. 2. [a
chip off the old block] one who seems to be like
his/her parent in actions or appearance: -+ Adam is a
chip offthe old block. 3. [to have a chip on one's
shoulder] to be retaining anger because of past
mistreatment: -+ Bobby has a chip on his shoulder
about the way he was treated as a kid. 4. [when the
chips are down] when things are going badly; during
bad times: -+When the chips are down, none of
these people will be willing to help you.
to choke off- to bring to a stop: -+ The plan is to
choke off the first attack and defeat the enemy in the
mountains.
11

Book of Idioms
to chomp at the bit - to wait nervously: -+ Rob
is chomping at the bit wanting to know what he
made on yesterday's test. (also to champ)
chopped liver - being of no importance: -+ I felt
like chopped liver when everyone was ignoring me.
chow - 1. food: -+ Soldiers at this base always like
to complain about the chow. 2. [to chow down] to
eat: -+ I'm hungry. Let's chow down on some pizza.
3. [a chow hound] one who likes to eat: -+ Bill is a
chow hound. He usually eats five big meals a day.
to chuck out- to throw away: -+ If the
information is no longer useful, you can chuck it out
and we'll askfor some more reports.
a cinch - an easy task to accomplish: -+ Fixing the
fuel pump in my old car was a cinch for a skilled
mechanic like Al.
circle - [to run around in circles] to be confused but
active; to be accomplishing nothing: -+ Mary was
running around in circles all afternoon and got
nothing done.
circulation- [out of circulation] not out in the
company of other people; not active in social life: -+
Delia was ill and out ofcirculation for about a
month.
civies - civilian clothes: -+ Colonel Salinas is
allowing military personnel to wear their civies to the
picnic this Friday. (also civvies)
to clam up - to become or remain silent: -+ When
the police attempted to question him, he clammed up
and wouldn't say a word.
clean- 1. [a clean bill of health] a document or
report given when a person or animal has no disease
or infection; proof of favorable results: -+ After
Jeny's physical examination, the doctor gave him a
clean bill ofhealth. 2. [a clean break] a total
separation with no more contact: -+ Once he
graduatedfrom high school, he made a clean break
and never saw any ofhis friends again. 3. [clean-cut]
neat; specific; distinct: -+ We need a clean-cut
person to give the mission briefing. 4. [to clean
house] to make major changes: -+ When the new
boss takes over, he'll probably clean house in this
division. 5. [to clean someone out] to use up all of
someone's money: -+ Buying that expensive house
cleaned us out. 6. [to clean up one's act] to change
negative behavior to positive behavior: -+ You need
12
to clean up your act and start making good grades.
7. [to come clean] to confess: -+ We know you
robbed the bank. Why don't you just come clean?
cleaners- [to take someone to the cleaners] to
cheat someone out of a lot of money: -+ The
investment broker took me to the cleaners once I
foolishly put my money in his account.
clear- 1. [clear-cut] definite; without any
uncertainty: -+ John has a clear-cut plan ofaction.
2. [to clear the decks] to make major preparations for
action: -+ Before we can work on this book, we need
to clear the decks ofall other projects. 3. [to clear
the table] to remove the dishes, glasses, forks,
spoons, etc., from the table: -+ The waitress finally
cleared the table and gave us menus. 4. [to clear up]
(a) to explain; to solve: -+ Let's clear up this point
before we discuss the next item. (b) to become good
weather with no rain/big clouds: -+ It looks like the
sky is going to clear up, so we can play the game
after all. 5. [in the clear] free of obligation or
anything that restricts action: -+ Herman's finally in
the clear now that he's paid offall his bills.
to click - to fit or go well together: -+ That new
unit really clicked andfinished the mission quickly.
cloak-and-dagger- spying or intelligence work:
-+ Alexandra was in the cloak-and-dagger business
before she quit and became a teacher.
a clock watcher - a bad worker who is more
concerned with leaving work than doing a good job:
-+ Unfortunately, many ofthe new workers are clock
watchers and run out ofhere at 4:00.
close- 1. [a close call/a close shave] a narrow
escape: -+ That was a close call. That kid almost got
hit by a car. 2. [to close ranks] to come together,
especially for fighting; to work together: -+ The
soldiers had to close ranks in order to defend
themselves. 3. [to be or hit close to home] to touch
someone emotionally: -+ That scene where the
grandmother died really hit close to home. 4. [to
close up] to narrow the distance: -+Close up! You're
flying too far apart. 5. [to keep a close eye/to keep a
close watch] to watch carefully; to look after
carefully: -+Keep a close watch on your luggage.
There are a lot ofthieves around here.
cloud- 1. [to cloud the issue] to confuse matters:
-+ Don't cloud the issue by talking about other
battles. 2. [on cloud nine] experiencing complete
happiness: -+ Dean 's on cloud nine because ofhis
r

promotion. 3. [under a cloud] under suspicion: -+
James will be under a cloud until he is proven
innocent.
to clown around - to not be serious about
something; to have fun: -+ My roommate is seldom
serious about anything; he's always clowning
around.
to clutter up -to include too many details: -+ The
map will be hard to read ifyou clutter it up with all
these red lines.
cold- 1. [cold feet] nervous and not wanting to
make an important decision: -+ The groom got cold
feet and left Tina at the altar. 2. [a cold war] an
ideological struggle without actual fighting: -+ Those
two countries carried on a cold warfor several
years. 3. [in cold blood] without feeling; in a cruel
way: -+He was killed in cold blood by a carjacker.
4. [to have something down cold] to be very familiar
with something: -+He has the basics offlying down
cold, so let's put him in a plane today.
colors - [with flying colors] with highest honors;
with glory: -+She graduated from law school with
flying colors.
come- 1. [to come again] to repeat something: -+
Come again? Did I hear you correctly? 2. [to come
clean] to tell the truth; to admit one did something
wrong: -+ The clerks need to come clean about the
missing books. 3. [to come down with something] to
become sick with: -+Mary has a fever; she must be
coming down with the flu. 4. [Come on!] an
exclamation of disapproval or disbelief: -+ Come on!
