|
Jump To: M - Idioms . N - Idioms . O
- Idioms
mad as a hornet
- very angry
He was mad as a hornet when I saw
him at the meeting yesterday.
main drag
- the most important street in a town
We spent most of Saturday evening
driving up and down the main drag of the town.
make a beeline for something
- hurry directly somewhere
When he enters the cafeteria he
always makes a beeline for the dessert section.
make a bundle
- make a lot of money
My father made a bundle on the
stock market in early 1998.
make a day of it
- do something all day
We decided to make a day of it and
spend the day at the beach.
make a dent in
- make progress
We worked hard all day but we
didn`t seem to make a dent in the amount of work left to do.
make a difference
- cause a change in a situation
It doesn`t make any difference
whether he comes to the meeting or not.
make a go of
- succeed, produce good results
Although he tried hard he was never
able to make a go of his business.
make a hit
- be successful
Her cake made a big hit at the
party.
make a killing
- make a large amount of money
Her mother made a killing on the
real estate market before she retired.
make a living
- earn enough money to live
He cannot make a living by only
doing a part-time job.
make a mistake
- make an error
He made a mistake on the math test.
make a mountain out of a molehill
- make a big problem out of a small one
He is really making a mountain out
of a molehill by worrying about his son`s problems.
make a name for oneself
- become well-known or famous
He has made a name for himself in
the field of computers.
make a pass at someone
- make romantic advances to a member of the
opposite sex
He was fired because he made a pass
at one of the woman who he works with.
make a point of
- do or say something with a definite intent
He always makes a point of visiting
his aunt when he is in town.
make a run for it
- dash for safety, make a speedy escape
He made a run for it as soon as the
class finished.
make away with
- take, carry away
The cat made away with the fish
that was sitting on top of the kitchen counter.
make believe
- act as if something is true while one knows that
it is not, pretend
The children were playing make
believe and pretended that they lived in a castle.
make do with something
- substitute one thing for another
If there is no cream for the
coffee, we`ll have to make do with milk.
make ends meet
- be able to live on the money one has
It`s hard to make ends meet on his
salary.
make eyes at
- flirt, look at a member of the opposite sex to
try and attract them
The boy was making eyes at the girl
in his history class.
make for
- go toward, start i the direction of
As soon as it began to become dark
we decided to make for a quiet place to set up a camp.
make friends
- form friendships with people or animals
She is shy and isn`t able to make
friends easily.
make fun of
- ridicule
The students were making fun of the
girl with the short hair.
make good
- do what one promised to do, make something come
true
He made good on his promise to give
everyone a raise in the new year.
make hay while the sun shines
- do something at the right time, not wait too long
You should make hay while the sun
shines and paint the house while the weather is good.
(can`t) make head nor tail of something
- understand, find meaning in something
We couldn`t make head nor tail of
what he was trying to say during his speech.
make it up to someone
- do something for someone to compensate for an
unfulfilled promise or debt
I can`t go with you to the game
tonight but I will make it up to you later.
make light of
- treat as of little importance, minimize
My friend made light of my efforts
to learn how to speak and write Chinese.
make of something
- interpret, think of
What do you make of the new manager
in accounting.
make merry
- have fun, laugh and celebrate
We decided to go to a nice
restaurant and make merry for the evening.
make no bones about something
- make no secret, not keep from talking about
something
He has made no bones about the fact
that he is not interested in applying for the supervisor`s job.
make one`s bed and lie in it
- be responsible for what one has done and
therefore have to accept the bad results
You are the one who decided to quit
your job so you must remember that you made your bed so now you have to
lie in it.
make one`s blood boil
- make someone very angry
Every time that I see him he makes
my blood boil.
make one`s hair stand on end
- frighten, horrify
The horror movie that we rented
last week really made my hair stand on end.
make one`s own way
- rely on one`s own abilities
His father wants him to join the
family business but he wants to make his own way in the world.
make one`s mouth water
- want to eat something because of the thought or
smell of the food
Looking at the menu made my mouth
water.
make oneself at home
- act as if you were at home
She is able to make herself at home
when she goes to visit her friends.
