idioms (a-z)a...about to do something- (9)

7/30/2019 Idioms (a-Z)a...About to Do Something- (9)

1/21

Idioms (A-Z)A...About to do something- (9)

The pastry that she made melted in my mouth.

mend one`s fences

- do something to make people like you after a fight, strengthen one`s friendship or influence

I made a big effort to mend my fences with my boss so that we could work together effectively.

mend one`s ways

- improve one`s habits

She has been forced to mend her ways in order to get along better at work.

mess around

- play around, engage in idle activity

The children were messing around in the school yard before the class began.

mess up

- cause trouble, spoil something

He messed up his chance to get a promotion by not making much of an effort lastyear.

middle of the road

- being halfway between two different ideas, seeing good on both sides of an issue


2/21


3/21

mix-up

- an error, some confusion

There was a mix-up at the airline ticket counter and I was given the wrong ticket.

(get or become) mixed up

- become confused

He gets all mixed up when he tries to speak French.

money to burn

- have very much money, have more than is needed

He has money to burn and never has to worry about working.

monkey business- comical or silly actions, goofing off

The kids were involved in some kind of monkey business. That was when the windowwas broken.

monkey business

- unethical, illegal or objectionable activity, cheating

The company was involved in some monkey business with the tax department and hav

e recently had to hire a lawyer to defend themselves.

more and more

- increasingly, increasing number

More and more people are buying computers for their homes.

more or less

- somewhat, to some extent

I like the new color more or less but it`s not great.

more the merrier

- the more people who join in the fun the better it will be

The more the merrier he said as his sister`s friends also decided to come to thebeach.


4/21

morning after (the night before)

- a hangover

He`s not feeling well. I think it`s the morning after the night before.

(not) move a muscle

- don`t move even a small amount

The doctor told him not to move a muscle when he was fixing his leg.

move heaven and earth

- try every way, do everything one can

I will move heaven and earth to help you get a job with our company.

move in on

- take over something that belongs to another

He was angry because the other salesman was moving in on his sales territory.

mum`s the word

- say nothing of the secret you know

Don`t worry mum`s the word on the party. I won`t tell anybody.

musical chairs

- the transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs -especially each other`s jobs

They seem to be playing a game of musical chairs at the company as many people move from one position to another position.

music to one`s ears

- something one likes to hear

When he told me that I could go to the sales convention in the summer it was music to my ears.

my goodness (my God)


5/21

- used to express surprise or shock etc.

"My goodness," she said when she saw the small dog jump over the fence.

N..................................

nail down- make certain, make sure

I am trying to nail down the exact time that he will be able to meet with us.

name is mud

- a person`s reputation becomes bad, one is in trouble

His name is mud now that he has been charged by the police with stealing money from his company.

name of the game

- the main part of a matter

The name of the game is for the salesmen to sell cars and not to worry about other things.

name someone after

- give someone another`s name

He was named after his mother`s grandfather.

narrow escape

- an escape with no chance of error

He had a narrow escape when he almost fell from his bicycle.

neck and neck

- equal or nearly equal in a race or contest


6/21

The two teams were neck and neck in the race to win the national championship.

neck of the woods

- an area or part of the country

He has never been down to my neck of the woods since he was a child.

needle in a haystack

- something that is very hard to find

Looking for the lost receipt among the thousands of other receipts is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

neither fish nor fowl

- something that does not belong to a definite group

I don`t know where we should put those books in the library. They are neither fish nor fowl.

neither here nor there

- not relevant to the thing being discussed, off the subject

What you are saying is neither here nor there. We are talking about our plans tomove this year - not 5 years in the future.

nervous Nellie

- a timid person who lacks determination and courage

He is a nervous Nellie and is afraid of most of the other students in the school.

nest egg


7/21

- money someone has saved up

He has a nice nest egg in the bank so he will have no financial problems if he leaves his company.

never mind

- don`t worry, don`t bother

If you don`t have time to pick up my laundry, never mind I will get it tomorrow.

new blood

- fresh energy or power, something or someone that gives new life or vigor to so

mething

She a great employee and helped us to inject new blood into our organization.

new broom sweeps clean

- a new person makes many changes

We discovered the truth to the expression "a new broom sweeps clean" when our new boss changed everything in our organization.

new deal

- a complete change, a fresh start, another chance

He was given a new deal by the team although the previous year he was not very g

ood.

new person

- a person who has become very much better


8/21

He is a new person now that he has quit smoking and quit drinking.

nick of time

- at the very last moment

He was able to board the airplane just in the nick of time.

nip and tuck

- evenly matched, hard fought to the finish

They were going along nip and tuck but he finally won the race in the end.

nip in the bud

- prevent at the start

They found out about the computer problem but were able to nip the problem in the bud.

no bed of roses

- difficult or bad situation

It is no bed of roses to have no job and a large family to support.

nobody's home

- one`s attention is somewhere else, having a simple mind

It looks like nobody`s home, I thought as I tried to have a conversation with the strange man.

nobody`s fool

- a smart person, a person who can take care of himself

She is nobody`s fool. You will not have to worry about her at all when she goesto New York.

no cigar


9/21

- not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly not

I almost got the job but in the end it was no cigar.

no deal


It was no deal I realized as I left the meeting and the other members had all said no to my plan.

