Book of Idioms, Episode 27

PULL THE PLUG ON: discontinue, withdraw support from. Ann Arbor News (Michigan, USA): <<Eaton said it's his understanding that the council-approved site plan for the Packard Square project expires in January 2015. He said it could be extended for another two years, but he's wondering if it's time to pull the plug on the project.
"This is something that has been dragging on for more than a decade," Eaton said of the Georgetown Mall saga. "This guy brought the property in 2001.">>


CUT YOUR LOSSES: abandon a failing effort so as not to waste more money. Forbes: <<As much as you want to make that sale, there’s a point where you’ll need to cut your losses. Dealing with difficult clients is sometimes necessary, but these two types of customers won’t be worth your time or energy.>>


COOL YOUR HEELS: wait. Ann Arbor News (Michigan, USA): <<Ann Arbor News:
Our first interactions at Slurping Turtle added to the chilly feeling. They only take reservations for six or more, and won’t seat your party until all have arrived. Twice we arrived two by two, and although there were many open tables, we were forced to cool our heels until the final stragglers found parking. >>


GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK: get a bad deal, not get one's fair share. Detroit Free Press: <<Castaneda-Lopez and other council members opposed the deal that included a neighborhood development agreement, because it did not guarantee the Delray neighborhood [would] be protected. The new bridge’s customs plaza will be built in Delray, forcing about 900 residents to move.
“We are really getting the short end of the stick in terms of how much we get for the sale of land, and we really are devaluing the land,” Castaneda-Lopez said. “We know that this land in particular is going to be worth exponentially more than it is now, and that’s not being taken into consideration.”>>


A SLAM DUNK (the term comes from basketball) is a sure thing, an action that is certain to succeed. A RUBBER STAMP (often a verb, to rubber-stamp something) is quick approval with very little consideration. I think both of these are North American.
Example: Detroit Free Press: <<Still, Rhodes recently reminded the city that it must justify its plan to obliterate the $1.4 billion in city debt insured by FGIC and Syncora.
“I don’t think it’s a slam dunk,” said Melissa Jacoby, a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill professor who has been closely tracking the case. “It’s possible it can be justified. There’s no rubber stamp here.”>>


THROW COLD WATER ON something: say something discouraging about something people are excited about, dampen enthusiasm. <<Forest reaffirmed their position at the top of the table and extended their unbeaten start to the campaign with a thumping 4-0 win over Reading at the City Ground.
And, when asked if his players are starting to believe something special is on the horizon this season, Pearce [the coach] responded: "Yes, I don't see why not.
"It would be easy for me to throw cold water on that, because there is a long way to go.>>


ON THE RUN: fleeing from authorities. Business Day (Nigeria): <<The husband and children of the Nigerian nurse who died after getting infected with the Ebola virus are on the run, the health officials in the country have said.
The nurse, the only Nigerian fatality from the disease which has killed over 900 people in four West African countries, was exposed to the virus at a health facility ...
The nurse’s family were not the first to flee from quarantine. In Sierra Leone, ... dozens of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have Ebola are now unaccounted for.>>


TAKE YOUR TIME: don't hurry. Daily Telegraph (Sydney): <<There are plenty of fantastic coastal walks around Sydney, but the hike from Manly to Mosman’s Spit Bridge is hard to beat. Taking you alongside the glistening harbour and through native bushland, the 10km walk takes three to four hours one way, but why not pack a picnic lunch in your backpack, take your time, and stop at one of the harbour beaches along the way?>>

➤ 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