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A holy terror (1) |
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Jaime
doesn't seem to understand that he's supposed to act like a little angel in
his new abode. He's so full of energy and tricks he's a holy terror. In
Jaime's case, a holy terror is
a badly-behaved child. " I think we'd
better have a look into Jaime's past," the director in his neighborhood
sighed. "He's a holy terror up here !" |
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A
holy terror (2) |
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New
visitors to the dining room have found that Cavendish can be very demanding. "He
insists that we conduct ourselves like proper ladies and gentleman," Jaime
frowned. "He can be a holy terror at times." In this case
a holy terror is someone -- a boss or
someone in a position of authority -- who causes fear in people. |
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Hopping mad |
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"Hey, down there ! Quiet down 1
You're supposed to be taking your afternoon nap," Mrs K cried. "All that
jumping about is making me
hopping mad !" What Mrs K is saying is that her sweet
little infant is making her
very angry. It's not necessary to be a kangaroo to be
hopping mad: simply being extremely mad will do. |
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Hot air |
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"Elect me and I promise I will reduce
taxes, shorten the work week, and see to it that everyone gets paid a higher
wage," Blah declared. "Blah is full of hot air," Someone said. "Yes, and
everything he says is hot air," another replied.
Promises and boasts that won't
or can't be kept are called
hot air. |
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It's a small world |
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"That foot looks familiar,"
Fenton cried. "It sure does," Oliver replied. "I saw it when we lived in
Zanesville. It's a small
world, isn't it ?" The phrase Oliver hurriedly uttered is
used to express surprise
when seeing someone or something from the past. |
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Keep one's head |
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Ben's trail of crime has come to an
end. I was amazed, though, to learn how he kept his head when his sentence was
carried out. To keep one's head
is to stay calm, not get excited
or frightened. "I'm a relaxed individual," Ben smiled. "I keep my
head no matter how bad things get." |
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Keep open house |
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Nothing pleases Fergus more than
visiting someone keeping open house. To
keep open house is to
welcome all guest or visitors to
a house -- and not only that, but to entertain them 1 This is often
shortened to open house. "Wow, the people who lived here must have had some
great open house parties !" Fergus exclaimed. |
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Land on one's feet |
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If a cat falls, it always seems to
land safely on its feet. That has given us this idiom, so when a person
escapes misfortune or survives
an unpleasant situation we say he
lands on his feet.
"Maxwell was born lucky. No matter what he does wrong he always seems to land on
his feet. |
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Lay down the law |
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"The way my employees are behaving is
terrible," Grouch grumbled. "I'm going to lay down the law and tell them to
concentrate on their work." To
lay down the law is to say something or give an order in a way that
says "you will obey me or accept
my word without argument or question !" |
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Like it or lump it |
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No one seems to know where this
expression comes from. What we do know is that it means to
put up with something unpleasant
-- such as a decision or a situation -- without protesting or complaining.
"It's no use making a scene, " Willy's mother said. "Like
it or lump it, I insist that you finish eating your breakfast." |
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The lion's share |
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After a hunt, lions always take
the largest amount of food for themselves -- and few animals dare
dispute their right to it. That's why we have
the lion's share,
which means the largest
part or the greatest amount. "I'm certain I've read somewhere
that I'm entitled to the lion's share," Cecil complained. |
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Liquid assets |
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A liquid is something that, like
water, flows freely and easily. Assets are all of someone's belongings,
including property. Those
belongings that can be easily converted into cash are called
liquid assets. " Herbert
asked for a loan and the bank manager told him to bring in proof of all his
liquid assets." |
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A lone wolf |
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Most people enjoy companionship and
like doing things in groups. There are some people, however, who are
very private and prefer being alone. A
person like that is often called a lone wolf. "No wonder Wally is
a lone wolf." Martin said. "Listen to the way
he sings to the moon !" |
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Love is blind |
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According to this old saying a person
in love doesn't see -- or admit to seeing -- faults in
the person he loves. Pierre, for example, thinks Lulu is the sweetest
and dearest girl on earth. "I see what people mean when they say
love is blind," Lulu laughed, "but you'd
better watch your step, Pierre." |
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Make a clown of oneself |
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In a romantic mood, Humphrey sat down
to serenade Hermione. "Oh, Hermione, you've made a clown of me," he said as she
rejected him. "Nonsense," Hermione replied. "You've made a clown of yourself.
