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Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs
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Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs
What is the meaning of idioms?
Words that come together and change the whole meaning of the statement like "it
rains cats and dogs", did you ever seen cats and dogs falling off from the sky?! Of
course not, but it simply mean "it is raining too hard".
I hope that you got the whole idea by now.
Enjoy!
Mr. Doody
A
abide by (something)
- to follow the rules of something
The cleaning staff must abide by the rules of the school.
able to breathe easily again
- to be able to relax and recover from a stressful time or event
My friend was able to breathe easily again when his company did not go bankrupt.
able to do (something) blindfolded
- to be able to do something easily and quickly
The car was easy to fix and we were able to do it blindfolded.
able to do (something) standing on one's head
- to be able to do something easily and quickly
The boy is good at fixing his bicycle. He can do it standing on his head.
able to take a joke
- to be able to let others laugh and joke about you
Our boss is not able to take a joke. We must be careful what we say to him.
about time
- to be something that should have happened earlier
"It is about time that you returned that book to me."
about to (do something)
- to be on the point of doing something
I was about to leave my house when the phone rang.
above all else
- most importantly of all
Above all else, I plan to go to the Natural History Museum when I visit the city.
above and beyond
- to be more than is required
The work that the man did on our house was above and beyond what was required.
above reproach
- to be not deserving of blame or criticism
The actions of the police officer were above reproach.
above suspicion
- to be very honest so that nobody will suspect you
The man's actions are always above suspicion.
absent-minded
- to be forgetful
My grandfather is very absent-minded and he often forgets his keys.
according to Hoyle
- doing something strictly by the rules, doing something the usual and correct way
"According to Hoyle, we should not use this room but probably nobody will complain
if we do use it."
according to (someone or something)
- as said or told by someone, in agreement with something, in the order of something,
in proportion to something
According to our teacher, there will be no class next week.
We did everything according to the terms of our agreement.
account for (something)
- to provide an answer/explanation for something
The bad weather accounts for the fact that only a few people came to the meeting.
acid test
- a test where the conclusions are beyond doubt
The problem was an acid test of our faith in the new manager.
acquire a taste for (something)
- to learn to like something
We acquired a taste for classical music during our trip to Europe.
across the board
- equally for everyone or everything
The taxes increased across the board and everyone must pay more.
act high and mighty
- to act proud and powerful
The woman always acts high and mighty and nobody likes her.
act one's age
- to behave as a mature person, to behave equal to one's age
My friend never acts her age in public.
act up
- to misbehave
The children began to act up during the field trip.
add fuel to the fire
- to make a problem worse, to make an angry person more angry
The company added fuel to the fire when they criticized the workers.
add insult to injury
- to make a person who already feels bad to feel worse, to make a bad situation worse
Our boss added insult to injury when she refused to let us use the telephone and
computers during lunch.
add up
- to total up to a certain amount
I plan to add up the money that I owe to my father.
add up (to something)
- to mean something, to result in something
The things that my friend said about his boss do not add up.
advise against (something)
- to suggest that something should not be done
We were advised against swimming in the river.
afraid of one's own shadow
- to be easily frightened
The small dog is afraid of his own shadow.
after Idioms
after a fashion
- poorly, barely adequate
The cleaning staff cleaned the room after a fashion but not very well.
after all
- in spite of what was expected
I have decided to take swimming lessons after all.
after all
- because of the reason given, something needs to be considered
"You don't need to phone him. After all, he never phones you."
after all is said and done
- finally, when everything is settled
After all is said and done the mayor of our city is doing a very good job.
after hours
- after the regular closing or finishing time
The library has a place to return books after hours.
after the fact
- after something has happened
The man said that he was sorry but it was after the fact. He had already caused many
problems.
.
against one's will
- to be without a person's consent or agreement
The police took the man to jail against his will.
against the clock
- to hurry to do something before a particular time
We worked against the clock to finish the project.
ahead of one's time
- to have ideas or attitudes that are more advanced than those of others
The ideas of the politician were ahead of his time.
ahead of schedule
- before the time on a schedule that has been decided
We finished our work ahead of schedule.
ahead of the game
- to have done more than necessary
We worked hard all week in order to be ahead of the game on Monday morning.
ahead of time
- earlier than arranged or planned
We started the meeting ahead of time so that we could go home early.
aim at (something)
- to plan or try to reach a target
We are aiming at a big increase in sales next year.
air one`s dirty laundry/linen in public
- to make public something embarrassing that should be a secret
The dinner party became uncomfortable when the host began to air his colleague's
dirty laundry in public.
air one's grievances
- to complain (often publicly)
We aired our grievances during the monthly meeting.
air (something) out
- to freshen something by putting it in the open air
We put the blankets outside in order to air them out.
