pa イディオム
a ball-park figure
"a number that is near the total; approximate figure" Fifty is a ball-park figure. It's close to our class size.
a flash in the pan
a person who does superior work at first I'm looking for a steady worker, not a flash in the pan.
a fool and his money are soon parted
"a fool will spend all his money quickly; easy come, easy go" After he had spent his fortune, he remembered this saying: A fool and his money are soon parted.
a fresh pair of eyes
a different reader, one who has not seen the writing A fresh pair of eyes may find many errors in this report.
a necktie party
a hanging, a lynching If the men catch the outlaw, they want to have a necktie party.
a pack of lies
many lies, no truth to it What Gail is saying about Julie is a pack of lies. It's not true.
a pain in the ass
a bother, a lot of trouble Fixing that car every day is a pain in the ass.
a pain in the butt
a person who causes problems, a pain in the ass Hal keeps interrupting me. He's a pain in the butt!
a paper trail
a series of memos or letters that record events A business merger leaves a long paper trail - many documents.
a party to that
a person who helps to do something bad Jane said she didn't want to be a party to computer theft.
a pat answer
a planned or memorized answer, a canned answer You won't get the job if you give a pat answer to every question.
a royal pain
a feeling of irritation, a pain in the ass When he brags about his wealthy family, he gives me a royal pain.
a suicide pass (hockey)
a pass behind the player causing him to look back Older players always stop when receiving a suicide pass.
backpack (business)
support, be the parent company First, GM backpacked Saab. Then they bought the company.
bail a company out
help or rescue a company with financial problems The government decided to bail out the failing bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.
ball-park figure
(See a ball-park figure)
ball park figure/estimate
a rough estimate or figure The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
beat the pants off
defeat by a large score, blow you away "Ho plays table tennis very well; she'll beat the pants off you."
beg your pardon
excuse me, please do not be offended I beg your pardon, but I am using this phone booth.
beg your pardon?
what did you say? will you repeat what you said? Beg your pardon? Did you say you are Paul Newman?
beyond repair
ruined, cannot be repaired, a lost cause That copier is wrecked. It's beyond repair.
beyond the pale
outside the bounds of acceptable behavior What they are doing is totally unacceptable and beyond the pale.
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 seat of your pants
with little money, a lick and a promise You can't operate a business by the seat of your pants.
call a spade a spade
"say it in plain language; the straight goods" Kris will report the facts. She's not afraid to call a spade a spade.
caught with his pants down
found doing a bad act, caught in the act Percy was caught cheating - caught with his pants down.
company man
a person who always works hard and agrees with his employees My father was a true company man and was always putting in an extra effort for his company.
company town
a town dominated by one industry or company When the coal mine closed down the company town faced severe economic times.
compare notes
compare what we saw and heard We haven't had a chance to compare notes on Pat's wedding.
CPA
Certified Public Accountant The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.
crash a party
go to a party uninvited, horn in Bo and his friends crashed our party. They came uninvited.
cross paths
meet, encounter We'll cross paths again, I'm sure. Until then, good luck.
deadpan
with an expressionless or emotionless face He had a deadpan expression when he told us the story.
discretion is the better part of valor
"be sensible when you are brave; be courageous but not reckless" In all your battles, be brave but not foolish. Discretion is the better part of valor.
do your part
do your share, do your job We did our part to help the food bank. We donated cereal.
down pat
memorized, just right Flora had her speech down pat. She had practised it many times.
down the garden path
(See lead you down the garden path)
eat out of the palm of your hand
do whatever you ask, obey you, win the hearts If you tell the children a story, you'll have them eating out of the palm of your hand.
expand your horizons
experience or discover new ideas or goals or cultures Travel, read, discuss - expand your horizons!
fall apart
become to not work properly The equipment fell apart about six months after I bought it.
fall apart (at the seams)
be unable to cope or manage, come unglued After his wife died, he fell apart. He lost interest in everything.
feather a pass (hockey)
pass a puck accurately but softly Nilsson could feather a pass better than the other players.
feeling no pain
half drunk, half corked After three drinks of rum, Alex was feeling no pain.
fish and company stink after three days
fish should be eaten while it is fresh, and guests should not stay too long Grandfather had this sign on the wall of his garage: Fish and company stink after three days!
flash in the pan
(See a flash in the pan)
fresh pair of eyes
(See a fresh pair of eyes)
from the frying pan into the fire
from bad to worse I went from farming to fishing - from the frying pan into the fire!
get into her pants
have sex with her, lay her[B] He wants to get into her pants, but she won't let him.
give pause to
cause one to stop and think His problems should give you pause to think a little more carefully about what you do.
grease my palm
pay me, give me money If you want good service, grease his palm. Give him a tip, eh.
