Idioms

I can’t abide going by bus

For this party food for ten people should be about right.

I’m above working in this sleazy place!

How can they be together? It is above my head! / It’s above my understanding!

He is so determined to win that he will be above nothing.

In my job I have to keep abreast of politics.

Her explanation was so confusing that I was all abroad.

The news of their divorce got abroad at once.

It is hard to imagine my house in the abstract.

No one forced her to marry him. She did it of her own accord.

With one accord, we decided to take a taxi.

By all accounts, she is a very good teacher.

On no account must you enter this room.

The teacher called him to account for his absence.

My sister is giving a good account of herself in her new job.

Make sure that you put this money to good account.

It’s high time he settled accounts with his company.

You must take his age into account when judging him.

He was very calm because he knew that he had an ace up his sleeve - he saw the stolen money in their suitcase.

We asked for a pay rise across-the-board.

Is your house insured against acts of God such as flooding?

Don’t exaggerate! The situation is not that bad. Get your act together and face the consequences!

Stop whining! You are not a child so act your age!

He was caught in the act of destroying all the documents.

I was sure that he put on an act to be set free.

I’m not going to let him stay in our house. I don’t know him from Adam.

This case is not that serious. Much ado about nothing, as usual.

I didn’t know the city well, so after a while I was all adrift.

One of the straps on her dress came adrift. When he met her, he forgot about his wife and went adrift.

He was in trouble and all his friends turned him adrift.

He tried his best to be seen to advantage during the interview.

She was so naive that everyone took advantage of her.

I asked him not to slam the door again and again.

I go to the theater now and again.

It took him a year to be himself again after the accident.

Do you know that she worked as an agony aunt for some time?

If you don’t know how to solve your problem, write to an agony column. Maybe they will help you.

Her husband aids and abets her in this forgery.

I bought a ticket for the concert in aid of handicapped people.

The new regulation is aimed at reducing traffic jams in cities.

She always aims for the sky.

She is a kind of person who likes to air her knowledge at parties.

She got drunk and almost aired her pores during the official party. What a scandal!

Is this radio station on the air 24 hours a day?

He bet on a horse, but the result was up in the air.

Her unexpected arrival luckily cleared the air in our family by stopping our quarrel.

When she saw her husband with her best friend in the restaurant, she went up in the air.

Have you seen him anywhere? No he has melted into thin air.

After the date he walked on air.

When he first met his future wife, she knocked him in the aisles.

The joke was so funny that we rolled in the aisles all evening.

Let me be. I’m all in.

He went all out to get this job.

We should make allowances for the fact that she’s very lazy.

He cannot even lift it. Let alone carry it upstairs.

How are you going to make amends for that broken vase?

My grandmother is my sheet anchor in time of trouble.

The tragedy of those two young boys' deaths is enough to make the angels weep.

He was a really naughty child and always answered back to his father.

Somebody is knocking. Could you answer the door?

I was getting ants in my pants waiting for the late train.

At first appearance she seemed to be very shy, but later she was quite talkative.

She is only attending the banquet for the sake of appearances. He helped that old lady only for appearance’s sake.

Don’t upset the apple cart by inviting his ex-wife to the party.

If he had never met you, he would still be tied to his mother’s apron strings.

She is a very formidable teacher and keeps her students at arms length.

The whole society took up arms in defense of their village.

I don’t think that they are awake to the problems.

He never visits me without any purpose. He always has an axe to grind.

When it comes to money, my father is just a babe in the woods.

Everyone in the factory knew that it wasn’t my fault. I was just left holding the baby again.

Make sure you don’t throw out any important documents while cleaning the desk. It would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

This case seems to be very important for them. I wonder who is at the back of it.

For Christ’s sake, get off my back!

She is getting on well with her boss, so she must have gone in by the back door in this case.

They weren’t a good marriage. To be quite frank, she was glad to see the back of her husband.

When he lost all his money, his friends turned their backs on him.

Her husband was too bossy to let her do anything in politics. She had to keep in the background.

Don’t pay attention to what you heard. It’s just backstairs gossip.

In my home it was the father who brought home the bacon.

The situation was really bad, but she did her best to save her bacon.

She thought that her neighbor had stolen the money, but it turned out to be a bad shot.

After our grandmother’s arrival, our situation went from bad to worse.

I don’t think he will be able to help you. He is bad off.

The economic situation wasn’t good and the company was in a bad way.

I don’t think that she is attractive, such a bag of bones.