Your singing is awful !" To make a clown of oneself
is to make oneself or appear foolish or stupid. |
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Make things hum |
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Until Gustav joined our company
we had all sorts of problems on our production line. Gustav has
corrected the problems and has really made
things hum. Not only that, Gustav has been keeping things
humming. To make things hum is to cause things
to perform smoothly and efficiently. To keep things humming
is to keep them performing well. |
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Marry above oneself |
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For a long, long time Manfred
has been afraid to express his love for May. "After all," he said, "May
is in what some people call 'the upper class', and people in low
positions ( like me ) don't usually marry above themselves." To
marry above oneself is to
marry someone in a higher social class than
one's own. |
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Marry beneath oneself |
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To some people the social
position of the person they marry is very important consideration.
"People who believe in that kind of nonsense almost never marry beneath
themselves, do they Myrtle ?" "No," Myrtle answered " because
marrying beneath oneself means to
marry a person of a lower social class than the
one -- real or imagined -- they belong to." |
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Miss the boat |
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They stood on the shore with
the rain beating down and the water rising about their feet. "If you
hadn't forgotten our tickets we would have been on time," Amelia
scolded. "You've caused us to miss the boat."
To miss the boat is to be too late for
something or to fail to take advantage of an opportunity. |
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Not just a pretty face |
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"Personally, I favor that girl
in the middle to win," John said. "Her name's Miss Leung, and as you can
see she's not just a pretty face." A
girl characterized like this possesses hidden
skills, talents or intelligence. "See, she's loaded with
talent. If I were the judge I'd vote for her. She's much more than a
pretty face !" |
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Narrow-minded |
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"There's nothing wrong with you
that can't be cured," Dr Grouse said. "Just be more tolerant, stop
being so critical, show more concern
for others, and open your mind to new ideas. " Willies looked shocked.
"Are you telling me I'm narrow-minded
? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard !" Willies shouted --
thus proving his narrow-mindedness. |
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Hole in the head |
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"I need space there like I need
a hole in the head !" Bridget screamed. "Madam, that's my style," the
artist replied, " and your advice is as welcome as a hole in the head."
You'll understand this conversation better if you know a
hole in the head means
something that is unnecessary or unwelcome. |
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No frills |
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A frill is an extra. It may be nice to have but it's not necessary.
An airline, restaurant, tour company, hotel,
etc. offering a basic service without extras ( frills ) can
be called a no frills airline, no frills restaurant,
no frills tour company, or a no
frills hotel. "We went on a no frills trip to Europe," Ben said. |
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Off the hook |
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A fish that is able to get off the fishing hook and swim away is
free of trouble. That's the idea
behind this idiom which means to avoid difficulty or get out of trouble.
"I'm late for school," Mack said. "I had better think up a good excuse
to get off the hook." |
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An old master |
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Sorry, Paul, you don't qualify as an old master. It's possible you and
your paintings will last forever but an old
master is an artist or a painting
dated before the 19th century. "If I change my name to
Rembrandt or Michelangelo, maybe people would call me an old master and
my paintings old masters, " Paul sighed. |
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One in a million |
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"My wife is the greatest person in the whole wide world," Peter said.
"She's one in a million." What Peter
is saying is that his wife is very, very
special. She's unusual in every wonderful sense of the word.
"I think you are one in a million, too," his rare and wonderful wife
answered. |
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One's nearest and dearest |
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"I'm not as rich as Rocketfeller or as strong as Rambo, and no one has
ever asked me to star in a film," Herbert said humbly, "yet my nearest
and dearest tell me I'm the world's most wonderful husband and father,"
he grinned. Herbert should be very proud for
one's nearest and dearest is one's
family. |
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Out of action |
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I'm sure Chad would like to help his friend win an argument with the
neighbor's dog but, unfortunately, he's out of
action. "Personally," Chad whispered, "the way things are
going in there I'm glad I'm out of action today." A person ( or a cat )
out of action is unable to work or perform,
usually because of an illness. |
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Over and done with |
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"That's it, it's finished," the supervisor said. "I'm glad that job is
finally over and done with." There's
nothing difficult about this idiom for it's another way of saying that
something -- a job, a relationship, etc. -- is
finished. "I've enjoyed working with you," Aarok said. "I
hope our association isn't over and done with and that we'll work
together again." |
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Pack one's bags |
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"This place is beginning to bother me," Albert mumbled. "I'd like to pack
my bags and say goodbye." In anticipation of making an escape, he
practiced putting his valuables into a bag. "To
pack one's bags is to leave a
place in anger or annoyance or after a disagreement," the
guard whispered. "And Albert isn't going anywhere !" |
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Paint a gloomy picture |
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Robert is depressed. That may be why he is painting a gloomy picture. To
paint a gloomy picture is to
describe something -- an event, a situation, the
future, etc. -- in a cheerless, gloomy or unpromising way.
