Idioms and Sayings
الجمعة، 24 أبريل 2009
Image | Idiom | Explanation |
---|---|---|
"... apple of ..... eye." For example: "She was the apple of his eye." | Someone that one likes a lot. | |
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." For example: "The doctor told her to eat more fresh fruit, after all an apple a day keeps the doctor away." | Eating fruit is good/healthy for you. | |
"Bring home the bacon." For example: "He felt it was his responsibility to bring home the bacon." | To earn a living for the family. | |
"Bread and butter." For example: "He was talking about bread and butter issues." | Basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing). | |
To be a butterfingers. For example:- He had the ball, but he dropped it! What a butterfingers! | Somebody who often drops things | |
Butter someone up. For example: | To flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship. | |
Butter wouldn't melt in his / her mouth. For example:- "No one ever thought she was naughty, she always looked as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth." | If butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth, they look as if they would never do anything wrong although you think they would. | |
"A piece of cake." For example: "She knew she had passed the English exam, it was a piece of cake." | To find something easy to do. | |
"To sell like hot cakes." For example: "The new Spice Girls' album sold like hot cakes." | To sell quickly or rapidly. | |
"A big cheese" For example: "Anita Roddick was the big cheese at the Body Shop." | An important person, a leader (usually about business). | |
"Chalk and cheese" For example: "I'm not surprised they're getting divorced, they were always chalk and cheese." | To be the complete opposite of someone. | |
"Another bite at the cherry." For example: "Frank got another bite at the cherry when he resat his exams." | To be given a another chance of doing or getting something. | |
What's cooking? For example: A: Hey guys! What's cooking? | What's happening? | |
"As cool as a cucumber." For example: "Although he was driving at 110 mph James Bond was as cool as a cucumber." | To remain calm under pressure. | |
"A cowardy custard." For example: Me: "I'm scared of spiders." | A way of saying someone is a coward. Maybe because custard is yellow. | |
"A bad egg." For example: "He never phoned his mother. He was a bad egg." | A bad person, to be avoided. | |
"Egg .... on." For example: "He was always in trouble at school, his class mates always egged him on." | To urge someone to do something (usually negative). | |
"Have egg on one's face." For example: "He ended up with egg on his face, when she found out he had been lying." | To be caught out or embarrassed. | |
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs." For example: "He worked so hard to make the company a success it made him ill, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs." | To do something to the detriment of something else. | |
To put all your eggs in one basket For example: "You shouldn't invest all your money in Microsoft, it would be like putting all your eggs in one basket." | To risk everything on one person or thing. | |
"To walk on eggshells." For example:- Everyone in the family had to walk on eggshells when he was in a bad mood. | To try hard not to upset someone or something. | |
"A pretty or fine kettle of fish" For example:- "They're divorced, and someone's sat them next to each other - that's a fine kettle of fish." | A difficult or awkward situation. Thanks to Otrebs | |
"A different kettle of fish" For example:- "Oh! They want to place an order? That's a different kettle of fish. Of course I'll talk to them." | A different matter or issue. Thanks to Otrebs | |
Something is fishy. For example:- "There was something fishy in the way he paused before answering the question." | Used when something inspires doubt or suspicion. | |
"Cry over spilt milk." For example: "It's no good crying over spilt milk, what's done is done." | To cry or complain about something that has already happened. | |
"As keen as mustard" For example: "He was as keen as mustard because he really wanted to win the competition." | To be very eager. | |
"Nutty as a fruitcake." For example: "People say I'm as nutty as a fruitcake to run this website." | To be slightly crazy. | |
"To use a sledgehammer to crack a nut." For example:
| To do something with more force than is necessary to achieve the result you want. | |
"To know your onions." For example:- "When it comes to computers he really knows his onions." | To know a lot about a particular subject. | |
"As easy as pie." For example: "Anyone can do that, it's as easy as pie." | When something is very easy to do. | |
"Have a finger in every pie." For example: "He was a very influential man, he seemed to have a finger in every pie." | To be involved in lots of different things. | |
"A couch potato." For example: "She should get out more, she's turning into a real couch potato. " | Someone who just sits on the couch watching TV. |
"A hot potato." For example: "The issue of immigration was a hot potato." | A question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle | |
"In the soup." For example: "He landed her in the soup, when he told the policeman she had been drinking." | To be in serious trouble. | |
"Souped up." For example: "He made his car go faster by souping up the engine." | To change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing or adding something. | |
"Cup of tea." For example: "I really enjoyed the film, it was just my cup of tea." | Something one enjoys or |
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