JOHN PETER SLOAN



Audible Idioms, John Peter SloanMONSTERS 1 1. ‘Speak of the devil’ - when the person you are talking about appears unexpectedly present during the conversation2. ‘See eye to eye’ - when you view something in the same way as someone else 3. ‘Waste not want not’ - if something has been thrown away and it might still be useful to the person speaking, they can say this 4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ - an event that happens infrequently 5. ‘to take it with a pinch of salt’ - to be sceptical about the truth of a statement MONSTERS 2 1. ‘the calm before the storm’ - a quiet or peaceful time before a period during which there is great activity, argument or difficulty 2. ‘it takes two to tango’ - means that a situation or argument involves two people and they are both responsible 3. ‘To feel under the weather’ - means to feel a little sick 4.‘To kill two birds with one stone’ - to solve two problems at the same time 5. ‘To cut corners’ - to do something in the quickest, cheapest or easiest way so that the end result is low quality or even dangerous MONSTERS 3 ‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a bad situation even worse 2. ‘A blessing in disguise’ - something that at first appears to be bad or unlucky but is actually a good thing 3. ‘Once bitten twice shy’ - if someone has been hurt in the past, they will be extra-cautious in the future 4. ‘Break a leg’ - used to wish a performer "good luck" before a show or performance 5. “To hit the hay” - to go to bed 6. “To hit the nail on the head” - when someone says something completely right MONSTERS 4 1. “To call it a day” - to stop working or retire 2. “Get out of hand” - used when a situation or person can no longer be controlled 3. “Get something out of your system” - when you do something that you have wanted to do for a long time 4. “Get your act together” - to organize your life or work in a better way, especially by having clear goals and a plan for achieving them 5. “It’s not rocket science!” - used to say that you do not think something is very difficult to do or understand. 6. “Make a long story short” - means that you are telling someone just the basic facts, rather than giving a long explanation for something MONSTERS 5 1. “Cross that bridge when I come to it” - to delay worrying about something that might happen until it actually does happen 2. “Your guess is as good as mine” - used when you don't know the answer to a question or problem 3. “You can say that again” - used to express complete agreement with something someone has just said 4. “To break the ice” - to say or do something to make people feel relaxed and comfortable 5. “To cry over spilled milk” - to be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed 6. “To put something on ice” - To delay a plan or project until a later time Categories 1 AGE‘Act your age’it means you should behave like an adult, not a child. ‘Feel your age’to realize that you are becoming older and it’s difficult to do things that younger people do‘In this day and age’this means now, in the present‘Over the hill’means that someone is too old to do something‘Leave the nest’to move from your parents' home and live independently‘Under age’too young to do something legally, for example smoking or drinking‘Young at heart’this means that even though someone is old they still feel young2ANIMALS: BIRDS‘A little bird told me’means that someone told you something but you don’t want to say who it was‘Water off a duck’s back’when something bad happened in the past but you are prepared to forget it‘No spring chicken’when someone is no longer young‘Chicken out’if someone doesn’t do something because they are afraid‘Birds and the bees’explaining sex to a young person ‘Like a duck to water’if you are able to do something well when you try to do it for the first time3ANIMALS: FISH‘Be like a fish out of water’be in an unfamiliar situation‘To have bigger fish to fry’have something more important to do‘Fishing for compliments’trying to make someone say something nice about you‘Be a cold fish’when someone is unemotional‘Drink like a fish’if someone drinks too much (alcohol)‘Shooting fish in a barrel’something that’s very easy, not really challenging4ANIMALS: DOGS‘Dog eat dog’a situation where everyone is competing and doesn’t care about other people‘Bark up the wrong tree’when someone is completely wrong about something ‘Going to the dogs’gradually be in a terrible situation‘Fight like cat and dog’fight or argue a lot with someone‘Raining cats and dogs’when the rain is falling hard‘In the doghouse’be in a lot of trouble with someone because of something you’ve done5. ANIMALS: CATS‘Cat got your tongue’you use this if someone is being silent and not talking2. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’- reveal a secret‘A cat in hell’s chance’- not have a real chance of doing something very difficult or impossible4. ‘Put the cat amongst the pigeons’- cause a terrible situation and a lot of trouble5. ‘Something the cat dragged in’- look very untidy or disordered after being out all night‘The lion’s share’- the largest part of something6CLOTHES‘At the drop of a hat’if you do something immediately, without waiting‘I’ll eat my hat’means that you are very sure that something will or won’t happen‘Take my hat off to’Show respect or admiration for someone‘Big boots to fill’try to replace someone who was very impressive or famous‘Lick someone’s boots’be submissive and too nice to someone in authority ‘To quake in your boots’to be very afraid‘Die with your boots on’to die fighting or lose an argument without giving up 7COLOURS‘Until you are blue in the face’To do something unsuccessfully until you have no energy‘Out of the blue’means suddenly or without warning‘Between the devil and the deep blue sea’if you have a dilemma, with two equally bad options‘Green eyed monster’this means jealousy‘To be green with envy’if you really want something that someone has or you want to be like them‘Green light’permission or agreement to do something8CRIME‘Behind bars’be in prison‘To get away with something’do something and avoid punishment‘I could murder something’if you are really hungry and want to eat something ‘Thick as thieves’be very close and secretive with someone‘On the run’be a fugitive who has escaped from prison‘Daylight robbery’if something is too expensive ‘To serve time’means to be in prison9DEATH‘Another nail in the coffin’another bad thing that means something will eventually fail‘Wouldn’t be seen dead’if something is very embarrassing or it would make you look bad‘Bite the dust’this means to die‘Over my dead body’if you refuse to do something or let it happen ‘Kiss of death’means a fatal action that will cause something to fail‘Something is killing me’an intolerable situation that you cannot allow to continue10FOOD‘Food for thought’something important or interesting to think about‘You want your cake and eat it’means that you want to keep something while consuming it, or two contradictory things ‘Selling like hot cakes’sell a lot, be very popular‘Apple of my eye’the person you love the most, usually one of your children ‘Cool as a cucumber’act in a cool way without showing fear‘Cream of the crop’the best one in the group11DREAMS‘A dream come true’when something you have always wanted becomes a reality‘In your wildest dreams’something impossible that thought would never happen‘Dream on’means keep dreaming about something because it will never become real‘In your dreams’telling someone that something will never become a reality‘Works like a dream’when something works or functions really well‘Pipe dream’a fantasy that will never be realised12FURNITURE‘Under the table’do something illicit, without declaring it‘Bring to the table’means to contribute to the situation‘Part of the furniture’be very familiar and always there‘Sweep something under the carpet’keep something secret‘Too much on your plate’this means you’re too busy to do something ‘Memory like a sieve’when you can’t remember anything‘Turn the tables’reverse the situation so that you beat someone who was beating you13HEALTH‘White as a sheet’have a shock and be very scared‘Just what the doctor ordered’something that makes you feel very good‘Alive and kicking’still be alive or exist‘A taste of your own medicine’if you do something bad to someone that they were going to do to you‘To be sick and tired’be bored by something‘In good (or bad) shape’in a healthy (or unhealthy) condition14HOUSE‘A roof over your head’have somewhere to live, a home‘Go through the roof’when prices go up a lot‘Hit the roof’be extremely angry‘Close to home’if something makes you uncomfortable because it’s also true about you ‘Make yourself at home’tell a guest to feel relaxed in your house‘Wake up on the wrong side of the bed’be in a bad mood all day 15Law‘Unwritten law’an unofficial rule that everyone accepts‘Above the law’if someone thinks they are so important they don’t have to respect the law‘Law of the jungle’survive by fighting against other people‘The long arm of the law’the power of the police and the government to find criminals anywhere‘Lay down the law’tell someone what they can or can’t do ‘His or her word is law’when someone has total authority and everyone is afraid of themTHE BODY16EYES‘To catch your eye’something that is very attractive or interesting‘Easy