Some colloquial Idioms

V.I.P

1) BITETHE DUST - to fail; to fall to defeat; to die
e.g: Noone could believe when Jim bitethe dust since he was among the top ten players in thetournament.
2) COUCHPOTATO - someone who is not very active and spends a lot of time watching TV
e.g: Manychildren are becoming couchpotatoes from playing video games all day long.
3) DO THETRICK - to provide what is necessary to get a good result or to have thedesired effect
e.g:"A little more salt should dothe trick", Mary thought to herself after she tasted thestew she had just cooked for dinner.
4) DRYRUN - a practice or rehearsal of an activity or performance
e.g: Inorder to make sure everything would go as planned the band decided to make a dry run.
5) GETSOMETHING OFF ONE'S CHEST - to tell someone about something that has beenworrying and/or annoying you
e.g:"Why don't you tell me what is bothering you? You will feel a lot betterafter you get it offyour chest." Mick told Jim
6) HEARTHROUGH THE GRAPEVINE - to hear news that has been passed from one person toanother
e.g: Thewhole town heardthrough the grapevine that Melissa was pregnant.
7) IN ANUTSHELL - very briefly; using as few words as possible
e.g:Without long explanations the boss wanted to know the problems, in a nutshell.
JUMPON THE BANDWAGON - to join or to take a popular position or side
e.g: Oncethe Caribbean became a popular vacation spot, everybody seemed to jump on the bandwagonand want to spend theit vacations there.
9) ONCEIN A BLUE MOON - very rarely; hardly ever
e.g:Harry rrarely visits his in-laes as they live so far away. He only sees them once in a blue moon.
10) ON ASHOESTRING - on a very tight budget
e.g: Inorder to travel to Europe ona shoestring you need to where the cheap places are.
11) PULL STRINGS- to use your influence to get something
e.g:Roger knows lots of influential people who can pull strings for him.
12) RINGA BELL - to remind one of something; to seem familiar
e.g:"Does the name Wally ringa bell?" Dave asked Mark.
13) TAKEA RAIN CHECK - to postpone until a later time
e.g:Sean: How about dinner tonight?
Beth: I'm sorry. I can't tonight. Can I takea rain check?
14) TALKSHOP - to talk about work or business during free time
e.g: Nomatter where he is the boss always wants to talk shop.
15) WEARONE'S HEART ON ONE'S SLEEVE - to show one's feelings openly
e.g: Joanhas always worn herheart on her sleeve. She cannot hide her feelings.
16)DRESSED TO KILL – attractively attired; very well dressed
e.g:“I've never seen Jill dressedto kill like this before... Do you know where she is going?”,Frank asked Tom.
17) FACETHE MUSIC – to experience criticism or punishment for something you have done.
e.g: Youknow that if you screw up you’ll have to facethe music, don’t you?
18) GET AKICK OUT OF – to enjoy something greatly
e.g: “Didyou like the movie?” “Oh, yeah. I gota kick out of it!”
19) GETTHE PICTURE – to understand a situation
e.g: Youdon’t have to explain anymore, I getthe picture.
20) HAVEONE’S HANDS FULL – to be very busy
e.g: Withfour kids to raise, Sally surely hasher hands full.
21) HAVESOMEONE WRAPPED AROUND ONE’S FINGER – to have complete control over someone
e.g: Hatealways has her way with Louis. She hashim wrapped around her fingers.
22) HEADOVER HEELS – to be totally in love
e.g: Maryhas fallen head overheels for Jack.
23) KICKTHE BUCKET – to die
e..g:“Did you hear old Mr. Owen kickedthe bucket? He had a stroke or something.”
24)KILLJOY – someone who spoils other people’s fun or pleasure
e.g:“Don’t be such a killjoy”,Janet told her husband. “The kids are only having a little fun!”
25) LIVEIT UP – enjoy life
e.g:You’ve worked so hard for so long. Don’t you think it’s time to live it up a little?
26) A BEDOF ROSES - an easy life
e.g:"Do you think my life is abed of roses?", Rachel asked her friends when they jokinlysuggested she had an easy life.
27) ADROP IN THE BUCKET - a very small amount compared to what we really needed
e.g: Ifyou count all the rich people in the world they are just a drop in the bucketin comparison to the world's population.
28) ASIGHT FOR SORE EYES - someone or something that you are pleased to see
e.g:Check out that girl. She sure is asight for sore eyes.
29) ALIVEAND KICKING - full of energy; active
e.g: Mr.Henderson is alive andkicking even though he's already ninety years old.
30) BE INSOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES - to experience someone's life
e.g: I wouldn't like to bein your shoes when Terry finds out you crashed his car!
31) BETHE APPLE OF SOMEONE'S EYE - to be someone's favorite
e.g:Everyone knows that Suzy isthe apple of Mr. Clark's eye.
32) TOBARK UP THE WRONG TREE - to have a wrong idea; to complain to the wrong person
e.g:"You're barkingup the wrong tree", Tony tried to explain to his friends."I had nothing to do with what happened."
33) BLOWONE'S TOP - to become very angry; lose one's temper
e.g: WhenHelen saw the mess her kids had made, she blew her top and hold them to clean itup immediately.
34) BURNTHE MIDNIGHT OIL - to stay up late working or studying
e.g: Withfinal exams coming, I think I'll have toburn the midnight oil this week.
35) CATCHSOMEONE RED-HANDED - to catch someone doing something wrong
e.g: Phildidn't expect to becaught red-handed shoplifting in the department store.
36) at apremium

