Touching Essays

Idiom| Explanation + Example | 1)| Don't give up the day job. | You are not very good at that. You could definitely not do it professionally. â€Å"I really like the way you sing, but don't give up your day job. | 2)| Cash cow. | An easy way to earn money regularly. â€Å"Income tax is a real cash cow for the government. † | 3)| Bite off more than you can chew. | Trying to do something that is too difficult or time consuming to finish. â€Å"I'm glad you want to prepare the report by yourself. Just be sure that you don't bite off more than you can chew. † | 4)| Clear the air| Discuss something that was causing people to feel upset. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I'd like to explain what happened, just to clear the air. † | 5)| Turn your back on| Give up on, or abandon. â€Å"I needed your help but you just turned your back on me† | 6)| Not cut out for| Not suitable for something. â€Å"He tried mountain climbing, but he simply was not cut ou t for it. † | 7)| Scrape the bottom of the barrel| The very last, or the very worst. â€Å"These are the last volunteers we could find. We really had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find them. † | 8)| A class act| Sophisticated, above average. â€Å"He offered to help, even though he doesn't know me.He's a real class act. † | 9)| Clean up your act| Improve your behavior. â€Å"If you are ever going to improve your English skills, you must start getting in to class on time and doing your homework. Why don't you clean up your act? † | 10)| Get your act together| Get more organized. â€Å"You have been late for work every day this week. If you want to keep this job, you must get your act together. † | 11)| A piece of the action| Participation in an activity. â€Å"I heard that you are looking for partners in your new investment. If you don't mind, I would like to get in on a piece of the action. † | 12)| Actions speak louder than words. Pe ople's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say. â€Å"Why don't you give her a hug instead of saying you are sorry, actions speak louder than words. † | 13)| In the air| Being discussed, generally obvious. â€Å"The days are getting longer and the flowers are blooming. Spring is in the air. † | 14)| Go ape| Go crazy. â€Å"Jack was really angry. I thought he was going to go ape. † | 15)| A grey area| Something that is difficult to define. â€Å"I researched your case, but there are not any black and white answers. Your situation seems to fall into a grey area. † | 16)| Up in arms| Angry. The crows was agitated. Everyone was up in arms over the government decision. † | 17)| Be glad to see the back of| Be happy when a person leaves. â€Å"That guy bothers me, I'll be glad to see the back of him. † | 18)| Give him/her credit| Acknowledge an achievement or contribution of a person. â€Å"Although he is not easy to work for, you have to give him credit for managing the company well. † | 19)| Go behind someone's back| Do something without telling someone. â€Å"Don't trust Jane. She acts friendly but she's always going behind someone's back. † | 20)| Each to his own| Everyone is entitled to his own individual opinion. I can't say that I like George's new furniture. It seems very plain and uncomfortable. Oh well, each to his own. † | 21)| Eager beaver| Enthusiastic person. â€Å"John did all of his homework before supper. He sure is an eager beaver. † | 22)| Early bird| A person who is early, or gets up early. â€Å"Dave was in class 30 minutes before anyone else. What an early bird. † | 23)| Scratch the surface| Examine only a part of something. Uncover only a few facts about something â€Å"Cancer research is a very long-term process. So far, we have just begun to scratch the surface. † | 24)| Give him the slip| Leave him.Hide from him. â€Å"I think that m an is following us. Let's give him the slip. † | 25)| Cold shoulder| To treat someone in an unfriendly manner. â€Å"I don't think Jim likes me. I tried to speak with him but he gave me the cold shoulder. † | 26)| Get the ball rolling| Start something. â€Å"All right everyone, we spent a lot of time planning this project. Now, it's time to get the ball rolling. † | 27)| Jump on the bandwagon| Join a popular trend or activity. â€Å"I like that new procedure and I've decided to jump on the bandwagon. † | 28)| A losing battle| Something that cannot be accomplished. I've tried fixing this phone many times, I just can't do it by myself. It's a losing battle. † | 29)| Keep something at bay| Keep something away. â€Å"Sarah found it difficult to keep the salesperson at bay. † | 30)| Spill the beans| Tell a secret. â€Å"I won't be the one to spill the