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A slippery customer |
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Does Mr. Jansen look like
a slippery customer as he stands in the
doorway of his business establishment ? If you knew that "slippery" is a
colloquialism meaning cunning and untrustworthy,
and "customer" means a person, I think you'd say yes. "Be very careful of
Mr. Jansen. He has a reputation of being a slippery customer. |
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Speak the same language |
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Timothy the mouse is trying to
convince Chad the cat that they speak the same language.
This means to have similar tastes, feelings and
thoughts, and to have a mutual understanding with someone. "We both
like fish so it's obvious that we speak the same language," Timothy smiled.
"Let's be friends." |
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Spread oneself too thin |
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Mr. Potts is trying to do
several things at the same time. He's spreading
himself too thin and, as a result, isn't able to devote much
time to either of his jobs. He is distributing
or scattering his time, energy and skills, and that's what it
means when people spread themselves too thin. |
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Still wet behind the ears |
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Jeremy would like to do things that
adult elephants do. "Attend to your studies and don't be silly," his mother
laughed. "You're just a kid who is still wet behind the ears." Jeremy frowned
for to be still wet behind the ears is to be
young and inexperienced. |
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Strong enough to put hair on my
chest |
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In this expression the word
"strong" means very powerful or potent. It's used ( humorously, of
course ) to describe something -- usually a
beverage -- that is unusually strong. "Wow, this coffee is
strong enough to put hair on my chest
!" Mr. Wilson gulped. "I can see that," Mrs. Wilson frowned. "There goes
another button." |
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Sweet on someone |
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There seems no doubt that Bumble is
sweet on Bea. "Bea, you are a beauty," Bumble mumbled. Bea blushed. "Bumble, you
are a busy bee. Is that honey for me ?" "Yes, " Bumble bubbled, "because I'm
sweet on you." Bumble is saying he is
very fond of Bea. Could it be that this bee
is in love ? |
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Take a hike |
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Egbert is in serious trouble. "Look
at those sales figures ! They're disgraceful," the boss shouted. "If you don't
do something to correct matters you may be asked to take a hike !" Idiomatically
take a hike means to
go away, to leave. In Egbert's case, he's in danger of being
dismissed. |
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Too big for one's boots |
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Bobby has risen through the ranks so
quickly that there are some who think he's now much too
big for his boots. That is, he is very
conceited, acts self-important and is overly ambitious. "Bobby has
gotten too big for his boots," the general said. "He's starting to give me
orders now !" |
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Take someone under one's wing |
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Mother birds protect their young by
bringing them close and covering them with their wings. That has given us this
expression, and it means to help -- and sometimes
protect -- a person. "Jenny has decided to
take our new employee under her wing and show her how to do the job
faster." "I don't like going out alone at night. I wish my big brother would
take me under his wing and walk with me to the library." |
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Born with a silver spoon in one's
mouth |
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Not everyone is
born with a silver spoon in his or her mouth. Those who are,
though, are born into a wealthy family and it is
assumed that they will lead comfortable lives filled with material riches.
All of us could probably name several children we know who have been blessed in
this way, but the one that comes to my mind is the little Prince. "I notice your
son has been born with a silver spoon in his mouth," Nurse Dion said to the
King. "I wonder what kind of person I would be if I had been born with a silver
spoon in my mouth ? she asked. |
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Go like a lamb to (the) slaughter |
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Lambs are known for their meek
and quiet dispositions. They seem to be always calm and they make no
protest. Because of that, when a person allows
himself to be punished or placed in danger without complaining,
we say he goes like a lamb to slaughter.
"I won't give up my job without a fight," Muriel cried when she learned
she was about to be transferred to another department. "I will not go
like a lamb to the slaughter," she said. |
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Rob Peter to pay Paul |
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There are a number of stories
concerning the origins of this expression, but no one is sure where it comes
from. What is known is that it has been in use since 1380, which may explain why
we don't know much about its beginnings. It describes
taking or borrowing something from one person ( Peter ) to repay a debt owed to
someone else ( Paul ). "Gregory wants to borrow some money from me so
he can repay a loan. I declined, saying that would be like
robbing Peter to pay Paul." |
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If the cap fits, wear it |
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If something
unpleasant is said about someone, something that could just as easily apply to
you, you should take notice of it. If necessary, you should accept is
as constructive criticism. That's what we mean when we say
if the cap fits, wear it. "I didn't say you look funny, but if the
cap fits, wear it !" |
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Paint with a wide brush |
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A person doesn't have to be an artist
to paint with a wide brush. That's because
this means to think, speak, plan or act in a big way.