Do you expect me to believe that? 5. [to come out of
one's shell] to stop being shy: -+ We got Frank to
come out of his shell and talk to people at the party.
6. [to come out smelling like a rose] to be free of
blame or guilt in a situation: -+ The scandal is so bad
that no one can possibly come out smelling like a
rose. 7. [to come to one's senses] to think clearly
again; to behave as one should: -+ He finally came to
his senses and stopped buying antique clocks. 8. [to
come to terms] to reach an agreement: -+ The men
finally came to terms on the price ofthe car. 9. [to
come up in the world] to gain success, wealth, or
importance in life: -+He has certainly come up in
the world. I knew him when he was very poor. 10. [to
come up with] to announce or offer: -+ I'm sure Jim
will come up with a new proposal by next week.
11. [to come up with the solution] to find an answer;
to solve: -+ Did Jean come up with the solution to
your problem?
con- 1. [a con] a convict; a prisoner: -+ Two cons
escapedfrom prison last night. 2. [to con someone]
to cheat someone (from the phrase "confidence
game," meaning the act of cheating someone): -+He
tried to con me out of my sandwich by saying he
hadn't eaten for twelve hours.
cook- 1. [to cook one's goose] to ruin one's
opportunity: -+ The boy knew that once he broke the
rules, his parents were going to cook his goose. 2. [to
cook up] to create; to plan and organize; to invent: -+
I have to cook up an excuse for being late for work
again tomorrow. 3. [Too many cooks (spoil the
broth).] a proverb meaning that if too many people
are involved in one project, it will not turn out very
good.: -+At least ten different people tried writing
that horrible manual, which is a good example oftoo
many cooks.
cookie- [That's how/the way the cookie crumbles.]
That's how it is, and one has to accept it: -+ I didn 't
get the promotion, but that's how the cookie
crumbles.
cool- 1. [cool as a cucumber] calm or unexcited: -+
During the argument, Jessie stayed as cool as a
cucumber. 2. [to cool it] to relax; to stop being angry
or excited: -+ You need to cool it and leave the
meeting. 3. [to cool one's heels] to be kept waiting:
-+ The secretary made us cool our heels in an outer
office before she let us in.
to cop an attitude - to dislike and complain
about a situation: -+ That teenager copped an
attitude when told he would have to go to the end of
the waiting line.
to cop out -to avoid trouble and responsibility: -+
When I needed help, my boss copped out and left
early.
a copycat- a person who imitates someone else's
manner, style, or behavior: -+ This child is such a
copycat; he'll say whatever you say.
cornered - without a hope of escape: -+ Once he
was cornered in an alley, the robber surrendered to
police.
cost- 1. [at all cost/costs] by any way necessary;
regardless of the effort: -+ We must complete this
report at all costs. 2. [to cost an arm and a leg] to be
extremely expensive: -+ That shirt cost me an arm
and a leg, but it was worth it. 3. [It will cost
someone.] an expression meaning someone will be
13

Book of Idioms
indebted to return a big favor: -+ IfI finish your
report for you, it'll cost you.
a couch potato - someone who spends too much
time watching TV and not exercising: -+ Jay is a
real couch potato. He's gainedfifty pounds.
to cough something up -(a) to admit
something: -+ The chiefwill find out what happened
one way or another, so why don't you cough up the
information? (b) to contribute; to pay; to give
without wanting to: -+ Elsa needs to cough up some
money for the party.
count- 1. [to count sheep] to try to fall asleep
without success: -+ I tried counting sheep, but I was
still wide awake at 4 a.m. 2. [to count on
someone/something] to depend on; to rely on: -+ You
can count on him to do his part. 3. [to count
someone in] to include someone: -+ Ifyou all are
going to the pizza place for lunch, count me in. 4. [to
count someone out] to exclude someone: -+ Count
me out on the dinner plans. I don't have enough
money. 5. [Who's counting?] a sarcastic way of
letting someone know that you are keeping track of
things: -+ This is at least the tenth time that I've
driven everybody to lunch, but who's counting?
cover- 1. [to cover a lot of ground] (a) to move
rapidly over land: -+ We'll have to cover a lot of
ground to get back to base before dark. (b) to discuss
a large amount of something: -+ The new instructor
covers a lot ofground in one hour. 2. [to cover for
someone] to take another person's duties or
responsibilities: -+ Jan has to be away next week, so
she asked Robert to coverfor her. 3. [to cover the
high points] to discuss the main items: -+ In his
briefing, he covered only the high points because he
had only 15 minutes. 4. [to run for cover] to run to
shelter for protection: -+ When the storm hit, we had
to run for cover. (also to take cover)
COW- 1. [till the cows come home] for a long time;
until everyone is finished: -+ I could've sat there and
played cards till the cows came home, but everybody
else voted to quit. 2. [to have a cow] to get upset in
an overly dramatic way; to overreact: -+ When I said
I wanted to borrow the car, I thought my mom was
going to have a cow.
crack - 1. [to crack a joke] to tell a funny story: -+
Jack makes everyone laugh when he cracks jokes
about his hometown. 2. [to crack a smile] to show
amusement: -+He could tell the funniest stories and
never crack a smile. 3. [a crackdown] enforcing the
14
rules or laws more strictly than in the past: -+After
several incidents, the commander imposed a
crackdown on parties in the VOQ. 4. [to crack up]
(a) to have a physical or mental collapse: -+ Jim will
crack up ifhe continues to work so hard. (b) to laugh
without control: -+ That comedian is so funny. I
crack up the minute he starts talking. 5. [cracked up]
something favorably described or presented, usually
used in the negative: -+ The life ofa Foreign
Legionnaire is not what it's cracked up to be.
to cram - to learn as much as possible within a
very short period of time: -+ Johnny tried cramming
for his exam last night, but he fell asleep at the desk.
crank- 1. [to crank out] to produce: -+ That
factory can crank out 35,000 cans ofsoup an hour.
