gh Idiom
a barrel of laughs
a lot of fun, a person who makes you laugh Let's invite Chang to our party. He's a barrel of laughs.
a fighting chance
a fair chance, a good chance If I can get a job interview, I'll have a fighting chance.
a ghost of a chance
a poor chance, not likely to happen That car doesn't have a ghost of a chance. It's too slow!
a penny for your thoughts
tell me what you are thinking about "When I'm quiet, she will say, ""A penny for your thoughts."""
a rough time
a lot of teasing, a lot of bugging Did your friends give you a rough time about your funny haircut?
a rough time of it
a time of stress or bad luck, a tough time of it After the divorce he had a rough time of it.
a sight for sore eyes
something or someone you are happy to see Well, my friend, you are a sight for sore eyes. Good to see you!
a tough act to follow
a performance that is not easy to equal Gail danced very well. That is a tough act to follow.
a tough call
a difficult decision, a hard choice Was the goal scored before the game ended? It's a tough call.
a tough row to hoe
(See a hard row to hoe)
a tough time of it
a time of stress or bad luck, a rough time of it When Bev left home she had a tough time of it. She had no job.
all right
" expression of reluctant agreement./ fair; not particularly good./unharmed; in satisfactory condition"
an egghead
a very intelligent person.
as right as rain
(See right as rain)
at first light
just before the sun rises, at the crack of dawn At first light, the ducks would fly to the grainfields to feed.
behind the eight ball
behind schedule, not coping very well, not up to par I'm behind the eight ball in my computer course. I need to study and practise.
blow sky high
upset a lot of people, cause a scandal or riot This government will blow sky high if people hear these tapes.
break through
be successful after overcoming a difficulty Finally there was a breakthrough in the talks aimed at ending the school teacher's strike.
breathe a sigh of relief
feel relieved after a time of worry When we saw the children were safe, we breathed a sigh of relief.
bright
intelligent, brainy, sharp I left the water running. That wasn't a very bright thing to do.
bright eyed and bushy tailed
frisky, lively, full of life Perry is bright eyed and bushy tailed tonight. He looks rested.
bring some new facts to light
discover some new facts, make some new facts known The lawyers were able to bring some new facts to light in the trial of the killer.
broad daylight
(See in broad daylight)
burn the midnight oil
study/work all night or until very, very late at night.
carry through
put into action The steel company carried through their plan to restructure all of their operations.
carry weight
have influence, have power "Nina is a good reference; her name carries a lot of weight."
carry your weight
do your share of the work, do enough work If you carry your weight, you can work here for the summer.
caught dead
(See wouldn't be caught dead)
caught flatfooted
not ready to respond, mind in neutral Esposito was caught flatfooted by Lemaire's slapshot - an easy goal!
caught in the act
caught doing a crime, caught with his pants down Two of the boys were caught in the act of vandalism. They were breaking car windows.
caught looking
be looking when you should have been acting I was caught looking when he hit the ball. I just watched it.
caught red-handed
caught with evidence, caught in the act The smuggler was caught redhanded with a kilo of cocain.
caught short
not have enough money when you need it I was caught short and had to borrow some money from my father last week.
caught up
busy with, involved Maidra is caught up in church activities. She's very busy.
caught with his pants down
found doing a bad act, caught in the act Percy was caught cheating - caught with his pants down.
collect my thoughts
think calmly and clearly, organize my thoughts She was glad when the kids left so she could collect her thoughts.
come hell or high water
no matter what happens, by any means I'll buy that ranch, come hell or high water. I'm determined.
come through
complete the task, do what is expected We're hoping that Ron will come through with high grades.
cough up
pay your share, pay a debt, pay up Come on, Tony. Cough up. You haven't paid anything.
darn right
that is right, yes, you betcha """Do you believe in ghosts?"" ""Darn right I do! I just saw one!"""
day and night
continually We worked day and night to finish the project before the end of the month.
don't make me laugh
do not be ridiculous, don't give me that line "When I said I wrote the novel, he said, ""Don't make me laugh."""
dough
money, dollars, moola Did you get some dough? We need money to buy groceries.
doughhead
someone who does not think before acting Don't ever call him a doughhead again. He's my boyfriend.
dragged through a...
(See look like he was dragged through a knothole)
drop out of sight
disappear, not be seen for awhile After the scandal, he dropped out of sight. I haven't seen him.
eat high off the hog
(See high on the hog)
electronic superhighway
a computer network, Internet We can find more information on the electronic superhighway.
enough is enough
it is time to stop, enough already """Enough is enough!"" she said after my sixth piece of pie."
fall through
not happen, not succeed, not come off, not pan out His plans to write a novel fell through because he didn't get a government grant.
