Book of Idioms, Episode 20

FACE THE MUSIC: to receive punishment for wrongdoing, to accept punishment. The expression comes from old military discipline proceedings in which a band would play as a judgment was announced.
The Nation (Myanmar): <<Badminton brawlers to face the music tomorrow.

A repentant Bodin Issara says he is eager to apologise and renew his friendship with Maneepong Jonjit following the attack on his former badminton partner in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday. ...

The [Badminton Association of Thailand]'s executive board will meet tomorrow to consider Bodin's punishment for the attack, with a six-month ban reportedly the likely outcome.>>


NOT ROCKET SCIENCE: easily understood. To have BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES is to have years of wide experience. Washington Post: <<My purpose is to help young people avoid stupid mistakes as they begin their careers. This is not rocket science, but simply common-sense advice from someone who has been around the block a few times .>>


GET COLD FEET: to be afraid, especially about an upcoming major commitment. Associated Press: <<Aniston and Theroux, 41, began dating more than two years ago and got engaged on his birthday last August. Since then, their indefinite plans have led to speculation ranging from a broken engagement to Theroux getting cold feet.>>


CUT TO THE CHASE: get immediately to the most important part. The idiom is derived from cinema. Vancouver Province (Canada): <<“Malian and UN officials keep saying this election won’t be perfect, which is a little like saying that a Metallica concert won’t be quiet,” wrote anthropologist and Mali expert Bruce Whitehouse in his blog. “Let’s cut to the chase: Mali will not be prepared for elections 30 days from now. If the vote isn’t delayed, all signs point to an electoral shambles that could spark yet another crisis.”>>


UNDER THE TABLE has two meanings. Most commonly it refers to something, usually a payment, that is done secretly. The restaurant owner was paying his employees under the table so they could avoid reporting their income, but tax investigators eventually caught up with him. To DRINK SOMEONE UNDER THE TABLE is to out-drink that person, to drink more than the other person can. Newstrack India: <<Today's women drinking mums under the table: Melbourne, July 18 (ANI): A researcher is trying to determine why women in Australia are drinking more than their mothers used to. Helen Haydon, a psychologist of the Queensland University of Technology Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, told the Daily Telegraph that there has been a major generational shift.>>

11TH-HOUR (adj.), AT THE 11TH HOUR (adjective phrase): right before an anticipated event. Also "last-minute," "at the last minute." Surrey Today (UK): <<A carnival which has brought family fun to Oxted for nearly half a century has been saved at the 11th hour.>>


DEAD GIVEAWAY: a sign that unintentionally but clearly reveals something. WETM-TV (Elmira, New York): <<Other tips [when you're going on vacation]? Keep the mail from piling up ... a dead giveaway you aren’t home. Either stop the mail while you are gone, or get a trusted friend or family member to pick it up for you.>>


BRAIN DRAIN: large-scale emigration of well-educated individuals. News @ Northeastern (Northeastern University, U.S.): <<Chris­tine Umeh’s par­ents grew up in Nigeria but ­moved to the United States to escape a nation rife with poverty, war, and corruption.

While they looked to Boston for a better life, Umeh set her sights on returning to Africa.

“My goal is to move there and play a role in stop­ping the brain drain,” said Umeh, a fourth-year com­mu­ni­ca­tion studies major.>>

To SET ONE'S SIGHTS on something is to aspire to it, to hope to do it.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of idioms, Episode 19

GO THE EXTRA MILE is similar to LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED from yesterday—it means make an especially strong effort to achieve something. Jakarta Post: <<On Wednesday last week, thieves [at the National Museum of Indonesia] made off with four ancient, gold Mataram-era artifacts: a dragon-shaped plaque, a scripted crescent-shaped plaque, a Harihara plaque and a small, round, gold box.

A source, who is familiar with the illegal trading of Indonesian antiquities, said that European collectors would go “the extra mile” to get their hands on Indonesian collections.>>


LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: take all possible measures in order to achieve something. Independent (UK): <<A coroner has vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in the search for the truth about how a Red Arrows pilot was killed ejecting from an aircraft while it was still on the ground.

Pressure on the elite Red Arrows team to perform as frequently as possible will be among the factors investigated as possible causes of the death of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham in November 2011.>>


TheStreet.com: <<Chide the ivory tower all you want, but you can't accuse professors of creating "click bait" to generate "page views." Academics aren't in the business of getting page views.>>
The IVORY TOWER means universities, academia in general.

