Proverbs

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.* Eating an apple every day can
help to keep you healthy.
Other interpretation : A small preventive treatment wards off serious problems.
. A burnt child dreads the fire. A bad experience will make people stay
away from certain things.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Someone who helps you when you are in
trouble.
As you sow, so shall you reap You have to accept the consequences of your
actions.
Better late than never. It's better to do something, even if it's late, than not do it
at all.
Blood is thicker than water Family relationships are stronger than
relationships with other people.
Diligence is the mother of good fortune. Hard work brings rewards
Easier said than done. What is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to
actually do it.
Honesty is the best policy.
It's no use crying over spilt milk. Don't express regret for something that has
happened and cannot be remedied.
Like father, like son. A son's character can be expected to resemble his father's
Many hands make light work. Sharing work makes work easier.
Never say die. Never give up
One good turn deserves another. You should be helpful to someone who
helps you.
Opportunity seldom knocks twice. Don't miss opportunities that come along.
Practice makes perfect. Doing something repeatedly is the only way to become
good at it.
Prevention is better than cure It is easier to prevent something from happening
than to repair the damage or cure the
disease later.
Time has wings. Time goes by quickly.
Time is money. Time is valuable and should not be wasted
Where there's a will, there's a way. A person with determination will find a
way of doing something.
.
You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. You help me and I'll help
you.

Kindness begets kindness. If you are kind to people, they will be kind
to you.

Idioms
A problem shared is a problem halved
If you talk about your problems, it will make you feel better.
Above par
Better than average or normal
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows
stronger.
Alike as two peas
If people or things are as alike as two peas, they are identical.
All eyes on me
If all eyes are on someone, then everyone is paying attention to them.
All heart
Someone who is all heart is very kind and generous.
Angry as a bull
If someone is as angry as a bull, they are very angry.
Arm and a leg
If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.
Bad egg
A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. Good egg is the opposite.
Bag of nerves
If someone is a bag of nerves, they are very worried or nervous.
Bear fruit
If something bears fruit, it produces positive results.
Bee in your bonnet
If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their
bonnet.
Bend over backwards
If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help
someone.
Big fish
An important person in a company or an organisation is a big fish.
Bird's eye view
If you have a bird's eye view of something, you can see it perfectly
clearly.
Black sheep
Someone who is the black sheep doesn't fit into a group or family
because their behaviour or character is not good enough.
Bright and breezy
When someone is cheerful and full of energy, they are bright and
breezy.
Bright as a button
A person who is as bright as a button is very intelligent or smart.

Bring someone to book

If somebody is brought to book, they are punished or made to account for
By and large
By and large means usually or generally.
By dint of
This means 'as a result of' or 'because of': It would be good to think
he'd risen to position of Chief Executive by dint of hard work.
Cat nap
If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping.
Chalk and cheese
Things, or people, that are like chalk and cheese are very different and
have nothing in common.
Cheap as chips
(UK) If something is very inexpensive, it is as cheap as chips.
Cheek by jowl
If things or people are cheek by jowl, they are very close together.
Close at hand
If something is close at hand, it is nearby or conveniently located.
Cloud nine
If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. ('cloud seven' is a
less common alternative)
Couch potato
A couch potato is an extremely idle or lazy person who chooses to
spend most of their leisure time horizontal in front of the TV and eats
a diet that is mainly junk food.
Could eat a horse
If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse.
Dog days
Dog days are very hot summer days.
Down and out
If someone is down and out, they are desperately poor and need help.
Dress to kill
When someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly.
Drop into your lap
If something drops into your lap, you receive it suddenly, without any
warning.
Earn a living
To make money Ex: We need to get a good job to earn a decent living.
Easier said than done
If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it
sounds. It is often used when someone advises you to do something
difficult and tries to make it sound easy.
Easy as ABC
Something that is as easy as ABC is very easy or simple.

Eat like a bird

If someone eats like a bird, they eat very little.
Eat like a horse
Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot.
Eat like a pig
If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table
manners.
Eat my hat
fed up to the back teeth.
Feel at home
If you feel relaxed and comfortable somewhere or with someone, you
feel at home
Fit as a fiddle
If you are fit as a fiddle, you are in perfect health.
permission.
Fresh from the oven
If something is fresh from the oven, it is very new.
From scratch
This idiom means 'from the beginning'.
Full as a tick
If you are as full as a tick, you have eaten too much.
Full of the joys of spring
If you are full of the joys of spring, you are very happy and full of
energy.
Give it some stick
(UK) If you give something some stick, you put a lot of effort into it.
Give me a hand
If someone gives you a hand, they help you.
Good as gold
If children are as good as gold, they behave very well.
Good Samaritan
A good Samaritan is a persoon wh helps others in need.
Good shape
If something's in good shape, it's in good condition. If a person's in
good shape, they are fit and healthy.
Hand in hand
Hand in hand= work together closely When people in a group, say in
an office or in a project, work together with mutual understanding to
achieve the target, we say they work hand in hand. There is no lack of
co-operation and each synchoranises the activity with that of the other.
Hard by
"Hard by" means mean "close to" or "near".
Have a ball
If you have a ball, you have a great time, a lot of fun.