make oneself felt
- use one`s authority
He was not able to make himself
felt when trying to resolve the conflict.
make oneself scarce
- leave quickly, go away
I think that I will make myself
scarce and go to the beach for the day.
make out
- do, progress
How did you make out at your job
interview yesterday?
make out
- understand, interpret
I can never make out what he wants
to say when he phones me.
make out
- distinguish, identify
The ship captain couldn`t make out
the other boat because of the fog.
make out
- make someone believe, show, prove
He made out that he was at the
library last night but I know that he wasn`t.
make over
- make something look different, change the style
of
We decided to make over our living
room because we were tired of the old style.
make room for someone or something
- arrange space for
He made room for the new computer
in the spare room.
make sense
- seem reasonable
His proposal makes absolutely no
sense.
make short work of something
- finish quickly
He made short work of the typing
and has started working on the other documents.
make something out
- manage to see or read something
I was unable to make out the sign
because I didn`t have my glasses.
make something up
- invent (a story etc.)
He made up the story about his lost
wallet.
make the best of
- do as well as possible in a bad situation
He has really made the best of his
time since beginning his new job.
make the grade
- make good, succeed, meet a standard, qualify
He wasn`t able to make the grade
and join the football team.
make the most of
- use to the greatest advantage
He made the most of his time in
Europe and visited many art galleries.
make the scene
- be present, go to a certain place or event
He decided to make the scene and go
to the disco for the evening.
make time
- be successful in arriving at a destination in a
short time
We made very good time yesterday
and arrived home before it got dark.
make up
- make something by putting things or parts
together
A car is made up of many different
parts.
make up
- invent, think and say something that is new or
not true
She made up the story about how she
got lost in the mountains.
make up
- do or supply something that is lacking, regain,
repay
I had to make up the time that I
was sick by working on Saturday.
make up
- put on cosmetics
She always wants to make up her
face before she goes to the store.
make up
- become friends again after a quarrel
They finally made up after their
fight last week.
make up for something
- compensate for a loss or mistake
I have to work hard in order to
make up for the loss from the poor sales.
make up one`s mind
- decide
I haven`t made up my mind yet about
whether or not I will accept the new job.
make waves
- create a disturbance
He is very calm and quiet at work
and does`t like to make waves.
make way
- stand aside, move so someone can go through
The truck had to go to the side of
the road to make way for the ambulance.
man in the street
- the average or ordinary person
According to what the man in the
street is saying the government is not very popular.
man-to-man
- frank or direct
I had a man-to-man talk with him
about the problem last night.
mark time
- move one`s feet up and down to music
He was marking time to the music as
he was driving his car.
mark time
- be idle, waiting for something to happen
He has been marking time for over a
month now as he waits to hear about the new job.
matter
- be important
It doesn`t matter if you can`t come
here tomorrow.
matter of course
- the usual way, habit, rule
It was done as a matter of course
and nobody really thought about the results.
matter of fact
- something that is really true, something that can
be proved
As a matter of fact I saw him last
night and he asked me how you were.
matter-of-fact
- simply telling or showing the truth, seeming not
to care much
The witness told about the murder
in a matter-of-fact way.
mean business
- be serious, ready to take action
He is working very hard and really
means business when he says he is going to get the office organized.
measure up
- be equal, be of high quality
The new accounting manager didn`t
measure up to the previous one so we had to ask him to leave.
meet someone half-way
- make a compromise with someone
He is very stubborn and is never
willing to meet his friends half-way.
meet up with
- meet by accident, come upon without planning or
expecting to
He met up with a nice group of
people in Australia when he was travelling there.
melt in one`s mouth
- taste very good, be delicious
The pastry that she made melted in
my mouth.
mend one`s fences
- do something to make people like you after a
fight, strengthen one`s friendship or influence
I made a big effort to mend my
fences with my boss so that we could work together effectively.
mend one`s ways
- improve one`s habits
She has been forced to mend her
ways in order to get along better at work.
mess around
- play around, engage in idle activity
The children were messing around in
the school yard before the class began.
mess up
- cause trouble, spoil something
He messed up his chance to get a
promotion by not making much of an effort last year.
middle of the road
- being halfway between two different ideas, seeing
good on both sides of an issue
The president was elected because
he was a person whose ideas were very middle of the road.
mind one`s P`s and Q`s
- be very careful about what one does or says
You should mind your P`s and Q`s
and not say anything to offend your aunt.
