Really Useful English Idioms
by D'Arcy Vallance
Text copyright D'Arcy Vallance 2001, 2011
Illustrations by Anthony Maher (Graham-Cameron Illustration) reproduced here by kind permission of Pearson Education Limited
First published in print 2001 by Pearson Education in association with Penguin Books and Bluestone Press, Charlbury, UK.
This Smashwords Edition published 2011
darcyvallance.com
mail@darcyvallance.com
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Idioms list – with more examples
Introduction
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase with a special meaning, like 'over the moon' or 'pulling your leg'. 'I'm over the moon' means I'm very pleased. 'I'm just pulling your leg' means I'm joking.
When you see or hear an idiom, you may know all the words in it (over, moon, pull etc.) but you may not know what the idiom means.
Why are idioms useful?
Idioms are very common in spoken English and informal written English, so it is important - and fun - to learn some of them.
In spoken English, they are used in most situations, from friendly conversations to business meetings.
In written English, they are especially common in newspapers because the writers want to make the headlines and articles interesting and lively.
What will I learn from this book?
You will not learn old-fashioned idioms like 'raining cats and dogs'! You will learn idioms that are frequently used in modern everyday English. This book concentrates on about 130 of the most commonly used idioms.
They are presented in short, entertaining texts and funny cartoons, so you can easily see the meaning of each idiom and how it is used.
At the end, there's also an alphabetical list of idioms with more examples.
How to use the book
Enjoy the texts and cartoons, learning as you read. Each text contains three or four idioms in bold letters. Definitions below each text help you to check your understanding.
When you finish a chapter, review questions help you to remember the idioms that you have learned. Think about the questions, then check your answers - just click Answers.
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1
People
Types of people
Does it matter if someone says you're no rocket scientist? Yes, it does! This phrase means not very intelligent.
What if a newspaper describes a politician as a dark horse? This means nobody knows much about him.
And a party pooper? This means a person who spoils enjoyable activities by refusing to join in. This idiom is also useful in apologies: 'I'm sorry to be a party pooper, but I have to go home now.'
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no
rocket scientist
- not very intelligent person
dark
horse
- secretive person
party
pooper
- person who spoils fun
He was no rocket scientist with computers.
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Brains and beauty
A Hollywood actress once met the British philosopher, Bertrand Russell. Whereas he was quite ugly, she turned heads wherever she went. She was rather full of herself and said to Russell, 'They say I'm the most beautiful woman in the world, and I hear you're the smartest man. Imagine if we had a child with your brains and my beauty.'
Russell, who was never lost for words, replied, 'Imagine if it had my beauty and your brains.'
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turn
heads
- attract a lot of attention
full
of yourself
- too pleased with yourself
lost
for words
- not knowing what to say
Her car turned almost as many heads as she did.
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Larger than life
Say 'Sean Connery' to the man in the street and he'll probably say 'James Bond'. The famous British secret agent, 007, has been played by six actors in the last forty years, but Connery was the original and probably the best. He was larger than life both on the screen and in the flesh. Even in his 60s, he was chosen by the readers of an international women's magazine as The World's Most Attractive Man.
the man in the street
- an
average person
larger than life
- more
exciting than normal
in the flesh
- as a real
person
James Bond, the larger-than-life secret agent, was first played by Sean Connery.
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Twins
Some twins are identical, but my brother and I are definitely not. He's a couch potato who watches television all weekend and thinks exercise is a dirty word, whereas I'm always on the go, playing sport, socialising, working and so on. He says I'm a pain in the neck because I never stop doing things and making a noise while he's trying to watch the TV or sleep.
couch
potato
- lazy person
dirty
word
- something unpleasant
on
the go
- active
pain
in the neck
- nuisance
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Review 1
A
Match the idioms (1,2,3) with their meanings (a,b,c).
1 larger than life
2 dark horse
3 on the go
a) obscure person
b) exciting
c) active, busy
B
Complete the idioms.
1 She was so surprised that she was lost .... .
2 He's too full .... to be interested in us.
3 My little brother is a pain .... sometimes.
4 The man .... cares more about money than politics.
C
Think about real people -
1 Is there a couch potato in your family?
2 Do you know someone who turns heads?
3 Have you ever seen a film star in the flesh?
4 Have you ever been a party pooper?
2
Emotions
All kinds
Anger, happiness, love, hate, fear, boredom - whatever you feel, there's an idiom to put it into words. And if something doesn't excite you at all, you can say, 'It leaves me cold.' You can express moderate feelings such as 'I'm on edge' - as you might feel before making a speech or having a tooth out - or strong feelings such as 'I was bored to death / worried to death / scared to death.'
leaves
me cold
- has no effect on me
on
edge
- anxious
(-ed)
to death
- extremely (-ed)
I'm sorry, Charles, but classical music just leaves me cold.
