|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| face down |
defeat |
They were able to
face down their competitors. |
| face off |
confrontation |
The two sides were
headed for a nasty face off. |
| FACE
THE MUSIC |
to confront a difficult or unpleasant situation; to accept
the unpleasant consequences of one’s own actions
Compare to: bite the bullet; take the bull by the horns
Whereas bite the bullet focuses on preparing oneself to
accept physical pain or punishment, face the music focuses
more on accepting responsibility for some misdeed. |
1. Jessica’s parents have always made excuses for her bad
behavior, but this time they told her they were not going to
protect her, and that it was time she faced the music.
2. Paul took his parents’ car without permission and put a
big dent in it. He knew they would find out, so he decided
he’d better face the music and tell the truth right away. |
| face up to |
accept |
You must face up
to the fact that you cannot be an artist. |
| face value |
the official value |
He gave me the old coins
at face value. |
| face value |
possibly less than the
truth |
You have to take what
she says at face value. |
| facts of life |
birth, marriage and sex |
He seems to be too young
to know about the facts of life. |
| FAIR
AND SQUARE |
honest(ly)
Compare to: square deal In this expression, “square” means
“right,” or “not crooked.” |
1. Some people believe Andrew cheated, but he won the
contest fair and square.
2. The working people didn’t like the result of the
election, but the opposition’s candidate won honestly. The
election was fair and square. |
| fair game |
desirable and available |
The house is
fair game for potential buyers. |
| fair play |
proper conduct |
He believes in
fair play and is an asset to the team. |
| FAIR
SHAKE, GET/GIVE (SOMEONE) A |
to give someone or something a chance to prove itself |
1. Don’t dismiss this place so quickly; spend a little time
getting used to it. Give it a fair shake.
2. You accuse me of stealing money from the store, but you
don’t give me a chance to tell you my side of the story.
You’re not giving me a fair shake. |
| FAIR TO
MIDDLING |
average; neither good nor bad |
1. Don asked Melissa what she thought of the new restaurant.
She told him she had been to better ones, but it wasn’t bad.
It was fair to middling.
2. Now that I’m beginning to get over my cold, I’m feeling
fair to middling. I feel better than I did last week, but I
still have a stuffy nose. |
| FAIR
WEATHER FRIEND |
a person who is loyal in good times but not when times are
difficult
The expression suggests the idea that someone is a friend
only when the weather is good, i.e., in good times. |
1. They thought Charles would help them the way they had
helped him, but as soon as they asked for help, he
disappeared. He turned out to be just a fair weather friend.
2. Everybody wanted to be Sally’s friend when she won the
lottery. They weren’t real friends, however; they were fair
weather friends. |
| FALL BY
THE WAYSIDE |
to drop out of the situation |
1. When Greg had too many groceries to carry at once, he
decided to keep what he needed for dinner that night and let
the rest fall by the wayside.
2. Larry’s parents told him to look to the future,
concentrate on his long-term goals, and let the unimportant
things fall by the wayside. |
| FALL
FOR (SOMETHING) |
to be deceived or believe an unlikely story |
1. You want me to believe that you’re late because you ran
out of gasoline? You must think I’m a fool if you think I’m
going to fall for that.
2. The judge said she didn’t believe the thief’s excuse that
he simply forgot to pay for the food. The judge told him,
“I’m not going to fall for that old story.” |
| FALL
FOR (SOMEONE) |
to be in love with a person |
1. Mike says that he fell for Rose the first time he saw
her, and now they’re getting married.
2. I know that man is handsome, but you don’t want to fall
for him—he’s only in town for a week. |
| FALL
OFF THE WAGON |
to lose control of oneself and engage in a compulsive
behavior
This expression is generally used to refer to negative
behaviors, especially alcoholism. |
1. She was doing well on her diet, but then she fell off the
wagon and ate a gallon of ice cream.
2. If you’re serious about staying sober, you shouldn’t put
yourself in situations where you might give in to temptation
and fall off the wagon. Don’t go to bars or parties where
alcohol might be served. |
| FALL ON
DEAF EARS |
to be heard but ignored, or to be heard but to have no
effect
Compare to: turn a deaf ear.