Have a heart
If someone has a heart, they arekind and sympathetic. If you say,
'Have a heart' to someone, you are asking them to be understanding
and sympathetic.
Hear a pin drop
If there is complete silence in a room, you can hear a pin drop.
Heart of gold
Someone with a heart of gold is a genuinely kind and caring person.
Hell for leather
If you do something hell for leather, especially running, you do it as
fast as you can.
Hit the hay
When you hit the hay, you go to bed.
Hungry as a bear
If you are hungry as a bear, it means that you are really hungry.
In a flash
If something happens in a flash, it happens very quickly indeed.
In a fog
If you're in a fog, you are confused, dazed or unaware.
In a heartbeat
If something happens very quickly or immediately, it happens in a
heartbeat.
In apple-pie order
If something is in apple-pie order, it is very neat and organised.
In light of
'In light of' is similar to 'due to'.
In my book
This idiom means 'in my opinion'.
Sleep like a baby
If you sleep very well, you sleep like a baby.
Sleep like a log
If you sleep like a log, you sleep very soundly.
So on and so forth
And so on and so forth mean the same as etcetera (etc.).
Spare the rod and spoil the child
This means that if you don't discipline children, they will become
spoilt.
Spick and span
If a room is spick and span, it is very clean and tidy.
Stone deaf
Someone who is stone deaf is completely deaf.
Stone's throw
If a place is a stone's throw from where you are, it is a very short
distance away.

Strong as an ox
Someone who's exceedingly strong physically is said to be as strong as
an ox.
Stubborn as a mule
Someone who will not listen to other people's advice and won't change
their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule.
Stuffed to the gills
If someone is stuffed to the gills, they have eaten a lot and are very
full.
Take for granted
If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it
because you assume you will always have it. If you take someone for
granted, you don't show your appreciation to them.
Take forty winks
If you take 40 winks, you have a short sleep.
Take the floor
Start talking or giving a speech to a group
Teacher's pet
The teacher's favorite pupil is the teacher's pet, especially if disliked
by the other pupils.
The more the merrier
The more the merrier means that the greater the quantity or the bigger
the number of something, the happier the speaker will be.
Thick as thieves
If people are thick as thieves, they are very close friends who have no
secrets from each other.
Think outside the box
If you think outside the box, you think in an imaginative and creative
way.
Turn a deaf ear
If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don't listen to you.
Turn a new leaf
If someone turns a new leaf, they change their behaviour and stop
doing wrong or bad things.
Twinkling of an eye
If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very
quickly.
Twist someone's arm
If you twist someone's arm, you put pressure on them to try to make
them do what you want them to do.
Twisting in the wind
If you are twisting in the wind, you are without help or support - you are on
your
With flying colours (colors)

If you pass something with flying colours (colors), you pass easily,
with a very high mark or grade.
Work like a dog
If you work like a dog, you work very hard.
Lend an ear
If you lend an ear, you listen to what someone has to say. ('Lend your
ear' is an alternative form.)
Like a cat that got the cream
If someone looks very pleased with themselves and happy, they look
like a cat that got the cream.
Like a kid in a candy store
If someone is like a kid in a candy store, they are very excited about
something.
Like peas in a pod
If people or things are like peas in a pod, they look identical.
Live wire
A person who is very active, both mentally and physically, is a live
wire.
Long time no hear
The speaker could say this when they have not heard from a person,
either through phone calls or emails for a long time.
Long time no see
'Long time no see' means that the speaker has not seen that person for
a long time.
Make your hair stand on end
If something makes your hair stand on end, it terrifies you.
Make your toes curl
If something makes your toes curl, it makes you feel very
uncomfortable, shocked or embarrassed.
something is achieved.
Many hands make light work
This idiom means that when everyone gets involved in something, the
work gets done quickly.
Many happy returns
This expression is used to wish someone a happy birthday.
Many moons ago
A very long time ago.
Money burns a hole in your pocket
If someone has money burning a hole in their pocket, they are eager to
spend it, normally in a wasteful manner.
Money doesn`t grow on trees
This means that you have to work to earn money; it doesn't come
easily or without effort.
Money for jam

If something's money for jam, it's a very easy way of making money.
Money for old rope
(UK) If something's money for old rope, it's a very easy way of
making money.
Monkey business
If children get up to monkey business, they are behaving naughtily or
mischievously. This is the same as 'monkeying around'.
Monkey see, monkey do
This idiom means that children will learn their behaviour by copying
what they see happening around them.
My hands are full
If your hands are full, you have so much to do that you cannot take on
any more work, responsibilities and so on.
My hands are tied
If your hands are tied, you are unable to act for some reason.
My heart bleeds
If your heart bleeds for someone, you feel genuine sympathy and
sadness for them.
My heart goes out to someone
If your heart goes out to someone, you feel genuine sympathy for
them.
Now and then
This idiom means 'occasionally'.
Once in a blue moon
If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely
indeed.
Out of pocket
If you are out of pocket on a deal, you have lost money.
Over and over
If something happens over and over, it happens repeatedly.
Over my dead body
If you say that something will happen over your dead body, you will
not let it happen.
Packed like sardines
If a place is extremely crowded, people are packed like sardines, or
packed in like sardines.
Paddle your own canoe
(USA) If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself
without outside help.
Pain in the neck
If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a
pain in the neck. Pain in the butt, or pain in the ass (USA), and Pain in
the arse (UK) are less polite alternative forms.
Raining cats and dogs

When it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.