2. [to crank up] to start; to begin operation: -+ The
new unit will crank up early next week.
crash- I. [a crash course] a short course that gives
a lot of information in a very short time: -+ Tom
needs to take a crash course in Spanish ifhe's going
to Peru next month. 2. [to crash] (a) to fall asleep: -+
When we got home, we were all so tired that we
crashed immediately. (b) to fail and not be working
anymore (used with computer systems): -+My
computer is in the repair shop; it crashed again over
the weekend. 3. [to crash and bum] to completely
fail: -+ Ernie crashed and burned with his poor
presentation at the conference last month.
to be crazy about -to have a very strong interest
or liking in someone/something: -+Joe is crazy
about opera.
the cream of the crop - the best of the best: -+
That university accepts only the cream ofthe crop.
creek- [up a creek without a paddle] in difficulty
or trouble with no solution: -+ I was up a creek
without a paddle when my car broke down in the
mountains.
a creep - an unpleasant, strange, or bad person: -+
What are we going to do with this creep that just
joined the squadron?
crocodile tears -false tears; pretended grief: -+
Jeremy shed crocodile tears over the death ofhis rich
uncle.
to crop up- to appear suddenly: -+ You should
learn how to solve this problem in case it ever crops
up again.

cross- 1. [to cross one's fingers] to hope for good
luck: -+ Cross yourfingers and hope he'll pass the
test. 2. [to cross one's mind] to briefly think about
something, often in the negative: -+ It never crossed
my mind that he might have wanted to go to lunch
with us. 3. [to cross someone's heart] to promise that
something is true: -+ Do you cross your heart that
you won't tell this secret to anyone? 4. [to cross
swords with] to have an argument with; to fight with:
-+ Don't cross swords with the new supply officer.
He has a temper. 5. [to cross that bridge when one
comes to it] to deal with an issue later at the proper
time: -+ Don't wony about creating the index yet.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
crud - an excess of corrosion or grease; anything
not liked: -+ All the crud in this pipe is making the
water run slowly.
crummy -of poor quality or appearance: -+ The
rooms were clean, but the beds were crummy, so we
didn't sleep well last night.
cry- 1. [a crybaby] a person who becomes upset
and complains a lot: -+He's a crybaby, always
complaining when his team loses. 2. [to cry on
someone's shoulder] to go to someone to talk about a
problem: -+ Solve your own problems and don't
come crying on my shoulder. 3. [to cry wolf] to warn
others of a danger that one knows is not there; to give
a false alarm: -+He has cried wolf so many times
that no one ever believes anything he says now.
crying- 1. [a crying shame] an obvious mistake
that should be corrected: -+ It's a crying shame to
send men into the field before they are properly
trained. 2. [for crying out loud] an exclamation
indicating complaint: -+ Sylvia yelled, "Oh, for
crying out loud! Stop making that noise!"
crystal clear - without doubt; understandable: -+
Mr. Martinez made it crystal clear that we had to go
to the meeting.
cuff- [off the cuff] not prepared ahead of time: -+
Henry made those remarks offthe cuff, so we need
to look at the records.
one's cup of tea - what one likes to do (more
often used in the negative): -+ Playing football is not
my cup oftea.
a curtain of fire- very heavy artillery; shellfire:
-+ The soldiers had to retreat after they came under
a heavy curtain offire.
a curve ball - an unfair solution; a trick: -+ The
instructor threw us a curve ball on the test.
to cuss someone out - to curse at someone; to
say bad things to: -+ Michele really cussed out the
personnel official.
cut - 1. [cut and dry] very clear and understandable;
unchanging: -+ The captain's briefing was cut and
dry. 2. [to cut back] to decrease: -+ Peter is trying to
quit smoking, so he's cut back a little. 3. [to cut
class] to be absent from class without permission: -+
I don'tfeel like listening to the math teacher today,
so I think I'll cut class. 4. [to cut corners] to save
effort or cost: -+Mary's dad told her that she would
have to cut corners on buying clothes ifshe wanted
to go to college in the fall. 5. [Cut it out!] Stop it!: -+
Cut it out! That loud singing bothers me. 6. [to cut
loose] to become free and independent: -+Jack
wanted to cut loose from his parents and do things on
his own. 7. [to cut off one's nose to spite one's face]
to make things worse for oneself because of anger or
frustration that should be directed at someone else:
-+ When Ed's mother wouldn't let him suifthe Web
late at night, he cut off his nose to spite hisface by
breaking the keyboard. 8. [to be cut out for
something] to be properly suited to do something: -+
Jane isn't cut outfor teaching; she doesn't have the
patience to work with students. 9. [to cut someone
down to size] to reduce a person's opinion of
herself/himself: -+Ifyou keep telling people how
great you are, someone is going to cut you down to
size. 10. [to cut something to the bone] to reduce to a
minimum: -+ This project is costing too much
money, so we've got to cut expenses to the bone.
11. [to make the cut] to not be eliminated yet; to be
good enough to continue: -+ It looks like twenty-two
applicants are going to make the final cut.
cutthroat - very severe; savage: -+ Their business
suffered because ofthe cutthroat competition.
cutting edge - the latest, most advanced stage of
something, such as technology: -+ The salespeople
swear that my new dashboard CD player represents
the cutting edge ofnew design.
a cutup- a person who doesn't have a mature or
serious attitude; a joker: -+ We need a serious person
for this project, not a cutup like Frank.
15

Book of Idioms
Student Notes
a daisy - 1. [(as) fresh as a daisy] bright, alert, and
not tired: -+ You look as fresh as a daisy this
morning. 2. [to push up daisies] to be dead and
buried in the ground: -+Ifhis father catches him
staying out all night again, he'll be pushing up
daisies.
damned if you do, damned if you don't-
likely to be criticized equally by those who are for it
and those who are against it: -+ It'll be hard to make
a decision about this because you're damned ifyou
do, and damned ifyou don 't.
dark- 1. [a dark horse] a political candidate
unknown to the general voting public: -+ Andy is an
great candidate for mayor, but he's considered a
dark horse by all the news media. 2. [in the dark] not
knowing something; being in ignorance: -+ Mike is
in the dark about the new policies and won't know
what to do.