alive and kicking
- to be well and healthy
My aunt is 87 years old and she is very much alive and kicking.
alive and well
- to be well and healthy
The worker is alive and well after the accident.
all Idioms
all along
- all the time, throughout
I knew all along that my friend would not get the promotion.
all at once
- suddenly, without warning
All at once the fire alarm rang and we had to leave the building.
all day long
- the whole day
The girl is happy to wait all day long for the mail to arrive.
all ears
- to be eager to listen to someone
"I`m all ears, please tell me about the party."
all for (someone or something)
- to be very much in favor of someone or something
The woman is all for the manager and she never criticizes her.
all important
- most important, urgent or necessary
The meeting is all important and I plan to attend it.
all in
- to be tired, to be exhausted
I am all in and will go to bed early tonight.
all in a day's work
- to be part of what is expected
It was all in a day's work when the firefighters rescued the cat.
all in all
- in summary, after considering everything
We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.
all in one piece
- safely, without damage
Our furniture arrived all in one piece after we moved.
all manner of (someone or something)
- all types of people or things
There were all manner of people at the party.
all night long
- throughout the whole night
We could hear the people next door talking all night long.
all of a sudden
- suddenly, without advance warning
All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.
all or nothing
- everything, one hundred percent of something
It is all or nothing. If I cannot fully participate in the meeting I will not attend.
all-out-effort
- a very good and thorough effort
We are making an all-out-effort to finish our work.
all over but the shouting
- to be decided and finished
It was all over but the shouting for the football fans after their team moved to another
city.
all over the place
- everywhere
We traveled all over the place on our holiday.
all right
- okay, satisfactory
I think that it will be all right for me to bring my friend to the party.
all set
- to be ready to begin, to be okay
We were all set so we began the meeting.
all sweetness and light
- to be very sweet, to be innocent and helpful
The girl is all sweetness and light after she does something bad.
all systems go
- everything is ready (often used when a rocket is launched)
It was all systems go so we began the installation of the new computer system.
all talk (and no action)
- to talk about doing something but never really do it
Our boss is all talk and no action and nothing new is ever done in our department.
all the livelong day
- throughout the whole day
I know the words to the song, “I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong
day.”
all the rage
- to be in current fashion
The new sneakers were all the rage during the summer.
all the time
- always, continually
My sister asks for money all the time but I never give it to her.
all thumbs
- to have difficulty fixing things or working with one`s hands, to be clumsy
My friend is all thumbs when he fixes things around his house.
all to the good
- for the best, for one's benefit
It was all to the good that my sister quit her job.
all told
- including everything/everyone, everything counted
All told, there were at least twelve candidates for the job.
.
allow for (someone or something)
- to plan to have enough of something, to plan on the possibility of something
We must allow for enough time to go to the stadium.
along with (someone or something)
- in addition to someone or something
I went to the concert along with my friend.
amount to (something)
- to total something, to result in something
The small amounts of time later amounted to much time.
amount to (something)
- to become successful
The boy will never amount to anything if he does not change his behavior.
amount to the same thing
- to be the same or have the same effect as something
Going by taxi or by bus amounts to the same thing. We will still be late for the
concert.
answer to (someone)
- to explain or justify one's actions to someone
The manager had to answer to the company president about the financial problems.
any number of (someone or something)
- a large number of people or something
I had any number of reasons not to buy the computer.
appear out of nowhere
- to appear suddenly, to appear without warning
The dog appeared out of nowhere during our walk on the beach.
apple of (someone`s) eye
- someone or something that is very precious or important to you
The man's youngest daughter is the apple of his eye.
argue for the sake of arguing/argument
- to argue only to be different
My friend's brother always argues for the sake of arguing.
arm and a leg
- a large amount of money
The man's new car cost him an arm and a leg.
arm in arm
- to be joined together by the arms
The young girls walked arm in arm to school.
armed and dangerous
- to have a weapon that may be used (usually used for a criminal)
The criminal was armed and dangerous when the police arrested him.
armed to the teeth
- to be armed with many weapons
The police were armed to the teeth during the raid.
around the clock
- all day and all night
We worked around the clock to prepare the store to open.
arrive on the scene
- to appear in a certain place
When the fire department arrived on the scene the fire was finished.
as Idioms
as a last resort
- if everything else fails
As a last resort we decided to borrow some money to buy the car.
as a matter of fact
- actually
“As a matter of fact, we have been to the art gallery many times.”
as a result of (something)
- because of something that has happened
As a result of a car accident my friend could not work for several months.
as a rule
- usually, as a habit
As a rule, I get up at 7:00 every morning.
as dull as dishwater
- very uninteresting
The speakers at the conference were as dull as dishwater.
as far as
- to the extent or degree of something
As far as I know the movie will start next week.