Meaning:
aarp
n.
an association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens
RP Idiom, Proverb
a sharp tongue
a tendency to reply sharply or sarcastically Karly is a beautiful girl, but her sharp tongue may be a problem.
a sharp wit
an ability to say funny things at the right time Mr. Mills is 85, but he still has a sharp wit. His mind is quick.
at cross purposes
have opposite ways to do something, opposing goals They are at cross purposes and are always arguing about what to do.
catch me by surprise
surprise me, not warn me The snowstorm in May caught us by surprise. We didn't expect it.
harp on
talk repeatedly and tediously about something He has been harping on his lack of money for a few months now.
haul up on the carpet
questioned, disciplined, give me the third degree If you don't obey every rule, you will be hauled up on the carpet.
look sharp
look very nice, very well dressed and groomed She looks very sharp in her new suit-like a model!
Murphy's Law
"""Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."" it never fails" Have you planned for failure? Remember, Murphy's Law applies to all projects.
on purpose
intentionally I think that she spilled the drink on purpose.
on the carpet
asked to explain a mistake, give me the third degree Tom's on the carpet because he lost company documents.
on the warpath
very angry, looking for trouble He is really on the warpath today so you should stay out of his way.
red carpet
(See roll out the red carpet)
roll out the red carpet
greet a person with great respect, give a big welcome When the King of Jordon visited Washington, they rolled out the red carpet and gave him a great welcome.
serve the purpose
do the job, accomplish the task If you don't have an organ, a piano will serve the purpose.
sharp(1)
intelligent, quick to learn Geoff is a sharp kid. He's doing calculus at the age of twelve.
sharp(2)
sarcastic, abrupt Even when Anne was tired, she never gave you a sharp reply.
sharp(3)
at a specific time, on the dot The preacher began the service on time - at 11 a.m. sharp.
sharp as a tack
quick to understand, able to think quickly He may be 85, but he's sharp as a tack - plays chess every day.
sharpen up
think carefully, use your intelligence If I make a mistake, I don't want him telling me to sharpen up.
sharpen your pencils
be ready, be prepared Let's sharpen our pencils, gang. We have to set some goals.
sweep under the carpet
hide problems, cover mistakes Don't sweep your problems under the carpet. Try to solve them.
twerp
small child or person, knee high to a grass... Ricky is just a twerp. He can ride on Grandpa's knee.
warped sense of humor
thinking that weird things are funny If you laugh at cruelty, you have a warped sense of humor.
accidentally-on-purpose
seemingly accidental but with veiled malice or harm
bottom burp
wind from the anus, a fart; generally children's expression
carpet muncher
offensive term for a lesbian
corporation pop
somewhat archaic term for water
cyberpunk
a nonconformist advocate of modern technology, especially such a user of the Internet
Osdorp
Amsterdam (the Netherlands) hood where the foundations of the Dutch underground, hardcore hiphop scene were laid. Rap artists such as Jason, West Klan and first and foremost The Osdorp Posse are from that part of Amsterdam
for the purpose of
with the object of; with the intention of为…目的
For the purpose of building our country into a great socialist state,all of us must work hard.为了把我国建成一个伟大的社会主义国家,我们一定要努力工作。
He came here for the purpose of collecting material for his research.他到这里来,目的是为了他的研究搜集资料。
He has gone abroad for the purpose of studying chemistry.他已经到国外去学化学了。
The yound man jumped into the river for the purpose of saving the drowning child.那个年轻人跳入河中为的是救落水的孩子。
take by surprise
1.fill with surprise or amazement;astonish 使吃惊;使惊奇
Your good examination results have taken all the teachers by surprise.你考试的好成绩使得所有老师都感到吃惊。
When our teacher quit in the middle of the year to work for the government,it took us all by surprise.我们的老师在年中辞职去政府部门供职时,我们都感到吃惊。
2.appear in front of sb.suddenly;come before sb.is ready 出其不意地出现;在(某人)未准备妥当之前来到
The passenger took the thief by surprise.He caught the latter's hand as it sneaked into his pocket.那位旅客在扒手刚把手伸进他的口袋里的时候,突然抓住了他。
Our guests came half an hour early,taking my mother by surprise.我们的客人提前半小时来了,弄得我妈妈措手不及。
to little/no purpose
of no avail毫无结果
He worked to no purpose.他只是徒劳而已。
We spoke to little or no purpose.我们说话作用不大或者毫无作用。
to little purpose
of no avail毫无结果
He worked to no purpose.他只是徒劳而已。
We spoke to little or no purpose.我们说话作用不大或者毫无作用。
to no purpose
of no avail毫无结果
He worked to no purpose.他只是徒劳而已。
We spoke to little or no purpose.我们说话作用不大或者毫无作用。
sweep sth under the carpet
Idiom(s): sweep something under the carpet AND sweep something under the rug
Theme: DECEPTION
to try to hide something unpleasant, shameful, etc., from the attention of others.