When I met her after such a long time, she seemed to be a bag of nerves.

Don’t worry. Our victory is in the bag.

I thought I could trust her, but she let the cat out of the bag.

Her impudent remark threw him off his balance.

The revealed news tipped the balance in their favor/against them.

Although he claimed that he wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, he went at it bald-headed.

She is a ball of fire. I would like to have so much energy.

She was so reserved that it wasn’t easy for him to keep the ball rolling.

He will go bananas when you tell him the news.

He realized that he was helpless, but he made the best of a bad bargain.

You shouldn’t be afraid of your boss. His bark is worse than his bite.

She is a real basket case when it comes to cooking.

She saw her ex-boyfriend at the disco and ran out of there like a bat out of hell.

I'm goofy, I'm daft, there's bats in my belfry. She is a strange person. I think that she’s got bats in the belfry.

We didn’t have to wait long. She agreed right off the bat.

She claims that she inherited the money. Can you beat that!

He apologized for his behavior, explaining that he had got up on the wrong side of the bed.

He always has a bee in his bonnet about safety. My mother’s got a bee in her bonnet about money.

It’s high time you stopped beefing about your husband!

His idea was for the birds.

We are in the same boat so don’t try to cheat me.

She burned her boats by taking their savings.

I missed the boat by not buying that book. It’s out of stock now.

She will not stay in this house any longer! Over my dead body!

He's just the assistant to the manager, there's no need to lick his boots. She always licks her superior’s boots. The boss wants us to lick his boots.

Oh please, cut the cackle! I’ve heard this hundreds of times!

I will never forget Susan. She was my true calf love.

You work in the kitchen. So what? There is no call to blush.

It wasn’t my fault. I will never carry the can again.

The car is so old that replacing the engine is not worth the candle. Don’t bother about this case - it’s not worth the candle.

You desperately need some rest. If you burn the candle at both ends like this, you may have a heart attack.

Her latest book can’t hold a candle to her earlier works. He held a candle for her whereas she just left him without a word.

Since I got this job, I’ve paddled my own canoe.

I won’t have you telling me what to do. I’m the captain of my soul.

He couldn’t stand the atmosphere in the company any longer and asked for his cards.

Don’t hurry. You should go through the whole card carefully.

The Queen got the red carpet whenever she went.

He is gossiped to be carrying on with his boss.

Don’t tell me that he cannot afford it! He is rolling in cash!

When he met her, he was so excited and ran around like a scalded cat.

Despite knowing that there’s a dog’s chance of winning, he still tried.

He says I have to work late tonight - so bang goes my trip to the cinema. I was really stupid calling her an idiot. Bang goes my chance!

He promised to love her to the end of the chapter.

I don’t understand how they can be together. He treats her like a chattel.

He never says what he thinks. He’s such a chicken.

Sorry, I cannot come. I’m up to my chin in work.

I cannot find any solution to this situation. It’s a vicious circle. Debtors were caught in a vicious circle: they could not be freed until they had paid their debt, and were not able to pay their debt as long as they were in prison.

If he finds a patient listener, he can tell strange stories around the clock.

The devil is typically depicted with cloven hooves. I thought I could trust Eric until he showed the cloven hoof by spreading rumors about me. At the beginning he seemed to be a very nice person, but then he showed his cloven hoof.

I don’t like your off-color remarks. slightly sick. I'm feeling a little off-color today.

(An allusion to the identifying flags of a ship, and so usually used in the phrase “sail under false colors.”). Don’t believe in what he said. He just deliberately gave a false color to this case.

She is very original and never follows the crowd.

She's got that man dancing attendance on her. She always dances attendance upon her boss.

He made a song and dance about the hotel, but I thought it was all right.

We couldn’t find any solution. That was a dead-end situation.

He came to a dead stop when he saw her.

He doesn’t know what to do. He’s between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Next time you will win. Never say die!

I think you should try to iron out differences.

If you don’t use it, just give it to somebody. Don’t be such a dog in the manger.

He's in the doghouse for forgetting his wife's birthday. I’ve been in the doghouse since I was late.

Food tastes even better out of doors. Let’s meet out of doors for a change.

He was really lucky because his boss opened the door for him.

I’m not 100% sure that I did it right. Frankly speaking, I’m still in doubt.

Well, this time I’m down on my luck.

Oh, please! Don’t draw the longbow. It’s not that bad.

