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

    P - Q - R - S - T

-P-

'Pass the torch'

    Before each Olympic games, the torch with the Olympic flame is passed from runner to runner as it travels from Athens, Greece to the site of the next Olympics. Runners ‘pass the torch’ in a relay, and in conversational English you may say that you ‘pass the torch’ when a project or idea is handed on to another person. A president leaving a company, for example, may say that he is ‘passing the torch’ of leadership to the next president.

 

'Perfect 10'

    Many competitions in the Olympics, particularly gymnastics, are scored by a panel of judges on a 1-10 scale. A performance that receives a ‘10’ is considered perfect. This idiom can be used to refer to someone’s execution of a task.

    Example: "Andy’s presentation to the class was a perfect 10."

 

'Pop quiz'

    A pop quiz is a brief quiz, or test, given to the class without warning. Teachers often use pop quizzes to find out whether students have been reading the class texts. A pop quiz will usually have short, multiple choice or true and false questions. It will often be given at the beginning of class. For example, a teacher might say "Be sure to read one chapter every night, because you never know when I might give you a pop quiz." Perhaps this idiom derives from the fact that the quiz 'pops up' from nowhere unexpectedly.

 

'Pull an all-nighter'

    Often, American college students will wait until the last minute to prepare for a test or to finish a research paper. Even though the students know about the test or the assignment for weeks, they put off studying until the last minute. When the students realize that they have a test due the next day and they haven’t studied, they may decide to stay up all night long to prepare. This is known as ‘pulling an all-nighter’. Of course, here at FLS we advise our students to prepare early so they can avoid these behaviors! Needless to say, pulling an all-nighter can be a bad idea. The student may be too tired in the morning to do their best on the exam!

     

'Pick of the litter'

    This idiom comes from the use of the word ‘litter’ to describe a group of kittens or puppies that has just been born. A cat might have four kittens, and the ‘pick of the litter’ would be the best-looking, healthiest kitten. The idiom is extended in everyday speech to mean the best of any group of things.

    Example: ‘Four new kids joined the baseball club this summer, but Todd was the pick of the litter.’

     

'Pick-me-up'

    Something, usually a quick drink or snack, that provides a burst of energy or restores your nerves. People may say they need a ‘pick-me-up’ if they are having a long, busy day and need to renew their energy. A pick-me-up might be a cup of coffee or Coke or a candy bar.

    Example: ‘I’ve been out with the kids all day. Before going to the concert, I could use a quick pick-me-up’.

     

'Pickpocket'

    A pickpocket is a kind of thief who wanders city streets and tries to steal wallets and purses. The idiom is easy to remember since it means exactly what it says. People are usually warned about pickpockets before they go to busy cities.

    Example: ‘If you’re going to Rome, watch out for your wallet. I’ve heard there are a lot of pickpockets in the city.’

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-Q-

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-R-

'Red-eye'

    'The red-eye' refers to a trip, usually by plane, when your booking is late at night. The fear of many travellers is that they won't get much sleep on these flights, and so they will have 'red eyes' when they arrive at their destination. For this reason, most airlines will give a discounted price on 'red eye' flights.

    Example: 'If you're flying the red-eye to Tokyo, be sure to take some sleeping pills with you so you'll get some rest.'

 

'Rush hour'

    This popular idiom refers to the time of day when traffic is at its worst. This is usually from 7:00 – 9:00 am, when people are on their way to work, and 5:00 – 7:00 pm, when people are on their way home. ‘Rush hour’ can often be more than one hour. The idiom refers to the fact that everyone is trying to ‘rush’ home or to work. The common meaning of ‘rush’, to move quickly, is reversed in this idiom. During ‘rush hour’ the traffic moves slowly.

    Example: "Be sure to leave the office before rush hour, or you’ll never get home before 8:00 pm."

 

'RV'

    The abbreviation ‘RV" stands for Recreational Vehicle. It refers to the long trailers or mobile homes which Americans like to take on the road for long, cross-country trips. A trailer must be pulled by a car or truck and holds space for a small bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. A mobile home incorporates all of the driving mechanisms so no car or truck is necessary. Both of these are popular with older and retired Americans who live in them on the road during long trips.

