SOLVED IDIOMS SINCE 1971
1- Carry out
Accomplish, bring to a conclusion
They carried out the mission successfully.
Shakespeare had this term in King Lear (5:1): “And hardly
shall I carry out my side, her husband
being alive
Put in practice or effect,
We will carry out the new policy.
Please carry out my instructions.
2- Taken over
Assume control, management, or possession of
The pilot told his copilot to take over the controls.
There’s a secret bid to take over our company. [Late 1800s]
3- Bring about
cause
She hopes to bring about a change in his attitude.
4- Beat out
Knock into shape by beating
She managed to beat out all the dents in the fender. [c.
1600]
Surpass or defeat someone, be chosen over someone
He got to the head of the line, beating out all the
others.
Beat out of
Cheat someone of something
He was always trying to beat the conductor out of the full
train fare.
3
5- Bear with
Put up with, make allowance for
He'll just have to bear with them until they decide.
Nicholas Udall used this term in Ralph Roister Doister (c.
1553):
"The heart of a man should more honour win by bearing
with a woman."
It may also be used as an imperative.
Bear with me—I'm getting to the point.
__________________________
1972
1- To fall back on something / fall back upon
Rely on, have recourse to
I fall back on old friends in time of need.
When he lost his job he had to fall back upon his savings
2- To fall through
Fail, miscarry
The proposed amendment fell through.
I hope our plans won't fall through. [Late 1700s]
3- On right earnest
4- Vested interests
A personal stake in something
She has a vested interest in keeping the house in her
name.
This term, first recorded in 1818, uses vested in the sense
of "established" or "secured."
5- Meaningful dialogue
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4
1973
1- Turn to account
Use for one's benefit
He turned the delay to good account, using the time to
finish correspondence.
This idiom, first recorded in 1878, uses account in the
sense of "a reckoning."
2- To beat the air / beat the wind
Continue to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose
The candidates for office were so much alike that we thought
our vote amounted to beating the
air.
These phrases call up a vivid image of someone flailing away
at nothing. [Late 1300s]
3- To break a lance with
To engage in a tilt or contest
4- To foul of, (foul play)
Unfair or treacherous action, especially involving violence
The police suspected he had met with foul play.
This term originally was and still is applied to unfair
conduct in a sport or game and was being
used figuratively by the late 1500s.
Shakespeare used it in The Tempest (1:2):
"What foul play had we that we came from thence?"
5- To keep open house
To entertain friends at all times, to be hospitable
6- To put out of countenance
7- Got up to kill
8- To have a finger in the pie
Have an interest in or meddle in something
When they nominated me for the board, I'm sure Bill had a
finger in the pie.
5
Another form of this idiom is have a finger in every pie
to have an interest in or be involved in everything
She does a great deal for the town; she has a finger in
every pie.
The precise origin of this metaphor, which presumably eludes
either to tasting every pie or being
involved in their concoction, has been lost. [Late 1500s]
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1974
1- When all is said and done / After all is said and
done
In the end, nevertheless
When all's said and done, the doctors did what they could
for Gordon, but he was too ill to
survive.
This term was first recorded in 1560.
2- An axe to grind
A selfish aim or motive
The article criticized the new software, but the author had
an axe to grind, as its manufacturer
had fired his son.
This frequently used idiom comes from a story by Charles
Miner, published in 1811, about a boy
who was flattered into turning the grindstone for a man
sharpening his axe. He worked hard until
the school bell rang, whereupon the man, instead of thanking
the boy, began to scold him for
being late and told him to hurry to school.
"Having an axe to grind" then came into figurative
use for having a personal motive for some
action. [Mid-1800s]
3- Turn a new leaf
Make a fresh start, change one's conduct or attitude for the
better
He promised the teacher he would turn over a new leaf and
behave himself in class.
This expression alludes to turning the page of a book to a
new page. [Early 1500s]
6
4- Burn the candle at both ends
Exhaust one's energies or resources by leading a hectic life
Joseph's been burning the candle at both ends for weeks,
working two jobs during the week and a
third on weekends.
This metaphor originated in France and was translated into
English in Randle Cotgrave's
Dictionary (1611), where it referred to dissipating one's
wealth. It soon acquired its present
broader meaning.
5- Leave in the lurch
Desert or leave alone and in trouble, refuse to help or
support someone
He left me in the lurch when he didn't come over to help me
although he had promised to earlier
in the day.
6- Goes without saying
Be self-evident, a matter of course
It goes without saying that success is the product of hard
work.
This expression is a translation of the French cela va sans
dire. [Second half of 1800s]
7- Like a red rag to a bull
If something is a red rag to a bull, it is something that
will inevitably make somebody angry or
cross.
8- Not a leg to stand on
With no chance of success
He tried to get the town to change the street lights, but
because there was no money in the budget
he found himself without a leg to stand on.
A related idiom is not having a leg to stand on
Once the detective exposed his false alibi, he didn't have a
leg to stand on.
This metaphoric idiom transfers lack of physical support to
arguments or theories. [Late 1500s]
9- Under the thumb of
Controlled or dominated by someone
He's been under his mother's thumb for years.
The allusion in this metaphoric idiom is unclear, that is,
why a thumb rather than a fist or some
other anatomic part should symbolize control. [Mid-1700s]
7
10- The writing on the wall / handwriting on the wall
If the writing's on the wall for something, it is doomed to
fail.
A warning or presentiment of danger
The Company was losing money, and seeing the handwriting on
the wall, she started to look for
another job.
This expression comes from the Bible (Daniel 5:5-31), in
which the prophet interprets some
mysterious writing that a disembodied hand has inscribed on
the palace wall, telling King
Belshazzar that he will be overthrown
__________________________
1975
1- To sow one's wild oats
Behave foolishly, immoderately or promiscuously when young
Brad has spent the last couple of years sowing his wild
oats, but now he seems ready to settle
down.
This expression alludes to sowing inferior wild oats instead
of good cultivated grain, the verb
sowing—that is, “planting seed”—in particular suggesting
sexual promiscuity. [Mid-1500s]
2- Storm in a tea cup
If someone exaggerates a problem or makes a small problem
seem far greater than it really is,
then they are making a storm in a teacup
3- To keep late hours
Stay awake until late at night
Never call Ethel before noon; she keeps late hours and
sleeps all morning.
4- To throw cold water on
to discourage, to remove hope, deter
Steve wanted to expand the business into China , but his
boss threw cold water on the idea, and
told him to focus on the domestic business.
Cutting my year-end bonus poured cold water on my loyalty to
the company.
Hearing about the outbreak of cholera threw cold water on
our plans to visit Bolivia .
This term, with its image of putting out a fire with water,
at one time meant “defame” or
“slander”; the modern meaning dates from about 1800.
8
5- A cock and bull story
An unbelievable tale that is intended to deceive; a tall
tale
Jack told us some cock and bull story about getting
lost.
This expression may come from a folk tale involving these
two animals, or from the name of an
English inn where travellers told such tales.
W.S. Gilbert used it in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888),
where Jack Point
make up a story about the hero's fictitious death:
"Tell a tale of cock and bull, of convincing
detail full." [c. 1600]
6- To bear the brunt of
Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance
It was the secretary who had to bear the brunt of the
doctor's anger.
This idiom uses brunt in the sense of "the main force
of an enemy's attack," which was sustained
by the front lines of the defenders. [Second half of 1700s]
7- Tied to apron-strings of
Wholly dependent on or controlled by a woman, especially
one's mother or wife.
At 25, he was still too tied to her apron strings to get an
apartment of his own.
This expression, dating from the early 1800s, probably alluded
to apron-string tenure, a 17th-century law that allowed a husband to control
his wife's and her family's property during her
lifetime.
8- To move heaven and earth
Exert the utmost effort
I'd move heaven and earth to get an apartment here.
This hyperbolic expression was first recorded in 1792.
