|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| wade into |
join in |
The football player
decided to wade into the fight to protect
his teammates. |
| wait on someone
hand and foot |
serve his wife in every
possible way |
He likes to wait
on his wife hand and foot. |
| wait up for |
not go to bed and wait
for |
The woman decided to
wait up for her daughter to come home. |
| waiting tables |
serving food |
He spent the summer
waiting tables at the resort. |
| walk all over |
control and take
advantage of |
She is always trying to
walk all over him. |
| walk away with |
steal |
Someone tried to
walk away with the office computer. |
| walk in the park |
easy |
This class is gonna be a
walk in the park. |
| walk of life |
social level |
People from every
walk of life came to event. |
| walk off with |
steal |
Someone tried to
walk off with the office computer. |
| walk on air |
be happy |
She is going to
walk on air when he gives her the diamond ring. |
| walk out |
go on strike |
Many workers at the
factory decided to walk out today. |
| walk out |
leave suddenly |
They decided to
walk out in the middle of the meeting. |
| walk the floor |
walk back and forth
across the floor |
She will usually
walk the floor when she is nervous. |
| walk the plank |
resign |
The manager of the
department was forced to walk the plank. |
| walking papers |
dismissal |
She was given her
walking papers from his company last week. |
| waltz off with |
take |
The home team was able
to waltz off with the championship again. |
| warm up to |
become friendly with |
She could easily
warm up to the new student. |
| warm up |
practice |
The baseball team began
to warm up before the game. |
| wash one's hands
of |
abandon |
You should wash
your hands of this problem. |
| washed up |
no longer successful |
The player was all
washed up and had to retire. |
| waste one's
breath |
speak pointlessly |
Do not waste
your breath trying to change her mind. |
| watch it |
be careful |
I think you should
watch it if you travel to that city. |
| watch one's P's
and Q's |
be well-behaved |
The teacher told him to
watch his P's and Q's. |
| water down |
make weaker |
You need to
water down the new office policies. |
| water under the
bridge |
in the past |
The situation is
water under the bridge and you should move on. |
| way off base |
way off base |
The plan to redesign the
office was way off base. |
| way the wind
blows |
situation occurs |
The vacation plans will
depend on which way the wind blows. |
| wear and tear |
damage as a result of
ordinary use |
She put a lot of
wear and tear on her car. |
| wear away |
disappear |
The face on the coin
began to wear away. |
| wear down |
deteriorate |
The river proceeded to
wear down the rocks over time. |
| wear down |
exhaust |
Try not to wear
down the employees with a long speech. |
| wear off |
disappear |
The face on the coin
began to wear off. |
| wear on |
annoy |
She was really beginning
to wear on him. |
| wear out |
deteriorate |
The shoes began to
wear out after only one week. |
| wear out |
exhaust |
Try not to wear
out the employees with a long speech. |
| wear out one's
welcome |
stay too long |
Try not to wear
out your welcome at the party. |
| wear thin |
disappear |
The face on the coin
began to wear thin. |
| wear thin |
be less believable |
Her excuses have begun
to wear thin. |
| wears the pants |
is the boss |
I think she
wears the pants in that family. |
| weed out |
sort and dispose of |
She needs to
weed out the clothes she does not want anymore. |
| weigh on |
concern and worry |
The upcoming college
entrance exam began to weigh on her. |
| weigh upon |
concern and worry |
The upcoming college
entrance exam began to weigh upon her. |
| weigh one's
words |
think about what you
will say |
You should weigh
your words before you tell her. |
| well-off |
wealthy |
The owner of the
restaurant is certainly well-off. |
| well-to-do |
wealthy |
The owner of the
restaurant is certainly well-to-do. |
| went through |
was okay |
It went through
this time. |
| well and good |
good |
It is well and
good that he wants to discuss the problem. |
| well-heeled |
wealthy |
The owner of the
restaurant is certainly well-heeled. |
| wet behind the
ears |
inexperienced |
The new employee is
wet behind the ears. |
| wet blanket |
person who discourages
others from having fun |
She is a wet
blanket so we never invite her to any parties. |
| wet one's
whistle |
drink something |
She was tired from
hiking and needed to wet her whistle. |
| what's cooking |
is happening |
She really wants to know
what's cooking. |
| what's doing |
is happening |
She really wants to know
what's doing. |
| what's up |
is happening |
She really wants to know
what's up. |
| what's up with |
what is happening with |
Hey, what's up
with the manager today. |
| what's with |
what is happening with |
Hey, what's with
the manager today. |
| what's the big
idea |
what were you thinking |
Hey, what's the
big idea using the car without asking? |
| what's what |
one thing from another |
It is hard to tell
what's what at an auction. |
| wiped out |
tired |
I was really
wiped out after looking at those lines. |
| work out |
exercise |
She likes to
work out at the gym. |
| work out |
develop |
They needed to
work out the plans of the new product. |
| write off |
remove the expense of |
They were able to
write off the money spent on entertainment. |