Republic of the Philippines

PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Teacher Education
Puerto Princesa City

Coaching and Online LET Refresher Course for LET Takers:

Responding to the Challenges of the Normal

Area: English
Topic 10: Idiomatic Expressions

IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

A CHIP OFF THE OLD Someone who is very like one of He’s just as efficient as his father- a real chip
BLOCK his parents in personality off the block.
A PIECE OF CAKE Very easy For him, winning the race was a piece of
cake.
A WET BLANKET A person who spoils other Don’t ask him to the party- he’s such a wet
people’s enjoyment by depressing blanket!
A WHITE ELEPHANT Something which is useless and That enormous wardrobe your mother gave
nuisance or which causes much us has been nothing but a white elephant.
trouble while doing little good
ACID TEST A test which will prove or disprove His leg appears to be completely well again,
something beyond doubt but the acid test will be the tennis tournament
tomorrow.
AGAINST THE CLOCK Trying to overcome a shortage of They worked against the clock to get the
time newspaper out on time.
ALARUMS AND Confused activity esp. He came back from holiday straight into the
EXCURCIONS disorganized arguments alarums and excursions of a major crisis in
the office.
AN AMAZON A woman who is strong, energetic He had always pictured her as small and
or warlike feminine and was surprised when she turned
out to be a tall, blonde Amazon.
AN ANGEL OF A person who appears when he/ Just when we were beginning to feel really
MERCY she is particularly needed, thirsty, Mrs. Jackson appeared, an angel of
bringing help, comfort, etc. mercy, with a pot of tea.
AN APPLE OF Something which causes jealousy Aunt Mary’s emerald ring proved to be an
DISCORD and fighting apple of discord- within a week of her death
the whole family was fighting.
APPLE OF A person or thing which is greatly She is the apple of her father’s eye.
(SOMEONE’S) EYE loved (by someone)
APPLE –PIE ORDER Neat and tidy, with everything in Her desk is always in apple-pie order.
its correct place
AS HAPPY AS A LARK Very happy The little girl spent the afternoon digging on
the sand as happy as a lark.
AT SIXES AND In a state of confusion; completely On the day before the wedding, the whole
SEVENS disorganized house was at sixes and sevens.
BACKBITING Criticizing and speaking evil of a Constant backbiting by her colleagues led her
person when he or she is not to her resignation.
present
BAG OF BONES A very thin person After her illness, she was just a bag of bones.
BAPTISM OF FIRE A first experience of something, The new typist had her baptism of fire typing
usually something difficult, a letter for the managing editor.
frightening, etc.
BARK UP THE To attempt to do the wrong thing You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think
WRONG TREE or do something in the wrong way you will be able to influence the judge.
or from the wrong direction
BE BORN WITH A To be born into a wealthy family What does he know about hardship- he was
SILVER SPOON IN born with a silver spoon in his mouth!
ONE’S MOUTH
BED OF ROSES An easy or comfortable place, job Life is not a bed of roses.
etc.
BETWEEN THE DEVIL Faced with a choice between two Faced with a choice between starving to
AND THE DEEP BLUE risky or undesirable courses of death and emigrating, they were between the
SEA action devil and the deep blue sea.

Rebecca Teodones-Baguio Page 1 of 3

BITTER PILL TO Something difficult to accept She found his betrayal a bitter pill to swallow.
SWALLOW
BOOKWORM A person who reads a lot He is a real bookworm- he reads ten books a
week!
BRAIN DRAIN The loss of experts to another As a result of the brain drain Britain does not
country (usually in search of better have enough doctors.
salaries)
BRING HOME THE To complete a job, task, etc You can trust William to bring home the
BACON successfully bacon!
BUILD CASTLES IN To have dreams and plans which She used to build castles in the air about
THE AIR are very unlikely to come true becoming an actress, but when she left
school, she decided to get a job with more
security.
CROCODILE TEARS Pretended tears of grief They’re only crocodile tears—she hated her
cousin and she’s not really sorry he’s dead.
CRY FOR THE MOON To want or ask for something She’s looking for someone to offer her a
which is impossible to get glamorous, well –paid and undemanding job,
but I think she’s crying for the moon.
CRY OVER SPILT To waste time regretting an You wouldn’t have torn your skirt if you had
MILK accident, loss, etc. opened the gate instead of trying to climb the
fence, but there’s no point in crying over spilt
milk.
DOUBLE DUTCH nonsense I could not understand what he was saying- it
was double Dutch to me.
DUTCH COURAGE An artificial courage gained by He needed some Dutch courage before
drinking alcohol asking her to marry him.
FAIR-WEATHER People who are only friends to As soon as he found himself in trouble over
FRIENDS one so long as everything is going money, all his fair-weather friends deserted
well for one him.
FALL ON DEAF EARS Not to be listened to His advice fell on deaf ears.
FIRST-RATE excellent The college dean submitted a first-rate report.
FULL OF BEANS Full of energy; very cheerful She has been ill but she is full of beans now.