The expression is used to describe spoken words. The
listener is not really deaf, but acts that way. This idiom
is essentially synonymous with turn a deaf ear, but whereas
the request falls on deaf ears, the person who ignores the
request turns a deaf ear. |
1. Ashley went to the bank to beg for a loan because she had
no job, but no one would listen to her. Her pleas fell on
deaf ears.
2. The young husband tried to tell his wife why he was late
getting home, but his excuse fell on deaf ears. |
| fall
through the cracks |
|
|
| FAR CRY
FROM (SOMETHING) |
much less than what was expected or anticipated |
1. The bellboy took them to their hotel room. It was small,
dark, and dirty—a far cry from what they were expecting.
2. Don’t get your expectations up too high. What you get may
be a far cry from what you want. |
| far out |
great |
This music is really
far out. |
| FAT CAT |
a rich but usually lazy person.
The expression is primarily used to describe a man (usually
not a woman) who, although rich, is not seen as industrious.
He has perhaps become wealthy through hard work but is now
relaxing, or he has never had to work for his wealth. |
1. Now that Mr. Anderson is rich, he rides around town in a
fancy car like a fat cat and has everyone else do the work
2. Richard is such a fat cat businessman. He owns several
supermarkets. |
| FEATHER
IN (ONE’S) CAP |
an exceptional achievement
Synonym: something to crow about
Antonym: nothing to write home about
Compare to: feather (one’s) nest
The practice of placing a feather in one’s cap is centuries
old and appears to have been practiced in many different
cultures. The feather was awarded and worn as a sign of a
significant achievement by the wearer. In some cultures,
such as 16th century Hungary, it was a crime to wear a
feather when one had not earned the right. |
1. Cassandra managed through hard work to win a big contract
for her company. It was a real feather in her cap.
2. The scholarship Lee won to attend the university was a
feather in his cap. |
| FEATHER
(ONE’S) NEST |
to build up one’s riches, usually quietly and perhaps by
some unethical method (sentence 2)
The expression suggests the idea of a bird making itself
comfortable by adding feathers to its nest. |
1. They have been working very hard these past few years,
trying to feather their nest for retirement.
2. Mr. Jones has been feathering his nest with company money
ever since he gained access to the safe. One of these days
he’s going to be found out and fired. |
| FEEL
(SOMETHING) IN (ONE’S) BONES [HAVE A FEELING IN (ONE’S)
BONES] |
to sense something without being able to see, hear or feel
it; to have a premonition |
1. The sky may be clear, but it’s going to rain. I can feel
it in my bones.
2. Do you ever get the feeling that someone is watching you,
even though you can’t see him or her? You get this feeling
in your bones. |
| FEEL
THE PINCH |
to have less money than one used to have, and less than one
feels is necessary
Synonym: strapped for cash |
1. The government raised taxes so much that even the rich
began to feel the pinch.
2. When we had to pay for the university education of all
three of our children at the same time, we really felt the
pinch. |
| FIELD
DAY |
a wild and uncontrolled time; a time of especially pleasant
or exciting action |
1. The dogs got loose in Rachel’s flowerbeds and had a field
day. They virtually destroyed it.
2. The children had a field day spraying each other with the
water hose. They were soaked within minutes. |
| fifth
wheel |
|
|
| FIGHT
TOOTH AND NAIL |
to fight fiercely; to fight with everything you have
The expression suggests that the fighter uses both teeth and
fingernails or claws. |
1.The candidate said he would fight tooth and nail to get
elected.
2. The two girls fought tooth and nail on the playground
until a teacher interrupted. |
| figure out |
solve |
It would be nice to
figure out the answer to this problem. |
|
FILL/FIT THE BILL |
to suit or satisfy a need
Synonym: hit the spot. |
1. I’m looking for a lightweight gray suit. This one fits
the bill—I can wear it year-round.
2. We thanked the real estate agent for trying to find us a
house, but the ones she showed us just didn’t fill the bill. |
| FILTHY
RICH |
extremely wealthy
Antonym: flat broke
This expression arose from the idea that money was “filthy,”
or dirty. For some people, the idiom still carries a
negative connotation. But for others, to be filthy rich is a
dream. |
1. He started the leading software company in the world.
He’s not just a little rich—he’s filthy rich!
