y イディオム
a bad taste in my mouth
a feeling that something is false or unfair, a feeling of ill will I left the meeting with a bad taste in my mouth. There was a lot of dishonesty in the room.
a bar fly
a person who often goes to bars or lounges Every evening Penny goes to Lucifer's. She's quite a bar fly.
a bunch of malarkey
an untrue story, a lot of bunk, bull """Do you believe what the psychic said about your future?"" ""No. It's a bunch of malarkey."""
a chicken in every pot
enough food for every family No one will be hungry if there's a chicken in every pot.
a crying shame
a sad event, it is too bad It's a crying shame that they didn't have fire insurance.
a dead giveaway
a clear signal, an obvious sign The smile on her face was a dead giveaway that she got the job.
a far cry
not similar, very different This is good sherry, but it's a far cry from the amontillado.
a faraway look
the eyes show thoughts of a distant place or friend When I mention horses, you get a faraway look in your eyes.
a feather in your cap
an honor, a credit to you, chalk one up for you Because you are Karen's teacher, her award is a feather in your cap.
a fly on the wall
able to hear and see what a fly would see and hear I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the Judge's chambers.
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 fraidy cat
a child who is afraid to jump etc., chicken """Ian's a fraidy cat!"" the boys shouted. ""Ian's afraid to jump!"""
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 golden opportunity
a good chance to succeed, a good investment The Royal Hotel is for sale. What a golden opportunity!
a hard day
a day full of hard work, put in a hard day You look tired, Dear. Did you have a hard day at the office?
a heavy day
a busy day, a hard day At the end of a heavy day he likes to sit on the patio and read.
a holy pile
a lot, very much, tons To feed 20 people, you need a holy pile of spaghetti.
a jim dandy
a fine piece of work, a beautiful object Mom, you should just see this saddle. It's a jim dandy!
a lady-killer
"handsome man; a man who charms the ladies; hunk" """Liam Neeson! He's gorgeous!"" she said. ""What a lady-killer!"""
a level playing field
a place where everyone has an equal chance, level the playing field A level playing field includes equal pay for equal work for all men and women.
a lucky break
good luck, good fortune, stroke of good luck Finding that money was a lucky break. It was our good fortune.
a lucky streak
winning several times in succession Whenever I wear this ring, I have a lucky streak. I win every game!
a month of Sundays
a very long time, many days It will take a month of Sundays to phone the students in our school.
a necktie party
a hanging, a lynching If the men catch the outlaw, they want to have a necktie party.
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 penny for your thoughts
tell me what you are thinking about "When I'm quiet, she will say, ""A penny for your thoughts."""
a penny pincher
a person who spends carefully, a thrifty person He used to be a penny pincher, but now he spends freely.
a piece of my mind
my criticism of what you did, a tongue-lashing If my son stayed out all night, I'd give him a piece of my mind.
a play on words
a pun, a word or phrase that has two meanings When a man says he'll give you a ring, it may be a play on words.
a pretty penny
a lot of money, a high price I bet she paid a pretty penny for that coat. It looks expensive.
a quick study
someone who learns new things quickly and easily.
a red-letter day
a special day, a memorable day This is going to be a red-letter day. I found my lost keys!
a regular guy
an average man, a good guy David? Well, he's honest and easy to live with - a regular guy.
a roll in the hay
making love, having sex """Want a roll in the hay?"" ""Sure. Do you have a condom?"""
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 run for your money
strong competition, an opponent I should enter the election and give him a run for his money.
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 slippery slope
a path that leads to problems, a risky plan Nationalism is a slippery slope. It often leads to racism.
a slow day
not productive, not many customers Tuesday is a slow day in the car market - very few sales.
a suicide pass (hockey)
a pass behind the player causing him to look back Older players always stop when receiving a suicide pass.
a thorn in my side
one who causes pain, one who bugs me He's always been a thorn in my side - always critical of me.
a way with words
natural ability to speak, the gift of the gab Ask Viv to write the speech. She has a way with words.
a window of opportunity
an opportunity, a chance, a golden opportunity Sometimes a problem is actually a window of opportunity.
a yawner
a boring event, a book etc. that is not interesting I went to the movie, but it was a yawner so I left.
above and beyond the call of duty
much more than expected, go the extra mile Her extra work was above and beyond the call of duty.
according to Hoyle
according to the rules, if we follow the rules According to Hoyle, it's your turn to deal the cards.
add insult to injury
add another negative, make it worse, put your foot in it If you say his answer is wrong, and then say he can't understand, you've added insult to injury.
age before beauty
the older person should be allowed to enter first """Age before beauty,"" she said as she opened the door for me."
all day long
the whole day She has been sitting and waiting for the mail to arrive all day long.
all eyes
watching carefully, staring When the fire truck arrived, the children were all eyes.