16
date - 1. [out of date] no longer useful or
fashionable: -+ This instruction manual is out of
date. 2. [up to date] new; most recent: -+ This repair
manual doesn't seem to be up to date.
day- 1. [day by day] gradually: -+ Day by day, his
health seems to be improving. 2. [day in and day out]
all the time for many days: -+ Jim is preoccupied
with tennis. He plays it day in and day out. 3. [an off
day] a day when one is not doing things at his/her
best: -+ He was obviously having an offday;
otherwise, he would have finished that report.
4. [one's days being numbered] not being at a place
much longer: -+ After his latest managerial mistakes,
I fear his days are numbered around here.
dead- 1. [dead ahead] directly in front of: -+
You're going the correct way; headquarters is dead
ahead three blocks. 2. [a dead duck] someone who is
in a very bad situation: -+ You are a dead duck if
you hand your rough draft in instead ofa finished
product. 3. [a dead give away] something that shows
the truth: -+ We found warm food on the table- a
dead give away that the guerrillas had left in a hurry.
4. [dead in the water] defeated; in a bad position: -+
We should prepare for this mission, or we'll be dead
in the water. 5. [a dead ringer] someone who
physically looks like someone else: -+ He's a dead
ringer for the captain; he must be his brother. 6. [to
be dead to the world] to sleep deeply; to be
unconscious: -+ My brother didn't get to bed until
three in the morning, so he's still dead to the world.
7. [dead weight] worthless; making no contribution
to the present need: -+ I'm going to transfer him.
He's dead weight in this unit. 8. [deadpan] showing
no emotions: -+ I didn't know what Juanita thought
about the story from her deadpan reaction.
9. [deadwood] anything worthless; useless: -+ Otto
contributes nothing to this unit. He's deadwood.
10. [over my dead body] a phrase meaning
something is not going to happen as long as you're
alive to prevent it: -+ My son wants to drop out of
high school and become a rock singer, but it'll be
over my dead body!
deal- 1. [deal me in] include me: -+ Ifyou are
going to the game, then deal me in. 2. [deal me out]
exclude me; don't depend or rely on me: -+ Deal me
outfor dinner tonight. I'm too tired. 3. [to deal with]
to do business with someone; to work with a
situation: -+ I have to deal with some expired
accounts today.

deep - 1. [deep pockets] wealthy; having lots of
available money: -+ The personnel office had deep
pockets, so I couldn'tfight them anymore in court.
2. [deep trouble] very serious trouble: -+ The young
boys are in deep trouble for skipping school again.
a dent- [to make a dent in] to make a slight gain:
-+ We 're slowly making a dent in this pile offolders.
the devil's advocate - one who argues the
opposite side of a subject in order to show
more/different information: -+ Our instructor always
plays devil's advocate to see ifwe're sure ofour
opinions.
a diamond - [a diamond in the rough] someone
who will later become very good or very special: -+
The basketball coach swears the new player is a
diamond in the rough.
to be to die for- to be the best; to be heavenly: -+
This lemon pie is to die for.
different strokes for different folks -
"Everyone has different interests and likes.": -+
There are different strokes for differentfolks, so not
everyone will like this restaurant.
to dig up - to discover or find: -+ The investigator
dug up some information on an old murder case.
a dime a dozen - common; not valuable: -+
Souvenir shops are a dime a dozen in tourist towns.
dirty work - very hard, tiring work: -+ Give
George the dirty work offinishing the reports.
to dis (diss)- to say or do something that's
interpreted as disrespectful or disparaging: -+ I can't
believe the way he dissed you in front ofeveryone.
a disconnect - a failure to communicate properly
because of a misunderstanding. -+ There was a
disconnect somewhere between the manager and the
supervisors, so no one ever got the correct word.
to divvy up -to divide and distribute: -+ The kids
will divvy up the candy.
DOA- abbreviation for the medical term Dead on
Arrival (at the hospital): -+ That particular piece of
legislation will be DOA by the time it hits the
President's desk.
do/don't- 1. [do's and don't's] rules and
regulations: -+ Before we start class, I have to read
you a bunch ofdo's and don't's that we all have to
follow. 2. [Don't go there!] a warning not to bring up
a sensitive topic: -+ Everyone will want to talk about
his divorce, but don't go there! Don 't even go there!
3. [nothing doing] an expression meaning the speaker
wants no part of it; absolutely not: -+ He wants to
borrow my car. I said, "Nothing doing." 4. [That
does it!] an exclamation meaning the speaker has had
enough; the situation has reached its final moment;
the speaker can't take it any longer: -+ She says I
have to rewrite the report again! That does it!
5. [to do a number on] to confuse or defeat in an
unfair way: -+ That salesman really did a number
on you. I wouldn't have bought that car. 6. [to do
oneself proud] to accomplish something worthy of
praise: -+ You did yourselfproud with your speech.
7. [to do well by someone] to fulfill obligations; to
provide benefits and support: -+ That company does
well by its employees. You should apply for a job
there.
dog- 1. [dog days] the time of year when it's
extremely hot and humid: -+ I like San Antonio, but I
hate those dog days ofsummer. 2. [dog eat dog]
ready and willing to fight others to get what you
want: -+ Bob has a dog eat dog attitude; he'll fight
for what he wants. 3. [dog tags] military
identification tags: -+ The recruits were told to wear
their dog tags at all times. 4. [dog-tired] very tired;
exhausted: -+ How can we avoid being dog-tired
when we're working all the time? 5. [Doggone it!] an
expression that shows disgust: -+ "Doggone it!"
Sammy shouted. "I can't do much work because ofmy
sore leg. " 6. [doggy bag] a plastic or paper bag given
to a restaurant customer to take home uneaten food:
-+ The servings were so big that I took home a doggy
bag. 7. [in the doghouse] in disfavor or disgrace: -+
The whole team is in the doghouse with the coach
because ofcuifew violations.
to doll up -to dress in one's best clothes: -+ The
young girls were dolled up for the party.
done for -defeated; finished: -+ We'll be done for
ifwe don't get back to base by 1400.
doornail - [as dead as a doornail] completely dead;
without any hope: -+ Since I failed my last training
course, my promotion hopes are as dead as a
doornail.
a dose of one's own medicine - the same
negative way you treat another: -+ The professor
gave his students a dose of their own medicine when
he started asking "Huh ?" each time someone made a
comment.
