IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW
1.
At
the head of the class – academic
superior of the class
2.
Head
and shoulders above – clearly superior
to someone or something
3.
A
head start – to start early
4.
Have
a good head on one’s shoulder – have
good sense or judgment
5.
Off
the top of one’s head – in an impromptu
way
6.
Put
one’s heads together – to think
something together to form an idea
7.
Use
one’s head – to think
8.
Make
one’s head spin – drive you insane
9.
Over
one’s head – beyond one’s understanding
or competence
10.
Scratch
one’s head – to think hard
11.
Head
over heels – to be in love with someone
very much
12.
Lose
one’s head – to lose control; not being
calm
13.
Out
of one’s head – in a wandering state
mentally
14.
Soft
in the head – stupid, witless
15.
Heads
will roll – people will get into severe
trouble
16.
Talk
someone’s head off - to scold or berate someone severely
17.
Laugh
someone’s head off - to laugh very hard and loudly
18.
Hard-headed
– a stubborn person
19.
Thick-headed
– a person who is stubborn and stupid at
the same time
20.
Hot-headed
– a person who is constantly mad or who
gets easily mad
21.
Cool-headed
- not easily excited or flustered
22.
Knucklehead
– a stupid person
23.
Bonehead
– a stupid person
24.
Sleepyhead
– a person who always lacks in sleep
25.
Pothead
– one who habitually smokes marijuana
26.
Head
off – to go somewhere
27.
Head
on – directly
28.
Head
in – to move in something head or first
29.
Turn
heads – people will notice
30.
Keep
one’s head above water – to retain
self-control
31.
At
the eleventh hour – the last possible
time
32.
In
the dead of the night – at midnight
33.
A
nightcap – an alcoholic drink taken
before bedtime
34.
A
night-bird – a person who is active late
at night
35.
On
the spur of the moment – without
premeditation
36.
One’s
Sunday best – in one’s best clothes
37.
To
do something at the last minute – to do something late
38.
It’s
all in day’s work – part of what is
expected
39.
To
have seen better days – be in a state of
decline
40.
To
call it a day – to quit work and go home
41.
To
fight tooth and nail – engage in vigorous
combat
42.
To
have the time of one’s life – a highly
pleasurable experience
43.
To
kill time – to waste time
44.
To
learn something by heart - to do something without thinking
45.
To
have one’s heart in one’s mouth – to
feel emotionally strong about something
46.
To
pull someone’s leg – to apply force into
something
47.
Not
to have a leg to stand on – to have no
support
48.
To
be on its last leg – to be final
49.
To
pay through the nose pay an excessive amount of something
50.
To
stick one’s neck out – to make oneself
vulnerable, to take risk
51.
To
give someone the cold shoulder - to behave unfriendly
52.
To
rub shoulders with someone – to
socialize closely
53.
To
toe the line – to follow or abide
54.
To
hold one’s tongue – to refrain someone
from speaking
55.
To
make a slip of the tongue – to try to
say something
56.
To
let one’s hair down – to be free
57.
To
escape by a hair’s breadth – to get away
from a small distance
58.
To
have one’s hands full – has too many
agendas
59.
To
be a handful – to be difficult to deal
with
60.
To
be an old hand – someone who is familiar
in doing the job
61.
To
get the upper hand of something – to get
the advantage of something
62.
To
say something off-hand – to say
something unplanned
63.
To
have a finger in the pie – to have an
interest or meddle with something
64.
To
keep one’s fingers crossed – to hope with
eagerness
65.
To
see eye to eye – to see on the same
level
66.
To
keep a straight face – not having a
definite expression
67.
Elbow
room – enough space to move about
68.
To
get something off one’s chest – to
unburden
69.
To
play music by ear – to play something
after listening for a few times
70.
To
be within earshot – close enough to hear
it
71.
To
pick someone’s brains – to get
information of something from someone
72.
A
bone of contention – the main point of
an argument
73.
To
have one’s back against the wall – in a
hard situation that is difficult to escape
74.
To
be up in arms – very angry
75.
To
break the back of something – to end the
domination
76.
To
see red - angry
77.
To
see the red light – to notice to stop
78.
To
catch someone red-handed – to get caught
79.
To
have green fingers – to have a talent in
growing plants
80.
To
turn grey – to become old
81.
To
see pink elephants – to see
hallucinations because of drunkenness
82.
To
feel blue – to feel sick
83.
To
be dressed in black – to mourn something
or someone
84.
To
beat someone black and blue – to beat
someone until they have bruises
85.
A
feather in one’s cap – an act or deed in
one’s credit
86.
A
wolf in sheep’s clothing – to deceive
87.
To
clip someone’s wings – restrain or
reduce someone’s freedom
88.
To
take the bull by the horns – to confront
a problem openly
89.
To
have butterflies in one’s stomach – to
feel nervous
90.
To
rain cats and dogs – to rain heavily
91.
To
count one’s chickens before they hatch – to
count one’s blessings before they’re gone
92.
To
have other fish to fry – other matters
to attend to
93.
To
go to the dogs – to go to ruin
94.
To
wait till the cows come home – to wait
patiently
95.
To
err on the safe side – to take a risk
96.
To
set the ball rolling – to go
97.
To
talk down to someone – to have a serious
talk
98.
To
clear the air – to clarify
99.
