| Idiom |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| at the drop of a hat |
without needing any advance notice |
My Grandma will babysit for anyone at the drop of a hat. |
| (have a) bee in one's bonnet |
something that is annoying someone |
Milan has had a bee in his bonnet all day, but he won't tell me what's wrong. |
| below the belt |
beyond what is fair or socially acceptable |
His comment about Manfred's handicap was below the belt. |
| bursting at the seams |
not fitting anymore |
I ate too much. I'm bursting at the seams in these jeans. |
| caught with one's pants down |
unprepared |
My students caught me with my pants down on Monday. I forgot about the field trip. |
| (have a) card up one's sleeve |
have a secret or reserve plan |
I think Josh has a card up his sleeve cause he wants me to wear a dress to the fast-food restaurant. |
| buckle down |
work extra hard |
It's almost exam time, so I need to buckle down this weekend. |
| burn a hole in one's pocket |
money that one is tempted to spend |
Let's go to the mall after school. There's a hundred dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket. |
| dress to kill, dress to the nines |
dress in nice or sexy clothes |
My cousin was dressed to kill on her birthday. |
| fit like a glove |
fit perfectly (tight to one's body) |
Anita's prom dress fits me like a glove. |
| fine-tooth comb |
in great detail, extremely carefully |
The police looked for fingerprints with a fine-tooth comb. |
| fly by the seat of one's pants |
do by instinct, not by plan |
I had never taught art to kids before. I had to fly by the seat of my pants. |
| handle with kid gloves |
treat delicately |
Please handle my grandmother's tea set with kid gloves. |
| hand-me-down |
used clothing |
We buy hand-me-down skates because the kids' feet grow so quickly. |
| hat trick |
three goals scored by one person |
The fans cheered when the hockey player got a hat trick. |
| in one's birthday suit |
in the nude |
The swimmers in the lake were in their birthday suits. |
| keep one's shirt on |
try to stay calm |
I know you're in a hurry, but please keep your shirt on. |
| keep something zipped |
keep something a secret |
We know we're having a boy, but we're keeping it zipped from the grandparents. |
| off the cuff |
said without planning |
I didn't have a speech prepared. Everything I said was off the cuff. |
| pull up one's socks |
try harder |
Marco will have to pull up his socks if he wants to make the football team. |
| put a sock in it |
stop talking |
Put a sock in it! I'm trying to tell a story. |
| put one's thinking cap on |
think hard in order to solve a problem |
I can't remember where the Christmas decorations are. I'll have to put my thinking cap on. |
| put oneself in someone else's shoes |
imagine what it would be like to be in someone else's situation |
Put yourself in Amber's shoes. She doesn't even have a car to drive. |
| ride one's coattails |
let someone else do all of the work |
It was a group project, but everyone rode Andrew's coattails. |
| roll up one's sleeves |
get down to hard work |
The celebrities rolled up their sleeves and washed cars for charity. |
| take one's hat off to someone |
recognize or honour someone for something |
I take my hat off to Jim. The doctors said he'd never walk, and he just ran a marathon. |
| wear one's heart on one's sleeve |
display emotions openly |
My Dad's not afraid to cry. He always wears his heart on his sleeve. |
| wear the trousers |
be in charge, make the rules |
By the looks of things, the kids wear the trousers in this household. |