Phrasal Verb Of The Day

📒 The best things in life are free 📖Meaning We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship and good health. 📒put back (2) 📖Meaning to change the time or date of something to a later time 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We could put the meeting back a week if you like. 💬 Would you mind if we put back your appointment until April the first? 📚answer the call of nature ✍🏾Meaning If you answer the call of nature, you go to the toilet. ❗️For example 🔸Could we stop somewhere? I need to answer the call of nature. 🔸Does anyone need to answer the call of nature before we set off? 💠 junkie | junky 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a drug addict; a person obsessed with something ❕For example 🔺A lot of junkies are still being sent to jail instead of being given treatment to overcome their addiction. 🔺It's sad to see people who start out in politics with high ideals turn into power junkies. They'll do anything to stay in power, from rigging elections to arranging violence to intimidate their opponents. 📒 None so deaf as those who will not hear 📖Meaning Nobody is deafer than the person who decides he does not want to listen. Often used in reference to prejudice and intolerance. 📒order around 📖Meaning If you order people around, you tell them what to do in a bossy way. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The workers hate the way their supervisor orders them around. They say she's rude and bossy. 💬 Army recruits soon get used to being ordered around. 📚asking for trouble ✍🏾Meaning If someone is asking for trouble, they're doing something risky that could lead to a problem. ❗️For example 🔸Don't you think that working all day and then partying all night is asking for trouble? 🔸Running fast without warming up properly is asking for trouble, and could easily cause a muscle strain. 📒 No pain, no gain 📖Meaning If we do not do hard work, and suffer some pain, we will achieve or gain nothing. 📒build on (2) 📖Meaning to add a new section to a house or a building 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We need a bigger house, and we can either sell this one and buy a bigger one, or keep this one and build on. 💬 The owners wanted two extra floors and they built them on without getting approval from the council, so now they have to pull the whole building down. 📚young blood ✍🏾Meaning If you say "young blood", you mean young people who have fresh, new ideas and lots of energy. ❗️For example 🔸The company is successful because they're always bringing in young blood, and this helps them keep up with the latest fashions and ideas. 🔸The trouble with the seniority system is that it keeps young blood out of decision-making positions. 💠 geezer 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an old person ❕For example 🔺I'm late because I got stuck behind some old geezer at the bank who took ages to sort out his stuff. 🔺One day I'll be one of those old geezers who sit in the park all day playing chess and checkers. 📒follow up 📖Meaning to do something in addition to what's already been done in order to complete or continue a process or a deal 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 If you meet a new contact, make sure you get their number and follow up with a call in the next day or two. 💬 After selling something online, the website follows up with a customer satisfaction survey. 📚stick out like a sore thumb | stand out like a sore thumb ✍🏾Meaning If someone sticks out like a sore thumb, or stands out like a sore thumb, everyone notices them because they're not the same as the people around them. ❗️For example 🔸Kenny stuck out like a sore thumb at the party. He was the only person wearing a suit and a tie. 🔸When I was in the Nigerian countryside I stood out like a sore thumb. I was the only white person around. 📒 Money is the root of all evil 📖Meaning According to this saying, all immorality and wickedness is caused by money. This saying is a misquotation, and the original version ("the love of money is the root of all evil") implies that all immorality and wickedness is caused by people loving money, not by money itself. 📒take on (1) 📖Meaning If you take on something like a job, a responsibility, or anything involving a challenge, you agree to do it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Jim took on too much work, and he made himself sick with worry when he couldn't cope with it all. 💬 How much profit will we make if we take this printing job on? 📚cross that bridge when we come to it ✍🏾Meaning You can say "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" if someone mentions a problem that might occur in the future, but you want them to think about what's happening now instead. ❗️For example 🔸Martin asked what we'd do if our new company couldn't find good staff when we needed to expand, and I said we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 🔸Jenny worries too much about things that might happen in the future, so people are always saying "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" to her.

💠 washed up | washed-up 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning having failed, having lost everything ❕For example 🔺Jim used to be a successful businessman, but now that his company's gone bankrupt and he's lost everything, he's washed up. 🔺Masako was shocked by the number of washed-up, homeless people she saw on the streets of American cities. 📒 None so deaf as those who will not hear 📖Meaning Nobody is deafer than the person who decides he does not want to listen. Often used in reference to prejudice and intolerance. 📒cut out (1) 📖Meaning to remove an area of paper or cloth from a larger sheet by cutting 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My little girl likes cutting out the shapes of animals or fruits and colouring them in. 💬 She cut the recipe out and stuck it on the fridge. 📚rags to riches ✍🏾Meaning If you go from rags to riches, you start out very poor and you become very rich. ❗️For example 🔸My grandfather went from rags to riches when his dishwashing liquid became very popular. He started out making it at home, but in less than a year he had his own factory. 🔸Most of these young guys in professional basketball came from poor neighbourhoods and they all have the same rags-to-riches story. 💠 off the wall 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning eccentric, extreme, unconventional ❕For example 🔺Some of the clothes that young fashion designers create these days are so off the wall that no-one could possibly wear them in daily life. 🔺Some of Jenny's ideas seem pretty off the wall when you first hear them, but when she explains them you can see where she's coming from. 📒 Everything comes to him who waits 📖Meaning Patient people eventually receive all things. 📒whip into 📖Meaning to create strong emotions like excitement or anger, usually by giving a speech or a performance of some sort 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The protest leaders whipped the crowd into an angry mood with their speeches. 💬 Elvis Presley used to whip crowds of teenagers into a frenzy by moving his hips to the beat of the music. 📚a ballpark figure | a ballpark estimate ✍🏾Meaning If you give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate, you give a number which you think is fairly close to the actual one. ❗️For example 🔸We don't know the exact cost, but a ballpark figure would be around six million dollars. 🔸I know you can't tell me exactly when it'll be finished, but can you give me a ballpark estimate? 📒 Give a thief enough rope and he'll hang himself 📖Meaning A bad person will sooner or later be the cause of his own downfall. 📒advise of 📖Meaning If you advise someone of something, you tell them about it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 A policemen advised me of my rights and then he arrested me. 💬 Please advise us of any change of address or contact details. 📚fresh as a daisy ✍🏾Meaning If you feel as fresh as a daisy, you feel energetic and lively. ❗️For example 🔸I might look awful first thing in the morning, but after a cup of tea and a bit of meditation I'm as fresh as a daisy. 🔸George looked terrible when he got to work, so Annie said, "Fresh as a daisy this morning, are we?" and George just grunted. 📒 All truths are not to be told 📖Meaning Some truths are better left unspoken. It is not always necessary to repeat something even though it be true. 📒move in (2) 📖Meaning to move closer, especially when you're trying to attack or catch someone or something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The lioness spotted a young antelope and crouched in the grass, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill. 💬 The soldiers had to wait for the signal before moving in. 📚dot the i's and cross the t's ✍🏾Meaning If you dot the i's and cross the t's, you do something very carefully to make sure you haven't made any mistakes. ❗️For example 🔸I've nearly finished the report. I just have to go over it once more to dot the i's and cross the t's. 🔸Why can't Jerry dot the i's and cross the t's? I always find mistakes in his work. 📒 Every man has his price 📖Meaning According to this saying, all people can be bribed if you pay enough. 📒move into 📖Meaning to begin living or working in a new place, or to go into a new type of business 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I'll be busy on Saturday because I'm moving into a new apartment. 💬 We'd like to move into a new area of business, and we're thinking it might be advertising. 📚the upper hand ✍🏾Meaning If you have the upper hand, you have the advantage or you're in the stronger position in a contest or a conflict. ❗️For example 🔸With one race to go, the Ferrari team has the upper hand. If they get one of the top three places in the last race, they'll win this year's title. 🔸For many years Yahoo was the top search engine, but for the last few years Google has had the upper hand. 💠 hooker 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a female prostitute, a woman who provides sexual services for payment ❕For example 🔺When we were in Amsterdam we went to this area with heaps of hookers sitting behind windows waiting for customers. 🔺One of the best things the government did was to educate hookers about the importance of getting their clients to wear condoms to stop AIDS from spreading. 📒 Opportunity seldom knocks twice 📖Meaning Take any opportunity or chance when it comes - it may not come again. 📒break down (1) 📖Meaning If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working because of a mechanical problem. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Our bus broke down so we had to get out and wait for another one to come. 💬 Production has stopped because one of the machines at our factory has broken down. 📚kick the bucket ✍🏾Meaning If someone kicks the bucket, they die. ❗️For example 🔸When I kick the bucket, you can just bury me under a tree at the bottom of the garden. 🔸Did you see the movie "Bucket List"? It's about these two old guys who make a list of all the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. 💠 bottom 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a man who takes the passive role in gay or homosexual sex ❕For example 🔺Joey made a page about himself on a gay community website and it said he preferred bottoms aged 20 to 40. 🔺When Pedro was in a gay bar he met a guy he really liked, but it soon became clear that they were both bottoms. 📒 He that wills the end wills the means 📖Meaning If you are determined to do something you will find the way to do it 📒drop off (1) 📖Meaning to drive someone to a place they need to go to and leave them there 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Every morning I drop my kids off at school on my way to work. 💬 Sergio stopped at the mall and dropped off his mother, and then drove on to the golf course. 📚so far, so good ✍🏾Meaning You can say "so far, so good" when you're in the middle of doing something, and everything has been going well. ❗️For example 🔸Tom: "How's the new job going?" Jerry: "So far, so good." 🔸At half-time, the coach looked at his players and said, "So far, so good, but the job's not done yet. Get back out there and fight till the end." 📒 A good man is hard to find 📖Meaning This saying talks about the difficulties for women in finding a suitable male partner. 📒inject into 📖Meaning to add something positive in order to make something work better 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The band had become a bit flat, but the introduction of a percussionist injected some much-needed dynamism into their sound. 💬 The government is trying to inject some confidence into the market. 📚cross that bridge when we come to it ✍🏾Meaning You can say "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" if someone mentions a problem that might occur in the future, but you want them to think about what's happening now instead. ❗️For example 🔸Martin asked what we'd do if our new company couldn't find good staff when we needed to expand, and I said we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 🔸Jenny worries too much about things that might happen in the future, so people are always saying "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" to her. 📒 Necessity is the mother of invention 📖Meaning If we absolutely need to do something that has never been done, we will find a way to do it. It is this need or necessity that forces people to invent things. 📒go down (2) 📖Meaning to be received in a certain way, or to create a certain reaction 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I think your speech went down really well. People looked really interested. 💬 The manager's request that workers help the company by doing overtime for no pay didn't go down very well.

