Meaning: a kempis

n.
German ecclesiastic (1380-1471)

MP Idiom, Proverb

a tempest in a teapot

a lot of excitement about a small problem The argument was over quickly. It was a tempest in a teapot.

bail a company out

help or rescue a company with financial problems The government decided to bail out the failing bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.

bring home the importance of something to someone

make someone fully realize something He was unable to bring home the importance of arriving early for the meeting.

bump and grind

walk or dance in a sexy way A seminude dancer was bumping and grinding under red lights.

bump and grind (hockey)

bump other players and work to get the puck To win hockey games we need players who bump and grind.

bump into

meet by chance, run into Do you know who I bumped into yesterday? Larry Mason.

bumper to bumper

a lane of vehicles with the bumpers nearly touching Traffic on Memorial Drive was bumper to bumper at 4:30 today.

catch a glimpse

see for only a second, visible for a brief time I caught a glimpse of Sue at the mall, but she didn't see me.

chomping at the bit

eager to go, anxious to leave If you mention camping, the kids will be chomping at the bit.

company man

a person who always works hard and agrees with his employees My father was a true company man and was always putting in an extra effort for his company.

company town

a town dominated by one industry or company When the coal mine closed down the company town faced severe economic times.

compare notes

compare what we saw and heard We haven't had a chance to compare notes on Pat's wedding.

cramp your style

cause problems for you, cause stress for you If we can't buy a Corvette, will it cramp your style?

dampen your spirits

reduce your enthusiasm, cause you to lose interest Losing one game didn't dampen her spirits. She's full of hope.

down in the dumps

unhappy She has been really down in the dumps since her boyfriend moved away.

drain the swamp

remove what prevents a clear view of the problem If I were manager, my first step would be to drain the swamp.

dump her/him

leave her or him, drop her, tube her (see tube him) Sid and Marie had a fight, so he dumped her and began seeing me.

dump on

unload the dirty jobs, give what is left over They dump on Karen too much. They give her the large classes.

dumpster diving

searching in the garbage to find bottles etc. No. This college does not offer a course in dumpster diving.

familiarity breeds contempt

a friend may dislike you if you do not respect his or her privacy Don't call Margaret Maggie. Remember, familiarity breeds contempt.

fish and company stink after three days

fish should be eaten while it is fresh, and guests should not stay too long Grandfather had this sign on the wall of his garage: Fish and company stink after three days!

fish for a compliment

hint that he wants a compliment If Al mentions cars, he's fishing for a compliment on his Jaguar.

get the jump on

start faster than the others, quick on the draw Ben got the jump on the other runners. He led by one stride.

go jump in a lake

go away and quit bothering someone She asked me to borrow some money but I told her to go jump in a lake because she never paid me back before.

go jump in the lake

go away and do not return, take off If he expects us to write a 50-page report, he can go jump in the lake.

happy camper

a person who is happy most of the time Jack's a happy camper today. He's smiling and whistling.

hold all the trump cards

have the best chance of winning, have full control It will be difficult to do well in the negotiations with him as he holds all the trump cards.

hot tempered

quick to become angry, lose your temper He's hot tempered - very impatient and often angry.

in a slump

not performing well for several days Wayne's in a slump. He hasn't scored a point in four games.

jump

surprise and overpower, attack without warning The gang attacked him in the alley. They jumped him.have sex with, bang, screw """Did you jump her, Ted?"" ""Is that all you think of - sex?"""

jump all over someone

severely criticize / find fault with someone.

jump at

take or accept quickly and gladly He jumped at the chance to go to Europe on company business.

jump at the chance

be ready to try if you have the opportunity If I was asked to play with their band, I'd jump at the chance.

jump bail

run away and fail to come to trial and give up the money you have already paid to the court He jumped bail and decided to go and live in a foreign country.

jump down one

suddenly become very angry at someone His wife jumped down his throat when he came home late for the third day in a row.

jump down someone

criticize or become angry with someone As soon as I reached the office he jumped down my throat over the missing file.

jump for joy

jump up and down because you are happy When their horse won the race, they jumped for joy.

jump in the lake

(See go jump in the lake)

jump in with both feet

become totally involved, go whole hog Ken gets involved in his work. He jumps in with both feet.

jump on someone

scold, criticize, blame Everyone jumped on him at the meeting because they were angry about the new schedules.

jump on the bandwagon (also get or climb on the ba

join a popular activity Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon to try and stop smoking in the workplace.

jump out of one

be badly frightened, be very surprised I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw my girlfriend at the movie theater with someone else.

jump queue

go to the front of a line of people waiting for service, horn in If somebody jumps queue in front of Dad, he tells them to go to the back of the line.

jump ship

go to work for the other team - the competition The company asked me to sign a form saying I wouldn't jump ship.

jump start

use cables to start a car, kick start One cold morning my dad helped me to jump start my car.

jump the gun

act too soon, leave early A good chef waits until the food is cooked. Don't jump the gun.

jump through a hoop

do whatever one is told to do, obey any order He is always ready to jump through a hoop for his boss so he is not very popular with the other employees.

jump through hoops

do all the required steps, red tape To get a student loan, I had to jump through a lot of hoops.

jump to conclusions

form conclusions before you have all the facts, jump the gun If you see a wrecked car and say that the driver was drunk, you are jumping to conclusions.

jumping Jehosephat

holy cow, jimminy crickets, wow """Your VISA balance is $63,756."" ""Jumping Jehosephat! Is it?"""