Overview  / Table of Content

Idioms from "A" through "E"
Idioms from "F" through "J"
Idioms from "K" through "O"
Idioms from "P" through "T"
Idioms from "U" through "Z"

Quick Jump

    A - B - C - D - E

-A-

'A drop in the bucket'

    Such a small amount that it won’t make any difference.  Example: “When you think about all the money the government spends, another thousand dollars is just a drop in the bucket.”

'At the end of his rope'

    At the end of his rope refers to someone who is frustrated or ready to give up. Someone who is at the end of his or her rope has lost patience or ability to deal with a situation. It may be a case where someone has tried many options and has run out of ideas.

    Example: "Hector tried everything he could think of to repair the truck, but nothing he does makes it run. He's really at the end of his rope."

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-B-

'Bed and Breakfast'

    A bed and breakfast is a lodging house with an informal atmosphere which is usually run by a couple or a single person and perhaps a few staff members. The bed and breakfast has a small number of rooms located in a large home and provides a more cozy atmosphere than a hotel or motel. The name comes from the fact that breakfast is the only meal served. This style of accommodation is popular in semi-rural areas and appeals to vacationers who like a slower pace. There are numerous bed and breakfasts in the New England area, on the East Coast and in parts of California.

    Example: "If you're going to Maine, I know a really great bed and breakfast that's located right on the coast."

     

'Black out dates'

    Black out dates are dates designated by airlines and other travel service providers on which you cannot use certain special discounts and promotions. For example, frequent flyer miles or discount coupons are usually not accepted on black out dates. Black out dates usually include holidays and other heavily traveled days. Check your airline deals carefully to be sure of the black out dates!

    Example: "I wanted to use my 25,000 frequent flyer miles to go to New York for Christmas, but I couldn't use my miles because of the holiday black out dates."

     

'Blood bath'

    This common expression is used to discuss any large scale destruction of people or animals. It is especially used in situations of war.

    Example: "The defense of Stalingrad cost a huge amount in human life. It was one of the worst blood baths of World War II."

     

'Blood brothers'

    Can refer to the actual birth brother, but is also an expression to indicate two friends who are extremely close. In myth and legend, close friends often swear an oath of ‘blood brotherhood’.

    Example: "Ever since Tom and Rufus went hunting together, they’ve done everything as a team. They’re like blood brothers!"

     

'Blowout'

    A blowout happens when a tire goes flat for some reason while you are driving. It refers to the fact that the air ‘blows out’ of the tire. A ‘blowout’ can be due to an accident or damage to the tire.

    Example: "I was driving at 60 miles an hour and had a blowout. I almost lost control of the car!"

     

'Bobbing for apples'

    This is a popular activity at Halloween parties. The host will get a large bucket or tub and fill it with water. Apples are then put in the tub and float on the water. Contestants put their hands behind their backs and have to bite into an apple and lift it out of the tub using only their teeth.

    Example: "The kids were bobbing for apples and Ted got water all over his costume."

 

'Booked solid'

    To 'book' is to make a reservation at a hotel or for a seat on a plane or train. In this context, 'solid' means that the place is full, with no empty space. So to be 'booked solid' means that the hotel, for example, has reserved all of its rooms for guests and has no more space available for a certain date. You will often hear this idiom being used by travel agents, hotel clerks and other workers in the travel industry.

    Example: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't make a reservation for you on the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. All the hotels you requested are booked solid."

     

'Bookworm'

    A bookworm refers to a person who loves reading so much, that they can usually be found with their head in a book. The idea of the bookworm probably comes from the actual bookworm, a larva of a moth or beetle which actually feeds on the paper and glue used in books (according to the Oxford Dictionary). A person can become a 'bookworm' by seeming to spend as much time in books as these animals. Bookworm is used as a noun.

    Example: 'Kathy’s not going to the beach with us. She's such a bookworm she'll probably be reading homework all afternoon!'

     

'Bottom line'

    This idiom comes from the world of finance and is now heard in other areas of conversation. The "bottom line" originally referred to the total profit or loss of a company on their financial statement. Now it also refers to the end result of any set of circumstances or actions.

    Example: "It’s a long story. Judith has to go back to her home country and Alex is quitting the company, but the bottom line is that we need to find a new manager."

     

'Boys of summer'

    This phrase refers to baseball players, since most of baseball season takes place during the summer.

     

'Bread'

    Money. (Old idiom).

    Example: "If you want that combo to play, you’ll have to come up with some bread."

'Bumper-to-bumper'

    This common idiom refers to the part of the car called the ‘bumper’ in the front and rear of the car. It means that traffic is so slow, the bumpers of the cars are almost touching. In other words, traffic is almost stopped.

    Example: "In Los Angeles, the traffic on the freeways is always bumper-to-bumper at 5:00 pm."

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-C-

'Call it a day'

    A remark made when it’s time to go home or stop a certain job.  Often said at the end of a workday.  When someone leaves the office for the day, it’s common to say “Well, I guess I’ll call it a day.”

'Candy cane'

    This is a popular Christmas treat. A ‘candy cane’ is a candy stick flavored with peppermint and colored with red and white curving stripes. The stick is curved at the top, so that it resembles a walking stick or cane. Candy canes are often wrapped in plastic and used as decorations or placed in Christmas stockings.

    Example: "Grandma gave each of the children a candy cane in their stocking."

     

'Cats'

    Old idiom - People who play jazz music. According to some jazz historians, this term was first used by Louis Armstrong.