📚(like) water off a duck's back ✍🏾Meaning You can say an insult or criticism is like water off a duck's back if it doesn't upset you. ❗️For example 🔸I asked Amy if she got upset when journalists wrote negative things about her, and she said she didn't care what they wrote - it was like water off a duck's back. 🔸Terry said he was too sensitive about criticism and he wanted to be like one of those people for whom it's like water off a duck's back. 💠 merry 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning slightly and happily drunk ❕For example 🔺We all got a little merry at the Christmas party, but luckily the booze ran out before anyone got properly drunk. 🔺After his third glass of wine he began to feel quite merry. 📒 Opportunity only knocks once 📖Meaning We should take an opportunity (or chance) when it comes. According to this saying, it will not come again. 📒go down (3) 📖Meaning When the sun or the moon goes down, it gets lower and lower in the sky until it disappears below the horizon. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 What time does the sun go down? 💬 We sat on the beach and watched the sun go down. 📚zero tolerance ✍🏾Meaning If something is given zero tolerance, it won't be accepted even once. ❗️For example 🔸Because of the school's zero-tolerance policy, our boy was expelled for smoking just one cigarette. 🔸How can a society based on Christian morals and forgiveness of sin have a zero-tolerance approach to petty crime? 💠 intro 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning introduction ❕For example 🔺When you read the book, don't skip the intro. It gives a lot of useful background information. 🔺What did you think of the intro to the song? Do you think it went on too long, or was it just about right? 📒make over (1) 📖Meaning to officially transfer ownership of something to someone 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Frank made most of his estate over to an educational foundation for homeless kids. 💬 Margaret agreed to make her collection of paintings over to the town's art gallery. 📚with flying colours | colors ✍🏾Meaning If you pass a test with flying colours, you pass it easily and get high marks. ❗️For example 🔸Our daughter Rosie was really worried about her history exam, but in the end she passed it with flying colours. We're very proud of her. 🔸I was given a tough assignment at work this week, and today the boss told me it was really just a test. He also said I passed with flying colors. 💠 geezer 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an old person ❕For example 🔺I'm late because I got stuck behind some old geezer at the bank who took ages to sort out his stuff. 🔺One day I'll be one of those old geezers who sit in the park all day playing chess and checkers. 📒 It is best to be on the safe side 📖Meaning 1) Don't take risks. Be careful and cautious. 2) It's best to be sure. It's best to be absolutely certain. 📒speak up (1) 📖Meaning to speak louder 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I'm sorry, but I can't hear you. Would you mind speaking up a bit, please? 💬 If you can't hear her, just ask her to speak up a little. 📚now or never ✍🏾Meaning If you say it's now or never, you mean that something has to be done now or it can't be done at all. ❗️For example 🔸The band is going to break up after this tour, so if you want to see them perform, it's now or never. 🔸It was my last day with the company, so it was now or never. I went up to Jenny and asked her out on a date. 💠 yummy 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning delicious ❕For example 🔺I peeled a big juicy mango, chopped it up, and then covered the pieces with coconut yoghurt. It was really yummy! 🔺Jenny said they had this amazing fruit in Thailand called durian. It has a tough skin covered with sharp spikes, and it smells pretty bad, but inside there's this incredibly yummy flesh that tastes a bit like rich, creamy custard. 📒 Crime doesn't pay 📖Meaning If you engage in illegal activities, you will not make money in the long run. 📒stand by (1) 📖Meaning If you're standing by, you're ready to do something or help somebody. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The airport's rescue team stands by around the clock in case there is a fire or a plane crash. 💬 A doctor is always standing by at the boxing stadium in case one of the fighters needs medical attention. 📚from time to time ✍🏾Meaning If you do something from time to time, you do it occasionally, but not very often. ❗️For example 🔸We usually stay home on Friday nights, though from time to time we'll go to see a movie. 🔸Most of the artists we represent these days are nothing special, but from time to time we'll get one with real talent and originality. 📒 If you play with fire you get burned 📖Meaning If you fool around with something that is potentially dangerous, you must expect to get harmed. 📒juice up 📖Meaning to make something more exciting, more impressive, or more powerful 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We need to juice up our marketing campaign with some really exciting and sexy advertisements. 💬 The television network has employed a team of script writers to juice the show up because it's losing more and more viewers. 📚safe and sound ✍🏾Meaning If you are safe and sound, nothing has harmed you even though you could have been in danger. ❗️For example 🔸It was a dangerous journey but luckily we all got back safe and sound. 🔸The package took a long time to get here, but it arrived safe and sound in the end. 📒 Many a true word is spoken in jest 📖Meaning Something said as a joke may often contain wisdom and truth. 📒get away 📖Meaning to leave a place 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I had the fish on the line, but just as I was getting it out of the water, it fell back in and got away. 💬 I wanted to join you for dinner, but I just couldn't get away. There was too much going on in the office. 📚the upper crust ✍🏾Meaning If you are one of the upper crust, you are a member of society's highest class. ❗️For example 🔸If Laura was really part of the upper crust, she wouldn't need to borrow money all the time, would she? 🔸Marge does a great imitation of an upper-crust "society queen". It's really funny, and her upper-crust accent is perfect. 💠 threads 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning clothes ❕For example 🔺Check out Terry's new threads. He looks really sharp in that outfit. 🔺Those threads Jack's wearing look pretty expensive. 📒 We must learn to walk before we can run 📖Meaning We have to be patient when learning. Babies crawl before they walk. And children walk before they run. We cannot do difficult tasks before we can do easy tasks.

📒nut out 📖Meaning If you nut something out, you solve a problem or you calculate something. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We're having a meeting with the marketing department to nut out the best way to promote the new model. 💬 It's a tough problem, but we've got a better chance of nutting it out if we work on it together. 📚a pat on the back ✍🏾Meaning You've given someone a pat on the back if you've told them they've done something well, or done a good job. ❗️For example 🔸Don't you think Salim deserves a pat on the back for his report? Why don't you tell him it was excellent work? 🔸Our boss doesn't often praise us for our work, so if he gives you a pat on the back for something, you've really earned it. 💠 Aussie 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning Australian, Australia ❕For example 🔺My mate Bruce says he's a typical Aussie because he likes beer, sports, mates, cars and girls, in that order. 🔺Have you ever seen Aussie Rules football? It's a bit like rugby, but much faster and more spectacular. 📒 Never speak ill of the dead 📖Meaning Show respect to people who have died by not saying anything bad about them. Since dead people can no longer hurt us, or defend themselves, it is better to forget their bad actions and remember only their good ones. 📒run away (2) 📖Meaning If children or teenagers run away, they leave home without telling their parents or guardians. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 When he was a kid, Pedro got angry with his parents and ran away from home. 💬 Many young people run away because they're being sexually abused by a family member. 📚face to face ✍🏾Meaning If people meet face to face, they meet in person in the real world. ❗️For example 🔸We became friends after meeting online in a chat room, but we've never actually met face to face. 🔸We always need to have a face-to-face interview with a job applicant before making a final decision. 💠 jerk 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a stupid person ❕For example 🔺Ted was being a real jerk at the party. He was hitting on all the girls, even if their boyfriends were right there with them. 🔺He's usually a nice guy, but if he drinks too much alcohol he turns into a jerk. 📒try out 📖Meaning to test something to see what it's like, or to see if it works properly 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I saw these new headphones in a shop today and I tried them out. They sounded great, but they were really expensive. 💬 I tried out this new meditation technique this morning, and it's great. I've felt really good all day. 📚quick on the trigger | quick on the draw ✍🏾Meaning If you are quick on the trigger, or quick on the draw, you act quickly when solving problems or answering questions. ❗️For example 🔸Our smartest students are very quick on the trigger when they're doing class quizzes. 🔸Some people think the coach is too quick on the draw when it comes to pulling players off the court when they make a mistake. 💠 fix (1) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to influence the result of a contest, a vote, or a race by illegal or unethical means ❕For example 🔺The result of the football game was fixed by a group of gamblers who bribed the referee to make decisions that favoured one team. 🔺The fixing of matches, or match-fixing, has been a problem in sports such as boxing and soccer. 📒 Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear 📖Meaning 1.Speaking about the Devil may invite him to come. 2. We often say "Talk of the devil!" (or "Speak of the devil!") when somebody that we have just been speaking about suddenly appears. 📒run away (2) 📖Meaning If children or teenagers run away, they leave home without telling their parents or guardians. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 When he was a kid, Pedro got angry with his parents and ran away from home. 💬 Many young people run away because they're being sexually abused by a family member. 📚just shy of ✍🏾Meaning You can say something is just shy of an amount if it's just short of that amount. ❗️For example 🔸Luckily our boxer's weight is just shy of 60 kilos. If he was over 60 kilos, he couldn't fight. 🔸We've counted the bricks and there are just shy of a thousand. 💠 acid 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning the potent hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD ❕For example 🔺The first time Virginia took a tab of acid, she went a bit crazy and thought she could fly. She was in hospital for three months after jumping off a building. 🔺Acid is a very powerful drug, and it can be very dangerous. 📒 Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are 📖Meaning This proverb suggests that like minds stick together. If I know who your friends are, I know what your character is. 📒read out 📖Meaning if you read something out, you read it aloud so everyone can hear it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The prisoners listened as the warder read out their names and numbers. 💬 Mario was proud when his teacher asked him to read out his poem so everyone could hear it. 📚run-of-the-mill ✍🏾Meaning Something is run-of-the-mill if it is ordinary and nothing special. ❗️For example 🔸There wasn't much on TV so we just watched some run-of-the-mill old cowboy movie. 🔸I don't know why he won the competition. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't anything special either; just a run-of-the-mill singer as far as I could see. 💠 dope (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a stupid person, a fool ❕For example 🔺How come those dopes who work in the U.S. Treasury didn't realise what was going on? 🔺Max says the problem with democracy is that there are too many dopes out there, and they'll only vote for someone they can relate to, meaning another dope. 📒 Money is a good servant, but a bad master 📖Meaning If you have money, it will serve you and work for you well. But if you owe money to other people, that money will control you in an unpleasant way. 📒come off (2) 📖Meaning to result in the intended outcome 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Sarah's scheme to get rich quick by marrying a rich man didn't come off. After marrying a guy from Saudi Arabia, she found out he was actually very poor. 💬 Barry's plan to make millions by writing a popular novel didn't come off because he wasn't a very good writer. 📚rags to riches ✍🏾Meaning If you go from rags to riches, you start out very poor and you become very rich. ❗️For example 🔸My grandfather went from rags to riches when his dishwashing liquid became very popular. He started out making it at home, but in less than a year he had his own factory. 🔸Most of these young guys in professional basketball came from poor neighbourhoods and they all have the same rags-to-riches story. 💠 in the know 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning If someone is "in the know", they know something that only a few people are aware of. ❕For example 🔺Maggie is close to the Prime Minister, so she's usually in the know when it comes to the government's latest plans. 🔺Before you buy your new computer, ask David about getting a good deal. He's in the know about all that stuff. 📒hang out (2) 📖Meaning to spend time in a certain place, or with certain people 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After school, most of the kids hang out in front of the mall. 💬 I'm worried about my son. He's started hanging out with kids who smoke and drink. 📚a flash in the pan ✍🏾Meaning You can say something or someone is a flash in the pan if they're popular or effective for a short time only. ❗️For example 🔸Her first song was a big hit, but when Debbie's next song didn't do so well people started calling her a flash in the pan. 🔸Dave says he doesn't mind being called a flash in the pan because he still gets money for the book he wrote, even though he never wrote another one.