No dice.

- No. Certainly not.

No dice. I will never lend you that much money.

no doubt

- without doubt, surely, certainly

No doubt he will be the one to win the contest again this year.

no end

- almost without stopping, continually

The little girl cried no end when she couldn`t find her favorite doll.

no end to (of)

- so many or so much of, to seem almost endless, very many or very much

He had no end of problems when he lived overseas for a year.

no go


10/21


It`s no go for our plan to have three games this weekend. We can only have two of them.

no great shakes

- mediocre, unimportant

The hotel was no great shakes and I wouldn`t recommend that you stay there if you go to Hawaii.

no love lost

- bad feelings, ill will

There is no love lost between my father and our next door neighbor.

no matter

- regardless of

No matter how hard that I try my tutor is never satisfied.

no picnic

- not pleasant, difficult

It was no picnic trying to drive to the lake during the storm.

nose around (about)

- look for something kept private or secret, pry

The secretary was nosing around in her boss's desk trying to discover what was going on.


11/21

nose down

- head down, bring down the nose of

The pilot began to nose down the plane as it neared the airport.

(have one`s) nose in something

- unwelcome interest in something, impolite curiosity

He always has his nose in other people`s private business where it doesn`t belong.

no-show

- a person who makes a reservation for something and then neither comes nor cancels it

There were several no-shows at the concert last night.

no sweat

- easily accomplished, uncomplicated

The work was no sweat. I finished it in about two hours.

no sweat

- no problem

No sweat. I will help you all day tomorrow if you need me.

not a leg to stand on

- no good proof or excuse, no good evidence or defence to offer someone


12/21

The company doesn`t have a leg to stand on if they try to refuse to pay you themoney that they owe you.

not for the world

- not at any price, not for anything

I wouldn`t go out on a date with that woman for the world.

not give someone the time of day

- dislike someone so strongly that you totally ignore them

I hate her and would never even give her the time of day.

nothing doing

- I will not do it, certainly not, no indeedNothing doing. I am not going to stay and work late again this evening.

nothing if not

- without doubt, certainly

He is nothing if not punctual. He has never been late in his seven years with this company.

not much of

- rather bad

It`s not much of a hotel but I guess it will be okay for one night.

Not on your life.

- definitely not.

"May I borrow your car"? "Not on your life".

not so hot

- not very good

I have been feeling not so hot lately as I had a cold last week.

nothing to sneeze at


13/21

- something you should take seriously

His new salary is nothing to sneeze at.

not touch something with a ten-foot pole

- consider something completely undesirable or uninteresting

That class may be alright but because I hate the professor I wouldn`t touch it with a ten-foot pole.

no wonder

- not surprising

No wonder he is so tired after staying up all night.

now and then

- occasionally

He likes to go to that restaurant now and then.number one

- oneself, one`s own interests

He is always looking out for number one and will never do anything for anyone else.

nurse a grudge

- keep a feeling of dislike toward some person

My old girlfriend is still nursing a grudge toward me even after three years.

nuts about

- enthusiastic about something

He has been nuts about cars ever since he was a little boy.

nutty as a fruitcake

- very crazy

The woman who lives next door to us is as nutty as a fruitcake.

Last edited by Argus; Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 03:28 AM.

#6 Tuesday, May 17, 2005

ArgusAdministrator

Join Date: Mar 2000


14/21

Location: IslamabadPosts: 776Thanks: 351Thanked 1,759 Times in 272 Posts

Idioms(O-P-Q)O...........................

oddball

- a person who doesn`t act like everyone else

He is an oddball and nobody at his company likes to work with him.

odds and ends

- various items

We made games for the children from odds and ends from around the house.

of age

- old enough to be allowed to do something (vote,drink etc.)

When he came of age we had a big party for him to celebrate.of age

- fully developed, mature

Fast transportation came of age when the first jets began to be used regularly.

of course

- as one would expect

Of course you can use my car if you want to.

off and on

- occasionally

He`s been seeing the woman off and on but I don`t think that their relationshipis very serious.

off balance

- not prepared, unable to meet the unexpected

I was caught a little off balance when he asked me to deliver the speech instead

of him.

off base- inaccurate

He was really off base on his estimate of next year`s budget.

offbeat

- nonconventional, different from the usual


15/21

The movie was very offbeat which is just the kind of movie that I like.

off-center

- different from the usual pattern, not quite like most others, odd

The picture was off-center and didn`t really fit in with the rest of the photos.

off-color

- in bad taste, not polite, dirty

He likes to tell off-color jokes which most people don`t like at all.

off duty- not working, having free time

The police officer was off duty when he came across the bank robbery.

off guard

- not alert to the unexpectedIt caught me off guard when she suddenly asked me to lend her $800.

off one`s back

- stop from bothering someone

I wish he would get off my back and stop always asking me when I am going to look for another job.