Mind you.
- I want you to notice and understand.
I don`t want to work any more
overtime. Mind you, if there is an emergency I will be able to work
extra in that case.
miss out on
- lose an opportunity
He missed out on the new job
because he was late for the interview.
miss the boat
- lose an opportunity
You had better hurry and get your
application in or you will miss the boat on entering that new company.
might as well
- be somewhat preferable
We might as well go home now. I
don`t think he will come.
mix up
- confuse, make a mistake about
He mixed up the video tapes and
played the wrong one in front of the class.
mix-up
- an error, some confusion
There was a mix-up at the airline
ticket counter and I was given the wrong ticket.
(get or become) mixed up
- become confused
He gets all mixed up when he tries
to speak French.
money to burn
- have very much money, have more than is needed
He has money to burn and never has
to worry about working.
monkey business
- comical or silly actions, goofing off
The kids were involved in some kind
of monkey business. That was when the window was broken.
monkey business
- unethical, illegal or objectionable activity,
cheating
The company was involved in some
monkey business with the tax department and have recently had to hire a
lawyer to defend themselves.
more and more
- increasingly, increasing number
More and more people are buying
computers for their homes.
more or less
- somewhat, to some extent
I like the new color more or less
but it`s not great.
more the merrier
- the more people who join in the fun the better it
will be
The more the merrier he said as his
sister`s friends also decided to come to the beach.
morning after (the night before)
- a hangover
He`s not feeling well. I think it`s
the morning after the night before.
(not) move a muscle
- don`t move even a small amount
The doctor told him not to move a
muscle when he was fixing his leg.
move heaven and earth
- try every way, do everything one can
I will move heaven and earth to
help you get a job with our company.
move in on
- take over something that belongs to another
He was angry because the other
salesman was moving in on his sales territory.
mum`s the word
- say nothing of the secret you know
Don`t worry mum`s the word on the
party. I won`t tell anybody.
musical chairs
- the transfer of a number of officers in an
organization into different jobs - especially each other`s jobs
They seem to be playing a game of
musical chairs at the company as many people move from one position to
another position.
music to one`s ears
- something one likes to hear
When he told me that I could go to
the sales convention in the summer it was music to my ears.
my goodness (my God)
- used to express surprise or shock etc.
My goodness she said as she saw the
small dog jump over the fence.
nail down
- make certain, make sure
I am trying to nail down the exact
time that he will be able to meet with us.
name is mud
- a person`s reputation becomes bad, one is in
trouble
His name is mud now that he has
been charged by the police with stealing money from his company.
name of the game
- the main part of a matter
The name of the game is for the
salesmen to sell cars and not to worry about other things.
name someone after
- give someone another`s name
He was named after his mother`s
grandfather.
narrow escape
- an escape with no chance of error
He had a narrow escape when he
almost fell from his bicycle.
neck and neck
- equal or nearly equal in a race or contest
The two teams were neck and neck in
the race to win the national championship.
neck of the woods
- an area or part of the country
He has never been down to my neck
of the woods since he was a child.
needle in a haystack
- something that is very hard to find
Looking for the lost receipt among
the thousands of other receipts is like looking for a needle in a
haystack.
neither fish nor fowl
- something that does not belong to a definite
group
I don`t know where we should put
those books in the library. They are neither fish nor fowl.
neither here nor there
- not relevant to the thing being discussed, off
the subject
What you are saying is neither here
nor there. We are talking about our plans to move this year - not 5
years in the future.
nervous Nellie
- a timid person who lacks determination and
courage
He is a nervous Nellie and is
afraid of most of the other students in the school.
nest egg
- money someone has saved up
He has a nice nest egg in the bank
so he will have no financial problems if he leaves his company.