💠 busted 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to be charged with a criminal offence ❕For example 🔺Our neighbours were busted for possessing marijuana and speed pills after the cops raided their house last night. 🔺The cops raided a bar in Washington and the president's daughter was busted for under-age drinking. She was let off with a warning. 📒 Cleanliness is next to godliness 📖Meaning This (humorous) saying suggests that being clean is nearly as good as being godly or very holy. Note: cleanliness (noun) = the state of being clean | godly (adj) = very religious; devout; pious Quick 📒knock out (2) 📖Meaning If you knock somebody out, you impress them very much with something you do, or something you make. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I just heard Kanye's new album and it really knocked me out. It's got some great songs on it. 💬 Don't worry! You'll knock everyone out with your presentation. It's brilliant! 📚par for the course ✍🏾Meaning If something is par for the course, it's what you'd expect it to be. ❗️For example 🔸Bill hasn't paid his rent on time, but that's par for the course. He's always late. 🔸I had an appointment to see my doctor at three but I had to wait an hour. I know waiting is par for the course when it comes to doctors, but it still annoys me. 💠 rap (1) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to talk together in a relaxed way (v.) | a relaxed talk (n.) ❕For example 🔺After most people had left the party, Mandy and a couple of her friends sat around rapping about their lives and loves. 🔺Let's get together after work for a few drinks and a rap about football. 📒 Truth will out 📖Meaning In the end, what is true will come to be known. The truth always appears eventually, despite all efforts to hide it. It is impossible to keep something secret forever. 📒part with 📖Meaning to give something to someone else, especially when you'd prefer to keep it 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Mark hated parting with his collection of rare books, but he really needed the money he got by selling them. 💬 Mum didn't want to part with our baby clothes or our old school books, but we made her get rid of them. 📚up in arms ✍🏾Meaning If you are up in arms, you are angry about something that you think is unfair or wrong. ❗️For example 🔸The taxi drivers are up in arms about the new tax on LPG. 🔸Many people expected smokers to be up in arms over the smoking ban, but most of them seem to have accepted it. 💠 beef 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a conflict with someone; a complaint against someone ❕For example 🔺Kenny said he's got a beef with me, so I asked him what the problem was. 🔺Rappers always seem to have beefs with one another, but most people think they stage these conflicts for the publicity. 📒 There's no such thing as a free lunch 📖Meaning We cannot get something for nothing. We must pay for everything. Nothing in life is free. 📒mark off (1) 📖Meaning If you mark off items on a list, you mark each one after you've dealt with it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Check the guest list and mark off each person's name when they arrive. 💬 Bingo players each have a card with numbers on it and if one of their numbers is called out, they mark it off. 📚in any case ✍🏾Meaning You can say "in any case" before giving an additional reason for doing or not doing something, or instead of saying "anyway". ❗️For example 🔸I don't need a car, and in any case I can't afford one now. 🔸I can't go to the dance club tonight, and in any case I'm far too old for that sort of thing. 💠 jack (1) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to steal ❕For example 🔺Nicky jacked a bottle of beer from the liquor store. 🔺Someone busted into my place today and jacked my damn computer! 📒 No news is good news 📖Meaning If we are waiting for news about someone, it's probably good if we hear nothing because "bad news" would arrive quickly. 📒instil in 📖Meaning to condition someone to follow a certain belief or to behave in a certain way 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Sasha thinks Asian cultures instil in people a consideration for the feelings of others, while Western cultures tend to instil in people more of a concern for their own feelings. 💬 We try to make our education system instil in students a life-long love of learning. 💠 nick (1) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to steal something ❕For example 🔺I left my bike in front of the bank while I went inside to pay some bills. When I came back out it was gone. Some bastard had nicked it! 🔺Did you ever nick money from your mum's purse when you were a kid? 📒 Money is the root of all evil 📖Meaning According to this saying, all immorality and wickedness is caused by money. This saying is a misquotation, and the original version ("the love of money is the root of all evil") implies that all immorality and wickedness is caused by people loving money, not by money itself. 📒freak out 📖Meaning If someone freaks out, they get very scared or upset by something. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 When I saw a snake while I was having a shower, I freaked out and ran from the bathroom completely naked. 💬 After smoking some marijuana, Harry started freaking out when he thought everyone was laughing at him. 📚keep something at bay ✍🏾Meaning If you keep something at bay, you stop something that could be a problem for you from getting too close or from getting worse. ❗️For example 🔸We kept the flood waters at bay by building a wall of sandbags around our house. 🔸A good way to keep your feelings of anxiety at bay is to meditate or do some sort of relaxation technique. 📒 Least said soonest mended 📖Meaning When we do or say something bad to someone, a long apology and discussion does not help. In such a case, the less we say the better. Note: alas = bad luck; pity; tough; regrettable 📚down to earth ✍🏾Meaning If someone is down to earth, they are practical and sensible. ❗️For example 🔸Steven is an artist and a real dreamer, but luckily his wife Sarah is down to earth, so she takes care of their day-to-day lives. 🔸We need someone who can come up with practical, down-to-earth ideas that we can work with in the real world. 📒 If the stone fall upon the egg, alas for the egg! If the egg fall upon the stone, alas for the egg! 📖Meaning Life just isn't fair, and this realistic Arab proverb recognizes that. The stone will always break the egg. Life's like that! Note: alas = bad luck; pity; tough; regrettable 📚work like a charm ✍🏾Meaning If something works like a charm, it works very well. ❗️For example 🔸I tried adding coconut milk to the curry as you suggested, and it worked like a charm. It was really delicious. 🔸If you feel stressed, lie on the floor and imagine you're on a tropical beach listening to the waves lapping on the shore. It works like a charm for me. 💠 abortion 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a total failure ❕For example 🔺The government's housing project was a complete abortion. It cost millions and it didn't help anyone. 🔺The election ended up being a total abortion thanks to vote buying. 📒 Where there's muck there's money 📖Meaning There is money to be made in dirt and dirty jobs. For example, many people have made fortunes by processing rubbish or waste materials. 📒shake off 📖Meaning to get rid of something that's causing you problems, such as a sickness, a fear, a bad image, a bad reputation, etc. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I've had this cold for nearly two weeks and I just can't shake it off. 💬 James wants to shake off the image he has of being a bully and a tough guy. 📚have a soft spot for ✍🏾Meaning If you have a soft spot for someone or something, you feel a warm affection for them. ❗️For example 🔸I don't know why, but I've always had a soft spot for Uncle George. 🔸Margaret can't see a stray cat without taking it home. She has a real soft spot for them. 💠 throw up 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to vomit ❕For example 🔺Hank got so drunk last night that he was throwing up in the bathroom. 🔺Oh no! My cat has thrown up on my new Persian carpet. 📒 Once bitten, twice shy 📖Meaning If an animal (such as a dog) bites you one time, you will be extra careful the next time. This saying talks about learning from our mistakes.

📒drag on 📖Meaning to continue for longer than seems necessary or usual 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 His speech seemed to drag on for hours. People were yawning and looking at their watches, but he still kept going! 💬 The case dragged on for many years because the defendant's lawyers kept appealing to higher and higher courts. 📚neck and neck ✍🏾Meaning If two competitors are running neck and neck in a race, they are almost level. ❗️For example 🔸Nearly all the votes have been counted and the two candidates are still neck and neck, so we don't know who's won the election yet. 🔸The horses were neck and neck as they crossed the finishing line, so the judges have called for a photo. 💠 chill | chill out 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to relax and take it easy ❕For example 🔺Mark was really upset about not getting the job, so we told him to chill and forget about it. 🔺I'm just gonna chill out at home tonight and watch a movie. 📒 Fortune knocks once at every man's door 📖Meaning We all get at least one good opportunity in life; everybody has the opportunity to be successful in life. 📒invest in (1) 📖Meaning to put your energy and resources into something that you think will help you to achieve your goal 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Kylie had invested a huge amount of time and work in her singing career, and at last it was paying off for her. 💬 People who invest their time and money in helping others who are not so fortunate in life say they get a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment from doing so.

📚Things are looking up. ✍🏾Meaning You can say "things are looking up" if things are improving. ❗️For example 🔸John: "Is business getting any better?" Barry: "Well, things are looking up, but it still isn't as good as it was last year." 🔸Things are looking up now that the tourist season is here. 💠 honky 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a derogatory term in black American slang for a white person ❕For example 🔺When we were visiting the Apollo Theater in Harlem in New York, a woman passing us on the street said, "What are you honkies doin' round here?" 🔺I have a lot of black American friends, and they all say they hate racist language, including anti-white words like "honky". 📒 Truth will out 📖Meaning In the end, what is true will come to be known. The truth always appears eventually, despite all efforts to hide it. It is impossible to keep something secret forever. 📒get into (2) 📖Meaning to become interested in something or focussed on something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After he retired, my father got into ballroom dancing and windsurfing. 💬 You'll be nervous at first, but you'll relax once you start getting into the music. 📚fresh as a daisy ✍🏾Meaning If you feel as fresh as a daisy, you feel energetic and lively. ❗️For example 🔸I might look awful first thing in the morning, but after a cup of tea and a bit of meditation I'm as fresh as a daisy. 🔸George looked terrible when he got to work, so Annie said, "Fresh as a daisy this morning, are we?" and George just grunted. 💠 geezer 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an old person ❕For example 🔺I'm late because I got stuck behind some old geezer at the bank who took ages to sort out his stuff. 🔺One day I'll be one of those old geezers who sit in the park all day playing chess and checkers. 📒act out 📖Meaning If you act out, you express your feelings through acts or words. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Jim often gets into trouble because he acts out his emotions without thinking about the consequences. 💬 We can all have violent thoughts and aggressive feelings sometimes, but society doesn't usually allow us to act them out. 📚talk turkey ✍🏾Meaning If you talk turkey, you discuss something seriously, usually to do with business or money. ❗️For example 🔸After the owner had shown him around the apartment, Shane decided it was just what he wanted, so he said, "OK, I'm interested. Let's talk turkey." 🔸I started to say something about the deal, but Mr Hamilton said, "Not now, my boy. We never talk turkey at the dinner table." 💠 Yuck! 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an expression of disgust ❕For example 🔺Did you see that guy spit into his ashtray? Yuck! 🔺Aw, yuck! This toilet smells terrible. 📒 People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones 📖Meaning This saying warns us against hypocrisy. We should not criticize other people for things we do ourselves. 📒cheer on 📖Meaning to shout loudly to encourage someone, especially someone who's playing sport or competing in a race 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 As the players tried hard to score a goal, their fans jumped up and cheered them on. 💬 We all cheered on our favourite horse as they galloped towards the finishing line. 📚answer the call of nature ✍🏾Meaning If you answer the call of nature, you go to the toilet. ❗️For example 🔸Could we stop somewhere? I need to answer the call of nature. 🔸Does anyone need to answer the call of nature before we set off? 💠 git 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a fool, a stupid person ❕For example 🔺When the waiter brought him the wrong dish, Bill lost his cool and shouted, "This is not what I ordered, you stupid git!" 🔺Those gits who work for the government never seem to get it right. 📒 Look upon death as a going home 📖Meaning We may consider dying to be a kind of returning to house and family. 📒get over 📖Meaning to recover from something like an illness or a shock 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 How long did it take you to get over the illness? 💬 Tony was heartbroken when his girlfriend left him, and it took him ages to get over it. 📚the icing on the cake | the frosting on the cake ✍🏾Meaning If something is the icing on the cake, or the frosting on the cake, it makes a good situation or a good result even better. ❗️For example 🔸The fifty thousand dollars the government will give to every athlete who wins a gold medal in the Olympics will be the icing on the cake for them. 🔸AI was happy just to get my book published, so winning the young writer's prize as well is the frosting on the cake. 💠 mash-up 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a recording that mixes together tracks from two or more different songs or instrumental pieces ❕For example 🔺You can find heaps of great mash-ups on Facebook sites and download them for free. 🔺I just did this mash-up of Fela Kuti and Steve Reich and put some spacey electro stuff over the top. 📒 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 📖Meaning Different people see beauty in different ways. What one person finds beautiful may not appeal to another person. 📒stand for (1) 📖Meaning If letters or symbols stand for something, they represent that thing. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The letters "MBA" stand for Master of Business Administration. 💬 Do you know what the letters "BA" stand for? 📚keep it under your hat ✍🏾Meaning If someone tells you a secret and you keep it under your hat, you don't tell anyone. ❗️For example 🔸I'll only tell you if you promise to keep it under your hat. 🔸Aunt Biddy said she couldn't possibly tell me the family secrets because she'd pledged on her mother's grave to keep them under her hat. 📒 When the devil cannot come, he will send 📖Meaning The implication is that the devil is very persistent. He will always find a way to tempt us. If the devil cannot bring temptation to us himself, he will find someone else to bring it.