You could waste your whole life on a pipe-dream. He wants to leave this country, but I know that it’s just a pipe dream.

I didn’t put much effort in it. It was like a dream.

She gave me a dressing-down for being late.

He couldn't let the matter drift for much longer. I’m not going to do anything about this case. Let a matter drift.

After the last party, he came home as drunk as a lord.

I don’t want to interfere, but he drinks like a fish. Can’t you see it?

I never drink on the quiet. I prefer to go to a pub.

The last time I visited them they drunk me under the table.

After his wife’s death, he took to drink.

I’ve been running for three hours. I’m ready to drop.

During the last official meeting I was humbled into dust.

His arrival has raised a dust.

Let’s go Dutch! I cannot afford to buy you a beer.

If he’s thirty, I’m a Dutchman.

She is always enthusiastic about her work. She’s an eager beaver.

Our cash flow is good, but we're up to our ears in debt, which is a big strain on the company. You'll be up to your ears in debt if you don't stop charging everything. I cannot afford it. I’m up to my ears in debt.

Her plans to set up her own business fell down about her ears.

Their appeals to release the hostages fell on deaf ears. My request for money fell on deaf ears.

He should be a musician because he has a good ear.

He pricked up his ears when he heard them talking about him. — Are you ready for the news? — I’ve pricked my ears up.

His arrival set me by the ears.

His arrival set the couple by the ears.

They threw him out on his ears for using the Internet for private purposes at work.

At their house I’m at ease and feel comfortable.

At their house I’m ill at ease and feel uncomfortable.

Take it easy! Everything will be all right.

There was no point in hiding it so I ate humble pie.

It makes you depressed and you suffer from it. You look sad. What’s eating you?

When I met her after the funeral, she was rather at a low ebb.

Please, leave me alone for a while. I’m on edge.

You have to help her. She’s on the edge of committing suicide.

They succeeded in putting their strategies into effect. The new regulation will be brought into effect next month.

At school she was (really) in her element. On a stage, she’s in her element.

She turned up at the eleventh hour.

I've tried every possible source without success, and now I'm at my wit's end. Her explanations were so confusing that I was at my wits’ end.

Her boss definitely threw her in at the deep end.

She was forever running errands for her housebound grandmother. I’m really tired of going on errands for you.

If you are not sure how to do it, try by trial and error.

It wasn’t my fault. He just wanted to make an example of me.

It may not seem like a big deal, but in the eye of the law it is a crime.

I didn’t take part in this enterprise, but I was all eyes.

This idiom can be applied to inhuman objects, such as your favorite shoes or car, but it is more commonly used to refer to a favorite younger person or child. My mother has always been the apple of my eye.

I was unable to take my eyes off this painting.

She must be in love with him. She cast sheep’s eyes at him at the party.

Ask Kate. She has an eye for decorating rooms.

Don’t worry about him. He has an eye to the main chance.

He may be naughty so please keep an eye on him.

If I were you, I’d keep my eyes peeled for the next door neighbor.

Her new pink dress leaps to the eye.

He was too clever to let them pull the wool over his eyes. Don’t let her pool the wool over your eyes.

I’m glad that we see eye to eye with each other at this point.

It wasn't until much later that the scales fell from his eyes and he realized that she'd been lying to him. She was blindly in love with him so I had to remove the scales from her eyes.

I see his disloyalty with half an eye.

Please, don't turn a blind eye to what is happening. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to this kind of behavior.

I knew that he is a liar. I could see it with the unaided eye.

You can trust her. She’s not just a pretty face.

It’s high time you faced the music. We would later have to face the music over our bold moves.

Anna pulled a funny face at the girl. She’s a naughty child and always pulls faces behind her father’s back.

She was so close to success, but they slammed the door in her face.

The temptation that landed in your flesh has found a place in your affections. Temptation grows in power as it builds a position in your soul. Despite being on a diet, she fell into temptation and ate some chocolate.

Action movies are all the fashion in Hollywood these days. Don’t you like my new shoes? They are all the fashion!

Proper dancing has gone out of favor. No wonder that she was promoted. She’s in our boss’s favor.

When she saw him with her own sister, she was spitting feathers.

He’s rich because he has always feathered his nest.

She pretended to be tough, but in fact she showed the white feather.

I’m fed up with your behavior.

He felt equal to taking that exam.

Do you feel like another drink?

Once I get a feel of the company's daily operations, I'll be more comfortable in this management role. Try to understand her and get the feel of her situation.