9- To blow one’s own trumpet / blow one's trumpet
Vast in a boastful, self-promoting manner , brag about
oneself
Within two minutes of meeting someone new, Bill was blowing
his own horn. [Late 1500s]
10- To rest on one's laurels
Rely on one's past achievements, especially as a way of
avoiding the work needed to advance
one's status.
Now that Julian's in his eighties, he's decided to rest on
his laurels and let some of the younger
agents do the work.
9
This term alludes to the crown of laurels awarded in ancient
times for a spectacular achievement.
[Late 1800s]
__________________________
1976
1- Trudge along
2- Point-blank
Close enough to go directly to a target
3- In the doldrums
Depressed, dull and listless
Dean's in the doldrums for most of every winter.
This expression alludes to the maritime doldrums, a belt of
calms and light winds north of the
equator in which sailing ships were often becalmed. [Early
1800s]
4- Dole out / on the dole
receiving payment from the government, as relief
They couldn't afford any luxuries while living on the dole.
5- At cross purposes
When people are at cross purposes, they misunderstand each
other or have different or opposing
objectives
With aims or goals that conflict or interfere with one
another
I'm afraid the two departments are working at cross
purposes.
This idiom, first recorded in 1688, may have begun as a
17th-century parlor game called “cross-purposes,” in which a series of subjects
(or questions) were divided from their explanations (or
answers) and distributed around the room. Players then
created absurdities by combining a
subject taken from one person with an explanation taken from
another.
6- Check by jowl
in close intimacy, side by side
:a row of houses cheek by jowl
7- Succinctly
10
Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words;
concise and terse
a succinct reply; a succinct style.
8- Hilarious detract from
9- Plain sailing
Easy going; straightforward, unobstructed progress
The first few months were difficult, but I think it's plain
sailing from here on.
Alluding to navigating waters free of hazards, such as rocks
or other obstructions, this term was
transferred to other activities in the early 1800s.
__________________________
1977
1- To bear the brunt of
Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance
It was the secretary who had to bear the brunt of the
doctor's anger.
This idiom uses brunt in the sense of "the main force
of an enemy's attack", which was sustained
by the front lines of the defenders. [Second half of 1700s]
2- To call a spade a spade
A person who calls a spade a spade is one speaks frankly and
makes little or no attempt to
conceal their opinions or to spare the feelings of their
audience.
3- To fight shy of
Avoid meeting or confronting someone
I have had to fight shy of invitations that would exhaust
time and spirits"(Washington Irving,
Life and Letters, 1821).
This usage may allude to a military reluctance to meet or
engage with the enemy. [Late 1700s]
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4- To cry over the spilt milk
This idiom means that getting upset after something has gone
wrong is pointless; it can't be
changed so it should be accepted.
5- To burn the candle at both ends
Someone who burns the candle at both ends lives life at a
hectic pace, doing things which are
likely to affect their health badly.
Exhaust one's energies or resources by leading a hectic
life.
Joseph's been burning the candle at both ends for weeks,
working two jobs during the week and a
third on weekends.
This metaphor originated in France and was translated into
English in Randle Cotgrave's
Dictionary (1611), where it referred to dissipating one's
wealth. It soon acquired its present
broader meaning.
6- To rob peter to pay Paul
If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you try to solve one
problem,
but create another in doing so, often through short-term
planning
7- To take the bull by the horns
Taking a bull by its horns would be the most direct but also
the most dangerous way to try to
compete with such an animal.
When we use the phrase in everyday talk, we mean that the
person we are talking about tackles
their problems directly and is not worried about any risks
involved.
8- Playing to the gallery
If someone plays to the gallery, they say or do things that
will make them popular at the expense
of more important issues
9- Holding out the olive branch
If you hold out or offer an olive branch, you make a gesture
to indicate that you want peace.
10- To make out
Discern or see, especially with difficulty
I can hardly make out the number on the door. [Mid-1700s]
12
Manage, get along
How did you make out with the accountant?
This usage was first recorded in 1820.
Understand
I can't make out what she is trying to say. [Mid-1600s]
Establish or prove
He made out that he was innocent. [Colloquial; mid-1600s]
Amply or suggest. This usage often occurs with an infinitive
Are you making me out to be a liar? [Colloquial; mid-1600s]
Write out, draw up; fill in a written form
He made out the invoices, or Jane started making out job
applications.
This usage was first recorded in 1465
__________________________
1978
1- The acid test
An acid test is something that proves whether something is
good, effective, etc, or no
2- A bad hat
Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble
3- In a blue funk
In a state of panic or terror
Just because the bride's mother is late, you needn't get in
a blue funk.
This term originated in the mid-1700s as in a funk, the
adjective blue, meaning "affected with
fear or anxiety", being added a century later.
13
In a state of dejection, sad
Anne has been in a blue funk since her dog died.
This usage employs blue in the sense of "sad"—a
meaning that first emerged in the late 1300s.
4- Set one's cap Down at heel
Also, on someone's heels. Immediately behind, in close
pursuit.
Literal use
Jean's dog was always at her heels.
Figurative use
Although his company dominated the technology, he always
felt that his competitors were on his
heels.
This idiom appeared in the 14th-century romance Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight.
The expression is sometimes intensified as hard on someone's
heels or hot on someone's heels
5- To die in harness
Expire while working, keep working to the end
He'll never retire—he'll die with his boots on.
She knows she'll never get promoted, but she wants to die in
harness.
Both phrases probably allude to soldiers who died on active
duty. Until the early 1600s the noun
boot denoted a piece of armor for the legs, which may have
given rise to this usage.
Shakespeare used harness in the sense of armor when he
wrote: "At least we'll die with harness
on our back" (Macbeth 5:5).
6- Dead as doornail / dead as a dodo or herring
Totally or assuredly dead; also finished
The cop announced that the body in the dumpster was dead as
a doornail.
The radicalism she professed in her adolescence is now dead
as a dodo.
The Equal Rights Amendment appears to be dead as a
herring.
The first, oldest, and most common of these similes, all of
which can be applied literally to
persons or, more often today, to issues, involves doornail,
dating from about 1350.
Its meaning is disputed but most likely it referred to the
costly metal nails hammered into the
outer doors of the wealthy (most people used the much
cheaper wooden pegs), which were
14
clinched on the inside of the door and therefore were
"dead", that is, could not be used again.
Dead as a herring dates from the 16th century and no doubt
alludes to the bad smell this dead
fish gives off, making its death quite obvious.
Dead as a dodo, referring to the extinct bird, dates from
the early 1900s.
7- To raise coin
8- To strike one's colours
9. To carry the day
Win, prevail
At auctions the wealthiest bidders usually carry the day.
[Late 1600s]
__________________________
1979
1- Taken down at peg
If someone is taken down a peg (or taken down a peg or two),
they lose status in the eyes of
others because of something they have done wrong or badly.
2- To monkey with
3- In hot water
in trouble
4- Petticoat Government
5- To pull oneself together
Regain one's composure or self-control
After that frightening episode, it took her a while to pull
herself together. [Second half of 1800s]
6- To rise from the ranks / come up through the ranks
Work one's way to the top
He's risen through the ranks, starting as a copy boy and
ending up as senior editor.
Originally this term was used for an officer who had worked
his way up from the rank of private,
15
a rare feat. It was being applied to non-military advances
by the mid-1800s
7- To rub shoulders
If you rub shoulders with people, you meet and spend time
with them, especially when they are
powerful or famous.
__________________________
1980
b) Bring out the meaning of any five of the following in
appropriate sentences:
1- Pocket the affront
2- Thin end of the wedge
The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly
unimportant that will lead to
something much bigger and more serious.
3- Flash in the pan
If something is a flash in the pan, it is very noticeable
but doesn't last long, like most singers,
who are very successful for a while, then forgotten
4- To keep at
Persevere or persist at doing something.