📒run after 📖Meaning If you run after someone, you chase them and try to catch up with them by running. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I wish my dog wouldn't run after cars. He nearly got hit by one today. 💬 After the thief grabbed my wife's handbag, I ran after him but he got away. He was really fast. 📚um and ah ✍🏾Meaning If you "um and ah" you're having trouble deciding what to say, or you're having trouble telling somebody something. ❗️For example 🔸Stop umming and ahing and just tell me what happened! 🔸James ummed and ahed for a while, but he eventually agreed to help us get the deal. 💠 bimbo 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a pretty, but empty-headed, young lady ❕For example 🔺Linda says most of the women who marry professional golfers or footballers look like bimbos whose main interest in life is shopping. 🔺Cindy said she wasn't a bimbo, and proved it by saying the word itself reflected the oppressive stereotyping that attractive women were still subject to despite the gains made by the feminist movement. 📒 He that complies against his will, is of his own opinion still 📖Meaning If you force someone to do something or agree with something, it doesn't mean that they really agree. 📒come to (2) 📖Meaning to add up to a particular total 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The total cost came to over two thousand dollars. 💬 The bill comes to $140. 📚the last straw ✍🏾Meaning Something is the last straw if it's the latest in a series of annoying or upsetting events, and it's the one that finally makes you do something about the situation. ❗️For example 🔸I was already close to resigning, but the last straw was being bossed around by some kid twenty years younger than me. After that, I quit the job. 🔸I saw my girlfriend flirting with another guy at the party, and that was the last straw. I told her our relationship was over and I left. 💠 rug 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a man's hairpiece, a toupee ❕For example 🔺Is that guy wearing a rug, or does he just have a really bad haircut? 🔺When Stan started to go bald, he decided to get a rug. 📒 If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys 📖Meaning An employer who pays low wages will have bad staff. 📒go after (2) 📖Meaning to try to get something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Are you planning to go after Alex's job when he retires? 💬 If Rupert thinks there's a chance to take over a profitable company, he'll go after it with everything he's got. 📚a sight for sore eyes ✍🏾Meaning If something or someone is a sight for sore eyes, you are glad to see them. ❗️For example 🔸It's been raining here for a week, so it sure was a sight for sore eyes when we saw the sun this morning. 🔸Hey, Ozzie! You're a sight for sore eyes, man. Haven't seen you for ages. 💠 ratty (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning easily annoyed or upset, irritable ❕For example 🔺Laura got drunk last night, and now she's got a hangover and she feels a bit ratty. 🔺I had a really bad day at work today, so sorry if I seem a little ratty tonight. 📒 Pay beforehand was never well served 📖Meaning If you pay for a service before you receive it, you will not get good service. 📒drop off (1) 📖Meaning to drive someone to a place they need to go to and leave them there 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Every morning I drop my kids off at school on my way to work. 💬 Sergio stopped at the mall and dropped off his mother, and then drove on to the golf course. 📚on the strength of ✍🏾Meaning If you do something on the strength of certain advice or information, you do it because the advice or information suggests doing it. ❗️For example 🔸I saw the movie on the strength of what Rod had said. I wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't said it was good. 🔸They gave me an interview on the strength of a recommendation from my tutor at university. 💠juicy🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning very interesting in a scandalous or lurid way ❕For example 🔺I love reading Lucy's blog about Hollywood movie stars. It's full of juicy gossip about the private lives of all the biggest stars. 🔺Harry writes a newspaper column about juicy scandals in Washington. There's corruption and crime and drugs and sex, and it's great fun to read, of course. 📒 Truth needs no colours 📖Meaning Facts are facts. What is true is true, and it does not need decoration. 📒fob off (2) 📖Meaning to try to make someone stop complaining or stop bothering you by telling them something that isn't true, or by giving them an excuse 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After I complained about getting tinned peas, the manager of the restaurant tried to fob me off with some excuse about fresh peas not being in season. 💬 The workers refused to be fobbed off with a vague promise of bigger bonuses in future if profits improved. 📚upset the applecart ✍🏾Meaning If you upset the applecart, you do something that causes trouble or upsets someone's plans. ❗️For example 🔸The Stones upset the applecart by pulling out of the music festival. They were going to be the main act. 🔸Kelly's sister really upset the applecart when she told Kelly that she'd seen her husband waiting for someone in a hotel lobby when he was supposed to be in New York. 💠goose (1)🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a silly or stupid person ❕For example 🔺Who was the goose who left the air conditioner on in the office all night? 🔺Some goose who works at the bank put the wrong date on my new credit card. 📒 Still waters run deep 📖Meaning Some rivers have rough surfaces with waves. That's usually because the water is shallow and there are rocks near the surface. But deep rivers have no rocks near the surface and the water is smooth and still. "Still waters run deep" means that people who are calm and tranquil on the outside, often have a strong, "deep" personality. 📒print out 📖Meaning to make a printed copy of a document 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Could you print out the contract and leave it on my desk, please? 💬 Print a test copy out and let me check it before you send the file to the printers. 📚save the day ✍🏾Meaning If you save the day, you do something to ensure success or to solve a serious problem. ❗️For example 🔸It looked like we were going to lose the game, but Ronaldo saved the day by kicking two late goals. 🔸Then a guy rides in on a white horse and saves the day by killing the bad guys and rescuing the girl. 💠wasted (2)🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to be very intoxicated from the use of alcohol or drugs ❕For example 🔺That guy is totally wasted! He can hardly stand up. 🔺Jimmy and his three best friends got in his car after Jimmy had smoked some dope and drunk some vodka. He was so wasted that he nodded off and drove into a tree, and Jimmy and his friends were killed. 📒 Out of office, out of danger 📖Meaning The implication is that people in high government or official jobs are not safe. They will be safe only when they leave their job. 📒inject into 📖Meaning to add something positive in order to make something work better 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The band had become a bit flat, but the introduction of a percussionist injected some much-needed dynamism into their sound. 💬 The government is trying to inject some confidence into the market. 📚jump the gun ✍🏾Meaning If you jump the gun, you start doing something too soon. ❗️For example 🔸If you're in a debate, wait until you're invited to speak and don't jump the gun by speaking before you should. 🔸The company jumped the gun and released the product before the public was ready for it. 💠jam (2)🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to play music informally ❕For example 🔺After the concert, we went to a jazz club and jammed all night with some old musician friends. 🔺When she was young, Judy learned how to play the drums by jamming with other musicians. 📒 Death is a remedy for all ills 📖Meaning When we die, all our problems are solved.

📒know of 📖Meaning If you know of something, you are aware of it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Does anyone know of a good dentist around here? I really need to have a tooth pulled out. 💬 The police want people to tell them about anyone they know of who's selling illegal drugs to school kids. 📚weather a storm ✍🏾Meaning If you weather a storm, you survive a dangerous event or deal with a difficult situation. ❗️For example 🔸Everyone waited to see if the president could weather the storm caused by his son's arrest for using illegal drugs. 🔸Poor Mandy had to stand there and weather the storm as her boss shouted insults at her for letting him forget something. 💠weirdo🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a strange, eccentric or weird person ❕For example 🔺Back when me and my friends were teenage punk rockers, my grandpa used to say we looked like "bloody weirdos". 🔺Have you ever seen the weirdos who go to those evangelical Christian meetings? They have fits and speak in tongues and play with snakes and do other weird stuff. 📒 Crime doesn't pay 📖Meaning If you engage in illegal activities, you will not make money in the long run. 📒let out (3) 📖Meaning to rent a room or a building to somebody 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 She makes some extra money by letting out her spare room to a student. 💬 Why don't you let the house out when you're not living there? 📚under a cloud ✍🏾Meaning If someone is under a cloud, they are suspected of having done something wrong. ❗️For example 🔸Ever since the rumours of corruption started, the president has been under a cloud and he probably won't win another election. 🔸Henry has been under a cloud since the money disappeared and he bought a new car. 💠runs🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning (as in the runs) a case of diarrhea ❕For example 🔺I've had the runs all day. It must be the seafood we ate last night. 🔺Gillian had everyone screaming with laughter when she told us about her bus trip across India while she had the runs. 📒 There is truth in wine 📖Meaning When people are drunk, what they say is often true. People often speak the truth when they lose their self-control. 📒go through (2) 📖Meaning to live through a bad time or a difficult situation 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 He just went through one of the most difficult periods in his life. 💬 We've been going through a recession for a year or so, but hopefully the economy will improve soon. 📚a done deal ✍🏾Meaning A done deal is an agreement or a decision that is final. ❗️For example 🔸It's a done deal so we can go ahead and start planning the details. 🔸No-one knew about it, but the contract has been a done deal since the senator spoke to the minister last month. 💠lousy🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning very bad, of very poor quality ❕For example 🔺We saw a really lousy movie last night. It was a total waste of time. 🔺I felt lousy all morning, but after lunch I felt a bit better. 📒 The pen is mightier than the sword 📖Meaning This proverb suggests that written material like books or poetry has more influence than fighting or war. We may also understand from it that ideas (as often set down in writing) are more effective than violence. 💠bull dyke🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a lesbian (see note below) who is very manly in appearance and behaviour ❕For example 🔺My sister is a bull dyke and she's in a gang of women who ride big motorbikes and wear leather jackets. 🔺We saw all sorts of interesting people in the Gay Mardi Gras parade, including drag queens, leather guys and bull dykes. 📚make a killing ✍🏾Meaning If you make a killing, you make a lot of money from a sale or a deal of some sort. ❗️For example 🔸My aunt made a killing when she bought some shares in a company as soon as they were issued, and sold them a few weeks later for three times what she paid. 🔸Lots of people made a killing when property values went so high back in the nineties. 💠indie🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning rock music not released by major music labels ❕For example 🔺The indie scene began back in the late 70's and early 80's with bands like Joy Division and The Slits. 🔺Steve reckons the best indie band of all time is Radiohead. 📒 The wish is father to the thought 📖Meaning Our opinions or beliefs are often influenced by our desires and hopes. The phrase "father to" is used in the sense of parentage: the thought is born from the wish. 📒fall apart 📖Meaning If something falls apart, it breaks into pieces or parts start falling off. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My old shoes are falling apart, so I'll have to get some new ones. 💬 If the model plane falls apart, get some stronger glue and put it together again. 📚an axe to grind (2) ✍🏾Meaning If you have an axe to grind, you have a strong opinion about something and you express this opinion whenever you can. ❗️For example 🔸Billy's had this axe to grind about globalisation recently and he's always going on about it. 🔸These people always seem to have an axe to grind and whenever someone interviews them they see it as a chance to push their ideas.

💠once-over🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a quick inspection or search ❕For example 🔺Before paying for the car, I had a mechanic give it a quick once-over to make sure it was in good condition. 🔺The army recruits were given the once-over by a doctor. He checked their heart, lungs, eyesight, hearing, reflexes and their private parts. 📒 Least said soonest mended 📖Meaning When we do or say something bad to someone, a long apology and discussion does not help. In such a case, the less we say the better. 📒shoot up 📖Meaning to quickly increase in size, number or level 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Oil prices shot up by nearly forty percent when war was declared. 💬 When news of the oil strike got out, the company's shares shot up in value. 📚the icing on the cake | the frosting on the cake ✍🏾Meaning If something is the icing on the cake, or the frosting on the cake, it makes a good situation or a good result even better. ❗️For example 🔸The fifty thousand dollars the government will give to every athlete who wins a gold medal in the Olympics will be the icing on the cake for them. 🔸I was happy just to get my book published, so winning the young writer's prize as well is the frosting on the cake. 💠funky (2)🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning having strong dance rhythms ❕For example 🔺Madonna's new single has some really funky beats. 🔺We went to a club last night and the DJ played some of the funkiest tracks we've heard in a while. 📒factor in 📖Meaning to include a certain item when calculating or planning something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Don't forget to factor in transport costs when you make the quotation. 💬 You need to factor the political situation in when deciding on a country to invest in. 📚from time to time ✍🏾Meaning If you do something from time to time, you do it occasionally, but not very often. ❗️For example 🔸We usually stay home on Friday nights, though from time to time we'll go to see a movie. 🔸Most of the artists we represent these days are nothing special, but from time to time we'll get one with real talent and originality. 💠 earner 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a good source of money ❕For example 🔺Renting out their houses for a couple of weeks in summer became a nice little earner for families on many Greek islands. 🔺Frank though that buying and selling shares would be a good little earner for him, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. 📒 Nothing is impossible to a willing heart 📖Meaning Someone who is eager, keen and determined can achieve anything. 📒pull out (1) 📖Meaning If you pull out of something you're participating in, like a competition or a deal, you stop participating. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Phil was leading the tournament, but he had to pull out after injuring his knee. 💬 Chuck was forced to pull out of the race for President when his campaign funds ran out. 📚pay through the nose ✍🏾Meaning If you pay through the nose for something, you pay more than the usual price for it. ❗️For example 🔸I know I pay through the nose for my dental work, but the dentist I see is supposed to be the best, so I don't mind paying more than usual. 🔸We had to pay through the nose for our room because it was a long weekend and most of the hotels were fully booked. 💠 dickhead 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an unpleasant or annoying person ❕For example 🔺Why does Mary go out with that guy Richard? He's such a dickhead. 🔺Hey dickhead! That's my taxi. I was here first! 📒 The best things in life are free 📖Meaning We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship and good health. 📒iron out 📖Meaning If you iron out the last details of a deal, you sort out the final problems or issues. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 If we have any differences or issues, we'll have to iron them out before we sign a deal. 💬 Ronaldo's manager and the club are ironing out a couple of final issues, but they should have everything sorted out soon. 📚worth its weight in gold ✍🏾Meaning If something is worth its weight in gold, it is extremely valuable or extremely useful. ❗️For example 🔸Your grandmother's stories are worth their weight in gold, so you should try to record them or write them down. 🔸A personal recommendation from someone like Professor Clark is worth its weight in gold. You'll be able to get a job anywhere you like with that 💠 rip-off (1) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning charging too much for something ❕For example 🔺Ten dollars for a cup of coffee? That's a total rip-off! It's about three dollars anywhere else. 🔺Why do people pay so much? Don't they know it's a rip-off? 📒 Garbage in, garbage out | GIGO 📖Meaning Incorrect or bad input results in incorrect or bad output. 📒bring back (2) 📖Meaning to make something from the past come back, such as a memory, a feeling, an idea, etc. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Hearing these old songs really brings back the old days, doesn't it? 💬 The letters she'd found brought some wonderful memories back. 📚an unknown quantity ✍🏾Meaning If a thing or a person is an unknown quantity, not much is known about them. ❗️For example 🔸The Saints have signed a new player, but he's an unknown quantity at this stage as very few people have seen him play. 🔸We've all heard stories about a great new Ferrari engine, but it's still an unknown quantity as far as racing is concerned. 💠 tight-ass 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning 1) sby who spends as little money as possible, a miser 2) sby who's repressed and very strict about following society's rules ❕For example 🔺Our boss is a real tight-ass; we never get a Christmas bonus. 🔺Don't be such a tight-ass, Rob. Let yourself have some fun for a change. 📒 Dying men speak true 📖Meaning When people are about to die, they usually tell the truth. 📒Look out! 📖Meaning If someone is in immediate danger, you can warn them by shouting "Look out!". 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 "Look out! There's a car coming!" 💬 I was riding my bike when this car pulled out in front of me. Just before I hit it, I yelled "Look out!" 📚beat the rap ✍🏾Meaning If someone beats the rap, they avoid being found guilty of a crime. ❗️For example 🔸Everyone knows that Jimmy the Snitch did the robbery in Green St., but he beat the rap because he's in with the cops. 🔸Henry was charged with drunk driving, but his lawyer helped him beat the rap on some technical detail. 💠 up the duff 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning pregnant ❕For example 🔺Terry got his girlfriend up the duff, and then he dumped her. What a creep! 🔺Debbie's up the duff, and she doesn't know what to do about it. 📒 Never speak ill of the dead 📖Meaning Show respect to people who have died by not saying anything bad about them. Since dead people can no longer hurt us, or defend themselves, it is better to forget their bad actions and remember only their good ones. 📒refer to (1) 📖Meaning to look at something like a book, a map, or a website, in order to get information about something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 She had to refer to her notes quite often because she hadn't memorized the speech. 💬 You can refer to books or other information sources in your essay, but you must cite each reference you have used. 📚make hay while the sun shines ✍🏾Meaning If you make hay while the sun shines, you make good use of the chance to do something while it lasts. ❗️For example 🔸We've got a few days off work so lets make hay while the sun shines and do some landscaping around the back of the house. 🔸Jim works too much, but he reckons he's just making hay while the sun shines. He says he'll slow down once he's made his fortune. 💠 eats 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning snacks, food ❕For example 🔺We'll have plenty to drink at the party but we need you to bring some eats. 🔺We won't have to worry about taking lunch. There'll be plenty of eats at the seminar. 📒 The pen is mightier than the sword 📖Meaning This proverb suggests that written material like books or poetry has more influence than fighting or war. We may also understand from it that ideas (as often set down in writing) are more effective than violence. 📒model on 📖Meaning to use something or someone as an example to copy when making something or doing something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The Indian legal system was modelled on the British system. 💬 Many young singers and dancers still model themselves on Michael Jackson. 📚keep your nose clean ✍🏾Meaning If you keep your nose clean, you stay out of trouble by making sure you don't do anything wrong. ❗️For example 🔸Our son Michael is in trouble with the police again. I really wish he'd learn to keep his nose clean. 🔸It's important for sport's stars to keep their noses clean because they make a lot of money for endorsing products, and they could lose this income if they got into trouble with the law.

