Idioms

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Re: Idioms

eat Idioms

eat and run
- to eat a meal quickly and then leave

We had to eat and run in order to arrive at the soccer field early.

eat away at (someone)
- to bother someone

Money problems have been eating away at the man recently.

eat away at (something)
- to rot/destroy something

The mildew has been eating away at the window frame all year.

eat crow
- to admit that one is mistaken or defeated

Our boss was forced to eat crow when the figures that he presented at the meeting were wrong.

eat dirt
- to accept another`s insults or bad treatment

The accountant had to eat dirt because of the problems that he had caused.

eat humble pie
- to admit one`s error and apologize

The boy had to eat humble pie when his friends discovered his mistake.

eat like a bird
- to eat very little

He eats like a bird. That is why he cannot gain enough weight to join the football team.

eat like a horse
- to eat a lot

My friend eats like a horse but he never gains any weight.

eat one`s cake and have it too
- to use or spend something but still keep it

The man wants to eat his cake and have it too and he will never give up anything.

eat one`s heart out
- to be envious, to be very sad

"You can eat your heart out. I am going to Hawaii for three weeks!"

eat one`s words
- to admit being wrong in something that one has said

The worker was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he was wrong.

eat out
- to eat in a restaurant

I eat out three or four times a week.

eat out of (someone's) hand
- to do what someone else wants

The secretary had her boss eating out of her hand and she could do whatever she wanted.

eat (someone) out of house and home
- to eat much food in someone's home

The two teenage boys were eating their parents out of house and home.

eat (something) up
- to enjoy something, to absorb something

The children ate up the stories that the teacher was telling.

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eating someone
- to be bothering or worrying someone

I do not know what is eating my friend but she is not in a good mood today.

ebb and flow
- the decrease and increase of something like the tide

The ebb and flow of the singer's popularity was always a topic of conversation.

edge (someone) out
- to win a competition against someone and get a job or position

I was able to edge out the other applicants to get the job.

egg (someone) on
- to urge or push someone to do something

The boy is always egging his friend on to do stupid things.

either feast or famine
- to be/have either too much or not enough of something

It is either feast or famine for the woman. Sometimes she has lots of money and sometimes she has none.

eke out (a living)
- to earn one's living with difficulty

My uncle was unable to eke out a living on the farm so he sold it.

elbow grease
- the effort and strength to clean something

We will have to use a lot of elbow grease to clean the kitchen.

elbow room
- enough space to be comfortable

The couple moved to the country in order to have more elbow room.

elbow (someone) out of (somewhere)
- to pressure someone out of somewhere

The woman elbowed the other shoppers out of the way so that she could buy some shoes.

eleventh-hour decision
- a decision that is made at the last possible minute

The government made an eleventh-hour decision to save the hospital.

an end in itself
- something that one wants for itself alone and not as a way to get/do something else

For many people travelling is an end in itself and the destination is not important.

end of one`s rope
- the last of one`s ability or ideas about how to do something

I am at the end of my rope regarding what to do about my job.

end up (doing something or going somewhere)
- to do something that one had not planned to do, to go somewhere one had not planned to go

We ended up going to a restaurant after the movie last night.

end up (somewhere)
- to finish at a certain place

We ended up at a small coffee shop near the restaurant.

engage in small talk
- to talk about minor things rather than more important things

The sale staff engaged in small talk before the meeting.

enough to go around
- to be enough of something to serve everyone

There was enough cake to go around and everybody had a piece.

enter one's mind
- to come into one's consciousness (an idea)

It never entered my mind to make a reservation at the restaurant.

equal to (something)
- to be able to deal with something

The apartment manager was more than equal to the task of managing the building.

escape (someone's) notice
- to go unnoticed

The fact that my library books were overdue escaped my notice.

even so
- nevertheless, however

My friend always works but even so he has no money saved.

even steven
- even with (someone or something)

Both teams were even steven by the middle of the game.




every Idioms


every cloud has a silver lining
- there is something good in every bad thing

Every cloud has a silver lining and although I lost my job other good things have happened.

every dog has his day
- everyone will have a chance for success someday

You should be patient and wait until you get a chance. Remember every dog has his day.

every inch a (something)
- completely, in every way

Jack was every inch a sailor and loved to go out on the ocean with his boat.

every last one
- every single one

Every last one of the children received a certificate from the swimming club.

every living soul
- everybody

We gave a free newspaper to every living soul in the apartment building.

every minute counts
- time is very important

Every minute counts when the fire department goes to fight a fire.

every nook and cranny
- every small hiding place where you can put something

I looked in every nook and cranny of my apartment but I could not find my house keys.

every other
- every second one

I have to work every other Saturday evening.

every so often
- occasionally

You should stand up every so often when you are on a long plane trip.

every time one turns around
- frequently

Every time I turn around my little boy asks me a question.

every Tom, Dick and Harry
- the average person

The man said that he is not the same as every Tom, Dick and Harry.

every which way
- in all directions

The small children at the birthday party were running every which way.

