Casual English: Idioms 201 - 300
| www.speakmethod.com |
||
|
Casual English: Idioms 201 - 300 |
|
| Return to Class | Learn everyday expressions and speak casually. | Sign in |
| Idiom |
Meaning |
Sense |
Example |
| in your face / so in your face |
harsh,
very colorful, shocking, hard not to see or notice |
somewhat
negative |
I
don't like that TV show. It's so in your face! There's just too
much violence. |
| ____ wrote the book! when it comes to ________, ____ wrote the book! |
the
person knows a lot about a subject |
positive |
--Do
you think your friend can help with my website? --Definitely! When it comes to websites, he wrote the book! |
| cut the tie / cut this tie / cut
that tie cut the ties |
to
end a relationship, often used for business relationships |
negative |
My
accountant keeps increasing her fees. I think it's time for
me to cut the tie.
|
| rise to the occasion |
to
choose to try hard or give good effort when it is necessary |
neutral
to positive |
My
friend's the assistant manager at a bookstore. Next week,
when the
manager goes on vacation, he will have to rise to the occasion.
|
| in the limelight |
having
fame; being the center of attention |
positive |
Ever
since he published his research, he has been in the limelight at
our conferences. |
| snake oil / snake oil salesman |
something
worthless; someone who cheats people by selling something
worthless |
negative |
Don't
buy anything from that man. He's a snake oil salesman! |
| put all your eggs in one basket / don't put all your eggs in one basket |
to
invest your time, money or energy in only one area |
negative |
Our
new product is selling well, but we cannot put all our eggs in one
basket. We need to keep working hard and achieve
the same success with
several more products. |
| ___ wasn't in the picture then ___ wasn't in the picture |
a
person was not a part of the situation, family or group |
neutral |
I
know you do not like my husband, but you cannot say that
he's
responsible for problems that started ten years ago. He wasn't in the
picture then. |
| within a hair's breadth |
very,
very close |
That
car passed within a
hair's breadth of you. You're lucky to be alive! |
|
| ___ feel like something the cat
dragged in ___ look like something the cat dragged in |
feeling
or looking very bad |
negative,
humorous |
Oh,
no. You look like
something the cat dragged in. Did you get stuck in
the rain? |
Idioms 201 - 300 Course |
Idioms 201-220 Main Page |