If you keep at your Math, you'll soon master it.
It is also put as keep at it
He kept at it all day and finally finished the report.
[Early 1800s]
Keep at someone
Nag, harass, or annoy someone
You have to keep at Carl if you want him to do the work.
He keeps at Millie all the time.
5- At one's beck and call
Ready to comply with any wish or command
16
6- Go against the grain
A person who does things in an unconventional manner,
especially if their methods are not
generally approved of, is said to go against the grain. Such
an individual can be called a
maverick.
7- Bring grist to the mill
Something that you can use to your advantage is grist for
the mill.
('Grist to the mill' is also used.
8- Upset the apple cart
Spoil carefully laid plans
Now don't upset the apple cart by revealing where we're
going.
This expression started out as upset the cart, used since
Roman times to mean "spoil everything".
The precise idiom dates from the late 1700s.
9- Hoist on one's own petard
If you are hoist with your own petard, you get into trouble
or caught in a trap that you had set
for someone else.
10- Live on the fat of the land
The best or richest of anything
The tiny upper class lived off the fat of the land while
many of the poor were starving.
This expression alludes to fat in the sense of "the
best or richest part".
The Bible has it as eat the fat of the land (Genesis 45:18).
__________________________
1981
1- To have your cake and eat it too
If someone wants to have their cake and eat it too, they
want everything their way, especially
17
when their wishes are contradictory.
2- Between the devil and the deep blue sea
If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,
you are in a dilemma; a difficult
choice.
3- To be in hot water
If you get into hot water, you get into trouble
4- To be on the carpet
Summoned before someone in authority for punishment
5- It never rains but it pours
when things go wrong, they go very wrong.
6- A miss is as good as a mile
Coming close to success but failing is no better than
failing by a lot
He was beaten by just one vote, but a miss is as good as a
mile.
This proverbial expression, first recorded in 1614, is a
shortening of the older form, "An inch of
a miss is as good [or bad] as a mile of a miss."
7- To give oneself airs
Assume a haughty manner, pretend to be better than one is
I'm sick of Claire and the way she puts on airs.
Airs here means “a manner of superiority.” [c. 1700]
8- To have the courage of one’s convictions
Behave according to one's beliefs
Carl wouldn't give his best friend any of the test answers;
he had the courage of his convictions.
This expression is believed to have originated as a
translation of the French le courage de son
opinion ("the courage of his opinion"), dating
from the mid-1800s and at first so used. By the
late 1800s it had changed to the present form.
18
9- The onlooker sees most of the game
10- Out of sight out of mind
It is used to suggest that someone will not think or worry
about something if it isn't directly
visible or available to them
__________________________
1982
1- To come to a dead end
A passage that has no exit
This street's a dead end, so turn back. [Late 1800s]
An impasse or blind alley, allowing no progress to be made
This job is a dead end; I'll never be able to advance. [c.
1920]
2- To turn a deaf ear
If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don't listen to
you.
3- Every dark cloud has a silver lining
An element of hope or a redeeming quality in an otherwise
bad situation
The rally had a disappointing turnout, but the silver lining
was that those who came pledged a
great deal of money.
This metaphoric term is a shortening of Every cloud has a
silver lining, in turn derived from John
4- Blowing hot and cold together
Change one's mind, vacillate
Jean's been blowing hot and cold about taking a winter
vacation.
This expression comes from Aesop's fable (c. 570 B.C.) about
a man eating with a satyr on a
winter day. At first the man blew on his hands to warm them
and then blew on his soup to cool
it. The satyr thereupon renounced the man's friendship
because he blew hot and cold out of the
same mouth.
The expression was repeated by many writers, most often
signifying a person who could not berelied on.
19
William Chillingworth put it: "These men can blow hot
and cold out of the same mouth to serve
several purposes”"(The Religion of Protestants, 1638).
5- To let the cat out of the bag
If you accidentally reveal a secret, you let the cat out of
the bag, Give away a secret
Mom let the cat out of the bag and told us Karen was
engaged.
This expression alludes to the dishonest practice of a
merchant substituting a worthless cat for a
valuable pig, which is discovered only when the buyer gets
home and opens the bag. [Mid-1700s]
6- To put the cart before the horse
Reverse the proper order of things or events
Don't put the cart before the horse and give away the punch
line.
This expression has been used since antiquity but was first
recorded in English in 1520.
7- To sail in the same boat
If people are in the same boat, they are in the same
predicament or trouble.
8- A Swan Song
A final accomplishment or performance, one's last work.
I'm resigning tomorrow; this project was my swan song.
This term alludes to the old belief that swans normally are
mute but burst into beautiful song
moments before they die. Although the idea is much older,
the term was first recorded in English
only in 1890
__________________________
1984
a) To look a gift horse in the mouth
Be critical or suspicious of something received at no cost
Dad's old car is full of dents, but we shouldn’t look a gift
horse in the mouth.
This term, generally expressed as a cautionary proverb
(Don't look a gift horse in the mouth), has
been traced to the writings of the 4th-century cleric, St. Jerome , and has
appeared in English
since about 1500. It alludes to determining the age of a
horse by looking at its teeth
20
b) To have an axe to grind
If you have an axe to grind with someone or about something,
you have a grievance, resentment
and you want to get revenge or sort it out. In American
English, it is 'ax'
c) To wash one’s dirty linen in public / air one's dirty
linen or laundry
Expose private matters to public view, especially unsavory
secrets
These metaphors are reworking of a French proverb, IL fault
laver son linge sale en famille
(“One should wash one's dirty linen at home”), which was
quoted by Napoleon on his return
from Elba (1815). It was
first recorded in English in 1867.
d) To pocket an insult
e) To take to one's heels
Run away
When the burglar alarm went off they took to their
heels.
This expression alludes to the fact that the heels are all
one sees of a fugitive running away fast.
Although similar expressions turned up from Shakespeare's
time on, the exact idiom dates only
from the first half of the 1800s
f) To win laurels
g) A gentleman at large
Free, unconfined, especially not confined in prison
To our distress, the housebreakers were still at large.
[1300s]
At length, fully; also, as a whole, in general
The chairman talked at large about the company's plans for
the coming year
Shakespeare wrote in Love's Labour's Lost (1:1): "So to
the laws at large I write my name" (that
is, I uphold the laws in general). This usage is somewhat
less common. [1400s]
Elected to represent an entire group of voters rather than
those in a particular district or other
segment
Alderman at large, representing all the wards of a city
instead of just one, or delegate at large to a
labor union convention. [Mid-1700s]
__________________________
21
1985
a) By and by
After a while, soon
She'll be along by and by.
The expression probably relies on the meaning of by as a
succession of quantities (as in "two by
two"). This adverbial phrase came to be used as a noun,
denoting either procrastination or the
future.
William Camden so used it for the former (Remains, 1605):
"Two anons and a by and by is an
hour and a half." And W.S. Gilbert used it in the
latter sense when Lady Jane sings plaintively
that little will be left of her "in the coming by and
by," that is, as she grows old (Patience, 1881).
[Early 1500s]
b) The lion's share
The greater part or most of something
Whenever they won a doubles match, Ethel claimed the lion's
share of the credit.
As usual, Uncle Bob took the lion's share of the cake.
This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about a lion, who
got all of a kill because its fellow
hunters, an ass, fox, and wolf, were afraid to claim their
share.
c) In black and white
When it is very clear who or what is right and wrong, then
the situation is black and white.
d) To bring to book
Call to account, investigate
He was acquitted, but one day soon he'll be brought to book.
As for your records, the IRS is sure to bring you to book
concerning your tax deductions.
This term uses book in the sense of "a written
record," such as an account book or ledger. [c.
1800]
22
e) To read between the lines
Perceive or detect a hidden meaning
They say that everything is fine, but reading between the
lines I suspect they have some marital
problems.
This term comes from cryptography, where in one code reading
every second line of a message
gives a different meaning from that of the entire text.
