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In mint condition |
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The coins in your purse or pocket
are made in a place called a mint. New coins fresh from a mint are said to
be in mint condition. So too, is
anything else that is in new or like-new condition.
"Elmer seldom uses his car. It's ten years old but it's still in mint
condition." |
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In one's heart of hearts |
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"In my heart of hearts I think you're
the nicest mouse in the entire world," Timothy blushed. Accepting his gift,
Josephine answered : "In my heart of hearts,
I think you're wonderful too." When we speak of one's heart of hearts we are
referring to a person's deep, secret, innermost
feelings. |
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In the bag |
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"If I do well on my
examination, my promotion will be in the bag,"
Steven said. He is saying that his promotion is assured. It is
a certainty. "There can be no doubt
about it. Once you have been promoted, your future in the company will
be in the bag," his father smiled. |
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In clover |
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Clover is a type of grass with sweet
flowers enjoyed by both cattle and bees. When people are
in ( the ) clover, they are living happily
and comfortably for they are prosperous and successful. " Mr. Jardine
is in clover now that he has sold his business and retired to the country." |
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Keep one's hair on |
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I'd panic if I lost my coat.
Not Bob though. He's determined to keep his
hair on. That is, he's going to stay
relaxed and not get angry. "I'm going to remain calm and keep
my hair on," Bob said. "It's pointless to get upset over the loss of a
fur coat, don't you agree ?" |
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Larger than life |
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When a person, an object or an event
is larger than life, he, she or it is
unusually remarkable or significant ... often because reports of him, her or it
have been greatly exaggerated. "I suspect
the things Owen says about his achievements are larger than life." "I used to
think the stories about there being ghosts here were larger than life !" the cat
cried. |
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Laugh in one's beard |
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Long ago when most men wore beards,
it was easy for a man to conceal a smile when he wanted
to mock someone for being foolish, failing at something, or making a mistake.
"Do you think people are laughing in their beards
at me for having a mouse for a friend ?" Cecil asked. |
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A leading question |
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A leading
question is worded in such a way that the person being asked
it is compelled to reply with an answer the questioner
wants. "Have you stopped beating your dog ?" is a leading question
for the person must respond by either confessing or denying that he or she beats
the dog. |
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Left holding the bag |
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Kevin went to the beach with his
friends. They dug up all kinds of things in the sand, but when one of the things
proved difficult to deal with, they all ran away screaming. "They left me
holding the bag," Kevin said. To be left holding the
bag is to be given a difficult or awkward
problem to deal with. "Everyone I was with seems to have
disappeared," Kevin frowned. |
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Like a cat on hot bricks |
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"Why's Terry so nervous today ?"
Olive asked. "He's like a cat on hot bricks." Looking at his tender toes, Terry
replied : "If you had to walk on garden walls without shoes, you'd be like a cat
on hot bricks too !" A person described as acting like
a cat on hot bricks is tense, excited,
nervous or restless. |
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Like a dog with two tails |
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When people are described as
being or acting like a dog with two tails
it is because they are exceedingly proud or
happy -- particularly because they have done something special or
achieved some kind of success. "Stuart is so proud and
delighted, he's like a dog with two tails since his promotion. |
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Look a picture |
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While to
look a picture indicates that something or someone
looks very pretty or attractive, it is often used
humorously or sarcastically. "Don't you look a picture !" Billy's
mother cried. "You've got chocolate ice cream all over your face !" (
Humorously/sarcastically.) "Isn't she lovely " Mariah looks a picture today." (
Attractive/pretty. ) |
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Make an exhibition of oneself |
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Robert's paintings are being
exhibited at a famous art gallery. "I think I'll make an exhibition of myself,
too." Robert said. What Robert doesn't seem to understand is that when people
make exhibitions of themselves they
behave foolishly in public. "Robert, you're
being silly !" his wife cried. "Stop making such an exhibition yourself !" |
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Make oneself scarce |
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When something is scarce, it is hard
to find; there's not much of it around. When mother wants them to do some
chores, there's not much of Clara and Albert around either. They
make themselves scarce. that is, they
hide or disappear. "Oh ! Here comes mother.