They dragged their feet through the orchard towards the house. You’re always dragging your feet. Come on, time is running out! be deliberately slow or reluctant to act. The government has dragged its heels over permanent legislation.

He lost his job but fell on his feet when he was hired by another company just a few days later. You shouldn’t worry about him. He always falls on his feet.

When I understood that I was being followed, I got cold feet.

I gave her a chance, but she always gets under my feet.

My sister is abroad again. She has itchy feet.

With your grades and extracurriculars, you'll have the ball at your feet in your college search. Don’t squander (waste) the chance. You have the ball at your feet.

The situation was hopeless, but she tried to keep her feet.

I’m so tired, all I need is to put my feet up.

She mended fences with her father. She and her father are trying to mend their fences. It’s high time you both mended your fences.

I’m tired with playing second fiddle to you.

I asked him to help me, but he didn’t even lift a finger.

She’d invested extensively in stocks and got her fingers burned when the market collapsed. Experiencing and suffering.

I wouldn’t invite him at your home party because he has light fingers.

He claims that he has his finger on the pulse of the computer industry. I’m sorry, I cannot go abroad with you because I have to keep my fingers on the pulse here.

The stranded hiker was hanging on by her fingertips until the rescue crew arrived. by extension, to narrowly avoid problems or failure. They're hanging on by their fingertips out there—the other team's offensive is totally overwhelming them.

Now that I have three small children to care for, I feel as if I'm hanging on by my fingertips every day. She should retire now, but she is holding onto her job by her fingertips.

Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. Please don’t be late. First come, first served.

He lost because of being off his game.

He is on his game so I’m sure that he will win.

He didn’t know what to do so he played a waiting game.

After the match he was at his last gasp.

His marriage proposal made her gasp.

I’m getting along well with my mother-in-law.

He always gets behind with work.

She’s got the gift of the gab

she should work in sales and marketing

She found it easy to communicate in Spain because of her gift of tongues.

I’m going to fight with the gloves off to win.

This dress fits you like a glove.

My father gets angry very easily, so we have to treat him with kid gloves.

Tom has fallen in love so deeply that he is glued to his girlfriend.

I wish you would stop smoking. There you go again!

Don’t waste your time and try to do it at one go.

She went at the problem without a moment of hesitation.

That event will definitely go down in history.

Yesterday I went in for an exam, but it didn’t go very well.

If you keep working so hard, you will go mad.

I will stay by you for good or ill.

John’s been in my good graces ever since he helped get me out of debt. Ask her to do it. She’s in our manager’s good grace.

My boss was extremely angry with me. It seems to me that I fell from grace.

I’m watching you, so you’d better be on your guard.

Don’t worry. I will not harm a hair of her head.

Their snobbishness gets in my hair. My younger brother gets in my hair when my friends visit me.

I know that the situation is difficult but try to keep your hair on.

Children behaved so badly that I lost my hair.

The situation made my hair stand on end.

I believe that you will somehow hammer out a solution.

He bought me a very expensive present. He’s a large-handed man.

I asked him to help me, but he didn’t even lift a hand.

To some extent he’s right, but on the other hand his arguments are very tendentious.

I look up to my boss (I respect him so much). He’s an old hand at this business.

He was caught red-handed while smoking by his parents.

The government admitted that economical situation got out of hand.

Joe insists on keeping his hand in the company, even though he has no real authority at this point.

I've mostly stopped acting, but I will do a play occasionally, just to keep my hand in. I occasionally play golf just to keep my hand in.

Don’t try to deceive me. I know you like the back of my hand.

I’m moving to another town. Could you lend me a hand this evening with packing?

I’m afraid that you’ve overplayed your hand. The task is too difficult for you.

She is unbearable. She always waits on her boss’s hand and foot.

I wish I got such a golden handshake.

He speaks his mind at the drop of a hat.

I’ll eat my hat if she’s on time.

Don’t be such an old hat! Contraceptives are commonly used nowadays!

I suspect that he’s keeping something under his hat.

Be serious and stop talking through your hat!

You are completely focused on them. You wouldn’t recognize him. He has fallen head over heels in love with her.

She's young, but it’s clear that she has her head screwed on right. You can rely on him. He has his head screwed on the right way.

I tried everything to keep my head, but the situation was hopeless.

He was in deep trouble and all his instincts told him to keep his head down. She’ll not do anything. She prefers to keep her head down.

Usually used as a threat or a hypothetical action. If you insult me like that again, I'll knock your head off! That football nearly knocked my head off.

