Webster's Word Power Essential English Phrases E-Book

Betty Kirkpatrick

• Herausgeber: Geddes and Grosset
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

To understand English well, you need to know its many phrases and idioms. This book explains over 6,000 phrases, idioms, and cliches to help you understand the English language in clear, concise English.

Leseprobe

Essential English Phrases

Essential English Phrases provides the user with a wide range of phrases that are often missing from the average English dictionary. With the wealth of new words that regularly appear in the language there is a constant space problem in dictionaries so the idiomatic sector of the language tends to be omitted. This is unfortunate since idioms are a great source of enrichment for a language. Frequently they are the icing on the cake that prevents a piece of prose from being uninteresting and pedestrian.

Thanks to the influence of the media, we live in a world of instant, widespread communication, so it is not surprising that great emphasis is now placed on communication skills. There are, of course, many different areas of communication. Some involve a rapid exchange of information with a concentration on simple, concise English. Others, however, involve a more creative use of language and that is where idioms come into their own.

Essential English Phrases will be useful to the reader and to the writer. By browsing through this book many writers will find material with which to enrich their writing. The only problem is that they may be diverted from their writing to browse further, for this is a very browsable book. People with a general interest in language and no great desire to write will find it so as well.

With the reader in mind, the dictionary gives the meaning of a host of idiomatic expressions in easily understood plain English. As an added dimension for the writer it includes example sentences (in italic type) showing the idioms in use. These examples capture the flavour of the expressions and indicate the contexts in which they are usually found.

The example sentences will be particularly useful to learners of English as a foreign language as they provide a model for them to follow and prevent them from making mistakes. Understanding and reproducing idiomatic expressions is one of the most difficult aspects of mastering a foreign language, and this dictionary will help many learners avoid the pitfalls.

Many idiomatic expressions in English have interesting origins. Sometimes these are lost in the mists of time and sometimes they are open to dispute but those that have been established have been included (within angle brackets).

Locating words in a conventional English dictionary is comparatively easy. As long as you know roughly how to spell the word you can find it with reasonable ease. This is not the case in a dictionary of phrases or idioms. In an entry of several words it is not always obvious which word in the phrase the entry should come under. The first word is not necessarily the most important, and opinions can vary as to which word is the most important. For speed of reference we have added a good many cross-references to the text of Essential English Phrases. For example, ‘lock the stable door after the horse has bolted’ is under ‘stable’, and at ‘lock’ and ‘horse’ there are cross-references to ‘stable’.

Clarity and ease of reference are the keynotes of Essential English Phrases. The language used in the definitions is easy to understand and the example sentences represent the language of everyday English. We hope that you will find the book both instructive and entertaining.

WEBSTER'S WORD POWER

Betty Kirkpatrick, a graduate of Edinburgh University, has a long career in reference publishing. She has edited Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, the concise edition of Brewer’s Phrase and Fable, and was language consultant to the Encarta World English Dictionary. She has compiled various other reference books, including the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus and the Bloomsbury Dictionary of Cliches. She acts as a consultant to the Bloomsbury Good Word Guide. Betty is author of an extensive list of publications on various aspects of the English language for learners of English.

A

A

—A1 first class, of the highest quality: The produce must be A1. The firm has an A1 staff. <A1 is the highest rating given to the condition of ships for Lloyd’s Register, Lloyds of London being a major insurance company.>

—ABC basic knowledge: The book sets out the ABC of carpentry.

—as easy as ABC very simple: Getting them to agree was as easy as ABC.

—from A to Z thoroughly, comprehensively: They have studied the facts from A to Z.

aback

—taken aback surprised, disconcerted: She was taken aback when she discovered that he was her cousin. <A sailing ship was said to be taken aback when the sails were blown against the mast, causing the ship to stop suddenly.>

above

—above board open, honest and without trickery: His negotiations to get planning permission were all above board. <Card cheats tend to keep their cards under the table, or board.>

—above (someone’s) head too difficult to understand: Computers are way above his head.

—above suspicion too highly respected or thought to be too honourable to be suspected of doing wrong: The police must be above suspicion.

—get a bit above oneself to become very vain or conceited: Since his promotion he has got a bit above himself.

—punch above one’s weight see weight.

accident

—accidents will happen things go wrong at some time in everyone’s life: It’s a pity he broke the vase, but accidents will happen.

—a chapter of accidents a series of misfortunes: Their holiday seems to have been a chapter of accidents.

accord

—according to one’s lights in keeping with one’s beliefs or attitudes: I disapprove of his actions, but he acted according to his lights.

—of one’s own accord of one’s own free will, without being forced: He left his job of his own accord.

—with one accord together, in unison: With one accord the audience left.

account

—by all accounts in the opinion of most people: By all accounts he is not very honest.

—give a good account of oneself to do well: They didn’t win the match, but they gave a good account of themselves.

—on my or your or his or her, etc, account because of me, etc, for my, etc, sake: Don’t leave early on my account.

—on no account not for any reason whatsoever: He told his daughter on no account to accept a lift from a stranger.

ace

—an ace in the hole something kept in reserve for emergencies: The hostages were regarded by the terrorists as their ace in the hole. <From the game of stud poker.>

—play one’s ace to do something clever and unexpected which will bring you an advantage over others: The boss had just told Jenny yet again that he wanted her to do more work for less money when she played her ace and told him that she was leaving to go to another job.