Let's make ourselves scarce," Albert whispered. |
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Make someone's
head spin |
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When we feel dizzy, we say our heads
spin. Metaphorically, when people say something makes
their heads spin, it's because they're
bewildered or confused. "It makes my head spin to think of the amount
of work I have to do." "Charlton is so full of energy it makes my head spin just
watching him play." |
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A man-about-town |
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We see here two very dignified
men-about-town. They are, of course, Joe and his nephew Anderson who
know that a man-about-town is
one who is sophisticated, worldly and socially
active. "Uncle Joe is taking me to the theater with him,"
Anderson laughed. "I'm all dressed up like a man-about-town tonight." |
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A marked man |
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Matthew is in the process of
learning that a marked man is
one whose conduct has made him the object of
suspicion. In extreme cases, it could mean
a man whose life is in danger.
"You've been caught doing naughty things, Matthew," the guard said.
"From now on, you're a marked man and I'll be watching." |
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Marry money |
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Thanks to Henry, Sylvia will
never again have to wonder how to pay her bills. Henry, you see, is a
very rich man so she is about to marry money.
This does not mean Sylvia doesn't love Henry; it simply means
she is marrying someone who is very, very
wealthy. |
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A mine of
information |
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While searching for material to
write a report Maya discovered a book that proved to be a mine of
information. Anything -- a book, a person --
that is a valuable source of information is
a mine of information. A dictionary
can be a mine of information. "My boss is a mine of information too,"
Maya said. |
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A mixed bag |
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You'll find
a strange collection in
a mixed bag. It could be a varied
group of people, ideas, objects ... just about anything. "That was a
mixed bag of people at the conference." "This report is a mixed bag of
opinions." "I didn't go to the market so we're having a mixed bag for
supper tonight," Mother said. |
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A money-spinner |
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Grandmother's hobby was
knitting woolen scarfs, socks, sweaters and thins like that. People
admired her work so much that she turned her hobby into a money-spinner
and began selling her goods. A money-spinner
is anything that earns money.
"Grandmother's hobby became such a successful moneyspinner, I was able
to retire," Grandfather smiled. |
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No spring chicken |
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Idiomatically, a spring chicken
is a young and inexperienced person -- male or female. It's more common,
though, to refer to a woman who is no longer
young as no spring chicken.
"What ? Me wear a bikini to the beach ? You must be joking. I'm no
spring chicken, you know," Mary laughed. |
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Not one's piece of
cake |
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If something is
not one's piece of cake, it is
something a person doesn't appreciate or is not
particularly fond of doing. "I'm afraid Italian food isn't my
piece of cake. I don't like it," Gerald said. "I'm not interested in
selling so being a saleslady is not my piece of cake," Amelia said. |
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On a shoestring |
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A shoestring is a shoelace.
Because they are so common and, in particular, so cheap, a shoestring
means a small amount of money. From
that, to do something on a shoestring is to do it without spending much
money. "We've been living on a shoestring
since Tim lost his job," Tina said. |
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A one-horse town |
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Long before cars,
a one-horse town actually referred
to a town so small that it had only
one horse. It now refers to a small town in which nothing exciting
happens. "I like living in this one-horse town," George said. "Everyone
here knows and smiles at his neighbors." |
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Out of the window |
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Brown was looking forward to a
quiet dinner at home when his boss asked him to work overtime. "Well,
there goes my evening at home out of the window," Brown sighed. When
something -- an opportunity, a plan, etc. --
goes out of the window, it is gone.
"If I didn't obey my boss, I'm sure my job would go out of the window,"
Brown said. |
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Packed like
sardines |
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Sardines are fish. The only way
most of us ever see them is when we turn a key and find them in tin
cans. Fin to fin and back to front, they are
pressed in so tightly there's hardly room to turn. "The
trains are so full during rush hour that we were
packed like sardines." |
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Part and parcel of
something |
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In this expression the word
"parcel" means a portion, share or section of something. When joined
with the word "part", the idiom part and parcel
of refers to a basic, necessary or
natural part of something. "Being considerate and friendly
iis part and parcel of my job," Max smiled. |
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The pecking order |
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Chickens maintain order and
establish rank by pecking each other. People
too, group themselves and others into ranks of importance and
we call that the pecking order.
