Idioms in English. Carlos Mirasierras

Idioms in English by Carlos Mirasierras
1

Idioms in English.
(Text reviewed, corrected & Augmented by Carlos Mirasierras)
It consists of three columns that contain, on the reading direction, the idiom, its
meaning, and the example.
(Have a look at: Phrasal Verbs by Carlos Mirasierras, an Approach Towards Bilingualism)
Idiom Meaning Example
a babe in
arms
a baby, or a
child who is still
wet behind the
ears, and it
means that he,
or she is still
quite young
David was just a babe in
arms when we emigrated
to US. He was still very
young.
There was a young girl
with a babe in arms
waiting for a bus, but no
bus came along .
a babe in the
woods
a defenseless
person; a naive
and young
person
He's just a babe in the
woods, so he needs
someone to protect him
because he's an
inexperienced person .
a bad taste a feeling that I left the meeting with a
2

in my mouth something is
false or unfair,
a feeling of ill
will
bad taste in my mouth.
There was a lot of
dishonesty in the room. So
it left me a bad taste in my
mouth
a bad time To cause a lot
of teasing, to
give a rough
time
The classmates gave John
a bad time because of his
pink shorts. He was
wearing a pair of shorts
that are not, in any case,
appropriate for a boy.
a ball-park
figure
a number that
is near the
total; it's an
approximate
figure
Fifty is a ball-park figure,
because it's close to the
number of people in our
class.
a bar fly a person who
often goes to
bars or lounges
Every evening Penny goes
to John's pub to have
some fun. So, she's quite
a bar fly.
a bar star a girl who goes
to bars to drink
and find friends
Lola was known to be a
bar star during her youth,
but now she's a different
person.
a bare-faced
lie
a deliberate lie,
a planned lie
His statement to the police
was false. The cops could
3

see that it was a bare-
faced lie.
a barnburner an exciting
event; an
impressive
success
The group played their old
songs and it was indeed a
barnburner, and an event
to be remembered for
years.
a barrel of
laughs
a lot of fun, a
person who
makes you
laugh
Hey guys, let's invite Joe
to our party. He's a barrel
of laughs, and we'll have a
whale of a time.

a basket
case
a person who
is very
nervous, or in
bad shape
If Gloria undergoes a
nervous breakdown, she'll
be a basket case to be
treated by a doctor.
a bawling
out
To give
somebody a
scolding, a
lecture, an
earful
Dad gave me a bawling
out because I forgot to do
my chores. He gave a
bawling out, a scolding, a
lecture, a telling-off, etc.
a bed of
roses
an easy life, a
pleasant place
where to work
Who said that retirement is
a bed of roses? To be in
Miami surrounded by
beauties would be indeed
4

or stay a bed of roses.
a bee in
one's bonnet
To be upset, a
bit angry, to be
on edge
Aunt Betsy was kind of
cranky, as if she had a
bee in her bonnet. (Kind of:
somewhat, rather)
a beehive of
activity
This is a busy
place, or a
room full of
working people
The kids are making
crafts. It's indeed a
beehive of activity in the
class.
a big rig (in
USA &
Canada)
a big truck, a
semi-trailer
truck
Do you have a driver's
license? Have you ever
driven a big rig?
a big shot, to
be a big shot
To be an
important
person, to be a
boss, a big
wheel
On payday he spends
money like a big shot; he
buys drinks for all and
gives the barmen good
tips.
a big wheel a person with
power, a big
shot
Barry has been acting like
a big wheel since he got
promoted.
a big wig an important
person, a
president etc.,
a VIP
Barry is a big wig in Gulf
Oil, I think he's a vice
president or something
like that.
a bimbo A good looking Don't call John's girlfriend
5

foolish girl, an
airhead
a bimbo, she's not a piece
of meat, she's very
intelligent.