—within an ace of very close to: He came within an ace of winning the match. <From the game of dice, ace being the term for the side of a die with one spot.>

Achilles

—Achilles’ heel the one weak spot in a person. The boy is a good student, but maths is his Achilles’ heel. <Achilles, the legendary Greek hero, is said to have been dipped in the River Styx by his mother at birth to make him invulnerable but his heel, by which she was holding him, remained unprotected and he was killed by an arrow through his heel.>

acid

—acid test a test that will prove or disprove something conclusively: He claims to be a good golfer but playing against the professional will be the acid test. <From the use of nitric acid to ascertain whether a metal was gold or not. If it was not gold the acid decomposed it.>

acorn

—great oaks from little acorns grow see oak.

acquaintance

—have a nodding acquaintance with (someone or something) see nod.

acquire

—acquired taste something that one comes to like gradually, often after an original dislike: To some people very dry wine is an acquired taste.

across

—across the board applying to everyone or to all cases: The pay increase was across the board.

—put one across on (someone) to deceive or trick (someone): I really thought he was penniless. He certainly put one across on me.

act

—act of faith an action that demonstrates one’s trust in someone or something: Lending the young man such a large sum of money was a real act of faith.

—act of God a happening, usually sudden and unexpected, for which no human can be held responsible: It is difficult to obtain insurance coverage against acts of God such as earthquakes.

—act of war an act of violence or other hostile act for which only war is thought to be a suitable response: Invading Belgium was an act of war.

—act up to behave badly, to act badly or wrongly: The child acts up whenever her father is around. The car is acting up again.

—catch (someone) in the act see catch.

—a class act someone who is exceptionally good at something: The new striker is a real class act and one of the best footballers we’ve ever had in the team.

—clean up one’s act to begin behaving in a way that is more acceptable, after behaving badly or irresponsibly in some way: The pupils were told to clean up their act or they would be expelled from school. <This refers to an act by a comedian, etc, which is too vulgar or indecent to be acceptable to most audiences.>

—do a vanishing/disappearing act to go away or go out of sight suddenly so that other people are unable to find you: Police called round at the suspect’s house this morning but he had done a vanishing act sometime in the middle of the night. Jane was here a minute ago but she seems to have done a disappearing act.

—get in on the act to become involved in some profitable or advantageous activity, especially an activity related to someone else’s success: Now that her fashion business is making a profit her sister wants to get in on the act and become a partner.

—get one’s act together to get organized: If you are hoping to pass the exams you had better get your act together and allow some time for study.

—a hard act to follow to indicate that someone has been so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone else to do it so well: I feel quite sorry for the head teacher who’s replacing Mrs Brown because she’s a very hard act to follow.

action

—action stations indicates a state of preparedness for some activity: Action stations! The guests are beginning to arrive. <From positions taken up by soldiers in readiness for battle.>

—get a piece/slice of the action to be involved in something, get a share of something: He’s setting up a new company. If you want a piece of the action you had better go and see him soon.

actress

—as the actress said to the bishop an expression added to a seemingly ordinary statement to draw attention to its possible sexual double meaning: You can’t have it both ways at once, as the actress said to the bishop.

ad

—ad hoc for a particular (usually exclusive) purpose: This is an ad hoc bonus. It will not be an annual occurrence. <Latin for “to this”.>

—ad infinitum without limit or end: This road seems to go on ad infinitum. <Latin.>

—ad-lib to speak without preparation, to improvise: I have forgotten my notes. I shall have to ad-lib. <Latin ad libitum, “according to pleasure”.>

—ad nauseam to an excessive degree, seemingly endlessly: He talks ad nauseam about his work. <Latin, “to sickness”.>

Adam

—Adam’s ale water: We have no beer or wine. It will have to be Adam’s ale.

—not to know (someone) from Adam not to recognize (someone): He said he was my neighbour’s son, but I didn’t know him from Adam.

—the old Adam in us the sin or evil that is in everyone: I was surprised that he had an affair, but I suppose it was just the old Adam in him. <Refers to the biblical Adam.>

add

—add fuel to the fire (back to fire, fuel) to make a difficult situation worse: Making excuses for being late will just add fuel to the fire.

—add insult to injury to make matters worse: Having given his first play a bad review, the critic added insult to injury by ignoring his next one.

—add up to seem logical: No one understands why he left so suddenly. It just doesn’t add up.

Adonis

—an Adonis a very attractive young man: The advert for suntan lotion showed a bronzed Adonis. <In Greek legend Adonis was a beautiful young man who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and who was killed by a boar while hunting.>

advantage

—have the advantage of (someone) to recognize (someone) without oneself being recognized by that person: She looked in puzzlement at the woman who spoke to her and said, “I am afraid that you have the advantage of me.”

—take advantage of (someone) to exploit or make use of (someone) for one’s own ends: The young mother takes advantage of her neighbour by asking her to babysit practically every day.

—take advantage of (something) to make use of (something), to put (something) to good use: You should take advantage of that holiday offer.

—to advantage favourably, so that the good points are emphasized: She rarely wears dresses that show her figure to advantage.

aegis

—under the aegis of (someone) with the support or backing of (someone): The project is under the aegis of the local council. <In Greek legend aegis was the shield of the god Zeus.>

after

—after a fashion in a manner that is barely adequate: She cleaned the silver after a fashion, but it was not very shiny.