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everything but the kitchen sink
- almost everything

We took everything but the kitchen sink on our camping trip.

everything humanly possible
- everything in the range of human powers

The doctors did everything humanly possible to save the man after the accident.

the exception that proves the rule
- an exception to a rule proves that the rule exists

The salesman is very quiet and shy and he is the exception that proves the rule in his company. Everybody else is very talkative.

excuse (someone)
- to forgive someone

We excused the man for his rude comments because he did not know any better.

explain (oneself)
- to give an explanation for something wrong that you may have done

The director was forced to explain himself after the accounting problems were discovered.

explain (something) away
- to explain something so that it seems less important

The sales clerk tried to explain away the problem with the sales receipt.

express (one's) anger
- to release one's anger

The man often loses his temper which is not a good way to express his anger.

extend credit to (someone)
- to permit someone to buy something on credit

The bank extended credit to the small company so that they could continue to operate.

extend one's sympathy to (someone)
- to express sympathy to someone

We extended our sympathy to the family of the dead woman.

extenuating circumstances
- the special circumstances that cause something to happen

We were able to avoid paying the parking ticket because of extenuating circumstances.

eye of the storm
- the center of a problem

The politician was in the eye of the storm because of the accounting scandal.

eyeball-to-eyeball
- face to face

I sat eyeball-to-eyeball with our boss during the meeting.

eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
- to take or want more food than you can eat

The man's eyes are bigger than his stomach. He will never finish all of the food that he took.

eyes in the back of one`s head
- the ability to know what is happening behind one`s back

He has eyes in the back of his head and you can never borrow anything without him knowing about it.
eyes pop out
- much surprised

Her eyes popped out when she saw her name in the newspaper.

[.]

Re: Idioms

F


face down (someone)
- to confront someone boldly, to defy someone

We decided to face down our competitors and were able to stay in business.

face the music
- to accept the consequences of something

The boy must face the music for his actions very soon.

face to face
- in person

I had a face-to-face meeting with my supervisor to talk about my job performance.

face up to (something)
- to accept something that is not easy to accept

My friend must face up to the fact that he will never have enough money to buy a car.

face value
- the value or price printed on a stamp/bond/paper money etc.

I sold the postage stamps for their face value.

face value
- the truth of something on the surface

The woman is a very nice person but you must take what she says at face value.

facts of life
- the facts about sex/marriage/birth that one should know

The boy seems to be too young to know about the facts of life.

fair and impartial
- fair and unbiased

The criminal was given a fair and impartial trial by the court.

fair and square
- completely fair, honestly

The British team won the game fair and square.

fair game
- someone or something that you feel you can easily attack

Our company is fair game as a takeover target by other companies.

fair play
- justice, equal and right action

The boy believes in fair play and is a good person to have on our team.

a fair shake
- honest treatment

The woman was not given a fair shake at the inquiry into her behavior.

fair to middling
- a little better than acceptable, so-so

I said that I was feeling fair to middling when my friend asked me how I was.

fair-weather friend
- a person who is a friend only during good times

He is a fair-weather friend and you cannot rely on him if you have a problem.

[.]

Re: Idioms

fall Idioms




fall apart
- to become to not work properly

The equipment fell apart soon after I bought it.

fall apart at the seams
- to break into pieces, to fall apart

My backpack was falling apart at the seams so I bought a new one.

fall asleep
- to go to sleep

I fell asleep as soon as I arrived home.

fall back
- to move back, to go back

The runner fell back from the other runners during the race.

fall back on (someone or something)
- to seek help when other things have failed

The woman had to fall back on her father when her business began to have problems.

fall behind
- to fail to keep up with work/studies/payments etc.

I fell behind with my homework at the beginning of the term and had problems throughout the year.

fall by the wayside
- to give up or fail before the end of something

The man fell by the wayside and could no longer compete in the design competition.

fall down on the job
- to fail to do something properly

The man fell down on the job so they replaced him with another worker.

fall flat (on one's face)
- to be unsuccessful, to fail

My attempt at humor fell flat and now the girl does not like me.

fall for (someone or something)
- to begin to like or love someone or something

The man fell for the woman at the bank but was afraid to ask her for a date.

fall from grace
- to lose approval

The politician fell from grace with the public during the money scandal.

fall head over heels
- to fall down

The little boy fell head over heels down the hillside.

fall head over heels in love with (someone)
- to fall deeply in love with someone

My sister fell head over heels in love with a boy in her English class.

fall ill
- to become ill

My father fell ill with a cold last week.