a bird in the
hand is
worth two in
the bush
It means that
having one is
better than
seeing many
You must remember that
when searching for a
better job: a bird in the
hand is worth two in the
bush; you must not forget
that my friend
a bit at sea To be a bit
unsure,
uncertain
He seems a bit at sea
since his brother died
because they were very
close.
(a bit) dense To be difficult
to understand
because of
complexity.
This novel is, to my taste,
a bit dense. Math is for all
students a dense subject.
a bit off, or a
little off
To be a little
crazy,
unbalanced
Kate talks to herself when
she's alone. Do you think
she's a bit off?
6

a bitch a complaining
woman, a
woman who
nags
What a bitch! She
complains to us and
criticizes her classmates
for our supporting the
teacher .
a bite to eat a lunch, a
snack
We can grab a bite to eat
at the arena. They sell
snacks there.
a bitter pill to
swallow
a negative
event, a loss, a
painful
experience
Divorce is a bitter pill to
swallow for Marianne,
because she believes in
the marriage institution.
a black mark a mark beside
your name that
indicates
something bad
about you.
If you cause an accident,
you get a black mark
beside your name. We
were given a black mark
for our behavior.
a blackout A cutoff of
electrical power
as a result of a
shortage of
electricity.
The blackout was caused
by technical difficulties at
the power station; the
electricity supply was
restored at around 4:30.
a blackout
(this is in
case of war)
a policy that
requires lights
to be turned off
in the event of
Blackouts prevented
bombers from seeing their
targets at night. State
officials ordered blackouts
7

a
bombardment.
during WW II.

(To give s.
o.) a blank
look
To look back at
s.o. with a
neutral look on
one's face
When I called her name,
she gave me a blank look,
as though she didn't know
me.
(To have) a
blast
To have a
great time,
have a lot of
fun
The students were having
a blast until the teacher
walked in, and all the fun
came to an end.
a blessing in
disguise
A problem that
becomes a
benefit or
advantage
The rainstorm was a
blessing in disguise
because it stopped the
fire.
blow-by-
blow
account, (blow-
by-blow description)
A detailed
description of
an event
The lawyer got the witness
to give a blow-by-blow
description of the
argument.
a blowout To win by a
large score,
have an easy
victory.
"Did the Flames win?"
"Yea, it was a blowout,
they won 11-2".
a blowout To have a flat
tire, a tire that
We were late because our
van had a blowout on the
8

breaks
suddenly
freeway.
a bone to
pick
something to
argue about; a
matter to
discuss
Joe sounded angry when
he said that he had a bone
to pick with you.
a breath of
fresh air
A welcome
relief, a nice
change, a new
presence
Having Lisa around the
house is a breath of fresh
air, because she's so nice.
a breath of
wind
a breeze, a
light wind
In the evening, the lake
was calm. There wasn't
even a breath of wind.
a brick a dependable
person, a friend
who always
helps
Paul helped me get
through my divorce. He's a
real brick!

(To be) a
brick short of
a full load
To be mentally
slow; lack
intellectual
ability
He's a brick short of a full
load if he thinks that he
can buy my car at that
price.
a budding
genius
a child who
appears to be
The newspaper described
Pam as "a budding
9

very intelligent genius" on the violin.
a bull in a
china shop

a big, reckless
person in a
room full of
fragile things.
Imagine a 300-pound
football player at a tea
party, and you have a bull
in a china shop.
a bum rap;
To take the
rap
unfair blame,
unjust
sentence, a
false charge.__
Take the blame
for doing
something.
It was a bum rap. Eddie
didn't steal those
paintings._____________

I won't take the rap for a
crime I didn't commit.
a bummer an unfortunate
event, a bad
experience.
"Somebody broke a
window in his car and
stole his stereo." "That's a
bummer."
a bun in the
oven
Pregnant
woman,
expecting a
baby
Mabel has a bun in the
oven. The baby's due in
April.
a bunch of
malarkey
an untrue story,
insincere or
foolish talk, a
lot of bunk
"Do you believe what the
futurologist said about
your future?" "No, to me
It's a bunch of malarkey."
(To be) a a very nervous Mary has so many
10

bundle of
nerves
person; uptight
person
problems - she's just a
bundle of nerves.
a card a witty amusing
person who
makes jokes
He is such a card, he's
always making jokes of
everything.
a case of an example of,
it's a case of
Look at Bosnia. That's a
case of ethnic civil war.