2. Whenever I buy a lottery ticket, I dream about what I
would buy if I were filthy rich. |
| find
your feet |
|
|
| FINE
KETTLE OF FISH |
a terrible mess
The word “fine” is meant ironically. |
1. You borrowed money from the bank without telling me and
we don’t have enough to pay it back. This is a fine kettle
of fish you’ve gotten us into.
2. Lois told her boss she could work on Saturday, but she
forgot and promised her girlfriend she would help her move
on Saturday. She had gotten herself into a fine kettle of
fish. |
| FINE
TOOTH COMB |
an imaginary device one uses to look for something very
carefully
The expression suggests the idea that if something can be
found (i.e., if it exists), it can be found by using a comb
with very fine (i.e., closely spaced) teeth. |
1. That professor goes over his students’ research papers
with a fine tooth comb looking for mistakes. If there are
any, he finds them.
2. The police examined the crime scene. They went over it
with a fine tooth comb, but they couldn’t find any. |
| finger in the
pie |
involvement |
The boss wants to have
his finger in the pie in every department. |
| first out of the
gate |
first |
The company was
first out of the gate with the new design. |
| FIRST
RATE |
best quality
Antonyms: second rate; third rate |
1. George did a first rate job on these drawings. I’ve never
seen better.
2. Lynn’s work is always the best. It’s always first rate. |
|
fishing for compliments |
|
|
| FISH
OUT OF WATER |
a person who is uncomfortable in a situation or doesn’t
belong in a particular environment
Synonym: out of (one’s) element
Antonym: in (one’s) element |
1. Joe felt out of place at the fancy dinner dance, like a
fish out of water.
2. You could tell they were uncomfortable making polite
conversation with their son’s friends. They were fish out of
water. |
| FISHY |
looking or sounding suspicious |
1. They won’t say where they got their computer. Their story
sounds fishy to me. I think they may have stolen it.
2. Someone called on the telephone telling me I had just won
a free trip to Hawaii, but first I had to buy his or her
product. It sounded pretty fishy, so I hung up. |
| FITS
AND STARTS |
in short bursts of motion or effort |
1. When you play the violin, you must move the bow across
the strings smoothly, not in fits and starts.
2. It took Sally a long time to finish her education. She
pursued it in fits and starts. |
| FIX
(SOMEONE’S) WAGON |
to return an irritation caused by a person through some form
of mild revenge
Compare to: give (someone) a taste of his own medicine; tit
for tat |
1. They think they can just come in here and order us around
like servants. Well, we’ll fix their wagon—next time they
come, we’ll ignore them.
2. That guy always parks his car in front of my driveway so
I can’t get out. Next time he does that, I’m going to let
the air out of his tires. That’ll fix his wagon. |
| FLASH
IN THE PAN |
a temporary or passing fancy; a fad or attraction that will
fade quickly
The expression comes from an old type of weapon, the
flintlock musket. In these muskets, gunpowder was first
ignited in a small depression or pan; this powder was
supposed to cause the charge in the musket to explode. But
sometimes the powder just burned harmlessly, giving off a
flash but nothing more. |
1. I know he’s been acclaimed as the best new playwright in
the country, but I think he’s just a flash in the pan. No
one will know who he is by next year.
2. Short skirts are in fashion again, but I hope they’re
just a flash in the pan. I would hate to have to start
wearing them again. |
| FLAT
BROKE |
have absolutely no money
Antonym: filthy rich
Compare to: go broke |
1. I’d gladly loan you the money, but I can’t because I’m
flat broke.
2. They lost all their money in the stock market crash, and
now they’re flat broke. |
| flip out |
lose control |
He would flip
out every time he saw his ex-girlfriend. |
| flip side |
other side |
What kind of music do
you have on the flip side of the tape? |
| FLY BY
NIGHT |
undependable; untrustworthy
The expression suggests the idea that the operation closes
up and flees under the cover of darkness rather than in the
clear light of day. |
1. The small trading company took in a lot of money from
trusting investors and then closed up. It had been a fly by
night operation.