"Gregory has been with the firm for many years, so he's high up in the
pecking order here. I'm new so I'm very low in the pecking order." |
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A pillar of
society |
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A pillar is an upright
structure supporting a building. People described as
pillars of society are
leading figures contributing to the support and
well-being of the society in which they live. "A director of
the hospital and supporter of many charities, Mr. Smith is a pillar of
society." |
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Plain sailing |
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Long ago when it was thought
the earth was flat, plane sailing was a method of navigating at sea by
treating the earth as if it were a plane. Somehow the expression became
plain sailing, and it means to
proceed without difficulty. "Te
storm's over. It should be plain sailing now, sir." |
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Play ostrich |
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It was once thought that when
an ostrich was in danger it hid its head in the ground believing that if
it couldn't see anyone, no one could see it. That has led to the idea
that if people refuse to face painful facts or
unpleasant truths, they play ostrich.
"Play" here means "to act like." |
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A potboiler |
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A
book, play or film written for the sole purpose of earning money for the
author is called a potboiler.
A combination of the words pot + boil + er, a potboiler is an inferior
work done by the writer to keep his or her food pot boiling. "Reading a
potboiler before bed helps me to sleep," Professor Lee said. |
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A pretty kettle of
fish |
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This expression refers to a
mess, an awkward state of affairs, or a
situation that is confused or unpleasant. It's also said as a
messy kettle of fish. "Good Heavens, I left home and forgot to put the
cat out ! The house will be a pretty kettle of
fish by the time I get back !" |
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Put someone in the
picture |
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Winston thought it would be
exciting and romantic to visit the African jungles. he wasn't aware that
it could be dangerous, so I put him in the picture by telling him about
the wild animals there. When we put someone in
the picture we inform him or her of
all the facts of a situation. |
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A road hog |
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Drivers of automobiles who selfishly take up more space than necessary
on roads and refuse to allow other drivers room to pass are
road hogs. "Mr. Wilson should never
be allowed to drive a car. He's a terrible road hog who seems to think
he's driving the only car on the road." |
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Rub salt into
someone's wounds |
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We all know what it's like to
accidentally get salt in a wound. It hurts ! It hurts too, when someone
or something deliberately adds to our pain when
we feel shame, regret or defeat. "Must you
rub salt into my wounds by telling
me how much fun I missed by not going to Tracy's party ?" Heather sighed |
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Ruffle someone's
feathers |
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If a bird's feathers are rubbed
the wrong way, they stand up. We say the feathers are ruffled.
Idiomatically, to ruffle someone's feathers
is to annoy or upset someone. "It
ruffles my feathers when people insist that I dress to please them
instead of pleasing myself." |
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Rule of thumb |
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To do something by
rule of thumb is to
follow a practical method which has proved
successful or useful in the past. "It's a good rule of thumb
to look up all unfamiliar words in your dictionaries." "As a rule of
thumb I never go out when I have an examination the following day." |
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Save one's bacon |
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To
save one's bacon is to escape
trouble or to save one's life. This idiom is frequently used
light-heartedly. "So, you're late for work again," the boss frowned.
"What excuse do you have to save your bacon this time ?" ( Escape
trouble ) "During the fire I had to jump from the window to save my
bacon," Roy said. ( Save one's life ) |
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Save one's skin |
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Because he's a snake, Simon can
afford to lose his skin once a year. We can't, though, for "skin" is a
colloquialism for one's life. Therefore, to
save one's skin means to escape
danger or save one's life. "When his boat sank, Tom saved his
skin by clinging to a life preserver until a passing ship rescued him." |
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See how the land
lies |
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To sailors, this term means to
see where their ship is when it's at sea. To us, it means to
look at something carefully to learn everything
possible about it before making a decision or taking action.
"Jim has gone ahead to see how the land lies
before deciding where to set up our camp for the night." |
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Show someone the
door |
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"Edna is such a terrible
secretary I have decided to show her the door," Mr. Wilkin said.
Idiomatically, to show someone the door
is to tell him or her to leave a place.
"I don't know why but the boss got angry and showed me the door today,"
Edna said as she put away her knitting and went home. |
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A soap opera |
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Before television, daily radio
serials were aimed at housewives and were sponsored primarily by
manufacturers of soap products. That led to them being called soap
operas. Today's sentimental, sensational and
melodramatic radio and television serial dramas are still
called soap operas. "DYNASTY and
DALLAS are my favorite television soap operas." |
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