[Mid-1800s]
f) To stick to one's guns
Hold fast to a statement, opinion, or course of action
The witness stuck to her guns about the exact time she was
there.
This expression, originally put as stand to one's guns,
alluded to a gunner remaining by his post.
Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.
g) To be under a cloud
If someone is suspected of having done something wrong, they
are under a cloud.
h) By fits and starts / in fits and starts
With irregular intervals of action and inaction,
spasmodically
The campaign is proceeding by fits and starts.
This expression began in the late 1500s as by fits, the noun
fit meaning a "paroxysm" or
"seizure"; starts was added about a century later.
__________________________
1987
1- To back out / back away / back out of something
Move or retreat backwards without turning, withdraw from a
situation, or break an agreement
or engagement.
After the announcement appeared in the papers, Mary found it
doubly difficult to back out of her
engagement to Todd. [Early 1800s]
2- To keep out of
3- Bang into
23
Crash noisily into, collide with
A clumsy fellow, Bill was always banging into furniture.
[Early 1700s]
Strike heavily so as to drive in; also, persuade
I've been banging nails into the siding all day.
I can't seem to bang it into his head that time is
precious.
The literal usage dates from the mid-1500s, the figurative
from the second half of the 1800s.
4- To smell a rat
If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is
wrong or that someone is lying to you.
5- To burn one's fingers
Harm oneself
I'm staying away from risky stocks; I've burned my fingers
often enough.
Some believe this expression came from a legend about a
monkey who gets a cat to pull its
chestnuts out of the fire (see cat's paw); others hold it is
from an English proverb:
"Burn not thy fingers to snuff another's candle"
(James Howell, English Proverbs, 1659)
6- Null and void
Cancelled, invalid
The lease is now null and void.
This phrase is actually redundant, since null means
"void," that is, "ineffective." It was first
recorded in 1669.
7- To catch up with
Suddenly snatch or lift up
The wind caught up the kite and sent it high above the
trees. [First half of 1300s]
catch up with
Come from behind, overtake
literal:
You run so fast it's hard to catch up with you.
figurative:
The auditors finally caught up with the embezzler.
[Mid-1800s]
24
Become involved with, enthralled by
We all were caught up in the magical mood of that evening.
[Mid-1600s]
catch up on or with
Bring or get up to date
Let's get together soon and catch up on all the news.
Tonight I have to catch up with my correspondence. [First
half of 1900s]
8- To stand up for
Remain valid, sound, or durable
His claim will not stand up in court.
Our old car stood up well over time. [Mid-1900s]
Fail to keep a date or appointment with
Al stood her up twice in the past week, and that will be the
end of their relationship. [Colloquial;
c. 1900]
9- To skim through
10- To narrow down
__________________________
1988
a) As cool as a cucumber
If someone is as cool as a cucumber, they don't get worried
by anything.
b) Have your cake and eat too
If someone wants to have their cake and eat it too, they
want everything their way, especially
when their wishes are contradictory
c) In a Pickle
If you are in a pickle, you are in some trouble or a mess.
d) Take a cake
Be the most outstanding in some respect, either the best or
the worst.
That advertising slogan really took the cake.
What a mess they made of the concert—that takes the
cake!
25
This expression alludes to a contest called a cakewalk, in
which a cake is the prize. Its figurative
use, for something either excellent or outrageously bad,
dates from the 1880s.
e) Sell like hot cakes
If something is selling like hotcakes, it is very popular
and selling very well.
f) As flat as a Pancake
It is so flat that it is like a pancake- there is no head on
that beer it is as flat as a pancake.
g) Take something with a grain of salt / pinch of salt
If you should take something with a grain of salt, you
shouldn't necessarily believe it all.
h) Like two peas in a pod
Things that are like two peas in a pod are very similar or
identical.
__________________________
1989
a) Account for
Be the determining factor in; cause
The heat wave accounts for all this food spoilage, or Icy
roads account for the increase in
accidents.
Explain or justify
Jane was upset because her son couldn't account for the
three hours between his last class and his
arrival at home.
Both of these related usages are derived from the literal
meaning of the phrase, that is, "make a
reckoning of an account." [Second half of 1700s]
b) Carry weight / carry authority or conviction
Exert influence, authority, or persuasion
No matter what the President says, his words always carry
weight. Shakespeare combined two of
these expressions in Henry VIII (3:2):
26
"Words cannot carry authority so weighty." [c.
1600]
c) To fall back upon
Rely on, have recourse to
I fall back on old friends in time of need, or When he lost
his job he had to fall back upon his
savings. [Mid-1800s]
d) To be taken aback
Surprise, shock
He was taken aback by her caustic remark.
This idiom comes from nautical terminology of the mid-1700s,
when be taken aback referred to
the stalling of a ship caused by a wind shift that made the
sails lay back against the masts. Its
figurative use was first recorded in 1829.
e) A wild goose chase
A wild goose chase is a waste of time- time spent trying to
do something unsuccessfully.
f) By leaps and bounds
Rapidly, or in fast progress
The corn is growing by leaps and bounds
School enrollment is increasing by leaps and bounds.
This term is a redundancy, since leap and bound both mean
"spring" or "jump," but the two
words have been paired since Shakespeare's time and are
still so used
g) As cool as a cucumber
If someone is as cool as a cucumber, they don't get worried
by anything.
h) To burn midnight oil
Stay up late working or studying
The semester is almost over and we're all burning the
midnight oil before exams.
This expression alludes to the oil in oil lamps. [Early
1600s]
__________________________
1990
a) White elephant
27
A white elephant is an expensive burden; something that
costs far too much money to run, like
the Millennium Dome in the UK .
b) Blue Blood
Someone with blue blood is royalty.
c) Cleanse the Augean stable
d) Apple of discord
Anything causing trouble, discord, or jealousy
e) In good books
If someone is in your good books, you are pleased with or
think highly of them at the moment.
f) Between the devil and the deep sea
If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,
you are in a dilemma; a difficult
choice.
g) Stare in the face / look in the face
Be glaringly obvious, although initially overlooked
The solution to the problem had been staring me in the face
all along.
I wouldn't know a Tibetan terrier if it looked me in the
face. [Late 1600s]
h) Make off with
Depart in haste, run away
The cat took one look at Richard and made off. [c. 1700]
Take something away; also, steal something
I can't write it down; Tom made off with my pen.
The burglars made off with the stereo and computer as well
as jewellery. [Early 1800s]
__________________________
1991
28
i) Damocles' sword
Impending disaster
The likelihood of lay-offs has been a sword of Damocles over
the department for months.
This expression alludes to the legend of Damocles, a servile
courtier to King Dionysius I of
him under a sword hung by a single hair, so as to point out
to him the precariousness of his
position.
The idiom was first recorded in 1747. The same story gave
rise to the expression hang by a
thread.
ii) Every inch
Completely, wholly
He was every inch a leader.
I had to argue this case every inch of the way.
iii) Spade a spade
Speak frankly and bluntly, be explicit
You can always trust Mary to call a spade a spade.
This term comes from a Greek saying, call a bowl a bowl,
that was mistranslated into Latin by
Erasmus and came into English in the 1500s.
iv) On the sky
v) Palm off
Pass off by deception, substitute with intent to deceive
The salesman tried to palm off a zircon as a diamond.
The producer tried to palm her off as a star from the
Metropolitan Opera.
This expression alludes to concealing something in the palm
of one's hand. It replaced the earlier
palm on in the early 1800s.
vi) Lip service
When people pay lip service to something, they express their
respect, but they don't act on their
words, so the respect is hollow and empty.
vii) A turn coat
29
One who goes to work / fight / play for the opposing side,
traitor
viii) A wild goose chase
A futile search or pursuit
I think she sent us on a wild goose chase looking for their
beach house.
