|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| each and every |
absolutely every |
I want each and
every one of you to bring your textbooks tomorrow. |
| EAGER
BEAVER |
a person who is very excited and enthusiastic about pursuing
some activity
The expression suggests the image of an anxiously working
beaver, which is reputed to be an active, industrious
animal. It has a slightly negative connotation, as of
someone eager to impress others with his/her effort. |
1. Paul just discovered jogging as a form of exercise, and
he went out and bought new running shoes, a new tracksuit,
and all the other gear that goes along with it. He’s a real
eager beaver about jogging.
2. Dieting must be done slowly and carefully. Don’t be such
an eager beaver to lose weight that you harm yourself by not
eating anything. |
| ears
are burning |
|
|
| ear to the
ground |
paid attention to
everything |
He kept his ear
to the ground and knew about the changes before
everyone else. |
| ease off |
reduce |
The president was asked
to ease off some of the new company rules. |
| easy come, easy
go |
unimportant |
For him, losing his job
was easy come, easy go. |
| easy does it |
Slowly |
Easy does it
is the best way to learn to drive a car. |
| easy-going |
relaxed |
She has a very
easy-going management style. |
| easy grader |
lenient when grading |
My friends said she's an
easy grader. |
| easy mark |
likely victims |
The elderly are an
easy mark because they usually carry cash. |
| eat away at |
bother |
The problem really began
to eat away at him. |
| eat away at |
destroy |
The mildew began to
eat away at the window frame. |
| EAT
CROW/HUMBLE PIE |
to humble oneself because one has been proved wrong
Synonym: swallow (one’s) pride |
1. Roger told his daughter that he didn’t believe her. When
he found out he was wrong, he had to eat crow and admit his
mistake.
2. Cathy laughed at herself when she realized she was wrong
and had spoken too quickly. “I jump to the wrong conclusions
so often, I’m always eating humble pie,” she said. |
| eat dirt |
accept insults |
He made the senior
manager eat dirt because of the way he was
mistreated. |
| eat humble pie |
admit to the mistake and
apologize |
He was forced to
eat humble pie. |
| eat like a bird |
very little |
I know that you usually
eat like a bird. |
| eat like a horse |
a lot |
I know that you usually
eat like a horse. |
| eat like a pig |
a lot |
I know that you usually
eat like a pig. |
| EAT
(ONE’S) HAT |
to do something unpleasant in the case of being proven wrong
Compare to: bet (one’s) bottom dollar; bet (one’s) boots |
1. I don’t believe the boss is going to give us an extra day
off work at Christmas time. If he does, I’ll eat my hat.
2. Matthew told me he would eat his hat if my favorite
football team won the championship this year. He felt there
was no possibility that they could win. |
| EAT
(ONE’S) HEART OUT |
to suffer silently in a hopeless situation
Compare to: cry over spilled milk
Whereas cry over spilled milk is to grieve over some event
that has happened and cannot be changed, eat one’s heart out
is to grieve over an emotional situation that cannot be
changed. The expression is also used in the command form by
someone who has no sympathy for the grieving person (as in
sentence 2). |
1. Mike thought Sue would eventually marry him. Now that she
has married Tony, he’s eating his heart out.
2. Kevin tried to take the job that was rightfully mine by
telling my boss that I had stolen money from the company.
When I got the promotion anyway, all I could say to him was,
“Eat your heart out.” |
| eat one's words |
admit he was wrong |
He was forced to
eat his words after his boss found the mistake. |
| eat out |
eat in a restaurant |
She like to eat
out three or four times a week. |
| EAT OUT
OF (SOMEONE’S) HAND |
to be submissive; to have someone eating out of one’s hand
means to get someone to be submissive
The expression originates from the idea that an animal that
will eat out of one’s hand is very tame. It connotes an
unhealthy submissiveness. |
1. Jerry will do anything Lisa wants. She has him eating out
of her hand.
2. The politician was so polished that had the crowd eating
out of his hand by the end of his speech. |
| eating someone |
bothering |
I do not know what is
eating her today. |
| EGG ON
(ONE’S) FACE, HAVE |
to be or appear to be embarrassed |
1. I can tell by the way you look that you’ve been caught
doing something naughty. You have egg on your face.
2. Andy sure had egg on his face when he realized he had
made a fool of himself at the party. |
| egg someone on |
push him |
She likes to egg
him on to fight more when they have an argument. |
| eke out |
just barely make |
He was able to
eke out a living with the restaurant. |
| elbow grease |
effort and strength |
You need to use a lot of
elbow grease to get the kitchen cleaned. |
| elbow room |
space |
They moved to the
country in order to have a little more elbow room. |
|
elephant in the room |
|
|
|
ELEVENTH HOUR |
late or last-minute
Compare to: down to the wire; in the nick of time
Down to the wire and in the nick of time convey a greater
sense of being just barely in time than the eleventh hour. |
1. You certainly left making your decision to take this
flight until the eleventh hour. You’re lucky there were
still seats available.
2. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour to decide to see the
doctor. If you do, you may find that it’s too late. |
| end in itself |
the main purpose or goal |
For some people
traveling is an end in itself and the
destination is not important. |
| end of one's
rope |
last of his ideas |
He is at the end
of his rope regarding what to do about his job. |
| end up |
finally be |
I knew that she would
end up at the dessert counter. |
| ETERNAL
TRIANGLE |
a situation in which two men love the same woman or two
women love the same man
The theme of the eternal triangle recurs throughout the
literature of many cultures. The triangle (three people) is
described as eternal because it is such a common situation. |
1. Both Nancy and Tanya love Victor. It’s the age-old story
of the eternal triangle.
2. Like many other romantic comedies, this film is about two
men who fall in love with the same woman. It’s a story of an
eternal triangle gone awry. |
| even so |
nevertheless |
He always works hard but
even so he has no money saved. |
| every dog has
his day |
everyone will have a
chance or turn |
You should know that
every dog has his day. |
| every other |
on each alternate |
She has to work
every other Saturday evening. |
| every so often |
occasionally |
You should send email
every so often. |
| EVERY
TOM, DICK, AND HARRY |
everyone |
1. I know the car salesman made you think he was only
offering a great deal to you, but in fact he has offered the
same deal to every Tom, Dick and Harry that has walked into
his showroom.
2. My rug is ruined. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry must have
come through here with muddy shoes. |
| every Tom, Dick
and Harry |
the average person |
He is not the same as
every Tom, Dick and Harry. |
| eyes are bigger
than one's stomach |
desire for the food is
greater than what she can actually eat |
Every time she orders
food, her eyes are bigger than her stomach. |
| eyes in the back
of one's head |
the ability to know what
is happening behind her
|
She has eyes in
the back of her head. |
| eyes pop out |
surprise |
Watch her eyes
pop out when she sees all this money. |
