kin Idiom
a talking to
a scolding, a personal lecture If he has a poor attitude, Dan will give him a talking to.
asking price
a starting price, a price to begin negotiations The asking price for the lot was $29,500. It sold for $28,000.
beauty is only skin deep
do not judge a person by physical features, you can't tell a book... If you want to date a beauty queen, remember that beauty is only skin deep.
blow to kingdom come
explode and destroy, blow up There's enough gas in the well to blow us kingdom come!
brand new/ brand spanking new
not used at all, just off the assembly line Imagine a brand new Mercedes in an accident. What a shame!
by the skin of one
by a very small margin, barely I made the application date for the job by the skin of my teeth.
by the skin of one's teeth
barely succeed in doing something.
by the skin of their teeth
by a little, barely He won the election by one vote, by the skin of his teeth.
can't see for looking
cannot see because I have been looking too long Will you try to find my glove? I can't see for looking.
caught looking
be looking when you should have been acting I was caught looking when he hit the ball. I just watched it.
cotton-picking
thieving, doggone, flipping, ruddy Get your cotton-pickin' fingers off that bike! Don't touch it!
easy pickings
an easy task or job, a piece of cake It was a multiple-choice test - easy pickings if you studied.
for the asking
by asking, on request You can get a free ticket to the concert for the asking from the front office.
get cracking
hurry up, start moving fast, get started We will have to get cracking on this work if we want to finish it before dinner.
get under my skin
bother me, bug me, get to me Don't let Bob's teasing get under your skin. Don't let it bother you.
has the makings
has the potential, has the ingredients Darcy has the makings of a good teacher. He explains things well.
how are you making out
are you able to do the job? have you made progress? how are you doing "The manager came to my office and said, ""How are you making out? Finished the report?"""
in a kind (sort) of way
to a certain extent, a little, somewhat I would like to go in a kind of way but still I don
in kind
in a similar way, with the same kind of thing We will pay them back in kind for the use of their sailboat.
in the making
developing, growing Raj is a talented pianist. Is he a Glenn Gould in the making?
keep on trucking
continue to go or work, carry on Len has a sign on the door of his big rig: Keep On Truckin, Man!
kicking around
"lying around here; is here or there or somewhere near" """Do you have a hammer?"" ""Ya, there's one kickin' around here somewhere."""
looking up
(See things are looking up)
makings of
(See the makings of)
next of kin
closest relatives, members of the family The police are trying to find the man's next of kin - his family.
no fucking way
(See no way)
no shrinking violet
a bold woman, not a timid woman Barb will defend her rights. She's no shrinking violet.
no skin off my nose
no bother to me, will not hurt me If he doesn't come to my party it's no skin off my nose.
not speaking
not friendly, not speaking to each other Emily and Pam had a fight. They're not speaking.
on speaking terms
not friendly but saying hello etc. Louise and I are not friends, but we're on speaking terms.
pay in kind
(See repay in kind)
pecking order
from strongest to weakest, line of authority The first thing to learn about a company is the pecking order.
raking it in
(See rake in the dough)
repay in kind
give the same as you get, help one who helped you If you help a neighbor, he may repay in kind.
save your skin/neck
save you from risk, dismissal or death The dog saved your neck. His barking helped us find you.
send someone packing
tell someone to leave, dismiss someone He was sent packing because of his bad attitude to his job.
shrinking violet
(See no shrinking violet)
sinking feeling
"feeling of failure; despair" When I saw the ambulance at our house, I got a sinking feeling.
skin alive
scold angrily, spank or beat She told her son that if he was late for dinner she would skin him alive.
skin and bones
very skinny The cat which we found in the empty house was all skin and bones..
skin-deep
only on the surface, not having any deep or honest meaning Although beauty is said to be only skin-deep many people care about it too much.
skin off one
matter of interest, concern or trouble to one It is no skin off my nose as to whether or not I get invited to the party or not.
skinhead
youth with a short haircut, member of the Nazi Party "Three skinheads shouted ""Heil!"" as they marched up the street."
skinny dip
swimming naked, in the buff They took off their clothes and went for a skinny dip in the lake.
smoking gun
weapon used, evidence, caught red-handed The company told me to dismiss the employee, so I was holding the smoking gun.
take kindly to
be pleased by, like He doesn
the breaking point
the time you cannot go on, the point where you quit My job was so stressful I reached the breaking point. I had to quit.
the makings of
the potential to become, the ability to develop Look at Debi dance. She has the makings of a ballerina.
the wolf knocking
(See the wolf is at the door)
there's more than one way to skin a cat
there are many ways to do it, I know another method For math problems, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