This idiom originally referred to a form of 16th-century
horse racing requiring riders to follow a
leader in a particular formation (presumably resembling a
flock of geese in flight). Its figurative
use dates from about 1600.
__________________________
1992
i) Between the devil and the deep sea
If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,
you are in a dilemma; a difficult
choice
ii) A wild goose chase
A worthless hunt or chase; a futile pursuit
iii) Over head and ears
iv) Time and tide
One must not procrastinate or delay
Let's get on with the voting; time and tide won't wait, you
know.
This proverbial phrase, alluding to the fact that human
events or concerns cannot stop the
passage of time or the movement of the tides, first appeared
about 1395 in Chaucer's Prologue to
the Clerk's Tale.
The alliterative beginning, time and tide, was repeated in
various contexts over the years but
today survives only in the proverb, which is often shortened
(as above).
v) To live from hand to mouth
With only the bare essentials, existing precariously
After she lost her job she was living from hand to
mouth.
This expression alludes to eating immediately whatever is at
hand. [c. 1500]
30
vi) To beat about the bush
If someone doesn't say clearly what they mean and try to
make it hard to understand, they are
beating about (around) the bush.
vii) To fish in troubled waters
Try to take advantage of a confused situation
He often buys up stock in companies declaring bankruptcy;
fishing in troubled waters generally
pays off.
This term, first recorded in 1568, expresses the even older
notion that fish bite more readily
when seas are rough.
viii) A bird's eye-view
If you have a bird's eye view of something, you can see it
perfectly clearly.
__________________________
1993
a) Play truant
To stay away from school without permission
b) Play down
Make little of, minimize the importance of
A skillful salesman plays down the drawbacks of the product
and emphasizes its good features.
[First half of 1900s]
Play down to
Lower one's standards to meet the demands of someone
Some stand-up comics deliberately play down to the vulgar
taste of their audiences. [Late 1800s]
c) Turn turtle
Capsize, turn upside down
When they collided, the car turned turtle.
This expression alludes to the helplessness of a turtle
turned on its back, where its shell can no
longer protect it. [First half of 1800s]
d) Turn the corner
31
Pass a milestone or critical point, begin to recover.
Experts say the economy has turned the corner and is in the
midst of an upturn.
The doctor believes he's turned the corner and is on the
mend.
This expression alludes to passing around the corner in a
race, particularly the last corner. [First
half of 1800s]
e) A fair weather friend
A fair-weather friend is the type who is always there when
times are good but forgets about you
when things get difficult or problems crop up.
f) Under a cloud
If someone is suspected of having done something wrong, they
are under a cloud.
g) Burn one’s boats / burn one's boats
Commit oneself to an irreversible course.
Denouncing one's boss in a written resignation means one has
burned one's bridges.
Turning down one job before you have another amounts to
burning your boats.
Both versions of this idiom allude to ancient military
tactics, when troops would cross a body of
water and then burn the bridge or boats they had used both
to prevent retreat and to foil a
pursuing enemy. [Late 1800s
h) Horse-trading
Negotiation marked by hard bargaining and shrewd exchange
The restaurant owner is famous for his horse trading; he's
just exchanged a month of free dinners
for a month of free television commercials.
This expression alludes to the notorious shrewdness of horse
traders, who literally bought and
sold horses. [c. 1820]
__________________________
1994
(i) Between Scylla and Charybidis
In a position where avoidance of one danger exposes one to
another danger.
(ii) Hobson’s choice
32
An apparently free choice that actually offers no
alternative
My dad said if I wanted the car I could have it tonight or
not at all—that's Hobson's choice.
This expression alludes to Thomas Hobson of Cambridge , England
allowed each customer to take only the horse nearest the
stable door. [Mid-1600s]
(iii) Sting in the tail
(iv) With open arms
Enthusiastically, warmly
They received their new daughter-in-law with open arms.
This term alludes to an embrace. [Mid-1600s]
(v) Wash one's hand of (To)
Refuse to accept responsibility for; abandon or renounce
I've done all I can for him, and now I'm washing my hands of
him.
This expression alludes to Pontius Pilate's washing his
hands before having Jesus put to death,
saying "I am innocent of the blood of this just
person" (Matthew 27:24).
(vi) Count one's chickens (To)
Make plans based on events that may or may not happen
You might not win the prize and you've already spent the
money? Don't count your chickens
before they hatch!
I know you have big plans for your consulting business, but
don't count your chickens.
This expression comes from Aesop's fable about a milkmaid
carrying a full pail on her head. She
daydreams about buying chickens with the milk's proceeds and
becoming so rich from selling
eggs that she will toss her head at suitors; she then tosses
her head and spills the milk.
Widely translated from the original Greek, the story was the
source of a proverb and was used
figuratively by the 16th century. Today it is still so well
known that it often appears shortened
and usually in negative cautionary form (don't count your
chickens).
(vii) Burn midnight oil (To)
Stay up late working or studying
The semester is almost over and we're all burning the
midnight oil before exams.
This expression alludes to the oil in oil lamps. [Early
1600s]
33
__________________________
1996
1- Bear out
Back up or confirm
The results bear out what he predicted.
His story bears me out exactly. [Late 1400s]
2- Back out / back out of something
Move or retreat backwards without turning; same as back
away; withdraw from a situation, or
break an agreement or engagement
After the announcement appeared in the papers, Mary found it
doubly difficult to back out of her
engagement to Todd. [Early 1800s]
3- Carry over
To keep something, usually merchandise, for a subsequent
period
We'll carry over this summer's bathing suits for next
winter's resort season.
Persist from one time or situation to another
His leadership in sports carried over to the classroom.
[Late 1800s]
4- Come off
Happen, occur
The trip came off on schedule. [Early 1800s]
Acquit oneself, reach the end
This usage always includes a modifier
Whenever challenged he comes off badly.
This model is doomed to come off second-best. [Mid-1600s]
Succeed, as in Our dinner party really came off. [Mid-1800s]
5- Fall back
Give ground, retreat
The troops fell back before the relentless enemy assault.
He stuck to his argument, refusing to fall back. [c. 1600]
Recede
The waves fell back from the shore. [c. 1800]
34
6- Figure out
Discover or determine
Let's figure out a way to help. [Early 1900s]
Solve or decipher
Can you figure out this puzzle? [Early 1800s]
To begin to comprehend someone or something; to come to
understand someone or something
better
I just can't figure you out.
I can't figure out quiet people readily.
7- learn to live with
Get used to or accustom oneself to something that is
painful, annoying, or unpleasant
The doctor said nothing more could be done about improving
her sight; she'd just have to learn to
live with it.
Pat decided she didn't like the new sofa but would have to
learn to live with it.
8- Set in
Insert, put in
I still have to set in the sleeves and then the sweater will
be done. [Late 1300s]
Begin to happen or become apparent
Darkness was setting in as I left. [c. 1700]
Move toward the shore, said of wind or water
The tide sets in very quickly here. [Early 1700s]
9- Cover up
Wrap up or enfold in order to protect
Be sure to cover up the outdoor furniture in case of rain.
It's cold, so be sure to cover up the baby. [Late 1800s]
Conceal something, especially a crime
The opposition accused the President of covering up his
assistant's suicide. [c. 1920]
10- Iron out
Work out, resolve, settle
They managed to iron out all the problems with the new
production process.
35
John and Mary finally ironed out their differences.
This expression uses ironing wrinkled fabric as a metaphor
for smoothing differences. [Mid-1800s]
__________________________
1997
a) To beat the air / beat the wind
Continue to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose
The candidates for office were so much alike that we thought
our vote amounted to beating the
air.
These phrases call up a vivid image of someone flailing away
at nothing. [Late 1300s]
b) To beggar description
Defy or outdo any possible description
The stage set was so elaborate, it beggared
description.
This term, alluding to the idea that words are insufficient
to do something justice, was already
used by Shakespeare in Antony
and Cleopatra (2:2):
"For her own person It beggared all description."
c) To bring to mind
Cause to be remembered
The film brought to mind the first time I ever climbed a
mountain.
This idiom, first recorded in 1433, appears in Robert
Burns's familiar "Auld Lang Syne" (1788),
in which the poet asks if old times should never be brought
to mind.
d) To call in question / call into question
Dispute, challenge; also, cast doubt on
How can you call her honesty into question?
This usage was first recorded in John Lyly's Euphues
(1579):
"That ... I should call in question the demeanour of
all."
e) To cap it all / cap it all off
Finish or complete something
36
To cap it all off they served three kinds of dessert.
Surpass or outdo something
This last story of Henry's caps them all.
Both usages employ cap in the sense of “topping” something.
[First half of 1800s]
f) To clip one's wings
To end a person's privileges; to take away someone's power
or freedom to do something
My father said that if I dind't start behaving, he was going
to clip my wings.
In acient Rome
thousands of years ago, people clipped the wings of pet birds so that they
couldn't fly away. For centuries people have used the idiom
"Clip one's wings" to mean brings a
person under control.
g) To cross the Rubicon
Irrevocably commit to a course of action, make a fateful and
final decision.
Once he submitted his resignation, he had crossed the
Rubicon.
This phrase alludes to Julius Caesar's crossing the Rubicon River
(between Italy and Gaul ) in 49
B.C., thereby starting a war against Pompey and the Roman
Senate. Recounted in Plutarch's
Lives: Julius Caesar (c. A.D. 110), the crossing gave rise
to the figurative English usage by the
early 1600s.
h) To feel the pulse / feel the pulse of
Try to determine the intentions or sentiments of a person or
group
These exit polls allegedly take the pulse of the voters, but
I don't believe they're very meaningful.
[First half of 1600s]
i) To fly in the face of / fly in the teeth of
Act in direct opposition to or defiance of
This decision flies in the face of all precedent.
They went out without permission, flying in the teeth of
house rules.
This metaphoric expression alludes to a physical attack.
[Mid-1500s]
j) To rise like a phoenix from its ashes
In life we should all learn from the mistakes that we have
made and try not to repeat them. We
should not let sorrow overcome us and stand in our way.
Learn to overcome hardships in life is
all what life is worth living about. After all that's the
definition of life. Hence the saying "rise like
37
a phoenix from the ashes"
ash. But then it comes back to life from the same ash.
__________________________
1998
1- The last ditch
A desperate final attempt
We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time.
This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch,
"the last line of defence." Its figurative
use dates from the early 1800s.
2- A square meal
A substantial or complete meal
These airlines never feed you; I haven't had a square meal
on one yet. [Mid-1800s]
3- Go public
Become a publicly held company, that is, issue ownership
shares in the form of stock.
As soon as the company grows a little bigger and begins to
show a profit, we intend to go public.
[Mid-1900s]
4- Run riot (wild)
Behave in a frenzied, out-of-control, or unrestrained manner
I was afraid that if I left the toddler alone she would run
amok and have a hard time calming
down.
The weeds are running riot in the lawn
The children were running wild in the playground.
Amok comes from a Malay word for "frenzied" and
was adopted into English, and at first spelled
amuck, in the second half of the 1600s.
Run riot dates from the early 1500s and derives from an
earlier sense, that is, a hound's following
an animal scent. Run wild alludes to an animal reverting to
its natural, uncultivated state; its
figurative use dates from the late 1700s.
5- The backroom boy
Men who play poker and smoke in a room at the back of the
store
38
When the police raided Gino's they arrested four of the
backroom boys.
6- Foot the bill
The person who foots the bill pays the bill for everybody,
settle the accounts
The bride's father was resigned to footing the bill for the
wedding.
This expression uses foot in the sense of "add up and
put the total at the foot, or bottom, of an
account." [Colloquial; early 1800s]
7- Set the pace
Establish a standard for others to follow
Jim has set the pace for the department, exceeding the
monthly quota every time.
This expression comes from racing, where it is said of a
horse that passes the others and leads the
field. It was transferred to other activities in the early
1900s.
8- At times
Occasionally, sometimes
Away from home for the first time, Mary was homesick at
times. [Early 1500s]
9- Steal the show / steal the spotlight
Be the center of attention
The speeches were interesting but Eliza's singing stole the
show.
This idiom alludes to unexpectedly outshining the rest of
the cast in a theatrical production. [First
half of 1900s]
10- Grey matter
Grey/gray matter is the human brain
__________________________
1999
(a) A jaundiced eye
The phrase "Jaundiced eye" means to looks at
something with a prejudiced view, usually in a
rather negative or critical manner.
(b) A left-handed compliment / backhanded compliment
39
An insult in the guise of an expression of praise
She said she liked my hair, but it turned out to be a
left-handed compliment when she asked how
long I'd been dyeing it.
This expression uses left-handed in the sense of
"questionable or doubtful," a usage dating from
about 1600.
(c) The ruling passion
An interest or concern that occupies a large part of
someone's time and effort
(d) Tower of strength
Someone who can be relied on to provide support and comfort.
(e) Steal a march on someone
To get ahead of, especially by quiet enterprise.
(f) In one's bones
Have an intuition or hunch about something
I'm sure he'll succeed—I can feel it in my bones.
This expression alludes to the age-old notion that persons
with a healed broken bone or with
arthritis experience bone pain before rain, due to a drop in
barometric pressure, and therefore can
predict a weather change.
(g) Hang in the balance
Be in a precarious condition or in a state of suspense
The doctor said her life was hanging in the balance.
This expression alludes to the suspended balance scale where
an object is placed in one pan and
weights are added one by one to the other pan until the two
are balanced.
(h) Fly in the ointment
A drawback or detrimental factor
The new library is wonderful but there's a fly in the
ointment. Their catalog isn't complete yet.
This term probably alludes to a biblical proverb
(Ecclesiastes 10:1):
"Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to
send forth a stinking savour."
(i) Close-fisted
40
Tightfisted; stingy or unwilling to part with money
__________________________
2000
(i) Blow one's top / blow one's stack
Fly into a rage; lose one's composure
If she calls about this one more time I'm going to blow my
top.
The top here has been likened to the top of an erupting
volcano; the stack alludes to a
smokestack.
Go crazy; become insane
When she regains consciousness, she just may blow her
top.
(ii) A cock-and-bull story
A fanciful and unbelievable tale
(iii) Find one's feet
To grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains
experience.
If you ask for help when you need it, you will soon find
your feet.
(iv) Call it a night
To go to bed to sleep
(v) The tip of the iceberg
The tip of the iceberg is the part of a problem that can be
seen, with far more serious problems
lying underneath
41
(vi) Below par / under par
Not up to the average, normal, or desired standard
I am feeling below par today, but I'm sure I'll recover by
tomorrow.
This term employs par in the sense of "an average
amount or quality," a usage dating from the
late 1700s.
(vii) From pillar to post
If something is going from pillar to post, it is moving
around in a meaningless way, from one
disaster to another.
(viii) Hang up/ hang up on
Suspend on a hook or hanger, as in Let me hang up your coat
for you. [c. 1300]
Replace a telephone receiver in its cradle; end a phone
conversation
She hung up the phone
He hung up on her. [Early 1900s]
Delay or hinder; also, become halted or snagged
Budget problems hung up the project for months.
Traffic was hung up for miles. [Second half of 1800s]
Have or cause to have emotional difficulties
Being robbed at gunpoint can hang one up for years to come.
[Slang; early 1900s]
Obsessed with
For years the FBI was hung up on Communist spies. [First
half of 1900s]
hang up one's sword or gloves or fiddle
Quit, retire
He's hanging up his sword next year and moving to Florida .
