An 'Idiom' is an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements; for example "raining cats and dogs" is an expression that is used to convey the meaning of "raining heavily", but this meaning most of the time cannot be derived from the denotative meaning of the single words that constitute the whole expression. Moreover, an idiom can be looked at as a combination of words whose meaning can be either transparent (can be easily worked out of the literal meaning of the individual words) or opaque (there is no resemblance between the meaning of the individual words and the meaning of the idiom itself).
Consider the following examples of transparent idioms that are reasonably obvious:
1. ‘Throw someone to the lions’ means ‘intentionally to put someone in a difficult position’, as in: All the commanders were responsible for the tragedies in their last operation, but they threw that junior officer to the lions when they asked him to address the journalists on the reasons of defeat.
Idioms like ‘sell someone down the river’ and ‘kick the bucket’ are examples of the opaque:
1. Understanding the words of the expression ‘sell someone down the river’, for instance, will not help you recognize that it actually means ‘to betray, or be disloyal to’, as in: The kidnapper who was caught by the police refused to sell his associates down the river. Thus, having such idioms in one book and learning their meaning would be absolutely of a significant help.
Interestingly, some English idioms are similar to expressions in other languages, which makes it easy for the learner to figure out their meaning, as in ‘hold one’s horses’ which means ‘to stop someone or something, or to make them calm’, for example: Hold your horses, I said to my wife when she started packing her luggage.
Succinctly stressed, idioms and multi-part verbs (along with their Arabic equivalents) are considered of paramount importance for a wide range of Arab learners of English. Idioms are very useful to effectively communicate with English speakers. And this treasury would be a helpful learning tool that provides learners with a large number of English idioms and phrases along with example sentences and Arabic equivalent.
- 2 -
To my children and my students
To my children who have
awakened feelings in me that
my heart should never harden,
and my temper should not tire.
To my students who taught me
as much as I taught them.
- 3 -
Preface
An 'Idiom' is an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that
cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements; for example
"raining cats and dogs" is an expression that is used to convey the meaning of
"raining heavily", but this meaning most of the time cannot be derived from the
denotative meaning of the single words that constitute the whole expression.
Moreover, an idiom can be looked at as a combination of words whose meaning
can be either transparent (can be easily worked out of the literal meaning of the
individual words) or opaque (there is no resemblance between the meaning of
the individual words and the meaning of the idiom itself).
Consider the following examples of transparent idioms that are reasonably
obvious:
1. `Throw someone to the lions' means `intentionally to put someone in a
difficult position', as in: All the commanders were responsible for the
tragedies in their last operation, but they threw that junior officer to the
lions when they asked him to address the journalists on the reasons of
defeat.
2. `Keep a straight face' means `look serious', as in: I can't keep a
straight face whenever Chaplin acts before me; he looks so funny.
Idioms like `sell someone down the river' and `kick the bucket' are examples
of the opaque:
1. Understanding the words of the expression `sell someone down the
river', for instance, will not help you recognize that it actually means
`to betray, or be disloyal to', as in: The kidnapper who was caught by
the police refused to sell his associates down the river. Thus, having
such idioms in one book and learning their meaning would be
absolutely of a significant help.
2. Similarly, in the expression `kick the bucket' you cannot easily realize
that it means `to die', as in: Simon kicked the bucket last summer.
Interestingly, some English idioms are similar to expressions in other
languages (including Arabic), which makes it easy for the learner to figure out
their meaning, as in `hold one's horses' which means `to stop someone or
something, or to make them calm', for example: Hold your horses, I said to my
wife when she started packing her luggage.
- 4 -
The challenge lies in the fact that many idioms come from completely
different cultures or regions, or they come from various areas of knowledge.
This makes it more difficult to know the exact meaning of such idioms. In
addition, many idioms are field-specific, i.e. they refer to particular fields that
require some special knowledge to understand them. Various idioms have, for
instance, something to do with sports (as in: throw in the towel); `throw in the
towel' for instance means `to give in or to admit defeat' (She tried to deal with
all the difficulties in her business but finally she threw in the towel and left the
country). This idiom has been introduced to us from `boxing sport' in which
`throwing the towel' is considered a way of admitting defeat. Besides, a range
of different idioms are related to historical events (sell someone down the
river), parts of the body (eyes in the back of one's head), light (sunset years),
weather (hot air and stormy relationship), colours (red tape), and so forth.
In every society there are certain things that are not supposed to be
mentioned directly, and a fair number of words are labeled as frivolous, vulgar,
or at least inconsiderate. Hence, to maintain social relationship, people resort to
some idioms that may make distasteful ideas seem acceptable whilst
communicating. Therefore, idioms may serve as a milder to what might be
thought to be direct or harsh. Examples include using `comfort room/rest room'
instead of saying `toilet', and `be laid to rest' which is a euphemism for `be
dead'; similarly, any kind of ailment can also be described as condition, for
example we sometimes prefer to say `heart condition' instead of `heart disease'.
Some may also say `senior citizens' to refer to the `elderly people', and
`sanitary engineer' for `garbage man', and so on. This is what sometimes
justifies the daily use of most essential idioms.
Based on the aforesaid, the author of this treasury deems it vital to
introduce some of the widely used idioms, in addition to a number of multi-part
verbs which consist of a verb and one or two particles or prepositions (e.g. up,
over, in, down). It is worth highlighting, the reason of listing a number of multi-
part verbs in this treasury is because they often have meanings which we cannot
easily guess from their individual parts; yet, we need to learn them given their
popularity in everyday language use.