    Example: 'The campsite has space for tents, campers and RVs'. (Another popular abbreviation for a vehicle is 'SUV', or sport utility vehicle, which refers to four-wheel drive, Jeep-type vehicles. SUVs are extremely popular in California.)

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-S-

'Scared stiff'

    If you are so scared that you can’t move, we might say that you’re ‘scared stiff’. ‘Stiff’ is an adjective referring to something unmoving or rigid.

    Example: "When Louise heard a noise downstairs she got scared stiff. She thought there was a burglar in the house and just froze in place."

 

'Seventh inning stretch'

    There is a custom in baseball that everyone stands after the seventh inning to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Sometimes you’ll hear the expression in other contexts, meaning ‘it’s time to take a break’.

 

'Skeleton in the closet'

    This idiom refers to an embarrassing or scandalous secret in the past of a family or person. Like a skeleton in a coffin, the secret is buried where people can’t see it. A ‘skeleton in the closet’ usually refers to an event that happened several decades or generations ago.

    Example: "Mr. Hathaway thought everyone had forgotten about the time his grandfather had burned down the city hall, but the newspaper dug up this old family skeleton in the closet."

 

'Slam dunk'

    In basketball, a shot made by jumping high into the air and throwing the ball straight down through the basket. This phrase has entered the American vocabulary with the meaning ‘to get something right on target’.

    Example: "Edward’s sales presentation to the client was a slam dunk. They bought 100 cases of soap." (Also known as a ‘dunk shot’).

     

'Snowball’s chance in hell'

    Like ‘slim chance’ or ‘fat chance’, this colorful idiom means that you wont’ have much luck or success in what you’re trying to do.

    Example: "Coach Phillips wants to win the football championship against Carson Tech, but he’s got a snowball’s chance in hell."

 

'Snowblind'

    The sunlight which reflects off of packed snow can cause bright glares. To be ‘snowblind’ is to be temporarily blinded by the very bright light in these conditions.

    Example: "James forgot his sunglasses when he went hiking and had trouble seeing the wildlife because of snowblindess."

 

'Snowed under'

    This idiom doesn’t necessarily have to do with winter. To be ‘snowed under’ means to be overwhelmed by a huge number of duties or jobs.

    Example: "Mr. Martins is completely snowed under with all the requests that came in from new customers, and he won’t be able to get to your account until next week."

 

'Snowman'

    A favorite activity of American kids in colder climates is to build a man out of three balls of snow. You may have heard of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ from the famous song.

    Example: "Tracy built a snowman with a carrot for a nose and tree branches for the arms."

 

'Strike it rich'

    A "strike" can be a quick, lightning movement, and so to "strike it rich" means to become rich very quickly, usually by a stroke of luck or good fortune. In the same way, we say that oil drillers "strike oil".

    Example: "Thelma keeps playing the lottery every week, hoping that one day she’ll strike it rich."

 

'Summer school'

    Most American elementary and secondary schools take a long vacation during the summer months. However, a number of students use this time to catch up on their coursework and take intensive classes during summer school.

 

'Sunny-side up'

    This phrase is used when ordering eggs in a restaurant. Your eggs will be served with the yellow yolk facing up.

    Example: "I’ll have pancakes, bacon and two eggs sunny-side up."

 

'Sweep'

    A "sweep" refers to a contest in which one of the contestants wins all the prizes. In the 2000 Oscar awards, the film "American Beauty" won many of the top awards. So we can say that "American Beauty" almost swept the top awards. If a film were to win all of the major awards, you could say that it made a "clean sweep". We also have the term "sweepstakes". In horse racing, this refers to a contest in which all the stakes are paid to the winners.

    Example: "To win the U.S. election, he will need to make a clean sweep of the Southern states."

 

'Swing band'

    Refers to a band that plays a certain style of jazz, very popular in the 1930s and 40s. A very famous song by Duke Ellington was titled ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It Ain’t Got That Swing’. It refers to the ‘swinging’ musical style of these jazz bands.