a caution a very amusing
or surprising
person
She's a caution, she told
her friends that she was a
victim of ugliness in the
presence of handsome
men.
a cheap
drunk
a person who
gets drunk on
one or two
drinks
Joan admits she's a cheap
drunk. Her limit is two
drinks.
a checkup a doctor's
examination, a
medical
examination
If you are not feeling well,
go to the doctor for a
checkup.
a chicken in
every pot
enough food
for every
family,
prosperity for
Delinquency would be a
problem of the past if
there'd be a chicken in
11

all every pot.
a chin wag a light informal
conversation, a
chat.
The grandmothers were
gathered around the table
having a chin wag about
their grandchildren.
a chip off the
old block
a boy who is
like his dad -
like father, like
son
Eric is a chip off the old
block: He has his mother's
looks and his father's
personality.
a chunk of
change
a large amount
of money, a
few grand, big
bucks
I bet he paid a chunk of
change for that car; at
least 300 grand ($
300,000).
a clean bill
of health
a good report
from the doctor
You'll never get a clean bill
of health if you don't stop
eating fat meat!
a cliff-hanger an episode that
ends in
suspense
The match was indeed a
cliffhanger.
a close call close to danger
or an accident,
a narrow
escape, close
shave
It can be described as a
close call as the train
nearly hit the bus when
both were in the middle of
the crossing.

12

a close
shave
very close to
serious injury
or death, close
call
The old man described his
fight with the bear as a
close shave; he had a
narrow escape
a clutch
hitter
(baseball)
a batter who
hits when
runners are on
base
Joe's a clutch hitter. He's
batting .431 with runners
on base.
a common
thread
A similar idea
or pattern to a
series of
events
All of these incidents are
related. There is a
common thread to all of
them.
(To put) a
contract out
on s.o.
to order
someone to kill
someone else
There's a contract out on
Mike. The boss doesn't
like him.
a coon's age A long time,
many years
We haven't been out to the
coast in a coon's age. It's
(it has) been years.
a crash
course
a short and
intense course
that has the
main facts and
skills
He took a crash course in
cooking and bought a cafe
near the port.
a crush on sudden feeling
of love or
Judy has a crush on Tim.
See the way she looks at
13

romance him.
a crying
shame
a very
unfortunate
situation; a real
shame
It's a crying shame that
they didn't have fire
insurance.
a cut above superior, better Your shirt is beautiful, but
mine is a cut above yours.
a cut-up someone who
plays practical
jokes on others
When Marsha takes a
couple of drinks she
becomes a real cut-up and
spoils the fun.

a daredevil a daring person What a daredevil! She
jumped across a ten-foot
chasm!
a dead
giveaway
something that
reveals a fact
or an intention
completely
The smile on her face was
a dead giveaway that she
got the job.
a dead heat a race that
finishes in a tie
for first place
A photograph of the finish
line proved that the race
ended in a dead heat.
a dead loss a complete
loss; a write-off
My investment was a dead
loss. This car is a dead
14

(a vehicle that
is too damaged
to repair)
loss after the accident; it's
a complete write-off
because it cannot be
repaired.
a dead
ringer
a person who
is identical to
another.
Chad is a dead ringer for
Mel Gibson. They look like
twins.
a hell of a
time; a
dickens of a
time
a difficult task,
a task with
problems,
I had a hell of a time with
the Social Security
Administration. They had a
dickens of a time with their
new neighbors.
(To be) a
different
kettle of fish
(to be)
different, be not
the same
A cult is not a religion. A
cult is a different kettle of
fish, so they are
completely different.
a dialogue of
the deaf
a waste of time The negotiations resulted
in a dialogue of the deaf.
To be a
dime a
dozen
very cheap, low
priced, dirt
cheap; to be
abundant,
cheap and
common
He can still remember
when eggs were cheap,
when they were a dime a
dozen.
People who can write
good books are not a dime
a dozen nowadays.
15

a dog's age a long time, a
coon's age
Mel! I haven't seen you for
a dog's age; it's been at
least ten years!

