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Fish, Insects, Reptiles​

as busy as a bee


- very busy
I was as busy as a bee all weekend.

as calm as a toad in the sun


- very calm and content
The girl was as calm as a toad in the sun during the speech contest.

as crazy as a bedbug


- crazy
My neighbor is as crazy as a bedbug.

as full/tight as a tick


- very full of food or drink
I was as full as a tick after the large meal at the restaurant.

as gaudy as a butterfly


- gaudy, colorful
The woman was as gaudy as a butterfly when she left for the concert.

as happy as a clam


- happy and content
The little girl was as happy as a clam while she played with her toys.

as mad as a hornet


- very angry, in a fighting mood
Our boss was as mad as a hornet when he came to work this morning.

as merry as a cricket


- cheerful
I felt as merry as a cricket as I waited for my friend to arrive at the airport.

as red as a lobster


- very red
The girl was as red as a lobster after sitting in the sun all day.

as slippery as an eel


- undependable, devious, cannot be trusted
That sales person is as slippery as an eel and you should be careful when you talk to him.

as snug as a bug in a rug


- cozy and snug
The children were as snug as a bug in a rug as they read a book in the big bed.

as ugly as a toad


- very ugly
The man was as ugly as a toad.

big fish in a small pond


- an important person in a small place
The man was not so important in the city but in the small town he was a big fish in a small pond.

birds and bees


- the facts about *** and birth
The woman told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.

bitten by (some kind of) bug


- to become interested and excited about a particular activity and want to start doing it
The man has been bitten by a gold bug and he only thinks about gold.

blue around the gills


- to be looking sick
I was looking blue around the gills during my illness.

bug-eyed


- to be wide-eyed with surprise
The little boy was bug-eyed when he got a new bicycle for his birthday.

bug (someone)


- to annoy or irritate someone
My friend is beginning to bug me with his endless questions.

clam up


- to stop talking, to refuse to talk (like a clam closes its shell)
I had to clam up during the meeting so my boss would not become angry with me.

cold fish


- a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others
The man is a cold fish and he has very few friends.

cry crocodile tears


- to have a show of sorrow that is not sincere, to pretend that one is crying
The boy was asked to apologize for his wrongdoing but he only cried crocodile tears which were not sincere.

drink like a fish


- to drink alcohol to excessive amounts
The man drank like a fish at the party and he had to go home by taxi.

a fine kettle of fish


- a situation that is not satisfactory, a mess
"This is a fine kettle of fish. I am going to be late for the meeting."

fish for a compliment


- to try to get someone to say something nice about you
The man is fishing for a compliment about his new Italian suit.

fish for (something)


- to try to get information from someone
The lawyer was fishing for information from the woman.

fish in troubled waters


- to involve oneself in a difficult or confused or dangerous situation in order to get something
The woman was fishing in troubled waters when she began to ask questions about the crime.

fish or cut bait


- to either do what you are supposed to do or quit and let someone else do it
It was time to fish or cut bait so I decided to let someone else handle the problem.

a fish out of water


- someone who does not fit in, an uncomfortable or awkward feeling
The woman felt like a fish out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while everyone else was wearing jeans.

fishy


- to be suspicious or unlikely
"Something is fishy with these numbers. There are too many people on this list."

flea in (someone`s) ear


- an idea or answer that is not welcome
I put a flea in my supervisor's ear when I told him about the computer problem.

flea market


- a place where antiques and secondhand goods and other cheap items are sold
We go to the flea market every weekend to look for old photographs.

fly in the ointment


- something small that spoils one`s fun
The complaints about the food were a fly in the ointment that gave everyone a bad feeling about the gathering.

go on a fishing expe***ion


- to attempt to discover information
The lawyer went on a fishing expe***ion to try and discover the facts of the case.

green around the gills


- to be looking sick
The girl looked green around the gills when she left the nurse's office.

have a bee in one`s bonnet


- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
My friend has a bee in her bonnet and she will not stop talking about moving to a new apartment.

have a frog in one's throat


- to get a tickle or soreness in one's throat which makes it difficult to speak until you cough and clear your throat
I had a frog in my throat and it was difficult to talk on the telephone.

have ants in one`s pants


- to be nervous and restless
The teacher asked the little boy if he had ants in his pants when the boy kept moving around in his seat.

have butterflies in one`s stomach


- to have a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
I had butterflies in my stomach when I received the award.

have other/bigger fish to fry


- to have other more important things to do, to have other opportunities
I have other fish to fry and I do not plan to spend any more time talking about my friend's problems.

hive of activity


- somewhere where things are very busy (like the activity around a beehive)
The wedding hall was a hive of activity as everyone got ready for the wedding.

Holy mackeral!


- an expression used to express a strong feeling of surprise
"Holy mackeral! Look at the size of that motorcycle."

knee-high to a grasshopper


- to be very young, to be short and small (like a child)
I have been playing the piano since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

like shooting fish in a barrel


- one side in a competition is so weak that they have no chance of winning
The contest was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was very easy to win.

live in a fish bowl


- to live where many people know about your life and personal business
The small town was like living in a fish bowl. Everybody knew what I was doing.

louse up


- to make a mess of something, to spoil something
"Please try not to louse up the printer again. It was working fine this morning."

make a beeline for (someone or something)


- to go straight toward someone or something (like bees when they fly in a straight line)
Whenever my friend goes to a football game he makes a beeline for the food stand.

neither fish nor fowl


- something that does not belong to a definite group or category
I do not know what you should call the strange food. It is neither fish nor fowl.

no flies on (someone)


- very fast or busy (too fast or busy for a fly to stay on someone)
There are no flies on my friend. He is always moving or going somewhere.

none of (someone's) beeswax


- none of someone's business
It was none of my beeswax so I did not ask my friend about his problems.

not hurt a flea


- to not hurt anything or anyone (not even a small insect like a flea)
Our dog is very gentle and he will not hurt a flea.

open up a can of worms


- to create unnecessary complications or problems
The company opened up a can of worms when they decided to talk about the union contract.

packed in like sardines


- packed very tightly, very crowded
We were packed in like sardines during the morning commute in the train.

pale around the gills


- to be looking sick
The man looked pale around the gills when he left the boat.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear (about something)


- to give someone a hint or an idea about something
My friend put a bug in my ear about going to France and I cannot stop thinking about it.

put (something) in mothballs


- to put something into storage
The government put the old navy ship in mothballs.

red herring


- some information or a suggestion that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation (orginally used as a strong fish smell from a smoked fish that was used to confuse hunting dogs when they were hunting and following something)
The tax issue was a red herring and it is not what the news reporters wanted the government to talk about.

rise to the bait


- to be attracted by some kind of bait (just as a fish is attracted to bait)
The politician would not rise to the bait and argue with the news reporter.

a shark


- a ruthless or dishonest person
"The salesman is a shark. Don't do business with him."

shed crocodile tears


- to have a show of sorrow that is not sincere, to pretend that one is crying
The politician was shedding crocodile tears but nobody believed him.

small fry


- unimportant people, children (small fry are young newly-hatched fish)
The police were only able to catch some of the small fry in the organized crime gang.

snail`s pace


- very slowly
We went away for the weekend but the cars were moving at a snail`s pace when we came home on Sunday.

snake in the grass


- a low and dishonest person
The man is a snake in the grass and nobody likes him.

snake oil salesman


- someone who tries to sell you something that does not work
The carpet seller is like a snake oil salesman. His carpets are no good at all.

stir up a hornet`s nest


- to make people angry, to create trouble or difficulties
I stirred up a hornet`s nest when I went to the meeting and started talking about the work schedule.

swallow (something) hook, line and sinker


- to believe something completely, to be tricked by something
The teacher swallowed the student's excuse hook, line and sinker.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea


- there are other choices, there are other people to choose from
There are plenty of other fish in the sea and when my sister lost her boyfriend she did not worry too much.

turn turtle


- to turn upside down
The car went off the road in the storm and turned turtle.

a whale of (something)


- an exceptionally good or large something
Everybody had a whale of a time at the birthday party.

world is one`s oyster


- someone can get anything that he or she wants, someone will have great opportunities
"When you graduate from university the world will be your oyster so don`t worry about the future."

worm one's way out of (something)


- to squeeze or wiggle out of a problem or a responsibility
My friend was able to worm her way out of her problems at work.

Bee Idioms​

as busy as a bee


- very busy
I was as busy as a bee all weekend.

birds and bees


- the facts about *** and birth
The woman told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.

have a bee in one`s bonnet


- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
My friend has a bee in her bonnet and she will not stop talking about moving to a new apartment.

hive of activity


- somewhere where things are very busy (like the activity around a beehive)
The wedding hall was a hive of activity as everyone got ready for the wedding.

make a beeline for (someone or something)


- to go straight toward someone or something (like bees when they fly in a straight line)
Whenever my friend goes to a football game he makes a beeline for the food stand.

none of (someone's) beeswax


- none of someone's business
It was none of my beeswax so I did not ask my friend about his problems.

Bug Idioms​

as crazy as a bedbug


- crazy
My neighbor is as crazy as a bedbug.

as snug as a bug in a rug


- cozy and snug
The children were as snug as a bug in a rug as they read a book in the big bed.

bitten by (some kind of) bug


- to become interested and excited about a particular activity and want to start doing it
The man has been bitten by a gold bug and he only thinks about gold.

bug-eyed


- to be wide-eyed with surprise
The little boy was bug-eyed when he got a new bicycle for his birthday.

bug (someone)


- to annoy or irritate someone
My friend is beginning to bug me with his endless questions.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear (about something)


- to give someone a hint or an idea about something
My friend put a bug in my ear about going to France and I cannot stop thinking about it.

Butterfly Idioms​

as gaudy as a butterfly


- gaudy, colorful
The woman was as gaudy as a butterfly when she left for the concert.

have butterflies in one`s stomach


- to have a feeling of fear or anxiety in one's stomach
I had butterflies in my stomach when I received the award.

Fish Idioms​

big fish in a small pond


- an important person in a small place
The man was not so important in the city but in the small town he was a big fish in a small pond.

blue around the gills


- to be looking sick
I was looking blue around the gills during my illness.

cold fish


- a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others
The man is a cold fish and he has very few friends.

drink like a fish


- to drink alcohol to excessive amounts
The man drank like a fish at the party and he had to go home by taxi.

a fine kettle of fish


- a situation that is not satisfactory, a mess
"This is a fine kettle of fish. I am going to be late for the meeting."

fish for a compliment


- to try to get someone to say something nice about you
The man is fishing for a compliment about his new Italian suit.

fish for (something)


- to try to get information from someone
The lawyer was fishing for information from the woman.

fish in troubled waters


- to involve oneself in a difficult or confused or dangerous situation in order to get something
The woman was fishing in troubled waters when she began to ask questions about the crime.

fish or cut bait


- to either do what you are supposed to do or quit and let someone else do it
It was time to fish or cut bait so I decided to let someone else handle the problem.

a fish out of water


- someone who does not fit in, an uncomfortable or awkward feeling
The woman felt like a fish out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while everyone else was wearing jeans.

fishy


- to be suspicious or unlikely
"Something is fishy with these numbers. There are too many people on this list."

go on a fishing expe***ion


- to attempt to discover information
The lawyer went on a fishing expe***ion to try and discover the facts of the case.

green around the gills


- to be looking sick
The girl looked green around the gills when she left the nurse's office.

have other/bigger fish to fry


- to have other more important things to do, to have other opportunities
I have other fish to fry and I do not plan to spend any more time talking about my friend's problems.