17

Book of Idioms
to double-cross - to betray someone; to cheat
someone: -+ Brenda double-crossed Dave when she
told her boss every negative thing Dave had said
about the company.
to double dip -to work one job but draw two
salaries (one of which might be a pension from
retirement): -+Mr. Jones is the only one in this office
who double dips. He retired from the Air Force after
twenty-one years and then came to workfor us.
down- 1. [down and out] poor and hopeless: -+
Henry was really down and out after he lost his job.
2. [down in the dumps] sad or discouraged: -+After
the team lost the game, the players were down in the
dumps. 3. [down the drain] lost without the
possibility of regaining: -+Ifyou continue to spend
so much on entertainment, all your money will go
down the drain. 4. [down the home stretch] near the
end of a project or operation: -+ We'vefinished the
hardest part ofthe assignment, and now we're
heading down the home stretch. 5. [down to
business] beginning to work seriously: -+Ifhe wants
to pass this course, he should get down to business
and start studying. 6. [down to earth] practical or
sensible: -+I like the new secretary; she's very
friendly and down to earth. 7. [down to the wire] at
the last possible moment: -+ We are getting down to
the wire, so let's hurry andfinish.
drag - 1. [to drag] to slow down; to hold back: -+
Keep moving! I know you are tired, but this is not the
time to drag. 2. [to drag in] to introduce without good
reason: -+ Don't drag in the question ofsupplies
before you know how much money we will get. 3. [to
drag on/out] to last a long time: -+ The meeting may
drag on for hours. 4. [to drag one's tail] to be slow
and inefficient: -+ The men were dragging their tails
and couldn't get the job done.
draw- 1. [to draw a blank] to be unable to
remember something: -+ I saw the questions on the
test, and I drew a blank even though I had studied all
night. 2. [to draw the line] to set a limit: -+ The boss
doesn't object to a few parties, but she draws the line
when her staffarrives late the next day.
the drawing board - [back to the drawing board]
planning again because the first effort failed: -+
Since Plan B didn't work at all, let's go back to the
drawing board.
18
to dream up -to invent; to create in the mind: -+
The students dreamed up a good story about why
they were late.
to be dressed to kill - to be wearing one's best or
finest clothing: -+ Ben was dressed to kill in a red
tuxedo at last night's party.
drift- [the general drift] the main idea: -+ I don't
remember any specifics, but I did catch the general
drift ofhis comments.
drive- 1. [a drive] a sustained operation; an attack:
-+ We are ready to start the drive at 0400. 2. [to
drive home] to make obvious; to stress a point: -+ I
want to drive this point home to everyone: we cannot
leave early today. 3. [to drive someone mad] to cause
someone to become violently angry or insane: -+ His
lack of responsibility is enough to drive me mad.
4. [to drive someone up the wall] to bother; to annoy:
-+ The baby's constant crying drove me up the wall.
5. [to be driving at] to try or want to say; to mean: -+
Did you understand what the instructor was driving
at?
drop- 1. [to drop dead] an exclamation of refusal
or deep disapproval; to go away and leave someone
alone: -+ Valerie told him to drop dead after he
made that rude remark to her. 2. [a drop in the
bucket] a small or inadequate amount: -+ We didn't
collect enough money for the party. What we got was
just a drop in the bucket. 3. [a drop-off point] (a) a
delivery area: -+ We must have reached the drop-off
pointfor the supplies. (b) the point where efficiency
begins to decrease: -+ We must have reached the
drop-offpoint since we aren't making any more
progress. 4. [to drop out of] to discontinue attending:
-+ Margarita dropped out of training because she
was very ill and was in the hospital for a few weeks.
5. [to drop someone a line] to write a short
note/letter: -+ I hope Jim will drop us a line while
he's on vacation. 6. [to drop the ball] to make a
mistake that stops progress: -+ Lena dropped the ball
andforgot to tell us about the meeting.
a dry run- a rehearsal: -+Before we tape the
performance, let's have a dry run ofit.
duck - 1. [a lame duck] a public official who has
lost an election, or is ineligible by law to seek
reelection for another term, but is serving out a term:
-+ The governor is a lame duck and won't be able to
accomplish much now. 2. [a sitting duck] unguarded;
an easy target: -+ I felt like a sitting duck when I was

waiting by the side ofthe roadfor the rest ofmy unit
to arrive. 3. [to have one's ducks in a row] to be fully
prepared or organized: -+ The Commandant wants
every department to have their ducks in a row for
this year's inspection.
a dud - an item that doesn't function in a proper
manner; a boring person: -+ George told me that cell
phone may be a dud, so we need to go to supply and
get another one.
Student Notes
an eager beaver - a person who is extremely
enthusiastic: -+Joe is such an eager beaver. Have
you noticed how he always comes to work early and
stays late?
an eagle eye - someone who is very good at
noticing or seeing things: -+ Capt Flores is such an
eagle eye, so be careful to proofread all your reports.
ear- 1. [an earful] more than one wants to hear: -+
I only asked him how he likes his new job, but I got
an earful. 2. [to earmark for] to keep for a specific
purpose: -+ These supplies are earmarkedfor the
Navy. 3. [one's ears were burning] to have just been
talking about someone who has now atrived: -+
Were your ears burning about two minutes ago? We
were talking about you again. 4. [to be all ears] to be
listening carefully: -+ We were all ears when the
captain told us about his trip to the Caribbean. 5. [up
to one's ears in something] being very busy with
something: -+ Herman is up to his ears in work; he
won't be able to attend the seminar.
earn- 1. [to earn one's keep] to work very hard: -+
He earns his keep by solving a lot ofthe problems
around here. 2. [to earn one's salt] to be worth one's
salary: -+ They didn't do enough work today to earn
their salt.
easy- 1. [Easy come, easy go.] Something that one
gets easily/quickly can be lost or spent just as easily.:
-+ Julia never thinks about money; for her it's easy
come, easy go. 2. [easygoing] relaxed or unexcited:
-+ He's a calm, easygoing type ofperson. 3. [easy
street] a place or feeling of comfort: -+ When I win
the lottery, I'm going to live on easy streetfor the
rest ofmy life.
eat- 1. [to eat away] to corrode or slowly destroy:
-+ The rust has eaten away the pipes in that new
building. 2. [to eat crow] to apologize; to admit one
is wrong: -+ Robert had to eat crow and apologize
for all the bad things he said about Pam. 3. [to eat in]
to eat at home: -+ We prefer to eat in on Fridays.