a dog's
breakfast
(UK)
something that
has been done
very badly
This book is a dog's
breakfast. It's very badly
written and contains a lot
of useless info.
(To lead) a
dog's life
To lead a poor
life.
She's certainly leading a
dog's life.
a doggy bag a bag or
container for
that food you
don't eat at the
restaurant or
caf
If we can't eat all the
lobster, ask for a doggy
bag and we'll take it home.
We can have it for lunch
tomorrow.
a double-
edged sword
a device that
can help you
and hurt you
Truth is a double-edged
sword. It can imprison me
or set me free.
a downer
(drug)
a drug that
relaxes you; a
sedative
Before bedtime he took a
downer to help him relax
and sleep.
a downer
(sadness)
a depressing
experience
News of the war was a
downer. Most of the
16

people dreaded war.
a drag a boring time Mary's party was a drag.
We ended up talking about
our jobs.
a dressing
down
a scolding, a
lecture
Mother gave me a
dressing down when she
learned that I'd been fired.
a drop in the
bucket
an insignificant
contribution
toward solving
a large problem
This donation is only a
drop in the bucket, but it is
appreciated anyway.
a duke's
mixture
an odd
combination of
things, a
strange mixture
of items.
When Lynn opened the lid
of the box she found a
duke's mixture - everything
from jewelry to birdseed!

a dust-up a fight, a
skirmish; set-to
The boys argued and had
a little dust-up, but no one
got hurt.
a fair shake a fair deal, a
just settlement
The insurance company
gave us a fair shake - paid
all our damages.
a falling out a Guy and Jean had a falling
17

disagreement,
a break in
friendship
out. They argued about
religion.
a false move a wrong move,
a threatening
action
A man with a gun said, "If
you make a false move,
you're dead."
a far cry not similar,
very different
This is a good sherry, but
it's a far cry from the Port.
a faraway
look
the eyes show
thoughts of a
distant place or
friend
When I mention horses,
you get a faraway look in
your eyes.
a fart in a
windstorm
(A fart is a discharge of
intestinal gas)
an act that has
no effect, an
unimportant
event
A letter to the editor of a
paper is like a fart in a
windstorm.
a fat lip a hit on the lip,
an injured lip
Stop bothering her or I'll
give you a fat lip. I'll hit
you.
a feather in
your cap
an honor, a
credit to you.
An
achievement
you can be
proud of
Because you are Karen's
teacher, her award is a
feather in your cap. - An
order for 28 new aircraft is
quite a feather in Boeing's
cap.
18

a few bricks
short of a full
load
Lacking in
intellectual
ability
When Moe began eating
bugs, we knew that he
was a few bricks short.

a fifth wheel a useless
object, an
unnecessary
device
The team already had
two guards, so I felt like
a fifth wheel.
a fighting
chance
a fair chance, a
good chance
If I can get a job
interview, I'll have a
fighting chance.
a fill-up a full tank of
gasoline
We got a fill-up before
we left Winnipeg. The
truck needed gas.
a fine line a close
relationship,
not much
difference
Sometimes there is a
fine line between love
and lust.
a fine-
toothed
comb
a careful
search, a
search for a
detail
She read the file
carefully, and went
over it with a fine-
toothed comb.
a firm hand a strong sense
of
management; a
I had to use a firm
hand with Perry when
he was a child. He had
19

high degree of
discipline and
direction
a problem with
discipline.
a flash in the
pan
someone or
something that
draws a lot of
attention for a
very brief time
I'm afraid that my
success as a painter
was just a flash in the
pan. My career was
only a flash in the pan
a fleeting
glance
a very brief
look, a quick
glance
A fleeting glance from
Jane would make his
heart beat wildly.
a fly on the
wall
someone who
can secretly
see and hear
what happens
I would love to be a fly
on the wall at that
meeting.
a fool and
his money
are soon
parted
people who
aren't careful
with their
money spend it
quickly.
After he had spent his
fortune, he
remembered this
saying: A fool and his
money are soon
parted.