Holy mackeral!


- an expression used to express a strong feeling of surprise
"Holy mackeral! Look at the size of that motorcycle."

like shooting fish in a barrel


- one side in a competition is so weak that they have no chance of winning
The contest was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was very easy to win.

live in a fish bowl


- to live where many people know about your life and personal business
The small town was like living in a fish bowl. Everybody knew what I was doing.

neither fish nor fowl


- something that does not belong to a definite group or category
I do not know what you should call the strange food. It is neither fish nor fowl.

packed in like sardines


- packed very tightly, very crowded
We were packed in like sardines during the morning commute in the train.

pale around the gills


- to be looking sick
The man looked pale around the gills when he left the boat.

red herring


- some information or a suggestion that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation (orginally used as a strong fish smell from a smoked fish that was used to confuse hunting dogs when they were hunting and following something)
The tax issue was a red herring and it is not what the news reporters wanted the government to talk about.

a shark


- a ruthless or dishonest person
"The salesman is a shark. Don't do business with him."

small fry


- unimportant people, children (small fry are young newly-hatched fish)
The police were only able to catch some of the small fry in the organized crime gang.

there are plenty of other fish in the sea


- there are other choices, there are other people to choose from
There are plenty of other fish in the sea and when my sister lost her boyfriend she did not worry too much.

Flea Idioms​

flea in (someone`s) ear


- an idea or answer that is not welcome
I put a flea in my supervisor's ear when I told him about the computer problem.

flea market


- a place where antiques and secondhand goods and other cheap items are sold
We go to the flea market every weekend to look for old photographs.

not hurt a flea


- to not hurt anything or anyone (not even a small insect like a flea)
Our dog is very gentle and he will not hurt a flea.

Frog/Toad Idioms​

as calm as a toad in the sun


- very calm and content
The girl was as calm as a toad in the sun during the speech contest.

as ugly as a toad


- very ugly
The man was as ugly as a toad.

have a frog in one's throat


- to get a tickle or soreness in one's throat which makes it difficult to speak until you cough and clear your throat
I had a frog in my throat and it was difficult to talk on the telephone.

Food​

acquire a taste for (something)


- to develop a liking for some kind of food or drink or something else
My friend has recently acquired a taste for classical music.

apple of (someone`s) eye


- someone or something that one likes a lot or likes more than others
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather`s eye.

as black as a skillet


- very black
The little boy's feet were as black as a skillet.

as busy as popcorn on a skillet


- very active
The children were as busy as popcorn on a skillet when the teacher entered the classroom.

as cool as a cucumber


- to be calm, to be not nervous or anxious
The man is as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything.

as easy as apple pie


- very easy
The test that I wrote yesterday was as easy as apple pie.

as easy as duck soup


- very easy
It was as easy as duck soup to find the book that I wanted in the library.

as flat as a pancake


- very flat
The child's toy was as flat as a pancake after the car drove over it.

as hungry as a bear


- very hungry
I was as hungry as a bear when I returned home from work yesterday.

as nutty as a fruitcake


- silly, crazy
The man in the supermarket was as nutty as a fruitcake.

as red as a cherry


- bright red
My new sweater is as red as a cherry.

as slow as molasses in January


- very slow
The little boy is as slow as molasses in January and he never gets his work finished on time.

as sour as vinegar


- sour and disagreeable
The old man next door is as sour as vinegar.

as sweet as honey/sugar


- very sweet
The librarian is as sweet as honey and everybody loves her.

as thick as pea soup


- very thick (can be used with fog as well as with liquids)
The fog was as thick as pea soup along the beach.

as warm as toast


- very warm and cozy
Our house was as warm as toast when we came in from the rain.

at one sitting


- at one time, during one period
We ate most of the cake at one sitting.

back to the salt mines


- to go back to work (this is a humorous expression to express going back to unpleasant work)
"Lunch is over so let`s go back to the salt mines for the afternoon."

bad apple


- a bad person
The boy is a bad apple and he is always in some kind of trouble.

bad egg


- a bad person
My neighbor is a bad egg and you should avoid him.

bear fruit


- to yield or give results
The woman's hard work at her business finally began to bear fruit when she started to make money.

best bib and tucker


- one's best clothes
I wore my best bib and tucker for the wedding reception.

big cheese


- an important person, a leader
My uncle is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him.

big enchilada


- the biggest and most important thing or person
The new accounting manager is the big enchilada in our company.

binge and purge


- to overeat and then to vomit
The young woman had eating problems. She would often binge and purge her food.

bite off more than one can chew


- to try to do or eat more than you can manage
I bit off more than I can chew when I began to work in the evening.

bite the hand that feeds one


- to harm someone who does good things for you
I do not want to make my company angry because I do not want to bite the hand that feeds me.

bitter pill to swallow


- something unpleasant that one must accept
It was a bitter pill to swallow when I learned that I would not get the new job.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth


- to be born to a wealthy family with many advantages
The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he never has to work very hard.

Bottoms up!


- everybody should drink now (this expression is used at the end of a drinking toast)
"Bottoms up," our host said at the beginning of the dinner.

bread and butter


- one's income or job that is used to buy the basic needs of life like food or shelter or clothing
Most people are worried about bread-and-butter issues like jobs and taxes.

bread and water


- the most basic meal that is possible (like you would get in prison)
The prisoners were fed bread and water for several days last winter.

bring home the bacon


- to earn your family`s living
Recently, I have been working hard to bring home the bacon.

burn (something) to a crisp


- to burn something very badly
I burned the eggs to a crisp while I was talking on the telephone.

butter (someone) up or butter up (someone)


- to flatter someone in order to get his or her favor or friendship
The man spends much time trying to butter up his boss so that he will not have to work so hard.

buy a lemon


- to buy something that is worthless or does not work well
The used car that I bought is not very good. I think that I bought a lemon.

can't stomach (someone or something)


- to dislike or hate someone or something
I cannot stomach the idea of meeting my old girlfriend.

carrot and stick


- the reward for someone to do what you want or the punishment if they do not do what you want
The government took a carrot-and-stick approach to remove the people who were protesting against the construction of the dam.

cheese (someone) off or cheese off (someone)


- to annoy or irritate or anger someone
I cheesed off my neighbor when I borrowed his ladder without telling him.

cheesed off


- to be annoyed
I was cheesed off that I would not be able to go away for the weekend.

chew the fat with (someone)


- to chat with someone
We stayed up late last night chewing the fat about our university days.

chips and dip


- potato chips and something to dip them into before eating them
We bought some chips and dip for the party.

clear the table


- to remove the dishes and other eating utensils from a table after eating
We had to clear the table before we could eat our dessert.

coffee break


- a break from work to rest and drink coffee or tea
We usually have a coffee break every morning at 10 o`clock.

Come and get it!


- Dinner is ready. Come and eat.
"Come and get it," my mother called after she made dinner.

compare apples and oranges


- to compare two things that are not similar and should not be compared
It was like comparing apples and oranges when we compared our new boss to our old boss.

cook (someone's) goose


- to damage or ruin someone
I think that I cooked my goose when I made a mistake at work today.

cook (something) to perfection


- to cook something perfectly
The chef always cooks the food to perfection at his small restaurant.

cook (something) up or cook up (something)


- to cook something, to make some kind of plan
I plan to cook up some fish tonight.
I do not know what my girlfriend is cooking up for the weekend but we will probably do something interesting.

couch potato


- someone who spends a lot of time on a couch watching television
My cousin is a couch potato and he never wants to leave his house.

cream of the crop


- the best of a group, the top choice
Our company is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates.

a cream puff


- a person who is easily influenced or beaten
The boy is a cream puff and is always a victim of other people's insults.

cry over spilled/spilt milk


- to cry or complain about something that has already happened
You should not cry over spilled milk. The past is past and you cannot change it.
(not one's) cup of tea


- something that one does not enjoy or do well (usually used in the negative)
Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening.
cut the mustard


- *****cceed, to do adequately what needs to be done
The young man was not able to cut the mustard and he had to leave the army after only one year.

dine out


- to eat a meal at a restaurant
I love to dine out at good restaurants.

done to a T


- to be cooked just right (just as one would cook a steak perfectly)
The steaks were done to a T when my friend cooked them on the barbecue.

done to a turn


- to be cooked just right (just as one would cook a steak perfectly)
Everything was done to a turn at the party.

down the hatch


- swallow something (used for a drink)
My drink was down the hatch before I could order another one.

drop (someone or something) like a hot potato


- *****ddenly stop being involved with someone or with something (usually because you are having problems and do not like him/her/it)
The advertisers dropped the basketball star like a hot potato when he became involved in a scandal.

duck soup


- a task that does not require much effort
"It was like duck soup. I easily finished my school project last night."

eat and run


- to eat a meal and then quickly leave
I had to eat and run in order to be on time for my evening class.

eat crow


- to admit that one is mistaken or defeated, to take back a mistaken statement
I was forced to eat crow and apologize for the things that I said about my coworker.

eat dirt


- to act humble, to accept another person's insults or bad treatment
We made the boy eat dirt after he accused us of lying.

eat high on/off the hog


- to eat expensive and high quality food
My uncle has been eating high on the hog since he got his new job.

eat humble pie


- to be humbled, to admit one`s error and apologize
Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after he made the wrong budget estimate for next year.

eat like a bird


- to eat only a small amount of food
The girl eats like a bird and is very slim.

eat like a horse


- to eat a large amount of food
I usually eat like a horse after I work hard all day.

eat one`s cake and have it too


- to use or spend something and still keep it, to have something both ways
The man refuses to give up anything and he always wants to eat his cake and have it too.

eat one's heart out


- to be envious of someone or something
I ate my heart out when I saw my friend's new bicycle.

eat one`s words


- to take back something that one has said, to admit that something is not true
I told my boss that I would soon quit my job but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.

eat out


- to eat a meal in a restaurant
My aunt and uncle eat out often at nice restaurants.

eat out of (someone's) hands


- to do what someone else wants
The young secretary is eating out of the manager's hands.

eat (someone) for breakfast


- to defeat someone easily
The young wrestler was able to eat the older wrestler for breakfast.

eat (someone) out of house and home


- to eat a lot of food in someone's house
The young boy is eating his parents out of house and home.

