Tl イディオム
a different kettle of fish
different, not the same A cult is not a religion. A cult is a different kettle of fish entirely.
a little bird told me
someone told me, one of your friends told me """How did you know that I play chess?"" ""Oh, a little bird told me."""
a little hair off the dog
(See hair off the dog)
a little off
not quite sane, a bit crazy, one brick short... When Clem started eating grass, we knew he was a little off.
a little steep
a little high in price, too much money to pay I'd like to buy that leather coat but the price is a little steep.
a score to settle
an argument to finish, a bone to pick I have a score to settle with him. He owes me a month's rent.
all the bells and whistles
a lot of extra features, lots of goodies, loaded When Horst sold his business he bought a motorhome with all the bells and whistles.
as clean as a whistle
without any dirt or marks, smooth and clean The hen squeezed, and out popped an egg as clean as a whistle.
ass over teakettle
falling over backwards, head over heels The cowboy knocked him off his feet - ass over teakettle!
battleaxe
cranky woman, a bitch Marlene - that old battleaxe - is spreading lies about me.
bells and whistles
(See all the bells and whistles)
blow the whistle
tell the teacher or the police, squeal Jimmy knows we stole the keys, but he won't blow the whistle.
bottle drive
going to houses asking for pop and liquor bottles The bottle drive was a success. The girls earned $350.
bottle man
a man who finds bottles in garbage cans or dumpsters The bottle man walked down the alley pushing a cart full of junk.
bottle up
not talk about, keep in your mind Don't keep all those feelings bottled up inside you. Talk!
chief cook and bottle washer
manager, supervisor Hal is the chief cook and bottle washer for our school supper.
cut it a little fine
leave very little time, have just enough money After paying the rent we had only $60. This is cutting it a little fine.
dig a little deeper
try harder, give a little more The coach asked the team to dig a little deeper, to give their best.
flatliner
a person whose emotions do not change The doctor is a flatliner. His face shows no joy, no sorrow.
footloose and fancy free
carefree, not committed, devil-may-care When the kids moved out, we were footloose and fancy free!
full throttle
gas pedal to the floor, pedal to the metal He drove the Mercedes at full throttle on the freeway.
give a little
be flexible, do not be so firm When you discuss the divorce terms, try to give a little.
half the battle
a large part of the work Sending the letters out will be half the battle. We can finish the rest of the work next week.
hit the bottle
drink liquor, get drunk to forget problems When Laura left him, he hit the bottle, drinking to forget her.
how goes the battle
are you winning the battle of life? are you okay? """How goes the battle?"" Jo asked. ""I win and I lose,"" Pat replied."
if my memory serves me correctly
if I can remember well, if I have a good memory Your name is Jose - if my memory serves me correctly.
kettle of fish
something to be considered, how things are That
little bird told me
(See a little bird told me)
little by little
gradually He broke his leg while skiing but little by little it is getting better.
little frog in a big pond
an unimportant person in a large group or organization He transferred to the headquarters branch but he is a little frog in a big pond and nobody knows him now.
little pitchers have big ears
little children often overhear things that they are not supposed to hear Little pitchers have big ears she said when she saw her daughter standing at the door listening to her talking to her husband.
little white lie
(See white lie)
pot calling the kettle black
a guilty person accusing another guilty person When thief accuses robber, it's the pot calling the kettle black.
potlicker
a little person, a small competitor George - that potlicker! I can beat him with my little finger!
rattle my chain
annoy me, anger me, get under my skin That woman rattles my chain, the way she gossips about me!
rattle on
continue to talk, ramble, hold forth The professor was rattling on about Canadian culture.
rattle sabres
threaten to attack, appear to be preparing for war The workers are rattling their sabres, but they won't strike.
run the gauntlet
face a hard test or painful experience He had to run the gauntlet of many interviews before he got the job.
sabre rattling
(See rattle sabres)
scared shitless
very frightened, scared, petrified When I woke up and saw a light on, I was scared shitless.
scared spitless
very frightened, scared stiff Believe me. I was scared spitless when the wolves started to howl.
score to settle
(See a score to settle)
settle a score with someone
retaliate against someone, pay someone back for a past wrong He always appears to be trying to settle the score with him and never treats him fairly.
settle down
live a quiet normal life He settled down and started a family after he finished university.
settle for
be satisfied with less, agree to I settled for less than I originally wanted with my contract but still I am happy with it.
settle in
become comfortable in a new house or apartment We'd like to get settled in before we have visitors.
settle it
decide what is fair, work for an agreement If the dispute is about property lines, a survey will settle it.
shed a little light on
explain, enlighten, help you understand, To shed a little light on the topic of idioms, we'll read this book.
sing (whistle) a different tune
contradict something said before, talk or act in the opposite way Usually he doesn
spin the bottle
a game to decide who is to kiss whom When we played spin the bottle, Mavis always got to kiss Ron.