💠 jam (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to play music informally ❕For example 🔺After the concert, we went to a jazz club and jammed all night with some old musician friends. 🔺When she was young, Judy learned how to play the drums by jamming with other musicians. 📒get at (2) 📖Meaning to mean or to imply something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I didn't understand what she was getting at. 💬 In this song I think he was getting at the fact that we all need to take responsibility for our actions. 📚like a fish out of water ✍🏾Meaning You feel like a fish out of water if you're surrounded by people who are different to you, and it's making you feel a little uncomfortable. ❗️For example 🔸I was the only black person in a church full of white people, and I felt like a fish out of water at first. But lots of people came up and talked to me after the service, and I soon felt quite at home. 🔸Sayoko travels to a lot of unusual places. She says feeling like a fish out of water is sometimes interesting. 💠 axe | ax (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a musical instrument, esp. a jazz musician's guitar, trumpet or saxophone ❕For example 🔺Louis grabbed his axe, stood in front of his band, and started to play. 🔺Eddie could play that ax all night long. 📒 Poor men go to heaven as soon as rich 📖Meaning God makes no distinction between people with money and people without money. 📚 leave well enough alone | let well enough alone ✍🏾Meaning If you leave well enough alone, or let well enough alone, you don't try to improve or change something that's already good enough. ❗️For example 🔸The kids seem happy enough now so let's just leave well enough alone and forget about finding a new school for them. 🔸Unless there's a problem, I'd suggest you just let well enough alone and let your staff get on with their work. 💠 screw (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to cheat or swindle someone ❕For example 🔺We knew we were being screwed, but what could we do? This was the only hotel around with vacant rooms, so they could charge whatever they liked. 🔺George reckons the taxation system screws people who work hard and set up small businesses. 📒 Money isn't everything 📖Meaning There are other important things in this world, not just money. 📒ask out 📖Meaning If you ask somebody out, you ask someone you like to go on a date with you. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 It took Juan a long time to build up the courage to ask Mariella out, but at last he did and she said yes. Juan was so happy he couldn't help smiling. 💬 If you like her, why don't you ask her out for dinner? The worst that can happen is that she says no or makes an excuse. 📚 caught red-handed ✍🏾Meaning If someone is caught red-handed, they are caught in the act of doing something wrong such as cheating or stealing. ❗️For example 🔸I used to cheat in exams until I was caught red-handed by my teacher. I stopped doing it after that. 🔸How can you say you didn't steal the book? You were caught red-handed walking out of the store after you'd hidden it under your jacket. 💠 loony 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a crazy or silly person (n.) | crazy or silly (adj.) ❕For example 🔺My new job in an advertising agency is weird. I feel like I'm working with a bunch of loonies. 🔺Harry loves those loony Japanese TV shows with people doing loony stuff like eating spiders and drinking blood. 📒 If the stone fall upon the egg, alas for the egg! If the egg fall upon the stone, alas for the egg! 📖Meaning Life just isn't fair, and this realistic Arab proverb recognizes that. The stone will always break the egg. Life's like that! 📒 Truth will out 📖Meaning In the end, what is true will come to be known. The truth always appears eventually, despite all efforts to hide it. It is impossible to keep something secret forever. 📚a pat on the back ✍🏾Meaning You've given someone a pat on the back if you've told them they've done something well, or done a good job. ❗️For example 🔸Don't you think Salim deserves a pat on the back for his report? Why don't you tell him it was excellent work? 🔸Our boss doesn't often praise us for our work, so if he gives you a pat on the back for something, you've really earned it. 💠 E | ecstasy 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an illegal amphetamine-like drug ❕For example 🔺Lots of people took E, or ecstasy, back in the eighties, before it was known to be dangerous. 🔺E is still used by a few reckless club-goers who are willing to risk damaging their brain in order to feel good for a couple of hours. 📒 All that glitters is not gold 📖Meaning The attractive exterior of something is not a good indicator of its real nature. It may look valuable, but not be valuable. 📒see to 📖Meaning If you see to something, you take responsibility for it and make sure it's done. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The police chief promised he'd see to it that whoever was behind the attacks would be caught and punished. 💬 That's a nasty cut. You'd better go to the hospital and have it seen to. 📒 They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind 📖Meaning A warning that we must expect to suffer serious consequences as the result of our own bad actions. We get back what we give out. 📚eyes like a hawk ✍🏾Meaning If someone has eyes like a hawk, they have very good eyesight and they notice everything. ❗️For example 🔸One of the president's bodyguards is over sixty, but he's still got eyes like a hawk. Just last year he spotted a guy pulling out a gun fifty yards away, and saved the president's life by pushing him to the ground. 🔸You need eyes like a hawk to be a line judge at Wimbledon, especially these days when the top tennis players hit the ball so fast. 💠 flab 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning body fat, soft loose flesh on a person's body ❕For example 🔺How can I get rid of this flab on my belly? 🔺The only way you can lose the flab is to eat less food and exercise more. 📒 The rich knows not who is his friend 📖Meaning When you have money, you don't know if people are friendly with you because they like you, or because they like your money. The structure of this saying is difficult. In normal English it would be something like: "Rich people do not know who their friends are." 📚the new kid on the block ✍🏾Meaning If an amount is a drop in the ocean, it's a very small portion of the amount that's needed. ❗️For example 🔸Have you met Brigette? She's the new kid on the block - just started working here today. 🔸Paula hates being the new kid on the block. She finds meeting lots of new people stressful, and she gets nervous when she thinks that everyone is looking at her and trying to decide if they like her. 💠 dope (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a stupid person, a fool ❕For example 🔺How come those dopes who work in the U.S. Treasury didn't realise what was going on? 🔺Max says the problem with democracy is that there are too many dopes out there, and they'll only vote for someone they can relate to, meaning another dope. 📒crack down 📖Meaning to start enforcing a law or a rule more strictly 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 There's too much cheating in exams, so the teachers are cracking down and expelling anyone who's caught. 💬 The police are cracking down on drunk drivers, so if you drink before you drive you might end up in jail. 📚a drop in the ocean ✍🏾Meaning If an amount is a drop in the ocean, it's a very small portion of the amount that's needed. ❗️For example 🔸Our government's sending a thousand tons of food, but that's just a drop in the ocean compared to what's needed. 🔸I know twenty dollars is just a drop in the ocean, but if everyone gave that much it'd make a big difference. 💠 glitch 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a fault or defect, esp. in computer software ❕For example 🔺Why does this company's software have so many glitches? Can't they test it properly before releasing it? 🔺I spent most of the morning trying to fix a glitch I found in our new software. 📒 Nothing so certain as death 📖Meaning We can be 100% sure that we will die. 📒deter from 📖Meaning to make someone less likely to do something, or to discourage someone from doing something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The terrorist attacks deterred many people from visiting the country, and many tourists cancelled their bookings. 💬 Did the stock market collapse of 2008 deter you from investing in shares again? 📚a sight for sore eyes ✍🏾Meaning If something or someone is a sight for sore eyes, you are glad to see them. ❗️For example 🔸It's been raining here for a week, so it sure was a sight for sore eyes when we saw the sun this morning. 🔸Hey, Ozzie! You're a sight for sore eyes, man. Haven't seen you for ages. 💠 app 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a computer software application ❕For example 🔺Check out this killer app I downloaded last night! 🔺Karen found this amazing app that makes you look really good in photos. It's great for Facebook photos and stuff. 📒 Still waters run deep 📖Meaning Some rivers have rough surfaces with waves. That's usually because the water is shallow and there are rocks near the surface. But deep rivers have no rocks near the surface and the water is smooth and still. "Still waters run deep" means that people who are calm and tranquil on the outside, often have a strong, "deep" personality. 📚beat the rap ✍🏾Meaning If someone beats the rap, they avoid being found guilty of a crime. ❗️For example 🔸Everyone knows that Jimmy the Snitch did the robbery in Green St., but he beat the rap because he's in with the cops. 🔸Henry was charged with drunk driving, but his lawyer helped him beat the rap on some technical detail. 📒 A still tongue makes a wise head 📖Meaning Someone who does not talk much, but listens to other people, probably has experience, knowledge and good judgement.

