Dictionary of Idioms

Municipal Autonomous Educational Institution Gymnasium № 26

ByBy AnnaAnna AnisimovaAnisimovaThe English TeacherThe English TeacherNominationNomination: : Teacher Electronic DictionaryTeacher Electronic DictionaryAge classAge class: 8-11: 8-11

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Objective

The dictionary of Idioms is designed to assist in the acquisition of current British English Idiomatic expressions.

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Layout

Idiomatic expressions are listed in alphabetical order, and students can find example sentences for every idiom. Certain expressions are grouped by a common keyword. Within each grouping, expressions are alphabetized, numbered, illustrated and placed in brackets with example sentences following. See diagram.

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Using this dictionary There are thousand of idioms in English. Some are very common.

Some are rare. The dictionary will be an invaluable reference tool for sophomore

and junior students. The English teacher can only spend a small amount of time

teaching the student idioms. The student must spend time at home learning them for himself. The more he studies at home, the better his English will become. [1]

It is better to do a little at regular intervals, rather than a lot one time, and nothing for weeks.

If you do not understand the meaning of an idiom, do not worry! See if the context of the idiom can help you to understand its meaning. Study the example and look at the drawing. This will help you to remember what the idiom means and how it is used. [1]

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What is an idiom?

Idioms exist in every language. An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally, like “bought the farm” has nothing to do with purchasing real estate, but refers to dying. Idiom also refers to a dialect or jargon of a group of people, either in a certain region or a group with common interests, like in sciencee, music, art, or business. Watch the brief video

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A B C D E F GH I J K L M N O

P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Ac

Action [actions speak louder than words] something that you say which means that what you do is more important than what you say: Of course the government have made all sorts of promises but as we all know, actions speak louder than words.

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Ba

• back 1. [to the drawing board] to start thinking about a new way of doing something after a previous plan or idea has failed: They rejected our proposal, so it's back to the drawing board.

• back 2. [be back on one's feet] to be up and about: Take it easy for few days and you'll back on your feet in no time.

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Ba

back 3. [get off one's back] (informal) to stop annoying somebody, for example by criticizing them, or asking them to do something: Just get off my back, will you!

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Be

bear [like a bear with a sore head] bad-tempered or in a bad-tempered way:

I should keep out of his way.

He's like a bear with a sore head this morning.

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Bi

bite [a bite of the cherry] a part of something good, especially when there is not enough for everyone who wants it: Job-sharing would give twice as many people a bite of the cherry.

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Bo

boat [be in the same boat] to be in the same difficult situation: Tom: I'm broke. Can you lend me twenty dollars? Bill: Sorry. I'm in the same boat.

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Br

Bring 1. [home the bacon] to earn money for household expenses: His friends

had all gone to college or were bringing home the bacon.

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Br

bring 2. [to bring down the house] to make everyone laugh or cheer, especially at a performance in the theatre: The actors in the comedy knew that the last scene would bring down the house.

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Br

bring 3. [to bring to mind] to remind you of somebody/something : The painting brings to mind some of Picasso`s early works.

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Bo

[a bolt out of the blue] unexpectedly; without warning Her brother showed up at the wedding out of the blue.

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Ca

cake 1. [a piece of cake] something very easy:

Most parents know that dealing with a sick child makes everything else look like a piece of cake.

Our team is strong, but it won't be a piece of cake to make it to the finals.

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Ca

cake 2. [sell like hot cakes] if things are going like hot cakes, people are buying a lot of them very fast: The book has only just been published and copies are already selling like hot cakes in both Britain and America.

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Ch

chip [a chip off the old block] one who seems to be like his/her parent in actions or appearance: Adam is a chip off the old block.

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Col

cold [give someone the cold shoulder] to treat somebody in an unfriendly way: I thought that Sally and I were friends, but lately I've been getting the cold

shoulder.

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Cocool [cool as a cucumber] calm or unexcited: During the argument, Jessie stayed as cool as a cucumber.

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Dr

drop [drop like flies] to faint, sicken, collapse, or die, in great numbers like houseflies dying in a large group: It was a terrible year for the flu. People were dropping like flies.

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Ey

eye [see eye to eye] be in agreement: We never saw eye to eye on this question.

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Fe

feel [feel run down] tired or slightly ill/sick, especially from working hard: Take some vitamins if you're feeling a bit run down.

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Fl

fly [fly the nest] to leave your parents' home for the first time in order to live somewhere else: Once the kids have all flown the nest we might sell this house and move somewhere smaller.

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Fo

follow [follow in one's footsteps] to do the same job, have the same style of life, etc. as somebody else, especially somebody in your family: She works in television, following in her father's footsteps.

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Hea

head [have one's head in the clouds] to be thinking about something that is not connected with what you are doing: "Bob, do you have your head in the clouds?" asked the teacher. She walks around all day with her head in the

clouds. She must be in love.

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Hear

hear [be hard of hearing] [of someone] unable to hear well or partially deaf:

Please speak loudly. I am hard of hearing.

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Heav

heavy [a heavy heart] a feeling of great sadness: She left her children behind with a heavy heart.

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Hi

hit [hit the road] to depart; to begin one's journey, especially on a road trip; to leave

for home: We have to hit the road very early in the morning.

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Ja

jack [jack of all trades] who can do several different jobs instead of specializing in

one: John can do plumbing, carpentry, and roofing—a real jack of all trades.

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Ki

kitchen [take everything but the kitchen sink] a very large number of things, probably more than is necessary: We seem to take everything but the kitchen sink when we go camping.

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Le

lead [lead sb up the garden path] to make somebody believe something which is not true: Now, be honest with me. Don't lead me up the garden path. That cheater really led her up the garden path.

