1 - guinea-pig: someone who allows himself to be used as a subject for experiments.
Ex: Why don't you try that new restaurant first. I don't want to be the ~.
2 - Take your time!: Don't hurry!
3 - on Cloud Nine: to be very happy. (= to be in seventh heaven). Ex: Since her engagement to Peter, Joan has been ~.
4 - Time is running out!: There is little time left!
5 - It's raining cats and dogs!: It's raining very heavily!
6 - a fair-weather friend: a friend only for as long as things are going well.
7 - down-to-earth: practical, sensible; concerned with facts not theories. Ex: I am surprised that a ~ character like Jim should suddenly start taking an interest in astrology.
8 - the black sheep of the family: a member of a family who has disgraced himself/herself.
9 - once in a blue moon: extremely rarely. Ex: What does it matter what your uncle thinks of you? He only visits you ~.
10 - to see someone in his true colors: to understand someone's true character, often for the first time. Ex: When he lost his temper, he showed himself in his ~.
11 - to see red: to get very angry at something. Ex: When the workers found out that their wages had been cut, they saw red.
12 - to look through rose-colored/tinted glasses: to see things in a flattering or over-optimistic light. Ex: Anne always enjoys her visits because she sees everything through ~, but she would feel differently if she had to live there.
13 - to catch someone red-handed: to catch someone in the act of committing a crime, usually a theft. Ex: Caught you ~! I saw you take the money out of the box.
14 - red tape: bureaucratic delay, excessive attention to rules and regulations. Ex: I had to go through a lot of ~ to get a green card in the U.S.
15 - a white lie: a harmless or well-intentioned lie. This is generally not considered morally wrong because the motive is to spare the feelings of the person lied to. Ex: Thanks for such a delicious supper Ms. Carman. You're an excellent cook. (This is what you would say even if you did not like the meal.)
16 - white trash: very poor white people. A derogatory term that Blacks might use when referring to White people.
17 - in the air: of plans, undecided, uncertain. Ex: We haven't made up our minds yet where we are going to spend our summer vacation; our plans are still ~.
18 - to be in a jam: to be in great difficulties, to be in a mess. Ex: I'm really ~ right now because I have a faculty meeting at 2:00 and have to pick up the kids from school at 2:15.
19 - a backseat driver: this phrase refers to the passenger in the back (or front) of a car, who is always telling the driver what to do. Ex: Watch out for that car! Don't go too fast! Slow down! Careful, there's a stop sign ahead! Don't park to close to the curb! (These are things a ~ would say.)
20 - to hit the road: to leave by car (or on foot). Ex: I better ~ now or I'll be late for class. What you might say when you have to leave someone.
21 - a labor of love: a work done without payment, either for its own sake or for the sake of a loved one. It may just be something that you enjoy doing. Ex: Her work at the homeless shelter is ~.
22 - moral support: encouragement. Ex: I'm taking a driving test tomorrow at the Division of Motor Vehicles. I hope you'll go with me to give me ~.
23 - I've got to hand it to you: I must congratulate you.
24 - to give someone the cold shoulder: to treat someone with marked coldness, to ignore him in a noticeable manner. Ex: When I greeted Lucy this morning, she pretended not to see me. I wonder why she is giving me ~. |