never mind
- don`t worry, don`t bother
If you don`t have time to pick up
my laundry, never mind I will get it tomorrow.
new blood
- fresh energy or power, something or someone that
gives new life or vigor to something
She a great employee and helped us
to inject new blood into our organization.
new broom sweeps clean
- a new person makes many changes
We discovered the truth to the
expression "a new broom sweeps clean" when our new boss
changed everything in our organization.
new deal
- a complete change, a fresh start, another chance
He was given a new deal by the team
although the previous year he was not very good.
new person
- a person who has become very much better
He is a new person now that he has
quit smoking and quit drinking.
nick of time
- at the very last moment
He was able to board the airplane
just in the nick of time.
nip and tuck
- evenly matched, hard fought to the finish
They were going along nip and tuck
but he finally won the race in the end.
nip in the bud
- prevent at the start
They found out about the computer
problem but were able to nip the problem in the bud.
no bed of roses
- difficult or bad situation
It is no bed of roses to have no
job and a large family to support.
nobody home
- one`s attention is somewhere else, having a
simple mind
It looks like nobody`s home I
thought as I tried to have a conversation with the strange man.
nobody`s fool
- a smart person, a person who can take care of
himself
She is nobody`s fool. You will not
have to worry about her at all when she goes to New York.
no cigar
- not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly
not
I almost got the job but in the end
it was no cigar.
no deal
- not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly
not
It was no deal I realized as I left
the meeting and the other members had all said no to my plan.
No dice.
- No. Certainly not.
No dice. I will never lend you that
much money.
no doubt
- without doubt, surely, certainly
No doubt he will be the one to win
the contest again this year.
no end
- almost without stopping, continually
The little girl cried no end when
she couldn`t find her favorite doll.
no end to (of)
- so many or so much of, to seem almost endless,
very many or very much
He had no end of problems when he
lived overseas for a year.
no go
- not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly
not
It`s no go for our plan to have
three games this weekend. We can only have two of them.
no great shakes
- mediocre, unimportant
The hotel was no great shakes and I
wouldn`t recommend that you stay there if you go to Hawaii.
no love lost
- bad feelings, ill will
There is no love lost between my
father and our next door neighbor.
no matter
- regardless of
No matter how hard that I try my
tutor is never satisfied.
no picnic
- not pleasant, difficult
It was no picnic trying to drive to
the lake during the storm.
nose around (about)
- look for something kept private or secret, pry
The secretary was nosing around in
her bosses desk trying to discover what was going on.
nose down
- head down, bring down the nose of
The pilot began to nose down the
plane as it neared the airport.
(have one`s) nose in something
- unwelcome interest in something, impolite
curiosity
He always has his nose in other
people`s private business where it doesn`t belong.
no-show
- a person who makes a reservation for something
and then neither comes nor cancels it
There were several no-shows at the
concert last night.
no sweat
- easily accomplished, uncomplicated
The work was no sweat. I finished
it in about two hours.
no sweat
- no problem
No sweat. I will help you all day
tomorrow if you need me.
not a leg to stand on
- no good proof or excuse, no good evidence or
defence to offer someone
The company doesn`t have a leg to
stand on if they try to refuse to pay you the money that they owe you.
not for the world
- not at any price, not for anything
I wouldn`t go out on a date with
that woman for the world.
not give someone the time of day
- dislike someone so strongly that you totally
ignore them
I hate her and would never even
give her the time of day.
nothing doing
- I will not do it, certainly not, no indeed
Nothing doing. I am not going to
stay and work late again this evening.
nothing if not
- without doubt, certainly
He is nothing if not punctual. He
has never been late in his seven years with this company.
not much of
- rather bad
It`s not much of a hotel but I
guess it will be okay for one night.
Not on your life.
- definitely not.
