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