—aftermath something that happens after, or as a result of, an important, often disastrous, event: Housing was scarce in the aftermath of the flood. <A “math” was a crop of grass and an “aftermath” was a second crop of grass mowed in the same season.>

—after (someone’s) own heart to one’s liking; liked or admired by (someone): My son-in-law is a man after my own heart. We are both avid football fans.

—after the fact after something, especially a crime, has taken place: His wife was an accessory after the fact.

against

—against the clock in a hurry to get something done before a certain time: The staff are working against the clock to finish the order on time.

—be up against it to be in a difficult or dangerous situation: The family have really been up against it since the father lost his job.

age

—a golden age a time of great achievement: The reign of Elizabeth Tudor is often regarded as a golden age.

—a ripe old age (back to old, ripe) a very old age: Despite her injury she lived to a ripe old age.

—of a certain age no longer young: Women of a certain age sometimes feel jealous of younger women.

—come of age to reach the age when one is legally considered an adult (18 in Britain): The boy will receive his inheritance when he comes of age on his eighteenth birthday.

—the age of consent the age someone must be before he or she can legally have sexual intercourse: She looks quite old but she is below the age of consent.

—under age under the legal age for something, too young: The teenagers won’t be served at the bar. They’re under age.

agenda

—a hidden agenda things which someone secretly wants to achieve from a situation while pretending to have another goal: Sara says that she is doing a lot of campaigning so that Jack will be elected club president, but I think she has a hidden agenda – I think she wants to be elected president herself.

agony

—agony aunt/uncle a woman or man who gives advice on personal problems either in a newspaper or magazine column, or on television or radio: The battered wife wrote to the agony aunt in her local paper for advice.

—agony column a newspaper or magazine column in which readers write in with their problems, which are answered by an agony aunt or uncle: She was responsible for the paper’s agony column.<Originally a newspaper column containing advertisements for missing relatives and friends.>

—pile on the agony to make a difficult or unpleasant situation even worse or to make it seem worse: John failed his exams and his parents piled on the agony by saying it was all his fault for not studying harder.

ahead

—ahead of the game in an advantageous position; in front of one’s rivals: Their firm always seems to be ahead of the game. They keep getting most of the orders.

—ahead of time early, before the appointed time: It’s as well to get to the theatre ahead of time if you want a good seat.

—stay ahead of the game see game.

—streets ahead of (someone/ something) much better than (someone or something): His brother’s golf is streets ahead of his. The local firm’s furniture is streets ahead of the chain store’s.

—ahead of the pack see pack.

aid

—aid and abet (someone) to help and encourage (someone), especially in something wrong or illegal: He was the thief but his sister aided and abetted him. She was aided and abetted by her friend. <A legal term.>

—what is (something) in aid of? what is (something) for? Why has (something) been done?: What are those labels in aid of? What’s all this formality in aid of?

air

—air/wash one’s dirty linen in public (back to dirt, linen, wash) to discuss private or personal matters in public: When they were quarrelling in the restuarant, they really aired their dirty linen in public by making all those comments about their marriage.

—air one’s grievances to make public one’s complaints: After suffering in silence for a long time, she suddenly aired her grievances about her place of work.

—clear the air to make a situation less tense: If you discuss your disagreement you will at least clear the air.

—hot air boasting; empty or meaningless words: He says he’s going to climb Everest but it’s just hot air.

—in the air current; around; in circulation: There’s hostility in the air.

—into thin air seemingly into nowhere: One minute she was there, the next she had disappeared into thin air.

—on the air on radio or television: The programme presenter was on the air when he lost his temper.

—put on airs to behave as though one were superior to others, to act in a conceited way: She’s really put on airs since she got promotion.

—take the air go for a walk or a drive in the fresh air: It’s such a nice evening. Let’s take some air.

—up in the air uncertain, undecided: She didn’t get the job so her career plans are still up in the air.

—walk on air to be very happy: They’ve been walking on air since they got engaged.

aisle

—be rolling in the aisles see roll.

Aladdin

—Aladdin’s cave a place full of valuable or desirable objects: The local toyshop is an Aladdin’s cave to the children. <From the tale of Aladdin in the Arabian Nights, who gained access to such a cave.>

alarm

—a false alarm a warning about some danger or difficulty which does not happen: Someone told him that he might lose his job but it proved to be a false alarm.

—alarms/alarums and excursions confused and noisy activity: There were alarums and excursions when they thought they heard a burglar. <In Shakespeare’s history plays, the expression “alarms and excursions” was used as a stage direction calling for activity typical of the scene at the edge of a battle.>

alive

—alive and kicking in a good or healthy condition: His old mother is still alive and kicking. Some ancient New Year customs are alive and kicking.

—alive with full of, covered in: During the summer months the stately home was alive with tourists.

all

—all and sundry everybody, one and all: They invited all and sundry from the village to the party.

—all ears listening intently: Tell me all the details. I’m all ears.

—all for (someone or something) completely in favour of (someone or something): I’m all for having an extra holiday.

—all hours for long periods of time, from early in the morning until late at night: The shop is open all hours.

—all in exhausted: The marathon runners are all in.

—all in a day’s work see day.

—all in all taking everything into consideration: We had some rain but all in all it was a good summer.

—all in one piece safely, undamaged: I was glad to see the children back all in one piece after their bike ride through the busy village streets.

—all my eye (and Betty Martin) see eye.

—all out with as much effort as possible: He’s going all out to win the race.