 

'Swing of things'

    To keep up to date on new developments. To be aware of what’s happening. If you don’t stay in the swing of things, you might get left behind or seem out of touch.

    Example: "That band broke up three years ago, but Jane’s asking about their new album. She’s got to get into the swing of things!"

 

'Swing set'

    A piece of playground equipment with swinging seats hanging from a horizontal bar. Almost every school playground and park in America has some sort of swing set. In rural areas, children make their own swings by hanging old tires from trees.

    Example: "The children are outside. Lucy’s playing hopscotch and Tom is on the swing set."

 

'Swinger / swinging single'

    Popular slang in the 1960s. A ‘swinger’ was someone who enjoyed a wild lifestyle, and went to lots of parties. You’ll see this word in many movies and books about the 60s.

    Example: "Paul’s out late again, hitting the party scene. He’s such a swinger!"

     

'Spill the beans'

    To give away a secret or information, sometimes by mistake.

    Example: "We were planning a surprise party for our teacher, but Lisa spilt the beans." We also say "She let the cat out of the bag."

     

'Spill over'

    To spread into another area or category.

    Example: "The city is getting more crowded every year, and nearby suburbs are worried that the excess population will spill over to their towns."

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-T-

'Take it easy'

    This is a common piece of advice, used often when saying 'goodbye'. To 'take it easy' means to take life and its problems without feeling stressed - don't get too upset or stressed out. You can advise someone to 'take it easy' when they are headed home for the weekend.

    Example: 'You had a rough week at work. Just go home and take it easy this weekend!'

'Teacher's pet'

    This is the student who always has the right answer, who always volunteers to help with duties and who treats the teacher with extra politeness. We call this person the 'teacher's pet'. Teacher's pet has a negative connotation, since the other students tend to resent the teacher's pet and make fun of them. This is a popular idiom in elementary and high school.

    Example: "That Cecilia is such a teacher's pet! She brings an apple for Ms. Douglas everyday and always helps put the books away after reading time!" When you're in America, you probably don't want to be called a teacher's pet!

 

'The bomb'

    Very cool. Used to talk about a piece of music or track on an album.

    Example: "That last cut on the new Redman album is the bomb."

 

'Three strikes law'

    Many states, including California, have a law which states that if you are convicted of three minor crimes, you must serve a prison sentence instead of just paying a fine or suffering another punishment. This is known as the ‘three strikes’ law, which comes from the fact that in baseball ‘three strikes’ equals an ‘out’.

 

'Tourist trap'

    'Tourist trap' is a very negative expression. It refers to a place that tries to attract tourists and make them spend their money, even though the location is not very interesting. For example, some stores in a town might advertise that they are located in a 'historic village' even if no original buildings are historical sites still remain in the town. Tourist traps have the reputation of using misleading information in their ads. The stores will usually charge high prices for useless souvenirs or maybe offer 'tours' of historic sites. Example: 'I was looking foward to my visit to the 'Giant Polar Bear Town', but it turned out to be a tourist trap. The polar bears were just statues!' Beware of tourist traps when you travel!

 

'Trick or treat'

    This is the most famous Halloween expression. Children go door to door in their neighborhood on Halloween and ask neighbors for candy. They yell 'trick or treat' as they knock on the door of each house. The meaning is that if the children don't get any candy, they might play a trick on the neighbor.

     

'Turn over a new leaf'

    This is an appropriate idiom for the New Year, because it means to make a fresh start, or to try to develop new habits. The idiom comes from turning over the leafs, or pages, of a book. To 'turn over a new leaf' is to start on a fresh page. This idiom is often used in connection with someone who is trying to break a bad habit.

    Example: "Hector used to get into trouble with the principal, but he turned over a new leaf and now he's one of the best students in the school."

     

'That's news to me'

    This is a good response when someone tells you a new piece of information.

    Example:
    A: "Jill, did you know that Paula and Greg are getting married?"
    B: "That's news to me!"

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