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Li

live [live and learn] you learn more new things the longer you live; you learn by experience: Janet made her new dress from cheap cloth, and when she washed it, itshrank and was too little. Live and learn.

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Lo

look [look off color] look unhealthy: You look a little off color. Are you tired?

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Mil

million [one in a million] nearly unique; one of a very few: He's a great guy. He's one in million. Mary's one in a hundred - such a hard worker.

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Milk

milk [cry over spilt milk] to be unhappy about what cannot be undone: It can't be helped. Don't cry over spilt milk.

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Min

mind [be in two minds about smth/about doing smth] to be unable to decide what you think about somebody/something, or whether to do something or not: I was in two minds about the book (= I didn't know if I liked it or not).

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Mo

money 1. [money talks] something that you say which means people who are rich have a lot of power and influence: 'He can't act so how did he get the part in the first place?' 'His father's a millionaire. Money talks.'

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Mo

money 2. [throw money down the drain] to spend money in a careless and obvious way: I don 't know why they keep making repairs on that old house. They're only throwing good money after bad.

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Ne

nerves [get on one's nerves] (informal) to annoy somebody: That music is starting to get on my nerves.

It really gets on my nerves when people hang up without leaving a message.

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Pa

pain [pain in the neck] a person or thing that is very annoying: That kid is a terrible pain.

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Pl

play 1. [play a joke] to do something that makes someone look foolish: Richard called and said I had won ten thousand dollars, and it took me a second to realize he was playing a joke on me.

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Pl

play 2. [play it cool] to hold one's temper: Come on now. Let it pass. Play it cool.

Don't let them get you mad. Play it cool.

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Pl

play 3. [play it straight] to be honest and not try to trick somebody: A comedian who plays it straight when he crusades against drug abuse.

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Po

port [port of call] a port visited briefly by a ship, as to take on or discharge passengers.

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Pr

price [the price is right] the price is very reasonable, it is a good value. These golf balls we found in the pond may not look new, but the price is right.

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Ro

roof [have a roof over one's head] to have somewhere to live: Thanks to Bob's

generosity, I still have a roof over my head.

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Ru

run [run in the family] (for a characteristic) to appear in many (or all) members of a family: My grandparents lived well into their nineties, and it runs in the family. My brothers and I have red hair. It runs in the family.

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Si

six 1. [six of one and half a dozen] about the same one way or another: It doesn't matter to me which way you do it. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other. What difference does it make?

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Si

six 2. [at sixes and sevens] lost in bewilderment; at loose ends: Mrs. Smith is at sixes and sevens since the death of her husband. Bill is always at sixes and sevens when he's home by himself.

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Sh

sheep [black sheep] a person who is different from the rest of their family or another group, and who is considered bad or embarrassing: My brother Ted is a high school dropout who joined a circus; he is the black sheep in our family.

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Sp

speak 1. [speak one's mind] to say exactly what you think, in a very direct way:

She's never hesitated about speaking her mind.

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Sp

speak 2. [speak the same language as sb] to have similar ideas, tastes, etc.: Jane and Jack get along very well. They really speak the same language about almost everything.

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Ta

talk 1. [sweet talk] to get what you want by great praise; flatter: Polly could sweet talk her husband into anything.

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Ta

talk 2. [talk of the devil] when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly: Well, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!

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Ta

talk 3. [talk to the wall] talking without receiving any kind of reaction or response from the person you're speaking to: "I poured my heart out to her and she just stared at me with a blank expression on her face. It was like talking to a

wall!"

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Ta

talk 4. [talk with a forked tongue] a person who says one thing and does another: Chief: "Me no trust White Man, he speaks with Forked Tongue.

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Ta

talk 5. [talk/speak in riddles] to talk in a way that is difficult to understand: She keeps talking in riddles, instead of just coming out and saying what she

means.

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Te

teach [you can`t teach an old dog new tricks] successfully make people change

their ideas, methods of work, etc, when they have had them for a long time: (Usually not polite to say about the person you are talking to; you can say it about yourself or about a third person.) I've been away from school for fifteen years; I can't go back to college now. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

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Tea

tea [cup of tea] something that one excels in or enjoys: Opera is not my cup of

tea.

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Ti

time [have the time of one's life] to enjoy yourself very much ; to have a very good time; to have the most exciting time in one's life: What a great party! I had the time of my life.

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Tu

turn [take a turn for the worse] to start to get worse: My job was going quite well; then last week things took a turn for the worse.

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Wa

water [in hot water] in trouble:

You are going to get into hot water with Rebecca about that.

Amy got into hot water about Todd with Rebecca.

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We

weather [be under the weather] feel slightly ill/sick and not as well as usual: "Oh pelase, don't ask me to cook today, I'm a bit under the weather" .

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Wea

wear [wear the trousers] (often disapproving) (especially of a woman) to be the person in a marriage or other relationship who makes most of the decisions. It's obvious who wears the trousers in that family!

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Wo

wonder [a one hit wonder] someone who performs popular music who makes one successful record and then no others: The seventies saw a succession of one-hit wonders who were famous overnight and then never heard of again.

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Wor

work [in the works] being prepared; being planned; being done: There are some new laws in the works that will affect all of us.

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References1. Keller E, Warner S. Conversation Gambits: Учебное пособие.-

Обнинск: Титул, 2001. – 96 с.2. Афанасьева О. В, Дули Дженни Spotlight 10, 11:

Издательство: Просвещение, 20123. http://www.thefreedictionary.com4. http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com5. http://www.urbandictionary.com6. http://www.english-easy.info/idioms7. http://dictionary.reference.com8. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/idiom9. Photos: http://yandex.ru/images10. http://yandex.ru/video/search?filmId=MJPyIUOMUXI&text=learn

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