|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| kangaroo court |
self-appointed group |
They were convicted by a
kangaroo court and did not agree with the
decision. |
| keel over |
faint and fall over |
He thought that he was
going to keel over because of the heat. |
| keel over |
tip over |
The boat looked like it
was going to keel over. |
| keep a secret |
not tell others |
You should keep
a secret about your new job. |
| keep a stiff
upper lip |
face the situation with
pride |
The team could
keep a stiff upper lip even though they were
defeated. |
| keep after |
keep reminding |
You should keep
after her to do her homework. |
| keep an eye on |
Watch |
Keep an eye on
my bicycle while I order some coffee. |
| keep at |
continue |
He has decided to
keep at his studies at the university. |
| keep body and
soul together |
survive |
It was very cold during
the winter but somehow she was able to keep body and
soul together. |
| keep books |
keep records of money
gained and spent |
She used to keep
books for a small company. |
| keep down |
control |
The students were told
to keep down the noise. |
| keep from |
refrain from |
I could not keep
from eating all that cake. |
| keep good time |
accurately report the
time |
My watch does not been
keep good time lately. |
| keep house |
look after household |
She likes to
keep house more than working for a company. |
| keep in touch |
stay in contact |
I have always tried to
keep in touch with my friends. |
| keep on |
continue |
She will keep on
making the same mistakes. |
| keep one's chin
up |
continue and not quit |
Try and keep
your chin up. |
| keep one's cool |
remain calm |
He was able to
keep his cool when his house burned down. |
| keep one's eye
on the ball |
be watchful and ready |
You should keep
your eye on the ball or you will make a mistake. |
| keep one's
fingers crossed |
wish for good results |
Please keep your
fingers crossed that I will pass the exam. |
| keep one's head |
stay calm when there is
trouble or danger |
He is a very good leader
and is always able to keep his head. |
| keep one's head
above water |
be able to pay his debts |
He cannot seem to
keep his head above water since his salary
has decreased. |
| keep one's mouth
shut |
be quiet |
She was very angry and
told him to keep his mouth shut. |
| keep one's nose
clean |
stay out of trouble |
He has been managing to
keep his nose clean since he moved to the
new town. |
| keep one's nose
to the grindstone |
work very hard |
He is really able to
keep his nose to the grindstone. |
| keep one's own
counsel |
keep ideas and plans to
himself |
He always seems to
keep his own counsel. |
| keep one's shirt
on |
calm down |
Try and keep
your shirt on. |
| keep one's wits
about one |
stay calm |
Although there was a
fire in the building he was able to keep his wits
about him. |
| keep one's word |
fulfill her promise |
She never can
keep her word. |
| keep pace with |
go as fast as |
It was difficult to
keep pace with the other students. |
| keep quiet |
remain silent |
Please keep
quiet and listen to the instructor. |
| keep the books |
keep records of money
gained and spent |
The head of the
accounting department will keep the books
this year. |
| keep track of |
record |
The company will
keep track of the money spent on paper this month. |
| keep your eye on
the ball |
stay focused |
Try to keep your
eye on the ball and finish the project. |
| kick out of |
enjoyment from |
I get a kick out
of watching him paint. |
| knocked up |
pregnant |
My dog gets
knocked up once a year. |
In
this lesson you will learn American English idioms beginning with
the letter K. You will learn the definition and study the usage of
each idiom.