We spent several hours laying heads together.

She is resistant, but I’ll ram the idea into her head.

If he finds a patient listener, he can talk his head off.

He turned our apartment on its head, but the keys were nowhere to be found.

Oh, please! Don’t eat your heart out! Everything will be all right.

We're asking upper management to search their hearts and realize that this decision will negatively impact every employee in the company. I know you're hurt right now, but search your heart—you know that breaking up was the right thing to do.

You don’t have to hurry up. Search your heart and make a decision.

I need to talk to you and unload my heart.

He managed to save his hide by telling the truth.

I didn’t know that he got hitched last month.

How is Jack’s new girlfriend? She’s cut no ice with me.

I have to put my trip on ice for the time being.

He was under the illusion that going abroad was the best solution.

His brother is the spitting image of him.

Our manager often wants us to do the reports immediately if not sooner.

My family has lived in this town from time immemorial.

I think we should discuss the ins and outs of your plan.

You’ve broken the family vase. You’re in for it.

Don’t try to deceive me. I know you in and out.

I came within an inch of losing my life on the rocks below. I was within an inch of leaving this country forever.

He came back under the influence at about six in the morning.

Don’t ask me to do anything before I satisfy the inner man.

She has made inroads upon the company she works in.

She put her dress on inside out. You should change your sweater. It’s inside out.

I turned the closet inside out and still couldn't find those shoes. She couldn’t find the keys and turned everything inside out. to change (something) completely. Her life was turned inside out after the accident.

The point at issue is where we should go for holiday.

I don’t agree with your idea, but I don’t want to make an issue of it.

The boss absolutely ignored him by not even taking the issue with him.

My son is itching to go to university.

I have an itch for going abroad.

I’ll come back before you can say Jack Robinson.

Accidentally I got into a jam and I don’t know what to do now.

We used to tease her about it and it became a standing joke.

I think that laughing at his divorce was beyond a joke.

I’d like to have one million dollars, but joking apart, I do need money.

They have bought a new car. I see that they do everything to keep up with the Joneses.

I’m sure that she agreed against her better judgment.

She squandered all her money and now she’s stewing in her own juice and isn’t going out.

He just wouldn’t leave me alone, so finally I told him to go jump in the lake. You’re getting on my nerves. Go and jump in the lake!

She told him to (go) take a running jump. Stop teasing me! Go and take a running jump!

She had the jumps just before the exam.

I’d jump at the chance of a career in football. She jumped at the chance, because her boss was absent and asked for a leave.

I was about to say, before you jumped down my throat, that I agree with you. She was so angry that jumped down his throat.

Stop whining. You're getting on my nerves. I cannot stand him. He jumps my nerves.

Whatever is happening in the office, she always remains aloof. She kept herself aloof from her husband's business. I don’t trust him. You had better keep aloof from him.

He’s rather a reserved person who likes keeping himself to himself.

Fees have been raised to keep pace with inflation.

Don’t change the subject. This is a different kettle of fish.

She accidentally sent an e-mail to her boss instead of to her friend. That’s a fine kettle of fish.

He kicked the bucket last year

Yesterday he kicked up a row concerning my going abroad.

How was the party? Great! We really kicked up our heels.

She was dressed to kill for an interview.

She had made a killing by selling home-made jewelry.

I took kindly to her the moment I saw her.

My grandfather went to kingdom come last month.

In the last scene of this movie, John sends her to kingdom come.

He saved her life by doing the kiss of life.

I had no other choice but to kiss goodbye to my wallet.

He says he doesn’t want a promotion if he has to kiss his boss's arse to get it. She is not very good at math, but she has quite good results for kissing our teacher’s arse.

I guess we can kiss off the deal.

She took everything except the kitchen sink when we went abroad.

I had kittens when I found out that my parents died.

He may be handsome, but he’s knee high to a grasshopper.

Have you tried this ice cream? It's the bee's knees, it really is. He is the bee’s knees in our company.

The strikes had brought the economy to its knees. He was brought to his knees by the company. (he got forced to obey)

When he found out that she was ill, he had his knickers in a twist.

I don’t know why but she’s really got her knife into her sister.

It wasn’t my idea. I did it at knifepoint.

I knocked myself out playing football.

He is a very irritating person, who can really knock me sideways.

Our boss was the one who knocked the company into shape.

I had no idea that they tied the knot last year.