eat up (something) or eat (something) up


- to enjoy or absorb or appreciate something
The students were eating up the comments by their professor.

eat up (something) or eat (something) up


- to eat everything on your plate
I ate up all my dinner and began my homework.

egg (someone) on or egg on (someone)


- to encourage someone to do something (often something bad or wrong or dangerous)
The boys egged their friend on to jump into the water.

either feast or famine


- either too much or not enough of something
I usually have too much free time or too little free time. It is either feast or famine.

everything from soup to nuts


- almost everything that one can think of
We brought everything from soup to nuts for our weekend holiday.

eyes are bigger than one's stomach


- the amount of food that one takes is greater than what one could possibly eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach and I took too much food at the buffet dinner.

fat is in the fire


- a situation is bad or a person has serious problems
The fat is in the fire and the deadline is fast approaching for my final exams.

feed one's face


- to eat
I stopped at a small restaurant after the game to feed my face.

fine kettle of fish


- a mess, an unsatisfactory situation
It was a fine kettle of fish for me when I lost the keys to my apartment.

food for thought


- something to think about, something that provides mental stimulation
The advice from the bank manager was food for thought when I made my financial plan.
for peanuts


- for very little money, for almost nothing
I was able to buy a used computer for peanuts.

forbidden fruit


- something that one finds attractive partly because it is illegal or immoral or prohibited
Entering the old building was forbidden fruit for the young boys.

fruits of one's labor


- the results of one's work
My father is retired now and is enjoying the fruits of his labor.

full of beans


- feeling energetic, in high spirits
My aunt is full of beans tonight and she does not want to stop talking.

get oneself into a stew over (someone or something)


- to be worried or upset about someone or something
I try not to get myself into a stew over the rude remarks of my supervisor.

go bananas


- to become highly excited, to behave in a crazy way
The girl went bananas when her boyfriend forgot to buy her a birthday present.

go beet-red


- to become red in the face because you are embarrassed
I went beet-red when my friend told me the story.

go on a binge


- to eat or do too much of something
My friend went on a binge and ate too much chocolate.

good egg


- a good person
The man is a good egg. Everybody likes him a lot.

(one's) goose is cooked


- one has been discovered to have done something wrong and is now in trouble, one is finished, one's chances are ruined
I told a lie to my company. Now my goose is cooked and I am in much trouble.

grab a bite to eat


- to eat something (usually quickly)
I will grab a bite to eat after the game today.

gravy train


- a job or some work that pays more than it is worth
The job was a gravy train and I earned much money there.

greatest thing since sliced bread


- the greatest thing that there has ever been
My mother believes that the microwave oven is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

grist for the mill


- something that can be used to bring advantage or profit
The information that we got on the Internet was grist for the mill of our company's operations.

half a loaf is better than none


- having part of something is better than having nothing at all
Half a loaf is better than none and I would rather work part-time than have no job at all.

half-baked


- to be not thought about or studied carefully
Our friend has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.

hand (something) to (someone) on a silver platter


- to give a person something that has not been earned
The father handed everything to the boy on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.

hard nut to crack


- a difficult person or thing to deal with or get to know
My friend is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack.

have a lot on one's plate


- to have many things to do or deal with, to be busy with many different activities
I have a lot on my plate this week and I am very busy.

have a pick-me-up


- to eat or drink something stimulating
I wanted to have a pick-me-up so I stopped for a coffee.

have a sweet tooth


- to have a desire to eat sweet foods
I have a sweet tooth and I love chocolate.

have a taste for (something)


- to have a desire for a food or drink or something
The opera singer has a taste for classical music.

have bigger fish to fry


- to have more important things to do
I have bigger fish to fry and I do not want to do extra work for my company.

have egg on one`s face


- to be embarrassed (because of an obvious error)
The man has egg on his face now that he has admitted that he was wrong about his boss.

have one's cake and eat it too


- to use or spend something and still keep it, to have something both ways
I wanted to have my cake and eat it too when I wanted more holidays and more responsibility at work.

have one's finger in the pie


- to be involved in something
The man has his finger in the pie of many things at his workplace.

have one's finger in too many pies


- to be involved in too many things so that you cannot do any of them well
Our supervisor has her finger in too many pies and she cannot do her job well.

Here's mud in your eye!


- Drink up! (a drinking toast)
"Here's mud in your eye," I said as we drank a toast to my new job.

hit the sauce


- to drink alcohol regularly
I think that my neighbor began to hit the sauce after her husband lost his job.

hot potato


- a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle
The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a hot potato for the town council.

icing on the cake


- something that makes a good situation or activity even better
I found a good job and the fact that I can work where I want is the icing on the cake.

in a nutshell


- briefly, in a few words
We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell about the plans for our company.

in a pickle


- in trouble, in a mess
The boy was in a pickle when he lost the keys to the school cupboard.

in a stew about/over (someone or something)


- to be worried or upset about someone or something
My father is in a stew over the fact that his printer ink has not arrived.

in one's salad days


- in one's youth
My aunt was a beautiful woman in her salad days.

in the soup


- in serious trouble, in a bad situation
The woman is in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping.

kill the fatted calf


- to prepare an elaborate banquet in honor of someone
We killed the fatted calf for my cousin after she returned from her trip abroad.

know which side one's bread is buttered


- to know what is good or advantageous for you
My aunt knows which side her bread is buttered when she visits her sister.

lay an egg


- to give a bad performance of something
The singer laid an egg during her concert last evening.

life is a bowl of cherries


- only good things happen in life
Ever since my father retired from his job he believes that life is a bowl of cherries.

like taking candy from a baby


- very easy to do
I asked the department store to refund the money for my goods and they agreed. It was like taking candy from a baby.

like two peas in a pod


- very close or intimate with someone
The sisters are like two peas in a pod and they do everything together.

live high off/on the hog


- to live well and eat good food
The woman lives high on the hog when she goes away on a business trip.

live off the fat of the land


- to grow one's own food, to live on the resources of the land
The family lives off the fat of the land on their small farm.

make a meal of (something)


- to eat something, to eat one main dish or food as an entire meal
We made a meal of the fish that we caught in the lake.

make hamburger out of (someone or something)


- to beat up or destroy someone or something
The big dog made hamburger out of the small dog.

make mincemeat out of (someone or something)


- to beat up or destroy someone or something
The older boxer made mincemeat out of the young boxer.

make one`s mouth water


- to make someone hungry, to make someone want to eat or drink something
The restaurant is wonderful and when I see the menu it makes my mouth water.

make (someone) eat crow


- to cause someone to admit an error or retract a statement
We made our boss eat crow when we discovered the mistake that he made with our work schedule.

meal ticket


- a thing or person that someone uses to get the money that they need to live
The woman's nursing degree is her meal ticket to a flexible and good life.

meat and potatoes


- basic simple and good food, simple tastes
The man is a meat-and-potatoes person who enjoys the simple pleasures of life.

melt in one's mouth


- to taste very good
The pastry melted in my mouth.

milk of human kindness


- the natural kindness and sympathy that is shown to others
The woman at the community center is full of the milk of human kindness.

milk (someone) for (something)


- to pressure someone into giving information or money
The man was trying to milk the elderly lady for much of her money.

neither fish nor fowl


- not in any recognizable category
I could not decide what the animal was. It was neither fish nor fowl.

not for all the tea in China


- not for anything
I will not for all the tea in China lend my friend any more money.

not know beans about (someone or something)


- to know nothing about someone or something
I do not know beans about repairing a car.

not worth a hill of beans


- worthless
The man is a liar and what he says is not worth a hill of beans.

on a diet


- to be trying to lose weight by eating less food
I have been on a diet for two months now.

one man's meat is another man's poison


- something that one person likes may be disliked by someone else
One man's meat is another man's poison and while my friend hates coffee, I love it.

out of the frying pan and into the fire


- to go from something bad to something worse
The woman jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when she quit her job. Now her problems are much worse.
out to lunch


- to be crazy, to be uninformed
The woman is out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you.

out to lunch


- to be eating lunch away from one's work
The bank manager was out to lunch when I went to meet him.

packed in like sardines


- to be packed in very tightly
The commuters were packed in like sardines in the subway car.

pie in the sky


- an idea or plan that you think will never happen
My cousin's plans are usually pie in the sky and will never happen.

piece of cake


- a task that is easily accomplished
The job was a piece of cake. I finished before lunch.

polish the apple


- to flatter someone
Nobody likes the girl because she is always polishing the apple with her teacher.

put all one's eggs in one basket


- to risk everything at once
I do not want to put all my eggs in one basket and only invest money in real estate.

put on the feed bag


- to eat a meal (like a horse would)
We put on the feed bag immediately after we got home.

put on weight or put weight on


- to gain weight
The basketball player is putting on weight.

rotten apple


- a bad person
Sometimes there is one person who is a rotten apple in a group of people.

rotten to the core


- to be completely worthless (like a rotten apple)
The political organization was rotten to the core and everybody knew that it must change.

rub salt in (someone's) wound


- to try to make someone's unhappiness or misfortune worse
I did not mention the car accident to my friend because I did not want to rub salt in his wound.

salt of the earth


- good/basic/honest/ordinary people
Our new neighbors are the salt of the earth. They are good, basic, honest people.

salt (something) away or salt away (something)


- to save or gather money or some other item
I am salting away much money from my new job.

save (someone's) bacon


- to help someone from failing or having trouble
My friend saved my bacon when he helped me with the job that I could not do.

sell like hotcakes


- to sell quickly or easily
The new CD is selling like hotcakes.

sink one's teeth into (something)


- to take a bite of some kind of food, to get really involved in something
I am trying hard to sink my teeth into the project at work.

slice of the cake/pie


- a share of something (money etc.)
The government wants a slice of the cake from the new casinos.

small potatoes


- something that is not very big or important compared with other things or people
The amount of money for the stadium is small potatoes compared to the total cost of the Olympics.

so clean you can eat off the floor


- very clean
My mother's kitchen is so clean that you can eat off the floor.

soup up (something) or soup (something) up


- to make something faster or more powerful by changing or adding something (this expression is often used for a car)
My neighbor decided to soup up his car.

spill the beans


- to tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it
"Please do not spill the beans about my plans to return to school next year."

spoon-feed (someone)


- to help someone too much when you are trying to teach him or her something
We had to spoon-feed the new employee who we were teaching about the new computer system.

square meal


- a good filling meal
I was very busy at work last week and I did not have time for a square meal until Saturday.

stew in one`s own juice


- *****ffer from something that you yourself have caused to happen
The man caused the problem for himself and he must now stew in his own juice.

stick to one's ribs


- to last a long time and to fill one up (used for food)
The meal that my grandmother made stuck to my ribs.

take (something) with a grain of salt


- to not take something that someone has said seriously
"You should take everything that the supervisor says with a grain of salt because he likes to exaggerate things."

take the cake


- to be the best or worst of something
The behavior of the young girl takes the cake. It is terrible.