Words of Wisdom Supplement provides the reader with a number of
essential proverbs and treasured sayings that are widely used in English and
Arabic contexts. The supplement highlights words of wisdom, truth, advice and
morals that are based on practical experiences. Most of these proverbs and
sayings employ idioms and figurative language obviously, and that is why the
- 5 -
author has added them to this treasury- taking into account the socially related
aspect of the proverbs and sayings which act as a mirror of the society. They
generally praise the good and criticize the bad. Examples include: 'One half of
the world can't understand the pleasures of the other', Jane Austen (1775-1817);
`The early bird catches the worm'; 'Actions are judged by intentions', Prophet
Mohammad peace be upon him said; ' Little and often fills the purse'; and 'Allah
burdens not a person beyond his scope'.
Succinctly stressed, idioms and multi-part verbs (along with their Arabic
equivalents) are considered of paramount importance for a wide range of Arab
learners of English. Idioms are very useful to effectively communicate with
English speakers. And this treasury would be a helpful learning tool that
provides learners with a large number of English idioms and phrases along with
example sentences and Arabic equivalent.
Awni Etaywe Amman
- 6 -
Contents
Preface ...- 3 -
A ...- 7 -
B ...- 15 -
C ...- 31 -
D ...- 44 -
E ...- 51 -
F ...- 54 -
G ...- 63 -
H ...- 75 -
I ...- 88 -
J ...- 98 -
K ...- 101 -
L ...- 108 -
M ...- 121 -
N ...- 129 -
O ...- 135 -
P ...- 145 -
R ...- 153 -
S ...- 157 -
T ...- 165 -
U ...- 170 -
W ...- 175 -
Y ...- 180 -
Z ...- 182 -
References: ...- 210 -
- 7 -
- 8 -
Fundamentals, essentials, nitty-
gritty
ABC
e.g.: You have to learn the ABC of the English language prior to sitting for
ECL test.
Hypocritical, false, deceitful
A two-faced
e.g.: Benjamin is a two-faced person. You should never trust him.
Something with two possible
kinds of outcomes, could be
good and bad, useful and
harmful
A two-edged sword
e.g.: Internet service is widely considered a two-edged sword.
Difficult to understand
Above one's head
e.g.: Stop teaching the four-year old child algebra. It is above his head.
Forgetful, vague, inattentive,
distracted
Absent- minded
e.g.: My colleague, Rashid, is absent-minded. He always forgets his stuff.
Justify, explain, answer for
Account for
e.g.: The high speeding accounts for the high rate of accidents in Jordan.
World class, first rate, star
Ace
e.g.: He's an ace journalist.
Weakness point, vulnerable pot
Achille's heel
e.g.: For me sweet is my achille's heel. I cannot stop eating despite having
diabetes.
On the other side of
Across from
e.g.: The King's secondary school is across from Mary's hospital.
Comprehensive, all embracing,
Across the board
- 9 -
universal
e.g.: Obama's speech was across the board.
Occurs naturally
Act of God
e.g.: The whole accident was an act of God.
Misbehave, cause trouble,
Malfunction, to work
improperly
Act up
e.g.: Children in the class acted up when their teacher, Suhad, left the room.
Count, add together
Add up
e.g.: How much does this list of items cost? I don't know, I'll have to add it
up.
Be consistent, make sense,
come together
Add up
e.g.: The thing you talked about doesn't really add up.
Early, beforehand, in advance
Ahead of time
e.g.: We started Jane's birthday party ahead of time so we could go home
before midnight.
/
Dreamer, idealist, stupid
Airhead
e.g.: John is a real airhead.
Make public, reveal something
embarrassing that should be
kept secret
Air one's dirty laundry
in public
I couldn't stay at the party when the host began to air every one's dirty
laundry in public.
Still active, exist
Alive and kicking
e.g.: A: Has Austen died? I haven't heard of him for ages.
B: Yes, he is alive and kicking.
From start to finish, From the
very beginning
All along
e.g.: I knew all along that Adam would miss the opportunity.
Suddenly, in a flash, without
warning
All at once
- 10 -
e.g.: All at once the fire alarm rang so the fire fighters had to respond
quickly.
The whole day
All day long
e.g.: Sarah has been waiting for the train to arrive all day long.
Listening carefully, eager to
listen, paying attention,
focused
All ears
e.g.: Okay, I'm all ears; please tell me what the story is.
To say that you don't
understand something
All Greek to me
e.g.: I don't understand physics at all. It's all Greek to me.
In general, on the whole
All in all
e.g.: We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.
Suddenly, without warning
All of a sudden
e.g.: All of a sudden it became snowy and windy.
Maximum, supreme
All out
e.g.: I paid my all out effort to sort the problem out.
( )
Fair enough, okay, fine,
agreed, no problem
All right
e.g.: A: Are you all right? How was your class?
B: It was all right.
Empty promises
All talk
e.g.: Sir, your speech was all talk.
Continually
All the time
e.g.: Hala asks for money all the time.
Inept, unskilled, clumsy and
awkward
All thumbs
e.g.: Zaha is all thumbs when it comes to fixing things in the garage.
e.g.: Being so nervous would make you all thumbs.
Completely wrong
All wet
- 11 -
e.g.: Your assumptions are all wet.