2. Although Darlene had been working for the company for a
few months and they had paid her, she still didn’t trust
them. She felt she was working for a fly by night company. |
| fly by
the seat of one's pants |
|
|
| FLY IN
THE FACE OF (SOMETHING) |
to go against something; to show disrespect for something or
someone |
1. John has decided not to go to college. It’s a bad
decision on his part. It flies in the face of all common
sense.
2. If you marry someone your parents disapprove of so much,
it will fly in the face of everything they want for you. |
| FLY IN
THE OINTMENT |
an unpleasant element in an otherwise pleasant situation |
1. The trip was all planned. Our tickets were paid for. Then
the boss said we had an unexpected increase in orders and
that we would have to take our vacation another time. What a
fly in the ointment!
2. I’m not sure, but I think we have a fly in the ointment.
I know I said I would take you to the ball game this
weekend, but I remembered this morning that I already
offered to give my extra ticket to someone at work. |
| FLY OFF
THE HANDLE |
to suddenly become very angry
Synonyms: blow (one’s) stack; see red |
1. When Dana came home and found that her husband had
painted the house bright pink without asking her, she flew
off the handle. She was so angry that he painted it white
again.
2. Nathan has a very short temper. He gets angry and flies
off the handle for the slightest reason. |
| fly on
the wall |
|
|
| FLY THE
COOP |
to escape
The expression is usually used in connection with being in
jail (sentence 1) but can also be used figuratively
(sentence 2). It is a reference to captured birds escaping
when their cage (coop) is opened. |
1. The prisoner waited until the guards were fast asleep. He
unlocked his cell door with a hairpin and flew the coop.
2. The man felt trapped in a dead-end job. All he wanted to
do was fly the coop. |
| fly
under the radar |
|
|
| FOLLOW
IN (SOMEONE’S) FOOTSTEPS |
to follow the same career or lifestyle as someone else
Compare to: chip off the old block The someone in the
expression is traditionally, but not necessarily, a parent. |
1. James was a convicted thief who had spent years in jail.
He didn’t want his son to follow in his footsteps.
2. The daughter had always admired her mother’s work helping
the poor. From an early age she was determined to follow in
her mother’s footsteps. |
| food
coma |
|
|
| FOOD
FOR THOUGHT |
something to think about
Compare to: chew it over In use since the early 1800s, this
idiom refers metaphorically to the idea that the mind
‘chews’ on thought like the mouth chews on food. |
1. When asked about a tax increase on gasoline to help pay
for public education, the governor said he hadn’t considered
that kind of tax, but he said it certainly was food for
thought.
2. Sarah read the book that had been recommended to her and
found that it contained a lot of food for thought. |
| FOOL
AROUND |
to play, or to not be serious about an activity
Synonyms: horse around, clown around, monkey around
This expression can be neutral (sentence 1) or slightly
negative (sentence 2). |
1. Don’t worry about the boys playing in the back yard—I can
see them through the window. They’re just fooling around.
2. If you want to pass history class, you’ll have to study
hard and not fool around. |
| FOOL’S
GOLD |
something that appears to have great value but is in fact a
cheap imitation
The expression originates from miners who often found veins
of a gold-colored substance called pyrite, which they
mistook for gold. |
1. The scientists thought they had discovered a source of
cheap energy through their experiments, but it later proved
to be nothing but fool’s gold.
2. Don’t invest all your money in a fancy scheme that seems
too good to be true. All you’ll end up with is fool’s gold. |
|
FOOTLOOSE AND FANCY-FREE |
able to go anywhere and do anything that one wants; carefree
The expression literally means one’s foot is not tied down
and one can freely follow one’s impulses (fancy). |
1. Michael didn’t want to get married. He wanted to remain
footloose and fancy-free.
2. When they finished college, they spent a year traveling
though Europe with their backpacks and sleeping bags. They
just wanted some time to be footloose and fancy-free. |
|
FORBIDDEN FRUIT |
something that one cannot have
The expression originates from the Biblical story of Adam
and Eve, where God forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit
from one of the trees in the Garden of Eden. This made the
fruit so tempting that they were unable to resist eating it. |
1. When people can readily have something, they don’t want
it. But when you tell them they can’t have it, that’s all
they want. There’s nothing like the attraction of forbidden
fruit.