    Example: "There are some cool cats playing down at the Rose Ballroom."

     

'Character'

    A person who is out of the ordinary or strange.

    Example: "He was a great musician but that Fats Waller was some character."

     

'Chicken Little'

    A character in a children's story. Chicken Little is an example of a scared chicken. He is famous for yelling 'The sky is falling! The sky is falling!' and scaring all of the animals. Today the term 'Chicken Little' is someone who gives a lot of warnings for no good reason.

     

'Chicken Out'

    The chicken is an animal associated with being cowardly. To 'chicken out'is to back out of something because you are afraid or worried. If you challenge someone to a fight but then don’t show up for the fight, it can be said that you 'chickened out'.

    Example: "Fred told us he was going to go skydiving from the top of the cliff, but he chickened out and just watched."

 

'Chill Out'

    This is advice you can give to someone who's agitated or angry. There are a lot of variations on this popular idiom. You can say that you're just chillin' or that it's time to chill. An older idiom that is no longer used much is to tell someone to 'take a chill pill'.

    Example: "I'm tired of hearing you yell about my nose rings! Why don't you just chill out!"

'Christmas carol'

    The dictionary definition of carol is a ‘joyous song or hymn’, but the word carol is almost never heard except in connection with Christmas. So, a Christmas carol is basically any song meant to be sung at Christmas time. ‘A Christmas Carol’ is also the title of a famous work by Charles Dickens which tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a selfish businessman, and how he learns to celebrate Christmas. The term ‘Scrooge’ has since come to mean anyone who is selfish.

 

'Costume party'

    On Halloween, children dress up in costumes. The type of costume ranges from monsters to heroes to famous people. One of the popular ways to celebrate the holiday is to have a 'costume party' in which everyone shows off their costume. There is usually a contest for the most creative costume, scariest costume, and other categories.

    Example: "Ellen's costume party is on Saturday and I still don't know what I'm going to wear!"

     

'Cover all your bases'

    This idiom comes from the fact that in baseball you need to station a player at each of the three bases. The player has to stay close to the base to tag the runner before he reaches the plate. The idiom means that you have to be sure to take care of all aspects of a situation.

     

'Cold shoulder'

    This idiom is used when someone is being ignored on purpose. If you're angry at someone, you might give them the "cold shoulder" and not talk to them or pay attention to them.

    Example: "Jill's angry at Lisa for missing her birthday party, so she's giving her the cold shoulder."

     

'Cold cuts'

    Slices of meat, such as ham or bologna, usually used in lunch sandwiches. A lot of delis will have a 'Cold Cut Sub' which is a long sandwich made with three or four kinds of 'cold cut' meat.

    Example: "Pick up some cold cuts at the grocery store for lunch."

     

'Cold call'

    To make a call without preparation, especially in marketing or sales. There are many marketing outfits in the U.S. that employee people to make cold calls to sell their services.

    Example: "The manager told Phil to make cold calls throughout the city, and for James to follow up on any leads."

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-D-

 

'Dawned on me'

    This idiom compares a sudden realization in someone’s mind with the rising of the sun.

    Example: "I had made all the other plans for my trip to France, then it dawned on me that I still hadn’t reserved the hotel".

 

'Dead end'

    An end of a road or a passage, like a hallway, where there is no other way out except to go back.   Often used with driving.  Example: “I took a left at the crossroads and drove for four miles, but it turned out to be a dead end.”

 

'Ditch day'

    'Ditch day' refers to a day, usually in high school, when all of the students decide to take a day off of class and just have fun. A popular destination for ditch days in California is the beach. In high school, ditch days are arranged by class level and year so that every year there may be one or two 'senior ditch days'. The object is to catch the teachers and administration by surprise.

    Example: "Hey, Ted, did you hear Sunday is senior ditch day? We're meeting at Huntington Beach at 9:00!" Needless to say, at FLS we do not encourage ditch days!

     

‘Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched’

    This popular proverb warns you to be careful about the future. Don’t assume everything will turn out as you expect. This proverb is often used in connection with money. If you expect to make a lot of money from a contest, you may be counting your chickens before they’re hatched.

     

'Don't pick on me'

    To ‘pick on’ someone is to make fun of them, call them names or otherwise make them the subject of jokes. Young children, especially, like to ‘pick on’ other kids in their classes. A kid who is tired of being the subject of jokes might say ‘Don’t pick on me!’.

     

'Don't cry over spilt milk'

    Don't regret something that's already happened and that you can't change. It comes from the idea that a child might cry when he/she spills a drink.

    Example: "I'm tired of hearing you complain about your lost purse. Don't cry over spilt milk."

 

'Down-to-earth'

    Usually used a description of a person.  Someone who is ‘down to earth’ is practical or realistic, and is not too pretentious or snobby.  Example: “Even though Louis is from a wealthy family, he’s very down-to-earth and acts just like a regular guy.”

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-E-

'End run'

        The term 'end run' comes originates from American football. In football, it refers to a play when the team player carrying the ball tries to run around the offensive end. In everyday English, it refers to any attempt to evade a barrier.

        Example: "The reporters asked the Senator tons of questions about his private life, but he did an end run around them and just talked about the tax cut."

     

    'End up'

        To result in or lead to something. Usually refers to the final condition of something. It may refer to what will happen if a certain action continues.

        Example: "If Federico keeps driving at a hundred miles an hour in his Porsche, he's going to end up getting a ticket."

 

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