"I'm sad because the weatherman has painted a gloomy picture for the
weekend," Robert sighed. "he said it's going to rain." |
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Part of the furniture |
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Colin has been waiting in the doctor's waiting room so long that he's
beginning to feel that he's now part of the furniture. For a person to
feel that he's part of the furniture,
he has been at one job or in one place so long
that he actually feels he has become part of the environment. |
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Patch something up |
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When we patch something up --
something torn or broken -- we repair something
that is damaged. Disagreements between people can also be
patched up, though it must be remembered that such repairs are sometimes
only temporary. "The manager was called in to try to patch up a quarrel
between the two departments," Molly said. |
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Pin money |
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When we speak of pin money, we are
always referring to a small amount of money.
"I'm going to look for a better job. I'm working for pin money here,"
Ned said. It can also refer to a small allowance a man gives his wife,
or moneys he saves from other sources. "Sarah saved her pin money to buy
a new dress." |
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Plain Jane |
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A plain Jane is
a girl or young woman whose looks are ordinary or common.
Because "plain" and "Jane" rhyme, this is a rhyming idiom used to
describe a girl -- regardless of her name -- who is neither pretty nor
ugly. "Betsy was a plain Jane when we were in school but she's certainly
a beautiful girl today." |
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Pot-luck dinner |
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A pot-luck dinner is
an informal dinner where each of the guests
brings a pot of food to share with others. Because nobody
knows what anyone is bringing, the guests hope they'll be lucky and the
food will be interesting. "Good heavens ! Look what Egbert's bringing to
our pot-luck dinner !" |
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Pour oil on troubled waters |
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Before its dangers to the environment were known, oil was poured on rough
seas to calm them. Today this idiom refers to
settling disputes or bringing calm to a troubled situation.
"This isn't working," Alex said. "Let's see if we can
pour oil on troubled waters by
sitting down and having a quiet talk about it." |
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Pull the wool over someone's eyes |
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This expression means to trick or deceive someone.
"Vote for me and I promise to reduce taxes, increase wages, and give
everyone a guaranteed job for life," Blah proclaimed. "I think Blah is
pulling the wool over our eyes,"
someone in the audience muttered. I suspect they're right. |
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Puppy love |
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The word puppy is from the French word 'poupee' meaning a little doll.
Perhaps that's why puppy love
describes a temporary feeling of affection
experienced by a young boy or girl. "It doesn't take a genius
to see that Angela and Tim like each other," Billy winked. "I think it's
puppy love." |
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Put all one's eggs in one basket |
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"A wise and cautious bird does not put all her eggs in one basket,"
Winifred said. "To do that would be to invite disaster." Those who
put all their eggs in one basket
place all their hopes, money or trust in one
plan, scheme or adventure. And that, as Winifred will tell
you, is risky ! |
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Rank and file |
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Are you a leader in a club or an organization ? If not, you could say that
you belong to the rank and file. The rank and
file refers to the ordinary people
within a group, a club, or an organization. "The general is
very busy today. He's out inspecting the rank and file." |
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Rat race |
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"Hey, Rupert, why do people call their struggle to succeed a rat race ?"
"Don't ask me, Roger. I'm too caught up in the rat race to think about
it." For their information, a/the rat race
is a term that describes our daily struggle to
live, compete or survive. |
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Read someone |
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We often reveal how we think or feel by the gestures we make. If we know
the meaning of these gestures we often
understand what a person is thinking simply by looking at him.
We say we are able to read him. "I
wonder if Millie and Clarence have ever been able to read each other ?" |
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Safety in numbers |
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I wish someone would tell the boss that when a person talks about
safety in numbers he isn't talking
about a safe with a number of locks: he's saying that there's
greater protection against misfortune when a
person is in a group. "If it's true that there's safety in
numbers my records should be secure now," the boss said. |
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