Book of Idioms, Episode 7

When someone says, "The game is up," this is an idiom. That is, "the battle is over, surrender now, you have nothing to gain." It is in this context that UK defense secretary Liam Fox has declared "the game is up" to Gadaffi (and his followers) in Libya.

All work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)
-to say that it is not good for you to work too hard; you need to relax too
*Don't wear yourself out. All work and no play, you know.

speak out of turn
- say something that is unsuitable or wrong at particular time or in a particular situation
* If Sandy made a suggestion, Luke would give her an irritated look, as if she had spoken out of turn.


To "turn the tables" on someone is to go from losing to winning; from having the disadvantage to having the advantage. It is used in various settings.

To "call off" an event is to cancel it, usually before it can even begin. An event is "stopped" if it is paused mid-way.
Examples: A baseball game can be called off because of heavy rain. A game can be stopped mid-way, such as during the 7th inning, due to heavy rain as well.

To "stay in touch" is to remain in frequent, easy communication with someone. This is also referred to as "staying in contact" since "contacting" is establishing communications. It's easy to see how "touch" and "contact" are used identically here.


put two and two together
- guess the meaning of something you have heard or seen
* I put two ant two together, and told the police; they found Eva that night.


"A hole in one's heart" means an emotional wound, usually left by some kind of loss or tragedy. The newlywed wife of the British man killed by a shark recently said to the media that the death "leaves a hole in my heart." This is from the emotional damage of losing her husband, especially in such a tragic and violent way.

make short/light work of something
- to finish something such as a job or a meal quickly and easily
* He enrolled the school of Arts after making very short work of the entrance exam.


that makes two of us: (spoken)
- to tell someone that you agree with them or understand how they feel
* "I'd like to work in Hawaii." "Yeah, that makes two of us."


be up-front/up front/upfront about (something)
- be honest and direct about the way you feel
* I've always been fairly up-front about how I approach things, and this project is no different.


In politics, a "hawk" is someone with aggressive, belligerent positions and a "dove" is someone with conciliatory, more peaceful positions. While used in relation to military conflicts, an example of another use is a "fiscal hawk": one urging aggressive action to balance government budgets, rather than tolerate deficits to boost the economy.


If your heart is "torn," it is divided, like a paper heart being pulled in two directions at once. This means, your emotions are not committed to one place (or one person) alone; your emotions (and sympathies) are divided.
Example: A woman who is in a love triangle with two men. Her heart is torn between the two, and she has not yet picked one over the other.

"A war zone" is an idiom used to describe any area that appears hostile to civilized human beings, when it ordinarily would not. Tonight, Tottenham, in England, is being described as "a war zone" due to rioting, fires, and looting of stores. It is not literally a war zone, but it is not what most people consider a state of peace, either.

To string someone along is to lead someone around without arriving at a destination. This is an idiom within an idiom, for "to lead" can be physical/ literal, or figurative.
Example: "I tried to get a straight answer from the secretary, but she just strung me along. After ten minutes I gave up." The secretary refused to answer questions helpfully or directly.

"Just a moment ago" means, a very short time prior to when someone says, or writes, this statement.
Example: "Just a moment ago, my cat rubbed against my leg."

not have much upstairs [Also: not have a lot (going on) up top]
- spoken: a slightly impolite way of saying that someone is somewhat stupid
* Don't even consider Sam. he doesn't have a lot going on upstairs.

be quick on the uptake: [opp. be slow on the uptake]
- to be good at understanding a situation quickly and doing what needs to be done, esp. in order to gain an advantage
* Is he always this slow on the uptake?

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

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature