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Smell a Rat
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How come the front door is open? Didn't you close it before we went
shopping?
I'm
sure I did. I can't understand it. Frankly, I smell a rat.
Me,
too. I'm convinced that something is definitely wrong
here. We'd better call the police. |
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Go
to the Dogs
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Have you
seen their house lately? It's really gone to the dogs.
It's
true that it has become run-down and in serious need of
repair, but I'm sure that it can be fixed up to look like new.
I guess
with a little carpentry work and some paint it could look pretty decent.
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Fishy
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When the security guard saw a light in the store after closing hours, it
seemed to him that there was something fishy
going on. He called the central office and explained to his superior that
he thought something strange and suspicious
was occurring.
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Take the Bull by the Horns |
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Julie
had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her
clumsiness on the dance floor. She had been putting off taking lessons, but she
finally took the bull by the horns and went
to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and
acted decisively to correct the situation.
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Let the cat out of the Bag |
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Bob was going to retire from teaching in June, and the foreign language
department was planning on presenting him with some luggage at his
retirement dinner. He wasn't supposed to know about it, but someone
let the cat out of the bag. At the dinner Bob acted surprised,
even though someone had told him what he was
getting before the official presentation.
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For the Birds |
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They
went to a poetry reading, but they got bored and restless. As far as they were
concerned, it was for the birds! They left during an intermission
because they found the reading totally uninteresting
and meaningless
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Straight From the Horse's Mouth |
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How did
you find out that Jill was engaged?
I got
the information from a very reliable source.
You mean
Jill told you so herself?
That's
right. I got it straight from the horse's mouth!
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Horse Around |
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Did you
hear about Dave's back injury?
No. How
did he get hurt?
Well,
after the coach left the gym he decided to stay and
horse around on the parallel bars. He somehow lost his grip and fell
on his back.
That's
too bad, but he shouldn't have been aimlessly playing
around on the equipment without proper supervision.
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Cat Got Your Tongue? |
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Come on,
Connie! Tell us what you think about our little ride down the rapids yesterday.
Well,
uh...
Wasn't
it exciting?
I, uh...
What's
the matter?
Cat got your tongue?
If you
must know, I'm keeping quiet because I was
scared out of my wits!
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Get in Someone's hair |
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Children! Would you please stop making so much noise!
And for
heaven's sake, pick up your clothes and toys!
It's
hard enough trying to keep this house clean without your throwing your things
all over the place!
Clara, I
know that the children get in your hair, but
you should try not to let it upset you so much.
Listen,
Jim. I can't help it . The children bother me and make
me very angry when they're so noisy and messy.
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Shoot Off One's Mouth |
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Jim doesn't play tennis very much, but he's always
shooting off his mouth about how good he is. Yet he's fooling
nobody. Jim is somewhat of a braggart and everyone knows that he gives
opinions without knowing all the facts and talks
as if he knew everything about the game.
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Jump Down Someone's Throat |
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That's
it, Greg! You'd better not come in after midnight again tonight!
I know,
dad. You don't have to jump down my throat!
I told you that I'd make it home around 11:30. I don't intend to be late!
Well,
you've said that before and in you come at 2: 30 in the morning. You can't blame
me for getting angry and scolding you. I've got good reason.
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Pay Through the Nose |
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At last
Mr. Smith came upon the rare stamp he had been seeking at an auction. Since many
other stamp collectors would also be bidding for it, he realized that he would
have to pay through the nose in order to have it.
After
considering the increasing value of the stamp, he decided that he would not mind paying such a high price for something so rare.
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Tongue-in-Cheek |
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Why were
you teasing Sonia about her new hairdo? She really took offense at what you
said.
I didn't
mean to offend her. I was simply making a
tongue-in-cheek remark when i said that it was too elaborate for a
girl of her young, tender age.
Well,
she thought you were serious. She had no idea that you were just saying that
as a joke.
I'm
really sorry. I suppose I owe her an apology.
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Pull Someone's Leg |
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Hey, Al.
I was invited to be a judge for the Miss America Beauty Pageant!
Oh,
really? Come on, you're pulling my leg!
No,
honestly. Do you really think that I'm trying to fool
you with a ridiculous story?
Well,
you've told me foolish stories before.
I can
assure you that this one is for real.
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Play It by Ear |
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Let's go to the movies, agreed?
Sure. And what'll we do after that ?
Oh, I don't know. Let's play it by ear.
Well, I would like to have a more definite plan of action.
Don't be like that. It's always more fun not
knowing what to expect and deciding what to do as we go along. |
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Stick Out One's Neck |
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How come they're asking me to act as their guide through the jungle?
Evidently they think you're the only one who can lead them to the lost
temple.
That jungle has danger lurking around every corner.
Why should I stick my neck out for
them? They didn't pay me for my services.
They know that you would be taking a great risk
and could possibly get hurt, but you're the only one with
enough knowledge to take them to their destination. I'm sure you'll be
amply rewarded. |
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All Thumbs |
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Hey Bea. Can you help me out ? I don't seem to be able to button up the
back of my dress.
Sure. Let's see if I can do it for you.
I
guess I'm all thumbs because I'm so
nervous. I'm already late for my date.
Well, I suppose that being so nervous would make you
clumsy and awkward. But don't worry. I'm sure your date will
wait. |
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Not Have a Leg to Stand On |
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Tom maintains that the firm owes him some back wages for having worked
overtime. However, he won't have a leg to stand
on unless he can prove that he put in all those extra hours. He
doesn't stand a chance of getting his money
without a strong foundation of facts to support his position. |
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Get Off Someone's Back |
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Hey, John. I'm bored. Come on, let's go out and do something.
Sorry, I'm right in the middle of studying for a physics exam. I won't be
able to make it tonight.
You've been studying for a long time. Why don't you take a break ? Come
on! Let's go ! Forget studying for a while !
Look!
Get off my back! I can't go anywhere!
OK. I'll stop bothering you only if
you promise to let me know the minute you're finished. |
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Drive Someone Up a Wall
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Wow ! What a great set of drums!
Yeah, they're great, but I can't play on them when my folks are at home.
They say I drive them up a wall with
all the loud banging.
I
get the same thing at home. My folks tell me that I
annoy them and get them really angry whenever I turn up the
volume on my stereo.
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Sponsored Links
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String Someone Along
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Liz had high hopes of marrying Dean. When he ran off with another woman,
she realized that he was just stringing her along.
She had felt very strongly about him and was really hurt to see that he
was deceiving her and had no
intentions of ever marrying her.
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Leave Someone High and Dry
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Say, Jill. I thought that John was going to help you do the dishes
tonight.
So
did I. But he left me high and dry.
Where did he go ?
Well, he got a call from some of his pals at work to go bowling, and he
left me alone to do all this work without any help at all!
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Spill the Beans
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Did you know that Harry was going to take Kathy on a Caribbean cruise ?
Yes, I did. He was planning on surprising her with the tickets fro their
anniversary, but someone spilled the beans.
What a shame ! That was supposed to have been a surprise.
Yes, it's too bad that someone told her about the
trip beforehand and ruined Harry's surprise.
That's OK. Her enthusiasm was not dampened in the least!
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Bite the Dust
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Andy did exceptionally well in all of the track events, but he
bit the dust in the high jump competition. Much to the
disappointment of his fans, he went down in
defeat, losing to a competitor from the visiting team.
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Bend Over Backwards
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When Joan first started teaching she was afraid that she would have a lot
of trouble getting used to the kids and to the faculty. Her fears turned
out to be unfounded, since everybody bent over
backwards to help her. Everyone tried
very hard to help her feel comfortable and adjust to the
school.
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Cough Up
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Say, Greg. Did you finally get that computer that you wanted so much ?
Not yet. I needed to raise a couple of hundred dollars more.
Is
it going to take you a while to raise the money?
It
would have taken me forever, but dad said he'd
cough up the money I need since I'm going to be using the
computer for my school work.
Maybe it was difficult for your dad to give
you the money but then, he knows that it's for a good cause.
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Jump the Gun
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Denise was planning on telling her grandparents that the doctor said she
was going to have twins, but when her dad found out he
jumped the gun and told them before Denise could say a word. He
was so excited that he became hasty
and revealed the news before Denise had a chance to tell them.
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Scratch Someone's Back
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Hey, Bea. I need some help stacking these boxes. Would you please give me
a hand?
OK. And I need some help tidying up the house. How about your helping me
out after that ?
OK. If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
I
know you don't like doing housework, but I'll
help you with the boxes if you promise to return the favor.
No
problem. I'll even do the windows.
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Turn Someone Off
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How was your date with Marty last night ?
Well, it started of OK, but he really turned me
off when we went for a snack after the movies.
Did he say or do something to annoy you?
Frankly, he disgusted me when he tried
to talk with his mouth full.
I
don't blame you . That would have really bothered me too.
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Kick the Bucket
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It's been said that the old man knew of a buried treasure, but he
kicked the bucket before telling anyone where it was. If the
treasure exists, the old man unfortunately took the secret of its location
with him when he died.
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Wet Blanket
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James was not invited to go on the outing with the rest of the group
because he's such a wet blanket. On
many previous occasions he has kept others from
enjoying themselves by his pessimism and lack of enthusiasm.
It's understandable that no one wants him around.
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Going under the knife |
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When
critics and celebrity observers criticized Heidi Montag for undergoing
ten plastic surgery
procedures in one operation, she answered back that
going under the knife is
only a medical operation
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Knock Someone's Socks Off
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Hi, John. What's new ?
Oh, nothing too much with me, but you ought to see Fredo's new car. It'll
knock your socks off!
So, he finally got that Italian sports car he's been dreaming about.
He
sure did. When you see all the custom features that it has, you'll
get so enthused and excited you won't know what to do.
Boy, I can hardly wait to go for a ride in it.
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Lose One's Shirt
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I
happened to bump into Dole at lunch yesterday afternoon.
What's new with Dole these days ?
He
wasn't doing so well. For one thing, he told me he
lost his shirt at the races.
Dole has always liked to bet on the horses. I'm not surprised that he
lost a great deal of money.
Yeah. At this rate he'll never have a penny to his name.
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Lemon
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Have you seen Joe's new car yet ?
Yeah. It looks good, but she's had nothing but problems with it.
That's too bad. It sounds like she got a real
lemon.
She sure did. No sooner did she drive it home from the dealer's than it
proved
defective and started breaking down.
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Out of the Woods
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Although Eric was well on his way to recovering from his bout with
pneumonia, he was still not out of the woods.
The doctors told him that he would have to take it easy and avoid exposure
to cold, since he was not out of danger and
difficulty yet.
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Eating Someone
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Hey, Alice. What's been eating you
lately ? Don't you realize how rude and irritable you've become?
I
know. I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting.
Well, why don't you tell me what has been
bothering and upsetting you and maybe we can work your problem
out together.
I'll admit that it would help to talk to someone about it.
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On the Line
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Lately Tom's been more conscientious about the accuracy and quality of his
work with the company. He was warned that his job was
on the line because of his lack of concern for his duties. When
Tom was alerted that he was in danger of losing
his job, he began to take his obligations with the company more
seriously.
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Feel Like a Million Dollars
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I
bumped into Nick at the salon yesterday. He looked great, but I noticed
that he had a slight limp when he walked.
I
guess you didn't know that he had an operation on his knee.
No, I didn't. How's he feeling ?
He
says he's feeling like a million dollars
now. Apparently the pain in his knee is all gone.
It's good that he's feeling so wonderful.
It must be a refreshing change not having to put up with all that
discomfort.
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Hang On
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During the depression years the Smiths had a great deal of trouble with
their business, but somehow or other they were able to
hang on. Although they almost lost their store, they managed to
persevere until things got better.
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Make Ends Meet
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It's almost impossible trying to keep up with the high cost of living.
It's true. Things are so expensive nowadays that it's very difficult to
make ends meet.
You know, even with Lucie's salary, our combined income is
hardly enough to pay all the bills.
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Money talks
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We've been waiting for three months to get delivery on our car, and people
who put in their order after us have already gotten theirs.
Well,
money talks. Why don't you try giving
the dealer a little something extra to move things along ?
I
know full well that money has the power to
influence people, but I refuse to pay extra for a service that
is owed to me as a client.
If
you want to have your car maybe you'd better reconsider.
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The Early Bird Catches the Worm
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Marc, the lines for the rock festival are going to be miles long! If you
expect to get tickets for you and Mary, remember that old saying. "
The early bird catches the worm "
I
guess you're right. Mary is looking forward to the concert, and I'd hate
to disappoint her. I'll get up real early to get
a place at the head of the line.
That way I'll get the tickets I want, for sure !
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