teach one's grandmother *****ck eggs


- to try to tell someone who has more knowledge than you how to do something
I tried to teach my friend about computers but he is a computer expert. It was like teaching my grandmother *****ck eggs.

teething problems


- difficulties or problems that happen in the early stages of a project or activity
The new project which we were trying to start had many teething problems.

that's the way the cookie crumbles


- that's life, those things happen
That's the way the cookie crumbles, I thought when I learned that I would not get the new job.

there is no such thing as a free lunch


- you cannot get something without working for it or paying for it
There is no such thing as a free lunch and you must work hard if you want to get something in life.

too many cooks spoil the broth/stew


- too many people trying to do something will cause problems
Too many cooks spoil the broth and having too many people work on the project was making it difficult to do anything.

top banana


- the person who is the boss or the top person in a group or organization
The famous actor in the movie was the top banana in the story.

toss a salad


- to mix a salad with the dressing
I quickly tossed a salad and we ate dinner.

tub of lard


- a fat person
The young boys always call the fat boy a tub of lard.

tuck into (something)


- to eat something with energy and enjoyment
We tucked into our dinner when we sat down at the table.

turn beet-red


- to become red in the face because you are embarrassed
The girl turned beet-red when her friend asked about her boyfriend.

upset the applecart


- to ruin a plan or event by a surprise or accident
Everything was going well at the picnic until my former boyfriend arrived and upset the applecart.

variety is the spice of life


- differences and changes make life interesting
Variety is the spice of life and I enjoy doing many different things.

walk on eggshells/eggs


- to be very cautious and careful around someone so that he or she does not become angry
I must walk on eggshells when I ask my boss a question.

what's good/sauce for the goose is good/sauce for the gander


- what is good for one person should be good for another person as well
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander and you should not ask your child to do something if you will not do it yourself."

whet (someone's) appetite


- to cause someone to be interested in something and want to learn more about it
The introduction to playing a musical instrument helped to whet my appetite to learn more about music.

whole enchilada


- everything, all of something
I decided to buy the whole enchilada when I saw the set of dishes and kitchen goods.

wine and dine (someone)


- to treat someone to an expensive meal, to entertain someone in a lavish manner
My uncle often has to wine and dine his important business clients.

worth one`s salt


- to be a good worker, to be worth what one is paid
The man has only been working here for a month but quickly he is proving that he is worth his salt.

you can't make an omelette without breaking the eggs


- you cannot do something without causing some problems or having some effects
"You can't make an omelette without breaking the eggs and if you want to change the work schedules, then you are going to cause problems."

apple Idioms​

apple of (someone`s) eye


- someone or something that one likes a lot or likes more than others
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather`s eye.

as easy as apple pie


- very easy
The test that I wrote yesterday was as easy as apple pie.

bad apple


- a bad person
The boy is a bad apple and he is always in some kind of trouble.

compare apples and oranges


- to compare two things that are not similar and should not be compared
It was like comparing apples and oranges when we compared our new boss to our old boss.

polish the apple


- to flatter someone
Nobody likes the girl because she is always polishing the apple with her teacher.

rotten apple


- a bad person
Sometimes there is one person who is a rotten apple in a group of people.

rotten to the core


- to be completely worthless (like a rotten apple)
The political organization was rotten to the core and everybody knew that it must change.

upset the applecart


- to ruin a plan or event by a surprise or accident
Everything was going well at the company picnic until our boss arrived and upset the applecart.

bread Idioms​

as warm as toast


- very warm and cozy
Our house was as warm as toast when we came in from the rain.

bread and butter


- one's income or job used to buy the basic needs of life like food or shelter or clothing
Most people are worried about bread-and-butter issues like jobs and taxes.

bread and water


- the most basic meal that is possible (like you would get in prison)
The prisoners were fed bread and water for several days last winter.

greatest thing since sliced bread


- the greatest thing that there has ever been
My mother believes that the microwave oven is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

grist for the mill


- something that can be used to bring advantage or profit
The information that we got on the Internet was grist for the mill of our company's operations.

half a loaf is better than none


- having part of something is better than having nothing at all
Half a loaf is better than none and I would rather work part-time than have no job at all.

half-baked


- to be not thought about or studied carefully
Our friend has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.

know which side one's bread is buttered


- to know what is good or advantageous for you
My aunt knows which side her bread is buttered when she visits her sister.

cake Idioms​

eat one`s cake and have it too


- to use or spend something and still keep it, to have something both ways
The man refuses to give up anything and he always wants to eat his cake and have it too.

have one's cake and eat it too


- to use or spend something and still keep it, to have something both ways
I wanted to have my cake and eat it too when I wanted more holidays and more responsibility at work.

icing on the cake


- something that makes a good situation or activity even better
I found a good job and the fact that I can work where I want is the icing on the cake.

piece of cake


- a task that is easily accomplished
The job was a piece of cake. I finished before lunch.

a slice of the cake


- a share of something (money etc.)
The government wants a slice of the cake from the new casinos.

take the cake


- to be the best or worst of something
The behavior of the young girl takes the cake. It is terrible.

Head & Mind​

a head


- for one person, for one individual (used for counting people or animals like cattle)
"The tickets were only a few dollars a head."

able to (do something) standing on one's head


- to be able to do something very easily and quickly
The man is able to do his job standing on his head.

absent-minded


- to be forgetful
Our neighbor is very absent-minded and he often forgets his keys.

all in (one's) mind


- a situation or problem that does not actually exist
The problem between my aunt and her neighbor is all in her mind. It does not exist.

as bald as a baby's backside


- completely bald
The man who works in the post office is as bald as a baby's backside.

as bald as a coot


- completely bald
The man in the store is as bald as a coot.

at one's wit's end


- to be in a worrying or stressful situation where you have no idea about what to do next
I was at my wit's end about what to do for my sister's wedding.

bad hair day


- a day when everything seems to go wrong (just like when you cannot make your hair look attractive)
Yesterday was a bad hair day and everything went wrong for me.

bang one`s head against a wall or bang one`s head against a brick wall


- to not succeed at something after trying very hard, to waste one's time trying to do something that is hopeless
I am banging my head against a wall trying to talk to my neighbor.

bear (someone or something) in mind


- to remember and think about someone or something
"Please bear the starting time for the concert in mind so that we can arrive early."

beat one`s brains out


- to tire oneself by thinking too much
I have been beating my brains out trying to remember where I put my notebook.

beat one`s head against a wall or beat one`s head against a brick wall


- to not succeed at something after trying very hard, to waste one's time trying to do something that is hopeless
I am beating my head against a wall trying to understand my boss.

beat (something) into (someone`s) head


- to force someone to learn something by repeating it over and over
The teacher tried to beat the material into the student's head.

bite (someone's) head off


- to speak to someone in an angry way
I went to speak with my supervisor but she bit my head off.

black out


- to faint or pass out
The man suddenly blacked out while he was waiting for the bus.

blow one's stack/top


- to become very angry
My father will blow his top if he learns that I failed my course.

blow (someone`s) mind


- to overwhelm or excite someone
My friend told me that the new book would blow my mind.

blow up in (someone`s) face


- to end abruptly or unexpectedly, to be ruined while you are working on it, to explode suddenly in front of you
The plan to have a party for our boss blew up in our face when he decided not to come.

blue in the face


- to be very angry or upset, to be excited and emotional
The man argued with his supervisor until he was blue in the face.

boggle one's mind


- to confuse someone, to overwhelm someone, to be hard to imagine
It boggles my mind to think how quickly the Internet has changed people's lives.

bonehead


- an unusually dense or stupid person
The boy is a bonehead. He never understands what other people are trying to tell him.

bored out of one's mind/skull


- to be very bored
The little boy was bored out of his mind and wanted to go home.

brain drain


- the loss of talented and educated people from one place or country to another place or country where con***ions are better
There is a brain drain from many poor countries to wealthy countries where con***ions are better.

brain (someone)


- to strike a person on the head
The spectator was brained in the middle of the match with a tennis ball.

brain teaser


- a problem for which it is hard to find the answer
My father likes to look in the newspaper for interesting brain teasers.

brains behind (something)


- the person or people who are responsible for inventing or developing or organizing something
The president of our company is the brains behind the plans to develop the new audio product.

brainchild


- an idea that one has thought of without any help from others
The idea for building the new swimming pool was the brainchild of our boss.

brainless


- to be stupid
The woman is brainless and has no idea what she is doing.

brainstorm (something)


- to try to develop an idea
The club members gathered to try and brainstorm some ideas for a spring festival.

brainwash (someone)


- to make someone believe something that is not true by repeating it again and again
The citizens were brainwashed into thinking exactly what their leader wanted them to think.

bring (something) to a head


- to cause a situation with problems to reach the point where something must be done to solve or deal with the problems
The union brought the issue of working hours to a head when they threatened to go on strike.

bury one's head in the sand


- to ignore a problem or hide from some obvious danger, to refuse to see or face something
My uncle buried his head in the sand and tried not to talk about the family problem.

butt heads with (someone)


- to argue with someone about a particular subject or problem
I do not want to butt heads with the manager of our department.

by a hair's breadth


- just barely, by a very small distance
I arrived at the concert on time but only by a hair's breadth.

by a whisker


- just barely, by a very small distance
I won the race by a whisker.

by the sweat of one`s brow


- by hard work
The man made his business by the sweat of his brow.

change (someone's) mind


- to cause a person to think differently about something
I tried hard to change my friend's mind about going on a holiday with me.

cheek by jowl


- side by side, close together
The boxes were placed in the room cheek by jowl and there was no room for anything else.

cheek-to-cheek


- with one person's cheek pressed up against another person's cheek
The couple was dancing cheek-to-cheek.

collect one's wits


- to make an effort to control one's thoughts and feelings after something shocking or unexpected happens
I stopped at a small coffee shop after my job interview in order to collect my wits.

come face to face with (someone or something)


- to meet someone or something in person, to deal with someone immediately
I was walking through the forest when I came face to face with a black bear.

come to mind


- to enter into one's consciousness (used for an idea)
It came to mind last night that I had only two more weeks to work before my holiday.

come to one's senses


- to wake up, to begin to think clearly
The man came to his senses and stopped spending his money as soon as he received it.

commit (something) to memory


- to memorize something
The new manager was able to quickly commit the names of his staff to memory.

count heads


- to count people
The teacher always counts heads in the morning.

crack a smile


- to smile a little
I did not crack a smile during the speech.

cross (someone`s) mind


- to be a sudden or passing thought, to occur to someone (an idea)
It suddenly crossed my mind that the store will be closed all day on Monday.
curl (someone`s) hair


- to shock or frighten or horrify someone
The movie is very realistic and many of the scenes will curl your hair.

drum (something) into (someone's) head


- to keep telling someone something until they cannot forget it
The teacher worked hard to drum the mathematics material into the students' heads.