The noun in these expressions refers to the profession one
is leaving—sword for the military,
gloves for boxing, and fiddle for music—but they all are
used quite loosely as well, as in the
example.
hang up one's hat
Settle somewhere, reside
"Eight hundred a year, and as nice a house as any
gentleman could wish to hang up his hat in"
(Anthony Trollope, The Warden, 1855).
42
(ix) Turn some one on
To create feeling of excitement, interest, lust, pleasure
etc
(ix) Turn some one off
To create feelings of dislike, repulsion, disgust etc
(x) By and by
After a while, soon
She'll be along by and by.
The expression probably relies on the meaning of by as a
succession of quantities (as in "two by
two").
This adverbial phrase came to be used as a noun, denoting
either procrastination or the future.
William Camden so used it for the former (Remains,
1605):
"Two anons and a by and by is an hour and a
half."
And W.S. Gilbert used it in the latter sense when Lady Jane
sings plaintively that little will be
left of her "in the coming by and by," that is, as
she grows old (Patience, 1881). [Early 1500s]
__________________________
2001
(i) The teaming meanings
The teaming meanings ::: Present a number of meanings
example : During the lecture, the professor gave the teeming
meanings on the topic.
(ii) To kick the bucket
When someone kicks the bucket, they die
(iii) To push to the walls
To place in a desperate or extreme position
(iv) To read between the lines
If you read between the lines, you find the real message in
what you're reading or hearing, a
meaning that is not available from a literal interpretation
of the words.
(v) To be at daggers drawn
If people are at daggers drawn, they are very angry and
close to violence.
43
(vi) To throw down the gauntlet
Declare or issue a challenge
The senator threw down the gauntlet on the abortion
issue.
This expression alludes to the medieval practice of a knight
throwing down his gauntlet, or metal
glove, as a challenge to combat.
Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s,
as does the less frequently heard take
up the gauntlet, for accepting a challenge.
(vii) To be a Greek / it's all Greek to me
It is beyond my comprehension
This new computer program is all Greek to me.
This expression was coined by Shakespeare, who used it
literally in Julius Caesar (1:2), where
Casca says of a speech by Seneca, deliberately given in
Greek so that some would not
understand it:
"For mine own part, it was Greek to me."
It soon was transferred to anything unintelligible.
(viii) To stand on ceremony
Stand on ceremony, to behave in a formal or ceremonious
manner.
(ix) From the horse's mouth
If you hear something from the horse's mouth, you hear it
directly from the person concerned or
responsible.
(x) To carry the cross
__________________________
2002
Make sentences with the given Idiomatic phrases so that
their meaning become clear: (10)
(1) take aback
Surprise, shock
He was taken aback by her caustic remark.
This idiom comes from nautical terminology of the mid-1700s,
when be taken aback referred to
the stalling of a ship caused by a wind shift that made the
sails lay back against the masts. Its
figurative use was first recorded in 1829.
44
(2) take after
Follow the example of; also, resemble in appearance,
temperament, or character
Bill took after his uncle and began working as a volunteer
for the Red Cross. [Mid-1500s]
(3) take for
(4) take ill (sick)
Become ill
It's just my luck to get sick on vacation.
When was she taken ill? [Ninth century]
Become disgusted
We got sick as we learned how much money was wasted.
I get sick when I hear about his debts. [Early 1500s]
make one sick.
get sick to one's stomach
be sick, become nauseated, vomit
If you eat any more candy you'll get sick.
Sick to her stomach every morning? She must be pregnant.
[Early 1600s]
(5) take off
Remove
Take off your coat and stay for a while.
I took my foot off the brake. [c. 1300]
Deduct, decrease
He took 20 percent off the original price.
I want you to trim my hair, but please don't take off too
much. [c. 1700]
Carry or take away
The passengers were taken off one by one. [Late 1800s]
take oneself off
Leave, go away
I'm taking off now.
We take ourselves off for China next month
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as an imperative
Take yourself off right now! [First half of 1800s]
Move forward quickly
The dog took off after the car.
Become well known or popular, or achieve sudden growth
That actor's career has really taken off.
Sales took off around the holidays. [Mid-1900s]
Rise in flight
The air plane took off on time. [Mid-1800s]
Discontinue
The rail road took off the commuter special. [Mid-1700s]
Imitate humorously or satirically
He had a way of taking off the governor that made us howl
with laughter. [Mid-1700s]
Withhold service
I'm taking off from work today because of the funeral.
[First half of 1900s]
(6) take over
Assume control, management, or possession of
The pilot told his copilot to take over the controls.
There's a secret bid to take over our company. [Late 1800s]
(7) take for
To regard as
Do you take me for a fool?
To consider mistakenly
Don't take silence for approval.
(8) take in
To grant admittance to; receive as a guest or an employee
To reduce in size; make smaller or shorter
took in the waist on the pair of pants.
To include or constitute.
46
To understand
Couldn't take in the meaning of the word.
To deceive or swindle
was taken in by a confidence artist.
To look at thoroughly; view
took in the sights.
To accept (work) to be done in one's house for pay
took in typing.
To convey (a prisoner) to a police station.
(9) take to task
Upbraid, scold; blame or censure
The teacher took Doris to
task for turning in such a sloppy report.
This term, dating from the mid-1700s, at first meant either
assigning or challenging someone to a
task. Its current sense dates from the late 1800s.
(10) take to One's heels
Run away
When the burglar alarm went off they took to their
heels.
This expression alludes to the fact that the heels are all
one sees of a fugitive running away fast.
Although similar expressions turned up from Shakespeare's
time on, the exact idiom dates only
from the first half of the 1800s
(11) take with a grain or pinch of salt.
Skeptically, with reservations
I always take Sandy 's
stories about illnesses with a grain of salt—she tends to exaggerate.
This expression is a translation of the Latin cum grano
salis, which Pliny used in describing
Pompey's discovery of an antidote for poison (to be taken
with a grain of salt). It was soon
adopted by English writers.
__________________________
2003
(1) Kick the bucket
47
To die
(2) Bolt from the blue
If something happens unexpectedly and suddenly, it is a bolt
from the blue.
(3) Put your foot down
When someone puts their foot down, they make a firm stand
and establish their authority on an
issue.
(4) Worth your salt
Someone who is worth their salt deserves respect.
(5) Down the drain
On the way to being lost or wasted; disappearing
Buying new furniture when they can't take it with them is
just pouring money down the drain.
During the Depression huge fortunes went down the
drain.
This metaphoric term alludes to water going down a drain and
being carried off.
(6) All cars
(7) Swan song
A person's swansong is their final achievement or public
appearance.
(8) Cheek by Jowl
If things or people are cheek by jowl, they are very close
together.
(9) in a nutshell
Concisely, in a few words
Here's our proposal—in a nutshell, we want to sell the
business to you.
This hyperbolic expression alludes to the Roman writer
Pliny's description of Homer's Iliad
being copied in so tiny a hand that it could fit in a
nutshell.
For a time it referred to anything compressed, but from the
1500s on it referred mainly to written
or spoken words.
48
(10) Give me five
If someone says this, they want to hit your open hand
against theirs as a way of congratulation
or greeting.
__________________________
2004
1. To bring grist to the mill.
Something that you can use to your advantage is grist for
the mill.
2. Set one's cap at
Pursue someone romantically
We all thought Anne had set her cap for Joe, but we were
wrong.
In the 1700s this term, which may have alluded to donning
one's best headgear, was applied to
members of either sex, but by the early 1800s it generally
described a woman chasing a man. It is
probably obsolescent.
3. To draw the long bow
If someone draws a long bow, they lie or exaggerate.
4. To send a person to Coventry
To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone
5. Beer and skittles
People say that life is not all beer and skittles, meaning
that it is not about self-indulgence and
pleasure.
6. The acid test
An acid test is something that proves whether something is
good, effective, etc, or not.
7. A skeleton in the cupboard.
If you have a skeleton in the cupboard, or in the closet,
you have a secret in your past which
could damage you if it became known.
