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I am Martín from Argentina and I think idioms it´s a very
important topic if we want to learn the English language, I think that providing just one idiom is not enough, so I will provide more.
In my profile I said that I joined this website with intentions
of meeting new people and sharing my knowledge, so I composed this long list for all of you, I hope you will find it helpful and interesting. Enjoy it, mates . If I have made any mistake in this list, please send me a message informing me about it. Thanks
-"had rather"
-"had sooner"
-"would rather"
-"much rather"
they all mean: "would prefer" -"to make a monkey out of someone"
-"to pull someone´s leg"
they both mean: "to make fun of a person in his/her presence pretending
that you are behaving normally and that you are not making fun of him/her"
-"to laugh up one´s sleeve"
it means: "to laugh of o person or situation avoiding smiling or denoting your thoughts"
-"to catch in the act"
-"to catch red handed"
they both mean: to see a person in a naughty or dishonest act -"To pay someone back"
-"to return like for like"
-"to repay in kind"
-"to pay someone back in his own coin"
-"to give tit for tat"
-"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"
they all mean: to return bad treatement to a person -"to back the wrong horse"
it means: "to choose wrongly" -"in the same breath"
it means: "at the same time"
-"to take one´s breath away"
it means: "to bewilder","to amaze" -"under one´s breath"
if you speak under your breath,you speak in a low voice
-"to cast an eye at"
-"to lay eyes on"
-"to run one´s eye down" (a page)
they mean: "to take a look at" -"to catch one´s eye"
if something catches your eye, it called your attention
-"come hell or high water"
-"come what may"
-"come rain or shine"
-"come what will"
they all mean: "whatever happens" -"I don´t give a straw"
-"I don´t give a hang"
-"I don´t care twopence"
-"I don´t give a shit" (sorry for this, it is swearing)
-"see if I care"
-"it´s no skin off my nose"
they all mean: "I don´t care about that" or "not to be
interested on something" -"not to have the faintest idea"
-"not to have the slightest idea"
they both mean: "to know nothing about something" -"to have a thorough knowledge of"
-"to have something down pat"
-"to know every inch of"
-"to know the score"
they all mean: "to know a lot about something" or "to be
very familiar with something" -"to throw the sponge"
-"to toss the sponge"
-"to throw in the towel"
-"to lay down one´s arms"
they mean: "to give up", "to surrender" -"at great length"
it means: "with plenty of details" -"in less than no time"
-"right then and there"
-"on the spot"
-"straight away"
-"straight off"
-"in a wink"
they mean: "immediately"
-"not on your life!"
-"not a chance!"
-"not likely!"
-"nothing doing!"
-"no such thing!"
they mean: "under no circumstances!" or "on no way!"
-"not for love or money"
-"on no account"
-"by no means"
-"not on any terms"
-"in no wise"
-"not for all the world"
they all mean: on no way -"to see the light"
it means: "to realize about something", "to understand" -"to take a load off one´s feet"
it means: "to sit down"
-"ever so much"
-"scores of"
it means:"a lot" -"as plain as the nose on one´s face"
when something is as plain as the nose on one´s face
it means that it is very clear. -(to manage) "at one´s own sweet will"
-"to lead by the nose"
it means:"to manage something the way you want"
-"to look down one´s nose at.."
-"to turn up one´s nose at.."
they mean: to scorn or reject a person
-"money talks"
it means: "money can do anything you want or desire"
-"to be pressed for money"
it means: "to be in trouble because of lack of money" -"to be pressed for time"
it means: "to be in trouble because of lack of time"
-"to pour money into"
it means: "to invest a lot of money in" -"to pay through the nose"
it means: "to pay a lot of money"
-"to be pushed for money"
it means: "not to have enough money" -"to be rolling in money"
it means: "to have too much money"
-"to be in hot water"
-"to be in deep water"
they mean: "to be in trouble" -"in a bad spot"
-"in a tight spot"
they mean: "in trouble" -"to be at one"
-"to see eye to eye"
it means: "to agree with another person" -"out of step with…"
it means: "in disagreement with…" -"on the outs"
it means: "antagonized with another person"
-"to play one against the other"
it means:"to antagonize two persons" -"to pay the piper"
-"to face the music"
they mean: "to face the consequences of something"
Example: "Now, you have to face the music for this"
-"to work one´s head off"
-"to work at a feverish pitch"
they mean: "to work as fast as you can" or "to work until you cannot continue because you are exhausted"
-"to get the push"
it means: "to be fired"
-"to put one´s foot in one´s mouth"
it means: "to make a mistake" -"to be out of the question"
it means:"to be impossible"
-"to ring down the curtain on (something)"
it means: "to finsh something", "to end up something" -"is there enough to go round?"
it means: is there enough for everyone?