4. [to eat one's heart out] to be jealous; to want what
one cannot have: -+ They won't let him have that
assignment in Rome, and it's eating his heart out.
5. [to eat one's words] to apologize; to withdraw a
statement: -+ When they showed him he was wrong,
he was forced to eat his words. 6. [to eat one out of
house and home] to eat large quantities of food: -+
The grandkids will probably eat us out ofhouse and
home. 7. [to eat out] to eat in a restaurant: -+ We
love to eat out on the weekends.
egg- 1. [to egg on] to urge: -+Alexander wouldn't
have stolen the money, but his friend egged him on.
2. [an egghead] an overly-intellectual person: -+
Anthony is such an egghead with all those university
degrees ofhis. 3. [to have egg on one's face] to be
very embarrassed: -+ I guess you have egg on your
face after saying what you did about the general to
his wife. 4. [to put all of one's eggs in one basket] to
19

Book of Idioms
risk everything on one effort or operation; to
concentrate all resources and supplies in one place:
-+ I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket with
this supply order. Let's buy some ofthe stufffrom two
other companies.
the eight ball - [behind the eight ball] in an
unpleasant situation or awkward position: -+ I wasn't
prepared to answer the judge's questions, so !felt
behind the eight ballfor a few minutes.
empty- [to run on empty] to operate without fuel:
-+ I forgot to eat breakfast or lunch, so I'm running
on empty right now.
end- 1. [at the end of one's rope] having no more
patience; exhausted emotionally: -+ The computers
are down. I need copies ofthe report immediately.
I'm at the end of my rope. 2. [at wit's end] not
knowing what to do next; having used up all of one's
alternatives: -+ I've looked everywhere for those car
keys. I'm at my wit's end. 3. [the end of the road] the
conclusion of a project; the point after which nothing
else can be done: -+ I think we've reached the end of
the road in this discussion. 4. [the end of the world] a
crisis that is being exaggerated by an overly dramatic
person: -+ So, someone left a window unlocked last
night. It's not exactly the end ofthe world. 5. [an end
product] the finished product; the result: -+ The end
product ofall our work was that our suggestions
were approved. 6. [to make ends meet] to meet one's
financial obligations: -+ They can't make both ends
meet; therefore, they're going to get a loan. 7. [to put
an end to something] to stop: -+ We need to put an
end to this fighting and come to a decision.
an envelope- [to push the envelope] to test the
boundaries of what is acceptable or normal: -+ No
otherfilm director pushes the envelope quite the way
he does.
eye- 1. [to eye] to consider as a possibility: -+He is
eyeing the possibility ofchanging the whole training
program. 2. [to eyeball] to look at closely: -+ Get
someone to eyeball your report before you turn it in
to me this afternoon. 3. [eyeball-to-eyeball] face-to-
face: -+ We fought eyeball-to-eyeball during the
assault. 4. [an eye-opener] a surprise; an experience
that makes one aware of something: -+ Seeing the
film on drug addiction was an eye-opener to all of
them. 5. [eyes being bigger than one's stomach] when
one takes more food than can be eaten: -+ I couldn't
eat everything at lunch; I guess my eyes were bigger
than my stomach. 6. [eyewash] information used to
20
hide the truth: -+ I want the facts without all this
eyewash. 7. [to keep an eye out for something] to be
alert and watchful for: -+ I want a copy ofthat book,
so keep an eye outfor it when you go shopping.
Student Notes
face- 1. [face down] with the head or face turned
down: -+ All the magazines on the table were turned
face down. 2. [to face the music] to face a difficult
situation with courage: -+ Lisa had to face the music
and tell her dad that she had broken the camera.
3. [face to face] meeting each other: -+ They were
surprised when they cameface to face with the
enemy. 4. [to keep a straight face] to not betray
emotion; to keep from laughing: -+ It was hard to
keep a straightface when Joe was telling everyone
about the extra work we were supposedly getting.
5. [to lose face] to be embarrassed or to feel
humiliated: -+He can't admit he was lying since he

wouldn't want to lose face. 6. [to save face] to avoid
being embarrassed or humiliated: ｾ＠ Isn't there some
way he can resign but still save face?
fair- 1. [fair and square] honestly: ｾｈ･＠ won the
chess game fair and square. 2. [fair game] a target
that is not off-limits, especially to criticism or humor:
ｾｅｶ･ｲｹｴｨｩｮｧ＠ the politicians do isfair game now.
3. [fair is fair] a statement meaning that what
someone did can now be answered the same way: ｾ＠
I worked your shift last week, so you can work mine
next week. Fair is fair. 4. [fair play] unbiased
treatment; honest equality: ｾ＠ We hope all their
campaign ads will show a spirit oftrue fair play.
5. [a fair-weather friend] someone who supports you
only when things are going fine; someone who
deserts you during bad times: ｾｉ＠ thought I had a lot
ofbuddies in this unit, but they all turned out to be
/air-weather friends when I needed economic
assistance. 6. [to get a fair shake] to receive honest
treatment; to be dealt with in an unbiased way: ｾ＠
Don't worry. You'll get a fair shake from that judge.
7. [more than one's fair share] to receive a larger
portion than other people: ｾ＠ I seem to have gotten
more than my fair share offiles to process today.
fall- 1. [to fall apart] (a) to become disorganized:
ｾ＠ The troops fell apart under the constant bombing.