Not on your life will I give you
the keys for my car.
not so hot
- not very good
I have been feeling not so hot
lately as I had a cold last week.
nothing to sneeze at
- something you should take seriously
His new salary is nothing to sneeze
at.
not touch something with a ten-foot pole
- consider something completely undesirable or
uninteresting
That class may be alright but
because I hate the professor I wouldn`t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
no wonder
- not surprising
No wonder he is so tired after
staying up all night.
now and then
- occasionally
He likes to go to that restaurant
now and then.
number one
- oneself, one`s own interests
He is always looking out for number
one and will never do anything for anyone else.
nurse a grudge
- keep a feeling of dislike toward some person
My old girlfriend is still nursing
a grudge toward me even after three years.
nuts about
- enthusiastic about something
He has been nuts about cars ever
since he was a little boy.
nutty as a fruitcake
- very crazy
The woman who lives next door to us
is as nutty as a fruitcake.
oddball
- a person who doesn`t act like everyone else
He is an oddball and nobody at his
company likes to work with him.
odds and ends
- various items
We made games for the children from
odds and ends from around the house.
of age
- old enough to be allowed to do something
(vote,drink etc.)
When he came of age we had a big
party for him to celebrate.
of age
- fully developed, mature
Fast transportation came of age
when the first jets began to be used regularly.
of course
- as one would expect
Of course you can use my car if you
want to.
off and on
- occasionally
He`s been seeing the woman off and
on but I don`t think that their relationship is very serious.
off balance
- not prepared, unable to meet the unexpected
I was caught a little off balance
when he asked me to deliver the speech instead of him.
off base
- inaccurate
He was really off base on his
estimate of next year`s budget.
offbeat
- nonconventional, different from the usual
The movie was very offbeat which is
just the kind of movie that I like.
off-center
- different from the usual pattern, not quite like
most others, odd
The picture was off-center and
didn`t really fit in with the rest of the photos.
off-color
- in bad taste, not polite, dirty
He likes to tell off-color jokes
which most people don`t like at all.
off duty
- not working, having free time
The police officer was off duty
when he came across the bank robbery.
off guard
- not alert to the unexpected
It caught me off guard when she suddenly
asked me to lend her $800.
off one`s back
- stop from bothering someone
I wish he would get off my back and
stop always asking me when I am going to look for another job.
off one`s chest
- talk about a problem to someone so that it
doesn`t bother you anymore
I finally talked to my friend from
work and was able to get some of my problems off my chest.
off one`s hands
- no longer in one`s care or possession
I sold my old computer and finally
got it off my hands.
off one`s high horse
- not acting proud and scornful
We got him off his high horse when
he was forced to admit that he had made many mistakes related to the
new product launch.
off one`s rocker
- crazy
He must be off his rocker if he
thinks that he can spend all that money and not have a problem.
off the beam
- wrong, mistaken
What he said about the new office
was right off the beam and should be ignored by everyone.
off the beaten track
- not well known or often used, unusual
We went to a small restaurant off
the beaten track last night and liked it very much.
off the cuff
- without preparing ahead of time what one will
say, without preparation
He made a few remarks off the cuff
but he has never really explained in full what he wants to do.
off the hook
- out of trouble or free from an embarassing
situation
I think that I am off the hook now
and won`t have to worry about the problem anymore.
off the record
- privately, unofficially
He told the reporters off the
record about the problems with the budget estimate.
off the top of one`s head
- from memory, spontaneously
He knew all of the team`s members
off the top of his head.
off the wagon
- begin to drink alcohol again after stopping for
awhile
He seems to be off the wagon again.
I saw him yesterday and I am sure that he had been drinking.
(as) old as the hills
- very old
The old building at the library is
as old as the hills.
old hat
- old-fashioned, not new or different
The job has become old hat and I am
becoming a little tired of it.
on a dime
- in a very small space
His new car has very powerful
brakes and is able to stop on a dime.
on again, off again (off again, on again)
- not settled, changeable, uncertain
The plans for the fireworks display
were on again, off again because of the rainy and windy weather.
on and off
- intermittently, now and then
It has been raining on and off
since early this morning.
on and on
- continually, at tedious length
The speech continued on and on
until we finally left the gathering.
on an even keel
- in a well-ordered way or condition
We finally got the new department
running on an even keel although it took a long time.