Collaborate with
Ally with
e.g.: Britain has decided to ally with the USA in the war against Iraq.
(cost) a large amount of money
An arm and a leg
e.g.: Henry's new house must have cost him an arm and a leg.
To go to the toilet, freshen up,
take a slash
Answer the call of
nature
e.g.: I am desperate. I need to answer the call of nature.
Annoyed, sick of being home
Ants in pants
e.g.: My children have ants in ants. I think I should take them out.
One's favorite
Apple of one's eye
e.g.: My oldest son is the apple of my eye.
To argue words
Argy-bargy
e.g.: I had argy-bargy with my boss.
Heavily armed
Armed to teeth
e.g.: ALAMEIN brigade is armed to teeth. They can defeat any other unit.
Undesirable (place),
unattractive, uninvited
Armpit
e.g.: This town is really an armpit.
Continuous, endless, constant
Around the clock
e.g.: I feel really tired. I have been working around the clock over the last
three days.
Usually, as a habit
As a rule
e.g.: As a rule I get up at 5 AM every morning.
Unclear, not understood
As clear as mud
- 12 -
e.g.: I'm sorry, but the reason we arrived late is that the directions the cop
gave us were as clear as mud.
Very easy
As easy as ABC
e.g.: In few days you will find out that learning French is as easy as ABC.
Very easy
As easy as pie
e.g.: Due to practice, TOEFL has become as easy as pie for me.
To the extent/ degree
As far as
e.g.: As far as I know Ross will be in Paris in an hour.
Provided that, on condition that
As long as
e.g.: As long as you promise to be careful you can borrow my car.
Definitely
As sure as eggs
e.g.: I will find the thief as sure as eggs.
Typically, normally
As usual
e.g.: As usual, Dr. Kattab forgot to bring the file.
In addition to, plus
As well as
e.g.: Please bring your trousers as well as your towel.
Up to now
As yet
e.g.: As yet, Sundus has not told her boss about her future plans.
As soon as possible
ASAP
e.g.: Please, get your assignment sorted out ASAP.
Search for troubles
Ask for trouble
e.g.: You are asking for trouble if you miss another session.
To invite someone on a date
Ask out
- 13 -
e.g.: That handsome man asked Suzan out! They're going to a movie.
)
(
Not attentive, not alert to an
opportunity
Asleep at the switch
e.g.: I think he was asleep at the switch. Can you tell me why he didn't
apply for the job?
Have opposing goals, to have
opposite ways of how to deal
with something
At cross purposes
e.g.: My wife and I are at cross purposes and are always arguing about the
children issues.
Mistaken, in the wrong, be
responsible for
At fault
e.g.: Referring to the terrible accident, the truck driver was at fault.
At the beginning, initially
At first
e.g.: At first Edie didn't want to go with her boy-friend, but later she
changed her mind.
When first seen, without
careful study
At first blush
e.g.: At first blush she looked like an angel, but later she had many
problems with her team.
Fundamentally, in fact,
essentially
At heart
e.g.: Although I don't like her, she is a very good person at heart.
At odds, having a quarrel, in
conflict
At loggerheads
e.g.: Sam and Rumsfeld have been at loggerheads since last January.
- 14 -
Maximum
At most
e.g.: At most 45 candidates passed the selection board.
In disagreement, in opposition
At odds
e.g.: Sam is at odds with his boss.
Always ready to serve
somebody
At someone's beck and
call
e.g.: My eldest brother is always at my beck and call whenever I need him.
First light, break of day
At the crack of dawn
e.g.: You have to set off at the crack of dawn to catch your flight in time.
At the last minute
At the eleventh hour
e.g.: I got my work done in time. I finished it at the eleventh hour.
In the end
At the end of the day
e.g.: At the end of the day, you will be caught and punished.
At critical time
At zero hour
e.g.: The artillery bombarded the target at zero hour.
Take care, tackle, deal with
someone
Attend to someone
e.g.: My sister attended to my child when I was away.
- 15 -
- 16 -
Baby, little child, newborn
Babe in arms
e.g.: Shadi was just a babe in arms when we migrated to Qatar.
Defenseless, naive,
inexperienced
Babe in the woods
e.g.: Maison is just a babe in the woods. She desperately needs a bodyguard.
Very difficult and unpleasant
first experience of a situation
Baptism of fire
e.g.: A: How was your meeting with the manager?
B: It was a baptism of fire. He scolded me.
Going and coming, sending and
receiving
Back and forth
e.g.: Tina and Tom had a great hour messaging back and forth.
Verbal answer back in a rude
manner
Back chat
e.g.: I didn't like Ali's back chat to his father.
Yield, admit defeat, to not stand
firm
Back down
e.g.: Addison was going to see the monster, but then he backed down when
he knew that the monster was giant.
Reaction, criticism
Back lash
e.g.: Steve's back lash was slightly rude.
Move away, go backwards,
retreat
Back off
e.g.: I told Haifa to back off when I saw the snake approaching.
Return to good financial or
Back on one's feet
- 17 -
physical health
e.g.: Al-Fayed is finally back on his feet after his last loss.
Withdraw, cancel
Back out
e.g.: The national basketball team backed out of the deal with Fastlink.
Rudeness, lip
Back talk
e.g.: Donald to Smith: "I don't like your back talk to your mother".
Go into reverse, back pedal
Back track
e.g.: The president of the US back tracked to his last decision.
Defend, to confirm facts,
support
Back up
e.g.: Fahed backed Ronza's story up. He told the students the same facts
that she said.
To drive in reverse, to move
backwards
Back up
e.g.: Sal backed the car up to the garage gate.
Protect, preserve, to make a
protection copy
Back up
e.g.: The computer users ought to back up their important files.
:
One who annoys the driver by
telling him what to do and how
to drive
Back-seat driver
e.g.: Stop annoying me. What a back seat driver you are!
It kicks anyone who goes near
Bad actor
e.g.: Don't get close to this horse. It is a bad actor.
Bad feeling, spite, antagonism,
Bad blood
- 18 -
hatred
e.g.: I don't like Sara. We have bad blood against each other.
Checks with no accounts
Bad checks
The old man over there is used to issuing bad checks to the newcomers.
Short but unpleasant time
Bad quarter of an hour
Last night I had a bad quarter of an hour in the dentist's.
Very thin person
Bag of bones
I have just visited Akai. How poor he is! He is just a bag of bones. He
looks nasty.
Lots of
Bags of
I have bags of money.
)
(
Help, rescue, save, escape from
a crash
Bail out
The western governments have decided to have a bail out plan for the
broke banks.
13
Thirteen
Baker's dozen
How many pens did you give Linda?
I gave her a baker's dozen.
To deceive, trick, confuse, take
in
Bamboozle
I got bamboozled by his speech.
Absolutely correct
Bang-on
Your answer was a bang-on.
Trust, count on
Bank on
You can bank on them to come and help the situation.
A person who often goes to bars
Bar fly
Every day Khalid goes to BARMED. He's quite a bar fly.
Throw up, vomit
Barf
- She barfed all over the seat of the car.
- 19 -
To interrupt, cut in, intrude
rudely
Barge in
Don't barge in others' business.
Someone isn't as bad as they
sound
Bark is worse than
one's bite
Don't worry if Darin gets angry- her bark is worse than her bite.
Chew out, give a talking to
Bawl out
The big shot bawled out his assistant.
To be straight, honest, telling
the truth
Be on the level
Sadeq was trying to convince the police that he was on level with them,
but they didn't believe him.
Not have, lack
Be out of
I wanted to buy some biscuits, but the store was out of them.
Support you emotionally
Be there for you
Whatever you do and wherever you go, I will be there for you.
Guilty, be responsible for
Be to blame
He's not to blame for breaking the computer.
Consider, remember, take into
account
Bear in mind
Concentrate on final exams but bear in mind the more you do exercises
the more confident you become.
Bushed, hit, exhausted, done in
Beat
- After working all day I am really beat.
To draw back, leave quickly,
depart, to change your mind
when confronted, give ground
Beat a hasty retreat
You always beat a hasty retreat whenever your father asks you where
you get the money from.
Evade the issue, Speak
Beat around the bush
- 20 -
indirectly
Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision.
Try very hard to do something
Beat one's brain out
I have been beating my brain out with the current computer problem.
)
(
The best
Bees knees
Do not worry about the gift that I am going to buy for you. I will buy you
the bees' knees.
Soon, shortly, after a while
Before long
The summer vacation will be here before long.
To ask to be excused, send
regrets
Beg off
Noreen was supposed to come over for lunch, but she begged off.
Captive, jailed, detained
Behind bars
Jeff is behind bars for armed robbery.
In secret, confidentially
Behind closed doors
The police managed to know what was going on behind closed doors.
With no permit, Without
someone's knowledge
Behind someone's back
He is very angry because I took his car behind his back.
In an awkward situation
Behind the eight ball
Bartlett doesn't know what to do next with his new business. He's really
behind the eight ball.
Old fashioned, old, dated
Behind the times
My car is a little behind the times.
/
Taken out of the game
Bench
- Amer Shefi' was benched (bench) during the footbal playoffs.
Lean over, incline your body
Bend over
Reed's body is flexible. He can easily bend over.
( )
Nag, annoy them
Bend one's ears
- 21 -
Stop complaining. You bend my ears.
Do all you can, try your best
Bend over backwards
I will bend over backwards to help you pass the IELTS exam.
Get upset, sadden
Bent out of shape
- Don't get so bent out of shape.
Not relevant to the subject, not
the main point
Beside the point
What you are saying is beside the point. We are not talking about salary.
/
Miscalculate, be wrong about,
misjudge a coming event,
misread the future
Bet on the wrong horse
I think that he bet on the wrong horse by putting all of his money into
Dubai stock.
Husband or wife
Better half
Sue is my better half.
Better to be late than not turn up
at all
Better late than never
A: I think I will arrive 5 minutes late.
B: Don't worry; it is Better late than never.
)
(
Difficult situation
Between a rock and a
hard place
If I accept the offer, I will be in Gail. And if I refuse it I'll be broke. I
think I'm between a rock and a hard place.
Between two equal dangers
Between the devil and
deep blue sea
Sam was between the devil and the deep blue sea. He was either to fight
the lion or to cross the river swimming.
/
Matchless, without comparison
Beyond compare
Sally is lovely beyond compare.
So good that one cannot make a
Beyond one's
- 22 -
picture of it in one's mind
imagining
People of X country live in a comfort and a dignity that is beyond your
imagining.
Chatterer, blabbermouth
Big mouth
- Shut up! You have a big mouth.
Important person, VIP, major
player
Big-shot
Bell is a big shot in Microsoft's.
Big issue
Big stink
- The Jordanians made a big stink about the Casino.
VIP, big shot
Bigwig
Bell is a bigwig in Microsoft's.
Overdo, drinking to excess
Binge
Try not to binge in tonight's party.
Woman
Bird
Hi mate, have you met any birds tonight?
Having one is better than seeing
many
Bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush
While you are looking for a new job, remember that a bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush.
Naked, nude, exposed
Birthday suit
I saw the victim in her birthday suit. That was nasty.
Go for it, face up to
Bite the bullet
Harith knew that the business would have many troubles but finally he
decided to bite the bullet.
To lose, to go down in defeat, to
fall
Bite the dust
Richard did exceptionally well in all exams, but he bit the dust in the last
- 23 -
one.
Turn against a friend, repay
kindness with wrong
Bite the hand feeds you
You are biting the hand feeds you if you insist on fighting against your
uncle.
To refrain from saying
something you want to say,
Bite your tongue
As James complained about his problems, I had to bite my tongue.
To integrate, go well with,
match the surroundings
Blend in (with)
New immigrants often try to blend in with the citizens of the host
country.
Person, chap, man
bloke
You should tell your blokes about the situation.
Almost impossible
Blood out of a stone
Getting money from my step mother is like getting blood out of a stone.
flourish
blossom
My career blossomed after I was nominated for an Oscar.
Damage reputation
Blot one's copy book
Bad friends often blot others' copy book when they are in dispute.
Lose
Blow
- Sam blew all his money gambling.
Blow one's top, hit the roof, lose
his temper
Blow a fuse
- Hey, don't blow a fuse.
Impress, explode, scatter
Blow away
- I was blown away by your praise.
- The restaurant was blown away.
Fail at something, misfortune
Blow something
I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the TOEFL exam last week.
Reveal secrets
Blow the whistle
WIKILEAKES blows the whistle.
- 24 -
Lose your temper, go mad
Blow up
Marry blew up when I told her about her boy friend's ex-wife.
Explode, detonate, destroy, blast
Blow up
The bomb blew up and hurt three people.
To inflate, pump up
Blow up
The clown blew up the balloons.
Of a noble birth
Blue blood(ed)
Hassan has blue blood. (He is blue blooded).
A reason for quarrels/ dispute or
disagreement, the subject of a
fight
Bone of contention
The family villa was a major bone of contention when their father passed
away.
To look into, to study
completely for a short time
Bone up on
Dickey boned up on phrasal verbs before the test.
Mistake, slip-up, error
Boo-boo
- If you make another boo-boo like that, you won't have a job.
Dismiss, fire, sack, get rid of
someone
Boot out
Samia was booted out of the university for setting fire in a hall of study.
Born rich, provided from birth
with everything he needs
Born with a silver
spoon in one's mouth
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in
his life.
Inexperienced, green, untested
Born yesterday
Don't try to cheat me. I wasn't born yesterday.
To give orders, tell someone
what to do, bully
Boss around
Jackie to her friend: "I hate when my husband tries to boss me around."
- 25 -
Control it, do not say it
Bottle it up
If you have any more bad suggestions, then you had better bottle it up.
Main thing
Bottom line
The bottom line is that we need to have the syllabus completed by
tomorrow.
Heading for, going to
Bound for
I'm bound for Chelsea.
Happy, lively and energetic
Box of birds
Every time I go to the gym I feel like box of birds.
Idea, notion, inspiration, sudden
clever idea
Brain wave
While I was thinking about you, I had a brain wave that I would set up a
new business with you.
Come up with suggestions or
solutions to a problem
Brainstorm
Before we go to the meeting, we should have a brainstorm session so that
every one of us says what he thinks we should do next.
Unused, new
Brand new
He was finally able to buy a brand-new car.
Good luck
Break a leg
You have an interview tomorrow morning. Break a leg.
To stop working
Break down
Alma's car broke down last night.
To crash, dismantle, destroy
Break down
The robbers broke down the bank's door before they came in two days
ago.
Analyze, revise
Break down
When we broke the costs down, we found that we had been stolen.
make the team, to make
somebody included
Break in
One of the commander's duties is to break the new soldiers in.
- 26 -
To enter forcefully, burglarize
Break into
Yesterday Shukri broke into a house and stole a satellite receiver. Now,
he's behind bars.
To cause calamity, crush with
sorrow, make someone feel
discouraged
Break someone's heart
It broke his heart when she left him for another man.
Cost a lot of money
Break the bank
Hassan requires that I pay the whole expenses on his behalf. That breaks
the bank, undoubtedly.
Relax and start a conversation in
a formal situation
Break the ice
Nobody was enjoying the journey until the host family finally was able to
break the ice.
To end, finish, divorce, stop a
relationship
Break up
(with someone)
She broke up with her husband last month.
Advance, discovery of progress
Breakthrough
The ministry of health had brought up a breakthrough that wiped out
smallpox.
Dying
Breathe one's last
My grand father breathed his last.
Block, obstacle
Brick wall
This cabinet is the real brick wall in the way of my progress.
Bring some food
Bring a plate
Suha, can you bring me a plate? I am so hungry.
Sure, wait a minute.
Cause, make happen
Bring about
Smoking brings about lung cancer.
To return something
Bring back
- 27 -
My homework is due after tomorrow. Will you please bring my book
back by tomorrow morning?
Depressing, sad
Bring-down
- The news of the airplane crash was a bring-down.
Come up with the goods, make
a living, feed your family
Bring home the bacon
Daniel is out bringing home the bacon and is always very busy.
()
To achieve, make it work,
accomplish something difficult
Bring off
Nobody thought that Sami could get an A in French class, but he
brought it off.
Bring together, harmonize,
Persuade someone to agree with
you
Bring someone into
line
He was finally able to bring the other members of the committee into
line
Cause, lead to, trigger
Bring something on
I don't know what brought on his anger. Leave him alone at this time.
Recall, conjure up
Bring to mind
Fatima's perfect work brought to mind some of the great mothers of the
past.
Introduce, discuss, launch
Bring up
I brought up the global warming issue at the meeting but nobody wanted
to talk about it.
To raise, rear
Bring up
I was brought up with very strict religious rules.
Penniless, have no money,
bankrupt
Broke
I spent all the money on my holiday and I am completely broke right
now.
Umbrella
Brolly
I wish I brought my brolly. It is raining
Pay no attention to, disregard
Brush aside
Would you brush aside all your personal interests?
- 28 -
Wipe away his/her tears
Brush one's tears
I asked Henry to brush his tears.
Refuse to listen to somebody
Brush somebody off
Alfred is keen on her but she is always brushing him off.
Review
Brush up on
You should brush up on your history lessons before the final exam.
Unclear situation
Bucket of worms
The whole issue seems to me a bucket of worms.
Dollars
Bucks
I have only 20 bucks.
Abandon in a hurry
Bug out
When the explosion went off, the officers bugged out.
Disappointing, comedown,
disencouraging, bad experience
Bummer
- My trip to Amman was a bummer.
Fist
Bunch of fives
I hit him with my bunch of five.
Dress warmly, wrap up warmly
Bundle up
My wife and I bundled up and went to the market.
Burn completely
Burn down
My neighbor's villa burnt down last night.
Do something that makes going
back impossible
Burn one's bridges
behind one
Fred burned his bridges behind him and is unable to go to Gas Ras
Company again.
Work until very late at night
Burn the midnight oil
Sally will definitely pass the test. She burns the midnight oil.
Reduce to ashes, burn
Burn up
All my files burned up in the fire.
- 29 -
/
A question of great importance
and interest
Burning Question
The burning question is: "Is the prime minister going to resign?"
Work too hard, not get enough
sleep
Burning the candle at
both ends
I'm sure you will be exhausted soon. You don't get enough sleep. You
are burning the candle at both ends.
Laugh so much
Burst out laughing
When I told him your joke, he burst out laughing.
Refuse to face something
Bury/hide one's head
in the sand
He always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with his
family problems at all.
Ruined, not working, failiure
Bust
- The whole idea of Amman-FAST TRAIN was a bust.
Active, has a lot of things to do
Busy bee
She is like a busy bee. She can't just sit down.
To enter a conversation
uninvited, impolitely interrupt
Butt into
That rude man butted into our conversation.
Flatter someone
Butter someone up
Jason is trying to butter up his boss so that he can be promoted.
Buy something without seeing it
or knowing if it will be
satisfactory
Buy a pig in a poke
You shouldn't buy that car without first inspecting it. It is like buying a
pig in a poke.
Leave, depart quickly
Buzz off
When Captain Sam saw the commander, he buzzed off.
Certainly: used to give someone
By all means
- 30 -
permission in a friendly manner
A: Can I come in?
B: By all means sir, please do.
Generally, on the whole
By and large
I love watching TV, reading stories, and playing tennis. By and large,
I'm not always in business.
In any way possible
By hook or by crook
George will try to be the president by hook or by crook.
Die, breathe your last
Buy it
- Slow down, or you're going to buy it in a car accident.
Without help
By oneself
I built the house by myself.
Confidentially, in secret
By stealth
I entered the bank by stealth.
- 31 -
- 32 -
-
Be direct, Speak plainly, be
blunt
Call a spade a spade
Please call a spade a spade and tell your husband about his mistakes.
Stop, finish, quit working for the
day
Call it a day
I am tired. Let's call it a day.
Visit
Call on
Sami called on his ex-wife yesterday.
/
Call someone before an
authority to be scolded or
reprimanded
Call on to the carpet
Lieutenant Adam was called on to the carpet by his commander for the
missing gun.
Telephone
Call up
My friend will call up his parents tomorrow.
Something is impossible to
happen
Camel to go through
the eye of the needle
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Destroy the effect of something
Cancel out
The benefits of her healthy food were cancelled out by her beer-
drinking.
)
(
Unable to judge or understand
the whole picture because you
are looking at the small parts of
it
Can't see the forest for
the trees
He has no real understanding of most problems as he always fails to see
the forest for the trees.
Copy, exact likeness
Carbon copy
Patricia's daughter is a carbon copy of her.
Many people using one car to
share costs
Carpool
Three of my friends are going to carpool as no one of them can afford
using his own car every day.
- 33 -
The promise of reward and
threat of punishment at the same
time
Carrot and stick
The USA foreign secretary took a carrot and stick approach toward the
Middle East peace talks.
()
Reschedule, save for another
time
Carry over
We plan to carry over the summer products until next years.
Take responsibility
Carry the ball
Your father passed away. You now carry the ball. Look after your little
bothers.
Accept responsibility, take the
blame, be the fall guy
Carry the can
Charlie should carry the can for the whole scheme, it was his own idea.
Win, be successful
Carry the day
Sam's fine performance in today's show carried the day for his team.
Show loyalty to a cause or a
person
Carry the torch
He has been carrying the torch for the president for a long time
An example of
Case of
Look at Bosnia. That's a case of ethnic civil war.
/
Exchange something for money
Cash in
We decided to cash in the cheque because we needed some money.
Take advantage of, benefit from,
exploit
Cash in on
South Africa cashed in on their success with the winter Olympics.
/
Waste something valuable on
someone who doesn't appreciate
it
Cast pearls before
swine
Giving her the new apartment was casting pearls before swine.
daydreams
Castles in the air
Ali is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic.
Unable to speak or reply
Cat got your tongue
When his wife revealed his secrets, he was just like cat got his tongue.
Short sleep, snooze, forty winks
Cat- nap
- 34 -
I don't feel well. I should take a cat-nap
Become sick with a cold
Catch a cold
I caught a cold because of the cold weather.
Understand, learn about
Catch on
It was difficult to catch on physics.
Stop to rest and regain one's
normal breathing
Catch one's breath
After running two miles I stopped to catch my breath.
Take a nap, take some sleep
Catch some Z's
You look tired, Salah. Why don't you catch some Z's?
Attract one's attention, get
noticed
Catch someone's eye
When Rose walked in the room, she caught everybody's eye. She looked
stunning.
Become even with
Catch up with
I can't catch up with the rest of the class. They're very intelligent.
See you later
Catch you later
Sally, I've got to go. Catch you later, bye.
()
Not having enough of something
when you need it
Caught short
I was caught short last week and couldn't pay the weekly food bill.
Give in, collapse
Cave in
The company finally caved in to the union's demand for salaries
increase.
Score, gain, record, mark up
Chalk up
The stock market chalked up a big gain last week.
Change one's decision
Change one's mind
Majed has changed his mind, and he would not go to the party tonight.
Make a change in one's opinions
or position
Change one's tune
Majed has changed his tune recently and agreed that we need to do
things differently.
Be unfaithful to someone
Cheat on (someone)
- 35 -
He began cheating on his wife a year ago.
Depart, leave
Check out
I checked out of the Regency hotel at 11:00.
Scold, reprimand, yell at
Chew out (someone)
The platoon commander chewed out the cadet for talking in the class.
Coward, gutless
Chicken
You can't count on Ramie. He's a chicken.
A small amount of money
Chicken feed
The money he paid for his house was chicken feed compared to the
amount of money that he has in the Housing bank.
Calm down, relax
Chill out
The policeman to the old man: "chill out and we'll find your car".
Chip in, Join in, interject
Chime in
While we were having a nice conversation, he chimed in and started
complaining about the new firm.
Be proud
Chin up
Chin up, the whole nation counts on you chaps, the sergeant told his
soldiers.
Contribute, share the expense
Chip in
We all chipped in and bought a new bungalow.
Person who looks or acts like
one of his parents
Chip off the old block
Osama is a chip off the old block and acts exactly like his father.
Picky, selective, not easy,
difficult to please
Choosy
I don't like to go shopping with Maysa. She is choosy.
Easy task
Cinch
I finished the test quickly. It was a cinch.
Become tongue tied, stop talking
Clam up
She clammed up as soon as her teacher entered the class room.
Appeal for, cry out for
Clamor for
- 36 -
When the foreign minister found out that he was under threat, he
clamored for the prime minister's office.
In clear, clean
Clean as a whistle
After inspecting his car, Sami was found as clean as a whistle.
The assurance that an animal or
person is healthy
Clean bill of health
The UN volunteer was given a clean bill of health before he began work.
/
Behave yourself, stop behaving
badly
Clean up your act
My father told me to clean up my act. I think he saw me behaving badly.
Calm down, remove a
misunderstanding
Clear the air
My father and John had a big argument so I think it is time to clear the
air.
Settle, no clouds left
Clear up
The sky cleared up in two hours.
Sports/ events/ contest or a story
of which the end is uncertain
Cliffhanger
The table tennis tournament was a cliffhanger and one of the most
enjoyable games of the year.
Be so bored that you become
anxious and frustrated
Climb the wall
Yasmeen began to climb the wall after only a few days at her new job.
Cheat
Clip
- Be careful or they will clip you at that restaurant.
Narrow escape, an accident
almost happens
Close call/ shave
I had a close call this morning when the truck hit me
In adjacent places
Close quarters
The new HQs must be in close quarters.
Come together for fighting
united, work together
Close ranks
- 37 -
They decided to close ranks and stop arguing among themselves close to
home.
Not pay attention to something
important
Cloth-eared
Do not try to explain to Jiff. He is a cloth-eared.
Old car
Clunker
- I can't go on a date in that clunker.
No danger is in sight, no one can
see you
Coast is clear
When the coast was clear we decided to enter the building
Over confident, arrogant
Cocky
Nobody likes her. She is an absolutely cocky.
Become afraid, reluctant to do
something, lack confidence
(to have ) Cold feet
Hajji had cold feet at the last minute and didn't jump out of the plane.
Someone who shows no
emotions, very aloof, dull
Cold fish
You can't marry Alfred. He's such a cold fish and no one likes or even
trusts him.
My date was a cold fish.