—all over at an end: Their romance is all over.

—all over bar the shouting at an end to all intents and purposes: There is no way the other competitors can overtake him now. It’s all over bar the shouting.

—all set ready to go, prepared: Now that everything is packed, we’re all set for the journey.

—all-singing, all-dancing of a machine or system, very advanced with a great many modern features, sometimes not all necessary: The firm has just bought one of those all-singing, all-dancing computer systems, but a much simpler one would have done. <Used originally of a stage show to indicate how lavish it was.>

—all systems go see system.

—all the best best wishes, good luck: All the best with your exams.

—all the rage see rage.

—all there having all one’s faculties, alert and intelligent: She is not academically clever, but she’s all there when it comes to dealing with money.

—all told altogether, including everything or everyone: There were 20 cars and 60 people all told.

—be all things to all men to try constantly to agree with or fit in with whomever one is with at the time: The young man seems to have no opinions of his own but is trying to be all things to all men.

—it is all up with (someone) there is no hope left for (someone): It is all up with the accused. He has been identified by an eye witness.

—on all fours on one’s hands and knees: He got down on all fours to look for the contact lens under the table.

alley

—alley cat a wild or promiscuous person: The woman he married is respectable now but she used to be a real alley cat.

—blind alley an action or situation that cannot be advantageous: His present job is just a blind alley. There’s no hope of advancement.

alliance

—an unholy alliance used of an association or partnership between two people or organizations that have nothing in common and would not normally work together, especially when this association has a bad purpose: The government is facing defeat because of an unholy alliance between the extreme right and the extreme left of the party.

allowance

—make allowances for (someone) to expect a less high standard from (someone) because of particular circumstances: The teacher should make allowances for the pupil as he has been ill.

alma mater

—one’s old university, college or school: They are going to a reunion at their alma mater. <Latin, “bountiful mother”.>

alpha

—alpha and omega the beginning and the end: We witnessed the alpha and omega of their relationship. <The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.>

also

—also-ran an unsuccessful person: He will never get promotion. He’s an also-ran. <A horse-racing term for a horse that is not one of the first three horses in a race.>

altar

—be sacrificed on the altar of (something) to be destroyed or suffer harm or damage so that something can be achieved or prosper: We all felt that the daughters in the family were sacrificed on the altar of the son’s expensive education.

alter

—alter ego a person who is very close or dear to someone: The girl next door is our daughter’s alter ego. They’re never apart. <Latin, “other self”.>

alternative

—alternative medicine the treatment of diseases or disorders that uses techniques other than those of conventional medicine, including homeopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, etc: She is reluctant to take drugs and is turning to alternative medicine for herbal remedies.

—have no alternative to be forced to take a certain course of action because it is the only possible one: He does not wish to resign but after his quarrel with management he has no alternative.

altogether

—in the altogether in the nude: You can’t answer the door—you’re in the altogether.

Amazon

—a very strong or well-built woman: He expected the women’s rugby team to be Amazons. <In Greek legend the Amazons were a race of female warriors.>

American

—as American as apple pie typical of the traditional American way of life or culture: Rod thinks that having a gun in the house to defend oneself is as American as apple pie.

—the American dream the hope of achieving success and prosperity through hard work, from the dreams which immigrants had when they landed in America to start a new life: Bill was full of the American dream when he started his own gardening business, but he went bankrupt because of the recession.

amiss

—take (something) amiss to take offence or be upset at (something): They took it amiss that they were not invited to the wedding although they could not have gone to it.

angel

—an angel of mercy a person who gives help and comfort, especially one who appears unexpectedly: When he collapsed in the street an unknown angel of mercy took him to hospital.

—angels’ visits visits that are rare and short but very pleasant: Her son lives far away but he pays his mother a series of angels’ visits.

—a fallen angel a person who had formerly a good reputation for being virtuous or successful but no longer does so: Everyone admired the local MP but after he was involved in a financial scandal he became rather a fallen angel.

—entertain an angel unawares to meet and talk to someone whose worth or fame one is unaware of: The winner of the literary prize was at the party but we were entertaining an angel unawares. No one told us who he was.

—on the side of the angels supporting or agreeing with what is regarded as being the good or the right side: The teacher has to pretend to be on the side of the angels and support his colleagues although he has some sympathy with the pupils.

—fools rush in where angels fear to tread see fool.

—write like an angel to write well and movingly: I cannot wait for her next novel. She writes like an angel. <Originally the term referred to handwriting rather than to style of writing, being derived from the name of Angelo Vergece, who was a famous 16th-century calligrapher at the court of Francis I of France.>

anger

—more in sorrow than in anger see sorrow.

angry

—angry young man a person who expresses angry dissatisfaction with established social, political and intellectual values: Justin’s politically provocative paintings showed him to be the angry young man of his year. <A term applied to British dramatist, John Osborne, author of the play Look Back in Anger.>

answer

—know all the answers to have all the information that is required to deal successfully with a situation, especially when one is conceited about this: She won’t listen to any advice. She acts as if she knows all the answers.

—not to take no for an answer to urge very strongly that one’s request, invitation or suggestion is accepted: Of course you must stay and have dinner. I won’t take no for an answer.