Instead of restricting oneself to individual items, the person painting with a
wide brush looks at a variety of issues. Robert agrees with that. "When planning
your career, it's a good idea to think big and paint with a wide brush," he
said. |
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Sing someone's praises |
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One sunny day Andy came across the
most magnificent peacock he had ever seen. "There has never been such a
remarkable peacock !" he cried out. "That surely must be the most beautiful bird
in the entire kingdom !" From that day on, Andy went on singing the bird's
praises. In fact, so full of praise was he that no one dared tell him that the
peacock he saw was himself ! To sing someone's praises
is to say wonderful and complimentary things about
someone, and it usually means saying those nice things over and over. |
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A happy hunting
ground |
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The North American Indians
believed that when they died their souls would move on to a place where
they would spend eternity happily fishing and hunting. However, when
people speak of a happy hunting ground
today, they mean an area rich in opportunities
or one that will prove profitable to them. "I have discovered
that the library is a happy hunting ground for my research work." "This
beach is a happy hunting ground to anyone interested in collecting
seashells." |
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Make one's head
swim |
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"A sight like that makes my
head swim !" Seth exclaimed. "Why ?" Bighead asked. "For the simple
reason that nobody here knows how to swim. Therefore, if one of those
guys falls into the sea, none of us could rescue him !" he cried. "I
guess that explains why on one has ever left this island alive. Bighead
replied. Something that makes one's head swim
is something that is puzzling or causes
confusion. |
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Like a fish out of
water |
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A person said to be
like a fish out of water is
in a strange situation or environment and
therefore feels uncertain what to do or how to conduct himself/herself.
"I went to Martha's party but I was like a fish out of water for I
didn't know anyone there," Iris said. "When I first got to Canada I knew
very little English so I often felt like a fish out of water," Peter
said. "But now that I've learned the language, I no longer feel that
way," he added. |
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Drop like a stone |
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Hamingway has been trying to sell a select piece of property for months.
"I want to get rid of this place before it falls !" Hamingway whispered.
People looking at the property watched as hamingway's price kept
dropping like a stone until someone finally bought it. "When the price
of something drops like a stone, it
falls far and it falls quickly," the
new owner grinned. |
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( As ) Ripe as a
cherry |
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Rodney was taking a stroll when he came upon a nice big plate of fresh
cherries. "I don't know where those cherries came from," he burped, "but
I could see that they were as ripe as a cherry,
so I ate them." He burped again. "Besides, I wanted to see if it's true
that fruit said to be ( as ) ripe as a cherry is really
fully mature and ready to eat."
Having said that, Rodney slid away. To a hungry bird, he probably looked
ripe as a cherry himself ! |
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The penny drops |
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Oliver was sound asleep when a short but violent trembling action shook
his room and rattled his bed. "That may be an earthquake," he thought,
but then he remembered that he was an ant and
the penny dropped. "Oh, that's just someone around overhead,"
he said. This expression means to finally
realize or understand something after spending a little time thinking
about it. |
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A mare's nest |
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A mare is a female horse, and we know that female horses do not built
nests in trees ! That's why a mare's nest
is either something that does not exist
or a discovery that turns out to be worthless. Nelly has
generously agreed to sit in a tree and provide you with examples. "My
friend Angus says he has found a way to turn stone into gold, but I
suspect it will be another one of his mare's nests," Nelly said. "He
also says he has away of knowing which horse will win in a race. I
think his wisdom is something of a mare's nest too." |
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A slinging/slanging
match |
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There are two ways to say this expression : The Americans say slinging,
and the British say slanging. It may help to know that sling means to
throw something, while slang means to shout naughty words. In the end,
though, a slinging / slanging match
is a loud, angry quarrel with two or more
individuals shouting at each other. "The debate ended when
the participants got into a slinging / slanging match. " "Tommy left the
playing field to avoid getting into a slinging / slanging match with the
visiting players." |
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Done with mirrors |
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We often wonder how magicians perform their tricks. We think they use
mirrors, and that has given us this expression. It's used ( humorously )
to explain how something that appears
difficult, clever or unusual is done. "When I asked Sally how
she could work full-time and still get straight As in her distance
learning classes, she laughed and said it was
done with mirrors." "I don't know how Felix manages to stay
looking so young. Maybe it's done with mirrors." |
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Heads roll |
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Alves is realistic. "To live together in harmony we can't tolerate any
nonsense," he said. while most of Alves's neighbors understand that,
now and then one of them gets awfully silly. That's when Alves
displays his anger and that's when heads roll ! The expression
heads roll means that
someone is being punished, in particular
because he or she has failed in the performance of a duty. In
a job situation, the person can be dismissed or demoted ! |
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Let someone in on
something |
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I'll let you in on something : Barton is very fond of Emma. See, he's
always doing something to impress her. Right now he's entertaining her.
"Gee, how did you do that ? Let me in on your trick !" she asked. To
let someone in on something is to
share information or a secret with someone. |
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