on a shoestring
- with very little money
He started the new company on a
shoestring.
on behalf of
- representing a person
The lawyer went to the meeting on
behalf of his client.
on board
- on a ship, plane or similar form of
transportation
We had to get on board the airplane
before it was able to take off.
on call
- available to be called out on duty
He works as a computer repair man
and is always on call which is very tiring.
once and for all
- permanently
I told him once and for all that I
would not take the new job.
once in a blue moon
- rarely
I only go to that restaurant once
in a blue moon.
once in a while
- occasionally
We like Japanese food so we go to
that restaurant once in a while.
once or twice
- a few times
We went to that restaurant once or
twice but we quickly became tired of it.
once-over
- a quick look or examination of someone or
something
He gave the rental car a once-over
before he signed the contract.
on cloud nine
- very happy
She has been on cloud nine ever
since she decided to get married last month.
on easy street
- having enough money to live comfortably
He has been on easy street since he
sold his house and invested the money.
on edge
- be nervous or irritable
He has really been on edge lately
because of his exams.
on end
- seemingly endless
We worked for hours on end last
night but we still never finished the job.
on faith
- without question or proof
I took it on faith that he would
help me when I had a lot of extra work to do.
on guard
- careful, wary
He has been keeping on guard since
the accident last month.
on hand
- available
I`m sorry but I don`t have any
aspirin on hand at the moment.
on hand
- nearby, within reach
Please keep your dictionary on hand
in case we need to use it.
on hand
- present
The speaker will be on hand after
the lecture if you have any questions that you want to ask her.
on ice
- away for safekeeping or later use, aside
The city decided to put the plans
for a new stadium on ice until they can raise more money..
on one`s back
- making insistent demands of someone, being an
annoyance or bother
She has been on my back all week
trying to get me to finish my monthly report.
on one`s chest
- worrisome thoughts or feelings that one might
need to share with someone else
I had a long talk with my friend
last night and was able to get most of my problems off my chest.
on one`s coat-tails
- along with someone else, as a result of someone
else doing something
The mayor was elected on the
coat-tails of his brother who was a famous singer.
on one`s feet
- recovering from sickness or trouble
I was sick for a couple of weeks
but now I am on my feet again.
on/upon one`s head
- on one`s self
He brought the anger on his own
head and should not try and blame someone else.
on one`s high horse
- acting as if one is better than others, being
very proud and scornful
He is always up on his high horse
and never bothers to think about how other people feel.
on one`s/its last legs
- at the end of someone/something`s strength or
usefulness
I think that his old car is on its
last legs.
on one`s shoulders
- one`s responsibility
Please don`t try to put the failure
of his marriage on my shoulders.
on one`s toes
- be alert
He always asks the students many
questions to keep them on their toes.
on pins and needles
- excited, nervous
Her daughter has been on pins and
needles all day waiting for the contest to begin.
on purpose
- intentionally
I think that she spilled the drink
on purpose.
on shaky ground
- unstable, not secure
His position at the company has
been on shaky ground for quite some time.
on the air
- broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or TV
That television program has been on
the air for over three years now.
on the ball
- intelligent, able to do things well
He is really on the ball and can
usually get all of his work done quickly.
on the bandwagon
- the newest popular group or activity, joining
something because many others are doing it
Everybody in our company is on the
bandwagon now to try and eliminate smoking in the workplace
on the beam
- doing well, just right or correct
What he said about the tax problem
was right on the beam. .
on the blink
- not working
My stereo has been on the blink for
the last few months.
on the block
- to be sold, for sale
Our house has been on the block for
over a month now.
on the button
- exactly on time
I arrived for the meeting right on
the button.
on the dole
- receiving welfare
The area is very poor and there are
many people on the dole.
on the dot
- right on time
He always arrives for his meetings
on the dot.
on the edge of one`s seat
- nervously and excitedly waiting
I have been on the edge of my seat
all day while waiting for the contest to begin.
on the go
- busy running around
He has been on the go since early
morning trying to get ready for the meeting.
on the house
- provided free by a business - especially a bar or
restaurant
The room at the hotel was not ready
when we arrived so they provided us with free drinks on the house.
on the level
- honest
He was really on the level with me
when he told me about my job possibilities.
on the loose
- free to go, not shut in or stopped by anything
The animals at the zoo were on the
loose for over three hours when the zookeeper discovered their escape.
on the make
- trying to get some advantage - money or sexual
etc.