CLICK BAIT is a sensational headline or photo on the Internet designed to attract viewers to a site. "Click bait" is quite new; this writer puts it in quotation marks, but others would not.


A FULL-COURT PRESS: In basketball, a full-court press occurs when defensive players guard the offensive players for the entire length of the court rather than just at the basket end. Idiomatically, it means a strong attack on all fronts. I think this idiom is primarily North American.

To REST ON ONE'S LAURELS is to be satisfied with past achievements instead of continuing to work hard on new projects. This one is used everywhere.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: into unknown territory. The expression suggests that you are getting lost in complexities of something. Although this expression comes from the book "Alice in Wonderland," it looks to me as though it is used more often in North America than in Britain. Dallas Observer:

<<At Plano's Chennai, a Magical Trip Down the Indian - Food Rabbit Hole

If you're not well versed, you could get lost in the ingredients required to make just one Indian curry. Scores of them can be featured in a single recipe, and one state in India offers enough dishes to keep you guessing for years. Start eating your way through the country's different regions and the culinary soup gets even murkier. >>


GO OVER LIKE A LEAD BALLOON: not be at all favorably received. Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette: <<CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As the governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways tries to finalize proposals to come up with about $600 million a year additional funding for the state Road Fund -- or about a 60 percent increase over current funding -- one proposal may be to float a new round of road bonds.
(In 2012, Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox pitched a $1 billion road bond amendment to the Legislature, and it went over like a lead balloon.)>>


PULL THE PLUG ON: put an end to, disable. A rather unpleasant idiom—its literal meaning is to disconnect a life-support system in a hospital. But the idiomatic meaning is more common. National Public Radio (U.S.): "The party of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been a partner in Italy's fragile coalition government. But Berlusconi threatened to pull the plug on that government yesterday."


Three idioms in one sentence from the Yorkshire Evening Post (UK), about debate over a new police station! A BOBBY (this is UK only) is a policeman. A police officer ON HIS OR HER BEAT or ON THE BEAT is an officer who is patrolling an area on foot. OLD HAT is old-fashioned, predictable, trite. So ... <<Big is beautiful, they say, and now the bobby on the beat is classed as old hat.>>

Note that "old hat" is usually used as a predicate adjective, after a verb or conjunction, not before a noun. You could say that sales of the iPhone are falling because in the eyes of many buyers it is old hat, but you would generally not say "the old-hat phone."

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 18

Something that SPEAKS VOLUMES is something visual, a situation, or an action that reveals a lot of information or reveals the truth about something. It is *not* something spoken. RantSports.com: <<The good news for Denver is that Von Miller is back and things should start trending in a better direction. They’re still the team to beat in the AFC and in the driver’s seat for a top spot in the playoffs. But when you look at how Sunday night’s game [turned] out, it speaks volumes about the Broncos as a whole. To beat the best, their defense has to get better.>>

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT is in an advantageous position, in control.


Something that SPEAKS VOLUMES is something visual, a situation, or an action that reveals a lot of information or reveals the truth about something. It is *not* something spoken. RantSports.com: <<The good news for Denver is that Von Miller is back and things should start trending in a better direction. They’re still the team to beat in the AFC and in the driver’s seat for a top spot in the playoffs. But when you look at how Sunday night’s game [turned] out, it speaks volumes about the Broncos as a whole. To beat the best, their defense has to get better.>>

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT is in an advantageous position, in control.


SHOUT-OUT (noun): public mention, a public statement of thanks. I believe this is American English.

WARTS AND ALL: with flaws included. The Australian: << THE Tasmanian government says a "warts and all" report into the state's disastrous January bushfires will be released to the public in coming weeks.
The government has received the independent report of former South Australian police commissioner Malcolm Hyde into the state's worst fires in 50 years.
Emergency services minister David O'Byrne says cabinet is considering its findings.
"It's a warts and all view of what happened during the bushfire season and it's important the Tasmanian community looks at that document and that we learn from it," Mr O'Byrne told reporters in Hobart.>>


RUNNING ON FUMES: continuing to work or stay awake when you are completely exhausted. Said of a person, although the expression comes from the last fumes of gasoline in an empty tank in a car. I went out to dinner with my friend the other night. She said, "I'm glad to see you, but I was up until 4 a.m. last night, so I'm running on fumes right now."


