English B2: Appendix 1

English Idiomatic Expressions

A feather in your cap: it refers to an achievement to be proud of.

It's a real feather in your cap to be playing in the state championship.

A leopard can’t change its spots: it means that a person can't change above all when he/she has a bad personality.
As the crow flies: "in linea d'aria".

It’s only eighty miles from here to the campus as the crow flies, but it takes me more than an hour to go by train.

At the drop of a hat: without needing any advance notice.

My Grandma will babysit for anyone at the drop of a hat.

Be as drunk as a skunk: It means to be very drunk.

The man was as drunk as a skunk when he walked into the restaurant.

Burn a hole in one's pocket: money that one is tempted to spend.
Butterflies in one's stomach: the nervous feeling before something important or stressful.

Whenever I have to speak in public, I get butterflies in my stomach.

Card up one's sleeve: a secret or reserve plan.
Cat nap: a short sleep.

I'm going to have a cat nap while you're cooking dinner.

Cat's got one's tongue: said about someone who doesn't speak (usually due to shyness).
Caught with one's pants down: caught unprepared.
Copy cat: a person who does the same thing as someone else.

My sister is such a copy cat. First she bought the same car as me, and now she's applying to my school.

Crocodile tears: to shed false tears or show insincere grief.

The woman cried crocodile tears when the policeman tried to give her a ticket for driving too quickly.

Eager beaver: a person who is excited about doing certain work.

Ever since he got his new drill set my husband has been an eager beaver around the house.

Fine-tooth: comb in great detail, extremely carefully.

The police looked for fingerprints with a fine-tooth comb.

Fishy: odd, suspicious.

I knew something fishy was going on when I saw all of my friends' cars in my dad's driveway.

Fit like a glove: to fit perfectly fly by the seat of one's pants:
Fly by the seat of my pants: Doing by instinct, not by plan.

I had never taught art to kids before. I had to fly by the seat of my pants.

Get the boot: to be fired from a job, to be told to leave a place.

I got the boot from my first job in high school.

Get the boot: to get fired.
Get the lion's share: to get the greatest percentage.

My aunt got the lion's share of the inheritance.

Hand in glove: to work with a partner in a perfect way.

I used to work hand in glove with my old boss.

Handle with kid gloves: to treat delicately.

Please handle my grandmother's tea set with kid gloves.

Have a cow: to get extremely upset.

My teacher had a cow when she realised nobody had done the homework.

Have a tiger by the tail: to have become associated with something powerful and potentially dangerous; to have a very difficult problem to solve.
Hold your horses: to wait and be patient.

Hold your horses! I'll be done in the washroom in a minute.

Holy Cow: idiom used in order to express suprise.
Horse around: to play in a loud and rough way.

Adam broke is arm from horsing around with his brother.

Hot under the collar: to be very angry.

If the cap fits, wear it: said to someone who is guilty of something bad, that they should accept criticism.

Keep one's shirt on: to try to stay calm keep the wolf from the door: to maintain at a minimal level, to keep from starving, freezing.

I don't make a lot of money, just enough to keep the wolf from the door!

Knock your socks off: Expression to describe something that will drive you crazy, that will surprise us.

This news just knocked my socks off!

Let the cat out of the bag: to reveal a secret.

Who let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party?

Monkey business: A silly or dishonest behaviour.

Our teacher warned us not to try any monkey business while she was out of the room.

Monkey see, monkey do: It means that silly and/or unintelligent people tend to copy each other's actions.

Off the cuff: Said without planning.

I didn't have a speech prepared. Everything I said was off the cuff!

Pig out: to eat a lot of something.

I pigged out on pancakes so I don't have room for lunch.

Put oneself in someone else's shoes: to imagine what it would be like to be in someone else's situation.

Put yourself in Amber's shoes. She doesn't even have a car to drive.

Pull one's socks: to try harder.

We're going to have to pull our socks up if we want to pass Mono1.

Pull up a sock in it: to stop talking.

Put a sock in it! I'm trying to tell a story.

Rain cats and dogs: to rain heavily, to pour.

I'm so sad! It's Friday and it's raining cats and dogs!

Roll up your sleeves: to prepare to work hard.

We'll get the job finished if we all roll up our sleeves.

Something below the belt: something that is unfair.

Going out with my ex-boyfriend was a move below the belt.

Stubborn as a mule: to be extremely obstinate.

Take one's hat off to someone: Recognise or honour someone for something.
Take the bull by the horns: to confront a problem or a challenge in a direct and determined way.

I took the bull by the horns and I talked with my boss.

The elephant in the room: It's an idiom for a problem or controversial issue that is too big to ignore, but that everyone tries to avoid talking about because it is embarrassing or will cause conflict.

Until the cows come home: it means for a very long time.

wear the trousers: to be in charge, make the rules.

By the looks of things, the kids wear the trousers in this household.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks: It is difficult to make someone change the way they do something when they have been doing it the same way for a long time.