Be careful of him. He is on the
make and will try and cheat you out of your money.
on the mend
- healing, becoming better
He broke his leg last week but it
is on the mend now.
on the move
- moving around from place to place, in motion
She is in Europe and has been on
the move for several months now.
on the nose
- just right, exactly
What he said about our new boss was
right on the nose.
on the other hand
- looking at the opposite side of a matter
He is very intelligent but on the
other hand he is very lazy and always gets low marks.
on the Q.T.
- secretly, without anyone knowing
I don`t want anyone to know about
my plans so let`s go over them on the Q.T.
on the road
- travelling (especially as a salesman or
performer)
Her husband is a salesman and is
often on the road.
on the rocks
- breaking up (relationship), ruined
He has been married for seven years
but his relationship seems to be on the rocks now.
on the same wavelength
- thinking similarly about something
We have been on the same wavelength
for months about the need for change in the company.
on the sly
- so that people won`t know, secretly
We went to the restaurant on the
sly so that nobody would know where we were.
on the spot
- in a difficult or embarassing situation
He was really put on the spot when
the reporter asked him about the campaign donations.
on the spur of the moment
- on a sudden wish or decision, suddenly
On the spur of the moment we went
and bought some ice cream.
on the tip of one`s tongue
- not quite able to remember something
The name of his latest movie is on
the tip of my tongue.
on the up and up
- honest, trustworthy, sincere
I decided not to work for the
company because I didn`t think that it was on the up and up.
on the wagon
- not drinking alcohol
He has been on the wagon for over
seven months now.
on the warpath
- very angry, looking for trouble
He is really on the warpath today
so you should stay out of his way.
on the whole
- in general
On the whole I think it is a good
idea but I would still like to study it further.
on time
- at the scheduled time
Our train arrived right on time.
on top
- in the lead
He was on top of his class in the
economics department.
on top of
- in addition to, along with
On top of everything else he wants
me to work on Sunday as well.
on top of
- managing very well, in control of
We are able to keep on top of our
work now that we have someone in to help us.
on top of
- knowing all about something, up-to-date
He reads the newspaper every
morning and is always on top of the latest news.
one-armed bandit
- a slot machine for gambling
He spent the weekend with a
one-armed bandit and now has no money.
one foot in the grave
- near death
Her grandmother has one foot in the
grave and is not expected to live much longer.
one for the books
- something very unusual or remarkable
His latest complaint about noise at
work is one for the books and is very stupid.
one-track mind
- thinking about only one thing
He has a one-track mind. All he
thinks about is money.
one-two
- any quick or decisive action that takes the
opposition by surprise
The salesman gave them the one-two
and before they knew it they had agreed to buy the product.
one up
- having an advantage, being one step ahead
His brother was one up on the other
students because he had studied very hard.
one-upmanship
- ability to keep ahead of others, trying to keep
an advantage
I get tired of his one-upmanship
and his desire to always be better than everyone else.
open one`s heart
- talk about one`s feelings honestly, confide in
someone
I opened my heart to my friend when
I saw her at the restaurant last night.
open secret
- a secret that so many people know it is no longer
a secret
It is an open secret that he will
be leaving the company next month.
other fish to fry
- have more important things to do
I think he has other fish to fry
and will not be content to continue with his current job.
out cold
- unconscious, in a faint
He was out cold when the nurse went
into his room to check on him.
out in left field
- far from the right answer
What he said was totally out in
left field. He has no idea what we were talking about.
out in the cold
- alone, not included
I was left out in the cold when the
rest of the class went to the movie without me.
out like a light
- fall asleep very quickly
I was out like a light when I went
to bed last night.
out of
- have none left
The restaurant was out of fish so
we had meat instead.
out of breath
- be tired and breathing quickly.