(b) in need of repair: ｾ＠ That old house is dangerous
to walk into. It's practicallyfalling apart. 2. [to fall
asleep] to go to sleep: ｾ＠ The babyfell asleep before
he finished drinking all ofhis bottle. 3. [to fall down
on the job] to fail to work well: ｾ＠ Ted's work is
getting worse; he hasfallen down on the job. 4. [to
fall flat on one's face] to fail: ｾ＠ Toddfelljlat on his
face when he tried to briefthe VIPs. 5. [to fall head
over heels] (a) to become deeply in love: ｾｊｯ･＠ fell
head over heels for her. (b) to fall: ｾｍｩ｣ｨ｡･ｬ＠ got
hurt when he fell head over heels down the stairs.
6. [to fall in love with] to become in love: ｾ＠ His
brotherfell in love with Susanna when they first met.
7. [to fall to pieces] to break up completely: ｾ＠ The
soccer team fell to pieces after the coach quit. 8. [a
falling out] an argument; a disagreement: ｾｄ｡ｶ･＠
and Juan had a falling out about who would go to
Dallas this week. 9. [fallout] the result or effect of
something: ｾ＠ The fallout from the meeting was that
we had to start a new program.
family- 1. [a family tree] one's ancestors and
descendants: ｾ＠ We have now documented six
generations ofourfamily tree. 2. [something runs in
one's family] something is characteristic of one's
family: ｾ＠ The professor said that artistic talent runs
in Annette'sfamily.
to fan out- to scatter according to plan: ｾｓｴ｡ｹ＠
close together through the towns, butfan out when
you reach open country.
far- 1. [as far as one knows] based on all the
information someone has: ｾ＠ The boss will be outfor
the rest ofthe week as far as we know. 2. [far and
away] very much so: ｾ＠ That was, far and away, the
most difficult test I've ever taken. 3. [far and wide]
over a large area: ｾ＠ The store clerks searchedfar
and wide and never were able to find a Swedish-
Italian dictionary. 4. [far be it from me] an
expression meaning "I probably shouldn't say this,
but I'm going to anyway.": ｾｆ｡ｲ＠ be itfrom me to
criticize his appearance, but did you see his hair this
morning? 5. [far-fetched] exaggerated: ｾｈｩｳ＠ story
was too far-fetched to be true. 6. [to go far enough]
to include all the necessary information; to say
everything that needs to be said: ｾｉＧｭ＠ glad you
complained about how dirty the rooms are, but you
didn 't go far enough. 7. [to go too far] to add
something that should not have been said: ｾｉＧｭ＠
glad you complained about working conditions, but
you did go too far when you started naming specific
people.
fast food - quick preparation and service of food:
ｾ＠ We can always stop at a fast food place to get a
quick meal.
Fat chance(!) -There is no possibility of that!: ｾ＠
Fat chance the boss'lllet us leave early!
feast or famine - all or nothing; situations which
have extremes: ｾｂｵｳｩｮ･ｳｳ＠ has been feast orfamine
lately; some days we sell a lot, and other days we sell
nothing.
feather- 1. [a feather in one's cap] a proud
achievement: ｾ＠ The boss told Albert that finishing
all those reports in such a short time would be a real
feather in his cap. 2. [to feather one's nest] to earn
extra money by violating a position of trust: ｾ＠ The
politician was supposedly representing his
community during the contract talks, but he was only
feathering his own nest.
feed- 1. [to feed someone a line] to lie to someone:
ｾ＠ You can't believe Alexander; he'lljustfeed you a
line. 2. [to be fed up] to be disgusted: ｾｐ･ｴ･＠ was so
fed up with his old car that he sold it to his neighbor.
21

Book of Idioms
feel- 1. [to feel it in one's bones] to have a feeling
that something is about to happen: -+ I know that
everything is going to be all right. I can feel it in my
bones. 2. [to feel like a million dollars] to be in the
best of health and spirit: -+ I didn'tfeel good
yesterday after work, but today I feel like a million
dollars. 3. [to feel up to something] to be able to do
something: -+I don'tfeel up to walking today. I'm
really too tired.
feet- [to drag one's feet] to be slow; to be tardy: -+
They were supposed to sign the contractfive weeks
ago. I don't know why they keep dragging their feet.
fence - 1. [to fence in] to enclose; to limit: -+
Working in a small office always made him feel
fenced in. 2. [on the fence] undecided or neutral: -+
He's on the fence about whether to join the Army or
the Navy.
a fender-bender - a minor automobile accident:
-+ Traffic was really slow on the freeway this
afternoon because ofa few fender-benders.
few and far between- not many; few: -+ The
experienced clerks in this new store are few andfar
between.
to fiddle around - to waste time: -+ Let's stop
fiddling around andfinish this assignment.
a field day - [to have a field day] to have things
entirely as one wants; to satisfy oneself freely and
successfully; to have a good time at someone else's
expense: -+ The newspapers had afield day with all
ofthe mayor's scandals last year.
to fight tooth and nail - to fight heavily and/or
closely: -+ When the boy was attacked by the others,
he fought tooth and nail to escape.
figures- [That figures!] That's to be expected!: -+
Anna got promoted? That figures. She 's the hardest
worker in that office. (also It figures!)
fill- 1. [to fill someone's shoes] to take someone's
place, especially in a job: -+ Once he retires, I doubt
if we 'll ever be able to find anyone to fill his shoes.
2. [to fill the bill] to be just right: -+ Henry is doing a
good job in our organization; he really fills the bill.
3. [to fill the gap] to meet a need; to make complete:
-+ We'll have to find someone to fill the gap while
Steve is in the hospital.
22
filthy rich - very rich: -+ I am very nice to my
aunt, who isfilthy rich.
fingertips- [at one's fingertips] easily available:
-+ Edward is an excellent instructor with good
examples always at hisfingertips.
to finish off - to complete; to defeat; to kill or
destroy:-+ There's a little bit ofice cream left. Why
don't youfinish it off?
first - 1. [first and foremost] before anything else:
-+First andforemost, let's welcome our guests with
a round ofapplause. 2. [first come, first serve(d)] a
phrase meaning, "The first ones to show up will be
the first ones to receive something.": -+ They won't
be giving the immunizations to us in any kind of
order. It'll be first come,first serve. 3. [first-hand]
direct from the original source: -+ He got the
information about the raise first-hand from the boss.