a foregone
conclusion
a certain
conclusion, a
predictable
That he'll graduate is a
foregone conclusion
because he's a good
20

result student.
a free-for-all a fight without
rules
There was a free-for-all
after the dance, and
Bryan got hurt.
a free hand complete
authority,
freedom to do
or decide as
one sees fit.
The President gave
Ms. Drake a free hand
in choosing the means
of transportation.
a freeze on a stoppage; a
decision to stop
spending,
hiring etc.
Right now there's a
freeze on hiring new
personnel for the
power station.
a fresh pair
of eyes
a different
reader, one
who has not
seen the
writing
A fresh pair of eyes
may find many errors in
this report.
a fresh start starting again,
a new life
In Canada, you will
have a fresh start, and
so begin a new life.
a full house
(cards)
a pair plus
three of a kind,
e.g., 2 kings
and 3 aces
In our last game of
poker, you dealt me a
full house.
21

a full plate a busy
schedule, a lot
to do
Nancy has a full plate
these days. She has
many bills to pay.
a gaggle of
geese
a flock of
geese, a bunch
of geese
A gaggle of geese met
us as we drove into the
farmyard.
a game one a willing player I can see that Jim's a
game one. She plays
hard and doesn't quit.

a ghost of a
chance
a very small
possibility.
That car doesn't have a
ghost of a chance. It's
too slow!
(To have) a
glow on
(to be) slightly
drunk, to be
tipsy
Myrna had a glow on
after having drunk two
glasses of wine.
(To give sth)
a go
make an
attempt at
something
I never sat on a horse
before but I'll give it a
go
a go-getter someone who
has a lot of
energy and
confidence and
wants to
I remember him as a
real go-getter despite
all the setbacks he had
to face.
22

succeed
a going
concern,
going concern is
a business that
works very well,
it's going great
guns
The book-keepers
affirm that the business
is a going concern. So
there's nothing to be
worried about
a golden
opportunity
a good chance
to succeed, an
excellent
opportunity
I missed my golden
opportunity to prepare
myself for a good job.
a goner A person who
is in need of
help, or beyond
help
he was a goner
because he was too far
away for the lifeguards
to see him.
a good arm the ability to
throw a
baseball or a
football
Doug is short, but he
has a good arm. He's
an excellent passer.
a good egg a good-natured
person,
Everybody likes
Marsha, she's a good
egg.
(To have) a
good head
on one's
shoulders
To be
intelligent and
sensible, have
common sense
Mary doesn't do well in
school, but she's got a
good head on her
shoulders
23

a good sport a person who
is fair and
friendly
What a good sport!
You never complain,
even when you lose.
(with) a grain
of salt, or
with a pinch
of salt
take it with a
grain of salt
(with a
suspicion)
I took his story with a
grain of salt, or with a
pinch of salt
a grain of
truth
a bit of truth There's not a grain of
truth in what Brian
says. It's all untrue.
a handful a child who is
difficult to
manage
Jason is a real handful
for his mother because
he's not easy to
manage.
a handout free food or
money, alms
I'm not asking for a
handout. I'll pay you
back when I find work.
a hard day a day full of
hard work
You look tired, Dear.
Did you have a hard
day at the office?
a hard-on an erect penis,
a hard penis
I saw he had a hard-on
but tried to conceal it
using a tablecloth.
24

a hard row
to hoe
a difficult task
or situation to
deal with, many
problems
Teachers have a tough
row to hoe in today's
schools because of
money problems

a hard time teasing or
bugging,
annoying
Ken will give you a
hard time because you
missed the chance of
promotion.
a hassle a problem, a
bother
The tax reform is a
hassle this year. It's
difficult to understand.

Idioms in English. Carlos Mirasierras

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Idioms in English. Carlos Mirasierras

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Idioms in English by Carlos Mirasierras

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen