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1100 Words - Idioms
Idioms
45
English
Undergraduate 3
11/01/2014
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Term
to eat humble pie
 Definition
to admit your error and apologize
Term
a pig in a poke
 Definition
an item you purchase without having seen; a disappointment
Term
a flash in the pan
 Definition
promising at the start but then disappointing
Term
to pour oil on troubled waters
 Definition
to make peace, to calm someone down
Term
the sword of Damocles
 Definition
any imminent danger (pg 8)
Term
Pyrrhic victory
 Definition
a too costly victory (pg 9)
Term
a wet blanket
 Definition
one who spoils the fun
Term
to beard the lion in his den
 Definition
to visit and oppose a person on his own grounds
Term
crocodile tears
 Definition
insincere tears
Term
to carry the day
 Definition
to win the approval of the majority
Term
skid row
 Definition
disreputable part of town, inhabited by derelicts and people "on the skid"
Term
to go up in smoke
 Definition
to come to no practical result
Term
to throw down the gauntlet
 Definition
to challenge someone (pg 20)
Term
feeling no pain
 Definition
drunk
Term
Hobson's choice
 Definition
to have no choice at all (pg 22)
Term
to rule the roost
 Definition
to be in charge, to be master
Term
stock in trade
 Definition
the goods, tools, and other requisites of a profession
Term
to take down a peg
 Definition
to take the conceit out of a braggart (pg 28)
Term
to pass the buck
 Definition
evade responsibility (pg 29)
Term
to lionize a person
 Definition
to make a big fuss over someone
Term
I'm from Missouri
 Definition
a skeptic, one who is not easily convinced
Term
red-letter day
 Definition
day of happiness, time for rejoicing (pg 34)
Term
to let sleeping dogs lie
 Definition
to let well enough alone, avoid stirring up old hostilities
Term
thumb's down
 Definition
signal of rejection (pg 36)
Term
cause celebre
 Definition
a famous law case or controversy
Term
one swallow does not make a summer
 Definition
don't jump to conclusions bsed on incomplete evidence
Term
a bitter pill to swallow
 Definition
a humiliating defeat
Term
an ax to grind
 Definition
having a selfish motive in the background
Term
sour grapes
 Definition
to disparage something that you cannot have (pg 45)
Term
to swap horses in midstream
 Definition
to vote against a candidate running for reelection, to change one's mind
Term
to cool one's heels
 Definition
to be kept waiting
Term
a red herring
 Definition

something that diverts attention from the main issue

(pg 48)
Term
to spill the beans
 Definition
to give away a secret
Term
to keep a stiff upper lip
 Definition
to be courageous in the face of trouble
Term
to have cold feet
 Definition
to hesitate because of fear or uncertainty
Term
to look a gift horse in the mouth
 Definition
to be critical of a present (pg 56)
Term
to pay the piper
 Definition
to bear the consequences
Term
on the carpet
 Definition
being scolded
Term
to show one's hand
 Definition
to reveal one's intentions
Term
to tilt at windmills
 Definition
to fight imaginary enemies
Term
to feather one's nest
 Definition
grow rich by taking advantage of circumstances
Term
fair-weather friends
 Definition
unreliable, they fail one in time of distress
Term
to sow one's wild oats
 Definition
to lead a wild, carefree life
Term
windfall
 Definition
unexpected financial gain
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