GET OUT OF HAND: become uncontrollable. This is said of a situation, not a person.
Yahoo UK: << Coronation Street: Knicker Factory feud gets out of hand.

After weeks of bitter rivalry, it looks as though things are about to come to a head over at Underworld… and with Peter still throwing his weight around, it looks as though Michelle might have finally had enough. "Right now, I'd rather hammer nails into the floor with my head than sit in that office," she says to Ryan. And with Peter on her case all the time, you can hardly blame her.>>


To BE ONE SOMEONE'S CASE is to be nagging someone persistently.

CLEAN HOUSE: eliminate corruption or inefficiency in an organization.
Jakarta Globe:
<<New Generation of Local Leaders Cleaning House
It’s a busy weekday morning and Ridwan Kamil, the recently inaugurated mayor of Bandung, has just arrived for his first day on the new job the same way he has always gotten around the traffic-choked West Java capital — by bicycle.
Ridwan, an internationally acclaimed architect with no prior political experience, is part of a generation of new local leaders taking office one region at a time, determined to sweep out all vestiges of their predecessors’ stagnant and often corruption-riddled bureaucratic systems.>>

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 17

BULLISH ON: optimistic about. This comes from stock market terminology but is now more widely used. You can also say bearish on, pessimistic about, but that's less common. Jakarta Globe: <<A senior US official said that the United States was open to providing election support but added that problems during the last vote in 2009 were technical in nature and not seen as an effort to rig the outcome.>>


DOWN IN THE DUMPS: depressed, melancholy.
To LICK ONE'S WOUNDS is to try to recover from a defeat or misfortune (from the fact that animals who are hurt often lick their wounds). Detroit Free Press: Detroit is heading into one of those ... stretches when we confound the world’s expectations about a bedraggled city, down in the dumps, licking its wounds.


ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL: to borrow money in order to pay a bill or meet a financial obligation. Forbes: <<When ... mature, established firms ... struggle in this regard it doesn’t bode well for the local Main Street business owners who have been forced to rob Peter to pay Paul over the last few years. Less-than-perfect credit and a mediocre track record don’t impress many bankers.>>


KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED: be alert for something, watch carefully for something. Another common way to say this is "be on the lookout." ITV News, Britain: <<Dog walkers, cyclists and fishermen are being urged to keep their eyes peeled in a Derbyshire beauty spot after a number of swans were found dead in the area.>>


If something HAS LEGS, it is persistent or durable. You use this idiom for a phenomenon. Wall Street Journal: <<Stock-market bears argue that much of the recent record-breaking rally has been fueled by the Federal Reserve’s easing-money policies. But Mr. Masters isn’t worried about a paring back of the Fed’s $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program. “The economic recovery can continue and still has legs,” he said....>>

TO BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD is to fail to anticipate something. Also we can say to catch someone off guard, to surprise someone, to do something the person wasn't expecting.
Example: [The Bank of Indonesia] caught off guard by recent rupiah decline.
Bank Indonesia (BI) deputy governor Mirza Adityaswara has said the rupiah exchange rate, which currently stands at below Rp 11,500 per US dollar, had been more volatile than expected.


WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S FIRE: if there are a lot of rumors, there's probably some truth behind them; if something looks wrong, it probably is. A proverb (a common saying) and an idiom (an expression in which words are used in a nonliteral or unusual way). Florida International University student media: <<We might be on the verge of witnessing the end of an era here at FIU.
Chatter has begun to spread about the possibility of women’s basketball Head Coach Cindy Russo retiring at the end of this year.
I have no idea whether these rumors have any merit, but you know what they say, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”>>


And, since we had the bottom of the barrel, let's add its antonym, CREME DE LA CREME. This comes from French but is used in English; it's often spelled with accent marks: crème de la crème. Literally this means "cream of the cream," but idiomatically it means the best of the best. Al-Bawaba (Abu Dhabi): << Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2013 kicks off with the crème de la crème of international cinema. It is a star-struck week for Abu Dhabi with the best of international and Arab movie talent descending upon the capital for the 7th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), which is on till November 2nd.>>

Star-struck, I might add, means dazzled by the presence of celebrities.


BLOW SMOKE: give misleading or exaggerated information. Jakarta Globe: <<In 2007, at an OIC Health Minsters’ summit in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia stated its willingness to recognize that tobacco poses one of the greatest threats to health. The country joined an effort to call upon OIC member states to introduce stronger tobacco control legislation.

Diplomats have noted Indonesia’s eagerness to project itself as a leader in international forums, but say the country’s reputation will suffer if, rather than taking action and responsibility on basic agreements, the government is instead seen as merely blowing smoke.>>


SUCK IT UP: endure hardship. As far as I can see, this is more common in the U.S. and Australia than in the UK.
From the Dear Prudence advice column on Slate.com: <<Dear Prudie,
Every year my husband and I have the same argument. My husband loves scary movies and wants to watch one each year on Halloween after we put the kids to bed. Scary movies just aren't for me. When I watch them, I feel anxious and terrified. I have nightmares and end up spending the next week afraid to be alone in the house. He thinks I should suck it up. He says he doesn’t care for romantic comedies, but he watches them with me. He doesn’t understand there’s a difference between sitting through a movie that may not be your favorite, and subjecting yourself to a frightening and disturbing experience. I've suggested that he watch his favorite scary movies alone while I do something in another room, but he says that’s no fun. Who's right?
—Not So Happy Halloween>>

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 16

There is an old saying, "Live by the sword; die by the sword." This means, those who prosper from violence usually die violent deaths. Examples are, sadly, all around us. What is important to learn is that many people use half this expression as a substitute for the entire quote: "It's like with Adolf Hitler. Live by the sword, and all that."


To take someone to task is to scold someone severely. In news media, it often means public scoldings of a political nature, but is not limited to that.
Example: (1) The teacher took John to task for his bad behavior.
(2) I lost a big contract, and the boss took me to task in front of everyone.


In entertainment, to "bomb" is to do very poorly, disastrously, etc.
Example: "Ricky Gervais bombed at the Golden Globes" . In other words, Gervais' performance was seen as a failure. Often, we say "he bombed at (the location)" and allow the listener to assume it is the idiomatic meaning of "bombing".


Figuratively, to "make noise" is to gather a great deal of attention. Such is the context of the following example: "Silent Film Hopes To Make Noise at Golden Globes" That is, even though it is a "silent" film, it hopes to "make some noise".


Figuratively, "a black eye" is some kind of mark of shame.
Example: "As of this writing, Oakland is on pace to exceed 100 murders by the end of 2011, a black eye it has avoided only once since 2005." In other words, this level of murders is very much a bad thing, nothing to be proud of whatsoever.


Someone asked a good question about "blue bloods". The expression seems to be a literal translation from Spanish, referring to the noticeable blue veins of "fair-skinned" (i.e. white) Spaniards coming from old families that claimed to never have intermarried with Jews, Moors, or other, darker races. The term has come to mean "aristocrats" (or people in the role of aristocrats) in general.


A "blue chip" stock is a stock with a history of strong financial returns and dividend growth. Investors expect blue chips to maintain their quality even during poor economic conditions.
Example: "IBM has been considered a blue chip stock for decades. Investors expect consistent returns from it." Anything that is figuratively "blue chip" is considered high quality. Example: "Some believe Ritz-Carlton to be the blue chip of hotel chains." That is, the standard of quality. (Just an example.)


A "patent troll" is a person or group of persons who attempts to obtain income through suing other people or groups (including companies) for violations of patents in a frivolous and abusive way while holding no intent to use the patents in legitimate business.
Example: One of the main reasons Kodak is going bankrupt is that the CEO turned Kodak into a "patent troll" company, relying on patent lawsuits and not new products as an income strategy. This strategy was not as successful as hoped (and rarely is).


To "teeter on the brink" (brink as in, edge) is to be extremely close to complete failure or disaster.
Example: "Kodak Teeters on the Brink", a story from yesterday's headlines about how Eastman Kodak is preparing for bankruptcy.


To "harden your position" on something is to take a more negative view.
Example: "The bank hardened its view on the possibility of a country leaving the Euro in 2012." (This comes from a current news story.) In this case, it means the bank views a negative outcome - a country or countries leaving the Eurozone - as more likely.


ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN or THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN. Something that causes the failure of something that is already in decline. Often used with "for" or "of": The privacy breach was the final nail in the coffin for the troubled retailer. The News (Pakistan): << Over the last few years, Pakistan hockey has achieved so many dubious distinctions that people have stopped getting surprised by its multiple failures.

But this spineless show at the Junior World Cup could be called the worst of all. Maybe, it is the last nail in the coffin.>>


SWEET TOOTH: a strong liking for sweet foods (candy, chocolate, etc.). Daily News & Analysis (India): <<The place is a delight for barbecue lovers. Be it fish, chicken or lamb, Armenians love their meat and serve it with much love. Cheese, tomatoes and aubergines are often a part the vegetarian diet. Their favourite bread is Lavash, which is a lot like our roomali roti. Those with a sweet tooth should try the Baklava, which is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey...>>

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 15

Touch base (spoken) : [often in business and politics]
- talk to someone for a short time to find out what has happened since the last time you spoke to them
* Hi, Tom, I just wanted to touch base with you about the project.

To "chew someone out" is to speak harshly, usually for some time, when criticizing an individual.
Ex.: "The boss really chewed out his secretary for the mistakes she was making. I feel a little sorry for her, but those mistakes were completely unprofessional, too." Yes, this is similar to "busting someone's chops", but feels slightly less severe.

"Blowing smoke" is an expression relating to stage magicians. Magicians use smoke to confuse and obscure the audience as to what is really happening.
Ex.: "If you think a seller is blowing smoke, he may be trying to rip you off."

"Learning the hard way" is learning something through painful or bitter personal experiences, such as making a mistake and suffering the consequences.
Ex.: "She learned the hard way not to drink and drive after her car accident. She's lucky to be alive.

A "laughing stock" is a person who has done something stupid or simply humiliating and can barely show his face in public without being laughed at; someone who cannot be taken seriously.
Example: A French man is suing Google for a Google Map photo that showed him urinating outside his own house. He claims Google has made him "a laughing stock" and is suing for 10,000 euros in damages.

A "mammoth task" is a task that is, figuratively speaking, huge; huge like a woolly mammoth, an extinct relative of the elephant.
Example: "Solving global poverty is a mammoth task. Perhaps it will never be solved." That's an example of how people use it.


"Building bridges" is an expression used for creating lines of communication (a.k.a. "connections") between different people, groups, organizations, and even cultures.
Example: "We believe it is important to build bridges between East and West so that all peoples of the Pacific Rim may enjoy greater cooperation and prosperity."

To "right the ship" is to bring stability to a situation.
Ex.: "Apple was counting on Steve Jobs to right the ship when he returned from a long absence. He did, leading Apple to unprecedented success."

A Hobson's choice is a "choice" where you are free to choose, but have only one option. (Therefore it is not really a choice.)
Example: In the early days of the automobile, Henry Ford (of the company bearing his name) allowed customers to choose any color for their car that they wanted... as long as the color was black! Multiple colors would raise his paint costs.

In business, "Acts of God" are not literal miracles; instead, they are disasters that are outside the bounds of a contract, especially in insurance.
Ex.: "No, you do not get a refund just because the concert hall was hit by lightning and burned to the ground! That's an act of God and we're not responsible for it!" In other words, this means an event outside human control.

"Out of touch" means being disconnected, remote, and lacking appropriate responses to current events. "The CEO was removed because he was deemed out of touch with the rest of his industry." It's not hard to find more examples.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 14

"Hide the children" is a colorful expression that refers to protecting children from seeing ugly, obscene, or gruesome things. As an idiom, it refers to something more abstract, like politics.
Ex.: "This election season will be very ugly. My advice: hide the children. It's not going to be pretty!"

To "send someone packing" is to make that person leave. One packs luggage when departing.
Example: "Secret Service agents were sent packing from Colombia when they were discovered engaged in unprofessional activities." This is also frequently used as a sports metaphor.

To stay on track, or keep on the right track, is to continue to make positive progress.
Example: World leaders hope that the global economy will stay on track towards a strong recovery.

the beginning of the end:
- the time when something that has been good starts to be less good or to end
* In this generation, the children understand Navajo but don't speak it, and that's the beginning of the end.