4. [first-rate/first-class] top quality: -+ Steve has a
first-rate unit now with well-trained employees.
fish - 1. [a big fish in a small pond] someone
important in a small place or position: -+ The
mayor's brother was a big fish in a smallpond.
2. [like a fish out of water] helpless; out of one's
familiar surroundings: -+ I feel like a fish out of
water at these meetings with the colonel. 3. [to fish or
cut bait] to take action or get out of the way: -+ You
have to make yourfinal choice today. It's time to fish
or cut bait. 4. [fishy] strange and suspicious: -+I
wouldn't trust him ifI were you; his st01y sounds too
fishy. 5. [lots/plenty of other fish in the sea] many
others: -+ Even though Dan retired, there are lots of
otherfish in the sea, so we'llfind another good
instructor.
the five-finger discount- to shoplift; to steal
merchandise from a store: -+ I think he got that new
belt through the five-finger discount.
fit- 1. [fit as a fiddle] in excellent physical
condition: -+ His father is eighty years old but still
fit as a fiddle. 2. [fit for a king] excellent; superior;
the best: -+ The meal was excellent; it was fit for a
king. 3. [to fit like a glove] to fit perfectly: -+ The
new uniform fits Anna like a glove. 4. [fit to a "T"]
just right; to perfection: -+ I love the way she cooked
the roast beef; it was fit to a "T. "5. [fit to be tied]
angry: -+ He was fit to be tied when he found out
that the supplies hadn't arrived on time. 6. [to have a
fit/to throw a fit] to show anger: -+ When I tried to
turn offthe cartoons, my son threw a fit.

flagpole- [to run it up the flagpole (and see who
salutes)] to try out; to test: -+ I think that's a good
idea, but let's run it up the flagpole first and see
who salutes.
flak - 1. (a) the bursting shells from antiaircraft
guns: -+ The enemy's heavy flak started at OIOO. (b)
negative talk about someone/something: -+ The
troops gave the cooks a lot offlak about the dinner.
2. [a flak jacket] a jacket that has metal plates for
protection against flak: -+ Theflakjacket saved the
police officer's life.
a flap- a confused situation; a crisis (decisive
event): -+ There was such aflap about the new
regulation that Colonel Brown had to briefhis staff
to flare up - to express a sudden burst of anger or
violence: -+ The captain flared up when he found
out that his plans weren't approved.
a flash in the pan - one who starts out well but
doesn't continue; a brief success: -+ I like that new
singer. I hope she's notjust aflash in the pan.
flesh - [in the flesh] in person: -+ I can't believe we
got to see such afamous actor in the flesh.
fly- 1. [a flyboy] an aircraft pilot, usually a member
of the air force: -+ The officer yelled at the new
flyboy in the squadron. 2. [a flyby] a low altitude
flight by one or more airplanes over a crowd or
building/s: -+ Capt Rios was in trouble for his flyby
over the colonel's office. 3. [fly-by-night]
disappearing before paying bills: -+ There were so
many fly-by-night companies that the city council
had to pass stricter regulations. 4. [to fly by the seat
of one's pants] to work by feelings and without
instruments : -+ When we lost contact with the tower,
we flew by the seat ofourpants. 5. [to fly in the face
of] to ignore; to go against; to show disrespect: -+
You can'tfly in the face of the rules and expect the
boss to be happy with you. 6. [to fly off the handle] to
become very angry very quickly: -+ Marco flies off
the handle when we talk about salaries. 7. [a fly on
the wall] one who will be able to listen or see without
being noticed: -+I'd love to be afly on the wall
when Lena asks Charlie about all ofhis bills. 8. [to
go fly a kite] to go away and leave someone alone:
-+All he did was ask her out on a date, but she told
him to go fly a kite.
a flying start - an enthusiastic beginning; good
progress at the beginning: -+ We got offto aflying
start in our campaign to clean up the neighborhood.
follow- 1. [to follow one's nose] to go straight
ahead; to do what is appropriate or obvious: -+ You
can't go wrong; justfollow your nose. 2. [to follow-
up] to find out more about something: -+ You need to
follow up on that report on that story. What
happened next? 3. [to follow suit] to follow the
example of another: -+Every time I ask for a day off,
Johnfollows suit.
food for thought - a lot to think about: -+ The
captain's report on the battle gave us a lot offood for
thought.
foot - 1. [to foot the bill] to pay the entire amount
even for other people: -+ Mr. Moore said that he
wouldfoot the bill ifJack wanted to attend college.
2. [to get off on the wrong foot] to start negatively; to
make a mistake at the beginning: -+ We're good
friends now, but when we first met, we got offon the
wrongfoot. 3. [to get one's foot in the door] to get a
lower job in the beginning in hopes of advancing: -+
The mailroom job won't be much atfirst, but at least
it'll let you get yourfoot in the door. 4. [to have one
foot in the grave] an exaggerated observation that
someone is old and feeble, therefore almost dead: -+
Mr. Carter looks like he already has one foot in the
grave. 5. [to put one's best foot forward] to make a
favorable impression: -+ You could put your best
foot forward by wearing your dark blue suit to the
interview. 6. [to put one's foot down] to object
strongly; to take firm action: -+ Annette's father put
hisfoot down when she askedfor another loan. 7. [to
put one's foot in one's mouth] to say something
embarrassingly stupid: -+ I really put my foot in my
mouth by asking the boss's wife ifshe was his
mother.
to force one's hand- to make one tell his/her
plans:-+ The new report mayforce Anna's hand and
then we'll know the truth.
forest - [to not see the forest for the trees] to not
understand the whole because of preoccupation with
small details: -+ Henry can't see the forest for the
trees since he always focuses on the unimportant
issues.
forever- [forever and ever] always: -+ Love
sometimes lasts forever and ever.
to fork over- to pay or give:-+ You need to fork
over twenty bucks for the lost library book.
forty winks - a short nap: -+ Bill was tired after
the trip, so he decided to catchforty winks before
unloading the car.
23

American Language Course

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American Language Course