enter (someone's) mind


- to come into someone's mind (used for an idea or thought)
It never entered my mind that my friend would lose his job.

exercise one's brain


- to exercise one's intelligence
I always do puzzles in order to exercise my brain.

face-to-face


- in person, in the same location
The soccer star had a face-to-face meeting with his new team yesterday.

fall flat on one's face


- to be completely unsuccessful
I fell flat on my face when I tried to make a speech at the wedding.

fall head over heels


- to fall down (and maybe roll over)
The little boy fell head over heels down the hill.

fall head over heels in love with (someone)


- to fall deeply in love with someone
The girl fell head over heels in love with the boy on the basketball team.

feed one's face


- to eat
I stopped at a small restaurant to feed my face.

fly in the face of (something)


- to ignore something
The explanation by the criminal flies in the face of common sense.

from head to toe


- from the top of one's head to one's feet
The woman was dressed in yellow from head to toe.

get a head start


- to get an advantage when you start doing something or going somewhere, to start early, to leave early
We woke up early in the morning in order to get a head start on our holiday.

get a load off one's mind


- to talk about what is troubling you
I wanted to get a load off my mind so I passed the evening talking with a friend.

get gray hair


- to have your hair turn gray because of stress
The father said that he was getting gray hair from dealing with his son.

get in (someone's) hair


- to bother or irritate someone
The little boy often gets in his mother's hair.

get into (someone's) head


- to understand what someone thinks and feels so that you can communicate well with him or her
I am having a difficult time to get into the principal's head and understand what he is doing.

get it into one's head to (do something)


- to decide to do something even though there may not be a good reason to do it
The girl got it into her head to begin ballet lessons.

get out of (someone's) face


- to go away or leave someone
I wish that my friend would get out of my face.

get (someone) out of one's hair


- to stop someone from annoying or bothering you
The woman wanted to get the little boy out of her hair.

get (someone or something) out of one's head/mind


- to stop thinking about or wanting someone or something, to forget about someone or something
My friend is trying hard to get his former girlfriend out of his mind.

get (something) into/through (someone`s) head


- to make someone understand or believe something
It was difficult to get it through the bank manager's head that I did not want a cre*** card.

get (something) through (someone's) thick skull


- to manage to get someone (including oneself) to understand something
The salesman cannot get it through his thick skull that I do not want to talk to him.

give (someone) a piece of one`s mind


- to scold someone angrily, to say what one really thinks of someone (especially when they have behaved badly)
I gave the store manager a piece of my mind when I told him about the bad service.

give (someone) a swelled head


- to make someone conceited
The girl's high test scores are giving her a swelled head.

go head to head with (someone)


- to compete in a direct and determined way with another person or group
We will go head to head with the other team and win the city championship.

go over (someone's) head


- to be too difficult for someone to understand
The reasons for the decision went over my head. I could not understand why.

go to one's head


- to make one dizzy
The drink quickly went to the man's head and he had to sit down.

go to (someone`s) head


- to make someone too proud, to make a person think that he or she is too important
The man's new job has gone to his head and he thinks that he is better than everyone else.

gray matter


- brains, intelligence
The young man seems to be lacking in gray matter.

great minds think alike


- someone has the same idea or says the same thing as you do and at the same time
Great minds think alike and just as I suggested that we go to a movie, my friend suggested the same thing.

hang by a hair


- to depend on a small thing, to be at risk or in doubt
The results of the election are still undecided and are hanging by a hair.

hanging over (someone's) head


- to be worrying someone and be something that you will eventually have to deal with
The court case has been hanging over my friend's head for many months.

have a big head


- to think that you are better than everyone else, to be conceited
My friend has a big head now that he has won the speech contest at university.

have a brainstorm


- *****ddenly have a very good idea
I had a brainstorm last night and I now have some good ideas for next year's party.

have a brainwave


- to have a sudden clever idea
Last night I had a brainwave and had some good ideas about what to do at my job.

have a clean/clear conscience (about someone or something)


- to be free of guilt about someone or something
I have a clear conscience about what happened to my father's car in the accident.

have a closed mind (about something)


- to be unwilling to change one's ideas or opinions about something
My aunt has a closed mind and she is not flexible about most things.

have a good head for (something)


- to have the mental ability for something, to find it easy to learn something
My uncle has a good head for numbers.

have a good head on one's shoulders


- to be sensible and intelligent
The supermarket manager has a good head on his shoulders and he should be able to solve the problem.

have a good mind to (do something)


- to be tempted to do something, to be almost ready to do something
I have a good mind to go and tell my boss that I am planning to look for another job.

have a head start


- to have an advantage when you start doing something or going somewhere
The boy had a head start and he easily won the race.

have a lot on one's mind


- to have many things to worry about
I have a lot on my mind with my new job and new apartment.

have a mind like a steel trap


- to have a very sharp and quick mind
The man has a mind like a steel trap and he never forgets anything.

have a mind of its own


- a machine or vehicle does not do what you want it to do
Sometimes my car seems to have a mind of its own and it will not do what I want.

have a mind of one's own


- someone does or thinks what they want to do or think instead of doing or thinking what they are told
The little boy has a mind of his own and he always wants to do what he wants.

have a notion to do (something)


- to have a desire to do something
I have a notion to go to the beach for my holidays.

have a one-track mind


- to have a mind that thinks only about one thing
The boy has a one-track mind and he only thinks about car racing.

have a price on one's head


- to be wanted by the authorities who have offered money for your capture
The criminal has a price on his head and many people are searching for him.

have a stroke


- *****ddenly become (partially or totally) paralyzed because of an interruption in the blood supply to the brain
The truck driver had a stroke just before the accident on the highway.

have an open mind about (something)


- to be flexible and willing to listen to other people's opinions and change your own opinions or ideas
I have an open mind and I am willing to listen to what other people are saying about something.

have bats in one's belfry


- to be slightly crazy
The woman has bats in her belfry. She is a little crazy.

have egg on one's face


- to become embarrassed because of something that is obvious to everyone or after you make a mistake
I had egg on my face after I remembered the wrong day for the wedding.

have half a mind to do (something)


- to have almost decided to do something, to be thinking about doing something
I have half a mind to take my new television back to the store because I do not like it.

have keen wits


- to have the ability to think quickly
The man has keen wits and he can make smart decisions very fast.

have one's head in the clouds


- to be unaware of what is going on
The store clerk has his head in the clouds and makes many mistakes.

have one's head screwed on right/straight


- to be sensible and make good decisions
The woman has her head screwed on right. She always makes good decisions.

have rocks in one`s head


- to be stupid or silly or crazy, to not have good judgement
My friend has rocks in his head if he thinks that I am going to lend him more money.

have second thoughts about (someone or something)


- to have doubts about someone or something
We are beginning to have second thoughts about going camping on our holiday.

have (someone or something) on one's mind


- to be thinking a lot about someone or something
My friend has his many school problems on his mind.

have (something) hanging over one's head


- to have something bothering or worrying you, to have a deadline to worry about
I have had the final essay hanging over my head for many weeks now.

have (something) in mind


- to be thinking of something in particular, to have an idea in your mind
"What do you have in mind for the meeting next week?"

have (something) on the brain


- to be obsessed with something, to never stop thinking or talking about something
The boy has cars on the brain and he does not think of anything else.

have the presence of mind to (do something)


- to have the calmness and ability to act sensibly in a difficult situation
The farmer had the presence of mind to close the barn door after the fire started.

have the wits to do (something)


- to have the intelligence or understanding to do something
The man had the wits to phone the police when he saw the accident.

head and shoulders above (someone or something)


- to be superior to someone or something
The new principal is head and shoulders above those who have come before.

a head case


- to be crazy
The apartment manager is a head case. She is crazy.

head is buzzing


- to be thinking of something or many things at the same time
My head was buzzing after I left the meeting last night.

head-on


- with the head or front pointing at something, with the front facing something
There was a head-on car crash last night near our house.

head over heels


- upside down, head first
The little boy fell head over heels down the steep hill.

head over heels in debt


- to be deeply in debt
My cousin has been head over heels in debt for many years.

head over heels in love with (someone)


- to be very much in love with someone
The young man is head over heels in love with the girl in his swimming club.

head shrinker


- psychiatrist
When I was a child my next door neighbor was a head shrinker.

Heads up!


- Raise your head and be careful about some nearby danger.
"Heads up," the construction worker yelled at the other worker.

heads will roll


- serious trouble is coming, someone will lose his or her job
Heads will roll if we do not make some progress in fixing the accounting problem.

headhunt


- to search for qualified individuals to fill certain positions
The company is now headhunting in order to find a new president.

hide one's face in shame


- to cover one's face because of shame or embarrassment
The manager of the company hid his face in shame when he was fired for stealing company money.

hide one`s head in the sand


- to ignore a problem or hide from some obvious danger, to refuse to see or face something
The man likes to hide his head in the sand and he never wants to deal with any problem.

hold one's head up


- to keep or display one's dignity
The accounting manager was totally honest during the investigation into the scandal and when it was over he was able to hold his head up and be proud of himself.

in a positive frame of mind


- to be happy and in a good mood
Our teacher is in a positive frame of mind this week.

in one`s hair


- to be bothering someone, to be always annoying someone
My sister's small son is always in her hair when she is making dinner.

in one's mind's eye


- in one's mind
In my mind's eye, I cannot imagine what happened to my friend in the accident.

in one's right mind


- to be sane, to be sensible
The man who hit the dog was not in his right mind.

in over one's head


- to be having more difficulties than one can manage
The electrician seems to be in over his head and he does not know how to fix the electrical problem.

in the face of (something)


- in spite of the fact that there may be problems or difficulty or danger
In the face of many problems, my cousin was still able to raise wonderful children.

in two minds about (something)


- to be undecided about something
I am in two minds about going to a movie tonight.

keep a cool head


- to keep calm in a difficult and stressful situation
The bank manager kept a cool head during the bank robbery.

keep a straight face


- to not smile or laugh
It was hard to keep a straight face during the funny movie.

keep an open mind about (something)


- to be flexible and willing to listen to other people's opinions and change your own ideas
I want to keep an open mind and listen to what others say about the problem.

keep one`s chin up


- to be brave, to be determined, to face trouble with courage
My brother is trying to keep his chin up even though he has no job.

keep one`s head


- to stay calm when there is trouble or danger
Everyone tried to keep their head during the fire at the hotel.

keep one's head above water


- to keep out of difficult financial problems, to stay out of trouble
My brother has been having a hard time keeping his head above water since he lost his job.

keep one's head down


- to quietly do your work without causing any problems and causing other people to notice you
I knew that there was a problem at work so I kept my head down all morning.

keep one's wits about one


- to keep one's mind operating clearly in a time of stress
Firefighters must always keep their wits about them when they are fighting a large fire.

keep (someone or something) in mind


- to remember and think about someone or something
I tried to keep my cousin in mind when I was inviting people to the dinner party.

