und Idiom
a bundle of nerves
"a very nervous person; uptight person" May has so many problems - she's just a bundle of nerves.
a month of Sundays
a very long time, many days It will take a month of Sundays to phone the students in our school.
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
prevent a problem so you don't have to solve it, a stitch in time... Forest fires deserve an ounce of prevention: public education in campfire safety.
around the bend
crazy or insane, off your rocker If I had to listen to that noise all the time, I'd go around the bend.
around the clock
twenty-four hours, 'round the clock Julie worked around the clock to finish her sewing project.
bat five hundred
hit half the times at bat, win half the competitions If you solve five problems out of ten, you're batting five hundred.
be my undoing
"be the cause of my failure; my Achilles' heel" Credit cards may be my undoing. My VISA balance is over $5000!
beat around the bush
speak indirectly or evasively Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision.
been around
experienced, not naive, wasn't born yesterday "Margo's been around; she can work with the convicts."
blow a bundle
spend a lot of money, lose a lot of money gambling When Al went to Vegas, he blew a bundle - he lost a lot of money.
bomb around
drive around, drive your car for fun, cruise """Where have you been?"" ""Bombin' around in Rod's car."""
break fresh ground
deal with something in a new way The researchers were able to break fresh ground in their search for a cancer cure.
bring around/round
restore to health or consciousness, cure The medical workers were able to bring the man around after the accident.
buckle under
quit, lose, not try, give up We're losing, but we won't buckle under. We won't quit.
bundle
(See make a bundle)
bundle of nerves
(See a bundle of nerves)
bundle up
put on warm clothes, dress warmly We bundled up and went for a walk in the park.
buy a round
buy a drink for everyone at the table, this one is on me When Gina was born, I bought a round for the team. Every player had a drink to honor our baby.
by leaps and bounds
by large amounts, by a lot The population of Calgary has grown by leaps and bounds.
circles around you
much better than you, no contest Why do you play cards with her? She can play circles around you.
come around
begin to co-operate, believe, come onside When he reads the report, he'll come around. He'll believe us.
common ground
shared beliefs or interests There was little common ground between the two sides and the negotiations for the new machinery did not go well.
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.
cover ground
talk about the important facts and details of something The number of questions seemed endless and we were unable to cover much ground during the meeting.
crack under the strain
become irrational or hysterical due to strain, around the bend Mother was a strong person. She never cracked under the strain of raising ten children.
dirty laundry
personal problems, mistakes, scandals I don't want the public to see my dirty laundry - my worst moves.
don't know your ass from a hole in the ground
you are ignorant, you are mistaken, mixed up He said one member of the cult was so confused he didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.
down under
Australia, New Zealand etc. Next year I'm going down under for my holidays - New Zealand.
drink you under the table
drink more liquor than you, drink and not pass out, put you away After three glasses of beer, you're nearly drunk. I bet I can drink you under the table!
drive around
drive a car up and down the streets, tooling around At night we drove around town, looking for something to do.
drop a bundle
lose money by gambling, lose your shirt I dropped a bundle at the track last night. I lost every bet.
ear to the ground
direct one
fart around
play instead of work, goof off, hang out When we were kids we used to fart around at my uncle's store.
feet on the ground
an understanding of what can be done, sensible ideas The new manager has his feet on the ground and will probably be able to come up with a sensible solution to our problems.
fiddle around
tinker, do something in an unplanned way I tried fiddling around with the computer printer for awhile but it still won
find a way around
find a way not to pay, avoid a rule, get around If you want to find a way around a tax law, talk to Sammy.
fool around
spend time playing rather than working, waste time If he would spend less time fooling around he would be able to get some work done.
found money
money found on the street, money saved by nature Wind power is like found money. I save what I paid for electricity.
found out
discovered, caught If you cheat on the exam, you'll be found out. They'll see you.
gain ground
go forward, make progress Our company has been gaining ground in our attempt to be the best in the industry.
get around
go to different places, move about He really gets around. He has been to almost every state in the United States.
get around it
avoid rules or laws, find a way around You must obtain a business license. You can't get around it.
get around to
do, work at, complete I haven't got around to calling him yet. I haven't had time.
get in on the ground floor
be there at the start, be one of the first If I get in on the ground floor at MING'S, I'll advance quickly.
get off the ground
make a successful beginning, go ahead His new business never really got off the ground so he must look for another job.
get out from under
escape a situation that one doesn
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.
get under one
bother someone, upset someone She always gets under my skin although I don
get your mind around
understand, comprehend, wrap your mind around He explained DNA, but I can't get my mind around it.
give ground
move back, retreat, stop opposing someone He refused to give ground on his plans to change the system of office management.