on the eye’something that looks nice‘Not bat an eyelid’not appear worried about something dramatic you have just heard or seen‘In the blink of an eye’if something happens immediately or very quickly‘To eye up’to look at someone you are attracted to17FEET‘Dead on your feet’be very tired or exhausted‘Feet first’go into a situation completely, without hesitation or thinking about it too much‘Run off your feet’means to be very busy all day at work ‘Drag your feet’to delay or spend too much time doing something‘Back on your feet’recover after an illness or disaster18LEGS‘An arm and a leg’if something is very expensive‘Pulling his/her legjoke with someone and tell them something that isn’t true‘Have a leg up’be helped by someone to get a better job or position ‘Pull the other one (leg)’tell someone that you don’t believe something is true‘Shake a leg!’tell someone to wake up‘To leg it’To run away if you are about to be caught19TEETH‘Bare your teeth’show that you are angry‘Get your teeth into something’start working on something in a serious way‘Grit your teeth’show determination in a difficult situation‘Like pulling teeth’when it’s very difficult to make someone talk or give you any information‘Fed up to the back teeth’be extremely bored ‘By the skin of my teeth’to escape or avoid something bad that was about to happen, be very lucky20HANDS‘In good hands’ be looked after by someone who is competent‘Cap in hand’when you have to ask someone for something important or a large amount of money‘Be on hand’means to be available if someone needs help ‘Hands on’do something in a practical way ‘Helping hand’when you help someone to do something21LOVE‘To fall head over heels in love’to be completely in love with someone‘For the love of God!’something you shout out when you are angry or frustrated‘There’s no love lost’this means that two people hate each other‘Love you and leave you’when you have to go you can say this‘A labour of love’something that you do because you really want to do it, not for money‘Tough love’bring up a child in a strict way, without giving them everything they want, in order to help them22WORK‘All in a day’s work’something that you do that helps someone a lot, but it’s part of your job‘To bring home the bacon’earn money for your family‘Chew the fat’talk about things in a general way, chat‘To learn the ropes’to learn how to do a new job‘A dead end job’a job that is futile, with no opportunities‘To be snowed under’to be very busy with a lot of work to do‘A jack of all trades’someone who can do a bit of everything, but doesn’t specialise in one thing23SPORT‘New to the game’someone who has just started doing something‘Drop the ball’make a mistake because you weren’t concentrating, be careless‘To be on the ball’be very informed and able to do something well ‘Throw in the towel’show that you cannot continue doing something, admit that you have lost‘Ball in your court’means you are waiting for the other person to say or do something‘Jump in at the deep end’go into a difficult situation without any preparation24TIME‘Any minute now’means very soon, in a short time from now‘At the end of the day’when you consider the whole situation‘At the eleventh hour’just before it’s too late‘It’s about time’when something happens that should have happened a long time ago ‘It’s now or never’this is the moment to do something or it will never happen again‘Round the clock’constantly, twenty-four hours25CONFLICT‘A penny for your thoughts’when you want to know what someone is thinking about ‘Best thing since sliced bread’an innovation that is very positive‘Method in the madness’even though someone is unconventional they do things in a way that achieves results‘Glad to see the back of (someone)’be happy that someone is leaving‘To beat around the bush’to hesitate and not tell someone something immediately‘Let sleeping dogs lie’when you should allow the situation to remain the same, without causing trouble ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’means you don’t know what someone is really like just from their appearance26NERVES‘Get something off your chest’talk about something that has been troubling you‘To go down in flames’be a complete disaster, a total failure‘Butterflies in your stomach’be very nervous or anxious about something ‘Pull yourself together’force yourself to stop worrying or panicking about something ‘A piece of cake’Something that is very easy‘Easier said than done’means that it’s easy to talk about something but difficult to actually do it‘To cut (someone) some slack’stop demanding too much from someone and be more gentle with them ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download