keep (someone) out of one's hair


- to keep someone from annoying or bothering you
We tried to keep the little boy out of our hair while we were preparing for the wedding.

knit one's brow


- to wrinkle one's brow (by frowning)
The ticket agent knit his brow when I began to ask questions about the airline routes.

knock one`s head against a (brick) wall


- to waste time trying to do something with no success
The company manager's have been knocking their heads against a wall trying to solve the problem.

knock some heads together


- to scold some people to get them to do what they are supposed to be doing
The principal felt that it was time to knock some heads together and begin to get things done in the school.

knock (someone's) block off


- to strike someone hard in the head
The young boy said that he was going to knock his friend's block off.

know one's own mind


- to be very sure of what one's opinions are and what you want to do
My friend knows his own mind and it is difficult to convince him that he is wrong.

last thing on (someone's) mind


- the last thing that someone is thinking about
Going to a movie was the last thing on my mind yesterday evening.

laugh one's head off


- to laugh a lot and for a long time
I laughed my head off during the movie.

let one`s hair down


- to act freely and naturally, to relax
We were able to let our hair down at the party and have a good time.

a long face


- a sad or disappointed look
The man had a long face after he was fired from his job.

lose face


- to be embarrassed or ashamed by an error or failure, to lose self-respect
The manager lost face when the person who she hired was a terrible worker.

lose one's head over (someone or something)


- to become confused or obsessed over something
The woman lost her head during the investigation into the company problems.

lose one's marbles/mind


- to go crazy, to go out of one's mind
I think that the man next door is beginning to lose his marbles.

lose one's train of thought


- to forget what one was talking about or thinking about
I lost my train of thought during my meeting with my boss.

make a face (at someone)


- to twist one's face into a strange expression in order to show dislike etc.
The boy made a face at the girl in the hall.

make chin music


- to talk, to chatter
The two old friends spent the morning making chin music.

make heads or tails (out) of (something)


- to find meaning in something, to understand something
I was unable to make heads or tails out of our company's plans to restructure our department.

make (someone's) hair curl


- *****rprise or shock someone (used for a story or experience)
The horror movie made my hair curl.

make (someone's) hair stand on end


- to cause someone to become frightened
The movie made my hair stand on end.

make (someone's) head spin/swim


- to confuse or overwhelm someone, to make someone dizzy
The speed of the day's events made my head spin.

make up one`s mind


- to choose what to do, to decide something
I have not been able to make up my mind about going to the party or not.

meeting of minds


- complete agreement
We were able to achieve a meeting of minds and everybody was happy.

mind goes blank


- to be suddenly unable to remember something
My mind went blank when I tried to remember the woman's name.

mind is buzzing


- to be thinking of something or many things at the same time
My mind was buzzing after I left the theater last night.

mind is in the gutter


- someone is thinking or talking about a subject that offends people
The man's mind is in the gutter and I do not like to talk to him.

mind is on (something)


- someone is thinking about and giving attention to something
My mind has been on my summer holidays all week.

mind over matter


- if you really want to you can do something that is very difficult or even impossible
"It is mind over matter. If you want *****cceed with your project you will be able to do it."

mind-boggling


- overwhelming, startling
The choices of evening classes at the university are mind-boggling.

mind-numbing


- to be extremely boring
The speech was so boring that it was mind-numbing.

(something)-minded


- to be thinking about something, to focus on something
The girl is very sports-minded and she loves to participate in any kind of sport that she can.

narrow-minded


- to be unwilling to accept or understand new ideas
My uncle is very narrow-minded and is not flexible about anything.

need one's head examined


- to make remarks or do actions that are wrong or stupid
My teacher needs her head examined. It will be impossible to finish the project before Monday.

need (something) like a hole in the head


- to not need something at all
My friend needs a new car like he needs a hole in the head.

neither hide nor hair (of someone or something)


- no sign or indication of someone or something
I have seen neither hide nor hair of the girl in my geography class.

nobody in his/her right mind would do (something)


- it would be very stupid or unreasonable to do something
Nobody in his right mind would drive his car when the roads are so bad.

no-brainer


- something that is easy to do or understand and does not need much intelligence
It is a no-brainer that if you do not study then your marks will not be good.

not beyond the wit of (someone)


- to not be too difficult for someone to do
It would not be beyond the wit of my cousin to enter the best school in the country.

not just a pretty face


- to be intelligent and capable and not just good-looking or pretty
The woman is not just a pretty face. She is very smart.

not show one's face


- to not appear somewhere
My friend did not show his face for most of the day.

of one mind


- to have the same opinion about something, to agree on something with someone else
The finance committee was of one mind when they made this year's budget.

of the same mind


- to have the same opinion about something, to agree on something with someone else
I was of the same mind as my friend when we made our decision about our holiday.

of two minds


- to be unable to decide what to do or what you think about something
I am of two minds about going to the movie tonight. I am very busy but I also want to see the movie very much.

off the top of one`s head


- without thinking about something very much
I was unable to remember the name of the restaurant off the top of my head.

on one's mind


- occupying one's thoughts, currently being thought about
Recently, I have had many things on my mind.

on/upon (someone`s) head


- on someone's own self (often used with blame)
The little boy brought the anger of his parent's upon his head.

on the face of it


- on the surface of an issue or a problem
On the face of it, it is very easy to see who caused the problem with our schedules.

out of one`s hair


- getting rid of an annoying person or thing
My sister is trying to get her daughter out of her hair.

out of one's head


- to be crazy or irrational or silly
The man at the bus stop was out of his head.

out of one's mind


- to be crazy or irrational or silly
The woman is out of her mind and she is always doing something crazy.

out of one's senses


- to be crazy or irrational or silly
The girl was out of her senses when her dog died.

out of sight, out of mind.


- if you do not see something then you will not think about it
The chocolates were out of sight, out of mind and nobody thought about eating them.

out of the mouths of babes


- something that a child says shows that they understand more about a situation than you thought that they did
The statement was out of the mouths of babes. The little boy knew everything that was going on.

over one`s head


- to be or go beyond one's ability to understand something, to be too difficult
The mathematics lectures went over my head during the first few weeks.

pass through (someone's) mind


- to occur to someone, to think about something briefly
The idea passed through my mind briefly but then it was gone.

pay (someone or something) no mind


- to ignore someone or something
I was told by the policeman to pay the traffic lights no mind while the accident was being cleaned up.

per head


- for one person, for one individual (used for counting people or animals like cattle)
The tickets cost only a small amount of money per head.

pick the brains of (someone) or pick (someone's) brains


- to talk to someone in order to get some information about something
We picked the brains of the official who was sent to talk about the pollution problem.

pit one's wits against (someone)


- to challenge someone over something to see who wins
The best students in our school decided to pit their wits against the best students in the city.

pull one's hair out


- to be angry or upset or worried about something
My friend began to pull her hair out when she discovered that she had no nice clothes for the party.

put hair on one's chest


- to be good for someone (something that you eat or drink)
I told my friend that vegetable juice will put hair on his chest.

put ideas into (someone's) head


- *****ggest something to someone
The girl's best friend is always putting ideas into her head.

put on a brave face


- to try to appear happy or satisified even though you are faced with serious problems
The man put on a brave face after he was fired from his job.

put one's face on


- to put make-up on one's face
The woman spent a long time putting her face on.

put one's head in a noose


- to say or do something that could harm you or your image
The man put his head in a noose when he became angry and criticized his boss at the meeting.

put one's head in the lion's mouth


- to put oneself in a dangerous or difficult situation
I put my head in the lion's mouth when I went to the meeting with my boss.

put one's head on the block for (someone or something)


- to take great risks or to go to a lot of trouble for someone or something
I love my boss and I would be happy to put my head on the block for her.

put one's heads together


- to discuss or talk about something with someone or a group of people and try to solve a problem
We put our heads together to try and find a solution to the problem.

put one's mind to (something)


- to give one's complete attention to something
I put my mind to making the party as successful as possible.

put (someone or something) out of one's head/mind


- to try to forget someone or something
The boy tried hard to put the girl out of his head.

rack one`s brain


- to try hard to think of something or remember something
I racked my brain to try and decide what to do about the new computer.

raise a hand against (someone or something)


- to threaten to strike someone or something
The teacher never raises a hand against her students.

raise its (ugly) head


- a problem or bad situation appears or happens after not happening for a period of time
The problem between the two managers raised its ugly head after many months of calm.

raise one's voice to (someone)


- to speak loudly or shout at someone in anger
The child was told not to raise his voice to his parents.

read (someone's) mind


- to guess what someone is thinking (as if one has special powers to see someone's thoughts)
The girl told her boyfriend that she cannot read his mind and that he must tell her what he wants.

rear its (ugly) head


- to appear after being hidden (usually something unpleasant)
The problem between the two sisters rears its head at the beginning of every year.

red in the face


- embarrassed
The clerk was red in the face after she heard the customer's comment.

save face


- to save one's good reputation or dignity when something has happened to hurt him or her
The government was unable to save face after they failed to deal with the crisis properly.

say (something) right to (someone's) face


- to say something unpleasant or important directly to someone
I told the man that he was not telling the truth right to his face.

scratch one's head


- to be confused or perplexed
I was left scratching my head after the speech by our department manager.

scream one's head off


- to scream a lot and for a long time
The girl screamed her head off after the accident.

should have one's head examined


- behaving as if you are mentally ill or crazy
My sister is crazy to buy that car. She should have her head examined.

show one's face


- to appear
I do not think that my friend will show his face tonight.

shut one's face/trap


- to be quiet, to shut up
"Please sit down and shut your trap."

sixth sense


- the ability to know or feel things that are beyond the five basic senses of sight or hearing or smell or taste or touch
The woman has a sixth sense and she knows everything that is happening around her.

a slap in the face


- an insult
The unpopular candidate who won the city election was a slap in the face to many voters.

slip one's mind


- to forget something
It slipped my mind that I need to phone my dentist soon.

slow-witted


- to be not very smart
The girl is slow-witted and she has trouble doing simple things.

speak one's mind


- to say frankly what one thinks about something
My father plans to speak his mind at the school meeting tonight.

split hairs


- to find and argue about small and unimportant differences
My boss always splits hairs when I talk to him about something important.

stand head and shoulders above (the rest/someone/something)


- to be much better than anyone or everything else in the same group
Our new principal stands head and shoulders above the previous one.

stand on one's head (to do something)


- to make a great effort to do something
I did everything but stand on my head to help my friend get a job.

stand (something) on its head


- to show that an idea or argument is wrong and means the opposite of what it first seemed to mean, to change the way that people think about something
We stood the argument on its head with our arguments against it.

stare (someone) in the face


- to be very likely to happen, to be clear and easy to recognize
Defeat was staring the runner in the face from the beginning of the race.

stick in (someone's) mind


- to not forget something
The date of my friend's wedding stuck in my mind for many years.

stick one's head in a noose


- to say or do something that could harm you or your image
I stuck my head in a noose when I said that I wanted to find another job.