He was out of breath after running
from the station.
out of circulation
- not active, not joining in what others are doing
He has a new girlfriend so he will
probably be out of circulation for awhile.
out-of-date
- no longer current or in style
Computers become out-of-date very
quickly.
out of favor with someone
- not have a person`s goodwill
They have been out of favor with
their boss for a few months now.
out of kilter
- not balanced right, not in a straight line or
lined up right
The door handle seems to be out of
kilter and doesn`t work well at all.
out of line
- unacceptable, not correct
His proposal to go to New York was
out of line. We can never accept that.
out of one`s element
- where one does not belong or fit in
He is out of his element teaching
the computer course. He doesn`t know anything at all about computers.
out of one`s hair
- get rid of someone who is a nuisance
She finally got her children out
her hair and was able to study for her exam.
out of one`s shell
- out of one`s silence or shyness, into friendly
conversation
We got her out of her shell and she
decided to join in with the rest of the group.
out of order
- not working
The public telephone was out of
order.
out of order
- against the rules, not suitable
His question was ruled to be out of
order by the judge so he wasn`t able to ask it.
out of place
- in the wrong place or at the wrong time, improper
What he said at the party was
totally out of place. He should talk about it at another time.
out of sorts
- in a bad mood
He is a little out of sorts today
so maybe you should wait until tomorrow to speak to him.
out of step
- not in step, not keeping pace with someone
The soldiers were out of step when
they were marching in the parade.
out of step
- out of harmony, not keeping up
He is out of step with the rest of
the group and needs to think about what he should be doing.
out of the blue
- unexpectedly, from nowhere
From right out of the blue he asked
her if she wanted to get married.
out of the frying pan and into the fire
- out of one trouble and into more trouble, from
something bad to something worse
When he changed jobs he went out of
the frying pan and into the fire. His new job is much worse.
out of the question
- impossible
You have no money so going to Hong
Kong for your holiday is out of the question.
out of the way
- remote, no longer an obstacle
We went to an out of the way place
for our first dinner together.
out of the woods
- out of danger, in the clear
His injury was very serious and I
don`t think he is out of the woods yet.
out of thin air
- out of nothing or from nowhere
The deer seemed to jump out of thin
air and onto the road.
out of this world
- wonderful, fantastic
The new dessert that she made last
weekend was right out of this world.
out of tune
- not in agreement, not going well together
They are out of tune with what the
other members of the group think.
out on a limb
- in a dangerous or risky position
He really went out on a limb to
offer his brother the job.
outside of
- other than, except for
Outside of the weather our vacation
was really quite enjoyable.
out to lunch
- crazy, mad
He is totally out to lunch but is
still a very nice person.
over a barrel
- in a helpless or trapped position
I think that we have them over a
barrel and should be able to win the contract easily.
over and over
- repeated many times
I told him over and over that I do
not want to go to that restaurant again.
over one`s dead body
- never, under no circumstances
Over my dead body will I let him
come to the party next week.
over one`s head
- too difficult for someone to understand
The joke went over her head so we
had to explain it to her.
over one`s head
- go to a more important person in charge, go to a
higher official
We didn`t receive a good answer
from the official so we went over his head to talk to his boss.
over the hill
- past one`s prime, unable to function as one used
to
He thought that his friend was over
the hill and shouldn`t be working so hard.
over the long run
- in the end, over a long period of time
Over the long run he plans to
expand his business and then sell it and retire.
over with
- at the end of, finished with
When the game on television is over
with we can eat dinner.
own up
- take the blame, admit one`s guilt
The suspected murderer finally
owned up to the murder of his wife.
Jump To: M - Idioms . N - Idioms . O
- Idioms
相关文章：
Idiom Quizzes (M-O)
English Idioms (M-O)
Idiom Quizzes (J-L)
English Idioms (J-L)
Idiom Quizzes(G-I)
English Idioms(G-I)
Idiom Quizzes (D-F)
English Idioms (D-F)
Idiom Quizzes: A-C
English Idioms (A-C)
|