📚a voice (crying) in the wilderness ✍🏾Meaning You're a voice in the wilderness, or a voice crying in the wilderness, if you're expressing an unpopular opinion or insight. ❗️For example 🔸When Galileo stated that the sun was the centre of the solar system, he was a voice crying in the wilderness. Most people thought he was crazy or evil, or possibly both. 🔸Clara says petrol engines should be banned because of the damage they cause to the environment. She says most people laugh when she says this, and she feels like a voice in the wilderness. 💠 empty-nester 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a parent whose children have grown up and left home ❕For example 🔺After spending many years raising their children, Kevin and Joan are now empty-nesters after their youngest daughter went to live with some friends. 🔺We're still getting used to being empty-nesters. The house seems so quiet all the time. 📒 When the devil cannot come, he will send 📖Meaning The implication is that the devil is very persistent. He will always find a way to tempt us. If the devil cannot bring temptation to us himself, he will find someone else to bring it. 📒take up (3) 📖Meaning to shorten a piece of clothing or a curtain to make it the right size 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 These jeans are a bit too long. Could you take them up for me? 💬 I have to take up the new curtains in the bedroom. 📚above the law ✍🏾Meaning If someone is above the law, they are not subject to the laws of a society. ❗️For example 🔸Just because his father is a rich and powerful man, he seems to think he's above the law and he can do whatever he likes. 🔸In a democracy, no-one is above the law - not even a president or a prime-minister. 💠 zine 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a cheaply produced magazine, usually related to music or the arts ❕For example 🔺This friend of ours has just started putting out his own zine. It's about music and the arts in Melbourne. 🔺How much do you reckon it'd cost to publish a monthly zine? 📒 Poor men go to heaven as soon as rich 📖Meaning God makes no distinction between people with money and people without money. 📒embark on 📖Meaning to begin something, usually something that will be challenging and time-consuming 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After quitting her job as a teacher, Sam embarked on a new career as a clothes designer. 💬 We're embarking on a campaign to encourage our young people to eat healthy food. 📚lend someone a hand ✍🏾Meaning If you lend someone a hand, you help them. ❗️For example 🔸Could you lend me a hand with these bags? 🔸Sue's husband is amazing. He'll even lend a hand in the kitchen when she's cooking for a dinner party! 💠 ecofreak 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a person with strong views on the importance of protecting the natural environment ❕For example 🔺Before becoming Minister for the Environment, Peter was a rock star and an ecofreak. 🔺All these ecofreaks came and lay down in front of the bulldozers to stop them from clearing the forest. 📒 All truths are not to be told 📖Meaning Some truths are better left unspoken. It is not always necessary to repeat something even though it be true. 📒catch on (2) 📖Meaning If you catch on, you suddenly understand something that you couldn't understand at first. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Not all of my students understood the idea at first, but before long they all caught on. 💬 Most scientists now accept that global warming is really happening, but it took a while for a lot of them to catch on. 📒 Where there's a will there's a way 📖Meaning If we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it. 📚zero-sum game ✍🏾Meaning A zero-sum game is a situation in which any gain by one side or person is at the expense of a loss to another side or person involved in the situation. ❗️For example 🔸The stock market has become a giant zero-sum game in which one investor gains what another investor loses. 🔸In a zero-sum game, if you add the total gains of the participants and the total losses of the participants, the sum will always be zero. 📒 Nothing ventured, nothing gained 📖Meaning We can't expect to achieve anything if we never take any risks. 📒stick with 📖Meaning to continue with the same thing, instead of changing to something else 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 He's decided to stick with the team he's playing for now, even though another team offered him a lot of money to play for them instead. 💬 Kenny has stuck with the same group of friends ever since high school. 📚a new lease on life ✍🏾Meaning If someone has a new lease on life, they have a new enthusiasm for living. ❗️For example 🔸After recovering from her illness, Kathy had a new lease on life and made lots of plans for the future. 🔸When my uncle quit drinking it gave him a new lease on life and he started doing things he hadn't done for years. 💠 sickie 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a day taken off work after calling in sick when one is actually well ❕For example 🔺Paul throws a sickie at least once a month. I wonder if his boss has noticed that he's always "sick" when the weather is beautiful? 🔺Robbo reckons the surf's awesome today, so I'm chuckin' a sickie and headin' down the coast. 📒hold out for 📖Meaning to wait until you get what you want, especially when negotiating 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The workers held out for a better wage deal and, after another round of negotiations, they got it. 💬 We held out for a better contract, and we got it after some hard bargaining. 📚eat humble pie ✍🏾Meaning If you eat humble pie, you admit that you are in the wrong and behave apologetically. ❗️For example 🔸Jim had to eat humble pie after we proved that what he'd said was wrong. 🔸Some politicians are so arrogant that they won't eat humble pie even when it's clear they've made a mistake. They just say they were "misinformed". 📒 Patience surpasses learning 📖Meaning 1) The ability to wait for a long time without getting angry is even better than education. 2) the capacity to accept delay without getting upset will achieve more than study in the end 📚weather a storm ✍🏾Meaning If you weather a storm, you survive a dangerous event or deal with a difficult situation. ❗️For example 🔸Everyone waited to see if the president could weather the storm caused by his son's arrest for using illegal drugs. 🔸Poor Mandy had to stand there and weather the storm as her boss shouted insults at her for letting him forget something.

📒 None so deaf as those who will not hear 📖Meaning Nobody is deafer than the person who decides he does not want to listen. Often used in reference to prejudice and intolerance. 📒live on 📖Meaning If you live on a certain amount of money, you spend that much on your usual living 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Are you sure a hundred dollars a week is enough to live on? 💬 How do people live on the old-age pension? It's not even enough to buy good food. 📚safe and sound ✍🏾Meaning If you are safe and sound, nothing has harmed you even though you could have been in danger. ❗️For example 🔸It was a dangerous journey but luckily we all got back safe and sound. 🔸The package took a long time to get here, but it arrived safe and sound in the end. 💠 vocab 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning vocabulary ❕For example 🔺Vladymir says the thing he enjoys more than anything else in the whole world is studying English vocab. Vladymir also likes joking. 🔺Don't forget you'll be having a slang vocab test next week. 📒 Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise 📖Meaning It is good for us to sleep early in the evening and wake early in the morning. 📚wheeling and dealing ✍🏾Meaning If you're wheeling and dealing, you're involved in the complex world of making deals and exchanging favours in business or politics, or both. ❗️For example 🔸You'll need to be good at wheeling and dealing if you want to do well in politics. 🔸The amount of wheeling and dealing that's needed to sort out a contract with the local government is incredible. 📒stop over 📖Meaning to stop at a place and stay there for one or two days while on your way to somewhere else 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We're going to Vietnam on business, but we're stopping over in Hawaii for a couple of days on the way. 💬 I'm stopping over in Bangkok for one night on my way to Sydney. 📚a bad hair day ✍🏾Meaning If you're having a bad hair day, everything seems to be going wrong for you. ❗️For example 🔸Poor Sue's in a terrible mood. I think she's having a bad hair day. 🔸I knew it was going to be a bad hair day when my car wouldn't start. 💠 meltdown 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a disastrous collapse, esp. of a market or an economy ❕For example 🔺Investing in the stock market is always risky, as many people learnt in the 2008 market meltdown. 🔺If there's an economic meltdown, many companies will go out of business and many people will lose their jobs. 📒 Opportunity seldom knocks twice 📖Meaning Take any opportunity or chance when it comes - it may not come again. 📒do about 📖Meaning If you do something about a problem, you do something to fix it or solve it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My printer won't work and I'm not sure what to do about it. 💬What do you think we should do about our company's falling market share? 💠 beat it 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning go away ❕For example 🔺Some kids were smoking in the carpark, but when one of them saw a teacher coming they grabbed their stuff and beat it. 🔺When Peter came back from the bathroom, some guy was talking to Leanne. Peter said, "Beat it, pal! She's with me." 📒 Ignorance of the law is no excuse 📖Meaning It is no defence to say that we didn't know that something we did was illegal. 📒knock down (1) 📖Meaning If something like a building or a wall is knocked down, it is destroyed on purpose. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The old hotel was knocked down so that a new one could be built. 💬If we knocked the tool shed down, we could put a vegetable garden there instead. 📚a roller coaster | a roller-coaster ride ✍🏾Meaning You can say an experience is a roller coaster, or a roller-coaster ride, if it involves many emotional highs and lows, or really good times alternating with really difficult times. ❗️For example 🔸The movie follows a young guy's emotional roller-coaster ride as he tries to come to terms with being gay in a small town in Australia. 🔸Eric writes about the roller coaster of rock and roll, with the highs of success and fame followed by the lows of drug addiction and depression. 💠 bloody 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an intensifying expletive used before an adjective, adverb or noun; very, really; total, complete ❕For example 🔺It's bloody hot in here. And now the bloody air conditioner won't work. Bloody hell! 🔺You'd have to be a bloody idiot to vote for a party that's just ruined the economy. 📒 Necessity is the mother of invention 📖Meaning If we absolutely need to do something that has never been done, we will find a way to do it. It is this need or necessity that forces people to invent things. 📒model on 📖Meaning to use something or someone as an example to copy when making something or doing something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The Indian legal system was modelled on the British system. 💬 Many young singers and dancers still model themselves on Michael Jackson. 💠 louse up 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to spoil something or make it fail ❕For example 🔺She really wants this job, so I hope she doesn't louse up the interview. 🔺Don't worry. He won't louse it up. He's been doing these deals for years. 📒 He who hesitates is lost 📖Meaning The person who waits too long loses the opportunity; or, more seriously, delay or indecision may have disastrous results. 📚hold the fort ✍🏾Meaning If you hold the fort, you look after a place or a business while the person who is normally in charge is away. ❗️For example 🔸Can you hold the fort while I run down to the bank? 🔸Your job will be to serve customers, and occasionally hold the fort if I have to go out. 📒 Empty vessels make the most noise 📖Meaning Stupid people speak loudest. 📒talk out of 📖Meaning If you talk someone out of something, you persuade them not to do it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My uncle is a drug addict, and there's nothing I can say to talk him out of it. He says he's too old to stop now. 💬My family tried to talk me out of becoming a musician, but I wouldn't change my mind. I was determined to have a career in music. 📚around the clock ✍🏾Meaning If something occurs around the clock, it goes on all day and all night. ❗️For example 🔸I have to finish this report by Tuesday, so I'll be working around the clock until I get it done. 🔸What the young people of this town need is a drop-in centre that's open around the clock. 💠 mojo 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning spirit, passion, zest ❕For example 🔺Bob had lost his mojo. He needed to go on a holiday to recharge his batteries. 🔺When he got back from his holiday, Bob had his mojo back. He was full of life again, just like he used to be. 📚elbow grease ✍🏾Meaning If something needs elbow grease, it needs a lot of hard physical work. ❗️For example 🔸We'll need a bit more elbow grease to get these walls really clean. 🔸The secret of a really shiny car is turtle wax and elbow grease. 💠 meathead 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a stupid person ❕For example 🔺How did a meathead like that guy get elected to represent the people in his state? 🔺I was watching the tennis yesterday and some meathead yelled out just as Rafael was serving. The security guys found him and threw him out. 📒 Every dog has his day 📖Meaning 1) Even the lowest of us at some time has a chance to get revenge on an oppressor, no matter how powerful that oppressor may be. 2) We will all have good luck or success at some point in our lives. 📚friends in high places ✍🏾Meaning If you have friends in high places, you know people in powerful positions in business or government. ❗️For example 🔸You'll need friends in high places if you want to get to the top. 🔸Martin mightn't be the most brilliant man, but he'll do well because he's got plenty of friends in high places.