stuff one's face


- to eat a lot in a short time
I stuffed my face in the restaurant last night.

swelled head


- a feeling that one is very important or more important than one really is
My sister has had a swelled head since she got her new job.

take it into one's head to do (something)


- to decide to do something that does not seem sensible to others
The young woman took it into her head to go to China and she did.

take it on the chin


- to be badly beaten or hurt, to get into trouble
My friend took it on the chin when he fought with the man at the store.

take leave of one's senses


- to become irrational or crazy
I think that the woman in the store is beginning to take leave of her senses.

take one's mind off (something)


- to stop worrying or thinking about a problem
I went to a movie to take my mind off my problems at work.

take (something) at face value


- to accept something as the truth and with no hidden meaning
I usually take what my boss says at face value.

take (something) on the chin


- to experience and endure a blow or hardship
The man is able to take things on the chin and quickly recover when he has a problem.

talk (someone's) head off


- to speak too much
The woman beside me in the bus talked my head off during our journey.

talk until one is blue in the face


- to talk until one is exhausted
I talked until I was blue in the face but my friend would still not change his mind.

tear one's hair out


- to be anxious or frustrated or angry
The mother was tearing her hair out as she waited for her daughter to return home.

tell (someone) (something) to his or her face


- to tell something to someone directly
I told my friend to her face that I did not like her constant complaining.

thin on top


- bald or balding
My uncle is a little thin on top but he is very handsome.

throw (something) back in (someone's) face


- to use something that someone has said previously to harm or upset him or her
I immediately threw the question back in the lawyer's face.

to (someone's) mind


- in someone's opinion
"To my mind, I believe that your opinion is valid."

tongue in cheek


- jokingly, insincerely, mockingly, not really meaning something
The remark was made tongue in cheek and the man did not mean it.

touched (in the head)


- to be a little crazy
My neighbor is touched in the head. He is really crazy.

trouble one's head about (someone or something)


- to worry about someone or something
"Please do not trouble your head about the arrangements for the party. I will do everything."

turn (someone's) head


- to distract someone, to make someone notice you
The woman's beautiful dress turned everybody's head. It was beautiful.

turn (something) on its head


- to show that an idea or argument is wrong and means the opposite of what it first seemed to mean, to change the way that people think about a subject
The lawyer was able to easily turn the argument on its head.

turn (something) over in one's mind


- to think about something continuously
I could not sleep last night because I was turning my situation at work over in my mind.

turn the other cheek


- to ignore someone's abuse or insult, to not hit back when someone hits you
The children were told that they should turn the other cheek when they were attacked by someone.

up to one's chin in (something)


- to be very busy with something, to be working hard at something, to have much or many of something
The woman is up to her chin in work and has no free time.

use one`s head/noggin/noodle


- to use one's brain or mind, to use one's own common sense
Sometimes I think that the manager of the video store never uses her head when I ask her a question.

wag one's chin


- to chat with someone
I stopped at the coffee shop to wag my chin with an old friend.

weigh on (someone's) mind


- to be in someone's thoughts, to be bothering someone
The decision about selling my car or not was weighing on my mind.

within a whisker of (doing something)


- almost do something
I came within a whisker of quitting my job but I decided not to.

written all over (someone's) face


- to be shown clearly what someone is thinking or feeling or if they are guilty of something by the look on his or her face
The fact that the little boy took the cookies was written all over his face.

Heart​

aching heart


- a feeling of sadness that one has when love has been lost or has faded
The young woman spent the weekend alone with her aching heart.

after one`s own heart


- to be liked for agreeing with one`s own feelings or interests or ideas
My new boss loves to go fishing. He is a man after my own heart.

at heart


- basically, essentially, what one really is rather than what one appears to be
The man seems to be angry all the time but actually he is a very gentle person at heart.

bleeding heart


- someone who feels too much sympathy for people such as poor people or criminals etc.
The man is a bleeding heart and is always asked by other people for money to help others.

break (someone`s) heart


- to make someone feel sad or hopeless (usually because of love or a similar loss)
It broke my heart to see the boy who had lost his dog.

close to (someone's) heart


- an idea or something that is important to you and that you care about
The plan to improve the downtown area is very close to the mayor's heart.

cross one`s heart and hope to die


- to say or promise that what you have said is true (often used by children)
"I promise that I will meet you tomorrow. Cross my heart and hope to die."

die of a broken heart


- to die of emotional distress, *****ffer from emotional distress (often from a failed romance)
The man almost died of a broken heart when he was a teenager.

do (someone's) heart good


- to make someone feel good, to make someone healthy
It does one's heart good to get some exercise every day.

do (something) in a heartbeat


- to do something almost immediately if you have the chance
I will change jobs in a heartbeat if I have the chance.

eat one`s heart out


- to feel much jealousy about something, to feel bitter anguish or grief about something
"You can eat your heart out but I will not give you a piece of this chocolate cake."
The pain from the man's sorrow is eating his heart out.

find it in one's heart to (do something)


- to have the courage or compassion to do something
I could not find it in my heart to tell the young woman that she could not continue to work at our company.

follow one's heart


- to act according to one's feelings
The boy followed his heart and decided to study music at school.

from the bottom of one`s heart


- with great feeling, sincerely
The girl thanked the man from the bottom of her heart for saving her dog`s life.

from the heart


- sincerely, honestly
The speech by the politician was from the heart.

get to the heart of (something)


- to understand the most important or essential thing about something
It took a long time but we finally got to the heart of the problem with the new computer.

go (somewhere) in a heartbeat


- to go somewhere almost immediately if you have the chance
I would go camping in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

have a big heart


- to be very kind or generous or helpful
The man has a big heart and he will always try to help other people.

have a change of heart


- to change the way one feels or thinks about something
I had a change of heart and I decided to go to a movie with my friend.

have a heart


- to be a generous and forgiving person
I wish that our boss would have a heart and try to help other people.

Have a heart!


- Don't be unkind or do something mean or cruel!
"Have a heart," I told my supervisor when he said that I must work during the weekend.

have a heart of gold


- to be kind or generous or friendly
My grandmother has a heart of gold and she is always willing to help a stranger.

have a heart of stone


- to be cold and unfriendly
The man who murdered his family has a heart of stone.

have a heart-to-heart talk with (someone)


- to have a sincere and intimate talk with someone
I had a heart-to-heart talk with my girlfriend last evening.

have a soft spot in one's heart for (someone or something)


- to be fond of someone or something
My grandfather always had a soft spot in his heart for his youngest child.

have one`s heart set on (something)


- to want something very much
The little boy has his heart set on getting a dog for his birthday.

heart and soul


- with all of one's energy, with all of one's efforts
The girl loved her boyfriend heart and soul.
My friend is putting his heart and soul into his new job.

heart bleeds for (someone)


- to feel sympathy for someone
My heart bleeds for the family who lost their father in the accident.

heart goes out to (someone)


- to feel great sympathy for someone
My heart goes out to the victims of the hurricane.

heart is dead set against (something)


- to be totally against something
My mother's heart is dead set against my plan to go to art school.

heart is in one's mouth


- one feels very nervous or frightened and has strong emotions about something
My heart was in my mouth when I saw the little boy standing on the ladder.

heart is in the right place


- to be kindhearted or sympathetic, to have good intentions (even if the results may be bad)
Although the girl makes a lot of mistakes her heart is in the right place.

heart is not in (something)


- to not really want to do what you are doing
The boy's heart was not in the swimming club so he quit the team.

heart is set against (something)


- to be totally against something
Our principal's heart is set against expanding the music program in our school.

heart is set on (something)


- to want something very much
The little boy's heart is set on getting a dog for his birthday.

heart misses/skips a beat


- one is startled or excited from surprise or joy or fright
My heart skipped a beat when I heard my name on the radio.

heart stands still


- to be very frightened or worried about something
My heart stood still when the truck almost hit our car.

heart to heart


- candid, intimate
Our conversation was heart to heart and we both felt very good afterwords.

heartbeat away from (something)


- the next person to take over someone's position if they die
The prince is a heartbeat away from becoming the next king of his country.

heavy heart


- a feeling of being weighed down with sorrow, a sad feeling
We left the meeting with a heavy heart when we heard that our boss would soon leave the company because of illness.

in one's heart of hearts


- to know that something is true even though you may not want to admit it or believe it
In my heart of hearts I know that I will soon have to change jobs.

know (something) by heart


- to know something perfectly, to have memorized something
The little boy knows many stories by heart.

learn (something) by heart


- to memorize something
The children had to learn the poem by heart.

lose heart


- to feel discouraged because of failure, to lose the hope of success
I tried not to lose heart even though I had failed my driver`s exam for the second time.

near to (someone's) heart


- an idea or something that is important to you and that you care about
The man's model airplane hobby is very near to his heart.

not have the heart to do (something)


- to be unwilling to say or do something that may hurt or upset others
I did not have the heart to tell the woman that soon she may lose her job.

open one`s heart to (someone)


- to talk about one`s feelings honestly, to confide in someone
The woman suddenly opened her heart to me after I began talking to her on the bus.

pour one's heart out (to someone)


- to tell all of one's hopes or fears or feelings to someone
My friend poured her heart out to me when we went to the coffee shop last evening.

search one`s heart/soul


- to study one`s reasons and acts, to try to discover if one has been fair and honest about something
I searched my soul to try and discover why my girlfriend had left me.

set one's heart against (something)


- to turn against something, to become totally against something
From the beginning, my friend set his heart against my proposal for having a birthday party for our teacher.

set one's heart on (something)


- to select something as one's goal
The young runner set his heart on winning the marathon.

sick at heart


- very sad or upset about something
The woman was sick at heart over the illness of her cat.

strike at the heart of (something)


- to do something that damages or destroys the basic idea or way of doing something that is very important to someone or to a group
The decision to change the law struck at the heart of how the people wanted to live.

take heart


- to be encouraged, to be brave
The father took heart in the fact that his son was still going to university even though he was failing most of his courses.

take (something) to heart


- to be strongly affected by something that someone says to you, to take something seriously, to be upset by something
I did not expect my friend to take my criticism to heart when I complained that he was always late.

to one's heart's content


- as much as one wants
The little boy was able to play in the water to his heart's content.

tug at (someone's) heartstrings


- to make someone feel very sad, to make someone feel great sympathy for someone else
Seeing the young boy and his dog tugged at my heartstrings.

warm the ****les of (someone's) heart


- to make someone feel warm and happy
The ending of the movie warmed the ****les of my heart.

way to (someone's) heart


- the best way to please someone or make them like you
The way to my grandfather's heart was through his stomach as he always liked good food.

wear one`s heart on one`s sleeve


- to show one`s feelings openly
The man wore his heart on his sleeve when he talked about his sick son.

win (someone's) heart


- to do nice things for someone to make him or her love you, to have the qualities to make you like something - music or art or a book
The young man won the girl's heart by his kind and caring attitude toward her.

with all one`s heart (and soul)


- with all one's energy and feeling
I tried with all my heart to get my friend a job at my company.

young at heart


- doing things that usually younger people enjoy (usually used for an older person)
The older couple were young at heart and they had much fun together.