fall in love with (someone or something)
- to begin to love someone or something

I fell in love with the girl the first time that I saw her at the restaurant.

fall in with (a group of people)
- to become associated with a bad group of people

The boy fell in with a bad group of friends and began to have problems at school.

fall into a trap
- to become caught in someone's scheme

The criminals fell into a trap that the police had prepared for them.

fall into line
- to stand properly in a row (like soldiers)

The soldiers fell into line as they waited for the inspection.

fall into line
- to conform to a certain course of action

The players fell into line after the coach became more strict during practice.

fall into place
- to fit together, to become organized

Everything fell into place and we were able to prepare for our trip to Brazil.

fall off
- to decrease

The number of tourists to the island is falling off.

fall off the wagon
- to return to use alcohol or drugs after stopping for awhile

The man fell off the wagon after he had stopped drinking for three years.

fall on deaf ears
- to ignore something that is intended for you

My complaints to my boss always fall on deaf ears.

fall on hard times
- to meet many troubles

The town fell on hard times after the computer company moved to another town.

fall out of use
- to be no longer used

Video recorders have fallen out of use recently.

fall out with (someone) over (something)
- to disagree or quarrel with someone about something

I fell out with my roommate over who should clean the bathroom.

fall over backwards (to do something)
- to do everything possible to do something to please someone

The teacher fell over backwards to help his students.

fall over oneself to do something
- to be extremely eager to do something or please someone

The couple fell over themselves in their effort to please their host.

fall short of (one`s expectations)
- to be not be as good as one expected

The new movie fell short of everyone`s expectations and attendance is very low.

fall short of (something)
- to not have enough of something

The campaign fell short of the amount of money that it had hoped to gather.

fall through
- to fail, to not happen

My plan to go abroad fell through when my father refused to lend me some money.

fall to (someone) to do (something)
- to become the responsibility of someone

It usually falls to me to tell my roommates to be quiet.

fall upon/on (someone or something)
- to attack someone or something

The wolves fell upon the deer and quickly killed it.

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a falling-out (with someone)
- a disagreement or quarrel with someone

We had a falling-out during our holiday and we have not spoken since.

familiar with (someone or something)
- to have knowledge of someone or something

My friend is familiar with the streets in the city and can drive there easily.

fan the flames of (something)
- to make a situation worse

The speech by the labor leader fanned the flames of the protesting workers.

far and away the best
- without doubt the best

The basketball player is far and away the best player on the team.

far and wide
- everywhere, in all directions

We looked far and wide for the book but could not find it.

far be it from (someone) to do (something)
- it is not really someone's place to do something

Far be it from me to tell the cleaning lady how to do her job.

a far cry from (something)
- something very different from something

The man's statement is a far cry from what he told me over the telephone.

far from it
- not at all

"Far from it," I answered when the supervisor asked me if I was finished my work.

far into the night
- late into the night

I studied far into the night because I had a big test the next day.

far out
- to be strange

The man's sense of humor was far out and nobody understood him.

farm (something) out
- to have someone else do something, to send something away to have it done

We farmed out the printing to another company in order to save money.

fast buck
- money earned quickly and easily

The man is always trying to make a fast buck without working very hard.

fast talker
- a con artist, a clever talker who convinces others easily

The man is a fast talker and you should be careful not to believe everything that he says.

fat chance
- little or no possibility, almost no chance

Fat chance that my friend will let me borrow his car. He never lets me borrow anything.

fat of the land
- the best of everything (without having to work for it)

My friend wants to move to the country and live off the fat of the land.

favor (someone) with (something)
- to provide someone with something good

The queen favored the charity workers with her presence.

favorite son
- a political candidate supported by his home area

We voted for the candidate because he is the favorite son of our state.

feast one's eyes on (someone or something)
- to look at someone or something with pleasure

We stood at the top of the canyon to feast our eyes on the most beautiful scenery in the world.

a feather in one`s cap
- something that you achieve and are proud of

Winning the spelling contest was a feather in the boy's cap.

feather one`s nest
- to enrich oneself (while holding public office or a trusted job etc.)

The mayor has been feathering his nest for many years and is now very rich.

fed up with (someone or something)
- to be disgusted or bored with someone or something

I think that he is fed up with the constant complaints of his boss.

feed one's face
- to eat

We stopped at the small restaurant to feed our face.

feed (someone) a line
- to deceive someone

The man was feeding me a line about his plans to open a new restaurant downtown.

feed the kitty
- to contribute money to a special collection

Everyone had to feed the kitty to collect money for the coffee fund.

[Masood]

Re: Idioms

Ahan - tumhein yeh sarey yaad hain aanchal :p

[.]

Re: Idioms

Ahan - tumhein yeh sarey yaad hain aanchal :p

yaad karnay kay leye to post kar rahi houn :D