ess Idiome
a blessing in disguise
a problem that becomes a benefit or advantage The rainstorm was a blessing in disguise. It stopped the fire.
a downer (sadness)
an event or statement that causes sadness News of the war was a downer. Most of the people dreadedwar.
a dressing down
a scolding, a lecture, a piece of my mind Mother gave me a dressing down when I said bad words.
as useless as a fifth wheel
not useful, not needed, redundant, (four wheels are sufficient) I sat there watching the four of them play bridge, and feeling as useless as a fifth wheel.
as useless as tits on a boar
not useful, not necessary, having no function Our toenails are useless - as useless as tits on a boar.
backpack (business)
support, be the parent company First, GM backpacked Saab. Then they bought the company.
blessing in disguise
(See a blessing in disguise)
business as usual
everything is normal, nothing has changed The morning after the holdup, it was business as usual at the bank.
by guess or by gosh
any way that is possible, by chance How did I learn to speak French? By guess or by gosh, that's how.
cascade (business)
allow information to flow down to the employees Archie thinks we should control this information, not cascade it.
clueless
not informed, ignorant, not with it When I don't know the answer, I try not to look clueless.
cool under pressure
calm during a crisis, able to perform well when you must do it Jo was very cool under pressure. When the judge asked questions, she answered clearly and calmly.
downer (sadness)
(See a downer)
dress clothes
good, expensive clothes """Why don't you change your dress clothes before you repair the car?"""
dress down
dress in casual clothes, dress informally It's a library party, so dress down. Wear something casual.
dress rehearsal
the last rehearsal before the performance, dry run All actors must come to the dress rehearsal - our last practice.
dress up
put on one
dressed fit to kill
dressed in party clothes, dolled up, dress up In walks Erica, dressed fit to kill. She looked terrific!
dressed to kill
wear one
dressed to the nines
dressed in high fashion, gussied up Here I am in jeans. Everybody else is dressed to the nines.
dressed to the nines (teeth)
dressed elegantly They were dressed to the nines when they went to the opening of the new theater production.
fifth business
an unimportant player, an extra member You are fifth business, Dunny. Anyone can play your part.
for goodness sake
for the good of everyone, please For goodness sake, don't drive so fast! The roads are icy.
get down to business
start working or doing the business at hand We decided to get down to business and try to finish the work quickly.
get the message
understand clearly what is meant I told him three times but I don
goodness gracious
oh my, oh dear, gosh Goodness gracious! That sauce is hot!
got no business
do not have the right, have no claim Charlie's got no business telling us how to manage our farm.
hard pressed
burdened with urgent business I am a little hard pressed for time. Can we meet later?
hazard a guess
guess at the answer, take a a shot in the dark How many beans are in the jar? Do you want to hazard a guess?
His Royal Highness
the king, His Majesty His Royal Highness would like you to play your lute for him.
hot off the press
paper that has just been printed "As the boy handed me the paper he said, ""Hot off the press!"""
into fitness/dancing etc.
involved in fitness etc., enjoying a hobby They're really into fitness. They exercise and jog a lot.
jam session
informal practice session for musicians, jam After the symphony rehearsal, a few of us had a jam session.
lesser lights
people who are not as talented, not superstars We owe our success to the lesser lights on our team - the workers.
lesser of two evils
both are bad but one is not as bad as the other Neither person can be trusted. Choose the lesser of two evils.
like nobody's business
a lot, busily, like crazy The squirrel was eating nuts - chewing like nobody's business.
make a good impression
meet and talk to strangers so they like you Penny made a good impression on my parents. She is so polite!
mean business
is serious or determined, no nonsense At work or play she means business. She is a serious person.
mess around
play around, engage in idle activity The children were messing around in the school yard before the class began.
mess up
do a bad job, ruin it, screw up The manager messed up. He spent too much money on advertising.
mess with
challenge, fight with, mix it up with We learned not to mess with the Mafia. Their revenge is deadly.
messed up
depressed, dependent on drugs, not coping with life At that point in his life, he was messed up on drugs and alcohol.
mind your own business
do not ask questions about my business I asked about her plans, and she told me to mind my own business.
monkey business
nonsense, foolishness, funny stuff I've had enough of your monkey business. No more foolishness.
more or less
somewhat, to some extent I like the new color more or less but it
my goodness (my God)
used to express surprise or shock etc. "My goodness," she said when she saw the small dog jump over the fence.
necessity is the mother of invention
our needs cause us to invent devices, build a better mousetrap Do you think the invention of TV proves that necessity is the mother of invention?
needless to say
it is obvious, it goes without saying Needless to say, there are many idioms in the English language.
no business
(See got no business)
nothing succeeds like success
one success leads to more success This is the first rule of learning: Nothing succeeds like success.