A look without friendliness,
unkind look
Cold look
Adam gave me a cold look when I arrived in Boston. I felt like he didn't
want to see me.
Not warm, unfriendly reception
Cold welcome
Zalaya received a cold welcome of his people when he returned to his
country.
A thing or a person of a very
great importance or ability
Colossus
Mozart is a colossus among composers.
Interesting detail, vividness
Colour
Murad's description of the area is full of colour.
- 38 -
Have a fall, meet with a failure
Come a cropper
John is sad because he has come a cropper in his final exam.
Encounter, find something or
meet someone unexpectedly
Come across somebody
Last week I came across one of my university friends.
Please repeat, say that again
Come again
Come again, I didn't hear you the first time.
I said I found your keys.
Make progress, thrive, proceed
Come along
The work on our company is coming along very well now.
Come, arrive
Come along
When the right opportunity comes along, I'll take it.
Return to one's memory, flood
back
Come back
The events of the past are slowly coming back to me.
Prevent somebody from having
or doing something
Come between
somebody and
something
Rashid never lets anything comes between him and his projects.
Get, obtain, acquire
Come by
The manager came by a lot of money and is now enjoying her life.
A lowering in status/ income/
influence or energy
Come-down
The general's new position was a real comedown.
Get tough on, scold or punish
severely
Come down hard on
At 7:30 last night, the police were coming down hard on some robbers.
See the reality of every day life
Come down to earth
Dear, I will buy a palace and a BMW and I'll lend you 20000 $.
Come down to earth. You haven't won the lotto yet.
(.. )
To get (an illness, etc.)
Come down with
I think I'm coming down with swine flu.
Be a native of place
Come from
Many students in my school come from Kuwait.
- 39 -
Present yourself, step forward
Come forward
The judge asked the witness to come forward.
Arrive, become fashionable
Come in
Long hair for men came in the seventies.
Become fashionable
Come into fashion
Rania says that, although BELL-pants have come into fashion again she
will never wear them.
18
( )
Reach adult status, become fully
established
Come of age
Once you come of age, you are responsible for your actions.
Succeed, happen, go according
to plan
Come off
The conference came off without any problems.
Stop it, give it up
Come off it
Come off it! You don't have a chance of winning the final match.
Say, confess, make known
Come out with
The thief has recently come out with many strange facts.
Become evident
Come over
After the turbulence, a new restlessness came over the plane passengers.
Amount, equal
Come to
The car I bought came to 6000 JD.
Awaken, regain consciousness
Come to
Nabila came to a couple of hours ago.
Be discovered, become known
Come to light
It has recently come to light that the chief has lost his job.
End in failure, fail, go wrong
Come to nothing
All Hussein's efforts to help his sister find a job in Dhofar came to
nothing.
Begin to think clearly or act
sensibly
Come to one's senses
Shelbaieh finally came to his senses and decided to join the national
- 40 -
football team.
Reach an agreement
Come to terms
We came to terms with the negotiators and solved the problem.
Take five, take a break, take a
breather
Come up for air
- You have to come up for air or you will die from exhaustion.
Produce, find a thought, invent
Come up with
Please try to come up with a name for the new grammar book.
Deserve, be worthy of
Command
Great leaders command our respect.
)
( :
Wish, ready to obey
Command
Your wish is my command.
Bring something into operation
(be) Commissioned
The nuclear plant is expected to be commissioned in two years.
A friendly manner with
everyone
Common touch
Qasim has a nice common touch and everyone likes him.
Spacious, roomy
Commodious
I bought a new commodious cupboard.
Range, scope
Compass
Some issues are beyond the compass of the human mind.
Legal authority
Competence
Some matters are beyond the competence of the court.
Make up, consist of
Compose of
Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen
Cheat, swindle
Con
- Don't try to con me.
Fall asleep, doze off
Conk out
As soon as we returned from the hike I conked out in front of the TV.
Be planned, happen as a result of
plotting
Cook(ing)
- 41 -
Everyone is being secretive. There is something cooking.
/
Ruin one's chances
Cook one's goose
Ghazi really cooked his own goose and has no chance of getting the new
job.
Falsify accounts, cheat
Cook the books
Fred was in Gail because he had cooked the books and changed the facts.
Invent, plan, put something
together
Cook up
I don't know what plan Suha is cooking up but it should be quite
interesting.
Very calm and brave, not
worried or anxious
Cool as cucumber
Mr. Brown was as cool as cucumber when he knew that his car was
damaged in an accident.
Relax, take it easy, calm down
Cool it
Cool it. You needn't be that upset.
Imitator
Copy-cat
Mr. Jeff is a great copy-cat.
To be very expensive
Cost an arm and a leg
The barn cost an arm and a leg but I think it was worth the money.
Lazy person, idle
Couch potato
- He is a couch potato.
include
Count in
Please, count Ronza in if you are visiting Spain next summer.
Depend on
Count on
You can never count on him to do anything right.
Exclude, dismiss
Count out
count Sam out if he doesn't like to go to Spain
()
Protect them
Cover one's back
I'm going to enter that house. Cover my back.
Hide, not say where he/she has
been or what one has done
Cover one's tracks
Bell was trying to cover his tracks but it was easy to find his safe house.
Fin de l'extrait de 210 pages
- haut de page
- Citation du texte
- Awni Etaywe (Auteur), 2017, Essential English idioms and multipart verbs, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/353467
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