GET COLD FEET To lose courage and abandon a He was going to apply for the job but he got
plan cold feet
GO DUTCH To pay each for oneself (at a Since neither had much money, they always
restaurant, cinema, etc.) went Dutch when they went out together.
HAVE BUTTERFLIES To feel a fluttering sensation in She always gets butterflies before she goes
(IN ONE’S STOMACH) one’s insides as a result of on stage.
nervousness
HAVE A HEART Show some pity or kindness Have a heart! He’ll never be able to do all that
unless we help him.
HAVE AN AXE TO To have personal, often selfish, I have no axe to grind- I just want to help you.
GRIND reason for being involved in
something
HAVE ONE’S HEART To be extremely worried and His heart was in his mouth as he watched the
IN ONE’S MOUTH anxious firemen trying to reach the child on the roof of
the burning building.
HAVE THE BEST OF To benefit from the best feature of Women with children who have a job they
BOTH WORLDS two different sets of circumstances can do at home are often thought to have the
best of both worlds.
HIGH-MINDED honorable A high-minded person wouldn’t lie.

IN APPLE-PIE ORDER Neat and tidy, with everything in Her desk is always in apple-pie order.
its correct place
LAY DOWN ONE’S To surrender; to stop fighting or It will be difficult to persuade the opponents of
ARMS opposing other people our plans for the new oil refinery to lay down
their arms.
LET THE CAT OUT OF To let a secret become known We tried to keep the party a surprise for my
THE BAG unintentionally mother but my sister let the cat out of the
bag.
ONCE IN A BLUE Very seldom He visits his mother once in a blue moon.
MOON
PASS THE BUCK To pass on responsibility (to Whenever he is blamed for anything, he tries

Rebecca Teodones-Baguio Page 2 of 3

 someone else) to pass the buck.

PLAY THE DEVIL’S To put forward objections to a Although he appeared to be very hostile to
ADVOCATE plan, arguments against the proposal, as soon as it was accepted it
something in order to test the became obvious that he had only been
arguments for it playing devil’s advocate and was as
enthusiastic as the rest.
RED-LETTER DAY A day which will always be The day I won the prize on the contest was a
remembered because something real red- letter day.
particularly pleasant or important
happened on it
SOFT OPTION a choice or alternative which is He decided to go to college because he
easier or more pleasant than the thought it was a soft option, but he soon
others found he had to work very hard.
THE (LONG) ARM OF The power or authority of the Although the criminal moved to another town,
THE LAW police force the long arm of the law soon caught up with
him.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG Only a small, visible, part of a very What was exposed was only the tip of the
much larger hidden problem, state iceberg.
of affairs, etc.
TO GET BLOOD OUT Something is impossible; (usually Getting my father to pay for anything is like
OF STONE of obtaining something) very getting blood out of a stone!
difficult
UNDER THE AEGIS With the (moral or financial) Under the aegis of the British government
OF support of (someone) (Aegis is a Greek word for the shield or armor
of Zeus or Athena)
WASH ONE’S DIRTY To have a discussion or argument If you want to contest the divorce case your
LINEN IN PUBLIC in public, in a manner which wife is bringing against you, it will simply
attracts attention about private result in a lot of washing of dirty linen in
problems, scandals, etc. public.

WHITE LIES Not very serious lie He’d rather tell her mother a white lie than tell
her the truth and upset her.

Rebecca Teodones-Baguio Page 3 of 3