|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| about time |
more than long enough |
It's about time
that you returned that book to me. |
| absent minded |
forgetful |
She is really
absent minded. |
| according to
Hoyle |
Strictly by the rules |
According to
Hoyle, you are not allowed to enter this room. |
| across the board |
which included everyone |
The employees received a
salary increase across the board. |
| add up |
be reasonable |
His excuse didn't seem
to add up. |
| ahead of time |
early |
We started the meeting
ahead of time. |
| air one's dirty
laundry |
reveal his embarrassing
secrets |
She began to air
his dirty laundry at the party. |
| all along |
the entire time |
I knew you were seeing
someone else all along. |
| all at once |
Suddenly |
All at once,
the fans rushed onto the field. |
| all day long |
the entire day |
She has been waiting for
the mail to arrive all day long. |
| all ears |
listening to everything |
You can tell me your
story now because I am all ears. |
| all in all |
After considering
everything |
All in all,
the meeting was a success. |
| all of a sudden |
Suddenly |
All of a sudden,
the tornado hit the small town. |
| all right |
okay |
She said that it would
be all right for me to come to the party. |
| all the time |
continually |
She asks for money
all the time. |
| all thumbs |
clumsy |
He is all thumbs
when it comes to fixing things around the house. |
| an arm and a leg |
a lot of money |
His new car must have
cost him an arm and a leg. |
| apple of one's
eye |
favorite |
His youngest daughter is
the apple of his eye. |
| as a rule |
Usually |
As a rule
I usually get up at 8:00 AM every morning. |
| as far as |
To the extent |
As far as
I know he will be here in a few minutes. |
| asking for
trouble |
probably going to have a
problem |
He is asking for
trouble if he misses another class. |
| asleep at the
switch |
not alert to the
opportunity |
He missed the chance to
apply for the job because he was asleep at the
switch. |
| as long as |
Provided that |
As long as
you promise to be careful you can borrow my car. |
| as the crow
flies |
Taking the most direct
route |
As the crow
flies it is about 8 kilometers to my house. |
| as usual |
most of the time |
She forgot to bring her
book to class as usual. |
| as well as |
in addition to |
You should bring paper
as well as a pen. |
| as yet |
Until now |
As yet,
she has not told me about her plans. |
| at a loss |
for less than the
company paid for them |
The cars were sold
at a loss. |
| at an end |
over |
The long career of the
company's president appears to be at an end. |
| at cross
purposes |
have opposite ways to do
something |
They are at
cross purposes and are always arguing about what to
do. |
| at fault |
to blame |
The truck driver was
at fault in the accident. |
| at first |
At the beginning |
At first
she did not want to go but later she changed her mind. |
| at first blush |
When first seen |
At first blush
he seemed like a good worker but he is actually lazy. |
| at heart |
basically |
She is a very nice
person at heart although many people
dislike her. |
| at home |
in the house |
Her shoes are at
home. |
| at last |
finally |
I was waiting all
morning for her call and at last it came. |
| at loggerheads |
opposing each other |
We have been at
loggerheads over the new business plan. |
| at odds |
in disagreement |
He has been at
odds with his boss for many weeks now. |
| at one's beck
and call |
ready to serve him |
His eldest daughter is
always at his beck and call. |
| at the end of
one's rope |
at the limit of his
ability to cope |
He is at the end
of his rope with this situation. |
| at wit's end |
frustrated and
upset |
He seems to be
at wit's end after spending over two hours trying
to solve the math problem. |
| attend to |
take care of |
The clerk decided to
attend to another customer first. |
|
|
|