" LangLing "

English Language, Jokes, Facts, Etymology, Translation, etc

" LangLing "

English Language, Jokes, Facts, Etymology, Translation, etc

English Idioms

come in handy

Meaning: You can say something might come in handy if you think it might be useful.


fresh as a daisy

Meaning: If you feel as fresh as a daisy, you feel energetic and lively.


a weight off your shoulders

Meaning: You can say a weight is off your shoulders if you no longer have to worry about something or deal with something difficult.


have your head in the clouds

Meaning: If someone has their head in the clouds, they are out of touch with the everyday world and can be unrealistic or naive as a result.


neck of the woods

Meaning: A neck of the woods is a neighbourhood or a district, usually rural.


right down your alley | right up your alley

Meaning: If something is right down your alley, or right up your alley, it would be perfect for you or ideal for your skills and interests.


in the black

Meaning: If a person or a company is in the black, their assets are greater than their debts.


year in, year out

Meaning: If something has happened year in, year out, it's happened every year for many years in a row.


in deep water

Meaning: If you're in deep water, you're in some sort of trouble or in a difficult situation.


take the bull by the horns

Meaning: If you take the bull by the horns, you deal with a problem or a challenge in a direct and fearless way.


under the weather

Meaning: If you are under the weather, you're not feeling well.


virgin territory

Meaning: You can say something is virgin territory if it's never been explored before or never been done before.


kill time

Meaning: You kill time when you do something to amuse yourself while waiting for something.


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.


warts and all

Meaning: If you show something warts and all, you show it exactly as it is without trying to hide any of its faults or weaknesses.


set the world on fire

Meaning: If you set the world on fire, you do something that creates a lot of excitment and makes you famous.


yellow-bellied

Meaning: If someone is yellow-bellied, they are not brave, or they are cowardly.


up in arms

Meaning: If you are up in arms, you are angry about something that you think is unfair or wrong.


wear your heart on your sleeve

Meaning: If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you show your emotions openly and you don't try to hide your feelings.


kill time

Meaning: You kill time when you do something to amuse yourself while waiting for something.


eat your words

Meaning: If you eat your words, you admit that something you said was wrong.


run-of-the-mill

Meaning: Something is run-of-the-mill if it is ordinary and nothing special.


a zebra crossing

Meaning: A zebra crossing is a pedestrian crossing that is marked on the road with painted black and white stripes.


hard to swallow

Meaning: Something that someone has said is hard to swallow if it's difficult to believe.


a 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.


a kick in the teeth

Meaning: If you get a kick in the teeth, something bad happens to you or you feel that you've been treated poorly.


a vested interest

Meaning: If you have a vested interest in something, you have a strong personal interest in it because you stand to gain from it.


ill at ease

Meaning: If you're ill at ease, you feel tense or you can't relax in a situation.


Slangs

chicken out

Meaning: to change one's mind about doing something because of fear

 

merry

Meaning: slightly and happily drunk

 

effing

Meaning: used as a less offensive substitute for the highly-offensive taboo word "fucking"

 

umpteen

Meaning: many, countless

 

ex-con

Meaning: someone who has spent time in jail

 

pissed off

Meaning: angry, annoyed

 

funk

Meaning: (in phrase be in a funk) an unhappy, depressed mood

 

run-in

Meaning: a serious argument or problem with someone

 

unglued

Meaning: mentally confused and emotionally strained

 

zap

Meaning: to destroy, to obliterate

 

aggro

Meaning: aggressive, violent

 

knock over

Meaning: to rob a store or a bank

 

kick-ass

Meaning: forceful, aggressive

 

zero

Meaning: a worthless person, someone who's done nothing worthwhile in life

 

Mickey Finn | Mickey | mickey

Meaning: a drink to which a drug has been added to make the drinker sleepy or unconscious

 

Uncut

Meaning: not circumcised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phrasal Verbs

decide on

Meaning: If you decide on something, you choose one thing from among two or more possible options.


meet with

 Meaning: to get a certain reaction or response, either positive or negative


hold up

 Meaning: to steal from someone while threatening them with a gun or asimilar weapon


carry out

 Meaning: If you carry out a task or a piece of work, you do whatever is needed to complete it.

have out

 Meaning: If you have something out, like a tooth or an organ, it's removed from your body. 


sit up

 Meaning: If you sit up, you get up into a sitting position after you've been lying down. 


jack up

 Meaning: to increase the price or the cost of something by a large amount


set back

 Meaning: If something has set you back fifty dollars, it has cost you fifty dollars.


leave behind

 Meaning: If you left something behind, you forgot to bring it with you.


instil in

 Meaning: to condition someone to follow a certain belief or to behave in a certain way


take in

 Meaning: to include something 


fall out

 Meaning: If something falls out, it becomes detached from whatever it's attached to.


stand out

 Meaning: If somebody stands out, they are easy to see because there is something unusual about the way they look or the way they behave.


go away

 Meaning: to leave or go to another place


become of

 Meaning: If you ask what has become of someone you haven't seen or heard from for a long time, you want to know what's happened to them.


buckle up

 Meaning: to fasten a seatbelt in a car or on a plane