al Idiome
a ball-park figure
"a number that is near the total; approximate figure" Fifty is a ball-park figure. It's close to our class size.
a bit off/a bit mental
not rational, unbalanced, one brick short Kate talks to the birds. Do you think she's a bit off?
a bunch of malarkey
an untrue story, a lot of bunk, bull """Do you believe what the psychic said about your future?"" ""No. It's a bunch of malarkey."""
a clean bill of health
a good report from the doctor, a good checkup You'll never get a clean bill of health if you eat fat meat!
a close call
close to danger or an accident That was a close call. The train nearly hit the bus!
a clutch hitter (baseball)
a batter who hits when runners are on base Joe's a clutch hitter. He's batting .431 with runners on base.
a falling out
a disagreement, a break in friendship Guy and Jean had a falling out. They argued about religion.
a false move
a wrong move, a threatening action "A man with a gun said, ""If you make a false move, you're dead."""
a fly on the wall
able to hear and see what a fly would see and hear I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the Judge's chambers.
a free-for-all
a fight without rules, Donnybrook There was a free-for-all after the dance, and Brendan got hurt.
a grain of salt
(See take it with a grain of salt)
a lot of falderal
a lot of foolish talk, a lot of bunk When you hear me speak Latin, you'll think it's a lot of falderal.
a lot on the ball
intelligent, smart Melvin may not look intelligent, but he's got a lot on the ball.
a mental block
a problem with learning a subject or concept I have a mental block when I try to do algebra. I can't think.
a pinch of salt
a bit of salt, the salt held between thumb and finger Hector uses a pinch of salt when he makes chocolate fudge.
a raw deal
an unfair contract, paying too much, taken in If he's charging too much rent you're getting a raw deal.
a real go-getter
a (very) ambitious, hard-working person.
a royal pain
a feeling of irritation, a pain in the ass When he brags about his wealthy family, he gives me a royal pain.
a snowball's chance in hell
little or no chance to succeed If I write the test now, I won't have a snowball's chance in hell.
a steal
"a bargain; purchased for a very low price" How much did I pay for my new coat? Very little. It was a steal.
a talking to
a scolding, a personal lecture If he has a poor attitude, Dan will give him a talking to.
a tall one
a large drink of liquor, a strong drink After he heard the bad news, he poured himself a tall one.
a three-bagger (baseball)
a hit that allows the batter to run to third base Molitor hit a three-bagger in the sixth game of the World Series.
a total stranger
one you have never seen, a perfect stranger """Can I give you a ride home?"" ""No. You're a total stranger."""
a tough call
a difficult decision, a hard choice Was the goal scored before the game ended? It's a tough call.
a whale of a game
an exciting game, a cliff-hanger When Canada played Sweden, it was a whale of a game.
above and beyond the call of duty
much more than expected, go the extra mile Her extra work was above and beyond the call of duty.
after all
after you consider all the facts, to be fair Will you help me with English? After all, I helped you with math.
against all odds
not likely to happen, a slim chance Against all odds - poor weather, student pilot - we landed safely.
all along
all the time I knew all along that he would not get the promotion.
all at once
suddenly, without warning All at once the fire alarm rang so we had to leave the building.
all day long
the whole day She has been sitting and waiting for the mail to arrive all day long.
all decked out
(See deck out)
all ears
listening carefully, trying to hear everything When Dad mentioned hunting, I was all ears. I loved to hunt.
all eyes
watching carefully, staring When the fire truck arrived, the children were all eyes.
all fired up
eager, enthused, gung ho Ian gets all fired up when he sees Kari. There's love in his eyes.
all get-out
(See as all get-out)
all goes well
have good luck, have no problems I hope all goes well for you at college. I hope you succeed.
all hell broke loose
people did crazy things, everybody was fighting When the fire alarm sounded, all hell broke loose.
all his marbles
normal, sensible Dan talks to the door. I wonder if he's got all his marbles.
all in
very tired, exhausted, dog tired, done in After the marathon, she was all in - completely exhausted.
all in a day's work
not extra work, just part of my duties "She said, ""Thanks for the help."" ""All in a day's work,"" he replied."
all in all
in summary, after considering everything We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.
all in one
combined I was able to use my car for travelling and sleeping all in one.
all it's cracked up to be
as good as the ads say, live up to the reports The new computer isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not so hot.
all of a sudden
suddenly, without advance warning All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.
all-out
all your effort, go all-out We looked day and night for the lost girl. It was an all-out effort.
all over but the shouting
(See it's all over but the shouting)
all over hell's half acre
all over the place, everywhere I left the gate open, and the cows are all over hell's half acre.
all right
" expression of reluctant agreement./ fair; not particularly good./unharmed; in satisfactory condition"