• The boss said he couldn't sweep the theft under the carpet, that he'd have to call in the police.
• Roger had a tendency to sweep all the problems under the rug.
sharp as a razor
Idiom(s): (as) sharp as a razor
Theme: INTELLIGENCE
very sharp-witted or intelligent.
• The old man's senile, but his wife is as sharp as a razor.
• Don't say too much in front of the child. She's as sharp as a razor.
roll out the red carpet for
Idiom(s): roll out the red carpet for sb
Theme: WELCOME
to provide special treatment for someone.
• There's no need to roll out the red carpet for me.
• We rolled out the red carpet for the king and queen.
give sb the red-carpet treatment
Idiom(s): give sb the red-carpet treatment
Theme: PRAISE
to give someone very special treatment; to give someone royal treatment.
• We always give the queen the red-carpet treatment when she comes to visit.
• They never give me the red-carpet treatment.
get the red-carpet treatment
Idiom(s): get the red-carpet treatment
Theme: RESPECT - HONOR
to receive very special treatment; to receive royal treatment. (This refers—sometimes literally—to the rolling out of a clean red carpet for someone to walk on.)
• I love to go to fancy stores where I get the red carpet treatment.
• The queen expects to get the red-carpet treatment wherever she goes.
for all practical purposes
Idiom(s): for all practical purposes
Theme: ESSENTIALLY - BASICALLY
as might be reasonably expected; essentially.
• For all practical purposes, this is simply a matter of right and wrong.
• This should be considered final, for all practical purposes.
for all intents and purposes
Idiom(s): for all intents and purposes
Theme: ESSENTIALLY - BASICALLY
virtually; practically speaking. (Sometimes this expression has very little meaning. Fixed order.)
• He entered the room, looking for all intents and purposes as if he would burst into song.
• She said that for all intents and purposes she had completed her assignment.
call sb on the carpet
Idiom(s): call sb on the carpet
Theme: SCOLDING
to reprimand a person. (The phrase presents images of a person called into the boss's carpeted office for a reprimand.)
• One more error like that and the boss will call you on the carpet.
• I’m sorry it went wrong. I really hope he doesn't call me on the carpet again.
at sometime sharp
Idiom(s): at sometime sharp
Theme: TIME - PRECISE
exactly at a named time.
• You must be here at noon sharp.
• The plane is expected to arrive at seven forty-five sharp.
at cross-purposes
Idiom(s): at cross-purposes
Theme: OPPOSITION
with opposing purposes; with goals that interfere with each other.
• We are arguing at cross-purposes. We aren't even discussing the same thing.
• Bill and Tom are working at cross-purposes. They'll never get the job done right.
answer one's purpose
Idiom(s): answer someone's purpose AND serve someone's purpose
Theme: SERVING
to fit or suit someone's purpose.
• This piece of wood will answer my purpose quite nicely.
• The new car serves our purpose perfectly.
serve one's purpose
Idiom(s): answer someone's purpose AND serve someone's purpose
Theme: SERVING
to fit or suit someone's purpose.
• This piece of wood will answer my purpose quite nicely.
• The new car serves our purpose perfectly.
Born to the purple
Someone who is born to the purple is born in a royal or aristocratic family. ("Born in the purple" is also used.)
Brush under the carpet
If you brush something under the carpet, you are making an attempt to ignore it, or hide it from others.
Call on the carpet
If you are called on the carpet, you are summoned for a reprimand by superiors or others in power.
Carpetbagger
A carpetbagger is an opportunist without any scruples or ethics, or a politican who wants to represent a place they have no connection with.
An RP idiom dictionary is a great resource for writers, students, and anyone looking to expand their vocabulary. It contains a list of words with similar meanings with RP, allowing users to choose the best word for their specific context.
Dictionary of similar words, Different wording, Synonyms, Idioms for Idiom, Proverb RP