Idiom

A bad apple

Meaning
A (morally) bad person who makes a whole group bad.

Example Sentence
The corruption in the government started with a bad apple, a high official two years ago. Now the whole system is corrupt. Anas: How was the driving test yesterday? Did you pass? Torres: Of course! It was a piece of cake. When the president started his speech, he found everyone listening, all ears. Ahmad: Can you read the first paragraph on page 115 for me? Albab: Sorry, I forgot to bring my glasses. I'm as blind as a bat without them. Don't blame me. I have nothing to do with it. You are barking up the wrong tree. I guess we should beat it before she comes back. That's enough! Stop bugging me. Don't ask me anymore. The Prime Minister brought the house down when he made his monumental speech in 1965. "Why won't you dive in? Are you chicken? (Don't be chicken!)" It's normal for young people to get cold feet before their wedding. When you teach children, remember that they are not cut from the same cloth. Each child has his/her own personality. Now that you know what to do, act right away. Don't let the grass grow under your feet. I don't want to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out? Tom said Nancy would never succeed in her business, but after seeing her business grow, he had to eat his words.

Be a piece of cake

To be very easy

Be all ears

Be very intersted in what someone is about to say. Be unable to see well or unable to see at all.

Be as blind as a bat

Bark up the wrong tree

To misunderstand a situation and complain to a wrong person or blame a wrong thing.

Beat it Bug someone Bring the house down

Go away immediately.
Bother someone. Make people (audience) excited, laugh, or enjoy a lot while performing or making a speech Coward.

Be chicken

Get (have) cold feet

Be cut from the same cloth

Suddenly become (be) very nervous about doing something that you were going to do. Be very similar, act in a very similar way.

Don't let the grass grow under your feet

Act now without any delay.

Eat out Eat one's words

Eat a meal in a restaurant.

Admit that what you said was wrong.

Idiom
Feel like a fish out of water Be fishy

Meaning
Feel uncomfortable because you are in an unfamiliar situation. Seem not to be true / honest, be suspicioius.

Example Sentence
I don't like going to the big parties they have. I always feel like a fish out of water there. I was offered an unbelievably good business opportunity, but there was something fishy about it. Today's reading assignment will give you enough food for thought to prepare for next week's class discussion. In a speech contest last year, she suddenly got a frog in her throat and had a hard time speaking. It took him years to get over the death of his wife. Let me give you a hand with your baggage. My dad would go nuts if he saw this mess. We have five minutes before the show. Let's grab a bite. Jordan has already won 2 games in this series. We are wondering if he can make it a hat trick today. I'm going to hit the books this weekend to prepare for the final exam. Nancy hit the roof when she found out someone drove her car without her permission and wrecked it. She hit the nail on the head when she proposed her plan at the last meeting. It's exactly the thing we need to do now! Holy cow! How did she get the full score on such a difficult exam! Now Janet is in a pickle. She had made two very important appointments.

Food for thought

Ideas that make you think carefully.

A frog in the throat

Get over something

If you have a frog in your throat, you have a sore throat, or your throat is dry, and have difficulty speaking because you want to cough. To begin feel better again after being sick or having an unhappy experience.

Give someone a hand

Help someone when he/she is doing something difficult.

Become very angry.

Go nuts

Grab a bite

Get and eat food quickly.

Hat trick

A series of three wins, successes or accomplishments especially in sport. Study very hard.

Hit the books

Hit the roof

Become extremely angry.

Hit the nail on the head

Say exactly a right thing.

Holy cow

An expression of surprise.

Be in a pickle

Be in a difficult situation.

Idiom
Be in the same boat It's easier said than done

Meaning
Be in the same situation or have the same problem as another person. It's easy to suggest, but hard to do. Be in trouble.

