Casual English: 100 Common Idioms
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Casual English: 100 Common Idioms |
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Learn everyday expressions and speak casually. | Sign in |
| Idioms |
Definition |
Sense |
Example |
| slave driver |
a
person who makes others work very hard |
negative |
My
boss is such a slave
driver! She's not happy unless I work 50 hours a
week. |
| tell _____ off |
to
speak to another person angrily and present all the reasons
for anger |
negative |
He
made me so angry, I told
him off last week. I don't know if we'll ever be
friends again. |
| up to _____ ears in work |
very
busy (as if under water) |
negative |
I
wish I could go to the party, but I'm up to my ears in work. |
| wishy-washy |
indecisive |
neutral |
My
coworker and I have
been arguing about our responsibilities. Unfortunately, our
boss is
very wishy-washy.
No decision has been made. |
| the elephant in the room |
the
obvious thing or idea
that no one wants to talk about (usually this phrase is used
when
someone decides to broach the subject) |
negative |
This
meeting has lasted
for an hour, and we have all been avoiding the elephant in the room.
Our company can only survive if we lay off about a hundred
people. |
| all in a day's work |
nothing
unusual, normal job stuff |
neutral |
Today,
I talked online to someone in Japan, Brazil, India and
Russia. It's all in a
day's work for an English teacher. |
| butterflies in _______ stomach |
nervousness,
adrenaline |
neutral |
On
opening night, most actors have butterflies in their stomachs. |
| could eat a horse |
very
hungry |
neutral,
humorous |
I
skipped lunch. I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. |
| don't look a gift horse in the mouth |
don't
inspect or criticize something that you receive easily |
neutral,
humorous |
I
know that you're not
sure about taking this job offer, but don't look a gift horse in the
mouth. The economy is still not great, and you
might not get a better
salary at a different company. |
| in good hands |
well
taken care of, safe |
positive |
The
AllState insurance company uses the logo, You're in good hands with AllState.
Of course, an insurance company wants you to feel safe. |
100 Common Idioms Class |
Idioms 81-100 Main Page |