off one`s chest

- talk about a problem to someone so that it doesn`t bother you anymore

I finally talked to my friend from work and was able to get some of my problemsoff my chest.

off one`s hands

- no longer in one`s care or possession

I sold my old computer and finally got it off my hands.

off one`s high horse

- not acting proud and scornful

We got him off his high horse when he was forced to admit that he had made manymistakes related to the new product launch.

off one`s rocker

- crazy

He must be off his rocker if he thinks that he can spend all that money and not


16/21

have a problem.

off the beam

- wrong, mistaken

What he said about the new office was right off the beam and should be ignored by everyone.

off the beaten track

- not well known or often used, unusual

We went to a small restaurant off the beaten track last night and liked it verymuch.

off the cuff

- without preparing ahead of time what one will say, without preparation

He made a few remarks off the cuff but he has never really explained in full what he wants to do.

off the hook

- out of trouble or free from an embarrassing situation

I think that I am off the hook now and won`t have to worry about the problem anymore.

off the record

- privately, unofficially

He told the reporters off the record about the problems with the budget estimate.

off the top of one`s head

- from memory, spontaneously

He knew all of the team`s members off the top of his head.

off the wagon

- begin to drink alcohol again after stopping for awhile

He seems to be off the wagon again. I saw him yesterday and I am sure that he had been drinking.

(as) old as the hills

- very old

The old building at the library is as old as the hills.

old hat

- old-fashioned, not new or different


17/21

The job has become old hat and I am becoming a little tired of it.

on a dime

- in a very small space

His new car has very powerful brakes and is able to stop on a dime.

on again, off again (off again, on again)

- not settled, changeable, uncertain

The plans for the fireworks display were on again, off again because of the rainy and windy weather.

on and off

- intermittently, now and then

It has been raining on and off since early this morning.

on and on

- continually, at tedious lengthThe speech continued on and on until we finally left the gathering.

on an even keel

- in a well-ordered way or condition

We finally got the new department running on an even keel although it took a long time.

on a shoestring

- with very little money

He started the new company on a shoestring.

on behalf of

- representing a person

The lawyer went to the meeting on behalf of his client.

on board

- on a ship, plane or similar form of transportation

We had to get on board the airplane before it was able to take off.

on call

- available to be called out on duty

He works as a computer repair man and is always on call which is very tiring.

once and for all


18/21

- permanently

I told him once and for all that I would not take the new job.

once in a blue moon

- rarely

I only go to that restaurant once in a blue moon.

once in a while

- occasionally

We like Japanese food so we go to that restaurant once in a while.

once or twice

- a few times

We went to that restaurant once or twice but we quickly became tired of it.

once-over

- a quick look or examination of someone or something

He gave the rental car a once-over before he signed the contract.

on cloud nine

- very happy

She has been on cloud nine ever since she decided to get married last month.

on easy street

- having enough money to live comfortably

He has been on easy street since he sold his house and invested the money.

on edge

- be nervous or irritable

He has really been on edge lately because of his exams.

on end

- seemingly endless

We worked for hours on end last night but we still never finished the job.

on faith

- without question or proof

I took it on faith that he would help me when I had a lot of extra work to do.

on guard


19/21

- careful, wary

He has been keeping on guard since the accident last month.

on hand

- available

I`m sorry but I don`t have any aspirin on hand at the moment.

on hand

- nearby, within reach

Please keep your dictionary on hand in case we need to use it.

on hand

- present

The speaker will be on hand after the lecture if you have any questions that youwant to ask her.

on ice

- away for safekeeping or later use, aside

The city decided to put the plans for a new stadium on ice until they can raisemore money..

on one`s back

- making insistent demands of someone, being an annoyance or bother

She has been on my back all week trying to get me to finish my monthly report.

on one`s chest

- worrisome thoughts or feelings that one might need to share with someone else


20/21

I had a long talk with my friend last night and was able to get most of my problems off my chest.

on one`s coat-tails

- along with someone else, as a result of someone else doing something

The mayor was elected on the coat-tails of his brother who was a famous singer.

on one`s feet

- recovering from sickness or trouble

I was sick for a couple of weeks but now I am on my feet again.

on/upon one`s head

- on one`s self

He brought the anger on his own head and should not try and blame someone else.

on one`s high horse

- acting as if one is better than others, being very proud and scornful

He is always up on his high horse and never bothers to think about how other people feel.

on one`s/its last legs

- at the end of someone/something`s strength or usefulness

I think that his old car is on its last legs.

on one`s shoulders

- one`s responsibility

Please don`t try to put the failure of his marriage on my shoulders.

on one`s toes

- be alert


21/21

He always asks the students many questions to keep them on their toes.

on pins and needles

- excited, nervous

Her daughter has been on pins and needles all day waiting for the contest to begin.

on purpose

- intentionally

I think that she spilled the drink on purpose.

on shaky ground

- unstable, not secure

His position at the company has been on shaky ground for quite some time.

on the air

- broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or TVThat television program has been on the air for over three years now.

o

idioms (a-z)a...about to do something- (9)

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