—the answer to a maiden’s prayer exactly what one desires and is looking for: She’s found the perfect job—the answer to a maiden’s prayer. <The answer to a maiden’s prayer was once thought to be an eligible bachelor.>

ant

—have ants in one’s pants to be restless or agitated: She’s got ants in her pants waiting to hear the results of the exams.

ante

—up or raise the ante to increase the amount of money required or offered for something: If you want to buy that house you’ll have to up the ante. <Refers to increasing the money one bets in a game of cards, the other player having to match this amount in order to stay in the game.>

any

—anybody’s guess something which no one can be certain about: How they make their money is anybody’s guess.

—any day whatever the circumstances: I would rather read a book than watch television any day.

—any old how in an untidy and careless way: The books in the bookcase were arranged any old how.

—anything but not at all, the complete opposite: He doesn’t dislike her – anything but.

—anything goes any kind of behaviour, dress, etc, is acceptable: It’s not a formal party – anything goes.

—like anything very much, hard, fast, energetically, etc: He tried like anything to get a job.

apart

—be poles or worlds apart to be completely different: They are poles apart in their attitudes to bringing up children.

—take (someone) apart to scold or criticize (someone) severely: Your mother will take you apart if you break the window.

ape

—go ape to become extremely angry or excited: Fred’s father went ape when he heard that he had crashed his car.

apology

—an apology for (something) a very poor example of (something): The restaurant served us up an apology for a meal.

appearance

—from or to all appearances judging only from what can be seen: Apparently they are going to divorce but to all appearances they made the perfect couple.

—keep up appearances to behave in public in such a way as to hide what is going on in private: He has lost his job but he keeps up appearances by leaving the house at his usual time every morning.

—put in an appearance at (something) to attend a meeting, function, etc, especially for a short time or because it is one’s duty to do so: All the teachers are expected to put in an appearance at the school’s annual concert.

apple

—as American as apple pie see American.

—apple-pie bed a bed made up, as a practical joke, in such a way that it is impossible to get into: She was so tired that she didn’t notice that the children had made her an apple-pie bed.

—in apple-pie order with everything tidy and correctly arranged: She always leaves the office files in apple-pie order. <From French nappe pliée, “folded linen”, linen neatly laid out.>

—apples and oranges two things which are completely different and so should not be compared: Public services like the health service and private companies are apples and oranges when it comes to judging their success. <From the impossibility of comparing two such dissimilar fruits as apples and oranges.>

—rotten apple a person who is bad or unsatisfactory and will have a bad influence on others: The class is mostly well-behaved, but there are one or two rotten apples who cause trouble.

—the apple of (someone’s) eye a favourite, a person who is greatly loved by (someone): There are five girls in the family but the only boy is the apple of his father’s eye. <Apple refers to the pupil of the eye.>

—upset the apple-cart to spoil plans or arrangements: The teenagers were going to have a party but their parents upset the apple-cart by coming home early. <From the practice of selling fruit from carts in street markets.>

apron

—tied to (someone’s) apron-strings completely dependent on a woman, especially one’s mother or wife: He’s so tied to his mother’s apron-strings that I cannot see him getting married.

ark

—like something out of the ark very old-fashioned looking: She wears clothes that are like something out of the ark. <From Noah’s ark in the Bible.>

arm

—armed to the hilt or teeth (back to hilt, teeth) provided with all the equipment that one could possibly need: The enemy soldiers were armed to the hilt. The tourists were armed to the teeth with guide books and cameras.

—a shot in the arm see shot.

—be up in arms to protest angrily: The residents are up in arms about the proposed shopping centre.

—chance one’s arm to take a risk: You’re really chancing your arm by asking for more time off. We’re so understaffed.

—cost an arm and a leg to cost a great deal of money: His new car must have cost him an arm and a leg.

—give one’s right arm for (something) (back to right, ear) to be willing to go to any lengths to get something: He’d give his right arm to get a job as a pilot.

—keep (someone) at arm’s length to avoid becoming too close to or too friendly with someone: As the boss he has to keep everyone at arm’s length or he risks being accused of favouritism.

—lay down one’s arms to stop fighting or opposing: We lost our appeal against the new road. Now we will just have to lay down our arms. <A military reference to soldiers laying down their weapons or arms when they surrender.>

—the long arm of the law (back to law, long) the power or authority of the police: The crook thought he had got away with the bank robbery, but the long arm of the law caught up with him as he was leaving the country.

—put the arm on (someone) to try to force someone to do what you want: The other kids are afraid of Len and he puts the arm on them to give him money.

—right arm chief source of help and support: His secretary is his right arm, and he can’t cope without her.

—take up arms to become actively involved in a quarrel or dispute: The whole village took up arms when the post office was threatened with closure. <A military reference to soldiers taking up weapons or arms to go into battle.>

—twist (someone’s) arm to force (someone) to do (something), to persuade (someone) to do (something): If you want to get him to cut the grass you’ll have to twist his arm—he hates doing it. I don’t really want another drink but you could twist my arm.

—with one arm tied behind one’s back very easily: She could beat him at tennis with one arm tied behind her back.

—with open arms welcomingly: They will receive your offer of help with open arms.

armour

—chink in (someone’s) armour a weak or vulnerable spot in someone who is otherwise very strong and difficult to get through to or attack: The old man is very stern but his granddaughter has found the chink in his armour. The Opposition are always trying to find a chink in the government’s armour. <A knight in armour could be injured only through a flaw or opening (chink) in his protective armour.>

—knight in shining armour a person who it is hoped will save a situation or come to one’s aid: A knight in shining armour helped her to change the wheel of her car. <From medieval legends in which knights in armour came to the aid of damsels in distress.>

around

—have been around (1) to have had a lot of experience of life: She’s not as innocent as she looks. She’s been around a bit. (2) to have been alive: He said that he had been around so long he could remember Queen Victoria.

arrow

—a straight arrow a person who is completely honest, moral and trustworthy: You can trust Bert to pay back the money which you lent him; he’s a straight arrow.

art

—get (something) down to a fine art see fine.