 To "dig something" is slang for liking/ enjoying something.

been there, done that (seen the movie, bought the T-shirt) Or been there, seen that, done that :
- (spoken) to say that you are no longer interested in doing something because you already have a lot of experience with it
* "I'd like to live in the country." "Not me. I grew up in the middle of nowhere- been there, done that, don't ever want to go back."

"Get a grip!" is a phrase used to urge someone to calm themselves, to get control of themselves, to cease having nervous and frightened reactions.
Example: (UK) Conservative MPs unhappy about the way David Cameron was running the Government had been told to "get a grip". (No, the MP's were NOT happy.)

To "shed light" on a subject is to draw attention to it.
Example: "The report shed light on the current state of the oil industry." This means the state of the oil industry became more clear as a result of the report. It's just an example of usage.

be loaded for bear:
- to be ready, eager, and completely prepared to do something
* Three hours before the game started, the Cardinals fans were loaded for bear.

To "set out on your own" is to leave behind the financial support of your family. A recent headline reads, "Soros son sets out on his own," meaning a son of George Soros, famous billionaire, is determined to succeed or fail on his own without his father's money bailing him out of various problems.

an eager beaver:
someone who is annoying or seems silly because they are too excited about doing sth
* Tammy was such an eager beaver to get the invitation in the mailbox that she forgot to pit stamps on them.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 13

To describe something as "you can't miss it" means that it is so obvious that more detailed directions are unneeded.
Ex.: "Take a right at the church; it's the store with the big purple dinosaur in front. You can't miss it!" Whether you want to or not, it's hard to ignore a big purple dinosaur.

A "raw deal" is a disadvantageous transaction of some sort. As an idiom, it can be used even more broadly.
Ex.: "Voters got a raw deal when they voted for a change in government, only for the new government to follow the same policies as the old. That wasn't what they bargained for."

To "roll out the red carpet" is to treat a guest with the highest possible degree of formal welcome.
Ex.: "The governor rolled out the red carpet for his celebrity friends, treating them to a full course meal and expensive wine."

Today I saw "Italy banks moving into the eye of the storm" to say they're getting deeper into trouble. Now, only hurricanes/ typhoons have "eyes". The eye is a place of calm around which the highest power winds blow. Beware of possible idiom confusion/ misuse; when a hurricane loses its "eye" it becomes just a storm.

In any competition, the "favorite" is favored to win, and the "underdog" is not favored; therefore the underdog winning is a surprise. This applies to betting/ gambling.
Ex.: "Tom was the underdog in the amateur boxing match, but he won a stunning victory against Greg, who was the favorite."

As an idiom, a "Mecca" (small m, not the city) is a place where like-minded people from many places come and gather together.
Ex.: "The Japanese district of Akihabara is a Mecca for electronic device and video game geeks from all over Japan, and famous among nerds around the world."


A "change of heart" means a change in one's decisions and intentions. The implication is that the change was for reasons of sentiment or emotion, not logic.
Ex.: "Billy was engaged to marry Roxanne, but he had a quick change of heart when he found out she was already cheating on him."


A "raw deal" is a disadvantageous deal; an unfair deal. It is not necessarily fraud, but is at least morally dubious.
Ex.: "When a car salesman tells you to trust him, that's a red flag that you're getting a raw deal."

A "red flag" is an indication that serves as a warning. The warning is often unintended.
Ex.: "Often, when someone says the words 'Trust me', that's a red flag warning you not to trust them. A used car salesman always wants you to trust him - especially when he's cheating you."

Time is thought to pass very fast in a busy city like New York. Therefore, a "New York minute" is a period of time that's very fast, subjectively. Ex.: "Luck comes and goes in a New York minute. You can't rely on it at all."

A "smoking gun" (as an idiom) is clear proof of guilt.
Ex.: "The DNA evidence was the proverbial smoking gun that conclusively linked the defendant to the scene of the murder."

To "lose your luster" is to lose your previously high appeal. Luster is a word for the shine of an object, like a properly polished silver vase. Ex.: "US leadership has lost some of its luster abroad, suggesting President Barack Obama can't count on as much global euphoria..." meaning, Obama's lost some "shine" (popularity).

To "read the tea leaves" is to make a prediction about the future. The expression comes from one method of supposed fortune telling.
Ex.: "Reading the tea leaves, many American labor unions will continue to depend on public employees for the majority of their members." Meaning, the above trend should continue.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 12

An expression holds, "Lightning does not strike twice." (In reality this is not true at all - lightning strikes tall buildings regularly.) This gives some context to English language headlines "Lightning Bolt Strikes Twice" in regards to Usain Bolt winning the 100m and 200m sprinting gold medals at the Olympics two games in a row, which is unprecedented.