Initials​

A- Initials​

AA


- Alcoholic's Anonymous - a group that helps people recover from alcohol abuse
My boss has been going to AA meetings for over a year.
AD


- Anno Domini - used to mark time that comes after the commonly accepted beginning of the Christian era
The ancient city was founded in 125 AD.
AGM


- Annual General Meeting - the annual meeting of an organization
My sister attended the AGM of the condominium owners last night.
AI


- Artificial Intelligence - used for robots etc.
Several professors at our university have been researching AI for many years.
AIDS


- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - a disease of the immune system
Recently, the number of AIDS patients has been increasing rapidly in many countries.
aka


- also known as
We went to see James Smith aka The Bulldozer wrestle.
AM


- Amplitude Modulation - a type of radio frequency
We do not listen to AM radio much because we do not like the songs that they play.
AM


- Ante Meridiem - the Latin which means before noon
I always get up at 7:00 AM.
AOB


- Any Other Business - used in meetings etc.
The organizer of the meeting wrote AOB at the bottom of the meeting information sheet.
AOK


- great, doing well
The man said that he was feeling AOK after the accident.
APB


- All Point's Bulletin - used by the police when looking for a criminal
The police put out an APB on the man who robbed the bank.
ASAP


- As Soon As Possible
I want to finish the first draft of the letter ASAP.
ATM


- automated teller machine
I went to the ATM to get some money.
AWOL


- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military
The military police were searching for the soldier who had gone AWOL.

B- Initials​

BA


- Bachelor of Arts - from a university
The man received a BA in economics from his university.
B & B


- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast
My sister wants to open a B & B when she quits her job.
B & E


- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something
When I was going to university there was a B & E in my apartment.
BLT


- Bacon and Lettuce and Tomato - a type of sandwich
We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.
BO


- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body
The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.
BS


- Bull**** - lies or other information that is false
We heard a lot of BS at the meeting last night which nobody believed.
BSc


- Bachelor of Science - from a university
My cousin received a BSc in computer science from his university.
BYOB


- Bring Your Own Bottle - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink
I decided to have a dinner party at my house and told everyone that it was BYOB.

C- Initials​

CA


- Chartered Accountant
We went to see a CA to get our income tax finished on time.
cc


- send a copy to someone - cc means carbon copy
I had to cc the email to my boss.
CD


- Compact Disc
CDs are becoming less popular now.
CEO


- Chief Executive Officer
My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.
CFO


- Chief Financial Officer
I have an appointment to meet the CFO of the company.
CIA


- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization
The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the kidnapped air force pilot.
C/O


- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person
I did not know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of ours.
COD


- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something
I decided to send away for some books and the company said that they would send them COD.
CPA


- Certified Public Accountant
The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.

D- Initials​

DA


- district attorney
The office of the DA will make a statement about the murder soon.
DIY


- Do-It-Yourself
I went to a DIY store and bought the materials to build a bed.
DJ


- Disc Jockey
My cousin worked in the summer as a disc jockey while he was going to university.
DNA


- Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms
My university has spent a lot of money in the study of DNA.
DUI


- Driving Under the Influence
The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.
DVD


- Digital Video Disc
The sales of DVDs is increasing every year.

E- Initials​

ECG


- Electrocardiogram - an electronic test of a person's heart
My father was asked to take an ECG by his doctor.
e.g.


- Exempli Gratia - the Latin which means for example
The company has many factories around the world - e.g. Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.
ER


- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations
The victims of the accident were taken to the ER.
ESL


- English as a Second Language
The ESL classes at the college have been offered for almost ten years now.
ESP


- Extrasensory Perception
The movie was about a young boy who had the ability of ESP.
ETA


- Estimated Time of Arrival
"What will your ETA be when you return home next month?"

F- Initials​

FAQ


- frequently asked questions
The website had much information in the FAQ section.
FBI


- Federal Bureau of Investigation
The killers were found in a nationwide search by the FBI.
FM


- Frequency Modulation - a type of radio signal
The radio station that we listen to regularly is an FM station.
FYI


- For Your Information
I wrote FYI on the information bulletin and sent it to the other members of the staff.

G- Initials​

GI


- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment - GI is also used to mean a US soldier
The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.
GMT


- Greenwich Mean Time - Greenwich is a place in England which is used as the standard for time around the world
The rocket will be launched at 10:00 AM tomorrow GMT.
GNP


- Gross National Product - the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year
The GNP of the small country has been decreasing for several years.
GP


- General Practitioner - a general doctor
I went to see a GP when I broke my leg last summer.

H- Initials​

HIV


- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
The rate of HIV infection among drug users is very high.
HMO


- health maintenance organization
The man had to speak to his HMO about his medical bills.
HQ


- Headquarters
The HQ of our company is located in a small town.
HR


- Human Resources (Department)
I must talk to HR about the mistake on my pay check.

I- Initials​

i.e.


- id est - from Latin with the meaning of "that is to say" or "in other words"
The meeting starts at 8:00 PM - i.e. we cannot be late.
IMF


- International Monetary Fund - an international agency that works to stabilize currencies etc.
The IMF imposed very strict currency guidelines that many people were opposed to.
IOU


- I Owe You - a signed paper stating that you promise to pay a debt
I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his television.
IQ


- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence
The IQ of the new student is very high.

J- Initials​

JP


- Justice of the Peace (a person in the court/justice system who can do some minor duties and perform marriages etc.)
The young couple went to a JP when they decided to get married.

K- Initials​

KO


- Knockout
The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.

L- Initials​

LLB


- Bachelor of Laws
My cousin received his LLB and will begin to practice law soon.
LP


- Long-Playing Record
Recently, LP records are becoming more popular.
LPG


- Liquid Petroleum Gas
The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.

M- Initials​

MA


- Master of Arts
My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.
MC


- Master of Ceremonies
My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.
MD


- Doctor of Medicine
The woman received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.
MIA


- Missing In Action
There are several MIA soldiers in the small country.
MO


- modus operandi - the way that a person works
The MO of the criminal was very difficult to understand.
MP


- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc.
There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.
MP3


- MPEG-1 audio layer 3 - a method to compress digital audio
The students listened to their MP3 players as they worked in the computer lab.
MSc


- Master of Science
The woman has an MSc in computer science and she found a job easily.

N- Initials​

N/A


- not applicable (often found on a survey or questionnaire)
I wrote down N/A for many questions on the survey.
NASA


- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US space organization
According to a spokesperson for NASA the rocket will be launched next week.
NATO


- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The members of NATO are gathering for an important meeting next month in Brussels.
NB


- Nota Bene - Latin for take notice or note well
Our teacher told us to memorize the information in our text that is marked NB.
NRA


- National Rifle Association
The NRA had a big meeting recently.

O- Initials​

OAP


- Old Age Pensioner
At first, I thought that I could get the OAP discount. Later, I realized it was for senior citizens only.
OAU


- Organization of African Unity
The OAU is working very hard to promote free trade between its various countries.
OBO


- or best offer
The piano is being sold for $300 obo.
OD


- Overdose - on drugs
The man died because of a drug OD.
OR


- Operating Room - in a hospital
Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.
OT


- overtime
I have to work some OT this weekend.

P- Initials​

PA


- Public Address (System)
Every morning the children listened to the latest school information over the PA.
PC


- Politically Correct - language that is not harmful or insulting to others
The university has a policy that says that all material published in the school newspaper must be PC.
PC


- Personal Computer
The PC industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.
P.E.


- Physical Education
My P.E. class was held indoors during the winter months.
Phd


- Doctor of Philosophy
After receiving his Phd in history my friend got a job at a university.
PLO


- Please Leave On - used when you want to leave something on a blackboard or whiteboard
Although the teacher wrote PLO on the blackboard, the information was erased during the lunch break.
PM


- Post Meridiem - Latin for after noon
The meeting started at exactly 1:00 PM.
PO


- post office
I went to the PO to get a package.
POW


- Prisoner of War
The negotiations regarding POWs continued for many years after the Vietnam war.
PR


- Public Relations
With good PR the politician was able to gain the support of many people.
PS


- Postscript - written at the end of a letter when you want to add some extra information
After finishing the letter, I wrote PS to include something very important that I had forgotten.
PTA


- Parent-Teacher Association
We got home late last night after attending our son's PTA meeting.
PTO


- Please Turn Over - written on a piece of paper to tell someone to look at the other side
I wrote PTO on the letter to make sure that my friend looked at the other side.

R- Initials​

RCMP


- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force
The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.
RIP


- Requiescat In Pace (from the Latin) or Rest In Peace- used when talking about someone who is dead and sometimes written on a gravestone
At the end of the movie RIP was written on the gravestone of the character who had been killed.
RN


- registered nurse
My aunt is an RN.
RSVP


- Repondez S'il Vous Plait - the French which means please reply
The invitation said RSVP so I sent a note to say that I would attend the party.

S- Initials​

SOB


- Son Of a Bitch - a swear word used in anger or when you want to insult someone
The man called me a SOB when I drove in front of him in the parking lot.
SOS


- this does not refer to any words but is the international code (Morse code) that is used as a signal of distress, a call for help
The sinking ship sent out an SOS signal but nobody came to their rescue.
SPCA


- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The man called the SPCA to tell them about the poor treatment of the dog.

T- Initials​

TA


- Teaching Assistant
After leaving university, my friend was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.
TB


- Tuberculosis
The number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.
TBA


- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced at a later time
I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it said TBA.
TGIF


- Thank Goodness It's Friday
The restaurant has a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks are half price.
TKO


- Technical Knockout
The boxer won the fight with a TKO.
TLC


- Tender Loving Care
With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.
TP


- Toilet Paper
I went to the store to buy some TP.

U- Initials​

UFO


- Unidentified Flying Object
The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.
UPS


- United Parcel Service
My friend will send the package by UPS.
UV


- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray
We used sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.

V- Initials​

VCR


- Video Cassette Recorder
The electronics store does not sell VCR's anymore.
VDU


- Video Display Unit
The VDU was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.
VHF


- Very High Frequency
The television was not working because of a problem with the VHF connection.
VIP


- Very Important Person
The football player was given the VIP treatment when he visited his hometown.
VP


- Vice President
After serving as vice president for many years the man was appointed company president.
VTR


- Video Tape Recorder
The VTR in the classroom was missing because someone was using it for a meeting.

W- Initials​

WC


- Water Closet - toilet
When we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.

Y- Initials​

YMCA


- Young Men's Christian Association
The English classes at the YMCA were recommended to the students last year.
YWCA


- Young Women's Christian Association
My friend stayed at the YWCA when she visited New York City last summer.