Arthur

—not to know if one is Arthur or Martha to be very confused because one has too much to do: I had all the family to stay for Christmas and had so much cooking and organizing to do that I didn’t know whether I was Arthur or Martha.

article

—the genuine article used to emphasize that something is real and not a copy: Mark thought that the gold watch he’d bought was the genuine article, but the watchmaker said that it was a fake.

ashes

—rake over the ashes to discuss things that are past, especially things that are best forgotten: There’s no point in raking over the ashes of their relationship. They’re divorced, and that’s that.

—rise from the ashes (back to phoenix, rise) to develop and flourish out of ruin and destruction: The firm had to close last year but a new one has risen from the ashes. <In Greek legend the phoenix, a mythical bird, would after a certain number of years of life set fire to itself and then be reborn from its ashes.>

—sackcloth and ashes see sack.

—the Ashes the trophy, originally mythical, contended for in the cricket test matches between Britain and Australia: The winner of the Ashes will be decided by the third test match. <When England was beaten by Australia in 1882 the Sporting Times published a humorous epitaph on English cricket saying, “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken back to Australia”.>

ask

—ask for the moon see moon.

—be asking for it to behave in such a way as to invite something unpleasant, such as a beating: You shouldn’t have hit that young man even if he was asking for it by making nasty comments.

—be (someone’s) for the asking for something to be available to someone without payment: I don’t want any money for the books. They’re yours for the asking.

attendance

—dance attendance on (someone) to stay close to (someone) in order to carry out all his or her wishes and so gain favour: The new girl in the office has all the men dancing attendance on her.

auld (Scots for old)

—auld lang syne times that are past, especially times remembered with fondness: The two men who had been at school together were enjoying a drink for auld lang syne. <A Scots phrase meaning “old long since”.>

aunt

—Aunt Sally a person or thing that is being subjected to general abuse, mockery and criticism: Whenever people are angry about the high cost of living they treat the government like an Aunt Sally. <An Aunt Sally at a fair was a wooden model of a woman’s head, mounted on a pole, at which people threw sticks or balls in order to win a prize.>

automatic

—be on automatic pilot see pilot.

avail

—of no avail of no use, without effect: All our efforts to revive him were of no avail.

—to no avail without success: We tried to dissuade her from leaving but to no avail.

avoid

—avoid (someone or something) like the plague see plague.

awakening

—get/have a rude awakening suddenly to become aware that a situation is not as good or pleasant as one thinks it is: The young couple thought, when they married, that two could live as cheaply as one but they soon had a rude awakening.

away

—do away with (someone or something) to get rid of something, to abolish something: They’ve done away with all the old customs.

—get away from it all to escape from the problems of daily life, usually by taking a holiday: He’s going to a small island in Scotland to get away from it all.

—get away with you! I don’t believe you!: Get away with you! You can’t have seen a ghost.

—the one that got away a chance of success which one either did not or could not take advantage of at the time but which one always remembers: He talks frequently of his first girlfriend as the one that got away. <Refers to a supposedly large fish which an angler fails to catch but about which he tells many stories.>

axe

—get the axe to be dismissed: With so few orders some of the workers are bound to get the axe.

—have an axe hanging over one to be threatened with some difficulty or danger, often with the loss of one’s job: The landlord is thinking of selling this flat and so we have an axe hanging over us at the moment.

—have an axe to grind to have a personal, often selfish, reason for being involved in something: She is being very kind to her old uncle but she has an axe to grind. She hopes he will leave her some money in his will. <From a story told by Benjamin Franklin, the American politician, about how a man had once asked him in his boyhood to demonstrate the working of his father’s grindstone and had sharpened his own axe on it while it was working.>

B

babe

—babe in arms an inexperienced or naive person: He’ll never succeed in business. He’s just a babe in arms.

—babes in the wood people who are naïve, inexperienced and too trusting: Tim and Joe tried to set up their own music business in the city but they were babes in the woods and let themselves be exploited.

—out of the mouths of babes and sucklings see mouth.

baby

—be (someone’s) baby to be the responsibility or special interest of someone: I’m not getting involved with organizing the school trip; that’s Mr Smart’s baby.

—be left holding the baby to be left to cope with a difficult situation that has been abandoned by the person who is really responsible for it: They were meant to be organizing the birthday party but I was left holding the baby.

—throw out the baby with the bath water accidentally to get rid of something desirable or essential when trying to get rid of undesirable or unnecessary things: We must try to salvage some of the best of the old methods when we reorganize. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.

—wet the baby’s head to have a drink to celebrate the birth of a baby: Peter and his wife have just has a baby and we’re taking him down to the pub to wet the baby’s head.

back

—at the back of (something) responsible for something, usually something bad: You should have guessed that he was at the back of the smear campaign.

—backhanded compliment a supposed compliment that sounds more like criticism: It’s a backhanded compliment for him to tell the girl that she is as attractive as her mother since he thoroughly dislikes her mother.