8. To discover a mare's nest
49
__________________________
2005
1). Keep ones nose to the grindstone
Stay hard at work
We expect John to get good grades again, since he really
keeps his nose to the grindstone.
This expression, first recorded in 1539, alludes to a tool
that must be sharpened by being held to
a grindstone.
2). Throw someone for a loop / throw for a loop
knock down or over with a feather; knock sideways, overcome
with surprise or astonishment
The news of his death knocked me for a loop.
Being fired without any warning threw me for a loop.
Jane was knocked sideways when she found out she won.
The first two of these hyperbolic colloquial usages, dating
from the first half of the 1900s, allude
to the comic-strip image of a person pushed hard enough to
roll over in the shape of a loop.
The third hyperbolic term, often put as You could have
knocked me down with a feather,
intimating that something so light as a feather could knock
one down, dates from the early
1800s; the fourth was first recorded in 1925.
3). Letter perfect
The precise wording rather than the spirit or intent.
Since it was the first time he'd broken the rules, the
school decided to ignore the letter of the law
and just give him a warning. [Late 1500s]
4). Off the wall
Something that is off the wall is unconventional.
5). Out to lunch
If someone's out to lunch, they are crazy or out of touch.
6). Salt something away
Keep in reserve, store, save
He salted away most of his earnings in a bank account.
This idiom alludes to using salt as a food preservative.
[Mid-1800s]
50
7). Take someone to the cleaners
Take or cheat one out of all of one's money or possessions
Her divorce lawyer took him to the cleaners.
That broker has taken a number of clients to the cleaners.
[Slang; early 1900s]
Drub, beat up
He didn't just push you—he took you to the cleaners. [Slang;
early 1900s]
8). Wear the pants in the family
Exercise controlling authority in a household
Grandma or husband (incase of husband and wife) wears the
pants at our house.
__________________________
2006
(1) Twiddle with
To play with something; to play with something, using one's
fingers; to fiddle with something.
I asked Jason to stop twiddling with the pencils.
Someone is twiddling with the stereo controls.
(2) Vamp up
Make up
vamp up an excuse for not attending the meeting
(3) Whittle away
cut away in small pieces, to cut or carve something away
The carver whittled the wood away until only a small figure
was left.
He whittled away the wood.
(4) Winkle out
Force from a place or position
The committee winkled out the unqualified candidates.
(5) Give someone the bum's rush
To eject (or be ejected) forcibly
(6) Loom large
51
Appear imminent in a threatening, magnified form
The possibility of civil war loomed large on the horizon.
Martha wanted to take it easy for a week, but the bar exam
loomed large.
This term employs loom in the sense of "come into
view", a usage dating from the late 1500s.
(7) Besetting sin
A sin which is habitually attending a person, a prevailing
or predominant vice
We regret to say that apathy is the besetting sin of our
rural population.
(8) To hang fire
Delay
The advertising campaign is hanging fire until they decide
how much to spend on it.
This expression originally referred to the 17th-century
flintlock musket, where the priming
powder ignited but often failed to explode the main charge,
a result called hanging fire. [c. 1800]
__________________________
2007
1) To put the lid on / keep the lid on
Suppress
I don't know how but we'll have to put the lid on that rumor
about her.
Let's keep the lid on our suspicions.
The word lid here is used in the sense of "a cover for
a container." [Early 1900s]
2) Flavour if the mouth
Something that is prominent in the public eye for a short
time then fades out of interest.
Originally a term of approval for something that was up to
the minute and desirable. It has been
used ironically from the late 20th century to pass
disdainful comment on things which pass out of
fashion quickly. For example, the "one hit
wonders" of the music business.
3) Zero hours
The time when something important is to begin is zero hour.
52
4) Gloom and doom
the feeling that a situation is bad and is not likely to
improve
Come on, it's not all doom and gloom, if we make a real
effort we could still win.
5) To pig out
Eat ravenously, gorge oneself
The kids pigged out on the candy they had collected on
Halloween. [Slang; early 1970s]
6) Bag people
7) Compassion fatigue
A weariness of and diminishing public response to frequent
requests for charity.
8) No matters
Some thing which is not important
__________________________
2008
i. Blow one's top
To be very angry, Explode in anger, lose one's temper, go
into a rage
ii. A cock and bull story
An unbelievable tale that is intended to deceive; a tall
tale
Jack told us some cock and bull story about getting
lost.
This expression may come from a folk tale involving these two
animals, or from the name of an
English inn where travellers told such tales.
W.S. Gilbert used it in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888),
where Jack Point
make up a story about the hero's fictitious death:
"Tell a tale of cock and bull, Of convincing
detail full." [c. 1600]
iii. Find one's feet
To be confident, become adjusted; become established
iv. Call it a night
To stop what one has been doing, for the remainder of the
night.
53
v. The tip of the iceberg
vi. Below par
Less than average, less than normal
vii. From pillar to post
From one place or thing to another in rapid succession
viii. Hang up
Hold on , suspend; end a telephone conversation
ix. Turn some one in
x. By and by
Pretty soon, it won't be long now; gradually, eventually
__________________________
2009
(i) Leave in the lurch
Abandon or desert someone in difficult straits
Jane was angry enough to quit without giving notice, leaving
her boss in the lurch.
Where were you Karman, you really left me in the lurch
This expression alludes to a 16th-century French dice game,
lourche, where to incur a lurch
meant to be far behind the other players. It later was used
in cribbage and other games, as well as
being used in its present figurative sense by about 1600.
(ii) Hard and fast
Defined, fixed, invariable
We have hard and fast rules for this procedure.
There is no hard and fast rule to start a computer
This term originally was applied to a vessel that has come
out of water, either by running
aground or being put in dry dock, and is therefore unable to
move. By the mid-1800s it was
being used figuratively.
(iii) Weather the storm
54
Survive difficulties
If she can just weather the storm of that contract
violation, she'll be fine.
This expression alludes to a ship coming safely through bad
weather. [Mid-1600s]
(iv) Bear the brunt
Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance
It was the secretary who had to bear the brunt of the
doctor's anger.
I had to bear the brunt of her screaming and yelling
This idiom uses brunt in the sense of "the main force
of an enemy's attack," which was sustained
by the front lines of the defenders. [Second half of 1700s]
(v) Meet halfway
If you meet someone halfway, you accept some of their ideas
and make concessions.
If you want to settle the issues you have to meet me
halfway
(vi) Turncoat
one who goes to work / fight / play for the opposing side,
traitor
That turncoat! He went to work for the competition - Sears.
Ahmed is Turncoat and we should not relied upon him
(vii) Where the shoe pinches
The source of trouble, grief, difficulty, etc.
2010
1. Make for (intr, preposition)
1. to head towards, esp in haste
2. to prepare to attack
3. to help to bring about
your cooperation will make for the success of our project
This class will make for the Auditorium now.
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2. Yeoman's service
Efficient, useful or loyal service;arduous work
Tipu sultan rendered yeoman service for the the Islam
3. Discretion is the better part of valour
:something that you say which means that it is better to be
careful and think before you act than
it is to be brave and take risks
She decided not to voice her opposition to the Chairman's
remarks. Perhaps discretion was the
better part of valour
4. Out of the woods
past a critical phase; out of the unknown.
When the patient got out of the woods, everyone
relaxed.
I can give you a better prediction for your future health when
you are out of the woods.
5. A casting vote
decisive vote
The speaker used his casting vote in the favour of
proposition
6. Look down upon
think nothing of,be contemptuous of
Do not look down upon the down and out
7. Iconoclast
One who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or
popular ideas or institutions.
One who destroys sacred religious images.
He was an iconoclast who refused to be bound by tradition.
8. A swan song
A farewell or final appearance, action, or work.
The beautiful legendary song sung only once by a swan in its
lifetime, as it is dying.
I'm resigning tomorrow; this project was my swan song.
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