📒 I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet. 📖Meaning Before complaining, we should think of the context. 📒talk out of 📖Meaning If you talk someone out of something, you persuade them not to do it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My uncle is a drug addict, and there's nothing I can say to talk him out of it. He says he's too old to stop now. 💬My family tried to talk me out of becoming a musician, but I wouldn't change my mind. I was determined to have a career in music. 💠 screw (3) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning an exclamation used to express anger ❕For example 🔺She was trying to call the company about her internet access problem, but after being on hold for fifteen minutes she said "Screw it!" and hung up the phone. 🔺"Screw you!" yelled Pat after another driver cut in front of his car. 📒 He that wills the end wills the means 📖Meaning If you are determined to do something you will find the way to do it 📒turn over (1) 📖Meaning to change the position of something so that the side facing down is now facing up 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After passing out the exam papers, I told my students to turn them over and start work. 💬 Turn over the piece of paper and see what it says on the back. 📚call it a day ✍🏾Meaning If you call it a day, you stop doing something that's usually related to work. ❗️For example 🔸We couldn't do any more work because of the rain, so we called it a day and went home. 🔸After running a hotel for nearly thirty years, we decided to call it a day and do something else. 💠 rock bottom 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning the lowest possible level, a low-point in someone's life ❕For example 🔺Confidence in the economy is at rock bottom. Everyone's worried about losing their job or seeing their company go bankrupt. 🔺George hit rock bottom after losing his job, his savings and his family, and realized that he'd lose his life too if he didn't stop drinking. 📒deter from 📖Meaning to make someone less likely to do something, or to discourage someone from doing something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The terrorist attacks deterred many people from visiting the country, and many tourists cancelled their bookings. 💬 Did the stock market collapse of 2008 deter you from investing in shares again? 📚bark up the wrong tree ✍🏾Meaning If you're barking up the wrong tree, you're looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way. ❗️For example 🔸The police think the drugs are being brought in by the mafia, but they're barking up the wrong tree. They should be looking much closer to home. 🔸She's barking up the wrong tree if she's interested in Gavin. Doesn't she know he's gay? 💠 bimbo 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a pretty, but empty-headed, young lady ❕For example 🔺Linda says most of the women who marry professional golfers or footballers look like bimbos whose main interest in life is shopping. 🔺Cindy said she wasn't a bimbo, and proved it by saying the word itself reflected the oppressive stereotyping that attractive women were still subject to despite the gains made by the feminist movement. 📒 Appearances are deceptive 📖Meaning The way something or someone looks from outside may give us the wrong impression. 📒pass out (1) 📖Meaning to give something to each person in a group 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We passed out programs as audience members arrived at the concert. 💬 Election officials will pass out voting instructions to all the voters. 📚beat the rap ✍🏾Meaning If someone beats the rap, they avoid being found guilty of a crime. ❗️For example 🔸Everyone knows that Jimmy the Snitch did the robbery in Green St., but he beat the rap because he's in with the cops. 🔸Henry was charged with drunk driving, but his lawyer helped him beat the rap on some technical detail. 💠 ape | apeshit 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning (in phrases go ape and go apeshit) wild excitement or great anger ❕For example 🔺The guys in the band ran onto the stage, and all their fans went ape. 🔺When he saw the damage the kids had done to his car, Larry went apeshit and threatened to beat them up. 📒 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush 📖Meaning It's better to have one of something for certain than to run after two of the same thing and not be sure of getting them. 📒knock back (1) 📖Meaning to take a drink, usually alcoholic 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Every day after work, Steve and his mates knock back a few beers. 💬 The bartender poured Amy a whisky soda and she knocked it back and asked for another one. 📚run rings around | run circles around ✍🏾Meaning If you run rings around someone, or run circles around them, you do something much better than they do. ❗️For example 🔸The Democrat candidate ran rings around the Republican candidate in their debate on the economy. 🔸We watched this dance contest and some kid from Brixton ran circles around a guy from Chelsea. 📒 Practice makes perfect 📖Meaning The more you do something, the better you become at it. Regular exercise of a skill or activity helps you become expert at it. 📒write down 📖Meaning to write something on a piece of paper 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After chatting to the girl for a while, Shane wrote down his name and number on a piece of paper and gave it to her. 💬Most insurance companies will try to find any reason they can to avoid paying out claims to their customers. 📚eyes like a hawk ✍🏾Meaning If someone has eyes like a hawk, they have very good eyesight and they notice everything. ❗️For example 🔸One of the president's bodyguards is over sixty, but he's still got eyes like a hawk. Just last year he spotted a guy pulling out a gun fifty yards away, and saved the president's life by pushing him to the ground. 🔸You need eyes like a hawk to be a line judge at Wimbledon, especially these days when the top tennis players hit the ball so fast. 📒see to 📖Meaning If you see to something, you take responsibility for it and make sure it's done. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The police chief promised he'd see to it that whoever was behind the attacks would be caught and punished. 💬 That's a nasty cut. You'd better go to the hospital and have it seen to. 📚a bad hair day ✍🏾Meaning If you're having a bad hair day, everything seems to be going wrong for you. ❗️For example 🔸Poor Sue's in a terrible mood. I think she's having a bad hair day. 🔸I knew it was going to be a bad hair day when my car wouldn't start. 💠 empty-nester 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a parent whose children have grown up and left home ❕For example 🔺After spending many years raising their children, Kevin and Joan are now empty-nesters after their youngest daughter went to live with some friends. 🔺We're still getting used to being empty-nesters. The house seems so quiet all the time. 📒 It is best to be on the safe side 📖Meaning 1) Don't take risks. Be careful and cautious. 2) It's best to be sure. It's best to be absolutely certain. 📒read into 📖Meaning to believe you've found more meaning in what someone says or does than others have found 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 You're reading too much into what he said. I don't think he meant to insult you. 💬 A lot can be read into what someone says, but it doesn't mean that it's all true 📚a quick study ✍🏾Meaning If you're a quick study, you can learn new things quickly. ❗️For example 🔸Albert was always a quick study, except when it came to learning languages. 🔸I only need to show Sue how to do something once, and she gets it. She's a quick study, that girl. 📒 The pen is mightier than the sword 📖Meaning This proverb suggests that written material like books or poetry has more influence than fighting or war. We may also understand from it that ideas (as often set down in writing) are more effective than violence. 📒 Give credit where credit is due 📖Meaning The implication is that even if we are reluctant to praise someone, we should do so if the praise is deserved. 📚like a fish out of water ✍🏾Meaning You feel like a fish out of water if you're surrounded by people who are different to you, and it's making you feel a little uncomfortable. ❗️For example 🔸I was the only black person in a church full of white people, and I felt like a fish out of water at first. But lots of people came up and talked to me after the service, and I soon felt quite at home. 🔸Sayoko travels to a lot of unusual places. She says feeling like a fish out of water is sometimes interesting. 💠 quad (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a quadruplet, one of four babies born together from the same mother ❕For example 🔺I'm teaching a set of quads in my kindergarten class this term, and I can't tell them apart. All four look exactly the same! 🔺After getting fertility treatment, Jill gave birth to a set of four healthy quads. She's been home with them for one week and she's already exhausted! 📒 “The secret of discipline is motivation. When a person is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.” 📖Meaning When you intrinsically have desire toward something you'll do it at any cost. 📒pull in 📖Meaning If a train, a truck or a car pulls in, it arrives somewhere. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The train you want will be pulling in on platform 9. 💬 A truck pulled in to the yard and the driver jumped out. 📚out-of-date (1) ✍🏾Meaning Something is out-of-date if it is old and therefore no longer useful or no longer accurate. ❗️For example 🔸Don't waste money on old textbooks because they could be out-of-date and the information might no longer be correct. 🔸I didn't know the timetable was out-of-date. I got it off the internet so I thought it'd be new, not an old one from the 1990's. 💠 whack 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to murder, esp. within the context of organised crime ❕For example 🔺There's a contract out to whack Tony B. because he'd whacked Jimmy S., and he'd whacked Jimmy because Jimmy had whacked Paulie T., and so on. 🔺If those Mafia informers don't get protection, they'll be whacked for sure. 📒slip up 📖Meaning to make a small mistake, usually because of carelessness 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I'm usually pretty reliable, but sometimes I slip up, like everybody. 💬If our goalkeeper hadn't slipped up, we would have won the match. 📚a raw deal ✍🏾Meaning If you think that you got a raw deal, you think you weren't treated fairly or as well as other people. ❗️For example 🔸Doctors in small hospitals in country towns get a raw deal. They earn less, and usually work longer hours, than doctors in big-city hospitals. 🔸If it wasn't for the transport workers union, drivers would still be getting low wages and a raw deal all round. 💠 louse up 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning to spoil something or make it fail ❕For example 🔺She really wants this job, so I hope she doesn't louse up the interview. 🔺Don't worry. He won't louse it up. He's been doing these deals for years. 📒 Variety is the spice of life 📖Meaning Monotony is bad for us. We need plenty of change. It adds interest to our lives, just as spice adds interest to food. 📒insist on 📖Meaning If you insist on something, you say that you must have it or it must be done. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We used to sell on credit, but after not being paid a few times we now insist on payment in advance. 💬Our youngest son insists on putting tomato sauce on just about everything he eats. 📚on your last legs | on its last legs ✍🏾Meaning If you say you're on your last legs, it can mean you're close to exhaustion, or it can mean you're close to death. If a thing is on its last legs, it's close to breaking or wearing out. ❗️For example 🔸Bobby looks like he's on his last legs. Do you think he can make it to the top of the mountain? 🔸My old printer is on its last legs. It's time I got a new one. 📒 There's no such thing as a free lunch 📖Meaning We cannot get something for nothing. We must pay for everything. Nothing in life is free. 📒pull in 📖Meaning If a train, a truck or a car pulls in, it arrives somewhere. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The train you want will be pulling in on platform 9. 💬 A truck pulled in to the yard and the driver jumped out. 📚wheeling and dealing ✍🏾Meaning If you're wheeling and dealing, you're involved in the complex world of making deals and exchanging favours in business or politics, or both. ❗️For example 🔸You'll need to be good at wheeling and dealing if you want to do well in politics. 🔸The amount of wheeling and dealing that's needed to sort out a contract with the local government is incredible. 📒 Out of office, out of danger 📖Meaning The implication is that people in high government or official jobs are not safe. They will be safe only when they leave their job. 📒stop over 📖Meaning to stop at a place and stay there for one or two days while on your way to somewhere else 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 We're going to Vietnam on business, but we're stopping over in Hawaii for a couple of days on the way. 💬 I'm stopping over in Bangkok for one night on my way to Sydney.

📒mistake for 📖Meaning to wrongly think that a person or thing is someone or something else 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Fake Gucci bags look real and can easily be mistaken for genuine Gucci bags. 💬 There's a guy who lives near here who often gets mistaken for David Beckham. He looks just like him. 📚know where you stand ✍🏾Meaning If you know where you stand, you know exactly where you fit in a social or work situation, or in someone's life. ❗️For example 🔸Nobody bothered to ask Ken for his opinion, so he says he now knows where he stands in the company. 🔸Shelley didn't even invite me to her party, so I know where I stand with her now. 💠 mug (2) 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning the face ❕For example 🔺Hey Harvey! Were you at the Liverpool game on Saturday? I was watching it on TV and I'm sure I saw your mug in the crowd. 🔺Looks like Larry's growing a beard. Good idea if it means we don't have to see so much of his big ugly mug! 📒 Would you buy a used car from this man? 📖Meaning Do you trust this man? I don't 📒shut out (2) 📖Meaning to stop yourself thinking about or feeling something that upsets you or hurts you 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 She still finds it difficult to shut out the memory of her grandmother's illness. 💬 The thought of losing her is unbearable, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't shut it out. 📚ring a bell ✍🏾Meaning If something rings a bell, it sounds familiar or you think you've heard it before. ❗️For example 🔸The name rang a bell but I couldn't remember exactly where I'd heard it before. 🔸Does the name "Hunter S. Thompson" ring a bell? 💠 veep 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning the vice president ❕For example 🔺If a president dies during his or her term, the veep takes over and becomes the president. 🔺What do you think about the Republican Party putting a woman on their ticket to run for veep? 📒 A just war is better than an unjust peace 📖Meaning Fighting between countries for a fair and good cause is better than no fighting in a situation that is unfair. Note: just (adj.) = based on what is fair or morally right war (noun) = fighting or armed conflict between countries unjust (adj.) = not based on what is fair or morally right peace (noun) = quiet and tranquillity; freedom from war Compare: "An unjust peace is better than a just war." - Marcus Tullius Cicero (106BC-43BC) 📒die down 📖Meaning If something dies down, it gradually becomes weaker in strength or lower in volume or magnitude. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The anger people felt about what the previous government had done to their country took a long time to die down. 💬The new president waited for the applause to die down before he began to speak. 📚feel the pinch ✍🏾Meaning If you are feeling the pinch, you're finding it harder to survive on your income. ❗️For example 🔸Since the price of oil went up, lots of businesses have been feeling the pinch. 🔸Inflation has been pretty bad recently, so we've all been feeling the pinch. 📒 If you can't beat 'em, join 'em 📖Meaning If you cannot win against someone or something, it may be easier or better to join forces with them. Note: 'em (informal contraction) = them 📚under the weather ✍🏾Meaning If you are under the weather, you're not feeling well. ❗️For example 🔸Hiroko's feeling a bit under the weather. He thinks he might have the flu. 🔸Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make it to work today. I'm feeling a bit under the weather 💠 ute 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a pickup truck ❕For example 🔺After shooting two kangaroos, Bruce threw them into the back of his ute and drove back to town. 🔺Nearly every farmer in Australia owns a ute. 📒 Better the foot slip than the tongue 📖Meaning It is better to take a bad step in walking than to say the wrong thing in talking. We can do a lot of damage when we say something by mistake. The elliptical nature of this saying may make it difficult to understand. The full version might be something like: "It is better that your foot should slip than that your tongue should slip." Note: foot (noun): the end part of the leg on which we stand or walk | slip (verb): slide by accident | tongue (noun): large, movable fleshy part in the mouth that we use for talking and tasting 📒go after (1) 📖Meaning to chase and try to catch someone or something 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After the guy had grabbed my wife's handbag I went after him, but he was too fast and he got away. 💬A lion won't go after an animal unless it's pretty sure it can catch it. 💠 ex 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a former partner or lover ❕For example 🔺I got divorced last year, and I've only seen the ex twice since then. 🔺I saw my ex at a party last night, and he was with some other guy. 📒 Many a true word is spoken in jest 📖Meaning Something said as a joke may often contain wisdom and truth. Note: jest (noun): a joke; something said for amusement or comedy 📒write down 📖Meaning to write something on a piece of paper 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 After chatting to the girl for a while, Shane wrote down his name and number on a piece of paper and gave it to her. 💬Most insurance companies will try to find any reason they can to avoid paying out claims to their customers. 📚play it by ear ✍🏾Meaning If you play it by ear, you don't plan ahead but you do whatever seems best at the time depending on the situation. ❗️For example 🔸I like those comedy shows where they play it by ear and just say whatever they like and do whatever they like. 🔸Jean says he's not sure what goes on in the meetings, so he'll just play it by ear and see what happens. 📒 Zeal, when it is a virtue, is a dangerous one 📖Meaning According to this saying, "good zeal" cannot exist. It seems that zeal is inherently dangerous. When zeal is not a virtue, by definition it is not good. When zeal is a virtue, according to this saying it is dangerous, which is also not good. This saying relies heavily on paradox for its effect. Note: zeal (noun) = enormous energy or enthusiasm for a cause or an objective virtue (noun) = quality regarded as morally good in a person 📒pay out 📖Meaning to pay a sum of money to somebody, especially a large sum 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 If you win the lottery, they'll pay the money out in installments over several years. 💬Most insurance companies will try to find any reason they can to avoid paying out claims to their customers. 📚zero-sum game ✍🏾Meaning A zero-sum game is a situation in which any gain by one side or person is at the expense of a loss to another side or person involved in the situation. ❗️For example 🔸The stock market has become a giant zero-sum game in which one investor gains what another investor loses. 🔸In a zero-sum game, if you add the total gains of the participants and the total losses of the participants, the sum will always be zero 💠 user 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a person who regularly takes mind-altering drugs ❕For example 🔺Kelly's been a user for many years and she'd like to stop using drugs altogether, but she can't do it by herself. 🔺All the people who go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings are users who are recovering, so they really understand the problems other drug addicts have. 📒 Bad news travels fast 📖Meaning "Bad news" means news about "bad" things like accidents, death, illness etc. People tend to tell this type of news quickly. But "good news" (passing an exam, winning some money, getting a job etc) travels more slowly. 📒 All that glitters is not gold 📖Meaning The attractive exterior of something is not a good indicator of its real nature. It may look valuable, but not be valuable. 📒do about 📖Meaning If you do something about a problem, you do something to fix it or solve it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My printer won't work and I'm not sure what to do about it. 💬What do you think we should do about our company's falling market share? 📚easy come, easy go ✍🏾Meaning You can say "easy come, easy go" to express the idea that if something comes to someone easily, such as money they get without working hard for it, they can lose it just as easily and it won't matter to them much. ❗️For example 🔸Harry's very easy-going, especially when it comes to money. It's easy come, easy go, as far as he's concerned. 🔸The share market's been falling recently, and I've lost a fair bit of money, but it's easy come, easy go, really, because it's just money I've earned from shares in the past. 📒 “The secret of discipline is motivation. When a person is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.” 📖Meaning When you intrinsically have desire toward something you'll do it at any cost. 📒talk out of 📖Meaning If you talk someone out of something, you persuade them not to do it. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 My uncle is a drug addict, and there's nothing I can say to talk him out of it. He says he's too old to stop now. 💬My family tried to talk me out of becoming a musician, but I wouldn't change my mind. I was determined to have a career in music. 📚like a fish out of water ✍🏾Meaning You feel like a fish out of water if you're surrounded by people who are different to you, and it's making you feel a little uncomfortable. ❗️For example 🔸I was the only black person in a church full of white people, and I felt like a fish out of water at first. But lots of people came up and talked to me after the service, and I soon felt quite at home. 🔸Sayoko travels to a lot of unusual places. She says feeling like a fish out of water is sometimes interesting. 💠 cushy 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning easy, undemanding (of a job or a lifestyle) ❕For example 🔺I'd like one of those cushy government jobs with loads of holidays and not much real work. 🔺Steve quit the cushy job he had in his father's company. He says it didn't challenge him enough. 📒 Cold hands, warm heart 📖Meaning A cool, reserved exterior may hide a kind heart. 📒act out 📖Meaning If you act out, you express your feelings through acts or words. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Jim often gets into trouble because he acts out his emotions without thinking about the consequences. 💬We can all have violent thoughts and aggressive feelings sometimes, but society doesn't usually allow us to act them out. 📚hard to come by ✍🏾Meaning If something is hard to come by, it is difficult to find. ❗️For example 🔸A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in London these days. 🔸Good jobs in the airline industry have been hard to come by recently. 📒 Revenge is a dish best served cold 📖Meaning This saying suggests that if someone does something bad to us, it is better to pay them back later in time, not immediately. Vengeance may be more satisfying if it is not inflicted immediately. 📒put forward (1) 📖Meaning to offer an idea, an opinion, a suggestion, etc. for other people to consider 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 He put forward an interesting argument, but no-one was really convinced by it. 💬 If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to put them forward and they'll be given our full consideration. 💬 Many of the suggestions that have been put forward are excellent. 📚a bad hair day ✍🏾Meaning If you're having a bad hair day, everything seems to be going wrong for you. ❗️For example 🔸Poor Sue's in a terrible mood. I think she's having a bad hair day. 🔸I knew it was going to be a bad hair day when my car wouldn't start. 📒dying for 📖Meaning If you're dying for something, you really feel like it or you want it very much. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 I'm dying for a cup of tea. Let's have a break and I'll make one. 💬 After working non-stop for a month, Charles said he was dying for a day off so he could stay home and do nothing.