—back number a person or thing that is no longer of importance or use: He used to be a famous comedian but he is a back number now. <Refers to an out-of-date or back copy of a newspaper or magazine.>

—backscratching doing favours for someone so that he or she will return the favour: A lot of backscratching goes on in the financial world.

—backseat driver (1) a passenger in a car who gives unasked-for and unwanted advice: His mother doesn’t drive but she’s a real backseat driver who’s always shouting out directions when she’s in the car. (2) a person who is not directly involved in some activity but who offers unwanted advice: It’s his wife who’s our accountant but he’s a backseat driver who tells us what to do about our tax problems.

—back to the drawing board it will be necessary to start again on a project or activity: Our holiday tour’s been cancelled, so it’s back to the drawing board. <Refers to the board on which plans of buildings, etc, are drawn before being built.>

—back to the grindstone back to work: Now that we’ve finished lunch, it’s back to the grindstone.

—backwater an isolated place unaffected by what is happening in the world outside: How can he bear to live in such a backwater where nothing ever happens?

—behind someone’s back without the knowledge or permission of the person concerned: She married him behind her father’s back.

—bend over backwards (back to bend, lean) to go to great trouble: We bent over backwards to be nice to the shy new girl.

—break one’s back to put in a great deal of effort: The salesman really broke his back to get that order.

—break the back of (something) to complete the largest or most difficult part: He hasn’t finished the essay but at least he’s broken the back of it.

—cover one’s back to do something now which will protect from future blame or criticism: My boss denied emailing me a memo telling me to destroy the correspondence but, fortunately, I had covered my back and kept a copy of the email.

—flat on one’s back ill in bed: He’s been flat on his back since the accident.

—get off (someone’s) back to stop harassing or bothering (someone): The teacher should get off Tom’s back or he’ll leave school.

—get one’s own back to take one’s revenge: He is determined to get his own back on the person who damaged his car.

—give one’s back or eye teeth see teeth.

—go back a long way see way.

—have a monkey on your back see monkey.

—have (someone or something) at one’s back have (someone or something) as a help or support: Although she is a single parent she manages very well thanks to having her parents at her back.

—have one’s back to the wall to be in a very difficult or desperate situation: They had their backs to the wall so they had no choice but to accept his offer. <Someone being pursued has to face his or her pursuers or be captured when a wall prevents retreat.>

—have a broad back to be able to deal with a great deal of responsibility or with a great many problems: The manager must think I’ve got a broad back because he’s always giving me other people’s work to do as well as my own.

—know (something) backwards or like the back of one’s hand to know all there is to know about (something): The professor knows his subject backwards.

—know (someone or something) like the back of one’s hand to know (someone or something) very well indeed: She can always tell when her husband is lying. She knows him like the back of her hand.

—not in my backyard (often abbreviated to “Nimby”) used to indicate that someone does not want something which may be unpleasant or dangerous in some way to be located anywhere near where he/she lives, even although this may be something which is useful to others or to society: Jane said, “I have no objection, in principle, to the council building a new unit for young offenders, but not in my backyard.”

—put one’s back into (something) to put the greatest possible effort into (something): They’re really putting their backs into their new business.

—put (someone’s) back up to annoy (someone): My friend always puts my back up when she’s late. <A cat’s back arches up when it is angry.>

—see the back of (someone or something) to get rid of (someone or something), not to see (someone or something) again: He’ll be glad to see the back of his lodger.

—take a back seat to take an unimportant or minor role: The older children have taken a back seat with the arrival of the new baby.

—talk through the back of one’s head (back to head, hole, talk) to talk nonsense: If she said that he’s married she’s talking through the back of her head.

—the back of beyond a very remote place: We hardly ever visit them because they live in the back of beyond.

—turn one’s back on (someone or something) to ignore (someone or something) and refuse to offer assistance or be involved: Jeff has become a drug addict and his whole family have turned their backs on him.

—watch your back to be careful in case someone is trying to harm you or cause trouble for you: Now that Pam has joined your department you should watch your back; she’s very ambitious and ruthless and would love to have your job.

—when (someone’s) back is turned when (someone) is either not present or is not noticing what is happening: The children steal money from their mother’s purse when her back is turned.

bacon

—bring home the bacon (1) to earn money to support one’s family: She regards her husband just as someone who brings home the bacon. (2) to succeed in doing (something): Mending the table’s a difficult task but that carpenter will bring home the bacon. <Perhaps from the winning of a greased pig as a prize at a country fair.>

—save (someone’s) bacon to save someone from a danger or difficulty: If you hadn’t saved my bacon by giving me a lift I would have been late.

bad

—bad egg a worthless or law-breaking person: Her husband was a bad egg who ended up in prison.

—badly off without much money: They’re too badly off to go on holiday.

—go to the bad to become immoral or criminal: Her parents are afraid of her coming to the city in case she goes to the bad.

—have it bad/have got it bad to be very much in love with someone: Mick has a new girlfriend and he’s really got it bad; he can’t concentrate on his work.

—hit a bad patch (back to hit, patch) to encounter difficulties or a difficult period: You’ve hit a bad patch but things will improve.

—in bad odour in disfavour: He’s been in bad odour with her parents since he brought her home late.

—in (someone’s) bad or black books (back to black, book) out of favour with (someone): They’re in the teacher’s bad books for being late. <Refers to an account book where bad debts are noted.>

—not half bad quite good, very good: This cake’s not half bad.