Kids today don't know they are born. She doesn’t have to take care of money. She doesn’t know she is born.

You don’t have to conceal it. I’m in the know.

I will talk to her some time to know the score.

I'm going to have to knuckle down to some serious study. She knuckled down to her homework.

He spent eight years rebuilding the house—a labour of love. She’s such a great teacher. That’s her labour of love.

Let’s keep it to ourselves until we see how the land lies. She asked so many questions just to see how the land lies.

To think that only a few years ago we were in Fortune’s lap.

I hate this feeling that I’m in the lap of the gods.

The last but not least issue to discuss is taxes.

She was thought to lose, but finally she had the last laugh.

He pretended to be serious, but couldn’t help laughing up his sleeve.

We all fell about with laughter when the professor accidentally swore during his lecture. The joke was so funny that we fell about with laughter.

She killed herself with laughter when she saw him in an old-fashioned suit.

If she performs this well in the championships, her rivals will have to look to their laurels. I know that she is very ambitious so I have to look to my laurel.

I decided to lay my money on the line.

Maybe I should take a leaf out of Rick's book and start coming in early every morning.

She decided to leave her job and turn over a new leaf.

The last meeting was extremely long and she was straining at the leash to leave.

She is a very strict teacher who holds the class in leash.

I didn’t share a word with her because she went hell for leather.

I don’t find her a particularly interesting person. Actually she has left me cold.

Taking French leave, he evaded his creditors.

She was so tired that it seemed that she would take leave of her senses.

When he came back home a bit tipsy (drunk), she gave him a curtain lecture.

You see, I told you not to cut classes. Have you learnt your lesson?

Have you got a car? Could you give me a lift?

Similarly, give someone a line on means “provide information about,”. The librarian gave me a line on the books I would need. Sue got a line on some possible tennis partners. The realtor has a line on a number of vacant apartments.

[disapproval] It is estimated that 5,000 bank staff could be lining their own pockets from customer accounts. When he was abroad, he managed to line his own pocket.

I would never trust him. He’s living a lie.

To lead an extravagant life. Fighting cocks were typically well-fed, so as to increase their chances of success in a cock fight. She doesn’t have to worry about money. She lives like a fighting cock.

What do you do to make your living?

This task is not so difficult. Use your loaf!

I’m not so naive. Tell that to the Marines!

Enough is enough. You have overstepped the mark.

I advised you not to ask him for help. You brought your eggs to the wrong market.

She will get this job by all means.

By no means will I agree.

No wonder that they are in debt. They live beyond their means.

He began to save money when he finally learned to live within his means.

I don’t understand how you can be so blind. He treats you like easy meat.

This idea is meat and drink to me.

Jane really liked that guitar. It’s the cat’s meow.

Experiencing difficulties. Unfortunately he met his Waterloo trying to clinch the deal.

I am prepared to meet him halfway by paying him a further £25,000.

I was a naughty child and led a merry dance to my parents.

I saw Jack yesterday. He looked like a million dollars.

Stop mincing matters and get to the point.

I don’t trust her. Bear that in mind.

I didn’t know what to do and then this brilliant idea crossed my mind.

It’s high time you made up your mind. Are you going with us or not?

Let me be. Mind your own business.

Could you visit her and try to set her mind at rest?

She took a load off my mind saying that the danger was over.

Why didn’t you call me? I didn’t have a minute to call my own.

They don’t have to save up. They’re rolling in money.

They don’t have to worry about money. They have money to burn.

She visits us once in a blue moon.

I hope you realize that you’re asking for the moon.

I’m over the moon about selling that old car.

You shouldn’t count on him. He’s all mouth and trousers.

Why are you so down in the mouth? Do you have any problems?

Promise me that you’ll keep your mouth shut.

It must be true. I’ve hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

identify something precisely. Something seems unexpected—I can’t nail it down, but it makes me uneasy.

A lot of people called him names and I was one of them.

I was really surprised that he took his mother’s name in vain.

Excuse me, I’ve to obey a call of nature.

It doesn’t make sense to bother so much about it. You’ve to bow to necessity somehow.

For today’s politicians, the treaty is becoming a millstone.

If I were you, I wouldn’t rely on him. He’s dead from the neck up.

I would never risk my neck on a sport like skydiving. News reporters often risk their necks working in war zones. He’s not my close friend so I’m not going to risk my neck for him.

I cannot stand him. He gets on my nerves.

I don’t comprehend that you had a nerve to ask him for money.