To "face off" with someone is to confront that person in some way.
Example: "Murray Faces Off With Federer for Tennis Gold" This means that the two athletes faced each other in a singles tennis match.

To "hand in" something is to deliver that something to some kind of authority. (You "hand over" to a specific person.)
Ex.: "Stradivarius violin handed in at Swiss lost property office". Someone found the violin, worth millions of dollars, and handed it in so that it could be returned to its proper owner.

When a group has been "rounded up," it is an expression for being arrested (or somehow detained by police short of arrest).
Ex.: "130 cycling protesters rounded up" is an earlier version of a headline describing the arrest of over 180 bicycle-riding protesters trying to breach a security cordon during the current Olympic games.

The term "wardrobe malfunction" entered popular vocabulary after it was used to defend singer Janet Jackson when her costume exposed a breast and nipple during a Super Bowl halftime performance several years ago, causing supposedly accidental indecent exposure. The term is now used for any "accidental" exposure of more skin than intended due to clothing problems.

As an expression, "in depth" will pretty much always mean "in detail".
Example: "Finance ministers discussed the EU's sovereign debt crisis in depth at their latest meeting in Geneva." This is another example of a split idiom. "Discuss in depth" ( = in detail) is the full idiom here.

Since someone asked, to "kick ass" (as an expression) is to strongly succeed against another.
Example: "Italy kicked Germany's ass at football in the Euro 2012 competition." This is definitely not polite English, but you should certainly know what it means!

To "go with the flow" is to respond to changing conditions rather than trying to force a predetermined outcome. "Sometimes you need to go with the flow and make decisions on the fly instead of planning everything in advance." Flow implies a natural and expected degree of change. -

A bird does not plan out an entire flight in advance. When a bird is already in the air, it makes an "on the fly" decision to turn right or left.
Ex.: "While visiting her best friend, Annie decided to go see a movie on the fly. She brought her best friend with her." This was also a spur of the moment decision.

A "no-show" is something or someone that has failed to make an appearance.
Example: The patient was left waiting by the doctor, who was a no-show despite a wait of several hours.
➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More

Book of Idioms, Episode 11

"Flying blind" means moving forward with no advance warning.
Ex.: "Kate's smartphone broke down when she was driving to Dallas. She was flying blind without her Google Maps app. Of course, you can try using a map on paper, but that's a lot harder when you're driving by yourself!"

"By the seat of your pants" means barely managing.
Ex.: "The sales campaign seemed to have a disaster every day. Sheila was managing by the seat of her pants. She was lucky to be successful."

To "rattle someone's cage" is to take actions to bother, annoy, and/ or intimidate someone.
Ex.: "Don't let the criticism bother you. People are just trying to rattle your cage and see if you can take it. Stay tough."

The expression "Where's the beef?" is asking where the figurative "meat" is for a particular issue. "The company president made a big announcement about expanding the sales force. Where's the beef...? We had this big announcement and nothing happened!"


To have "egg on your face" is embarrassing, and has become an idiom for being embarrassed.
Ex.: "Mexico will have egg on its face if it cannot solve its egg shortage quickly."

To "scramble" to do something means to move very quickly on hands and knees, or simply to move quickly. "Scrambled eggs" is therefore eggs hastily cooked. This brings us to the following pun: "Mexico scrambles to cope with egg shortage'. As in, moves quickly. Amusing.

"Don't bet on it" means you should not gamble - figuratively - that the subject will be true, or will remain true.
Ex.: "Do you really think that builder has scammed his last homeowner just because he fell through the cheap floor he built himself? Don't bet on it!"

To be "hoist with your own petard" is to be harmed by your own attempt at mischief.
Ex.: "The builder tried to scam the homeowner out of money by doing very cheap repairs on the floor. Before the job was done, the builder fell through that very floor as it collapsed. Truly, hoist by his own petard."

In American English, people can use "awfully" to add strong emphasis, even when the result is not, well, awful.
Ex.: "My father is doing awfully well compared to how he was two weeks ago."

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary . You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature

Read More