To
throw someone’s weight around – to boss
people around
100. A saving grace – to save someone or something from a total
disaster
101. To affect
ignorance (of something) – ignorance
within the individual’s control
102. To be
asking for trouble – wanting for trouble
103. To be
barking up the wrong tree – to misdirect one’s attention
104. To beat
the air – fight to no purpose
105. To blow
one’s own trumpet – to brag
106. It all
boils down to – to end
107. To buck
one’s ideas up – to summon one’s courage
108. To buckle
down to something – to settle for something with finality
109. To burn
one’s bridges – to make anything going back impossible
110. To burn a
hole in one’s pocket – spending money once they get it
111. To burn
the candle at both ends – extreme effort without time or rest
112. To burn
one’s fingers – harm oneself
113. To burn
the midnight’s oil – to work in the middle of the night
114. To butter
someone up – to ingratiate yourself with flattery
115. To buy a
pig in a poke – buying what you like but regretting in the end
116. To call
the tune – to decide what needs to be done
117. To catch
someone napping – to be unaware of danger or trouble
118. To catch
someone red-handed – to be caught in the act
119. To chop
and change – to keep changing what you want
120. To cross
the Rubicon – to commit something that inevitably commits one to follow
121. To curry
favor with someone – to make someone like you by pleasing them
122. To cut
one’s coat according to one’s cloth – to bring about one’s failure
123. To draw a
blank – to cease the line
124. To err on
the safe side – to take a risk
125. To feather
one’s nest – to decorate one’s home acc. to his lifestyle
126. To fish in
troubled waters – to involve in a difficult situation
127. To flog a
dead horse – to insist in talking about something that no one is interested in
128. To fly in
the face of someone – to challenge
129. To fly off
the handle – to loose one’s temper
130. To follow
the crowd – to do what everyone else is doing
131. To follow
in someone’s footsteps – to be next
132. To gild
the lily – engage in an wasteful activity
133. To hand
out bouquets – to give something plentiful
134. To handle
someone with kid gloves – to handle someone like a child
135. To harp on
the same string – to keep talking or complaining
136. To hear
something over the grape-vine – to hear news from someone who has heard it from
someone else
137. To hold
the olive branch – to say something to end the disagreement
138. To hit
below the belt – to deal someone with an unfair blow
139. To iron
out differences – to settle differences
140. To join
forces – to come together
141. To jump on
the bandwagon – to join others
142. To kill
two birds with one stone – getting lucky twice
143. To know
where the shoe pinches – to know the root of the trouble
144. To know
which side one’s bread is buttered – to know where one’s best interest lie
145. To lead a
charmed life – to have a satisfying life
146. To lead
someone a dance – to confuse them by deception
147. To lead
someone a dog’s life – to live a boring life
148. To lead
someone up the garden path – to deceive you
149. To leave
much to be desired – to be very unsatisfactory
150. Let
by-gones be by-gones – forgive someone for what he/she did in the past
151. To let
sleeping dogs lie – allow inactive problems to remain so
152. To let
something drop – to let a secret out
153. To let the
cat out of the bag – to reveal a secret
154. To let the
grass grow under one’s feet – to stand still
155. To meet
one’s Waterloo – to let a tragedy happen
156. To meet
someone half-way – to meet someone in a certain destination
157. To mend one’s
ways – to change his/her attitude
158. To mince
one’s words – to soften the effect of the words
159. To mind
one’s p’s and q’s – to practice good manners
160. To move
heaven and earth – exert the utmost effort
161. To nip
something in the bud – to stop something before it goes larger
162. To pat
someone on the back – to congratulate him
163. To pocket
one’s pride – to settle differences
164. To pour
oil on troubled waters – to calm someone down
165. To rain
cats and dogs – to rain heavily
166. To rest on
one’s laurels – to rely on past achievements instead on working someone’s
reputation
167. To ring a
bell – to remind something
168. To rise to
the occasion – to meet the challenge of an event
169. To rob
Peter to pay Paul – to use one’s funds to pay debts
170. To roll
one’s sleeves up – to prepare to get to work
171. To throw
in the towel – to give up
172. To tighten
one’s belt – to be strict
173. To wash
one’s dirty linen in public – to talk to people about things that should be
kept private
174. To weather
the storm – to settle differences
175. To whistle
for the wind – to influence someone that cannot be changed
176. To make
one’s feet wet – to start a new job
177. To stick
one’s neck out – to look out for another person
178. To stretch
a point – to tell your idea
179. To smell a
rat – to suspect that something is wrong
180. To speak
volume – to talk louder
181. To steal
someone’s thunder – to get attention
182. To spill
the beans – to reveal a secret
183. To split
hairs – to make petty distinctions
184. To stick
around – to remain in a place
185. To run in
the blood – be characteristic of a family that is passed
186. To be six
feet under – to be buried
187. To die by
one’s own hand – to commit suicide
188. To come to
an untimely death – to come to a sudden passing
189. To be on
piece-work – to settle in a negotiation
190. To cook
someone’s goose – to damage or ruin someone
191. Straight
from the horse’s mouth – from a dependable source
192. To hold
one’s horses – to slow down, be patient
193. To look a
gift-horse in the mouth – to be ungrateful for someone who gives you something
194. The lion’s
share – the greater part of something
195. The
leopard can’t change its spots – the person cannot change
196. To put the
cat among the pigeons – to say something that causes people to be angry
197. To have a
bee in one’s bonnet – to keep talking about something that is important to you
198. To take
the bull by the horns – to confront a problem
199. To have
other fish to fry – other matters to attend to
200. To keep
the wolf from the door - To
avoid the privation
and suffering resulting
from a lack of money
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