📚dirt cheap ✍🏾Meaning You can say something is dirt cheap if it costs very little money. ❗️For example 🔸Be careful when you buy dirt cheap clothes. They could shrink easily or the colours could run when you wash them. 🔸Kevin is very tight with his money. If he has to buy someone a present, it's always something dirt cheap 💠 funk 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning (in phrase be in a funk) an unhappy, depressed mood ❕For example 🔺He's been in a real funk since his girlfriend left him. 🔺Everyone in the office has been in a funk since we heard that our company might be going bankrupt. 📒turn into 📖Meaning to change from one thing into another 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Isn't it incredible how caterpillars turn into butterflies, and tadpoles turn into frogs? Nature really is amazing! 💬 This guy is a great businessman. He turned a small company into a huge global corporation. 💠 tight-ass 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning 1) sby who spends as little money as possible, a miser 2) sby who's repressed and very strict about following society's rules ❕For example 🔺Our boss is a real tight-ass; we never get a Christmas bonus. 🔺Don't be such a tight-ass, Rob. Let yourself have some fun for a change. 📒 Ignorance of the law is no excuse 📖Meaning It is no defence to say that we didn't know that something we did was illegal. 📒pull in 📖Meaning If a train, a truck or a car pulls in, it arrives somewhere. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The train you want will be pulling in on platform 9. 💬 A truck pulled in to the yard and the driver jumped out. 📒 Better safe than sorry 📖Meaning We should be careful in a dangerous situation. It is better to stay safe than to have an accident (and be sorry about it). The full "grammatical" sentence would be: "It is better to be safe than to be sorry." 📒run on (1) 📖Meaning to use a particular type of fuel or a particular power source 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Why did it take so long for the big car companies to develop and market cars that run on electricity instead of fossil fuels? 💬 My new mobile phone runs on a battery that lasts for a month before it needs recharging. 📚give the green light ✍🏾Meaning If you give something the green light, you give permission for it to be done, or allow it to happen. ❗️For example 🔸The government has given the green light to our tree-planting project, so we can go ahead and start organizing things. 🔸As soon as our CEO gives the new product the green light, we'll start planning production. 💠 upbeat 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning bright, cheerful ❕For example 🔺The convention should have a lively, upbeat mood, so we need to start off with some upbeat music and an uplifting speech. 🔺The movie tells an upbeat story about starting a new life in a new country and finding love and happiness there. 📒 Look upon death as a going home 📖Meaning We may consider dying to be a kind of returning to house and family. 📒keep up (2) 📖Meaning If you keep up with someone, you stay at the same level and don't fall behind them. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Rafael can run very fast. When we go running together, it's hard for me to keep up. 💬 Jimmy takes a long time to learn new things, and sometimes he can't keep up with other kids in his class. 📚vice versa ✍🏾Meaning You can say "vice versa" when what you have just said is also true in the opposite, or reverse, order. ❗️For example 🔸He doesn't believe anything she says, and vice versa. They really don't trust each other. 🔸During the cold war, the Americans tried to spy on the Russians, and vice versa. 💠 take 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning stolen money or goods ❕For example 🔺The take from the bank robbery was about ten thousand dollars. 🔺The cops have caught the thieves, but they're still looking for the take. 📒 Opportunity seldom knocks twice 📖Meaning Take any opportunity or chance when it comes - it may not come again. 📚read between the lines ✍🏾Meaning When you read between the lines you try to understand what someone implies, but doesn't openly state, when they say or write something. ❗️For example 🔸I got a letter from Robyn and she isn't happy. She didn't say anything but I could tell by reading between the lines that something's wrong. 🔸A good writer doesn't tell the reader everything directly but leaves it up to the reader to figure things out for themselves by reading between the lines. 📒 Brevity is the soul of wit 📖Meaning The real art of speaking (especially when speaking humorously) is to use as few words as possible. Note: brevity (noun): shortness of time; use of few but exact words | soul (noun): the spiritual part of something; the essence of something | wit (noun): lively, keen intelligence; ability to use words creatively and for humour 📒level with 📖Meaning If you level with someone, you tell them the truth about something. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 Why won't you level with me and tell me what's really going on? 💬 I'll level with you, Heather. My brother's a lovely guy, but he's got a problem with gambling. 📚keep an eye on ✍🏾Meaning If you keep an eye on someone, you make sure you know what they're doing. ❗️For example 🔸I'm a bit worried about Hannah's health so could you keep an eye on her while I'm away. 🔸The media has promised to keep an eye on the new government and report anything that seems suspicious. 📒 Variety is the spice of life 📖Meaning Monotony is bad for us. We need plenty of change. It adds interest to our lives, just as spice adds interest to food. 📚a voice (crying) in the wilderness ✍🏾Meaning You're a voice in the wilderness, or a voice crying in the wilderness, if you're expressing an unpopular opinion or insight. ❗️For example 🔸When Galileo stated that the sun was the centre of the solar system, he was a voice crying in the wilderness. Most people thought he was crazy or evil, or possibly both. 🔸Clara says petrol engines should be banned because of the damage they cause to the environment. She says most people laugh when she says this, and she feels like a voice in the wilderness. 💠 meathead 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a stupid person ❕For example 🔺How did a meathead like that guy get elected to represent the people in his state? 🔺I was watching the tennis yesterday and some meathead yelled out just as Rafael was serving. The security guys found him and threw him out. 📒 The greater the sinner, the greater the saint 📖Meaning 1) If a bad person can become good, a very bad person can become very good. Someone with great energy for doing bad, may, when he chooses, apply it equally to doing good. 2) Converts are the most zealous. In a day-to-day sense, for example, someone who has given up smoking may preach more about the virtues of not smoking than someone who never smoked. 📚learn the ropes ✍🏾Meaning If you learn the ropes, you learn how to do a job properly, or how things work and how to get things done. ❗️For example 🔸Ruth will teach you what to do, and it shouldn't take you too long to learn the ropes. 🔸It can take quite a while for a new lawyer to learn the ropes in a big legal firm. 📒see to 📖Meaning If you see to something, you take responsibility for it and make sure it's done. 🤓For example ⤵️ 💬 The police chief promised he'd see to it that whoever was behind the attacks would be caught and punished. 💬 That's a nasty cut. You'd better go to the hospital and have it seen to. 💠 KO | kayo 🇺🇸 ✍🏾Meaning a knockout, especially in boxing (n.) | to knock someone out, usually with a punch (v.) ❕For example 🔺Three of the boxers won their fights with a kayo, and the rest won on points. 🔺The fight was stopped after Tony KOed his opponent in the fourth round. 📒 Soon learnt, soon forgotten 📖Meaning Something that is easy and quick to learn is easy to forget.

❌ I look forward to see you. ✅ I look forward to seeing you. ❌ I am looking forward to meet her. ✅ I am looking forward to meeting her. ❌ What are you looking forward to do on holiday? ✅ What are you looking forward to doing on holiday? 📌Look forward to something means to be pleased or excited that it is going to happen. The ‘to’ in look forward to is a preposition, so we must follow it by a noun phrase or a verb in the -ing form: 🌀I’m looking forward to the holidays. 🌀A: Are you excited about your trip to South America? B:Yes, I’m looking forward to it. 🌀We’re looking forward to going to Switzerland next month. ❌ looking forward to go to Switzerland 📌If the second verb has a different subject, we use the object form of the pronoun, not the subject form: 🌀We’re looking forward to him arriving next week. ❌ We’re looking forward to he arriving next week. ✏️Note: We also use look forward to at the end of formal letters and formal emails to say that we hope to hear from someone or expect that something will happen. We use the present simple form: 🌀I look forward to your reply. 🌀I look forward to hearing from you soon. 🌀We look forward to receiving payment for the services detailed above. 🇺🇸Learning English Differently

Would you like to achieve a good band score in IELTS or any other tests? If yes, follow us and learn useful collocations in use. Dead: [only before noun] completely or exactly – used to emphasize what you are saying 🌀We all sat waiting in dead silence (=complete silence) . 🌀The train came to a dead stop (=it stopped completely) . 🌀The arrow hit the dead center of the target (=the exact centre) . 🌀I’ve given the whole thing up as a dead loss (=completely useless or a complete failure) . 🌀John tells me it’s a dead cert, we can’t lose (=something which will certainly happen, win, succeed etc) . 🌀He fell to the floor in a dead faint (=completely unconscious) .