Example Sentence
Nobody has any money to go out tonight. We're in the same boat. I should just say "No" to him, but it's easier said than done. He has been in hot water with his boss. He might be fired. Is Afiqah sick? Yes, very. She keeps her bed all day. That old guy finally kicked the bucket last week. Sam is really a walking dictionary. He looks as if he knows the whole dictionary by heart. When you move, let me know your new address. She got 100% on her final exam yesterday. She looked like the cat that got the cream. Look! She looks like a million dollars in that gorgeous dress today. Their arguments against the government's foreign policy simply don't hold water. Sam, a famous football player, has decided to retire next year. Although he is only 34, he thinks he is over the hill as an athlete. "You've decided to pop the question? That's wonderful! I think you should buy her roses and take her out for a nice dinner," replies Eric. We can't plan for today's interview. Let's just go and play it by ear.

Be in hot water

Keep one's bed

Stay in bed because of sickness or other cause. Die.

Kick the bucket

Know something by heart

To know something perfectly.

Let someone know

Tell someone some information. To be pleased with his/her ability or what he/she has done. Feel very happy. Look very attractive.

Be like the cat that got the cream

Feel / Look like a million dollars

Not hold water

Not seem reasonable or correct. To be too old to do something.

Be over the hill

Pop the question

To ask someone to marry you.

Play it by ear

Decide what to do or say according to a situation as it develops.

Idiom
Pull someone's leg Put yourself in someone's shoes Rain cats and dogs

Meaning
Tease someone by saying something shocking as a joke. Try to understand someone's situation. To rain very heavily.

Example Sentence
She said she found $1 million in the park, but I think she was just pulling my leg. You need to take some time to put yourself in their shoes and understand them. They didn't cancel the game even though it was raining cats and dogs. The government finally saw the light and started to help the refugees there. The students stayed up late last night to prepare for the final exam. The tickets for the ceremony were sold out in 60 minutes. There are still a few things you can do before throwing in the towel. Don't give up hope. Karen has never lost her ambition to be the top dog since her first year in the company. Stephen said he has turned over a new leaf, and that he's going to quit smoking and drinking and start to exercise every day. Since we got the new leader, our program has finally been up and running. The company is going to build a new factory, but the location is still up in the air. Anas: Do you think she'll ever come back and work with us again? Ariff: When pigs fly she will. (She will never come back again.) Daughter: Mom, this shirt is too small. I got this more than a year ago. Mother: You can say that again. I will buy a new one for you.

See the light

Stay up

Understand or believe something that you didn't before. Not go to bed at a time when most people are in bed or when you would be normally in bed.

Be sold out

Nothing is left to sell

Give up doing something because it is too difficult to continue. The person or the group that has the most power or authority. Start to do someting again in a better way, forgetting past errors.

Throw in the towel

Top dog

Turn over a new leaf

Be up and running

Be working well.

Be up in the air

Be not decided yet.

When pigs fly

Never.

You can say that again

Strongly agree with someone.

PROVERB
Better safe than sorry

Meaning
Better to use some extra time, energy, and effort to be careful than to take risks without doing anything. You use this proverb to say that different people have different opinions about what is good/beautiful/valuable. Something is bigger than others, it is better.

Example Sentence
Make sure you have locked all the doors before you leave. Better safe than sorry. Most people here hate this food, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. People in many other countries love it and eat it every day. Anas: Which stereo system do you want to buy? Amirah: This big one. It has more features, and the sound quality is better. The bigger, the better. "I'm going to see what that noise is," says Tom. "You'd better not," warns Steve, "Curiosity killed the cat, you know. It might be very dangerous. Let's just go home instead." Hafizul: I'll introduce you to my parents tonight. Ain: Okay.., but they might not like me. Hafizul: Don't worry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Ariff: Here's the list of the things I'm going to buy next month when I get money. Anas: It looks great, but don't count your chickens before they hatch. The early bird catches the worm! Don't miss this year's best deal! The sale will start on Thursday, and the store opens at 5:00 a.m. Don't compare your talents with others. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Just do your best. Don't worry about where you're going to live next year. Home is where the heart is.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The bigger, the better

Curiosity killed the cat

If you are too interested in things you should not be interested in, you could be in danger.

Don't cross your bridges before you come to them

Someone not to worry about something until it actually happens.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch

Warn someone not to plan anything that depends on a good thing you expect to happen in the future, and tell him/her to wait until it really happens. Act early or right now to be successful.