—too bad unfortunate: It’s too bad you have to leave early.

—with a bad grace in an unwilling and bad-tempered way: They eventually came with us but with a bad grace.

bag

—bag and baggage all one’s belongings, or equipment: They had to get out of the house bag and baggage when the new tenant came.

—bag lady a homeless woman who carries all her belongings with her in shopping bags: During the recession more and more bag ladies appeared on the streets.

—bag of bones a person or animal who is extremely thin: The overworked donkey was a bag of bones.

—bag of nerves a very nervous or anxious person: She worries about everything. She’s just a bag of nerves.

—bag of tricks the equipment necessary to do something: The joiner arrived with his bag of tricks to start work on her new kitchen units.

—cannot punch one’s way out of a paper bag to be totally lacking in ability or power: He won’t succeed in business. He couldn’t punch his way out of a paper bag.

—couldn’t fight/find/organize, etc, one’s way out of a paper bag see paper.

—in the bag certain to be obtained: He came home from his interview thinking the job was in the bag but unfortunately he was wrong. <From the bag used in hunting to carry what one has shot or caught.>

—let the cat out of the bag see cat.

—mixed bag a very varied mixture: This new set of pupils is a mixed bag.

—pack one’s bags to leave somewhere, sometimes suddenly: The athlete was found guilty of cheating for taking performance-enhancing drugs and was told to pack her bags.

bait

—rise to the bait to do what someone has been trying to get one to do: She knew that he was trying to get her to lose her temper but she refused to rise to the bait. <Refers to fish rising to the surface to get the bait on an angler’s line.>

—swallow the bait to accept completely an offer, proposal, etc, that has been made purely to tempt one: They swallowed the bait and took the money from the company without realizing that they had actually sold their houses to them. <As above.>

baker

—baker’s dozen thirteen: His cousins made up a baker’s dozen. <From the former custom of bakers adding an extra bun or loaf to a dozen in order to be sure of not giving short weight.>

balance

—in the balance undecided, uncertain: The fate of the old building is in the balance although we have worked hard to preserve it. <A balance is a pair of hanging scales.>

—on balance considering everything: There are good points on each side but on balance I think the older man is the better candidate.

—strike a balance to reach an acceptable compromise: Try to strike a balance between going out every night and never going out at all.

—throw (someone) off balance to cause (someone) to be disconcerted or confused: The lecturer was thrown off balance by some of the questions from the audience.

—tip the balance to exert an influence which, although slight, is enough to alter the outcome of something: There was very little to choose between the candidates but one of them lived locally, which tipped the balance.

bald

—bald as a coot extremely bald. <A coot is a bird with a spot of white feathers on its head.>

ball1

—have a ball to have a very enjoyable time: The children had a ball at the birthday party.

ball2

—a ball and chain someone or something that restricts your freedom to do what you want: James doesn’t seem to care at all about his elderly parents, but regards them as a ball and chain which prevents him from moving away from home. <Prisoners were once shackled by a ball and chain.>

—a whole new ball game (back to new, whole) used to emphasize how much a situation has changed: Your father doesn’t realize how much the computer business has changed since he went into it, but it’s a whole new ball game now.

—be in the right ballpark to be reasonably close to the amount which is required or wanted: The price which you mention is lower than the price which I want for the property but it’s in the right ballpark.

—drop the ball to make a mistake or fail to do something: The export manager said that the French firm would definitely place an order with us, but he dropped the ball during the negotiations and the deal is off.

—have the ball at one’s feet to be in a position to be successful: The young graduate thought he had the ball at his feet when he got his degree. <From football.>

—on the ball alert, quick-witted, attentive to what is going on around one: If he had been on the ball he would have sold his shares earlier. <Referring to a football player who watches the ball carefully in order to be prepared if it comes to him.>

—pick up/take the ball and run with it to take an idea, project, etc, which someone else has started and try to make it successful: Your predecessor began research on this new drug before she left; now it’s up to you to pick up the ball and run with it.

—play ball to act in accordance with someone else’s wishes: We had hoped that he would play ball and leave quietly.

—play ball with (someone) to cooperate with (someone): He’s decided to play ball with the police and tell them all he knows.

—set or start the ball rolling to start off an activity of some kind, often a discussion: Now that we are all present for the staff meeting perhaps someone will set the ball rolling.

—the ball is in (someone’s) court see court.

—the whole ball of wax (back to wax, whole) (especially American English) used to emphasize that you are referring to absolutely all of something: He didn’t want just part of the firm; he wanted the whole ball of wax.

ballistic

—go ballistic suddenly to become extremely angry: The children’s mother went ballistic when she saw their torn clothes.

balloon

—go down like a lead balloon of a suggestion, idea, joke, etc, to be very badly received: The idea that we should have a street party to celebrate the new millennium went down like a lead balloon.

—when the balloon goes up when something serious, usually something that is expected and feared, happens: The real trouble-makers had run away before the balloon went up and the headmaster discovered the broken windows. <From balloons sent up to undertake military observation in World War I, signifying that action was about to start.>

banana

—go bananas to go mad, to get extremely angry: Her mother will go bananas if she comes home late.

—slip on a banana skin to do something that causes one humiliation or public embarrassment: The politician thought that her speech was going very well until she slipped on a banana skin and got the name of the town wrong. <Cartoons often show people literally slipping on banana skins.>

band

—