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

    K - L - M - N - O

-K-

'Kick back'

    To 'kick back' is to relax and enjoy your free time. It may come from the idea of putting your feet up and taking off your shoes. You can also use the idiom in the form 'kicking back'.

    Example: 'I'm just kicking back with some friends watching the ball game.'

    Warning: Don't confuse this idiom with 'kickback' which is spelled the same way but has no space between the words. 'Kickback' refers to a bribe or payoff.

« back

top »

-L-

'Layover'

        'Layover' refers to a lapse of time between two flights which are part of a single itinerary. For example, if you are planning a flight from New York City to Bangkok, Thailand you may have several layovers: in Los Angeles and Tokyo, perhaps. A layover begins when you arrive at the first 'leg' of your itinerary, and concludes when you board the plane to move on to the next leg. A layover may be short (half an hour) or long (eight hours or more).

        Example: 'My ticket was expensive, but I was willing to pay more so I wouldn't have any extended layovers.'

     

    'Lay up'

        In basketball, usually a one-handed, banked shot made close to the basket after driving in. A lay up in everyday English can mean an easy effort to complete something.

        Example: "Candace did almost all of the work for the group project. It was just a lay up to type the research."

     

    'Lighten up'

        If you see someone who is very serious you might advise them to 'lighten up'. This is advice to take a more optimistic outlook and not give in to dark moods. If someone takes a small matter very seriously, they may be advised to 'lighten up'.

        Example: 'Andy went into a big lecture when I broke the rules, so I told him to lighten up.'

         

    'Look out!'

        This is a very useful phrase to know! You can use this phrase when you want to warn someone. If there is immediate danger, yelling ‘Look out!’ will alert everyone to the danger. For example, if someone is crossing a street and a car is coming down the street at a high speed, you might yell, ‘Look out!’

     

    'Look what the cat dragged in'

        This folksy expression is said about someone or something that looks messy, dirty or in worse than normal condition. If a child comes into a house with mud and stains on his clothes, the mother might say ‘Look what the cat dragged in!’ This expression should only be used with friends, since people might get offended if you say it and don’t know them!

     

    'Look who’s here!'

        This is a common expression of surprise when someone you don’t expect appears. For example, you may walk into a party and see someone you thought was out of town. Or, you may ‘run into’ someone while shopping.

        Example: "Well, look who’s here! It’s Ellen and Phil from the cooking club!"

« back

top »

-M-

'Make ends meet'

    This phrase means to be able to keep a budget or meet expenses. This idiom is usually used in talking about a family with a tight budget. If there are a lot of bills and other expenses it may be hard to make ends meet.

    Example: "When Lucy lost her job it was hard on the Sanchez family. They had to struggle for months to make ends meet."

     

'Make-up test'

    To make up a test is to have a chance to take a test a second time, or to take a test that you missed because you were sick or had to miss school. Usually, the teacher will schedule a make-up test on a particular day for those students who were absent. Some teachers have a policy that they won't offer make-up tests. Others will give students an entirely different set of questions for the make-up test, so that they won't be able to get a 'preview' of the answers from their friend.

    Example: 'Alicia's staying after school today to take the make-up test. I heard it's a lot harder than the regular test!'

 

'Make your blood run cold'

    To horrify someone and give a chilling sensation. If you hear about a terrifying murder story it may make your blood run cold.

    Example: "Watching the movie about serial killers made Dana’s blood run cold."

 

'Move up the ladder'

    "Move up the ladder" is one of many idioms associated with the world of work. This idiom is really a metaphor – you can think about each level of a corporation as a rung on the ladder. In the United States, part of the American dream is that anyone can start on the ‘bottom rung’ and through hard work and determination move up the ‘ladder of success’. When an employee receives a promotion, we often say that he or she has moved up the ladder.

    Example: "George has been with General Packages for over 15 years, and he has moved up the ladder from being a shipping clerk to heading up the human resources division."

« back

top »

-N-

'No news is good news'

    If you haven't heard about any problems, that means things are usually going OK.

    Example: "George must be having fun on his trip to Russia. I haven't heard anything and no news is good news."

« back

top »

-O-

« back

top »