The early bird catches the worm

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

Home is where the heart is

The things other people have or their situations always look better than your own, even when they are not really so. To say if you are with the person or at the place you love most, it becomes your true home.

PROVERB
It's no use crying over spilled (spilt) milk

Meaning
You shouldn't worry about something that has already happened. A person grows when he/she faces opposition and conquers it. Tell someone that he/she shouldn't waste money or there is not enough money to buy something expensive. Someone really needs something or has a problem, he/she will find a way of doing or solving it. Say people tend to be attracted to those who are not like them.

Example Sentence
I failed the exam, but it's no use crying over spilled milk. I'll try it again. Don't worry about opposition from those groups. You are doing the right thing. A kite rises against the wind. Our lab computers are getting old, but we can't afford to buy new ones this semester. Money doesn't grow on trees, you know. If you want to invent something, think about what people need or what problems they have. Necessity is the mother of invention. A: It looks your mom and dad don't have anything in common. Your mom is plump and outgoing, but your dad is skinny and shy, and loves being alone. He likes math and philosophy, but she likes music and sports. B: I know that, but they love each other and get along very well. Some people say, "Birds of a feather flock together," but others say, "Opposites attract." That's their case. I strongly recommend backing up your data at least once a day. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I want to stress that articles you write on newspapers can change the world. The pen is mighter than the sword!

A kite rises against the wind

Money doesn't grow on trees

Necessity is the mother of invention

Opposites attract

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Say that it is much easier to do something to prevent a problem than to deal with it after it has happened. Say that you can solve problems or achieve your purpose better and more effectively through communication with words than by violence with weapons. Say that a picture can give you as much information as a written or spoken text with a lot of words can.

The pen is mightier than the sword

A picture is worth a thousand words

Thank you for trying to give me directions, but it's too confusing to me. Would you mind drawing a map for me? A picture is worth a thousand words.

PROVERB
Procrastination is the thief of time

Meaning
Say that you are wasting your time if you keep delaying something that must be done instead of doing it today. Teaches us that it is best to act in a way between two opposite (especially extreme) ones to solve a problem or to deal with something.

Example Sentence
Don't put off the things you must do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. I think those two parties need to take more time to negotiate. We cannot accept either of their proposals. One is extremely conservative, and the other is extremely radical. Safety lies in the middle course. A: How did you get throgh such a difficult situation? B: I didn't say anything. Silence is golden. If you have an idea for your final research paper, start writing today. Don't wait until the end of the semester. A stitch in time saves nine. How do you like your new apartment here? It's nice and comfortable, but there's no place like home. I really miss Mom's homemade bread. Ahmad: It's already midnight. We need to go home. Puzi: Is it already? Time flies! The director never asks more than 10 people to work with him in his projects, and he wants the best 10. He always says, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." Variety is the spice of life, and there's a lot of it at the English Language Center. You can meet people from many different countries, and there are a lot of activities you can participate in. "She'll understand someday. But right now, you have to remember that you can lead a horse to water, but you can make it drink. When she wants to do better, she will ask for your help. You can't force her.

Safety lies in the middle course

Silence is golden

A stitch in time saves nine

Say that saying/doing noting is better than saying/doing or trying to say/do something when you face a difficult situation. Say that it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. Your home is a special place.

There's no place like home

Time flies

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Surprised to see minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years have passed very quickly. Say that if too many people do the same thing (job, project,, etc.), it will not be done well.

Variety is the spice of life

Say that if you do a lot of different things and meet different people, etc., your life becomes more interesting.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink

You can give someone the opportunity to learn or to do something, but you can never force him to accept that opportunity.

PROVERB
You can't judge a book by its cover

Meaning
Say that you can't tell what something/someone is really like just by looking at it. Say you have to leave everything you have on earth when you die.

Example Sentence
I know you want to think he's honest and trust him, but be careful. You can't tell a book by its cover. You don't have be a millionaire.You can't take it with you when you die.

You can't take it with you when you die