2. Jody’s parents told her not to date Dennis because they
think he might be a bad influence on her. But now that
they’ve made him forbidden fruit, he’s the only boy who
interests her. |
| FORCE
TO BE RECKONED WITH, A |
something or someone whose influence or power must be
considered |
1. I underestimated the influence of Mr. Franklin in this
company. He certainly is a force to be reckoned with.
2. Catherine seemed to be a gentle person, but when Roger
angered her, she lashed out at him. He discovered she was a
force to be reckoned with. |
| FOR
CRYING OUT LOUD |
an expletive that means “This is ridiculous!” or “I’ve had
enough!” It carries no literal meaning of its own, but
expresses a strong degree of exasperation.
Synonyms: for goodness’ sake!; for heaven’s sake! |
1. All you do is complain. For crying out loud, can’t you
give us some peace and quiet for a while?
2. The children were jumping around, chasing after each
other and running around their mother until she couldn’t
stand it anymore. She said to them, “Stop playing around,
for crying out loud.” |
| FOR
GOODNESS’ SAKE |
an expletive that means “This is ridiculous!” or “I’ve had
enough!” It carries no literal meaning of its own, but
expresses a strong degree of exasperation
Synonyms: for crying out loud!; for heaven’s sake! |
1. This traffic is making me crazy! For goodness’ sake,
can’t we go any faster?
2. For goodness’ sake, why didn’t we order movie tickets
ahead of time? The line is so long that we’ll probably miss
the beginning! |
| FOR
HEAVEN’S SAKE |
an expletive that means “This is ridiculous!” or “I’ve had
enough!” It carries no literal meaning of its own, but
expresses a strong degree of exasperation
Synonyms: for goodness’ sake!; for crying out loud! |
1. For heaven’s sake, why are you up so early? Go back to
bed, so I can sleep!
2. For heaven’s sake, how can it be so hot outside? I wish
we had air conditioning. |
| FOR THE
BIRDS |
a waste of time; mixed up or confused
Synonyms: all wet (sentence 1); out to lunch (sentence 2) |
1. We’ve been waiting in this line for movie tickets over
four hours. Let’s go home. This is for the birds.
2. The boss wants us to work every Saturday for the next
three months without pay. He’s for the birds. |
| FORTY
WINKS |
a short sleep, usually during the day |
1. There’s a little time before lunch. I think I’m going to
lie down for a while and catch forty winks.
2. My husband always likes to put his feet up in the easy
chair and get forty winks before supper. |
|
FOURTH-RATE |
of inferior quality; not the best
Antonym: first-rate
Synonyms: second-rate; third-rate
Expressions using rate generally go only as far as
fourth-rate. Second-, third-, and fourth-rate are
synonymous. There are no degrees of inferiority. They are
all opposites of first-rate. |
1. The company introduced a new car model, but the
production quality is still fourth-rate, like all their
other cars.
2. My assessment is that he’s a fourth-rate man with a
first-rate education. He’s been well trained, but I don’t
think he understands what our company’s about. |
| freaked out |
lost control |
I kinda freaked
out because it was so crowded and went home. |
|
freebie |
|
|
|
FROM DAY ONE |
from the beginning; from the outset
Synonym: from the word go |
1. Their new employee caused trouble from day one. They
fired him only a month after hiring him.
2. From day one, I knew she was the girl for me. It really
was a case of love at first sight. |
|
FROM THE WORD GO |
from the beginning
Synonym: from day one
The expression suggests a race in which the beginning is
marked by the word go. |
1. I didn’t understand a thing from the moment the math
teacher opened his mouth. I was lost from the word go.
2. The candidate was never half hearted about winning. She
was serious from the word go. |
|
frontrunner |
|
|
| FULL
STEAM AHEAD |
to proceed with maximum power and speed
The expression suggests the idea that when a steam engine is
full of steam, it operates at maximum power. |
1. We finally got the money from the bank to build our
house, and now we’re ready to go full steam ahead.
2. Patrick wasn’t fully aware of how bad the situation was,
but he charged in full steam ahead anyway. |
| fumble |
make a mistake |
The company lost money
and cannot afford to fumble anymore. |