at a high price; at a relatively high price

Example: When flat-screen televisions first came out, they were selling at a premium.
37)back-of-the-envelope calculations

quick calculations; estimates using approximate numbers, instead of exactnumbers

Example: I don't need the exact numbers right now. Just give me some back-of-the-envelope calculations.

Note: This expression refers to the quick calculations one would do informally,as on the back of an envelope.

38)belt-tightening

reduction of expenses

Example: When worldwide demand for software decreased, Microsoft had to do somebelt-tightening.
39) (to)bite the bullet

to make a difficult or painful decision; to take a difficult step

Example: When demand was down, U.S. automakers had to bite the bullet andcut jobs.
Origin:This idiom comes from the military. During the Civil War in the United States,doctors sometimes ran out of whiskey for killing the pain. A bullet would beput in the wounded soldier's mouth during surgery. He would "bite thebullet" to distract him from the pain and keep him quiet so the doctorcould do his work in peace.
40)bitter pill to swallow

bad news; something unpleasant to accept

Example: After Gina spent her whole summer working as an intern for AmericanExpress, failing to get a full-time job offer from the company was a bitter pill to swallow.
41)blockbuster

a big success; a huge hit

Example: Eli Lilly made a lot of money with the prescription drug, Prozac. Itwas a real blockbuster.
Origin:This term comes from the blockbuster bombs used during World War Two by theBritish Royal Air Force. They were huge and created a large explosive force.Blockbuster ideas similarly create a big impact - and hopefully don't causedestruction like blockbuster bombs!
42)brownie points

credit for doing a good deed or for giving someone a compliment (usually a bossor teacher)

Example: Sara scored browniepoints with her boss by volunteering to organize the company'sholiday party.
Origin:The junior branch of the Girl Scouts is called the Brownies. Brownies earncredit to then earn a badge by doing good deeds and tasks. When applied toadults, the meaning is sarcastic.
43) cashcow

a product, service, or business division that generates a lot of cash for thecompany, without requiring much investment

Example: With strong sales every year and a great brand name, Mercedes is a cash cow forDaimlerChrysler.
44) (to)cash in on

to make money on; to benefit financially from

Example: Jamie Oliver, star of the TV show The Naked Chef, cashed in on hispopularity by writing cookbooks and opening restaurants.
45) (to)climb the corporate ladder

advance in one's career; the process of getting promoted and making it tosenior management

Example: You want to climbthe corporate ladder? It helps to be productive and to lookgood in front of your boss.
46) (to)compare apples to oranges

to compare two unlike things; to make an invalid comparison

Example: Comparing a night at EconoLodge with a night at the Four Seasons islike comparing applesto oranges. One is a budget motel, and the other is a luxuryhotel.
Note: Youwill also see the related expression "compare apples to apples" whichmeans to compare two things of the same type. This means that you are making avalid comparison, as opposed to when you're comparing apples to oranges