-"to rub the wrong way"
-"to be on someone´s tail"
-"to jar one´s nerves"
-"to set on edge"
-"to get under one´s skin"
they mean: "to irritate or bother" -"the thought keeps running through my head"
it means: "I can´t forget about this"
-"to run off at the mouth"
-"to shoot off one´s mouth"
it means: "to speak more than one should" -"to run a red light"
it means: "to continue driving without stopping even though the light is red" -"to have a long run"
it means: "to be a lot of time in jail" or: "to have been working for long"
-"knock it off!"
-"save it!"
-"enough said"
they mean: "stop with that!" -"search me!"
it means: "I don´t know!"
-"to search one´s memory"
it means: "to try to remember"
-"to be sold out"
it means: "to be very tired" -"it serves you right!"
it means: "you deserve that!" -"to set one´s heart on"
-"to set one´s mind on"
-"to be set on"
they mean: "to be completely decided to…"
-"to be thumbs down on"
-"to take issue with…"
-"to take exception to…"
-"to make a stand against…"
they mean:"to be against…(idea,decision,request) -"to be dead set against…"
it means: "to be completely against..(idea,decision, request) " -"to shake a leg"
it means: "to hurry up"
-"look alive!"
-"step it up!"
-"step on it!"
they mean: hurry up! -"to be no great shakes"
it means: "not to be much worthy"
-"to be worth one´s salt"
it means: "to be very worthy" -"to shoot the breeze"
it means: "to chat"
-"to talk a blue streak"
it means: "to talk too much" -"to be past the worst of it"
-"to get the short end of the stick"
they mean: "to receive the worst part of something"
-"to show someone in"
it means: "to make somebody come in"
-"to show someone out"
it means: "to make someone go out" -"to show someone the door"
it means: "to expel someone of your house"
-"to slip one´s mind"
it means: "to forget about something" -"to be quite something"
it means:"to be something extraordinary"
-"where do you stand?"
it means: "what is your opinion?" -"to stretch the rules"
it means: "to make an exception"
-"to a T"
it means:"perfectly"
for example: "she fits the role to a T" -"to take flight"
-"to turn tail and run"
it means: "to escape"
-"to take a bite"
it means: "to eat something"
-"to be bored to tears"
it means: "to be extremely bored" -"to think somebody (a fool, a mad)"
it means: "to think that somebody is (a fool, a madman)"
-"through and through"
it means: "completely"
for example: "to be soaked through and through" -"thumbs up!"
it means: "good luck!"
-"to put teeth into"
it means: "to strengthen" -"to paint the town red"
-"to go out on the town"
they mean: "to go out to have fun"
-"to turn a deaf ear to…"
it means: "to avoid hearing something"
-"to turn one´s coat"
it means: "to change your opinion" -"people from all walks of life"
it means: "all kinds of people"
-"walk of life"
it means: "occupation" or "social class" -"to be above water"
-"to be safe and sound"
they mean: "to be out of danger"
-"to wind somebody around one´s little finger"
it means: "to have a person under your influence,or your command.
Now, my favourite ones: -"to carry a torch for…"
if you carry a torch for a person,it means: to be totally in love with a person that doesn´t love you -"to be on a kick"
it means: to be obsessed with something
-"nuts about" (for someone or something)
if you are nuts about a person it means that you are crazily in love for him/her. If you are nuts about something, it means that you are crazily desperate to get it. -"to be sweet on"
it means: "to be in love with"
-"to reach for the stars"
-"to reach for the moon"
they mean: to desire or want something wich is impossible to get or achieve -"to take a wife"
it means: "to marry"
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