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Laughter
Somebody told a very funny joke at the office yesterday, and we were all in stitches for five minutes afterwards. Then the boss came in. He was in a bad mood and started to talk about a work problem. I couldn't forget the joke and I couldn't keep a straight face. The boss asked me what I was smiling at. When I told him, he just looked at me and said nothing. I thought he was going to throw me out. But then he burst out laughing!
in
stitches
- laughing a lot and unable to stop
keep
a straight face
- avoid smiling or laughing
burst
out laughing
- suddenly laugh loudly
Everyone was in stitches.
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Happiness
There are lots of ways to express happiness. Here are three examples.
It's a beautiful day, and I feel on top of the world!
He's just had some good news. He's got the job that he wanted, and he's over the moon about it.
Getting my first job as an actor was so exciting. I was on cloud nine for weeks afterwards.
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on
top of the world
- very happy
over
the moon
- very pleased about something
on
cloud nine
- very happy because of something
He was over the moon.
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Road rage
As roads become busier , road rage is becoming more common. Ben Smith, 43, from London, was trying to park his car yesterday when another driver got in first. Smith saw red, jumped out, shouted at the other driver and started kicking the man's car, doing £800 worth of damage. Smith told police later, 'I don't know what got into me. I've never done anything like that before. I just lost it.'
see
red
- suddenly feel extreme anger
what
got into him
- why he became so extreme
lose
it
- lose self-control
What's got into him?
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Broken heart
Almost as soon as he met her, he fell head over heels in love with her. They had six wonderful months together, and then she left him. It broke his heart, and now a year later he's only just beginning to pick up the pieces.
head
over heels
- suddenly and very much in love
break
someone's heart
- make someone very sad
pick
up the pieces
- rebuild something that was damaged
She broke his heart when she said goodbye.
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Review 2
A
Match the idioms with their meanings.
1 on edge
2 in stitches
3 lose it
4 see red
a) laughing a lot
b) feel very angry
c) anxious
d) be out of control
B
Complete the idioms.
1 I feel on top .... when the sun shines.
2 She burst .... when she saw me.
3 I'm on cloud .... whenever we're together.
4 He suddenly hit me. I don't know what .... him.
C
Can you remember a time when you ...
1 were scared to death?
2 saw a film that left you cold?
3 couldn't keep a straight face?
4 were over the moon about something?
3
Social relations
Party!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 6th
I went to a big party last night. The hosts were celebrating something so they'd decided to push the boat out: there was a really good band, fantastic food and lots of drink. I chatted to a few people for the first hour - just the usual small talk. Then I met this great guy. We got talking and we really hit it off. I'm seeing him tomorrow!
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push
the boat out
- spend more than usual on something
small
talk
- polite conversation about unimportant things
hit
it off
- like each other at a first meeting
They really pushed the boat out for their daughter's wedding.
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A good friend
A good friend ...
• will always be there for you when you need them.
• sees eye to eye with you about most things.
• is not perfect and not the same as you, but is good at give and take.
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be
there for
- be ready to help
see
eye to eye
- agree about things
give
and take
- compromise and cooperation
Even best friends don't see eye to eye about everything.
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What to say
How can you say 'No' to an invitation
for now but keep the invitation open for another time?
• Can
I take a rain check?
What can you say if someone invites
you to an event that is dependent on something else, such as good
weather.
• (Let's keep our) fingers crossed.
And if someone offers to pay for
drinks or a meal, but you want to pay for him/her?
• This is
on me.
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take
a rain check
- keep an invitation open
fingers
crossed
- hoping for the best
on
me / on him
- I'll pay / He'll pay
The dinner's on me.
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People at work
Old Mr Brown has been with the company for years. He's pretty useless, but he survives because the manager has a soft spot for him.
There are two bossy middle-aged women who are always at each other's throats about one thing or another.
There's a nice girl who started last week, and she's a breath of fresh air.
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have
a soft spot for
- like, care about
at
each other's throats
- arguing
breath
of fresh air
- pleasantly different