beans. † | 31)| Beggars can't be choosers| People cannot complain about something they get for free. â€Å"I don't like the color of the sweater she gave me, but beggars can't be choosers. † | 32)| Flesh and blood| A relative. â€Å"I must help him. After all, he's my own flesh and blood. † | 33)| Give the benefit of the doubt| Believe someone's statement, without proof. The teacher's explanation did not seem logical, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. † | 34)| A safe bet| Probably true. Will probably happen. â€Å"It's a safe bet that your English skills improve quickly if you study at Elanguest. † | 35)| Fit the bill| Seems correct. â€Å"That seems to fit the bill. I'll take it. † | 36)| Black and blue| Bruised. â€Å"He was beaten until he was black and blue. † | 37)| In cold blood| With no compassion or mercy. Usually associated with ruthless murder. â€Å"The assassin was evil. He killed him in cold blood. † | 38)| Out of the blue| Unexpected. â€Å"A great idea just came to me out of the blue. † | 9)| Cal l someone's bluff| Make someone prove what they say. â€Å"He implied that he would terminate my contract, but I called his bluff. † | 40)| Rock the boat| Create problems for other people. Everyone likes Anthony. He doesn't rock the boat. † | 41)| By the book| Doing something according to rules. â€Å"He's a good cop. He does everything by the book. † | 42)| Give someone the boot| Dismiss or get rid of someone. â€Å"Mr. Smith is an easy boss to work for. He doesn't like to give someone the boot. † | 43)| Get to the bottom of| Learn about and understand fully. â€Å"We are not sure what happened, but we intend to get to the bottom of this. | 44)| Out of bounds| Not permitted. â€Å"Hans wanted to ask Mary out on a date, but I explained that she is out of bounds. Mary is engaged to Jack. † | 45)| Bread and butter| Regular income. â€Å"We are very dependent on our advertising revenue. It's our bread and butter. † | 46)| The best thing since s liced bread| A good invention or innovation. â€Å"I love this paper folding machine. It's the best thing since sliced bread. † | 47)| Give me a break| Don't expect me to believe or agree with that. â€Å"You think the teacher is joking? Give me a break. † | 48)| Don't hold your breath| Don't wait too long because it might not happen. Yes, it's possible that they will lower taxes, but don't hold your breath. † | 49)| Cross that bridge when you come to it| Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before. â€Å"I'm not too wirried about a possible downturn in the economy. Anyway, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. † | 50)| The bubble has burst| A previously positive situation has encountered a serious problem. â€Å"Last year, the stock market was doing very well. Unfortunately, it seems that the bubble has burst. † | 51)| The buck stops here| Problems are resloved here. â€Å"A lot of people try to pass problems to other pe ople.At my desk, however, the buck stops here. † | 52)| Burn your bridges| make it impossible to return. â€Å"Be polite when you hand in your resignation. After all, you don't want to burn your bridges. † | 53)| My ears are burning| I think someone is saying something about me. â€Å"Pierre is talking again. My ears are burning. † | 54)| Put on the back burner| Leave it for later. â€Å"I don't think we'll have time to complete it this year. Let's put it on the back burner. † | 55)| Someone means business| Someone is serious â€Å"Watch out for Harry. He's someone who means business. † | 56)| At the touch of a button| Quickly and easily. â€Å"No problem.I can change your account information at the touch a button. † | 57)| Have your cake and eat it| Enjoy something without paying for it. â€Å"He expected to pass without studying. Unfortunately, you cannot have your cake and eat it, too. † | 58)| A close call| Something (usually bad) almost happening. â€Å"That car almost hit us. That was a close call. † | 59)| Enough is enough| This should stop. â€Å"I have listened to his complaints for years but enough is enough. † | 60)| A fat cat| A wealthy person. â€Å"He has everything he needs. He's a real fat cat. † | 61)| My two cents worth| My humble opinion. â€Å"He seems like a corrupt politician.That's just my two cent's worth. † | 62)| Hang out| Be together, spend time with each other. â€Å"Hey Lauren, let's get together tonight, we can just hang out and practice our English. † | 63)| A change of heart| A changed opinion. â€Å"At one time, I supported George Bush. As time went on, however, I had a change of heart. † | 64)| Get something off your chest| Explain something that is bothering you. â€Å"Gary, you don't seem happy. Is there something you would like to get off your chest? † | 65)| Don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched| Don't make pla ns for something that might not happen. Yes, I think we will probably get a raise in pay this year. Remember, though, don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched. † | 66)| A chip on his shoulder| He is angry about something. â€Å"I don't know why he's so unhappy. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder. † | 67)| Come full circle| A process has been completed. â€Å"The salmon has returned to the place where it originally hatched. Its life cycle has come full circle. † | 68)| Squeaky clean| Legitimate and proper. â€Å"We checked all of her references. She's squeaky clean. † | 69)| In the clear| Out of trouble. â€Å"His innocence has been proven. He's in the clear. | 70)| Steer clear of| Avoid. â€Å"She's not very nice. I think we should steer clear of her. † | 71)| Round the clock| All day. â€Å"She's a very hard worker. She usually works around the clock. † | 72)| Turn back the clock| Go back in time. â€Å"I feel old. I wis h I could turn back the clock. † | 73)| Like clockwork| With mechanical efficiency. â€Å"He's very predictable. He always eats at the same time, like clockwork. † | 74)| Wake up and smell the coffee| Think more realistically. â€Å"He doesn not respect you as much as you think. Wake up and smell the coffee. † | 75)| The other side of the coin| Another version of a story or event. The global summit will encourage meaningfull dialogue. On the other side of the coin, it might result in violent protests. † | 76)| Left out in the cold| Left unaided or unprotected. â€Å"They don't include me in their group. I feel left out in the cold. † | 77)| With flying colors| With enthusiasm and exuberance. â€Å"I can't wait to see you all. I'll be there with flying colors. † | 78)| Scrape by| Have just enough but not more. â€Å"Our budget is not satisfactory but we will find a way to scrape by. † | 79)| A tough cookie| A stubborn, strong person. â⠂¬Å"Don't get Shirley upset. She's a tough cookie. † | 80)| Keep your cool| Don't become upset. Relax, keep your cool. † | 81)| Lose your cool| Become upset. â€Å"Don't get upset. If you lose your cool, it will make matters worse. † | 82)| In a tight corner| Without any good options. â€Å"Milo has run out of options. If he takes any more chance, he might find himself in a tight corner. † | 83)| A couch potato| A lazy person. â€Å"Luis just watches tv all day. He really is a couch potato. † | 84)| Takes its course| A situation develops naturally. â€Å"There is nothing we can do to relieve the effects of her disease. We can only wait and let the illness take its course. † | 85)| Up the creek| In trouble. â€Å"I warned Bill but he would not listen.Now, he's up the creek. † | 86)| Crocodile tears| Exaggerated or faked sympathy. â€Å"She told me she was sorry but she was not, it was just crocodile tears. † | 87)| When it comes t o the crunch| When there are no more possibilities. â€Å"Victor seems to have a casual point of view. When it comes to the crunch, though, he is a real professional. † | 88)| A far cry from| Very different from. â€Å"His personality is a far cry from his father's. † | 89)| Off-the-cuff| Without research, planning, or considering. â€Å"I haven't had the time to think about it. My off-the-cuff impression, however, is that it is a good idea. | 90)| Can't cut it| Cannot do it. â€Å"Kim shouldn't be working here. She just can't cut it. † | 91)| In the dark| Ignorant. â€Å"They didn't tell me anything. I felt like they had left me in the dark. † | 92)| A shot in the dark| A guess. â€Å"I'm not sure but I could take a shot in the dark. † | 93)| Call it a day| Stop. â€Å"I'm tired. Let's call it a day. † | 94)| Late in the day| (Almost) too late. â€Å"The government just decided to buy new helicopters, but it seems a little late in the day to make such a decision. † | 95)| In broad daylight| Without trying to hide it. â€Å"They robbed the bank in broad daylight. † | 6)| Makes someone's day| Make someone happy. â€Å"Your letter made my day! † | 97)| Wouldn't be caught dead| Would never. â€Å"I hate that dress. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it. † | 98)| Get a raw deal| Receives less than what is deserved. â€Å"Be sure to read the contract carefully before you sign it. You don't want to get a raw deal. † | 99)| Runs deep| Entrenched, or ingrained. â€Å"He loves his country. Patriotism runs deep in his veins. † | 100)| Out of your depth| Beyond your existing knowledge or ability. You don't seem to have much experience in this subject. Are you sure you're not out of your depth? † | |